Do you think you have what it takes to be an Officer? Can you handle the responsibility of other people's lives? Are you calm in a crisis? Every army needs good leaders to organize the troops and help them perform at their peak! Whether Imperial or Alliance, if you want to be an officer, you will learn how to lead a squad and how to fight. You will keep your squad alive, no matter how hostile the terrain.

Skills:

Ranged Combat
Group Buffs
Sniper Techniques
Indirect Fire
Resupply

Officer Skill Path

Level	Skill
1	Sure Shot: A level 1 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
4	Called Shot: A level 4 command directing your group's fire at a single target, lowering the target's defenses.
7	Tactics: Level 7 decisive battlefield commands that provide your group with bonus defenses.
10	Take Aim: A level 10 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
14	Fix Target: A level 14 command directing your group's fire at a single target, lowering the target's defenses.
18	Supply Drop: Calls in a supply transport to drop off a crate of supplies.
18	Field Maneuvers: Level 18 decisive battlefield commands that provide your group bonus defenses.
22	Steady Fire: A level 22 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
26	Stratagem: Level 26 Decisive battlefield commands that provide your group with bonus defenses.
30	Paint Target: A level 30 command directing your group's fire at a single target, lowering the target's defenses.
34	Endurance Training: The officer draws on their combat training to heal some wounds for a level 34 heal.
38	Thermal Bomb: A level 38 high explosive charge that causes burning damage.
42	Direct Fire: A level 42 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
46	Artiliry Strike: You call in a level 46 attack from emplacement guns to a specified area.
50	White Phosphorous Grenade: The cloud emitted by a bursting WP grenade causes level 50 burning damage to all targets in the area as well as lingering health damage as the inhaled gas continues to damage the afflicted respatory system.
54	Concentrated Fire: A level 54 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
58	Blaze of Glory: The officer pushes themself above and beyond their physical limitations, curing some wounds for a level 58 heal.
62	Deuterium Bomb: A level 62 high explosive charge that causes burning damage.
66	Volley Fire: A level 66 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
70	Hailfire: You call in a level 70 attack from a multiple launch rocket emplacement to a specified area.
74	Core Bomb: A level 74 high explosive charge that causes burning damage.
78	Sniper Shot: A level 78 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.
82	Second Chance: The officer heals a significant ammount of health to return to the battle quickly with a level 82 heal.
86	Orbital Strike: You call in a level 86 attack from an orbiting ship to a specified area.
90	Deadeye Shot: A level 90 attack taken with heightened accuracy to increase damage.

Expanding the possibilities in Star Wars Galaxies to make your character special and unique is the profession Expertise System. In this week's comlink, Mark "SWG-Tunso" Halash introduces Officer Expertise!

For a basic guide on understanding how to use experience points, click here to read the guide, "Introduction to Profession Expertise"

At a glance:

What is the Expertise System?

Squad Command Expertise Charts

Squad Command Expertise ability descriptions

Officer Specialization Expertise Charts

Officer Specialization Expertise ability descriptions

Last chapter (Chapter 2) brought us Jedi and Bounty Hunter Expertise Trees, giving those classes the opportunity to enhance and differentiate themselves among one another. This chapter we continue in that same vein to bring you the Officer and Smuggler Expertise Trees.

In today's Com-link we're going to explore the Officer Expertise Trees that will be available next chapter. Much like the Jedi and Bounty Hunter trees, the expertise available to Officers will allow them new and exciting ways to enhance and set themselves apart from others. Improved group support ability, increased combat viability and better defensive options are a few high points of the upgrades coming your way!

Squad Command

Below is a first look at the "Squad Command" expertise tree. This tree allows the officer to choose a number of diverse areas of concentration.

These areas include Leadership, Deployment, Explosives and general combat. Leadership provides the Officer with powerful new group buffs and enhancements giving your party a significant edge. Deployment not only offers useful new types of supply drops to support your group and yourself it also includes the ability to call for reinforcement, summoning a soldier you can add to your group, command and control permanently (until they're killed in action).

Explosives allow the Officer to improve the destructive power of their Air Strike, Grenade and Bomb area effect abilities. Finally a number of upgrades and improvements to the Officer's existing damage special attacks are available. Detailed information on specific abilities within this tree can be viewed below.

Click image to enlarge

Detailed descriptions of the individual abilities and bonuses can be found below.

Leadership Expertise
Name	Tier	Cost	Type	Maximum Effect
Leadership	1	4	Modifier	+30 sec group buff durations
Initiative	2	3	Modifier	20% action cost reduction to group buffs.
Advanced Tactics	3	1	Ability	Extended Tactics line scaling to level 90.
Focus Fire	3	1	Ability	Offensive group buff scaling with level.
Inspiration	4	1	Ability	Restores some action to all group members. Reduces action cost for a short time.
Scatter!	4	1	Ability	Group buff increasing run speed, removing snare effects and increasing Glancing Blow chance.
Charge!	5	1	Ability	Group buff increasing run speed, removing snare effects, increasing damage and reducing action cost.
Last Words	5	1	Ability	On officer death all group members heal, have action restored, +10% damage/glancing blow buff.
Deployment Expertise
Rapid Deployment	1	4	Modifier	Reduce supply drop cooldown by 15 minutes.
Medical Resupply	3	1	Ability	Delivers 8 level appropriate healing stimpaks. These are temporary items that decay in 1 hour.
Tactical Resupply	4	1	Ability	Delivers 8 level appropriate offense buff items. These are temporary items that decay in 1 hour.
Reinforcements	5	1	Ability	Summon a level appropriate NPC soldier pet to serve under your command.
Explosives Expertise
Explosives Expert	1	4	Modifier	Reduce action cost of all grenades, air strikes etc. by 25%.
Surgical Demolition	2	3	Modifier	Grenades, air strikes, etc have a +50% chance to crit.
High Explosives	3	2	Modifier	Increase damage of AOE abilities by 25%.
Superior Firepower	4	1	Ability	Buff increases Air Strike/Grenade/Bomb special damage and critical chance dramatically.
Primacy	5	3	Modifier	Reduce cooldown of Superior Firepower to five minutes.
Officer Combat Expertise
Sure Shot Efficiency	1	4	Modifier	Reduce action cost of Sureshot by 25%
Lethal Aim	2	4	Modifier	Increase Sureshot damage by 10%
Target Selection	3	3	Modifier	Reduce action cost of Paint Target by 20%
Identify Weakness	4	2	Modifier	Increase Paint Target damage by 20%
Advanced Paint Target	5	1	Ability	Extended Paint target line scaling to level 90

Officer Specialization

Next, let's take a look at the Officer Specialization tree. This tree allows the Officer to specialize in and receive abilities useable only with 1-Handed melee weapons, Pistols and Battle armor. It also includes the opportunity to gain permanent bonuses to important skill statistic modifiers.

Specialization in Swordsmanship will make enemies think twice about getting too close to the Officer with punishing abilities like Decapitate and Crippling Vortex. For those who would rather maintain their distance specialization in Pistols is possible. You can not only improve your own personal performance with Pistols but also the performance of your entire group should you elect to purchase the Pistol Drillmaster ability.

A number of enhancements are available that give the officer increased personal defense while wearing a full suit of Battle Armor. Aside from bonuses to Energy and Kinetic protections, the Officer can gain improved healing and the ability to cure themselves of a number of harmful states and conditions.

Click image to enlarge

Detailed descriptions of the individual abilities and bonuses can be found below.

Expertise Stat Modifiers
Name	Tier	Cost	Type	Maximum Effect
Close Combat	1	4	Modifier	+50 STR
Toughness	1	4	Modifier	+50 CON
Marksmanship	1	4	Modifier	+50 PRE
Endurance	1	4	Modifier	+50 STA
Close Quarters Combat Expertise
Swordsmanship	2	4	Modifier	Increase damage with 1-H melee weapons by 25%
Grim Blows	3	4	Modifier	Increase 1-H melee crit chance by 10%
Decapitate	4	1	Ability	High damage 1-H melee special attack.
Crippling Vortex	5	1	Ability	1-H melee AOE crowd control. Short duration root effect followed by a snare.
Officer Side Arm Expertise
Side Arm Efficiency	2	4	Modifier	Reduce Pistol action cost by 15%
Side Arm Accuracy	3	4	Modifier	Increase Pistol damage by 5%
Dire Strikes	4	2	Modifier	+5% Pistol crit chance.
Pistol Drillmaster	5	1	Ability	Group Buff. Reduce pistol action cost and increase pistol damage.
Officer Defense Expertise
Energy Defense	2	2	Modifier	+1000 energy defense. Requires battle armor.
Synaptic Stimulator	4	1	Ability	Remove 2 debuffs. Requires battle armor.
Bacta Flush	5	2	Modifier	Increase healing effects by 15%. Requires battle armor.
Kinetic Defense	2	2	Modifier	+1000 kinetic defense. Requires battle armor.
Environmental Purge	4	1	Ability	Remove damage over time effect.
Automated Diagnosis	5	2	Modifier	Reduce heal cooldown by 3 seconds.

As you can see, Officers are receiving a wide range of new abilities to choose from that will improve their ability to support their groups, increase their combat viability and solidify their defense against their enemies. I hope you enjoyed this first look at the new Officer Expertise that are coming your way in the Chapter 3, "Smugglers and Scoundrels".

Updated 1/05/07

Skills:

Officer Skill Path

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