So sad... where did this game go wrong? When you really sit back and think about it, it had it all. Star Wars story for leveling (best leveling experience in any mmo). Daily quests, difficult 4 man content, and challenging 8/16 man content. I don't understand how it couldn't succeed with that model. I mean they didn't pick the best engine, but that shouldn't have destroyed the game. Now it's just a freemium model with no end game and a new system that is basically a time trade for a slot machine pull... So sad... I guess my dream for a great SW MMO will remain just that.

Why would they do that? They are leaving so much money on the table from the community of people who enjoy raid level challenges and rewards.

So maybe Eric can chime in and give us some clarity on this issue, but what is the future progression plan for SWTOR. Is progression officially dead in SWTOR? With the system of gearing coming down to points and "packs" and not clearing individual bosses what is the incentive to do the harder content? No one is going to attempt hard bosses over and over each night and walk away with no points when you can do the stuff you have on farm and get the same gear/points you would get by clearing the hard bosses? What does the dev team have in store for people who want a challenge in operations going forward? Is challenge just going to be for kicks with no real gear reward at the end of it? Is there no future for progression raiding in SWTOR?

Agreed. You wouldn't say that someone who plays the same songs on guitar over and over again in hopes of getting good enough to play harder songs as someone who has a problem. You wouldn't tell someone who practices their golf game on the same course over and over in hopes of becoming good enough to buy new equipment and try a more difficult course as an addict who needs a lecture. SWTOR, like any other hobby, has a component where the more time you spend, the better (hopefully) you get. In SWTOR that improvement comes in the form of gear and skill. It is obvious that not everyone has the time to grind the best gear or become the most skilled raider, just as not everyone has the time to become good enough to get invited to play Augusta National or play a sold out show at Madison. That doesn't mean that the time spent attempting to get to that point is useless. Obviously if someone is playing SWTOR so much that it affects their relationships and has a negative impact on their life, then something needs to be said/done for that individual person. However, people who like gear grinds because it gives them a sense of accomplishment in their hobby are not crazy. They like to play the game a certain way and Bioware recognizes that and puts that content into their game for those people. Now obviously this game isn't the greatest when it comes to gear grinding and a lot of people feel as if Bioware is taking that part (their favorite part) out of this next expansion. Those people do have reason to voice their concern. It's as much their game as it is the people who only play for the story. They have the right to voice their concern and let Bioware address it without getting ranted at by someone who doesn't approve of the gear grind in a video game.

..... sigh... I honestly feel like this is a slap in the face. I'm sure I'll get flamed, but let me share my take anyway. I pre-ordered this game day 1. Been a subscriber since launch. Stood by this game at it's lowest point, when we literally had NOTHING to do but hard mode E.C. and the same 4 warzones for 6 months straight. I defended this game to everyone who was thinking about quitting. I told people that it would get better....growing pains..... stick with it.... Yet every time Bioware opens their mouth... I get proved more and more wrong. Now, this.... telling me that my entire guild paid $10 dollars (netting them around $500 in income) and what do we get for it? A title... while the people who quit and come back... get it for free..... and everyone who recently bought gets coins. So everyone gets something worth value... except us loyal subscribers from day 1. Screw us right? We're Bioware/SWTOR fanboys/girls. We'll spend our money on anything piece of crap they put on a plate in front of us... they don't need to take care of us. I've withstood a lot of crap with this game because I love Star Wars and Bioware. I played an inferior MMO as far as quality of life features ( can they seriously fix the GCD skips in raids already) because I so wanted this game to succeed. In the grand scope of things.. this in a vacuum is not that big a deal. But to me, I think it's the straw that breaks the camels back... I

Hello Jedi Covenant: A Jill Sandwich is recruiting for our Nightmare 8 and 16 man operations. We currently have all Hard Modes on farm, and our working our way through Nightmare content. We specifically need Commandos, Gunslingers, and an off tank. However we will take applications from all competent players. We raid 3 nights a week Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 8pm - 11pm Eastern. (Sometimes we'll do alt runs on off nights). We also try our best to accommodate everyone's schedule. If you're interested in raiding nightmare modes, but don't have the time to raid 15 hours a week, A Jill Sandwich is a good place for you. If you need any more information or want to drop an application visit http://www.ajillsandwich.guildlaunch.com or send Snakebelow a tell in game.

Not sure if I made this clear, but we are a Republic Guild. Thanks all!

Good Day All. A Jill Sandwich is opening recruiting for DPS. We are a mix between a casual and hardcore guild. We raid two nights a week, Sunday and Tuesday 8-11 pm Eastern. We may add a third day if we get enough people to get us back into 16 mans. We have Hard Mode Terror From Beyond on farm status, and our working our way through Nightmare E.C. We are 1/4 in Nightmare E.C. Although we have a casual schedule, we take our raids seriously. When we sit down to raid we focus on clearing content while also having a good time. Many of us are friends in real life, and we encourage a friendly atmosphere so long as it is not detracting from the task at hand. We lost a few guildies due to personal issues and are sitting right now at about 12 serious raiders. We need about 4 DPS to fill out those ranks. We will also take a healer, but we are full on Tanks atm. We can help you gear up if you are a freash 50, so long as you have the willingness to learn, and the comitment to show up when you say you will. We have a full website with forums and we have a vent. You can visit us at http://www.ajillsandwich.guildlaunch.com and drop an application. Feel free to also email me with any questions at Christian.r.bonet@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon. For the Republic!

Yeah I hear you guys. My only thinking is this. I just like that epic feeling of it taking the week to clear the Operation. Maybe 2 nights. Otherwise my guild goes in, clears it on Tuesday, then see ya later, catch you guys next Tuesday, and the guild is a ghost town unless we plan some special event. I would rather have a tier of raiding with more bosses, so that I can play with my guildies more than 1 night a week, and also I would like the one giant operation because it makes me feel like I've accomplished something special when I clear it. Just my two cents though.

Fair enough. Yeah I didn't really mind the Rakata tier that much because there were 10 bosses, and it was the first content ever released by Bioware in the end game mmo environment. I was just very let down by Tier 2 raiding. 1 4 boss instance, and 1 world boss..... really? I guess I just expected so much more when I heard "EXPLOSIVE CONFLICT"

Is it just me or is anyone else disapointed by the raids in this game. Just cleared hard Mode Denova this past week, and I have to say.... 4 bosses... really??? What is bioware thinking? Where is the epic 10 boss raid that really makes you feel like you have achieved an accomplishment. E.V.m K.P, and E.C., don't feel like real raids to me, they feel like flashpoints for larger groups. I want an awesome raid where maybe you start on a planet, fight a few bosses there, then get ported up to a space station, fight a few bosses there (maybe choose the order of bosses you want to encounter), then have a final few fights on like a start destroyer or something like that. So when you look back after downing the last boss, you feel like "damn we came a LONG way" Bioware's current operations are pathetic. I really expected more. What do you guys think? Are they everything you hoped they would be? Or did BW completely miss the mark.

I would also like to metion that my machine meets all minimum specs for the game, and my graphic settings we're at the lowest.

Hi everyone. I was doing the new operation last night on 16 man and we got to the second boss encounter. (The two tanks). We could not complete the fight because for many members of the raid, it took a long time for the graphic of the lightning spires to appear on the monitor. Their effect was present and people ended up dying to lightning that they could not see. It was so bad for me that I could not even see the bubbles that spawn when the adds spawn. Is this a common game problem, or is this problem with my machine? If so are there any tips to fixing this problem. If it helps I have also noticed some issues similar to this while fighting karraga where his fire aoe would not show up on my screen even though it was present on the ground. Thank you for any tips or suggestions. A response from Bioware confirming or denying this issue would also be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Snakebelow of <A Jill Sandwich> on the Republic side of the PvE Server "Kaas City" here. I will be in attendance. Thank you for hosting this and I'm looking forward to January 29.