The upcoming SWTOR Expansion – ‘Onslaught’ – will introduce a many changes for each Class in the game. Players will among other things experience new abilities, Set Bonuses, and Tactical items.To help explain it all, The developers over at BioWare are releasing a series of articles featuring each Advanced Class’s new ability, as well as new Set Bonuses and Tactical items.
They will also present various combat scenarios to show how these changes will mesh together just like in our previous article covering Powertechs and Vanguards In today’s article they are showcasing the Operative and Scoundrel Advanced Classes!
Operative
Let’s take a look at the new ability for Operatives!
Tactical Overdrive – Resets the cooldown of Stim Boost, Recuperative Nanotech, Volatile Substance, Lethal Strike, and Shield Probe and increases your Mastery by 20% for 15 seconds.
Alongside a new ability, Operatives will receive a bevy of Set Bonuses and Tactical items. Set Bonuses are extra effects players can get for equipping a certain armor set. For instance, wearing two, four, or six pieces of a set will grant players progressively more powerful boosts. These can be in the form of increased ability potency or an added effect.
Tacticals are slightly different from Set Bonuses. While Tacticals also change how some abilities function, they come in the form of a new gear type. They don’t have actual stats on them like Power, Mastery, or Critical Rating; instead, they augment how an ability will function. Let’s look at some examples of how a Set Bonus and Tactical combination can alter the gameplay of the three Operative Disciplines: Medicine, Concealment, and Lethality.
Medicine
“As an accomplished practitioner of the medical arts, the Medicine Operative serves as the preservative backbone of any combat team. Deploying a full complement of sophisticated gadgets to dispense healing kolto and reparative nanotech clouds to one or more targets, the Medicine Operative ensures their allies remain fit for fighting.”
With regard to Player vs Player matches, Medicine Operatives are some of the toughest contenders. They’re mobile, hard to kill, and can turn around with a surprising amount of damage–all while keeping their teammates alive with a heap of healing abilities. Let’s make our Medicine Operative even more formidable with a Set Bonus and Tactical combination that boosts their healing burst potential.
Set Bonus: “Aggressive Treatment”
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Alacrity
(4 Piece Bonus) Toxic Haze refunds all its energy.
(6 Piece Bonus) Toxic Haze heals any allies standing inside it by a minor amount.
Tactical: “Regenerating Waves”
Kolto Waves consumes a Tactical Advantage and heals 20% more per tick.
Shots are firing and lightsabers clash as we find our Medicine Operative in the midst of a heated PvP match. It could be anyone’s game. Our Operative is doing their best to heal their team, but they soon realize that their abilities won’t offer enough healing over time to turn the tide in their favor. It’s time to switch up the strategy! Both teams are clustered together, frantically trying to gain the upper hand; a perfect opportunity for our Operative.
With two stacks of Tactical Advantage–gained from previous healing abilities—ready to go, our Operative throws down Toxic Haze, consuming one stack of Tactical Advantage. In addition to causing damage over time to any enemies within its range, the Aggressive Treatment Set Bonus makes Toxic Haze heal any allies in the area as well. Our Operative immediately follows this up with Kolto Waves. Thanks to the Regenerative Waves Tactical, this consumes the other stack of Tactical Advantage to heal an additional amount. The enemy team scatters, and our Operative’s team charges forward to maintain this newly found momentum.
Concealment
“Striking from the shadows, the Concealment Operative surprises the enemy with a flurry of calculated attacks designed to stun and debilitate. Then, before the fight gets out of hand, the Concealment Operative can return to a position of stealth, biding their time until the time to strike reveals itself again.”
Let’s take the Medicine Operative scenario from above and see how a Concealment Operative handles the same situation. Rather than being in the middle of a group brawl, Concealment Operatives are normally better versed for one-on-one fights or picking off opponents. Our clever Operative can take advantage of this preconception with an interesting Set Bonus and Tactical combination.
Set Bonus: “Tactician”
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Mastery
(4 Piece Bonus) Tactical Overdrive resets the cooldown of Sever Tendon and Toxin Scan.
(6 Piece Bonus) Tactical Advantage gets an additional stack. Having a Tactical Advantage stack increases your damage and healing by 3%.
Tactical: “Explosive Cells”
When Volatile Substance triggers, it deals damage to all enemies around the primary target and spreads its effects.
In the thick of battle, our Concealment Operative is in a constant tug-of-war with the opposing team. Every second counts; a single global cooldown window can’t be missed. In this do or die situation, our Operative hatches a plan. Concealment Operatives aren’t usually known for huge area-of-effect damage, but the other team doesn’t know the deceptive Set Bonus and Tactical combination they’re dealing with.
Our Operative has saved up a stack of Tactical Advantage, and thanks to the Tactician Set Bonus, everything that is about to happen will do additional damage. Our Operative picks their target, afflicts them with Volatile Substance, and immediately Backstabs them. Backstab causes Volatile Substance to trigger which, thanks to our Volatile Burst Tactical, does damage to all nearby enemies.
But wait, we’re not done yet. While that was enough damage to cause the opposition to blink, they’re still on the offensive. By using their new ability, Tactical Overdrive, our Operative refreshes the cooldown on Volatile Substance. This time Volatile Substance is paired with Noxious Knives, causing another round of massive damage. Severely wounded, the enemy team retreats, and our Operative’s team gives chase.
Lethality
“The Lethality Operative firmly believes the one true gift that keeps on giving is poison. Dispensing potent toxins using a variety of methods, the Lethality Operative’s attacks take a toll over time, corroding the enemy from within until all that’s left is a withered husk that only thinks it still has a chance.”
Here we have a veteran Lethality Operative who wants to take some of their less-seasoned friends through as many Flashpoints as possible. Since this is no quick feat, our Operative wants to maximize the potency of their poison-based abilities. The quicker the enemy packs can be dispatched, the quicker our Operative can show their friends all the various bosses. Let’s see what kind of Set Bonus and Tactical we can pick for such an occasion.
Set Bonus: “The Authority”
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Power
(4 Piece Bonus) Toxic Haze refunds a Tactical Advantage.
(6 Piece Bonus) Activating Noxious Knives reduces the cooldown of Toxic Haze by 3 seconds. Every enemy affected by Toxic Haze takes 20% more damage from Noxious Knives.
Tactical: “Viral Elements”
Toxic Haze spreads Toxic Blast’s effect and Lethal Strike does additional damage to all nearby targets affected by Toxic Haze.
As soon as the tank charges into a pack of enemies, our Operative throws a Corrosive Grenade, infecting every enemy with poison damage. They follow up with Toxic Blast, which grants our Operative a crucial stack of Tactical Advantage. Toxic Blast also inflicts damage any time its target takes poison damage. Our Operative consumes that Tactical Advantage stack by using Toxic Haze. Thanks to the Viral Elements Tactical, every enemy hit by Toxic Haze will now have the debuff from Toxic Blast as well. Every time Toxic Haze or Corrosive Grenade tick their poison damage, Toxic Blast will do an extra bit of damage on top of that.
But our Operative isn’t done yet. They attack with Lethal Strike amidst this flurry of area poisoning, damaging every enemy afflicted by Toxic Haze, thanks to the Viral Elements Tactical. To finish this encounter, our Operative lets loose a flurry of Noxious Knives, which do increased damage courtesy of The Authority Set Bonus. As the poison clears, our Operative and their group are ready for the next pack of enemies.Scoundrel
Let’s take a look at the new ability for Scoundrels!
Hot Streak – Resets the cooldown of Pugnacity, Kolto Cloud, Blood Boiler, Point Blank Shot, and Defense Screen and increases your Mastery by 20% for 15 seconds.
Alongside a new ability, Scoundrels will receive a bevy of Set Bonuses and Tactical items. Set Bonuses are extra effects players can get for equipping a certain armor set. For instance, wearing two, four, or six pieces of a set will grant players progressively more powerful boosts. These can be in the form of increased ability potency or an added effect.
Tacticals are slightly different from Set Bonuses. While Tacticals also change how some abilities function, they come in the form of a new gear type. They don’t have actual stats on them like Power, Mastery, or Critical Rating; instead, they augment how an ability will function. Let’s look at some examples of how a Set Bonus and Tactical combination can alter the gameplay of the three Scoundrel Disciplines: Sawbones, Scrapper, and Ruffian.
Sawbones
“As an Underworld figure armed with the latest advances in medical technology, the Sawbones Scoundrel is a crucial ally. From healing a single target to many at once, distributing emergency medpacs and clouds of healing kolto, the Sawbones ensures that their crew will endure throughout the heat of battle.”
With regard to Player vs Player matches, Sawbones Scoundrels are some of the toughest contenders. They’re mobile, hard to kill, and can turn around with a surprising amount of damage–all while keeping their teammates alive with a heap of healing abilities. Let’s make our Sawbones Scoundrel even more formidable with a Set Bonus and Tactical combination that boosts their healing burst potential.
Set Bonus: “Aggressive Treatment”
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Alacrity
(4 Piece Bonus) Bushwhack refunds all its energy.
(6 Piece Bonus) Bushwhack heals any allies standing inside it by a minor amount.
Tactical: “Regenerating Waves”
Kolto Waves consumes an Upper Hand and heals 20% more per tick.
Shots are firing and lightsabers clash as we find our Sawbones Scoundrel in the midst of a heated PvP match. It could be anyone’s game. Our Scoundrel is doing their best to heal their team, but they soon realize that their abilities won’t offer enough healing over time to turn the tide in their favor. It’s time to switch up the strategy! Both teams are clustered together, frantically trying to gain the advantage; a perfect opportunity for our Scoundrel.
With two stacks of Upper Hand –gained from previous healing abilities—ready to go, our Scoundrel throws down Bushwhack, consuming one stack of Upper Hand. In addition to causing damage over time to any enemies within its range, the Aggressive Treatment Set Bonus makes Bushwhack heal any allies in the area as well. Our Scoundrel immediately follows this up with Kolto Waves. Thanks to the Regenerative Waves Tactical, this consumes the other stack of Upper Hand to heal an additional amount. The enemy team scatters, and our Scoundrel’s team charges forward to maintain this newly found momentum.
Scrapper
“Holding no punches, the Scrapper Scoundrel never backs down from a fight-so long as said fight is on their terms. Able to hide from the fray, the Scrapper can sucker punch and bludgeon their adversary, ducking back out before things get too hairy and biding their time until the moment is right to scrap once more.”
Let’s take the Sawbones Scoundrel scenario from above and see how a Scrapper Scoundrel handles the same situation. Rather than being in the middle of a group brawl, Scrapper Scoundrels are normally better versed for one-on-one fights or picking off opponents. Our clever Scoundrel can take advantage of this preconception with an interesting Set Bonus and Tactical combination.
Set Bonus: Tactician
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Mastery
(4 Piece Bonus) Hot Streak resets the cooldown of Tendon Blast and Triage.
(6 Piece Bonus) Upper Hand gets an additional stack. Having an Upper Hand stack increases your damage and healing by 3%.
Tactical: Explosive Cells
When Blood Boiler triggers, it deals damage to all enemies around the primary target and spreads its effects.
In the thick of battle, our Scrapper Scoundrel is in a constant tug-of-war with the opposing team. Every second counts; a single global cooldown window can’t be missed. In this do or die situation, our Scoundrel hatches a plan. Scrapper Scoundrels aren’t usually known for huge area-of-effect damage, but the other team doesn’t know the deceptive Set Bonus and Tactical combination they’re dealing with.
Our Scoundrel has saved up a stack of Upper Hand, and thanks to the Tactician Set Bonus, everything that is about to happen will do additional damage. Our Scoundrel picks their target, afflicts them with Blood Boiler, and immediately Back Blasts them. Back Blast causes Blood Boiler to trigger which, thanks to our Volatile Burst Tactical, does damage to all nearby enemies.
But wait, we’re not done yet. While that was enough damage to cause the opposition to blink, they’re still on the offensive. By using their new ability, Hot Streak, our Scoundrel refreshes the cooldown on Blood Boiler. This time Blood Boiler is paired with Lacerating Blast, causing another round of massive damage. Severely wounded, the enemy team retreats, and our Scoundrel’s team gives chase.
Ruffian
“Never shy about taking advantage of any opportunity, the Ruffian is a rough-and-tumble Scoundrel able to handle any fight, big or small. Inciting chaos with a shrapnel bomb and then coming in close for a shot at point-blank range, the Ruffian Scoundrel makes devious moves that keep their enemies reeling.”
Here we have a veteran Ruffian Scoundrel who wants to take some of their less-seasoned friends through as many Flashpoints as possible. Since this is no quick feat, our Scoundrel wants to maximize the potency of their bleed-based abilities. The quicker the enemy packs can be dispatched, the quicker our Scoundrel can show their friends all the various bosses. Let’s see what kind of Set Bonus and Tactical we can pick for such an occasion.
Set Bonus: “The Authority”
(2 Piece Bonus) +2% Power
(4 Piece Bonus) Bushwhack refunds an Upper Hand.
(6 Piece Bonus) Activating Lacerating Blast reduces the cooldown of Bushwhack by 3 seconds. Every enemy affected by Bushwhack takes 20% more damage from Lacerating Blast.
Tactical: “Viral Elements”
Bushwhack spreads Sanguinary Shot’s effect and Point Blank Shot does additional damage to all nearby targets affected by Bushwhack.
As soon as the tank charges into a pack of enemies, our Scoundrel throws a Shrap Bomb, infecting every enemy with bleed damage. They follow up with Sanguinary Shot, which grants our Scoundrel a crucial stack of Upper Hand. Sanguinary Shot also inflicts damage any time its target takes bleed damage. Our Scoundrel consumes that Upper Hand stack by using Bushwhack. Thanks to the Viral Elements Tactical, every enemy hit by Bushwhack will now have the debuff from Sanguinary Shot as well. Every time Bushwhack or Shrap Bomb tick their bleed damage, Sanguinary Shot will do an extra bit of damage on top of that.
But our Scoundrel isn’t done yet. They attack with Point Blank Shot amidst this flurry of area bleeding, damaging every enemy afflicted by Bushwhack, thanks to the Viral Elements Tactical. To finish this encounter, our Scoundrel lets loose a flurry of Lacerating Blast, which do increased damage courtesy of The Authority Set Bonus. As the dust clears, our Scoundrel and their group are ready for the next pack of enemies.
We’ve revealed the new ability, discussed Set Bonuses and Tactical items, and painted a picture of how these two systems merge together to augment different styles of gameplay for Operatives and Scoundrels. These Set Bonuses and Tacticals are a small sample of what players can expect in ‘Onslaught.’ With that, ten Advanced Classes are down, and only six to go! In the next article of this “Day In The Life Of” series, we will cover Snipers and Gunslingers. Stay tuned!
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