SWTOR - Bounty Hunter Guide

[Sephiroth]

Cold, ruthless, calculating, and relentless - these are all core features of the Bounty Hunter in The Old Republic. If you need a person hunted down and dealt with or have a dirty job that absolutely needs to be done without any moral qualms, then the Bounty Hunter is your man. These deadly professionals-for-hire will do anything needed to complete their objectives, as long as the credits are good. Donning heavy armor to withstand the rigors and punishment of the battlefields, these hardened mercenaries can not only take a lot of damage but they can also dish it out. Bounty Hunters can lay down a withering barrage with their various missile attacks and employ a wide variety of specialized blaster attacks. If some foolhardy soul gets too close, like those irksome jedi, then the Bounty Hunter’s flamethrower will ensure their warm reception.

Starting Out as a Bounty Hunter

You begin your career as a feared Bounty Hunter on the planet of Hutta, which is ruled by criminal Hutt lords. Once a vibrant paradise, Hutta is now a polluted junk yard of a world where the only cheaper than bootleg liquor is life itself. You are on Hutta to gain sponsorship for The Great Hunt, a deadly contest of hunter and hunted. Only one can survive and achieve victory, but then those who do will gain both glory and riches. Your class quests on Hutta will encompass your attempts to win entry into The Great Hunt.

You’ll spend your first ten levels on lovely Hutta gaining familiarity with basic Bounty Hunter abilities that will lead to your two Advanced Class options: Powertech and Mercenary. You will also gain your first companion before you leave Hutta, the lovely Mako, who will be incredibly useful with both her ranged DPS and healing abilities.

While you’re forging your Bounty Hunter cred on Hutta, keep close attention to what playstyle you gravitate towards. If you prefer to go all-out on offense guns a blazing from a long range, then you’ll probably find the Mercenary suits your style. If you prefer to fight up close with flamethrowers and have incredibly high defensive abilities, then the Powertech is more your speed.

Advanced Classes for the Bounty Hunter

Powertech
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Combat Roles

• Tank
• Short Range (10m) DPS

Equipment

• Main Hand – Blaster Pistol
• Off Hand – Shield Generator
• Armor – Heavy

After choosing the Powertech as your Advanced Class, you’ll gain the ability to use generators in your off-hand, with the most common usage being a shield generator. Shield generators have a chance of absorbing a portion of any incoming damage, thus adding another layer of protection to your Bounty Hunter.

Most of your combat attacks will revolve around getting up and close to the enemy as quickly as possible. Your primary weapon will be your flamethrower, which you’ll be able to attack multiple foes with at higher level.

The Powertech can definitely tank with the best of them. At level 14, you gain the Guard ability, which increases your threat and allows you to take a portion of damage dealt to whichever target you’re currently guarding. Higher level abilities such as Grapple (level 22) and Sonic Missile (level 30) increase your ability to draw aggro on yourself and away from party members.


Mercenary
[IMGR]http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/209316[/IMGR]
Combat Roles

• Heal
• Ranged (30m) DPS

Equipment

• Main Hand – Blaster Pistol
• Off Hand – Blaster Pistol
• Armor – Heavy

The Mercenary is all about attacking with everything you have all the time. Once you’ve chosen Mercenary as your Advanced Class, you’ll be able to dual-wield blaster pistols so now not only will you dish out more damage, but you’ll do it in style!

The Mercenary has quite a few ranged attacks with blasters and missiles that deal out tons of damage to a single target and some AoE attacks. To keep those pesky foes away, you’ll gain abilities such as Jet Boost (level 14), which knocks foes away from you, and Chaff Flare (level 30) which lowers your threat towards all current enemies. By the late teens (in levels), you’ll have a formidable array of devastating attacks. You will definitely have to keep an eye on your heat and make sure that you vent appropriately so as not to stop certain attacks from working.

The Mercenary also gets some really good healing abilities to keep them up and gunning. They get a few healing abilities, such as Rapid Scan (base healing), Healing Scan (better healing), and Cure (removes negative effects from targets). In addition, Mercenaries have the cooldown cut in half on their ability to revive others.


Bounty Hunter Companions

As with all classes in The Old Republic, Smugglers will gain new companions as part of the natural class quest storyline progression. The Smuggler’s companions and the planets where they are obtained are listed below:

• Mako – Hutta
• Gault – Tatooine
• Blizz – Hoth
• Skadge – Belsavis
• Torian Caldera – Taris

Crew Skills

There are three main types of crew skills in The Old Republic: Crafting, Gathering, and Missions. Players are restricted to only one crafting skill from the list, but may choose any combination of gathering or mission skills.

The four most beneficial Crafting skills for the Bounty Hunter are:

Armormech – This skill allows you to create and upgrade armor. Bounty Hunters live and die by their armor and their armor should be considered a second skin. As such, this is a skill that is very useful for Bounty Hunters.

Armstech – This skill allows you to create and upgrade blaster weapons. A Bounty Hunter is nothing if he cannot damage his prey, so having the best weaponry possible is necessary. This skill is necessary for Mercenaries. If you don’t have the best pew-pew-pew, then you’ll be dead-dead-dead.

Biochem – This skill allows you to create your own consumables. Being able to create your own medpacs, stimulants, and biological implants will keep you alive and make you stronger.

Cybertech – This skill specializes in droid upgrades and the creation of earpieces, generators, grenades, and other gadgets. If you’re a Powertech, this is a skill that should be high on your list for consideration. Since Powertechs rely on technology, being able to build and upgrade your own is always a plus.

Bounty Hunter Class Video





Thanks to our friends at tentonhammer... I touched this up for here -Seph