Class balance in this game is something that is probably never going to happen ever, in its current state. One of the absolute core problems in this game is class balance.
In our current state, 5.0, Bioware treats each class like all PvP are 1v1s. With every whiner on the forums about this class not being able to hold its own against that class, Bioware nerfs and buffs according to them. We no longer have classes like ranged/support DPS. A class like Mercenary for example, is a ranged DPS class. Originally, it had good damage and some off-heals, which essentially made that class a support DPS class.
When you play a support DPS class, you would expect yourself to play a little out of the action, behind your team. You are best when unnoticed, due to the good DPS you can throw out, but weak defensive cooldowns. You have roots and slows and a knockback. These are distance creators. They create distance between you and the enemy, so you can kite them.
However, if a Mara was able to close that distance and get up in your face, the advantage should now be the Mara's. The melee DPS class. It is only common sense that a melee DPS class would do better in melee, in your face, than a ranged/support DPS class.
In our current state however, 5.0, this is not the case. And this is just one example. This isn't a "Mercs are OP" post, but a "class balance and PvP at its core is broken". I believe one of the biggest problems with this is the player base. Everyone seems to expect every class to be viable in 1v1s. Everyone wants this class to be able to defend against that class, etc etc. Not a lot of people seem to understand that PvP was originally intended to be like many other games, with counters and counter-counters. Not every class will be the most viable option in every situation.
What I Would Change
First of all, I will post what I have been saying for years but never really spread it out in a post.
Expertise should make a comeback. But no longer tied to gear, and instead, tied to class disciplines. One of the biggest challenges with a PvP and PVE aspect is creating balance for both without ruining either side. It's rare that it can be done. You fix one thing for the PvP side, and now the PVE side is broken.
My idea was to create a mirror of each discipline right now. That wouldn't be hard. The assets are already there. We'll use Operative as example.
Operatives can choose from Lethality, Medicine, and Concealment. Lets say we choose Concealment. At the top of the utility screen, where it says "Concealment" there would be a little toggle, or a drop down menu with two options.
PVE or PVP.
To begin with, each discipline would probably be the exact same with no changes yet. This is almost zero work for the devs so far. We have just implemented a PVE or PVP toggle for all discplines, which was just a simple copy/paste job. Now, throughout the following weeks and months, we begin to tweak abilities here and there. Stripping abilities all together, nerfing or buffing certain ones, etc etc.
Suddenly the PVP Concealment and the PVE Concealment pages look quite different. Suddenly, PVP balance looks a little more feasible as we now no longer have to worry about ruining something on the PVE side.
"But Seb, what forces players to actually use the PVP trees when they could just choose the probably broken PVE ones?"
This is where Expertise comes in. Toggling or choosing the PVP tree automatically grants the Expertise stance. On top of the bolster, this adds an additional 1k Expertise to your stats. If any of you PvPed in 4.0, you would know that playing with 1k less Expertise than anyone else would make you very ineffective.
Throughout the years of patches and updates, Bioware continues to add to the problem that is class-balance. At the current state, no amount of minor buffing or nerfing will ever fix anything. Only a complete rehaul, like my idea, would.
Ideally, the PVP toggle wouldn't remove or add that many abilities that the PVE tree didn't have. I'm sure that anyone serious about PvP wouldn't mind taking 30 seconds to switch an ability from one quickbar to another if it meant PvP that wasn't hilariously broken.
What Else I Would Change
Going along with my previous idea, here are some of the changes I would make.
1. Support/ranged DPS classes like Mercs and Snipers would have fewer or slightly nerfed defensive CDs. (Greatly nerfed in the current Merc case). On the flip side, distance creators like knockbacks and roots/slows would be a priority for these classes. Main abilities such as Unload or Tracer Missile for the Merc, or Ambush or Penetrating Shots for the Sniper, would not work within 5 meters. This gives melee classes who can break through the roots, slows, and knockbacks the advantage.
This forces support classes to play at a distance as they should be. If a melee DPS breaks through however, they are at a sore disadvantage.
2. Tanks do greatly reduced damage. 4.0 was a broken mess of skank tanks. At one point, tank spec in DPS gear did MORE DPS than the other two DPS trees. Obviously that's now how things were intended.
I would nerf tank specs greatly in that your DPS is really no longer valid. In return, tanks are granted stronger passive defensive CDs and granted more crowd control abilities, though not necessarily just more hard stuns.
This forces tanks to play as intended, tanking and protecting your teammate(s).
3. Healers have drastically reduced defensive CDs. In my time of PvPing in SWTOR, I have seen countless times, healers being focused and interrupted at the right times by two people, yet still live to heal themselves and their teammates. I've always thought two DPS should easily burn through a healer, though the outrage that would cause would be extreme, noting the playerbase of this game.
I would be fine with two DPS effectively taking a healer out of the fight by forcing the healer to heal only himself if he were to stay alive. Currently, you could be focused by two DPS, heal yourself, and still heal your teammates.
I'm not sure I really even need to mention which defensive CDs would be greatly nerfed. Obviously Mercs are up there with theirs, as are Sorcs. Operative healers aren't too defensively OP, though I would nerf the defense chance on roll very slightly.
4. Operatives. Other than Juggs, Operatives are still one of the most viable class for 1v1s. I've mained an Operative since launch, and have been with it through all its ups and downs. Immediately I would fix Evasion, so that it works through a stun. Currently, Evade does not work through a stun. Second, I would add the stun/knockdown effect back onto Backstab. Not as an intended buff, but a nerf. Backstab from stealth is one of our hardest hitting abilities and it is on a fairly low CD. Adding the stun back to the ability would make things a little more tricky for us with Resolve. Now, in using our main ability from stealth, we have hit the enemy hard but we have filled half their Resolve, and need to be careful with the rest of the fight.
So now there is a decent emphasis on entering a fight from stealth, which is obviously the intention. We open up on an enemy, we've hit hard, and they're stunned for the 2 seconds. But now we have to manage Resolve immediately, and not just "Stun-lock" our way to a victory in a 1v1.
We are definitely broken in 1v1s. On paper, a Melee DPS Jugg should beat a Melee DPS Operative IF the Operative didn't take the advantage with opening up from stealth. Strip away the stealth for a moment, and by nature, the Jugg should beat the Operative.
Unfortunately that's not the case at the moment. Instead of the main selling point of Operatives being our key to winning, it's more of just an.....extra addition to our arsenal. Effectively, we could basically be a Jugg with stealth. This shouldn't be the case. Our emphasis should be on stealth, and opening from stealth - taking that first advantage. After that, we should ideally be on a level playing field, or slightly underneath that field.
Increase the cooldown on Kolto Infusion by a few seconds. Currently the GCDs allow for a roll in, two-three attacks, roll away, Kolto Infuse, rinse, repeat. In a matter of less than 10 GCDs, we have dodged two of your attacks (200% defense chance on roll), hit you, and then healed a decent amount.
With an increase of the Kolto Infusion CD, this somewhat disrupts that. I would keep Kolto Probes the same. Roll needs to be evaluated. Either a higher CD or less defense chance. In my opinion, it is unfair that a DPS class such as Operatives can absorb two attacks every 10 seconds.
5. Buff Mara DPS. Fix Holotraverse and Shadow Stride (though that's more of a game engine problem that will likely never be fixed). Remove the "in combat" effect that Juggs have on one of their AOE abilities. They can spam this at the beginning of a 1v1 and immediately pull any stealth into combat, obviating their out of combat stuns.
6. Drastically buff Orbital Strike and its Republic side counterpart. Snipers are as I mentioned above, a support ranged DPS class. Orbital Strike used to be very powerful, but of course, very easy to escape. You have what, 8 seconds to move away unless you want to take all three hits? It is very, very easy to move out of the way of Orbital Strike. So it confuses me as to why it was nerfed a few updates ago. Snipers should be rewarded, not punished, for catching someone unawares in their Orbital Strike.
7. 8v8s. Unranked and lowbie/midbie WZs include 8v8s. They have done since the beginning of time. Why have these brackets play on PVP maps they won't ever play again in Ranked? Isn't Unranked sort of a practice/casual bracket for Ranked? It confuses me as to why you would be learning and mastering PvP maps that you won't ever see again if you get into Ranked at end game.
8v8 maps in Ranked encourages team playing, strategies, situational counters, etc. Instead of mindless 4v4 deathmatches, you actually should have to think a little and become engaged in 8v8 maps.
8. And for kriff's sake, add a Huttball league. Who's the best Huttball team on your server? In my opinion Huttball is a great game that has essentially gone to waste. It could be so much more with its own leaderboards and rankings. Would it be dominated by a team of 8 Operatives roflrolling their way with the ball? Would they be stopped by a team of ranged DPSers who can easily knock them back before they reach the end line? Who knows? I don't, but I want to see.
I've been typing for a while now and can't think of anything else I had on my mind. I realize this is a long post and not everyone will read it, but if you have counters to anything I've suggested feel free to reply. If I think of anything else I'll add it later.
