Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Update 3.0 Class Changes, Continued
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BioWare Austin has continued to share details about the class changes they're planning for their Shadow of Revan expansion pack and subsequent Game Update 3.0 patch for Star Wars: The Old Republic, with the latest preview articles covering the Guardian and Juggernaut, Gunslinger and Sniper, and Scoundrel and Operative. Let's take a look at the Scoundrel:
Scoundrel
Scoundrels will see a number of sizable advanced class changes with the 3.0 update. Upper Hand no longer grants a small damage or healing boost while active. Underworld Medicine is now only available to the Sawbones discipline, but Slow-release Medpac can now be trained by all Scoundrels. Shoot First has been removed from the game, but Back Blast now does additional damage when it is used from stealth. Disappearing Act no longer prevents the Scoundrel from healing or being healed while it is active (activating a new heal will still break stealth, but any healing effects that are already in existence will continue to heal their targets). Scoundrels also gain the following passive abilities:
Browbeater: Increases the damage dealt by Vital Shot and the healing done by Slow-release Medpac by 10%.
Element of Surprise: Increases the critical chance of Kolto Pack, Back Blast, and Point Blank Shot by 15%.
And all Scoundrels have also gained a new active ability:
Stack the Deck: Exploits Upper Hand to Stack the Deck for you and your Operation group members within 40 meters, increasing critical chance by 10% for 10 seconds. Does not break stealth.
Sawbones
Most of the skills in the Sawbones discipline will be familiar to Scoundrel healers. Sawbones Scoundrels get a new passive ability that temporarily increases healing done for a few seconds after exploiting an Upper Hand. They also get a new active ability:
Kolto Waves: Heals up to 8 allies that remain within 8 meters of the targeted area over the 3 second channel duration. Depletes 32 energy over the duration of the channel.
Overall, Sawbones healing was too good during Rise of the Hutt Cartel, so players of the discipline should brace themselves for a rebalancing that might seem a bit extreme. While it might seem extreme, this rebalancing is only aimed to bring Scoundrel healing down to a level that allows other healers to be more competitive and prevents Scoundrel healing from trivializing PvE content that is meant to be challenging.
