This would be a valid argument if this weren't a loot based WoW-style PvP stat game. PvP in SWTOR is rewarding, getting rofl-stomped due to alterations to the PvP stat system made to separate PvP and PvE games is not. The whole "must have rewards for everything" is a remnant of WoW yes, but so is the "PvPing more gives you better PvP gear for easier facerolling" approach to design. Pre 1.2 I loved PvP, post 1.2 there is utterly 0 reason for me to attempt to participate without re-rolling a new character. Pre 1.2 SWTOR had some issues but overall its balance was ok (better than many/most games) post 1.2 is a hot mess. Also this... seriously.

Definitely true, but I'd rather have some more schematics added for DPS droids rather than custom sets similar to the other crafts. Orange gear (even critted) only needs to be purchased once, they essentially add very little to the value of an individual crafter. Droid parts are not visible so orange parts don't particularly make sense. I definitely agree though that it'd be great to get more diversity in droid parts.

I'm personally kind of glad these don't exist. As far as I'm aware the current top end Cybertech crafted droid gear is the best gear in the game for any droid. The lack of custom builts (aside from the greens that you can swap mods into and out of) would only make higher level stuff less attractive.

If I could +1 on these forums this post would get one. There's a learning curve in any MMO, PvP is not easy and can be somewhat intimidating to newcomers... but seriously look behind you.

I think this is a pretty solid idea, they could also be made to give daily comms as rewards (even though they can only be done once) overall it just seems like a potentially nice way to add more reason for people to explore some of the content. Bonus series definitely don't seem to contribute to leveling atm.

I have always felt for people who play stealth burst classes in games. I don't know why developers continue to design them. They almost always function about the same (pop out of stealth > do a ton of burst with CC > hope target is dead > ???) and this design basically drives people *******. The idea is in no way broken or really imbalanced, its just one that people don't like. So in every game the stealth burst class ends up getting hit early with a nerf and basically made useless in any sort of protracted combat yet people continue to complain about the burst intro they are designed around.

I appreciate the sentiments expressed by OP even if I disagreed with a few of the specifics. To be frank this is the most enjoyable MMO I've played in ages, after the first few months I was pretty convinced I'd be playing SWTOR for a significant amount of time (at least until Game of Thrones comes out assuming it isn't 100% trash). I actually loathe Star Wars as a setting but I find the changes BW has made to the MMO genre honestly brilliant, the game is seriously enjoyable and will keep me (admittedly a dirty casual) entertained for ages. Now... that being said, PvP is one of my favorite aspects of this game. I've always been a PvPer at heart (starting with MUDs and Shadowbane) and have really enjoyed the game despite it's WoW-like flavor where PvP is concerned. Shadowbane or AoC was probably conceptually the best PvP MMO I've played (both had MANY problems) while WAR was system-wise hands down above the curve (I appreciate slow and strategic PvP vs. faux twitch play). Unfortunately since 1.2 PvP is for me basically ruined. I don't plan to cry about it, I do plan to completely shelve my Commando and go with another class. SWTOR had many problems pre-1.2 but it was one of the more balanced MMOs I've played in ages (yes there were flaws but they paled in comparison to most games). In 1.2 it seriously seems as if the underlying concepts of SWTOR's PvP game changed, the game is now a fast-paced DPS-fest where strategy is in large part irrelevant in the murderball. I wholly intend to tough it out leveling up another PC (I'm looking at you Marauder or Tankasin) so no need for the L2P calls. I may not be a top player in an elite guild, but it doesn't require being in a top guild to recognize that healing in SWTOR 1.2 PvP is garbage and the game is now a DPSfest. It's not the end of the world, I'll learn and adapt with something new, but it would've been nice to get the memo while enjoying the previous versions that this was the goal in SWTOR PVP.

The game before 1.2 had its problems but those problems pale in comparison to the post 1.2 fiasco. Frankly PvP has always been my focal point in this game, I've limited time to play but if I was going to log on it was to PvP first and foremost. I do not see myself bothering returning to PvP in 1.2 until I level up one of the current FoTM classes. It's just flatly not enjoyable unless you're playing one of them atm. Pretty shocking to see SWTOR go from one of the overall best balanced games to easily one of the worst/standard ones in a single patch. Above all else I blame the need to "differentiate" between PvE and PvP gear, the current expertise rates are pretty obviously stupid yet I fear they'll be hesitant to adjust any of this before 1.3.

The low level best in slot issue is not unique to Artifice unfortunately, making low level crit crafted items definitely seems the way to go atm rather than wasting high level components to make an item that is no better.

Basically just a monkey-brained decision on how to juggle the Mercenary/Commando damage tree while kicking dirt on hybrids again. Unfortunately one still has to spam Grav Rounds (which was theoretically the point of the whole set of changes) in order to get that hefty damage output on demo round, like all other DPS builds it now has that hefty bit of "wtfburstpwn" dmg when needed if one doesn't interrupt/cc/murdalize or otherwise prevent their buildup first. Basically the above. Getting owned by a turret based slow casting damage class with no ability to interrupt other players should be embarrassing.

Well thought out OP and I think it probably addresses many of the problems people have been reporting since 1.2 went live. Champ/Centurion gear For the life of me I can't figure out why it was decided that BM gear people arleady had access to should get buffed but Centurion/Champion gear should essentially be made worthless by the new expertise system. Fortunatley it should only take a few weeks for people to have a healthy chunk of BM gear, but this is once again a puzzling move. Fast paced combat I could be biased, but this does seem to be the trend BW was aiming for with this update, and it's disappointing to say the least. We've seen plenty of "fast paced" FPS wanna be games come and go, SWTOR's combat may never have been as slow and strategic as WARs but it was definitely not "twitch" before, now it really seems that dealing a ton of damage ASAP is the path to victory. Commendations Sooo yeah color me lost on this one. The ability to vote-kick people in 1.2 should have been more than enough to address the issue with AFKers. I'm sure that this will cool off once all the Premades have their War Hero gear and quit again, but at the moment losing once again really stings. Just last patch they fixed this... now it once again makes sense to leave a warzone if your team is being destroyed The arrival of ranked warzones might have mitigated the issues with premades roflstomping the opposition, but for one reason or another they didn't make it in. To be clear overall I really enjoy patch 1.2, but specifically in the area of PvP I find myself once again wondering what on earth BW's goal is.

The instant heal is indeed an excellent panic button, but I don't believe that the panic button is worth 31 talent points. The extra heals, extra armor etc. that one can pick up throughout the tree have mostly been cut at least in half and though certainly they remain useful I don't feel that it is worthwhile buying them instead of buying more efficient talents from the other trees. On the point of ammo you are wholly right, but basically Commando heal/dps hybrids now function well enough to keep teammates up for a bit while DPSing enemies down for a short while. This is basically the opposite of before when they would stop healing long enough to DPS some, in a few weeks I might find that my opinion is changed but atm time seems better spent contributing to killing than contributing to keeping teammates up. I'm still working at finding out what the value of the new version of Super Charged Cell is, previously it was a building block of Commando/Mercenary heals. Now its function appears mostly to be trying to keep ammo afloat. As for Grav Round, yes it got a nerf but curtain of fire keeps full auto wholly functional functioning overall at about the same level of damage as before. The only thing you're missing is the expensive (high ammo) burst from Demolition. I suppose its a "your mileage may vary" issue but I currently think a hybrid Commando brings more to a team than one expecting only to heal. Even accounting for a dedicated tank and a competent team. TLDR: Healing works in 1.2 your time would just be better spent DPSing.

If this was the goal they did just as poor of a job of it as they did with rebalancing Grav round. The high level Commando healing talents just aren't worth it, abilities like Trauma Probe and Field Aid cost too much to bother with most of the time in a way making hybrid specs actually more desirable. On a certain level I have a hard time justifying buying much past Kolto Bomb (Tier 3) as a Commando atm, which was definitely not the case pre 1.2 basically it just means Commando hybrids should spec more into damage.

One thing I will note in defense of those saying that healing is fine. The gear difference re-introduced in 1.2 through the hamfisted change to expertise is going to make non-Battlemaster players in a bad spot for a bit. I plan to basically junk my Champion/Centurion gear today and pick up the recruit set, basically starting over until I get full BM. Pre 1.2 playing in Centurion or Champion gear you were utterly fine against BM players if you were capable. The changes to expertise makes these sets decidedly undesirable now. Champion weapon is fairly worth holding on to, other than that it all seems to be garbage. Fortunately it should only take a few weeks for gear to balance out again.

I decided not to respond to that guy's post due to a generally high level of "wtfareyoutalkingabout" I couldn't agree with you more. My Dark Elf Blade Dancer (I think that was the class name) was death on wheels, in that game I could wholly understand people complaining about a Blade Dancer or Warrior Priest paired with a Tank. The level of competence necessary to take apart a healer/tank combo in SWTOR pales in comparison. Any opinions of SWTOR aside dude must have been on mars if he thought healers in WAR were lightweights.

Been going on since WoW, same time as all of the "Pure DPS" complaining about queues and demands to do more damage than any "Hybrid Classes". Essentially the argument is that games should be fast paced and brutal, people should be dying quickly and that healers/tanks should have a purely support role. These support roles exist to work on a team while DPS specs are meant to be functional alone or in groups. Really how is the number of survivability tools available to DPS builds (compared with Tanks for example) justifiable atm in SWTOR? What role is supposed to be the theoretical rock to DPSers scissor and how is it that L2P or L2CC are valid arguments now when L2P/L2CC/L2Interrupt wasn't a valid argument a few days ago?

I'm definitely taking it pretty hard but I think lots of that is due to A) the expertise buff and B) the fact that my guildmates are no longer around. With a dedicated tank there is certainly added survivability, but this basically changes the gameplay of both tanks and healers to appease uncoordinated DPS players. Pre 1.2 a quality tank could shape a team by switching around his defenses to other players, now I definitely feel that healers need a measure of babysitting in order to keep the rest of the team alive. Patch night I expected to be pretty rough as all the pre-mades would be out wrecking shop for a while but the impact of a competent Juggernaut or Marauder post 1.2 on my Combat Medic was definitely noticable. Maybe I'm just a bad and need to L2P, either way I don't see any point in speccing heals rather than DPS or a heavy hybrid at the moment. It seems unlikely but I guess no one likes to think they suck, that being said the impact on all of my characters definitely does not seem the same and some of them I certainly don't seem to be a bad on so maybe my L2P issue is specific to healers? Can't say I'm super-pleased with the decided shift toward fast paced and more deadly combats in 1.2, its what most MMOs have aimed for lately rooted in some nonsensical belief that MMO "twitchplay" is a good thing. Fortunately my Guardian is loving 1.2 so I don't intend to go anywhere, just shelving my medic for a while.

Definitely appreciate the semi-positive feedback on your play experiences so far. While obviously my experiences were contrary it'd be pretty solid imo to hear from others about what abilities are worth speccing into at this point. Essentially with so many of our heal buffing talents dropped in efficiency I find it increasingly worthwhile to just not spec into them and pick up gunnery talents while playing medic (basically the playstyle still seems feasible the talents are just useless). One of the harder decisions for me yesterday after trying out a hybrid build for a few hours was figuring out what to do with my ammo type. It seems clear that in any situation ammo is going to be an issue in PvP as a heal-specced Commando, but that's something I'm willing to work around, Combat Support Cell still seems typically the way to go unless talented into one of the other ammo boosts. That said, I'm having a really hard time justifying activation of Supercharge Cells, basically I am not sure if it's helping or harming me to do so. 1 energy cell and +5% healing seems really really situational over just staying at a solid +3% from keeping Combat Support active. So far to me it seems that: MP & AMP are still our bread & butter. Kolto Bomb is still pretty useful when your group is getting creamed, something you toss out and hope the right people get healed. Currently quite uncertain about Supercharge for the damage shield. Trauma Probe I personally totally specced out of, but I'd love to hear others thoughts on it. Field Aid strikes me as distinctly meh given the cost contrasted with the ease of re-applying whatever debuff was removed. Overall my hybrid seems functional if less enjoyable than my Combat Medic was before. The only real noticeable issue I am having is that running into a Marauder is basically a death sentence at the moment, I think this is probably just an interaction of the changes to expertise and that class' re-balancing. It'll probably take me a while to figure out how to deal with them again.

A) I have level 50 characters B) Awarding the free month only to people with level 50s was an impressively crappy decision imo.

Doom and gloomy but there's something to be said for this at the moment. After just a few PvP matches I moved over to Gunnery, I can't see any purpose in speccing above Kolto Bomb at the moment and being a spot healer where necessary. As far as Gunnery, unsurprisingly turret play in PvP without any interrupts is as fun as I remembered at 50. The nerf/buff juggling of Grav Round and Demolition/Full Auto did 0 to make Gunnery more enjoyable, it is still totally immobile, vulnerable to interrupts and repetitive. I figure after things cool down for a few weeks I'll try again but for now I am rolling up a Marauder, it seems pretty clear that the PvP "design" atm is set up for quick kills which means relatively worthless healers and DPS as king.

It would be a nice simple solution, and definitely much better than the current WoW-style expertise system.

I don't have any intention of quitting at the moment but I'm definitely pretty disappointed. More likely than not I'll move my Commando over to Gunnery rather than Combat Medic, playing a PvP healer in MMOs is always an effort in frustration to a degree, particularly post WoW as games focus more on DPS being king. I appreciate that you highlighted BWs apparently new development strategy for PvP, it is meant to be fast paced and people are meant to die often. Healers don't fit into that strategy thus we get healer nerfs across the board. Overall I figure gunnery should be fine, it just would've been nice if we were given some alternatives, particularly for PvP. Assault has always been meh, Gunnery once people become competent is a nightmare (turret play with no interrupts is not my idea of fun vs. competent PvPers) and Combat Medic got not one real buff (Kolto Bomb up to 4 targets from three but still not smart targeting) and a sea of nerfs. Some of the best PvP combat I've seen to date in an MMO was in WAR (not saying the game was great, but the approach to PvP was solid imo) slow, strategic play vs. fast "twitch" play is the way to go for MMOs imo. Particularly if we're going to stay with the old target based approach to MMO PvP. If we're designing around twitch then developers should make action based (ie movement & aim focused) rather than target selection games. All the current builds lead to is a race to stack up the best equipment and find your "perfect rotation" to button mash people to death.

Gotcha, yeah I can agree with that one, but there is only so much accounting for player beliefs and behaviors. There will always be the "best" and "worst" classes, some folks will make them work, others will bar people from their group runs. So long as material is playable I think its a sliding scale of non-issue, what people enjoy varies.

A) I said PvP is not driving the game. IE developer decisions. The Medpack change is a perfect example. People raged out about it being a PvP nerf when it was clearly a change made to balance PvE end game instances. None of the changes made to classes should make any of the current PvE content in SWTOR anywhere approaching unplayable. People complained about everything being too easy before. B) I'm not healing anymore, I'm making a Marauder is a comment specifically relating to my role in PvP. There is no reason I wouldn't use my Commando to run my guild through PvE instances, but in PvP why bother post 1.2. Apologies if that was less than clear.

PvE is fine, I've never gotten why people flip out about changes to gameplay in PvE and immediately point to PvP regarding all class changes. Trust that you'll be fine in PvE encounters, this is what the developer team focuses on, anyone who thinks PvP drives SWTOR is kidding themselves. People are reporting no problem running endgame content with any of the healer classes on PTS from anything I've read so far. That being said, for PvP I'm definitely setting my Commando healer and Guardian tank aside and cooking up a Marauder. The current development direction for PvP definitely seems to be focusing on quick battles favoring DPS classes, the combination of survivability and damage output offered by one of the only classes not getting weakened is obviously the way to go. Hopefully the SW storyline is fun.