Merc or Sniper?

[evilution]

I have both upto 10 and I still can't decide on which one to take as my next character?

All I know is I would like a ranged Dps class, I'm torn between the both of them...

Merc pros - heavy armour, rockets, high burst damage.

Sniper pros - heavy single target hits, cover.

Which should I choose?

[torryk]

The BH story line is a ton of fun. And your first crewman is Mako...a healer. I have an Op which I enjoy too, no sniper yet..I play that alt less frequently...my main is a 50 sorc healer for comparison sake...so that's my 2 cents.

[endo224]

I have a lvl 41 Powertech BH, and a lvl 34 Sniper, and I really love them both. If I had to say, the Powertech is easier to level (Mako and being a tank FTW), while the Sniper has a slightly better story line(though CH3 seems pretty awesome for the BH).

Also I love to PvP with my Sniper, since he dishes out great single target dps, and I can sit far enough away to not draw most of the incoming fire.

I didn't play a Merc, but I do have a lvl 26 Commando (Rep version), and the range dps is pretty cool, though I still prefer the Sniper's dpsing.

[mycroftxxx]

I have a 50 merc 50 powetec and a 39 sniper. I had a real easy time levelling the merc and I didnt even know I had a CC until I started hard mode flash points.

the sniper I have to pull out all the tricks I got with cc's etc just to survive it seems.

I've always played a highly mobile game. even when I was tanking in warcraft I'd always be moving mobs around driving my dps crazy as they try to follow me. I really feel the cover system is not a plus, having to sit in one spot irritates me.

[xirdyh77]

merc is better for pvp i heard.

[evilution]

Thanks for your reply's...

I'm still undecided, but the survivability of the Merc is looking more appealing with its lack of downtime without sacrificing DPS...

[Scripts]

PvP - Merc versus sniper is all about where you want to be in the warzone. You want to be right on top of the ball carrier/door/turret - Merc/Powertech is the way to go. You want to help keep people off the top area in Huttball/be slightly farther away from the turret/make the enemy come to you-the sniper is the way to go. I've seen some decent snipers in PvP but you just need to resist the temptation to get up close and personal with the other players, which is tough to do in PvP.

I have a 50 sniper (full PvE Columni with Tionese weapons with some PvP experience) and a Level 47 Merc Healer (Valor leve 38). I absolutely loved the IA story. The BH story has its moments of greatness (End of Chapter One is pretty cool, and transition from chapter 2 to chapter 3 is good), but has, to me, felt less "epic" overall. However, I love the class mechanics for healing, so that's kind of gotten me through the story. well, that and a whole lotta PvP And, you know, the fact that you get a Jawa companion (Blizz is so cool).

As I've said to other people that don't know what to play, I'd try them both to about 14/16 (you've already gotten them to level 10) and see which one you like more, from a mechanics and story perspective. That's the one to play first. When you're ready to do something different, then come back to the other one.

Mycroft - The sniper is ridiculously gear dependant. If you aren't upgrading both your gear (Weapon Mods/Armor Mods/Etc,) and your companion's gear (Primarily Kaliyo and Scorpio) you get torn apart. I started seeing it around level 40, but especially on Voss. But, Voss is the land of Silver enemies, so its to be expected there. I had less trouble there the last time I finished it on my Inquistor, but my inquistor is a tank with a healer that had reasonably decently gear from Belsavis. I'm not finding it as bad with my BH now, but again, I've been making sure my gear and my companion's gear is the best I have for where I am currently questing. I've also been keeping my gear up to date for PvP to maximize my contributions to my team.

[Surfacing]

I have a lvl 50 Merc Healer, but levelled as dps. Lvl 28 PT tank. I love BH. Their playstyle, storyline, companions. Mako, Blizz and Torian are amazing.
Don't have a sniper. But played a smuggler (altho turned to scoundrel/operative at level 10). I find cover mechanic as the main sniper disadvantage. It reduces mobility, limits the abilities you can use, and complicates your quickslots.
Although at high level Merc isn't that mobile either, but it has some abilities to use on the run. However, many people say how epic the story of IA is, so it's definitely on my list to try

[Lizzy]

Surfacing, I play a Sniper and I'm not sure how cover complicates your quickslots unless you are keeping the option "Enable Cover Bar" turned on (which I personally hate and never use). Concerning mobility, if you're talking about PvP, Snipers normally use talent builds based on the Lethality shared three for that (the rotation doesn't need cover at all). If anyone is curious how this works there are some videos in Traxex's Lethal Sniper guide.

[Scripts]

However, many people say how epic the story of IA is, so it's definitely on my list to try

I loved the IA story. LOVED IT. The thing I like on the Bounty Hunter is the play style and the companions. The healing mechanics just fit the character and make sense to me (if your heat bar is full, you're in trouble). The story, as much as I hate to say it, is not as good as the other ones I've played. The companions, however, are really good. I like the Mako story (haven't completely finished it yet, but am at 9k+ affection & "married" to her so I don't think much is left) and Blizz is an absolute riot. Torian is definately an interesting character, as is Gaault. I haven't spent enough time with Skadge to decide one way or the other, but he rubbed me the wrong way immediately after being introduced to me.

With the agent - the Operative AC relies less on cover than the sniper does, so if you don't like the cover mechanic that's another option.

Basis for story opinion: I currently have a sub level 15 knight sentinel, a level 50 sniper, a level 50 Sith Assassin, a mid 20s Trooper Vanguard and a mid/high 20s Consular Shadow, and I tried a smuggler during one of the weekend betas (till level 10/11) and had a lowbie Sith warrior I deleted (~12-14). The other stories I just didn't get into were the Smuggler and the Sith Warrior. I may need to retry them. A lot of my guildies talk about how great the Sith Warrior story is, so I'll probably try that one again first.

[Traxex]

I have both upto 10 and I still can't decide on which one to take as my next character?

All I know is I would like a ranged Dps class, I'm torn between the both of them...

Merc pros - heavy armour, rockets, high burst damage.

Sniper pros - heavy single target hits, cover.

Which should I choose?

actually your a bit wrong here. The sniper has the best burst damage. I play both and its hard to say which is best, it all depends on playstyle. I like the sniper most, probably because they are rather rare and its fun to show people that they actually are able to kill anyone if played correctly.

I would say the BH is easier to play, while sniper needs more tactics.

I would also argue that the sniper in PVE will do more DPS than the BH, but they are rather close. Sniper is more efficient due to their dots, both classes need to maintain their energy/heat, while you do that you dps drop, but yet the sniper still have their dots running. (this is from the lethal spec perspective of cause)