Rifleman Archive

Sorry, apparently I can't paste a message I wrote earlier when the servers were acting funny?? It has HTML somehow..../shrug

So here we go again...

Ok lots of questions here. I'm just returning to the game after many many months away (I left in November I think) and find the forums a bit daunting in that the acronyms, items and situations being discussed make little to no sense to me.

When I left my character was 4/3.5/4/3 Rifle heading toward master. I was also 4/3/4/2 Doctor but was unsure if I was going to continue or simply drop it all together. Back then my rifle skills were not enough to do the good missions and my friends and I were hard pressed to make much money doing things outside of merchanting.

I guess what I would like to know is this. As I return to the game now I read that rifle is indeed an excellent class. Well balanced and good in both PvE and PvP. I plan to keep the rifle then, as I always enjoyed attacking from afar. As for doctor, I don't know. I want a class that is a good match for my rifleman and would appreciate any input on it.

Further, I would like advice on what I need to aquire in order to compete in the game today. I've been away for so long its abosolutely crazy how many new things are in the game. Skill tapes? Armor that has skill bonuses in it? Do I have to have an armorsmith build these or can I add them like weapon powerups? I plan to peruse the boards a lot more and learn about these things I've missed but if you rifleman can tell me what items I need to start working towards, it would go a long way to helping me refine my search.

What rifle(s) should I be looking for and what are good stats now?

Armore?? When I left it was utter crap and noone used it, now it seems everyone is toting a set or two. What should I be looking for here?

Skill enhancements? I read people talking about +11 rifle speed etc. but I don't really understand how this works. What items should I be looking for?

I know this post is a tall order, but I appreciate any and all input. I', going to start digging through the rifle sticky threads now, and will keep a close eye on this thread as well. Thanks in advance!

P.S. I have yet to reactivate my account and apparently cannot use the forums without it so I am borrowing a friends to post. -Menh of Starsider

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Naghaz wrote:

Sorry, apparently I can't paste a message I wrote earlier when the servers were acting funny?? It has HTML somehow..../shrug

So here we go again...

Ok lots of questions here. I'm just returning to the game after many many months away (I left in November I think) and find the forums a bit daunting in that the acronyms, items and situations being discussed make little to no sense to me.

When I left my character was 4/3.5/4/3 Rifle heading toward master. I was also 4/3/4/2 Doctor but was unsure if I was going to continue or simply drop it all together. Back then my rifle skills were not enough to do the good missions and my friends and I were hard pressed to make much money doing things outside of merchanting.
Rifleman is one of those professions that gets 100 times better from 4-4-4-4 to master. Just stick with it and have faith.

I guess what I would like to know is this. As I return to the game now I read that rifle is indeed an excellent class. Well balanced and good in both PvE and PvP. I plan to keep the rifle then, as I always enjoyed attacking from afar. As for doctor, I don't know. I want a class that is a good match for my rifleman and would appreciate any input on it.
Doctor is a great class to back up any profession with in PvP. Todays biggest threat are combat medics and a doctor can heal everything a CM has until you elimnate him. If you were looking to drop doctor though the pick up a melee profession to handle close targets and get the ability to do kinetic damage. All the melee professions have something different to compliment rifle with.

TKA-you get to meditate your wounds away, power boost you self for an extra 500HAM and force of will to get back from an incap.

Fencer-you get incredible defenses plus a weapon that does stun damage in melee.

Swordsman-you get to keep targeting your opponents mind pool when he closes in.

Polearm-well...I've only fought one of these guys in PvP. They get a lot of damage over time weapons but I don't know if they have anything else.You'll have to check with one.

Further, I would like advice on what I need to aquire in order to compete in the game today. I've been away for so long its abosolutely crazy how many new things are in the game. Skill tapes? Armor that has skill bonuses in it? Do I have to have an armorsmith build these or can I add them like weapon powerups? I plan to peruse the boards a lot more and learn about these things I've missed but if you rifleman can tell me what items I need to start working towards, it would go a long way to helping me refine my search.

What rifle(s) should I be looking for and what are good stats now?
T21Rifle-max damage around 500 after slice is good for a non-krayt.
Jawa Ion Rifle-max damage aroud 350 after slice.
DXR-6 Rifle-max damage around 400 after slice.
You can get better of these rifles but these stats are fairly easy to find and are competetive until you find better.

Armore?? When I left it was utter crap and noone used it, now it seems everyone is toting a set or two. What should I be looking for here?
Get a set of comp armor that has been sliced for effectivness, buffs can make up for encumberance.
Good stats are about 80% kinetic & 80% base. Make sure it also has a 40% stun layer in it.

Skill enhancements? I read people talking about +11 rifle speed etc. but I don't really understand how this works. What items should I be looking for?
If you are master you are pretty close to the speed cap, +11 is over kill. If you get your rifle speed to 97, there isn't a rifle out there you can't fire at one per second. The amount you will need to get to 97 depends on if you master marksman too.

I know this post is a tall order, but I appreciate any and all input. I', going to start digging through the rifle sticky threads now, and will keep a close eye on this thread as well. Thanks in advance!

P.S. I have yet to reactivate my account and apparently cannot use the forums without it so I am borrowing a friends to post. -Menh of Starsider

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CrashNgoBoom I truly appreciate the excellent reply!

As for Doctor, my favorite thing is being able to self buff but I suppose with the advent of foods/etc. it may not be as necessary as it once was. I've never been fond of being responsable for others health, however I can see where this is a great boon with Combat Medics mass poisoning people.

If I went with a melee I would likely try for TKM or Fencer as I like thier styles. Polearm looks neat, but I dont know much about them.

As for the rifles I REALLY appreciate your quick and comprehensive analasys for me. That makes searching and shopping far easier.

Armor, Composite army only? Are the other armors obsolete then? It's sort of a shame that there arnt more choices, in a game where so much attention to character model selection is given its odd to me that we all look the same (ie: Composite clones). I appreicate your feedback though and will search out a set. Do I need a complete set? Or are thier certain pieces that are irrelivant?

Skill enhancements? How do these work? Do I need to buy armor with them built in or can they be applied to armor I currently have? Do I need an armorsmith?

Finally, stats. I'm a human and currently have tiny health and action bars with huge mind bars. I dont want to get one shotted though so what sort of stat mitigation should I aim for as a human?

Thanks a ton btw, you did in a few minutes what would have taken me hours to compile.

Oditeforsore,

I appreciate the input, it sounds like I did indeed luck out I like the idea of being self-sufficient now! Being able to make money adventuring as opposed to buffing/building stims is WAY more my style and I'm certainly glad for it.

You mention cities on Darth with an improved job market...what exactly is this? Player Cities I'm assuming, but how do I know what stage they are in?

I like the idea of being a lone hunter/looter as well. Especially if I can solo it. Since most of my friends have left the game I'm certain there will be moments of solitude, would be nice to fill those hunting big game.

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Naghaz wrote:

CrashNgoBoom I truly appreciate the excellent reply!

As for Doctor, my favorite thing is being able to self buff but I suppose with the advent of foods/etc. it may not be as necessary as it once was. I've never been fond of being responsable for others health, however I can see where this is a great boon with Combat Medics mass poisoning people.

If I went with a melee I would likely try for TKM or Fencer as I like thier styles. Polearm looks neat, but I dont know much about them.

As for the rifles I REALLY appreciate your quick and comprehensive analasys for me. That makes searching and shopping far easier.

Armor, Composite army only? Are the other armors obsolete then? It's sort of a shame that there arnt more choices, in a game where so much attention to character model selection is given its odd to me that we all look the same (ie: Composite clones). I appreicate your feedback though and will search out a set. Do I need a complete set? Or are thier certain pieces that are irrelivant?

Skill enhancements? How do these work? Do I need to buy armor with them built in or can they be applied to armor I currently have? Do I need an armorsmith?

Finally, stats. I'm a human and currently have tiny health and action bars with huge mind bars. I dont want to get one shotted though so what sort of stat mitigation should I aim for as a human?

Thanks a ton btw, you did in a few minutes what would have taken me hours to compile.

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Rifleman/Doc is one of the combos I was considering too and I think it would be a great match. I've got an alt that's aweaponsmith though and 2 crafting professions would just be too much of a pain. Doc is still required for good buffs. You can only eat and drink 2-3 foods or drinks at a time (that's 2-3 of each, but depends on their filling). I usually get doc buffs, drink 2 brandies, and eat an ahrisa as a base for my buffs.

The only thing CrashNgoBoom isn't correct on as far as rifles on Starsider is the Jawa Ion rifle. I don't know if he's just mistaken or he has much better resources on his server, but the highest max damage for a non-enhanced Jawa Ion rifle on Starsider is about 232 unsliced right now. Even with a 35% damage slice that's only 313 max damage.

Composite armor for PvP or PvE and Ubese armor for PvE only. Everything else is practically useless. For composite, the most important pieces are the chest plate, the leg plates, and helmet. The others you can skimp on a bit if you have to.

Skill enhancements: You just need the armorsmith to get the armor from. Then you can add the SEAs yourself.
When you get some skill enhancement attachments (SEAs), you drag the attachment over to the piece of armor you want to put it in.

For stats, max out all your mind stats. As a doc, you'll be able to self-buff and then heal your own action and health, so the only thing you're vulnerable on and dependenton othersfor is dancer/musician mind buffs (not counting foods/drinks).

Kielker,

You are right about the jawa. I forgot that mine was krayted. Thanks for fixing my error so he doesn't spend months looking for a "normal" one with those stats. I did have one that wasn't krayted with a good base damage but it wasn't quit as high as I originally stated.

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Naghaz wrote:

Oditeforsore,

I appreciate the input, it sounds like I did indeed luck out I like the idea of being self-sufficient now! Being able to make money adventuring as opposed to buffing/building stims is WAY more my style and I'm certainly glad for it.

I am a Master Rifleman/Master Doc. You can do both. I usually buy my buff packs and buff myself and friends or sell buffs when I feel like it, but I generally make money by running missions.

You mention cities on Darth with an improved job market...what exactly is this? Player Cities I'm assuming, but how do I know what stage they are in?

You are correct. He is referring to Player Cities. Player Cities have the option of specialization. Each type of specialization grants different bonuses. Cities that chose "Improved Job Market" get a 15% bonuses to mission payouts, so taking missions out of one of these cities as opposed to, say, the Dantooine Mining Outpost would net you 15% bigger mission payouts. (By the way, it is Dantooine not Dathomire to which he is referring.)

I like the idea of being a lone hunter/looter as well. Especially if I can solo it. Since most of my friends have left the game I'm certain there will be moments of solitude, would be nice to fill those hunting big game.

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Regarding profession mixes. As I mention above, I am a Master Rifleman/Master Doc. I dropped Master Swordman/Master Brawler to get Doc. I did so because I got tired of being poisoned and diseased (mainly) in PvP and being able to do nothing about it. It also give me the ability to buff myself and my friends at will, which means I do not have to run around looking for someone to buff me, plus I can make money buffing when I choose.

However, doing so was a very tough decision. I dearly loved being a Master Rifleman/Master Swordsman/Master Brawler. In PvP, I used my rifle as my primary weapon with heavy swords as a backup for up close fighting. In PvE, however, I usually did the reverse. There were many times in a group PvE situation (e.g., the Nightsister caves) where, when the dust settled, I was the only one left standing. It was a lot of fun.

However, Swordsman, like Rifleman, does not have high defenses. TK or Fencer are probably better complements to Rifle when it comes to defenses for in close fighting. But Swordsman does allow you to switch from ranged to melee and continue attacking the same pool, whereas Fencer or Pikeman would require you to switch to a different targeted pool. TK can target mind, just not as efficiently, but the Powerboost and Meditate skills are great helps. So if ever drop Doc for a melee profession, Swordsman for offense, Fencer for Defense, TK for tanking, and Pikeman for stacking Block and for DoT weapons.