Bounty Hunter Basics

Some of you preordered the game and had a chance to get started, exploring the wonderful world of SWTOR. I know I did.

But for the poor souls who didn't get a chance to start early, at least we can impart some wisdom on you to make your experience as smooth as possible.

Here are some basics that every brand spankin' new Bounty Hunter (and some of the experienced ones) should know

Your primary state is Aim. Don't wear equipment without it. If you're in a group, don't roll need on equipment that doesn't have Aim*.

Bounty Hunters wear Heavy Armor. Since all Bounty Hunters can wear Heavy Armor, I'm assuming all the gear itemized for Bounty Hunters will be Heavy Armor. Don't roll on any light or medium armor*.

Your Companion is totally awesome. The first companion for the Bounty Hunter is a hybrid Healer/DPS. Bounty Hunters are the only Imperial class who's first companion can heal. As such, if you're in a party that has an open companion slot, you will most likely want your companion in that slot.

Keep Hunter's Boon and your Canister up. Hunters boon increases Endurance by 5%, and your canister adds extra damage to weapon attacks. Remember to keep these up at all times.

When picking a Crafting Crew Skill, avoid Synthweaving and Artifice. Those two skills are valuable to the Sith classes more than the non-sith classes. Armstech and Armormech are the primary Crew Skills for Bounty Hunters, but Cybertech and Biochem can be good for any class.

Train all your skills every time you level. These can get expensive (especially if you spend all your credits on crew skill missions), but they help a lot. Additionally, when you pick your specialization, remember to train skills from your specialization as well. Those are found in a separate tab at your class trainer.

For those of you who have already started, probably none of this is new. But it's still worth knowing for people who haven't started yet or who might play another class.

*If you are in a group and there's no Imperial Agents, you might want to ask about rolling need on Agent gear (Cunning, Medium Armor), as it's what your companion wears. But be kind and let an Agent have first dibs.

Welcome to Rocket Punch!

Since I love to blog and I love MMO's, I thought it would be appropriate to make a blog for the release of SWTOR. I did the same thing for Champions Online, but quickly abandoned it as the game was a complete trainwreck.

I've played a number of MMOs over the past 10 years (Guild Wars, WAR, Fallen Earth, Tabula Rasa, WoW, EVE Online, CO, Rift, and D&D). I tend to flock to tanking and healing roles, which I'll be focusing on for this blog.

My primary character is going to be a Powertech Bounty Hunter, and most of my posts will revolve tips and tricks for bounty hunter tanking. I'll also be running a Sorcerer Sith Inquisitor bent on healing.

I'm expecting to update on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that might be subject to changes as time passes.

Enjoy!

Edit: I actually ended up going Assassin instead of Sorcerer. I think I'm mostly going to do DPS, but I may dabble in Assassin Tanking.