Very true, but it only takes a few sessions of warzones. I don't get much time at all to play, so it took me about 2 weeks to get full Centurion, that being said when you play that little you understand that your pace will be slower than others. The problem people have at 50 at the moment is that the game does a /terrible/ job of preparing players with information for the transition. I was fine due to getting my 1000/1000 comms + 1 champ bag + 150Expertise, but I only knew to do that because I paid attention and talked to friends. Agreed, but there will always be progression. Imo any gear differences in PvP should only be like the Champion-Battlemaster difference. A competent player definitely can best someone in better gear so long as the advantage isn't overwhelming. Someone coming into their first warzone at 50 with 0 expertise and blue/green gear is going to get murdalized. Quite true.

1.2 will fix your varied woes. That being said the transition to 50 is already seriously no big deal if you prepare for it. My Commando has 500 expertise now and only one piece of Champion gear, all of the rest is still Centurion. 1000 Warzone/Mercenary +1 Bag + 25Expertise mods(x6)=150 Expertise + anything that comes from your initial 6 Champion bags (the 150 expertise stacks with everything you earn on Centurion/Champion gear). Anyway in the future this will be a non-issue

Ok so I understand that ultimately this is just another troll "SWTOR is failing" type of thread, but the core of the argument seems more than a bit flawed. One of the things that I figure will keep SWTOR afloat for a substantial period (even if it doesn't get any better, ie if we got no new content) is that the competition on the immediate horizon is somewhat lacking. SWTOR is the last really big IP game out there at the moment, games like Tera and GW2 will no doubt be neat, and fun etc. but however one may feel about the game itself some people are playing SWTOR because it is first and foremost an exciting Star Wars game. There was a time not long ago when the MMO market was seriously overwhelmed with one huge IP game after another. Honestly if games like AoC and WAR came out at a different time they might have done much better than they did. The only thing I really see SWTOR having to look out for is.... pandas. Note: I'll probably check out GW2, and will definitely grab the Game of Thrones game when it comes out. I am not saying future games will suck etc, just that I don't see any "blow this game out of the water" competition in the near future.

This is a good point, lots of the changes people are getting their panties in a knot over are things that should have been this way since the game went live.

I appreciate the above. I haven't enjoyed an RPG for the "RP" aspect since back when I first started playing MMOs. Way back then I concluded that the video game format just wasn't conducive to RPing (I played pen and paper games for years) the story in SWTOR blows any game I've played to date out of the water (I don't bother with single player games these days). Ultimately though its a matter of opinion and preference. No MMO has ever been perfect for everyone, yet that is just what is expected these days in a game. I hope that BW continues with their current course rather than making this into just another gear grinding mindless raiding MMO like just about everything since WoW.

... the fact that your class has options clearly has no impact. Just consider that not everyone who rolled a BH or Inquisitor did so when those classes were flavor of the month. Complexity isn't an excuse for some classes to just be better than others, sorry. Got a marauder, got a guardian, got a commando. I don't think that my ability to "play my class" varies dramatically between the three characters, some of them just have more depth and are /better/ than the others.

.... seriously this is about a bagillion times more interesting than GW2 to me, how have I never heard of this?!

In well done PvP games (by my definition) any gear that's necessary is part of the player economy. In a mainstream modern MMO (ie loot grind) this isn't really feasible as people need to have their carrots to chase so this is the hybrid. Personally I think its a great way to support player interaction, crafting and economy while requiring players to participate in end game PvE or PvP to get the best gear. A+ on this one imo Bioware.

Hmm this is news to me, definitely good to know, thanks.

It is pretty typical for the next set of gear in any MMO of this style (ie loot grind games) to invalidate previous sets. I for one am very glad for the shift toward a player fueled economy rather than raid/pvp grinding alone. The mods for T2 only come out of end game stuff, and if you want the new skins with augments you can get that from crafters as well. I see no problem with this, better than end game gear comes from a combination of crafting and raiding/pvp than through either alone.

This is exactly the purpose of high valor in 1.2. Different skins for gear (same stats), vehicles and other similar goodies.

Seriously agreed.

I definitely agree with the sentiment here. Perhaps a good solution would be to lower the cost of mod removal outside the "end game" range. I have 0 problem with it being expensive to make your suit of best in slot gear (which is only doable via mod swapping in 1.2) but part of the main use of the mod system is so that people can keep armor they like throughout their career. In the process of progressing through levels and tiers, this can definitely add up.

I just want to note that this is not the only issue actually. The removal of mods from gear in 1.2 will also be the only way to have best in slot gear, thus I do think that some money sink is reasonable. 750k might be a bit high but it definitely shouldn't be too low imo. As for the 6mil credits comment, while yes it is easy to get credits in SWTOR the most recent data from BW highlighted that your 6mil is well outside of the average for level 50 players. Pat yourself on the back I guess, but you are not a reasonable benchmark atm.

On one hand prices do seem steep, on the other hand money sinks are a good thing at end game.

Seriously, this.

Even if I don't particularly care for this flavor of content, nice write up OP, its always good to read constructive material.

It always surprises me to cross Shadowbane players who never tried Darkfall or Mortal Online. And yeah I definitely agree regarding mainstream MMOs, basically they just get more and more vanilla in an attempt to appeal to the broadest crowd.

In answer to your question, yes this is what people want. As in the crazed cries of unfair DPS queue times in WoW there's some strange expectation people have for the game to be made fun only for them. Maybe just maybe people should group with friends and/or figure out what they're doing rather than constantly crying for nerfs. Would anyone play a healer if every class in the game wtfpwns them? Should some characters seriously be worthless without a team? Board Warrior 1: Healing sucks, get rid of -30% debuff Board Warrior 2: Healing is totally OP give a bigger penalty Board Warrior 3: Tanks are useless, please give more HP Board Warrior 4: Guard and Taunt are totally BS please get rid of tanks Should we all just be playing Marauder/Sentinel?

Of all the many features people complain about, I am somewhat surprised that in game voice chat wasn't offered. It'd make PUGs much more functional in PvP... then again I'm not sure I'd want to listen to most PvPer's mouthbreathing cries of rage whenever they get killed.

In 50 PvP basically don't play grav round spec, it is trash. Just go heals until that build gets nerfed in the next tide of forum whines.

Clearly we should all just play DPS builds and all warzones should be 1v1 deathmatches. I would without a doubt give up heavy armor on any of my characters for a damage shield.

Shadowbane > L2 > FFXI > AC2 > EQ2 > SWG > (WoW) > WAR > LotRO (still play) > DDO > AoC > Champions > Darkfall WoW was basically a speed bump for me though notably MMO gaming definitely has not been the same since.

I understand you are proud of your BM rating, or maybe even War Hero, but no, there should be no valor prereq to enter rated warzones. It has been stated clearly that Valor rank is currently intended to be more of a vanity/reputation thing rather than a pathing system to the best PvP loot in the game. You may disagree with this, but it is clearly the current plan that people should be able to get on relatively even footing in PvP without grinding their PvP levels.

The state of tanking in PvP is quite solid, your role in PvP is not to draw aggro and fight all people at the same time while keeping you from harm... that is your PvE role. In PvP you have unique tools to keep your team alive, Guard & Taunt = pure win.