Question re: Optimizing

[Dodd Formeianna]

Not really sure if this belongs in a class-specific forum - so cardinals, please feel free to move accordingly. Forgive me if it's a noob-ish question, as well, or if it has been already covered elsewhere. It's a revelation for me, so deal with it...

When you guys are optimizing stats, are there instances where you would intentionally swap in an "inferior" mod in place of a higher one?

For example, let's say I'm stacking my surge rating, which a particular columni-piece mod has. The rakata-piece version of the mod has...say...alacrity...which I'm not deliberately trying to stack. Would you then deliberately favor the columni over the rakata, until you found a suitable rakata-level replacement (assuming one exists)? Some of my items I'm currently stacking columni/rakata/BH mods to get the desired stat combos, but I'm not sure if I am selling myself short in doing it this way and losing out overall.

I'm very leery of just poo-pooing...say...BH-level mods in favor of Rakata ones, but I've noticed the BH ones I have acquired up until now stack stats differently and I don't want to sacrifice my surge / crit rating. Is this an intentional game design thing? Where you have to cherry pick and protect your chosen stats, even as you gear up? Or is the goal to eventually acquire BH / Campaign mods with all the right stats? If so, that will take forever.

[Skiggity]

You've hit on the core of Optimization, which is that the as-delivered items are only rarely truly optimal. Most of the time, you have to mix and match parts to arrive at the perfect goal.

In most cases, the first thing you look at is armoring, since that's slot specific. If the armor doesn't favor your main stat (DPS/Healer) or Endurance (Tank), then it is NOT optimal armor. You can manually buy slot-specific Campaign armoring with BH comms from the BH Vendor for any pieces that are lacking the proper armoring.

Then check out the Mod and enhancement. Figure out ahead of time what your Crit, Surge, Accuracy and Alacrity targets are; For a Sawbones, you want about 30 percent Crit, 75 percent Surge, and all the rest in Cunning or Power. Accuracy doesn't matter since nobody's trying to dodge your heals. Alacrity can be nice, but it rarely makes a huge difference in PVE; if it's really necessary, the fight is already out of hand.

Over time you'll use BH comms to buy Black Hole pieces that have the best-in-slot goodies to hit your targets. A particular piece of gear, maybe the BH Gloves for example (not sure in your case, haven't researched) will have the optimal Mod and Enhancement; you buy those over and over to populate your other gear with max efficiency.

[Skiggity]

One more thought; you are doing it right in many cases by keeping the Columi bit and waiting for the "proper" Rakata/BH/Campaign/Dread Guard upgrade.

I built Butter pretty quickly, and one of the things I did was look for areas where a "better" non-optimal piece could replace its lesser counterpart. So if I had say a Hands set that had a good armor and mod, but the enhancement wasn't optimal, I'd see if I had a similar but lower-level enhancement anywhere else in my gear. If so, I'd make the swap, usually gaining a few endurance points if nothing else while I waited to upgrade the thing with the Best-In-Slot piece eventually.

In your case, most of your Best In Slot mods will be Keen Mod 26 (or 27) and Artful Mod 26 (or 27)

For Enhancements, you'll want Battle and Adept primarily , though Insight and Quick Savant offer Alacrity where needed.

Augments, either Skill or Overkill for Cunning or Power.

[Fynn]

Just to chime in, I can make Overkill augments if you need them.

Then check out the Mod and enhancement. Figure out ahead of time what your Crit, Surge, Accuracy and Alacrity targets are; For a Sawbones, you want about 30 percent Crit, 75 percent Surge, and all the rest in Cunning or Power. Accuracy doesn't matter since nobody's trying to dodge your heals. Alacrity can be nice, but it rarely makes a huge difference in PVE; if it's really necessary, the fight is already out of hand.

I agree with everything Skigg says (as seems to be the case most times) with the exception of some of this paragraph, but we've been over that already!

[Skiggity]

I have never played a Smuggler of any type, much less a healer, so please to provide further input Fyyn! You know what works in the field.

[Fynn]

I have never played a Smuggler of any type, much less a healer, so please to provide further input Fyyn! You know what works in the field.

I've mentioned it to Dodd a few times, and to be perfectly honest it probably is mathematically inferior, but I prefer my crit between 35%-40% unbuffed. Criting on our HoT grants us an important proc (did I use that right), and the extra 5%-10% is noticeable. IMHO it's worth the inefficiency of soft cap. Also, criting on our 'filler' heal will regen energy (when trained), making it vital. Again, the benefit outweighs the waste.

In regards to Alacrity, I actually like to bring it right to soft cap (the number escapes me) because, as I've said, our 'filler' heal has an energy regen. I understand the argument that Alacrity becomes an energy drain but, for Scoundrel at least, BW has added an ability that makes the stat useful. TBH, though, at Columi+ gear you hit Surge cap pretty quick. There isn't anything to dump into anyway

[Furiel]

I have never played a Smuggler of any type, much less a healer, so please to provide further input Fyyn! You know what works in the field.

I've mentioned it to Dodd a few times, and to be perfectly honest it probably is mathematically inferior, but I prefer my crit between 35%-40% unbuffed. Criting on our HoT grants us an important proc (did I use that right), and the extra 5%-10% is noticeable. IMHO it's worth the inefficiency of soft cap. Also, criting on our 'filler' heal will regen energy (when trained), making it vital. Again, the benefit outweighs the waste.

In regards to Alacrity, I actually like to bring it right to soft cap (the number escapes me) because, as I've said, our 'filler' heal has an energy regen. I understand the argument that Alacrity becomes an energy drain but, for Scoundrel at least, BW has added an ability that makes the stat useful. TBH, though, at Columi+ gear you hit Surge cap pretty quick. There isn't anything to dump into anyway

My understanding is that because of the energy return on Med Scan (or whatever the free channeled heal is called) due to both not spending resources and the energy return on crits, that stacking up a decent amount of Alacrity is actually beneficial because it decreases the channel time on that and allows you to get the energy that much quicker and get back to your bigger heals that much quicker.

[Bulwark]

be careful with internet "soft caps". It really is just a balancing act between your stats and their diminishing returns.

[Furiel]

be careful with internet "soft caps".

Tin foil is soft and makes a wonderful cap...

[Blackferne]

Maximizing DPS is easiest because there is a mathematical formula to illustrate optimal play, and it is just about trying to get to that point. Maximizing Healing is a lot squishier since you have to balance energy/ammo/force management against alacrity against power of heals. I don't know that there is ever a true right answer beyond what works best for you.

[Fynn]

My understanding is that because of the energy return on Med Scan (or whatever the free channeled heal is called) due to both not spending resources and the energy return on crits, that stacking up a decent amount of Alacrity is actually beneficial because it decreases the channel time on that and allows you to get the energy that much quicker and get back to your bigger heals that much quicker.

This

be careful with internet "soft caps". It really is just a balancing act between your stats and their diminishing returns.

Agreed. Sometimes theory and mathematics don't pan out to 'feels right'.

INSERT JOKE HERE

Maximizing DPS is easiest because there is a mathematical formula to illustrate optimal play, and it is just about trying to get to that point. Maximizing Healing is a lot squishier since you have to balance energy/ammo/force management against alacrity against power of heals. I don't know that there is ever a true right answer beyond what works best for you.

True, and one of the reasons healing is so fun!