Star Wars: The Old Republic lets players choose from 8 classes and then choose from the two advanced classes in each class. If you pick Bounty Hunter as your class, your advanced class options are Mercenary or Powertech. Now, you must choose wisely because your decision is irreversible.
Powertech can deal damage and be a tank, while Mercenary can deal damage and be a healer. In the end, what's better depends on what kind of gamer you are.
If you like PvP, Powertech is arguably the better pick. It is tanky, so you would not die easily. Furthermore, it has other skills that are very handy in this type of content.
On the other hand, if you don't want the “in your face” type of gameplay, Mercenary should be your choice. It uses double blasters and missiles; thus, you can attack from a safe distance.
Which is better, Powertech or Mercenary SWTOR?
Powertech and Mercenary offer similar amounts of damage. But the general opinion is Powertech is better.
Sure, having a range advantage is nice. But if you are going to DPS with your Mercenary, it will most likely go the arsenal route. That means less mobility because you need to channel skills to attack.
So, a DPS Mercenary is essentially a turret. Unfortunately, they are not immune to interruption. Therefore, your abilities may get canceled, and so you need to start channeling again.
Powertech is considered better because they are more mobile. Moreover, while Mercenaries can nuke enemies, Powertech can accomplish the same amount of damage by hitting enemies multiple times since they have instant attacks. Taking the casting speed of Mercenaries into consideration, they do the same damage in the same time window.
How good is Powertech SWTOR?
Advanced Prototype Powertech is a useful class for any PvE content. It deals solid damage while also providing lots of utility for the team.
Pyrotech Powertech, on the other hand, is great in PvP. It gets an additional 60% armor penetration on railshot, and that resistance shred increases your damage. Aside from that, Pyrotech Powertech gets other talents that boost railshot damage.
Pyro Powertech also has a 100% chance to keep combustible gas up with Flameburst.
Powertech also has better survivability than Mercenaries because it has more mobility. Also, Powertech gets Grapple which lets you drag enemies – useful in huffball PvP. And a Powertech tank has a gap closer that lets you charge to your enemies using your jetpack.
Which is better for PvE, Powertech or Mercenary?
As stated above, an Advanced Prototype Powertech has abilities useful in PvE content.
Still, Mercenaries are better for PvE. Nothing's more fun than using dual blasters to destroy all enemies in your path. Since you can kill mobs before they can come near you, it leads to smoother gameplay.
Mercenaries also have healing capabilities – kind of surprising since their class name says they are supposed to be killers. Nevertheless, that capability is much-appreciated. It is useful in boss fights and helping others in flashpoints or PvP.
If my focus is on PvP, should I pick Powertech or Mercenary?
The only viable DPS Mercenary is the Arsenal. However, that will turn you into a turret since you need to channel abilities to do damage. If you can successfully pull that off, you will do lots of damage.
However, no good opponent will allow you to do that. And so, Powertech is generally the more preferred option. They have abilities that do not require charging. So you can deal damage instantly.
Furthermore, Powertechs have gap closers. That allows you to bring range units closer to you. And again, Powertech gets 60% armor penetration using railshot.
So, unless you need a healer in your team for 4v4, Powertech is the superior choice.
Is the Mandalorian Powertech or Mercenary?
Many players picked Star Wars: The Old Republic to play as their favorite Star Wars characters. One of the most popular shows from this franchise is The Mandalorian.
So, many players want to play like Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian. The movie and shows’ universe don't collide with the game universe, though. So there is no definitive answer to what class Pedro Pascal's character is.
Both Powertech and Mercenary fit the character at some points but do not at others.
For instance, Powertech uses flamethrowers, but it is a melee class. Pedro Pascal's character always used blasters. So, it seems like Mercenary is the better fit.
The Advanced Prototype Powertech uses lots of gadgets. And Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian gets more and more of those tools as the show progresses. Thus, it seems reasonable.
The said Mandalorian protects baby Yoda. So, you can also argue that he is a Bodyguard Mercenary.
In the end, it depends on which class you want to play more since both are reasonable answers.
Can I switch from Powertech to Mercenary?
No. As with most MMORPGs, once you have picked a class, that would be locked forever.