This guide is intended for beginners as well as more experienced players and concerns PvE.
Hello everyone, I am Kada (Ausiusar on our forums) of the guild Empire, and I am writing to you from the server Mantle of the Force where I have the opportunity to explore HM 3.0 content as a whole. I will talk to you in this guide about the Commando DPS in its specialization Assault. This guide is for any player looking to tackle game content at level 60.
(Author's note: some aspects of the sequel are taken from an old guide written by myself and Ravenstart. Thanks to him ?!)
- Introduction
- Utilities
- Description of skills
- Statistics and equipment
- Cycles and Priorities
- Tips and tricks
- The final word
Introduction
With the arrival of 3.0, we were promised a revamp of the specializations and the change of a number of things. Well the Commando was spoiled! This guide will allow you to see in detail the specialization Assault Commando DPS and presents MA vision. I will also be delighted to discuss this with you.
Generally speaking, the Commando is often described as a “Swiss Army Knife” class. This is absolutely the case! Dispell, care, battle ground: as many things as he is allowed to do during the pullover. Plus, it's the only ranged DPS class with heavy armor, which does offer some survival benefits.
Two DPS specializations are possible in Commando:
Artillery: specialization based largely on raw damage. It is easy to learn and is a good starting point for learning to play with the Commando.
Assault: based on DoT (Damage over Time), it requires a very good mastery to exploit its full potential. Rather difficult to handle, especially at the level of the management of Energy Cells, it wreaks havoc once understood.
The “ideal” Commando knows how to handle the 2 specializations, because they are both useful for the content of Operations 2.
Utilities
Here are the utilities that I use on almost the majority of fights.
- Skill: Cell Capacitor to improve the Cell Recharge spell / Loaded Cannon for damage reduction in addition / Heavy Soldier for the 3% Stamina and additional healing received.
- Mastery: Reinforced Immutability to increase the duration of Immutability to 10 seconds / Electroshield for additional damage to enemies (possible to take Medical area instead for the 20% more healing received under Reactive Shield).
- Heroic: Shock absorbers for area damage reduced by 30% / Forced walk to use Auto Fire while moving.
It's up to you to discover the utilities to determine which ones would be most useful to you depending on the progress of the fights. There is no perfect choice. I also urge you to read the entire Skill Tree, it is full of little tips and will allow you to fully understand how the specialization works.
The Commando Assault is played in Plasma cell.
Description of skills
- Useful offensive powers
- Defensive powers
- Various useful powers
Incendiary Salvo: one of the 2 DoT (regular damage) of the specialization Assault. Lasts 15 seconds.
Irregular Gust: the second DoT of the specialization Assault. Requires an activation time of 1.5 seconds unless you have the "Burning Haste" buff, available every 15 seconds through the use of the Magnetic Discharge. Lasts 15 seconds.
Auto Shooting: integral part of the rotation in Assault, it is a 3s pipe and can be cast by moving through the utility Forced walk. Costs 24 Cells over 3 seconds. This is one of the 2 spells that resets the cooldown of (that is, procs) the Magnetic Discharge.
Charged Cannon Shots: the second spell that allows you to proc the Magnetic Discharge. Requires an activation time of 1.5 seconds unless you have the "Burning Haste" buff, available every 15 seconds through the use of the Magnetic Discharge.
Magnetic Discharge: this spell replaces the High Impact Shooting from level 57. It is available every 7.5 seconds thanks to the “Ionic Accelerator” talent. Regains 5 Energy Cells if used under proc.
Assault Plastic: spell raw damage. You throw an explosive at your target and it explodes seconds later.
Salve Explosive : spell raw damage. It becomes interesting when your target has less than 30% health. Indeed, under 30% your active DoT will trigger the “Hyperattack Bursts” which allow the Explosive Burst to cost only 10 Energy Cells and to inflict 75% more damage.
Electro-thread: Powerful damage over time that deals additional damage if the target moves. Use whenever possible on a boss.
Grenade Plasma : damage on impact on up to 8 targets and DoT runs thereafter. Useful in multi-targets in Assault because it spreads the Incendiary Salvo to enemies within its range if the primary target already has the DoT on it. In short, it's more to play on the enemy packs between the bosses!
Adhesive Grenade: Maximum 8 targets, damage is low. Useful in multi-targets in Assault because it spreads the Irregular gust to enemies within its range if the primary target already has the DoT on it. In short, it is still to play on the packs of enemies between the bosses!
Mortar Volley: high area damage on up to 8 targets. Expensive in Cells - 30 over 3 seconds - but can be combined with Cell Economy so that it is free.
Tir Pilon: the white stroke (free in Cells), which will prove to be very useful in the rotation.
Reactive Shield: defensive power that increases damage reduction by 25%.
Adrenaline rush: Increase your life percent by percent when you drop below 40% health, with maximum regeneration up to 40% of your total life.
Percussion Charge: a bump that slows targets hit and deals low damage.
Cryo-Grenade : a 4 second stun in single target.
Diversion : reduces your animosity. Do not use it only when you have taken the aggro from a boss, better to do prevention and use it as soon as possible. In specialization Assault, Diversion also offers 35% more defense for 6 seconds, thus transforming it into an effective defensive power. Do not forget it !
Immutability : increases movement speed by 30% for 10 seconds (with utility Reinforced Immutability) and makes you immune to slowdowns and possible bumps. ARCHI-USEFUL on number of bosses 3.0: Sparky, Torque, Sub-Ranger, Revan among others.
Tenacity: the power of the Commando which allows to purge the slowdowns and immobilizations.
Field Assistance: the dispell (to dispel the regular effects on you). Very useful for relieving your healers a bit. To not forget !
Cell Economy: makes your next spell free in Energy Cells.
Cell Charging : recharges 50 Cells in 3 seconds (+16 with utility Cell Capacitor).
Technological manipulation: Make your next spell instant and make you immune to Interruptions for 6 seconds after the spell is used.
Stunning Salvo: Stuns a target for up to 60 seconds if left untouched. Useful on Revanite Commanders to stun the adds for example.
Disabling Shooting: interrupts the target's spell (the famous "cut").
Advanced Medical Probe: a good healing spell if the healers are tough. 1.5s of activation.
Bacta Infusion: same, but no activation time.
Medical Injection: a sort of Pilon Shot to do on allies or yourself and which heals a little. This spell is rather useful for mounting loads of Supercharge to 10 before a fight.
Supercharge : loads (stacks) of up to 10. The stacks increase by 1 each time the Pilon shooting, Charged Cannon Shots or Medical Injection. Once at 10 stacks, you have the choice between launching the Supercharge (your next raw damage spell will cause an additional 6 second mini-DoT on your target) or Supercharged Celerity (see below).
Supercharged Celerity: more commonly known as “the Inspi Commando” in reference to the “Inspiration” spell of the Jedi Sentinels. The Supercharged Celerity allows all members of your party within 40 yards to gain an additional 10% Alacrity for 10 seconds. Available every 5 minutes.
Statistics and equipment
Precision: 100% remote and 110% in Techno. In index 198, this is equivalent to 6 pieces (ear, implant or sophistication) Accuracy + 1 Accuracy Enhancement 186 to be a little above the cap. In index 186, it will be 6 coins + 3 186 Upgrades. 192, 6 pieces + 2 Upgrades 186.
Review: after multiple tests, we draw the most of the potential of the Commando by having a lot of Critique (yes yes!). You can easily go up to 600 index. This is the index I reached with my equipment. Start with 400 Crit and then gradually increase it as your gear improves.
Power : after placing your share of criticism, all the rest in power.
Influx: 3 pieces Influx to reach around 68.5%. You can also add 1 Surge Improvement, which brings it to a little over 70%. This is the choice I made.
Alacrité: the big change to 3.0! Now that Alacrity directly affects the time to wait between each spell or Global CoolDown (GCD), it has become profitable to have a little. Have a Sophistication Alacrity, therefore 120 index in 198 gives fluidity to the cycle and improves cell management. We thus arrive at 1.58%.
Relics: the proc combo of primary stat (Aim) and Power (Concentrated Punishment / Unexpected Onslaught).
Seven bonus: set Eliminator 6 pieces. Gradually switch to the new bonus while keeping the old one. The old 4-piece bonus (8% more damage on the High Impact Shooting) is useless in Assault. The old 2-piece bonus is useful (15% more Critical Strike on Charged Cannon Shots) but eventually you have to equip yourself with the new set. Let's add that the set bonus takes priority over higher level non-set armor, your set bonus will bring you more damage than a few main stat points on the armor.
Improvements: if we summarize what is said above, the ideal equipment 198 is 1 Improvement Precision, 1 Improvement Influx, and the 12 others in Aiming.
Cycles and Priorities
Management of energy cells
Good management is essential. Each spell costs Cells, and the more they descend the less they recharge quickly. Concretely, it is necessary to make sure to always be between 60 and 100 Cells in order to maximize regeneration and the DPS that goes with it. Between 60 and 100 Cells, we generate 5 Cells per second, 3 between 40 and 60, and below do not even talk about it. If you are above 60 Cells, you are fine. Above 40 it is difficult to catch up. Below 40, you will cause an almost irreversible loss of DPS, which will be detrimental for your group.
Fortunately, the Commando has some skills to help with this management. It is Cell Charging and Pilon shooting (white move which therefore costs 0 Cells).
In practice, as long as you have Cell Charging available or on CD (time before you can reuse it) of less than 10 seconds, you can send everything you have without worrying about your Cells. Once the talent is used, you will have to immediately start placing white moves in your rotations to keep your Cells above 60. Very simply, as soon as you go below 60, you know that your next spell, or the next one. , will be a Pilon shooting.
Single target cycle
The whole cycle will revolve around the buff proc Ionic Accelerator 
in order to maximize the damage to the Magnetic Discharge and on the permanent presence of the 2 DoTs on the target, which will therefore be reapplied every 15 seconds. That being said, you will quickly realize that if we start to do a little nonsense, we will end up badly in Cells very quickly and in Assault it is irretrievable! This is why the cycle is very little subject to randomness.
Below are 3 slightly different cycles: the opening cycle, the cycle to use when the Cell Charging is coming soon and the normal cycle.
OPENING CYCLE
CELL DESCENT (WHEN CHARGING CELLS IS SOON AVAILABLE)
NORMAL CYCLE (15 second rotation)
In practice we will start a fight with the opening cycle and then continue with the descent of Cells. Once the Cell Charging used, we carry out normal cycles and we begin to pay attention to the cells. When the Cell Charging comes back, we redo a Cell Descent and so on.
It is always the Charged Cannon Shots placed after the Auto shooting which are used instantaneously (thanks to the "Fiery Celerity" ("BC" in the cycles)). We therefore choose to cast the Irregular gust.
Regarding the general cycle, you see that you have several choices of spells in 2 places:
- After the Auto shooting, if you are above 85% of Cells roll a Assault Plastic. Below, throw a Pilon shooting. If your Electrospray is available, start it first if you are above 85%.
- After the Charged Cannon Shots, start a second Charged Cannon Shots if you are above 90% Cells. Otherwise start a Pilon shooting.
- Below 30% of your target's health and if your Cells allow it, prioritize Salve Explosive after the Auto shooting.
Tips and tricks
The cycle in Assault is little subject to randomness. It is necessary to make proc the Magnetic Discharge every 7.5 seconds and the possibilities are therefore reduced. In the end, once you have learned the 15 second rotation, you will have no problem repeating it. During a boss, if nothing disturbs you, unwind your cycle like on a pole.
Things get tough when movement is needed during a fight. Fortunately, the majority of powers can be used while moving. The only 2 powers where a little attention is required are the Irregular gust and Charged Cannon Shots which are not under proc of « Ardent Celerity». This is where the Technological manipulation join the game ! Usable every 45 seconds, it makes your next spell instant. It is therefore very practical if it is combined with one of the 2 powers mentioned above.
If the proc of "Ardent Celerity" is found on the Irregular gust (and more on Charged Cannon Shots) because of events in combat, do not panic! Just insert one more spell right after placing DoTs (Charged Cannon Shots additional or Pilon shooting). The main thing is to keep the process Magnetic Discharge every 7.5 seconds.
Use the Diversion (desaggro)! We forget it too often. Ideally, launch it after your first spin. As it provides 35% more Defense for 6 seconds it can later be a very useful defensive power in fights where you can anticipate significant damage to Defense.
During the stop-DPS phases or when you cannot hit a boss (Storm of the Sub-Ranger, Transitions of Revan, Rain of Pain of Blaster & Master…), take the opportunity to build your stacks of Supercharge with Medical Injection. If a comrade is not full life but you are, do it on him, it's even better and your Heals will thank you! Likewise, if your stacks are at 10, take the opportunity to do some heal support (Bacta infusion, Medical probe) on the raid if necessary.
Use your Cell Charging at the right time. It gives you 50 Cells plus the GCD that goes with it. During the GCD which will be used to launch it, you will continue to regenerate Cells normally according to their level, which will translate into 3 Cells per second (between 25-59 Cells). So you will go up by at least 50 Cells + 16 thanks to the “Cell Capacitor” talent so roughly 70-75 Cells. Knowing this, the window to use your Cell Charging is located in 20-25 cells, to make it profitable.
As said above, as long as the Cell Charging is available, we send a maximum! Don't throw a single Pilon shooting before using it. I am repeating myself but that is also important. The sooner you use it, the sooner you can collect it during combat to redo a burst phase. It is a spell to be used as much as possible in order to maximize your DPS, and you should not be afraid of finding yourself low in Cells if it is available.
The final word
There is no secret, the perfect mastery of a specialization starts with understanding on the pole and then by repeated application to the operations bosses. Getting started with the specialization Assault is among the most complicated, but if you persevere you will have the satisfaction of knowing one of the most competitive specializations around today.
Now is the time for thanks! Thanks to Empire and the Republic guilds that bring PvE HL to life on Mantle. Thanks also to the alumni of Taskforce, because I don't forget where I come from and what I owe you.
Finally, thanks everyone for reading me, hope you enjoyed this guide. Do not hesitate, if you have constructive comments, to comment on the guide here or to whisp ingame me.
Good game everyone, and long live the Commandos!
