SWTOR Smuggler Guide – Class Overview

The SWTOR Smuggler is 1 of the 4 beginning classes Republic players can choose in Star Wars The Old Republic. It is the Republic’s version to the Imperial Agent, as both classes have pretty much the same abilities and advanced specializations you can choose later on.

The Smuggler’s main source of weaponry is using a blaster pistol (for typical ranged attacks) and a scattergun (for special attacks) and gets a good variety of abilities. To compare the Smuggler to other MMORPGs, the Smuggler is a Rogue/Thief type class, using tricks and taking advantage of cover to take its enemies by surprise.

It is not much of a tanking class and cannot handle much damage, but it is capable of high damage if left alone or if you get the jump on your opponent before they notice you are attacking.

The Smuggler gets two very different advanced specializations: the Gunslinger and the Scoundrel. Since your advanced class choices are permanent, you will want to read the next part of this SWTOR Smuggler guide carefully so you can pick the right advanced class.



Star Wars The Old Republic Smuggler Guide – Gunslinger

The Gunslinger is the Smuggler’s ranged specialization. IF you want to play a purely ranged DPS class, either in PvP or PvE, the Gunslinger is a great choice. This particular class dual-wields hand blasters and both talent trees it possesses emphasize long-ranged combat.

The first talent tree is the Saboteur talent tree, and features a greater emphasis on utility over damage. This talent tree features the use of explosives to deal damage and debuff enemies (such as applying stuns or other debilitating effects). While things may pan out differently in end-game, my experience is that at least early in the game this talent is built for playing a ranged class in PvP.

The second talent tree for the Gunslinger is the Sharpshooter talent tree, which allows the Smuggler to deal big damage from range. The downside is that you have to use Cover in order to make the most out of this classes abilities, which limits your mobility significantly. While the Smuggler can create its own cover, if you need cover to fire, it reduces your mobility in PvP. Defensively, firing from cover is fine, but it is hard to assault an enemy position if you need to fire from behind cover.



SWTOR Smuggler Guide – Scoundrel

Unlike the Gunslinger which focuses on ranged combat, the Scoundrel focuses on two completely different things – healing and stealth abilities.

The Scoundrel’s Sawbones talent tree allows the Smuggler to be a full-fledged healer. This class can heal dungeons and in PvP quite effectively (though you need to reach a high level before it becomes fully effective – but that could be said for all healers).

On the other hand, the Scrapper talent tree grants Stealth as well some melee and special abilities which gives the Smuggler a fighting chance in melee range. While I’m not so sure the Scrapper specialization will be a viable melee DPS class, it at least gives you stealth and a farming/off-spec if you picked the Smuggler for its healing and buffing abilities.



SWTOR Smuggler Guide – Pros and Cons

In the next part of this SWTOR Smuggler guide, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of both of its advanced specializations.

The Gunslinger class looks is a very good option for those that want to play an exclusively ranged class. The Sharpshooter tree is perfect for leveling up and DPS, while the Saboteur offers an interesting PvP spec for those who want access to a wide variety of abilities.

The two major downsides to Gunslinger are that it needs cover to operate effectively (at least to get a full range of its abilities). This reduces your mobility in PvP. However, it also has a few advantages, such as the fact that Jedi cannot Force Leap to you if you are standing behind cover. This allows you to shoot safely from platforms in Huttball and other Warzones, but it does make it harder to move out on offense as well.

The Scoundrel class is an odd one, and one I almost never see. The healing spec seems effective, but I find it extremely rare to run into someone who is actually using the Scoundrel advanced class. It is essentially a Rogue-like class with some ranged abilities but also melee abilities. It is hard to say how effective they are in PvP just because I almost never get to play against them.

I think the real reason you should choose the Scoundrel is for its off-spec. The Scoundrel is the only class which can play both a stealthing DPS class and a healer. The Sith Assassin has stealth, but its off-spec is a tank. It basically comes down to whether you want to have the ability to tank or heal in addition to having a PvP stealth class.