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Boejangle's Farewell All-You-Need-To-Know Commando PvP Guide
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. It is here. This is Mr.Jangles' personal PvP guide for Commandos.
This guide contains everything you need to know when it comes to PvPing with a Commando. No secrets. No lies. Everything I know about Commando is revealed.
So let us begin....
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
I have been playing PvP with my Commando since Day 1 of Beta PvP. Most people know me by my Operative, ProSophist, and often ask me why I don't play him anymore. The reason is that BJ was never meant to be a PvP toon. I started him off as an LB toon pre-Voleria and I immensely enjoyed kill-farming with him. Since then, I never played my Operative again. It's not because I thought Commandos were overpowered in PvP, they were just fun. Anyway, my personal opinion is that Operatives are still the best class in PvP at the moment. I've always preached that there is no best class in any game (and I stand by this belief), but at this moment, considering that PvP is still in Beta stage, with certain skills not "properly" working, Operatives will remain the Alpha-dog.
However, I will make sure that this guide will give you a good shot of beating any class, regardless of the player. (Ok there will be some players that you will never beat, sorry) Just remember that I never considered myself as the best Commando in the game. I believe that in everything that you do, there is always someone out there better than you.
Pros and Cons
PROS
High burst damage
High dodge
High armor
CONS
Slow
Too dependent on self-combo
Can easily be kited down
Stats, Skills, etc.
Every single point is to be spent Strength. It ultimately gives you more HP and Damage(Not DPS) over any other stat. There is a threshold for it but I'm too lazy to try it out. As a Commando, you want Damage over DPS. DPS is a very misleading stat. It does not affect your skill damage. The slowest one-handed weapons in the game (such as the Nova Blaster) are always the best choice.
Dodge > HP > Damage > Armor > Everything else
As for the skill build, this is what I have been using since Day 1. I have come up with multiple builds in the past and this has been the most effective, specially against players who know what they are doing.
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Back Breaker Level 6: Your bread-and-butter skill. Your overall damage will entirely rely on this skill. Whenever the enemy is on the ground (via Neuron Stomp or Singularity, Back Breaker will trigger a "backbreaker" combo, which deals more damage.
NOTE: In order to trigger this combo, the target HAS to be flat-out on the ground. Otherwise, the combo will not work.
Neuron Stomp Level 1: It seems like a good idea to pump up this skill considering how much damage it deals at level 6. However, it has a 6m range which means, chances are you wont get a lot of chances to land this skill. Keep it at level 1 for enemy control. This skill is meant for dropping down an opponent, not damage.
Singularity Level 3: Utility skill. Be wary of spamming this skill as it may leave you out of mana eventually. Also, it pushes your opponent AWAY from you, making it even harder to chase. Ideal as a run-and-gun skill or a combo finisher.
Vigor Level 6: This is an amazing skill, perhaps one of my favorites in PvP. It heals roughly around 1/8 of your total HP every 20 seconds. However, this does NOT give you the right to pole-hug and abuse this skill.
Graviton Slam Level 6: Your secondary damage dealer. At level 6, it deals 12-30 damage and slows your enemy by 70% for a few seconds.
Increase Mass Level 6: Mandatory skill. Gives 300 armor for 5 seconds with a 10 second cooldown. Best used when being pinned down by an Operative (Will be explained later).
Kinetic Reservoir Level 5: Great damage booster at the beginning of the fight, but its main purpose is for the mana regen. Crucial against passive-aggressive Operatives. Left at level 5 because the energy regen does not increase from level 5 to 6.
Growing Rage Level 6: 60% crit for 15 seconds. No explanation needed for this. Max the damn skill.
IMPORTANT:Do not get Gravity Well since the pull effect DOES NOT work in PvP, rendering it useless.
Equipment
Set: Custom Battleshell Set - Currently the best set for a Commando. Set bonus is a must since it gives about 40 more HP and about 2 HP regen.
Weapon: Nova Blaster - Gives damage, dodge, and HP. Everything a growing Commando needs.
Shield: Blackstar Shield - Dodge, Hp, and Armor
Implant: Dodge D-2 Dodge Amplifier - Gives you 7 dodge. If you are cheap or can't afford one, the green dodge implant(5 dodge) also works. DO NOT ever use a damage or armor implant.
Granted that you get all of these gears, your stats should look like this:
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Player Tactics
Even if you have the best gears in game, winning a fight ultimately depends on the player himself. Based on my experience, only a small percentage of the PvP community truly knows what they are doing. The purpose of this small guide is to prepare you for THAT small percentage waiting to pounce on you like an angry gorilla.
Operatives
There are 2 types of Operatives ion n PvP: aggressive and passive-aggressive. Aggressive Operatives buff-up at the beginning of the fight, unleash every skill on you, run away to their CDs are over, rinse and repeat, until you are dead. Passive-aggressive Operatives are slow killers. They will try to stun/root you in place, go in and out to try and deal damage without getting hit. Hard to do, but very effective. I've seen less than 3 people who are able to do this on a consistent basis.
So how do you deal with Operatives?
Aggressive Operatives:
At the start of the fight, buff up with Kinetic Reservoir. The mana regen stays on for about 5 seconds and after that, it gives you a 30 damage boost for 2 seconds.Practice counting those 5 seconds in your head, so that when those 5 seconds are up, you should already be engaging your opponent in order to get 30 damage boost in. Open with Graviton Slam to slow him down, as most Operatives react to it with either rooting you in place, or pushing you away with Lurch. If you get hit with all of his DoTs and knocks you back with Lurch, use Vigor. This lets you negate the DoT damage you took. Save Increase Mass when taking damage, particularly when you are pinned down on one spot, eating all of his skills. ALWAYS keep you back against a pillar or a wall while keeping your opponent within a 8-10m so that when he uses lurch on you, the wall will prevent you from getting pushed out of your skill range.
If you manage to get close to your opponent, or he inadvertently goes point blank range on you, here is the typical skill rotation:
At this point, you should already have Growing Rage toggled
Neuron Stomp>Singularity>Backbreaker>Graviton Slam
Singularity needs to be casted right after Neuron Stomp, since it has 1 second delay or so. NR knocks down your opponent, then switch BB to Singularity. Otherwise, wait till Singularity hits and see if it knocks down the enemy, THEN you can use BB. If both fails, cast BB otherwise, along with Graviton Slam.
Passive-Aggressive Operatives:
Like always, start with the KR buff. Go in before the 5 second mark ends, and start poking him with Graviton Slam. More often than not, he will Lurch, and succeed. He will try his best to root you in place and kill you from that position. Granted that you can't get close enough to land a Neuron Stomp, keep throwing Graviton Slam and BB on him, since they have the most range, while keeping yourself alive with Vigor and IM. IF his lurch or stun misses, seize the opportunity. REMEMBER to keep your back against a wall. This is VERY VERY crucial. Once you get close to your target, follow the combo mentioned before and it will take a huge chunk of his HP. At this point, keep your cool, be observant of the skill he is using, and always keep him on a leash. Most likely, he will retreat, and your job is to chase him.
But what if all his root/stun/push skills do not miss? You can still win. As always, keep yourself alive with Vigor and IM. Keep spamming Graviton Slam and Singularity. Now this part is tricky: Like I said before, Singularity has a delay before it hits your enemy, kinda like a bomb. If Singularity hits, and the target's body is in the middle of sliding/falling motion(like the ragdoll effect) cast Backbreaker, and you will trigger the combo. This is a pretty hard technique to master. Cast it too early and it will not trigger the combo. Cast it too late and the enemy will be out of range. Very challenging to do, but done right, you can take out a passive-aggressive Operative without getting close to him.
This type of Operative will always run away. The best thing to do is try to get close and unleash your combo. If you are unable to do so, keep using your 12m range skills unless they get close. Regardless, this kind of playstyle will drain your mana eventually, and that is when KR comes in handy. Whenever you are pushed, or the target is far away, always use KR to regen your mana. Even better if you manage to use it 5 seconds before you re-engage so that you can utilize the 2 second bonus damage.
Pro-tip: Do NOT use Kinetic Reservoir while in combat. It gives you a -10 damage debuff while you are under the mana regen effect. You don't want that when you are trying to dish out damage.
Commando
Going against an equally skilled Commando will require a lot of juking, and a little bit of luck.
Remember to always use the KR trick and buff up with Growing Rage before you perform your skill combo.
If you notice that he used KR at the beginning of the fight, you know that he probably read this guide too. DO NOT engage until the damage buff is over.
When I said Com v Com required a little bit of luck, it is because you are both depending on a single combo. Whoever lands the most knockdowns will probably win, but you do not want to depend solely on luck.
Try to bait him into using KR early. You have to account for the time. Set yourself up in a situation wherein his damage buff is over while yours is just about to start. This way, you have a slight advantage. Open with Graviton Slam, and start your combo. Keep at least 7m of space between you and him, unless you are going in for the kill, to prevent him from hitting you with Neuron Stomp. NS almost guarantees a knockdown, so you do not want this to happen. Save IM for when he knocks you down, as it gives you a little cushion from taking damage from a potential BB combo. Keep track of every skill he is using. If you noticed that he used both of his knockdown skills and missed, use IM to protect you from the remaining damage. Throw in Singularity every now and then.
Considering that your opponent knows what he is doing, this will be a long fight, and both of you will be out of mana at some point. Just remember that you have KR for that.
Pro-tip: Control the opponent with the use of Graviton Slam. If you see him charging in and you are not prepared to take damage, slow him down and buy yourself some time.
Engineer
Unfortunately, this is the easiest fight for a Commando.
Getting close to them is easy, and at this point of the guide, you should already know what to do at point blank range.
Keep Graviton Slam on him at all times so that it is easier to get closer.
If you feel like you are taking too much damage, pop IM and Vigor.
Additional Tips, Tricks, and Notes
1. When fighting Ops, always keep you back against a wall. As much as possible, they will want to stay away from you. On the Reckoning room, there are 4 pillars. Utilize them. However, be wary of pole-hugging. There is a fine line between utilizing and abusing.
2. When fighting Ops, NEVER let them cast Amplify Pain on you at the start of the match. Wait till they cast it before engaging, or try to juke it. If you get hit with it, hit him with Graviton Slam and wait till his damage buff wears off ,or until the armor debuff expires.
3. It is possible to do some sort of skill-weaving between Singularity and Backbreaker. Like I mentioned before, you can trigger the combo while the enemy is in sliding motion before he gets pushed out of the 12m range. This is hard to explain in words. It takes a lot of practice.
4. Dodge is your best stat. Never replace it with armor.
5. Nova Blaster is the best PvP pistol in game for Commandos.
6. Practice the Kinetic Reservoir trick. If you are fast enough, you can engage and land a backbreaker combo while under the 2 second damage buff.
This concludes my guide. Be wary that players' playstyle will evolve and adapt, so everything I have written here will not last forever. I hope this helps a lot of people, especially the ones who are struggling in PvP with a Commando. Feel free to ask me any questions regarding PvP in this thread. I may update this in a couple of days just in case I forgot something. If there are a few grammatical errors, forgive me since I just wrote this in one sitting. Just remember, this guide does not guarantee anything. It is a mere guide to point you towards the right path. As I have mentioned before, I don't consider myself the best Commando. The best way to PvP is to practice, and most of all, HAVE FUN! :)
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Goodbye!
I am going to keep this short and sweet. This is perhaps my last thread on the STS forum. I have finally decided to quit Star Legends. My valuable gears have already been taken care of, and PLEASE do not ask me for my Xray Visors. I consider this guide both as a thank you and a farewell to the community, specially since many players have asked me for builds, playstyle, gears, etc. You will still be seeing me around Blackstar every now and then, but just to chat with a few close friends. It has been a great long ride going back to the first few months of PL, and the opening of SL. I will always cherish that great memories I've had with these 2 games, and I hope to keep in touch with the great people I have met.(You know who you are!) I wish you all goodluck, and I'll see ya around ;)
