Game Update 3.0 Class Changes: Sentinel + Marauder

Hello!

We've put together this blog to inform Jedi Knights of the major changes that are coming in the 3.0 update. Just a couple of disclaimers before we jump in: this blog is not a comprehensive list of every single Jedi Knight change. Also, please note that the content described in this blog is still under development, so anything mentioned throughout this blog is still subject to change (especially any exact numbers or percentages that may be mentioned). Okay, let's get started!

In 3.0, the most significant change found in the Jedi Knight base class is the absence of Riposte. This ability has not gone away completely, but it has undergone some changes in functionality and has become specific to the Guardian advanced class. We will cover this change in more detail when we get to the Guardian section, but first, we will cover what is new for Sentinels in the 3.0 update.

Sentinel

As mentioned in the previous section, Sentinels no longer have access to the Riposte ability. We made this change because the Sentinel disciplines did not really support the use of Riposte, and except for a few rare cases that involved dealing a little extra burst damage here or there, using Riposte was actually a poor use of focus for Sentinels.

Another change that Sentinels will notice is that Crippling Throw has been removed from the game, but the healing received debuff it provided has been rolled into Leg Slash, while the damage of Leg Slash has been adjusted to compensate for this addition. We made this change to streamline the Sentinel experience a bit – because in most cases where you wanted to apply one of these debuffs, you also wanted to apply the other one. The final result of these changes is that Leg Slash is now far more about the debuffs it applies, rather than the small amount of damage it inflicts, to enemy targets.

In addition to these changes, all Sentinels will have access to the following two passive abilities:

Focused Slash: Slash, Cyclone Slash, Dispatch, Blade Rush, Merciless Slash, and Concentrated Slice refund 1 focus when used. In addition, Zealous Strike beats down its target for 45 seconds. Beat Down targets take 5% more damage from melee attacks.
Valor: Increases the amount of Centering built by 2 when activating abilities that consume focus, and reduces the cooldown of Valorous Call by 30 seconds.

Many Sentinels will also notice that Cauterize is missing. It is not gone, but it has moved into the Watchman discipline. While it provided a sustained damage boost for all Sentinels, it was never intended to be used by any discipline other than Watchman, from a thematic perspective (note the lack of skills in the other trees that improve Cauterize). But fear not, for Combat and Concentration Sentinels will make up for this resulting sustained damage loss with other new abilities that they have gained.

Watchman

Watchman Sentinels are gaining a new passive skill that makes their Juyo Form and Merciless stacks build up twice as fast. They also get another skill that allows them to spread some of their burning effects to targets damaged by their Force Sweep, as long as one of the targets damaged by Force Sweep is already suffering from those burning effects. In addition to these new passives, Watchman Sentinels also gain a new active ability:

Force Melt: Calls on the power of the Force to melt the target, causing it to burn for elemental damage over 15 seconds.

Cauterize no longer has a cooldown, but to keep things interesting for this discipline, players will need to be able to successfully juggle three different burns, each of which has a unique duration, while also keeping Merciless Slash on cooldown in order to maximize their damage output.

Combat

Combat Sentinels gain a new passive ability that reduces the focus consumed by Blade Rush and Cyclone Slash by 1 each, during Zen. They also get another new passive ability that automatically triggers an Ataru Form attack on all targets damaged by Cyclone Slash. Force Health has wiggled its way over to Combat from the Concentration (formerly known as Focus) discipline to help the Combat discipline with focus generation. Additionally, Combat has gained a new ability:

Clashing Blast: Unleashes a powerful blast of Force energy at the target, dealing energy damage. The blast stuns standard and weak enemies for 5 seconds. Shares a cooldown with Blade Storm.

Precision Slash no longer ignores the global cooldown, but as a result, it now deals much more damage and increases armor penetration for 6 seconds instead of just 4.5 seconds. These changes, combined with the changes to alacrity (which now reduces the global cooldown and the cooldown of most abilities), mean that Combat Sentinels can rather easily sneak an extra attack into every Precision Slash window.

Concentration

Concentration (formerly known as Focus) Sentinels gain the following two new active abilities:

Focused Burst: Blasts the enemy target with a powerful burst of Force energy, dealing kinetic damage.
Concentrated Slice: Slices the target for significant weapon damage. Attacks with both weapons if dual wielding.

Concentration skills that affect Force Sweep now also affect Focused Burst, and this effectively causes Focused Burst to replace Force Sweep in the Concentration Sentinel's single target damage rotation. Concentration Sentinels also gain a new passive ability that temporarily increases their defenses after using Concentrated Slice.

Utilities

Most of the utilities available to Sentinels will be familiar to players of the class, but there are a few new utilities as well. Here are a couple examples:
Expunging Camouflage: Force Camouflage removes all cleansable effects when activated.

Just Pursuit: Leg Slash consumes 2 less focus. In addition, using Leg Slash against a target already slowed by your Leg Slash immobilizes that target for 3 seconds. This immobilizing effect cannot be applied to the same target more than once every 10 seconds.

Hello!

We've put together this blog to inform Sith Warriors of the major changes that are coming in the 3.0 update. Just a couple of disclaimers before we jump in: this blog is not a comprehensive list of every single Sith Warrior change. Also, please note that the content described in this blog is still under development, so anything mentioned throughout this blog is still subject to change (especially any exact numbers or percentages that may be mentioned). Okay, let's get started!

In 3.0, the most significant change found in the Sith Warrior base class is the absence of Retaliation. This ability has not gone away completely, but it has undergone some changes in functionality and has become specific to the Juggernaut advanced class. We will cover this change in more detail when we get to the Juggernaut section, but first, we will cover what is new for Marauders in the 3.0 update.

Marauder

As mentioned in the previous section, Marauders no longer have access to the Retaliation ability. We made this change because the Marauder disciplines did not really support the use of Retaliation, and except for a few rare cases that involved dealing a little extra burst damage here or there, using Retaliation was actually a poor use of rage for Marauders.

Another change that Marauders will notice is that Deadly Throw has been removed from the game, but the healing received debuff it provided has been rolled into Crippling Slash, while the damage of Crippling Slash has been adjusted to compensate for this addition. We made this change to streamline the Marauder experience a bit – because in most cases where you wanted to apply one of these debuffs, you also wanted to apply the other one. The final result of these changes is that Crippling Slash is now far more about the debuffs it applies, rather than the small amount of damage it inflicts, to enemy targets.

In addition to these changes, all Marauders will have access to the following two passive abilities:

Enraged Slash: Vicious Slash, Sweeping Slash, Vicious Throw, Massacre, Annihilate, and Furious Strike refund 1 rage when used. In addition, Battering Assault beats down its target for 45 seconds. Beat Down targets take 5% more damage from melee attacks.
Short Fuse: Increases the amount of Fury built by 2 when activating abilities that consume rage, and reduces the cooldown of Frenzy by 30 seconds.

Many Marauders will also notice that Rupture is missing. It is not gone, but it has moved into the Annihilation discipline. While it provided a sustained damage boost for all Marauders, it was never intended to be used by any discipline other than Annihilation, from a thematic perspective (note the lack of skills in the other trees that improve Rupture). But fear not, for Carnage and Fury Marauders will make up for this resulting sustained damage loss with other new abilities that they have gained.

Annihilation

Annihilation Marauders are gaining a new passive skill that makes their Juyo Form and Annihilator stacks build up twice as fast. They also get another skill that allows them to spread some of their bleeding effects to targets damaged by their Smash, as long as one of the targets damaged by Smash is already suffering from those bleeding effects. In addition to these new passives, Annihilation Marauders also gain a new active ability:

Force Gash: Summons dark Force power to gash the target, causing it to bleed for internal damage over 15 seconds.

Rupture no longer has a cooldown, but to keep things interesting for this discipline, players will need to be able to successfully juggle three different bleeds, each of which has a unique duration, while also keeping Annihilate on cooldown in order to maximize their damage output.

Carnage

Carnage Marauders gain a new passive ability that reduces the rage consumed by Massacre and Sweeping Slash by 1 each, during Berserk. They also get another new passive ability that automatically triggers an Ataru Form attack on all targets damaged by Sweeping Slash. Force Vigor has wiggled its way over to Carnage from the Fury (formerly known as Rage) discipline to help the Carnage discipline with rage generation. Additionally, Carnage has gained a new ability:

Devastating Blast: Unleashes a powerful blast of Force energy at the target, dealing energy damage. The blast stuns standard and weak enemies for 5 seconds. Shares a cooldown with Force Scream.

Gore no longer ignores the global cooldown, but as a result, it now deals much more damage and increases armor penetration for 6 seconds instead of just 4.5 seconds. These changes, combined with the changes to alacrity (which now reduces the global cooldown and the cooldown of most abilities), mean that Carnage Marauders can rather easily sneak an extra attack into every Gore window.

Fury

Fury (formerly known as Rage) Marauders gain the following two new active abilities:

Raging Burst: Blasts the enemy target with a powerful burst of Force energy, dealing kinetic damage.
Furious Strike: Strikes the target for significant weapon damage. Attacks with both weapons if dual wielding.

Fury skills that affect Smash now also affect Raging Burst, and this effectively causes Raging Burst to replace Smash in the Fury Marauder's single target damage rotation. Fury Marauders also gain a new passive ability that temporarily increases their defenses after using Furious Strike.

Utilities

Most of the utilities available to Marauders will be familiar to players of the class, but there are a few new utilities as well. Here are a couple examples:

Expunging Camouflage: Force Camouflage removes all cleansable effects when activated.
Inescapable: Crippling Slash consumes 2 less rage. In addition, using Crippling Slash against a target already slowed by your Crippling Slash immobilizes that target for 3 seconds. This immobilizing effect cannot be applied to the same target more than once every 10 seconds.