Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of those amazing games where the classes themselves are generally well-balanced, and there isn’t too much discrepancy between what each can do. Any one who has played for a while is sure to tell you that every class is viable – and it’s true. You can bring any class into endgame content and still succeed. As with all things, there are classes that will perform better in certain situations than others, so for the purpose of this article, we’ll be taking a broad look at overall damage output, healing output and tanking capabilities to stack the classes against each other. Tanks and healers will of course, have their own category, as their worth comes from something other than pure damage number output.
With eight classes total, who each have three different specs associated with them, there’s plenty to take a look at when it comes to performance:
DPS:
S Tier - Strong, extremely survivable, huge damage output
- Pyrotech Powertech (Bounty Hunter) / Plasmatech Vanguard (Trooper)
- Annihilation Marauder (Sith Warrior) / Watchman Sentinel (Jedi Knight)
- Virulence Sniper (Imperial Agent) / Dirty Fighting Gunslinger (Smuggler)
- Lightning Sorcerer (Sith Inquisitor) / Telekinetics Sage (Jedi Consular)
A Tier - Strong and dependable, balanced
- Vengeance Juggernaut (Sith Warrior) / Vigilance Guardian (Jedi Knight)
- Deception Assassin (Sith Inquisitor) / Infiltration Shadow (Jedi Consular)
- Concealment Operative (Imperial Agent) / Scrapper Scoundrel (Smuggler)
- Lethality Operative (Imperial Agent) / Ruffian Scoundrel (Smuggler)
- Fury Marauder (Sith Warrior) / Concentration Sentinel (Jedi Knight)
B Tier - Easy to play, but lack the numbers you might see with other specs
- Arsenal Mercenary (Bounty Hunter) / Gunnery Commando (Trooper)
- Rage Juggernaut (Sith Warrior) / Focus Guardian (Jedi Knight)
- Carnage Marauder (Sith Warrior) / Combat Sentinel (Jedi Knight)
- Madness Sorcerer (Sith Inquisitor) / Balance Sage (Jedi Consular)
C Tier - Situational, a little squishy and could probably use a small buff
- Advanced Prototype Powertech (Bounty Hunter) / Tactics Vanguard (Trooper)
- Hatred Assassin (Sith Inquisitor) / Serenity Shadow (Jedi Consular)
- Engineering Sniper (Imperial Agent) / Saboteur Gunslinger (Smuggler)
- Innovative Ordnance Mercenary (Bounty Hunter) / Assault Specialist Commando (Trooper)
D Tier - Underperforming
- Marksman Sniper (Imperial Agent) / Sharpshooter Gunslinger (Smuggler)
Healer:
S Tier
- Medicine Operative (Imperial Agent) / Sawbones Scoundrel (Smuggler)
A Tier
- Bodyguard Mercenary (Bounty Hunter) / Combat Medic Commando (Trooper)
B Tier
- Corruption Sorcerer (Sith Inquisitor) / Seer Sage (Jedi Consular)
Tank:
S Tier
- Darkness Assassin (Sith Inquisitor) / Kinetic Shadow (Jedi Consular)
A Tier
- Immortal Juggernaut (Sith Warrior) / Defence Guardian (Jedi Knight)
B Tier
- Shieldtech Powertech (Bounty Hunter) / Shield Specialist Vanguard (Trooper)
Let’s talk a little bit more about what makes the S Tiers so “S”. Remember – all these rankings are subjective! Any class is viable, as long as it fits your playstyle!
Bounty Hunter - Pyrotech Powertech / Trooper - Plasmatech Vanguard (DPS, S Tier)
Flaming fists: Wallop your foes with rocket-powered punches, engulfed in flames.
The age of Arsenal has ended, the time of the Pyrotech PT has begun! If you’ve ever thought about picking up this class, now is the perfect moment.
- Currently is the highest parsing DPS on the charts
- Adequate survivability, which can be easily overlooked based purely on the number output
- Brings a few “cheeses” to the table when part of a raid group (Rebounders, Hydraulics, etc.)
- DoT spec that can target multiple targets and still dish out single-target damage
Sith Warrior - Annihilation Marauder / Jedi Knight - Watchman Sentinel (DPS, S Tier)
Bleed, bleed!: Ravage your targets mercilessly with the twin sabers of the Annihilation Marauder.
Melee damage is the game for the Marauder.
- Annihilation’s bleeds have the ability to heal you and your group when used correctly, which provides some helpful off-heals that can add up over time, and could be the difference between life or death for your group!
- Great survivability, brings a raid buff to the group, as well as Predation
- Another DoT spec, the Annihilation Marauder can spread its bleeds and keep on attacking
Imperial Agent - Virulence Sniper / Smuggler - Dirty Fighting Gunslinger (DPS, S Tier)
Cover from afar: Dominate the field with your bird’s eye view as the Virulence Sniper.
Hang back in the safety of your portable cover and dish out damage. While not especially mobile, you’ll more than make up for this with the damage you deal.
- Yet another DoT spec that can apply and let the damage cascade on its targets
- Unlike Pyrotech and Annihilation, Virulence is a purely ranged class that typically sets itself up like a turret in one spot
- Brings a Ballistics Shield to the group, which can help mitigate heavy raid-wide damage
Sith Inquisitor - Lightning Sorcerer / Jedi Consular - Telekinetics Sage (DPS, S Tier)
“Feel the power of the Sith!”: Command the Force like no other as you send dizzying bolts of lightning towards your enemies.
The best way to feel like Emperor Palpatine, is to emulate him, of course.
- Heavy burst damage coupled with a few useful AoE abilities make the Lightning Sorcerer a hard-hitter
- Amazing defensives, including Force Barrier and Static Barrier (as well as off-heals). Provides a raid buff for the group
- High mobility, doesn’t suffer from having to reposition
Imperial Agent - Medicine Operative / Smuggler - Sawbones Scoundrel (Healer, S Tier)
Kolto for your cuts: Protect your friends and yourself with the latest Imperial technology. Take a beating, and keep going.
No one can outcompete the Medicine Operative for AoE heals – and it’s not bad at single-target, either!
- Highest parsing healer currently, and has been for a long time (also the most difficult to learn for first-timers)
- Has the most powerful AoE heals in the game, as well as unique HoT abilities that stack up over time for huge healing numbers
- One of the most mobile healers in the game with high survivability. Can stealth out of a fight to “dirty rez” fallen team-mates
Sith Inquisitor - Darkness Assassin / Jedi Consular - Kinetics Shadow (Tank, S Tier)
“Cheese!”: You’ll be saying this a lot while playing the Darkness Assassin.
Though not equipped with heavy armor, the Darkness Assassin is typically the first pick for Master Mode content just because it’s such a versatile tank option.
- Can easily “cheese” raid mechanics with the use of Force Shroud, making it invaluable for some fights
- Extremely mobile for a tank, with excellent defensives and decent damage output
- Has stealth capabilities, which also allow for “dirty rezzes” and other fancy maneuvers
