I am Winto, a member of the Serenity Guild, a guild established on the Battle Meditation server, and I am here to tell you about my personal experience with Shadow Jedi in his Damage specializations, namely Infiltration and Balance for a PvE vocation and PvP. This guide will therefore necessarily be subjective ...
When I wrote this guide, I wanted it to reach as many people as possible, beginners as well as seasoned fighters. For that, I started my guide with the fundamentals of the game, surely known to a good part of you. Confirmed players, I invite you to skip the introductory part.
Summary:
- PvP
- Talent tree
- The opening
- Controls
- How to get by in the event of a hard blow?
- Tips and advice
- Statistics
- Is it viable in Ranked PvP?
Introduction
gameplay
Shadow Jedi has one of the richest and most varied gameplay that you will have the pleasure of discovering in this guide.
The Shadow is therefore one of the advanced classes of the Jedi Consular. It has three specializations: Kinetic Combat (Tank), Infiltration (Damage) and Balance (Damage, in common with the Scholar). She equips herself with a double-bladed lightsaber, a catalyst (in the case of Damage specializations) or a shield (Tank) and has stealth, very useful for avoiding groups of enemies, but binding to gain experience. She wears light armor.
This guide will only cover Damage (DPS) specializations. You can then choose to focus on very high damage lightsaber single target, having a huge intense phase of damage (burst) and focusing on improved stealth with the Infiltration specialization, or rather constant single / multi-target damage to damage over time (DoT) where the use of force is preferred over the lightsaber with the Balance specialization.
Partners
During your adventure, you will meet five partners (in order: Qyzen Fess, Tharan Cedrax, Zénith, Félix Iresso and Nadia Grell). However, only two will be of real use to you.
- From Tython to Nar Shaddaa you won't have a choice, you will have to settle for Qyzen.
- From Nar Shaddaa, you will never be separated from Tharan, your healer, who will obediently follow you up to level 55.
However, this choice is not exhaustive, it is the easy way. Other people may prefer speed and will then turn to a damage partner.
You can choose to have a romance with Felix ou Nadia depending on your gender.
Useful Datacrons
- The Will datacrons
- Endurance datacrons
- Tython (+2)
- Taris (+2)
- Tatooine (+3)
- Alderande (+4)
- Balmorra (+3)
- Belsavis (+4)
- Voss (+4)
- Correlia (+4)
- Ilum (+4)
- Republic Fleet (+10)
TOTAL: +40 willpower
- Tython (+2)
- Coruscant (+2)
- Alderande (+3)
- Balmorra (+3)
- Quesh (+4)
- Hoth (+4)
- Belsavis (+4)
- Voss (+4)
- Ilum (+4)
- Makeb (+10)
- Republic Fleet (+10)
TOTAL: +50 in endurance
In order to fully optimize yourself, you will also need to look for Vigor datacrons.
Tailoring trades
First of all, we can exclude the crafting of armor as well as the crafting of weapons, which are useless in the case of a force user. You then have 4 jobs left:
La Biochemistry brings you medpacs, dopants and infinite stims (linked), more effective than those obtained on enemies. You can also unlock implants. To take with Bioanalysis et diplomacy.
L'Artifice lets you craft some of the best Lightsaber Grips, Crystals, Sophistications, and Relics in the game (through Reverse Engineering). To take with Archeology et Treasure hunt.
La Cybernetics allows you to create modifications and armor. It also gives you the possibility to create grenades (more useful in PvP). To take with Recovery et Illegal trade.
Le Synthweaving lets you craft a few rare pieces of armor (this time unbound). To take with Archeology et Illegal trade.
JcE
Talent tree used
- Infiltration
- equilibre
The template I will use is a classic 5/36/5 with a possible variant in 7/36/3 and the investment of two points in Expertise increasing ability damage by 12%.
equilibre
This time I will be using an 8/2/36 template. I will not take the 3 points in upsetbecause Projection is no longer profitable because of its excessively high force cost since 2.0. Unfortunately the Shadow Strike Also disappears from the cycle, making it a bit repetitive.
The main cycle
First of all, what is a cycle? Simply put, this is a way of ordering abilities to maximize damage, defense, and healing, and in the case of Shadow Jedi, always have maximum strength in reserve. .
One cannot, a priori, speak of cycle in the case of the Jedi Shadow (as for many classes), but rather of priorities according to procs (triggering of effects). The following capacities should therefore be used in this order of priority:
- Inflitration (Shadow Technique)
- Balance (Strength Technique)
In monocible:
Force Breach => with 3 Shadow Breaches
Shadow Strike => with Exploitable weakness
Projection => with 2 Spinning shadows and 2 Clairvoyance
Rotary strike => if the target has less than 30% health
Clapping clairvoyant => in order to activate Clairvoyance
Coup de sabre => in order to raise your Force gauge
In Multicible:
Flow of force (profitable from five targets)
Whirlpool shot (profitable from three targets)
One can only see that Shadow Jedi Infiltration is NOT a multi-target damage class AT ALL.
Tip : Use Black-out (increases force regeneration by 50% for 6 seconds) when available.
In monocible:
The force in balance
Mental crush => with Force strike
Force cut
Force Breach
Rotary strike => if the target has less than 30% health
Double attack => in order to activate Force strike
Coup de sabre => in order to reassemble your force gauge
In multicible:
Force in balance
Flow of force (profitable from five targets)
Whirlpool shot (profitable from three targets)
Here we have an extra damage area, but that doesn't make it a multi-target damage class.
Tip : maintain the negative effect (debuff) of The force in balance as well as the damage over the duration of Force cut, Force Breach et Mental crush as much as possible.
Intense damage phases (burst)
The intense damage phase (burst) is a short combat phase in which we try to do as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. Here's everything you need to use, if possible at the same time in order to boost its damage.
Readiness to fight => increases the damage inflicted by all abilities by 100% and increases the chance to trigger abilities by 35% for 15 seconds.
Strength content => maximizes his chances of force power critics. Also activates 3 Shadow Breaches
A relic (if manually activated)
An offensive doping agent
Using all of this all at once will make for some really big numbers, but watch out for aggro (enemy target) pickups if you launch an intense phase at the start of a fight!
As you can see, playing a Jedi Shadow well isn't the easiest and we find ourselves constantly monitoring our effect activations, but once all of that is mastered we become a very good damage class with in addition to a huge intense phase (there, I look big at those who find the Shadow and the Thief useless in operation).
Statistics and equipment
As a damage class, optimizing your stats is a lot less complicated than for a tank or even a healer. All one needs to do is tap, tap, and tap again, but tap hard! A good damage class takes as little damage as possible, so it leaves the healer (s) to take care of the tank as much as possible! That being said, you should know that the main statistic is willpower. You must then prioritize the statistics in the following order (the statistics given include class improvements):
Willpower> Precision (100%)> Af fl ux (75%)> Critical (30%)> Power
- Will : Increases the damage of your abilities and improves the critical chance. This is the primary statistic for Shadow Jedi.
- Precision : Increases the chance that your attack hits the target. By default, attacks have a 90% chance to hit the target. With bosses having 10% defense, 100% accuracy seems like the optimal amount to get for PvE (actually it's a lot more complex, but I've done a little digging).
- Flow : Increases damage caused by critical hits.
- Critical : increases the chance of critical hits. To start from this 30% figure, I based myself on a series of tests, during which I added a piece of criticism each time. Result: With each addition, I gained slightly in damage per second (DPS). However, I stopped at 30%, this statistic becoming too expensive to assemble. Raising this number so far can be all the more advantageous for the Shadow, which has an Influx / Critical bonus in its tree.
- Engime : simply increases the damage. Only once the previous caps have been reached, you have to focus primarily on power.
The caps indicated as an indication above are, of course, unattainable with the basic equipment purchasable at the merchant of distinctions, it will therefore be necessary to delve into the optimization (youpi), and there it is up to you to leave for hours of training dummy testing and spending thousands of credits on mods and crafts.
You will want to optimize your equipment as much as possible and for that, you will have to add improvements. In the case of Shadow Jedi damage, we will only use advanced upgrades Resolution 28. In addition, you should try to stay on stim as often as possible. In this case, we will opt for resolution stims.
PvE gear can be found in the Reserves section of the fl eet. You will have to turn to the equipment of force lord (distinctions) or ranger (tokens).
Seven bonuses
It is essential to get your set bonus as soon as possible. It considerably increases its damage.
- Set 1 bonus: saber attacks restore 1 point of strength.
- Set 2 Bonus: Increases the critical chance of Clairvoyant Strike and Double Strike by 15%.
After several tries, I think that in the case of the In fi ltration specialization, it is better to go for the Heal scholar's set bonus with the Force Mystic equipment, this one providing 50 additional points of force and allowing thus initiating its intense damage phase much more frequently, despite losing critical strike on Clairvoyant Strike.
Relics
The two relics that appear to be the most suitable are the Relics of Random Assault (power bonus) and Concentrated Punishment (willpower bonus).
Is it viable in high level PvE?
The answer is yes ! Historically, Shadow Jedi Damage has been viewed, along with the Rogue, as the bane of high-level operations. Indeed, in the nightmare modes of 2.2 (less than 1% of players have access to it), the Shadows Jedi have practically been very discreet for the sole reason that the damage per second to provide is just enormous and that another class will therefore be privileged for some additional damage points!
However, the Jedi Shadow remains quite accepted in groups until the hard mode and is still a good damage class if played well.
We can expect to derive the following DPS scores (approximate) on an operation training dummy with optimized equipment (with armor debuff and health points):
If you manage to achieve these scores, you can consider your equipment to be optimized.
The Balance specialization may seem a little above in terms of damage, on the other hand, it will be caught up, or even overtaken by the Infiltration specialization from the moment when the bosses are in stages, and where the Infiltration shadow can thus place its intense damage phase more regularly.
However, with most bosses requiring constant damage per second, the Balance specialization seems more suited to high-level PvE.
Warning ! These numbers are taken from personal analysis as well as Torparse rankings. They can also seem very low compared to other classes, but be aware that on a real boss the Shadow Jedi will be able to score higher. Indeed, a very powerful attack and a damage increase of 6% increase your damage per second when the boss goes below 30%.
PvP
Talent tree
- Infiltration
- equilibre
The abre I use is a 4/39/3 with the possibility of taking the points Subjugating techniques et Humility strikeé if you want to abuse the slowdowns.
Here, everything that is more classic with this 4/2/40, even if it is possible not to take the points in Robstruction resolution or on the contrary to add some in Containment.
- Hybrid DPS Infiltration
- Hybrid DPS Balance
This 0/33/13 specialization is my favorite. It further increases the Intense phase potential of the Infiltration specialization and adds a devastating damage zone to that. It is played in Shadow Technique.
This 1/22/23 specialization is very close to Balance, but sacrifices Force Cut to benefit from Low Slash and the infiltration strategy which adds Shadow Strike to the list of abilities to use. It is played in Strength Technique.
This specialization was inspired by Agrippine.
- Hybrid Off-tank Balance
- Hybrid Off-tank Infiltration
This 24/5/17 specialization is played with damage equipment, but with a shield generator (in which it is possible to put damage statistics). It has the advantage of being able to provide quite substantial damage all the same, while having a markedly improved survivability and allows protection on an allied player (very useful in arenas!). It also adds the Force pull which will be very useful in most war zones to annoy your enemies (see next part). It is played in Combat Technique. However, this tree is not a "pure" damage tree, so I will not come back to it.
This 21/23/2 specialization has the same strengths as the previous Hybrid, except that it adds Black out to the list of its defensive spells, and benefits from an additional stun: Low Slash. It is also played in Combat Technique.
This spec was inspired by Lellith.
The opening
Openness is a very important part of Shadow Jedi gameplay in the Infiltration specialization. It is on these first seconds that it can be determined whether a fight will be won or not.
- Infiltration and Hybrid
- equilibre
stealth
Strength Content => activation of 3 Shadow Breaches
Rotating kick => activation of Shadow Strikestunned target
Shadow Breach
Shadow Strike
Low lunge => activation of Shadow Strikestunned target
Shadow Strike
Projection
Once this opening is completed, there should not be much life left for the opponent. The cycle therefore continues as described in the PvE part. In the case of the Hybrid DPS specialization, The force in balance can also be slipped into the opening cycle, thus benefiting from a load of Strength content.
Here, nothing particularly noticeable, the cycle unfolds as described in the PvE part.
Controls
It should also be remembered that the Shadow Jedi has many controls
Force lifting => Lifts the target in the air for 8 seconds
Rotating kick => Place the target on the ground, must be stealthy
Force Stun => Stuns the target for 4 seconds
Force Cut (Balance specialization) => Immobilizes the target for 2 seconds
Low lunge (Infiltration specialization) => Stuns the target for 4 seconds
Maze of mind => Stuns the target (non-droid) for 1 minute, must be stealth
Muddled mind => Interrupts the current action of the target
How to get by in the event of a hard blow?
Who has never found themselves without a healer behind their back and with plenty of enemies in the Basque Country? Surely almost everyone ... Shadow Jedi however has a whole panoply of spells allowing him to get out of difficult situations.
Force occultation => resets aggro and makes it undetectable for 6 seconds
Résilience => get rid of all crippling effects and damage over time
Deflection => increases defense by 50%
Strength of will => get rid of all disabling effects
Phase walk => teleports to a previously marked point.
The Jedi Shadow therefore has everything it takes to hope to survive, even in the most tense situations.
Tips and advice
This chapter will be divided into two sub-parts. He will cover many points which may certainly seem obvious to most of you, but which need to be remembered. The first part will explain the few basic rules to adopt in a War Zone, and the second will discuss the technique to adopt in combat against a particular class. However, these rules may seem fairly obvious to many of you ...
Warning!: This part is in no way a guide to PvP in general. It focuses primarily on the Jedi Shadow, so that's why I will only address what has a connection, near or far, with this class.
Basic rules
The provocations (Contr ôthe spirit et Contr ômass spirit) are not there for nothing! They should be used as soon as they are available, especially in group fights, in order to avoid damage to your allies (for example always provoke a Maverick placing its Parade cargo).
Use theForce occultation only below the 10% mark associated with Résilience if you have the slightest negative effect on yourself, otherwise you will reappear.
Always approach under Black out an enemy that we want to surprise. Warning: it is impossible to approach a Maverick in stealth mode when he has been in a crouching position for a short time, despite the Black out.
The Jedi Shadow is the most suitable class to go and capture an enemy bunker, pylon or turret due to its stealth (discreet arrival):
- before engaging in combat, place your Phase walk next to the care terminal or behind a wall so that you can return to it quickly in an emergency. It is, thanks to that, one of the only places where one can consider a 1 against 2.
- if there is no apparent defender, it is certainly a stealth class. Always locate it before you start to capture the bunker.
- on the Novara Coast and if you are in Off-tank specialization, you therefore have the grappling hook. By standing close to the cliff, you can lure your opponent in and then bump it down, giving you plenty of time to capture the bunker (plus your opponent has a good chance of ending up being pulverized by artillery fire. ).
When called for help from a defender, Shadow Jedi, due to its force speed, is one of the most appropriate classes to go to rescue.
In Huttball, the Force speed allows you to jump many obstacles such as:
- the flames, only when you are not carrying the ball.
- the void, passing over the pit, from a platform to the central area.
- acid basins (this is why you should NEVER use your Force speed at the exit of the starting area).
Also at Huttball, pay attention to the Phase walk and theForce occultation if you are the ball carrier. These powers bring her back to the center.
And again at Huttball, the Force cut allows you to block an opponent in flames at 30 meters, despite having its full resolution bar!
Fighting
In this part, I will use Republican vocabulary. However, this obviously remains valid with mirror classes.
I will focus here on the damage classes because it is definitely on the classes that are likely to bother you the most. They all have peculiarities that make them more or less dangerous and that should therefore be avoided at all costs.
Résilience
La Résilience a three major uses:
- it allows to "clean" the damage over time (to use from three).
- it allows to avoid a big attack like a Force sweep (3 singularés), a Brèche by force (3 Brèshadow ches) or a Ionic pulse.
- it allows to use Force occultation without fear of reappearing.
Muddled mind
L'Muddled mindé allows you to interrupt a spell casting. They are usually the attacks that hurt the most. It is therefore imperative to interrupt as much as possible.
However, there are many other ways to interrupt a launch such as Flow of force, L 'Édizziness and the Low lunge.
Force speed
La Force speed is the main ability of the Escape specialization, which is certainly very effective, but nonetheless more common among our fellow Scholars. It helps prevent melee attacks with channeling time such as Frappe expert orIonic pulse.
Phase walk
You have to try to put your Phase walk as much as possible behind a wall or near a treatment center.
investments
The placements in front of your opponent are very important for a damage class. Indeed, as a Jedi Shadow, you will have to both position yourself as much as possible behind your opponent's back, while avoiding offering them yours (especially against a Thief or another Jedi Shadow).
You should also avoid grouping with other melee damage classes on your team to avoid as many enemy damage zones as possible.
Statistics
The optimization I will choose here is entirely different from the PvE optimization, especially in terms of accuracy. Indeed, enemy players do not have the same resistance as a boss. Since their base resistance is set at 5%, the ideal precision heading seems to be 95%. Still in a PvP perspective, I will place the critical lower in the priority list, a burst without criticism (except Strength content) being sufficient to kill / severely hurt an opponent.
That being said, we must then prioritize the statistics in the following order (the statistics given include class improvements):
Expertise> Willé > Précision (95%)> Potency> Surge (76-78%)> Critical
The caps indicated as an indication above are, of course unattainable with the basic equipment, purchasable at the merchant of distinctions, it will therefore be necessary to delve into the optimization (youpi), and there it is up to you to leave for hours of testing in the War Zone and spending thousands of credits on modifications ...
You will want to optimize your equipment as much as possible and for that, you will have to add improvements. In the case of Shadow Jedi DPS, we'll only use advanced Resolution 28 buffs. Also, try to stay on Stim as often as possible. In this case, we will opt for resolution stims.
PvP gear can be found in the Combat Training section of the fleet. You will need to turn to the ranger or force mystic equipment (headset and implants).
Seven bonuses
It is essential to get your set bonus as soon as possible. It allows to considerably increase its controls and its burst:
- Set 1 bonus: increases the range of the Slow-down and theMuddled mindé.
- Set 2 bonus: add a load of Strength content when activating this power.
Relics
We will opt for a relic of unexpected assault (conferring a power bonus) and an M7-R3 matrix cube (Red, Red, Red).
If you prefer / cannot use the Matrix Cube, then move on to a Relic of Concentrated Punishment (granting bonus willpower).
Is it viable in Ranked PvP?
Yes of course ! However, it is mainly represented there in the Infiltration specialization. It is even one of the most feared classes at the start of combat due to its openness and very violent intense phase. It therefore has (like all classes) its place in a classified arena, even if the Infiltration / Hybrid DPS specialization may seem more "optimized".
Unfortunately, it loses considerably of its effectiveness when the fight begins to last and is therefore not necessarily the class that a so-called optimized composition will favor ... It will however remain the most suitable class to win a 1 on 1 duel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I will say that the Jedi Shadow is a very nice class to play, which adapts to all situations, which still requires a little time to master, but once you get to know it well, is really effective, both in PvE and PvP. I therefore strongly encourage all new players to test this class.
Thanks to Kiràly for clarifying the accuracy and to Lellith and Agrippina for their talent tree suggestions. Do not hesitate to send me your suggestions, remarks or questions, I will gladly answer them.
