If you were blindsided by the Smuggler advanced class choice presented to you at level 10, you may have struggled to adjust to your new abilities and playstyle. Let's say you chose to be a Scoundrel, maybe to try healing at some point. You were running around Ord Mantell for 10 levels, dodging behind cover and flinging Sabotage Charges all over the place and now you have stealth, too. But you can't use stealth and cover at the same time. You'll never Back Blast from cover and you can't fire a Charged Shot from stealth. Bioware is tearing you in two!
While the end goal might be to heal as a Sawbones for endgame, who wants to level as a healer? I know I would rather endure the consequences of beating a wookiee at dejarik! (Yes, I'm trying to make this as nerdy as I possibly can.) You have two DPS skill trees to choose from: Scrapper and Dirty Fighting. While Dirty Fighting, with its bleed bolstering and energy regen, has a lot of appeal for the long boss fights of endgame pve, it can't compare to the pure awesomeness that is an ability named "Sucker Punch." More seriously, this early in the life of the game, the Scrapper skill tree seems to be one of the more developed, cohesive combat systems. The scrapper has incredible burst potential, a dash of survivability sprinkled throughout the tree, and a sort of cherry on top in the form of Flechette Round. Like a smuggler sundae.
So, if you've come this far and decided to be a Scrapper, you need to understand one thing: you are now a melee class. Say goodbye to little green kneeling men, say goodbye to Sabotage Charge, say goodbye to hiding behind things while Corso harpoon shots all of the wrong mobs. Your new job is to sneak up behind baddies while your companion distracts them, shoot them in the back, kick them in the spacejunk, and finish them off with a powerful right hook.
Let's take a look at the skill tree, filled with the points I recommend for a leveling/pvp build (since it's nice to take a break from missions with a game of Huttball). Follow along here.
Tier One:
Element of Surprise: Critting on your opener (Back Blast early, Shoot First when you get it) is a huge part of your burst ability. Hopefully you'll be getting off more than a few Back Blasts as well, considering your stuns/incapacitates in PvP or your companion tanking while leveling.
Browbeater: More burst post-opener via Flechette Round and a bit of a kick to Vital Shot if the fight drags out. Helps with Strong/Elite mobs and Flashpoint bosses while leveling.
