Raiding/PvE - Tips/Tricks/Helpful Suggestions

Below are just some tidbits of info, as well as a couple things that are strongly recommended for raiders.
There are hyperlinks below - just mouse over things and you'll find em!

Requirements/Suggestions/Tips:

• (Requirement) Download and install [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - It's a great parsing tool, and while numbers aren't the penultimate focus of raiding (mechanics are), experimenting with your rotation and figuring out how to best put out damage while dealing with mechanics improves the group's abilities as a whole.  Do remember that this used for self improvement/critique.  Ridiculing others based on their numbers isn't acceptable, instead try to suggest things that would help them improve.
  StarParse Group           Name: CDsquad         Pass:  corellian1
  
  
  
• Purchasing and using the Operations Training Dummy and Repair Droid from your legacy panel (Hit Y > Global Unlocks > Other > Ship Unlocks) can be very useful when trying to memorize/improve your rotation (mostly for dps).  The Repair Droid sells items to modify the dummy (change it's health/add raid debuffs), while the dummy itself lets you use the aforementioned StarParse program to see how much damage you're doing.
  If you don't care to buy the dummy there is an operations dummy on the Bridge Deck of the Ziost Shadow (part of the Imperial Fleet) to practice on.
  
  
  
• (Requirement) Download and install [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - Communication is essential to group cohesion and success, whether it be calling out cleanses, mechanics, tanks swaps, or burn phases.  Corellian's TS address is: corelliangaming.typefrag.com - Push to talk is required in all SWTOR channels, so make sure you set that up.  It's under Settings > Options > Capture once you open the TS3 client
  
  
  
• [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is currently what stats endgame raiders are gearing towards for 4.0. With surge being rolled into crit, most DPS run +1100 crit rating.  Current stat priority is 110% accuray, +1100 cirt, then whatever else into alacrity.
  
  
  
• [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is your best resource for damn near everything SWTOR.  That link will take you to their class guides section, and from there you can navigate to the specific class/discipline that you're interested in.  If your spec isn't there (e.g. Fury Marauder), googling it/checking the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] should yield some useful information about that class and how to best play it.
  The annihilation marauder guide is for patch 3.0, and 4.0 made substantial changes to the annihilation spec.  Check [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for an updated rotation!
  Alternate IO rotation [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - I added a couple personal QoL changes, check second reply to this thread if you're interested in them.
  
  
  
• [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] has a wonderful tank stat calculator.  Choose your class, leave the instance at average and put in the numerical values for your defensive stats (not the percentages.  If you hover over the percentage on your character window a tooltip will pop up showing the numerical value for that stat).  Once you've entered them all in hit calculate and in the conclusion section it will tell you how to change your stats to min/max with your current gear.
  ***DISCLAIMER***  KWERTY and KeyboardNinja haven't released 4.0 optimal tank stats just yet, so check the above like for what 4.0 endgame raiders should be gearing towards.
  
  
  
• Unlocking Field Respecialization is quite helpful, especially for dps.  (Open your legacy (Y) > Character Perks > Convenience > Field Respecialization).
  Learning multiple disciplines is strongly recommended for DPS classes, and this unlock lets your character change their discipline wherever as long as you're not in combat.  Almost all fights lend themselves better to a certain discipline due to mechanics, so learning multiple disciplines is extremely helpful when raiding.  While your DoT specs (Annihilation, Innovative Ordnance, Virulence) tend to do more single-target damage, non-DoT specs (Carnage/Fury, Arsenal, Marksmanship) are better for fights where you need to switch targets or stop dps at a moment's notice.
  
  
  
•  Low-endurance gear (216-rated pieces from 65 SM operations/65 HM Flashpoints) is preferred over any data crystal gear.  The reason being is that data crystal (even ultimate data crystal) gear is so high on endurance that you actually get less of the desirable stats (power, crit, surge, alacrity, etc) than you would from 216 operations/HM FP gear.  The discrepancy is arguably less important for tanks, but most people believe that mitigation is more important than overall health.  If your healers are healing less, then that tiny bit of extra health wont ever be needed.
  
  
  
• Learning the defensives of your class (especially for tanks) is important.  Knowing the best way to mitigate your damage taken really helps out everyone - healers can focus more on tanks, and you're not freaking out because you're almost dead.
  
  
  
• Will add to this as I remember other things...
  

Gearing Requirements:

• Level 60
  
  
  
• Complete all of the main story for the current expansions (through Ziost, you get a set of 190 gear), and (preferably) augment out your armor/weapons.  DPS should make 100% ranged/melee accuracy your priority.
  
  
  
• Min/Maxing (Best in Slot/BiS) guides can be found on your class' Dulfy guide.  Try to aim for the general stat distribution that your guide suggests, but don't get hung up on perfection - skill will overcome any minor stat imbalance.
  

Feel free to add any other information you'd like to let us know!
Thanks a ton!
-Avoxen

P.S.
If you've got any questions I'd be more than happy to answer them!

Bump - please read through this if you haven't.

Updated Anni mara link for 4.0 - Afaik all other class guides should be solid, though seeing as I haven't looked at all disciplines for all classes in 4.0 it's possible that some rotations may have changed.  Please let me know if you notice something that doesn't seem quite right!

In addition, there is an alternate IO rotation (compared to the one on Dulfy).  Let me know if you're interested in learning it.  It would seem this alternate rotation allows for a more mobility, in addition to using thermal det on CD instead of on a filler slot.

(The basic gist is that it, compared to the Dulfy guide, uses Unload for one of the Innovative Particle Accelerator (IPA) procs and uses Speed To Burn on the other, so the only ability you need to stand still for is Serrated Shot (which can be Power Surged if need be at a negligible dps loss).  In addition this opens up one of the GCD's usually taken up by power shot for Thermal Det (so you can reliably use thermal det on GCD without overheating.  The tradeoff is that this alternate rotation is much more punishing if you mess up the internal cooldown on IPA.

Link to alternate IO rotation can be found [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

*NOTE:  I moved a couple abilities around in the alternate IO rotation simply for my personal quality of life:
[list]
[*]I swapped the placement of Serrated Shot and Incendiary Missile
[*]I put Thermal Det in GCD 07 insted of GCD 06 just to spread out my heat generation.