Pistoleer Archive

Right now our Profession has the ability to target one HAM pool. And that is to becomethe extent of our abilities after the nerf/patch takes place.

Riflemen have the ability to target the Mind HAM pool. But they also have other interesting abilitites. They can 'pull' a player out of a covered state. They can startle and stun an enemy to delay their next combat round as well as having an area effect ability to cause multiple enemies to become startled and stunned. They can make a single enemy dizzy as well as having an area effect ability to cause multiple enemies to become dizzy. Finally, they can force a player to stand up from a prone or kneel position.

Carbineers have the ability to target the Action HAM pool. But they also have other interesting abilities. They have the ability to confuse and blind a single enemy as well as an area effect formultiple enemies. They have the ability to stun an opponant to delay the enemies next combat round, this same ability is also available as an area attack to effect multiple targets.They have a skill that hits all three HAM pools on an enemy. Finally, they have a ranged knock down.

Now, I really didn't want to make this comment but unfortunately I just cant help myself. Why anyone feels that Pistoleers are overpowered I'll never understand. Regardless, this isn't the point of my post.

I believe the Pistoleer profession should also have state causing effect skills. We should not have to advance up the smuggler pistol tree for a stun effect to delay an opponants next combat round and later in that tree the ability for a ranged knockdown. We should not have to advance up the Bounty Hunter pistol tree for a mind pool and blindness shot then later in that tree a heavy fire damaging shot.

Currently, and this is before the comming nerf folks, the Pistoleer has less special moves then either of the other ranged weapon professions. The Pistoleer has no special that causes a state effect like the other ranged weapon professions,unless you consider Bleeding to be one. The Pistoleer has no position changing ability like the other ranged weapon professions (I am speaking solely within theElite Professiontrees themselvesand not refering to the Marskmanship ability "Supression Fire" available to all ranged weapon users).

By all accounts, the Developers will modify the Pistoleer's DisarmingShot special move to cause damage to opponant's weapons. I personally believe this will be an abused skill for griefers. The appropriate action for this special has already been suggested, unequiping the opponant's weapon forcing them to re-equip it. Perhaps for DisarmingShot 2 they could amplify this effect by causing the opponant's weapon to be thrown from the users grip and onto the ground several meters away. Although this too can cause considerable grief as any passer-by can then take the weapon. Although it is far easier to 'buy' or 'bribe' a person to return a stolen weapon then it is to fly to a particular planet to purchase a brand new one.

Either way, whatever the Developers decide to do with DisarmingShot, the Pistoleer still doesn't have any posture changing skill nor any state effect causing skill. So, I propose we petition for a new skill to either Blind an opponant to decrease their attack ability, or cause an opponant to become Dizzy and more susceptible to Supression Fire.

One alternative to this would be to petition the Developers to perhaps change FanShot to cause damage to all three HAM pools. This with a fix for BodyShot 3 would at a minimum allow us to do considerable more damage. But the Pistoleer will not compare to the other ranged weapon professions with variety in abilities and damage effects.

As only a quick comparison, after the nerf, a pure Carbineer will have3 ranged knockdowns. The Charged Shots as one. The second being causing Dizzy from either one of the Full Auto shots or Scatter Shot followed up with a Supression Shot. This can be repeated with Supression Shot 2 for the third knockdown ability.

Riflemen of course have the ability to dizzy an opponant with Flurry Shot, or multiple targets with Flurry Shot 2, following it with Supression Fire.

Pistoleers will have only the melee knockdown. By the way, what does Pistol Melee Defense 2 do? Is there any word from the Developers on this? Will it be the same as the first varient except cause a longer KD period? Or will it be a multi-target KD (IE: knocking down all enemies currently standing next to you beating the krap out of you).

Basically, the two ranged weapon classes which are not Pistoleer, will have ranged knockdown ability. Not to mention that ability is able to effect multiple targets. Granted it will take more time and more attacks but it is FAR more then what a Pistoleer is able to do.

The only way for a Pistoleer to gain a ranged knockdown to bring them up to par with the other ranged weapon professions, is to learn skills outside of their own skill tree (IE: rank up the smuggler pistol tree).

I think we really need to push for a change or an addition to the Pistoleer skill tree.

This is a great post Jispo. Very good points, very well-written.

Can you cross post this on SWG Discussion forum, and put HOLO or DEV in the title to try to get the Devs' attention?

We really need to get the Devs to start paying attention to this stuff, before we're nerfed into uselessness.

...I doubt it will do any good.

Hitting health is an advantage not a penalty. You guys can spam your styles and then switch to standard shots and hit the same pool. How often do you get a random mind shot? Action you do hit sometimes, but no where near asmuch as health. Please don't pretend like hitting health is some sort of disadvantage..........