PTS update notes – March 6

PTS update notes - March 6

BioWare deployed a new update to the public test servers yesterday with a new patch to Game Update 2.0.  check out the  full patch notes below.  Annoyingly, many of these changes (Sniper changes, Missile Salvo change, etc.) aren’t new today but were put in a couple days ago. I don’t know why they listed them again.

Classes and Combat

Jedi Knight

Sith Warrior

  • Alacrity no longer reduces the channel duration of Force Choke.

Jedi Consular

Sage

Shadow

  • Force Breach’s accuracy debuff now lasts 30 seconds (up from 18) when Combat Technique is active.

Kinetic Combat

Sith Inquisitor

Sorcerer

  • Calcify now also increases the damage dealt by Creeping Terror.

Assassin

  • Discharge’s accuracy debuff now lasts 30 seconds (up from 18) when Dark Charge is active.

Darkness

  • Electrify now makes Shock generate 15% more threat per point and cost 15% less Force per point while Dark Charge is active.
  • Wither now has a 9second cooldown and costs 20 Force. Damage remains mostly unchanged.
  • Dark Ward now has 15 charges (up from 8).

Smuggler

General

  • The abilities Hightail It and Scamper no longer cause players to roll in place.
  • Using Hightail It or Scamper while knocked down will no longer cause the Smuggler’s position to rubberband back and forth.
  • Energy regeneration rates will now display values rounded to two decimal places (e.g. x.xx).

Gunslinger

Sharpshooter

  • Quick Aim has been replaced by Charged Aim: Firing Charged Burst gets your blasters charged up, reducing the activation time of your next Aimed Shot by 10% per point and stacks up to 2 times.

Saboteur

  • Hot Shot is a new 2point skill which gives Charged Burst and Quick Shot a 50% chance per point to apply 1 stack of Burning Speed to the target.
  • Cool Under Pressure and Saboteur’s Utility Belt have swapped positions in the skill tree.
  • Cool Under Pressure has been redesigned and now heals Saboteurs for 0.5% of max health per point every 3 seconds while in cover.
  • Independent Anarchy now specifically affects Sabotage Charge, Thermal Grenade, Scatter Bombs, XS Freighter Flyby, Contingency Charges, Incendiary Grenade, and Sweeping Gunfire.
  • Sabotage has been redesigned. This ability no longer requires a target and now has a one minute and 15second cooldown. Activating this ability now finishes the cooldowns on Defense Screen, Cool Head, Hightail It, and Hunker Down.
  • Press the Advantage now reduces the cooldown of Sabotage by 7.5 seconds per point. Additionally, activating * Sabotage now immediately heals you for 2.5% of your max health per point.
  • Blazing Speed is now a 1point skill that lasts 6 second and stacks up to 3 times (down from 4).

Imperial Agent

General

  • The abilities Covered Escape and Exfiltrate no longer cause players to roll in place.
  • Using Covered Escape or Exfiltrate while knocked down will no longer cause the Imperial Agent’s position to rubberband back and forth
  • Energy regeneration rates will now display values rounded to two decimal places (e.g. x.xx).

Sniper

Marksmanship

  • Reactive Shots has been replaced by Zeroing Shots. Firing Snipe zeroes in your sights, reducing the activation time of your next Ambush by 10% per point and stacks up to 2 times.

Engineering

  • Electrified Blast is a new 2point skill which gives Snipe and Overload Shot a 50% chance per point to apply 1 stack of Electrified Railgun to the target.
  • Vital Regulators and Engineer’s Tool Belt have swapped positions in the skill tree.
  • Vital Regulators has been redesigned and now heals Engineers for 0.5% of max health per point every 3 seconds while in cover.
  • Explosive Engineering now specifically affects Explosive Probe, Fragmentation Grenade, Scatter Bombs, Orbital Strike, Cluster Bombs, Plasma Probe, and Suppressive Fire.
  • EMP Discharge has been redesigned. This ability no longer requires a target and now has a one minute and 15second cooldown. Activating this ability now finishes the cooldowns on Shield Probe, Adrenaline Probe, Covered Escape, and Entrench.
  • EMP Recycler now reduces the cooldown of EMP Discharge by 7.5 seconds per point.
  • Activating EMP Discharge now immediately heals the player for 2.5% of max health per point.
  • Electrified Railgun is now a 1point skill that lasts 6 seconds and stacks up to 3 times (down from 4).

Bounty Hunter

Mercenary

  • Missile Salvo now automatically fires two Missile Blasts that collectively deal 10% increased damage.

Pyrotech (Mercenary)

  • Volatile Warhead now triggers Combustible Gas Cylinder when the second Missile Blast in Missile Salvo strikes the target. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

Powertech

Shield Tech

  • Heat Screen now triggers from shielding an attack or triggering your Ion Gas Cylinder.

Trooper

Commando

  • Mortar Salvo now automatically fires two Explosive Rounds that collectively deal 10% increased damage.

Assault Specialist (Commando)

  • Hyper Assault Rounds now triggers Plasma Cell when the second Explosive Round in Mortar Salvo strikes the target. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

Vanguard

Shield Specialist

Crew Skills

Companion Characters will now harvest nodes when asked to.

Flashpoints and Operations

Flashpoints

  • All Level 50 Hard Mode Flashpoint bosses now drop 2 Classic Commendations.

Operations

Scum and Villainy

Items and Economy

Legacy

General

Achievements

  • Added achievements for the Companion Character HK51.
  • Removed the achievement “Korrealis Collector”, as the vehicles listed cannot be obtained in game.
  • “”Datacron Master” achievements will no longer incorrectly grant if players pick up the same datacron on a planet using multiple characters.
  • The achievements for defeating Firebrand and Stormcaller on all difficulties in the Explosive Conflict operation now properly trigger on defeating the encounter.
  • Consolidated separate achievements for killing Jarg and Sorno in Karagga’s Palace into single achievements for killing both of them.
  • Achievements for defeating the Infernal Council in Eternity Vault on all difficulties will now progress properly when you defeat the encounter.
  • Players can no longer obtain the “Plague Prevention” achievement without first completing the prerequisites.
  • Killing Sith enemies on Ilum will no longer give credit for similar achievements on Corellia.
  • Renamed the “Black Hole Extermination” achievement to “Black Hole Conquest”.

PvP

Warzones

  • Shields will now be bolstered with Tech Power.
  • Focus items will now be bolstered with Force Power.

UI

Cast bars will no longer incorrectly cut off the bottom of text.

Crew Skills

Crafting Skills

Gathering Skills

Mission Skills