Pikeman Archive

OK, I am currently a Bounty Hunter and with all the NERFs that profession is never going to be worth anything so I am thinking of quiting and switching to Pikeman, but I need some Advice.

I've never really paid attention to the "Skill Mods" as much as I should, but this time I've done some research.

At Master Pikeman I get the following (total)

• Dizzy +40


• Stun +30


• Blind +20

Sorry, stupid boards! Let me try again:

OK, I am currently a Bounty Hunter and with all the NERFs that profession is never going to be worth anything so I am thinking of quiting and switching to Pikeman, but I need some Advice.

I've never really paid attention to the "Skill Mods" as much as I should, but this time I've done some research.

At Master Pikeman I get the following (total)

• Dizzy +40
  
• Stun +30
  
• Blind +20


• Melee +20


• Ranged +15


• Knockdown +20


• Posture Change +30


• Block +20

Here are my questions that I need help on:

1. I am assuming these are % increases, similar to the advantages that Armor would give. Is that correct?


2. Do I need to wear Armor?




• In other words, if I am wearing armor (auto 50% reduction in Damage) do I get an additional 15% protection (damage reduction)against Ranged Weapon attack?


3. As a Pikeman (brawler for that matter) do I get any special protection against Kenitic Attacks?




• In other words, what helps me not get Incapped verse larger Prey.


4. What is the BEST RACE for this Profession (other then the Lizard dudes)

Thanks for your help!

Here are all the modifier stats we currently have:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pikeman&message.id=4712

Toughness is a percentage damage reducer, almost like natural armor. So if you have 25 polearm toughness, your melee damage taken when you are using a polearm is reduced by 25%.

Melee and ranged defense are miss percentages. So if you have 25 melee damage, a melee attacker should miss you 25% of the time. Same idea for ranged.

The special protection against kinetic comes in the form of toughness.

Armor will always help reduce the amount of damage taken, high kinetic resist ubese or composite is best, but of course, greatly increases your HAM costs, but I'm sure you know that already.

As a pikeman, you'll notice we have the lowest defenses of all melee, so keeping this in mind, if you want to be able to stand your ground, you can always wear good armor, buff your own stats, debuff your target and not use many specials.

I think most people who are pikemen are zabrak because of their inherent advantaged with mind.


antares
master pikeman

THanks, after reading that I'm wondering why not go Master TKA over Pickman. Then I get the Boost to my HAM via the Meditate.

Is that correct? It is the same amount of points.

Unfortunately those are no one's opinions, just the in-game numbers. However, it was not my intent to dissuade you from choosing pike. There are some better numbers for melee def, ranged def, accuracy and block on test center right now, that hopefully will soon be pushed live.

There are many good reasons why pikeman is enjoyable: area attacks, high damage capability, powerful action bleeds, relative rarity, etc.

antares
master pikeman

I understand, but it was my understanding that TKA could boost thier HAM via a Meditate, can Pikemen do that?

They can boost their mind via Powerboost. Meditate (at master) heals bleeds, disease, poison, and wounds. They also have Force of Will which gives a chance to get up immediately from an incap. I could go on about TKA but I'm trying to avoid pointing you in their direction...And no, no other class can do these things, and yes, TKA uses the same number of skill points we (pikemen/fencer/swordsmen) do.

antares
master pikemen

Eh, I was mistaken with my last statement, actually. They can powerboost just their health and action for half the max value of their mind, lasts for 10 minutes each time at master...

antares
master pikeman

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antares_Kauri wrote:
Here are all the modifier stats we currently have:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pikeman&message.id=4712

Toughness is a percentage damage reducer, almost like natural armor. So if you have 25 polearm toughness, your melee damage taken when you are using a polearm is reduced by 25%.

Melee and ranged defense are miss percentages. So if you have 25 melee damage, a melee attacker should miss you 25% of the time. Same idea for ranged.

The special protection against kinetic comes in the form of toughness.

Armor will always help reduce the amount of damage taken, high kinetic resist ubese or composite is best, but of course, greatly increases your HAM costs, but I'm sure you know that already.

As a pikeman, you'll notice we have the lowest defenses of all melee, so keeping this in mind, if you want to be able to stand your ground, you can always wear good armor, buff your own stats, debuff your target and not use many specials.

I think most people who are pikemen are zabrak because of their inherent advantaged with mind.


antares
master pikeman

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Your definition of melee and ranged defense must be wrong, because it is very possible as of this patch to get higher than 70 melee and/or ranged defense. As of next patch, it can be easily done by getting Fencer and the combat exp line of TKA, effectively boosting melee and ranged defense to well over 100. According to your definition, if they are a % increase, then over 100 melee/ranged defense would mean that you never get hit?

on ahazi zigmund makes 66%kinetic resist chitin. i have that.... it works well. and the 50% damage reduction for wearing armor is only true when you are hutnign stuff with no armor piercing. those FS guys are another story. But hey... I like to kill the big game stuff myself. I normally don't wear armor cause I like to use specials. however... if i am buffed, and i wear armor, then i can still use specials.

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IamDaniel wrote:

Your definition of melee and ranged defense must be wrong, because it is very possible as of this patch to get higher than 70 melee and/or ranged defense. As of next patch, it can be easily done by getting Fencer and the combat exp line of TKA, effectively boosting melee and ranged defense to well over 100. According to your definition, if they are a % increase, then over 100 melee/ranged defense would mean that you never get hit?

---

Perhaps you're correct. This is what I had been told by some people I consider knowledgeable and it's what I thought I remembered seeing someplace. I tried to do some research on it and the only things I could find were one post that said each defense point decreased your "to-hit" by 0.5% and another said 1% each point, so it's maybe 1/2 of what I said, not the full value. Even if it was 1% per point, this would be offset by the mob's accuracy mods. So if they had an accuracy mod of +50 against a theoretical +100 melee defense, the resulting to-hit would be decreased by 50%. So it is still reasonable that it is a full percentage point for each +melee defense point. I wish I could find some official documentation on this.

Also note that it is regularly questioned how well these +mods work. I know from experience that they do work reasonably well, though like armor, not all the time. I have a friend who is TKM/Master Brawler with pike/fencer/swordsman defenses. She is the best player tank I have seen in-game, she never wears armor and can take hits from some of the biggest mobs with ease. Her melee/ranged defenses are up near or at 100 after adding in a few BE-tissue-enhanced pieces of clothing. She still gets hit sometimes, but the damage she takes is minimal.

antares
master pikeman