I am also having problems like this.

Feel free to supply suggestions...

Communication requires open lanes both ways. If you've been unable to understand previous attempts to clarify, you can't just shut off your end and expect things to magically resolve. You have to keep trying.

Agreed on the first point, not on the rest...there are already enough loading screens and setbacks in the process of going through the orbital station.

[sARCASM] At last, a champion for all of us, and we didn't even have to ask him to speak on our behalf! How generous and thoughtful! Who'd have guessed that we've all had this exact experience and that he'd intuitively know our every concern? [/sARCASM] You do realize that if established troubleshooting protocols can't be met, that going outside of procedure is inefficient, right? And that they have entirely too many issues to resolve to chase down every single ticket that doesn't include enough of the right info? It's not a lack of caring, it's a matter of manpower and practicality. This. I'm sure your experience has introduced you to the idea of over-saturation.

This. All of this. Also, this.

1.) Yes, agreed...as long as you take into account that some people like to troll the group finder tools by queuing up at the end of the run in that other game, wasting everybody's time. 2.) No. . I don't miss that aspect of the other game in the slightest. I get that sometimes queue times are a bit lengthy, but so are traffic lights. 3.) Disagree, respectfully. Communication with your group helps clear up a lot of the issues you're probably experiencing. 4.) Yes.

Check your chat tab settings and make sure the system messages box is checked on.

I actually find my heavy armor characters to be just fine on the survival aspect of things. They feel tougher. This is a forum...trying to silence other players' input is kind of counterproductive.

Actual-lol. Yeah, some less extreme options would be nice. Even Jedi could use some love on this, occasionally...it's not always "A Jedi's duty is to serve," sometimes it could be "Sure, I'd be glad to help."

This is a story-driven MMO...

External Perception: I stopped PvP-ing on my Sentinel a while back, but fighting them on my alts of other classes has given me this perception: knowledge absolutely is power, because the drawbacks of the class are apparent when you're on the other side of the blade. So, I think we're perceived as being Achilles, if the other guys don't know about the heel. In PvE, however, our guild loves Sentinel players that know what's up...the fact that one of ours runs Watchman and ends up doing roughly 15% of the overall healing is a nice perk, plus the great utility. Stacking that player with one that runs Combat is wonderful, and the AC is generally held in high esteem...not revered, but well-liked. Personal Perception: admittedly, I have zero experience with Focus, but I leveled with Watchman and did endgame with it and Combat...and it's all fun. Numbers aside, the pacing and mechanics make for a really enjoyable class. I'm never not having a good time on my Sentinel, even on encounters that are especially brutal for melee. As far as output goes, my guild is satisfied with Combat (I lag behind the Watchman Sentinel by a bit, but not too much) and I have a blast doing it all. The separate playstyles between specs is great, and I like the variety a lot. The way Watchman opens up so many doors and gives the player a lot of flexibility is beautiful, and Combat's method of invest/reward is awesome. I do wish there were more uses for Centering, for Combat. I feel like having cheaper and faster Blade Rushes is great for the bursty feel, but I don't get the feeling that my Sentinel is helping the group as a whole as much as I did in Watchman spec. But, if the idea is to make Combat feel like that Jedi that spends SO much time working on this lightsaber techniques that he/she is unbelievably good with them, then I guess you nailed it. Also, the animations are fantastic. Thank you for that consideration.

I'd like to see some shorter mission chains or mini-quests centered around AC-specific themes. It'd be resource-heavy to develop, for sure, but I feel like there's potential to reuse things from the existing leveling content smoothly. I'll toss out some examples of what I'm thinking about. Vanguard Planet: Balmorra Theme: Holding the line Objective: Successfully repel __ waves of enemies while keeping [NPC]s alive. Neat bit: Hits both the dps and tanking ends, especially if you make it so that the [NPC]s can be guarded, etc. and the waves are set up similarly to some of the encounters from class-specific content. Commando Planet: Alderaan Theme: Domination Objective: Rescue and lead [NPC]s in fighting off occupying enemy force. Neat bit: Lets player blow stuff up, give the option of healing [NPC]s to a point where they follow along and help. Leading could absolutely be secondary for those that'd rather DPS the content down themselves, but if you're a healer player, it would be nice to have the option. Guardian Planet: Tython Theme: Protection Objective: Repel Flesh Raider attack on Padawan training area. Neat bit: Use Guardian abilities to keep the baddies from endangering younglings and such similar to Vanguard suggestion, but designed to highlight the Guardian tank's strengths. Sentinel Planet: Hoth Theme: Honorable Duel Objective: Challenge and defeat [NPC] to ensure he/she/it doesn't harm locals. Neat bit: Plays to the "go in and smash stuff" motif, while still allowing for the player to feel like a Jedi. Dpsing and using survival cooldowns intelligently, they get a bit of solo practice being a smart dpser. Scoundrel Planet: Nar Shadaa Theme: Expeditious Retrieval Objective: Steal and smuggle [medical item] from ____ the Hutt's stash and take/sell it to refugees. Neat bit: Smugglers gonna smuggle. Hits up both the stealth feel and allows for limited use of medic side of the AC...though, I admit, this one could use some more loving on the concept. The two roles make for some very interesting possibilities here, but I haven't finished the Smuggler content to know what else y'all go through yet. Gunslinger Planet: Tatooine Theme: Tactical Defense Objective: Retrieve and defend shipment of [valuable cargo] from Gamorrean raiders. Neat bit: Crates, crates everywhere. Highly positional content, lets the player really burn 'em down strategically. Sage Planet: Corellia Theme: Wise Leader Objective: Support squad installing defense system. Neat bit: Could go with similar basic setup as commando suggestion. Objective allows for dpser to just go nuts and smash everything, or heal up [NPC]s and yolk their strength. Also, could allow for some very powerful-feeling moments. Shadow Planet: Coruscant Theme: Taking out the trash Objective: Neutralize new gang leader threat Neat bit: Could make for some interesting choices, as you could design this to play to either the tank's strengths in withstanding a lot of punishment, or the dpser's ability to avoid it when possible and absolutely control the situation when in combat. Plus, this way you could actually hit the darker shades of the Shadow that used to be associated with the AC. These could be done as dailies that change out (a rotation of 3 or so each) or even just some one-offs. Reusing assets could probably cut down on development time and implementation, even if it does feel kind of like recycling. Just thought I'd toss my two cents out there. Edit: I'm aware that my suggestions are strictly Republic-oriented, sorry about that. I've yet to experience enough of the other side to give many examples, though, so I stuck with familiar territory.

Resurrecting for truth.

Could we have an option that allows us to include nameplates/marks when toggling off our interfaces?

I learned the game as a Shadow, and I do Ops as a Sentinel...they're pretty different. The Sentinel has a more rewarding learning curve, in my opinion. Once you figure out what's going on in each tree, you're able to do some really cool stuff. Shadow has more rewards for controlling a situation, and that doesn't usually show up in the numbers. In the end, it's a matter of which is more enjoyable for you. I'd say that Sentinel does have a steeper learning curve, but is a blast to play. Also, the class story is pretty fun. If you're having trouble with Shadow for some reason, check out the stickied guides in the Shadow forums. I read up on those and actually switched my Shadow over to a PvP tank and found that REALLY enjoyable. Don't know if that cleared things up or made the issue foggier, but there ya go.

Also, there are a lot of custom-quality oranges at lower levels (heroic missions, flashpionts, etc) that you could probably knock out solo. Esseles and Coruscant especially have some great hooded traditional-looking robes.

I started and completed Shadow at launch, then went to Sentinel. I will say that you definitely feel like you're doing more damage as a pure-dps AC, but Shadow in PvE has a wonderful thing going for it...survivability. As a shadow, you have several interrupt/cc options available. These cannot be overlooked. Your dps will be fine, but don't expect the usual stealth class burst from other games. My time in PvE as a shadow has been rewarding in group situations because of how little I feel like the rest of the group has to worry about me. That could be a personal taste, though. Being able to zip all around the encounters, absolutely control the situation, and make use of tanking cooldowns is nice. Pure-dps ACs are going to feel like they hit harder, and may do better burst; but in the end, the numbers will probably be about the same. Find what feels right for you, and good luck.

This, definitely. If you're hurting for a healer earlier than Nar Shadaa, gear up C2 by making friends with a Cybertech or the GTN. Theran pairs really well with Infiltration, especially once his CCs come into play. It actually trivialized a few encounters along the way, because of how I was able to spread the control abilities around. Some of these other posts have encouraged you to try the other trees, and I'd say that it's sound advice. Having a good feel for each tree's pacing and feel is a good thing, and there's some good variety in Shadow.

Welcome to tor! Glad you're giving it a try. My first 50 was a shadow, and here's my two cents...stealth isn't a big deal in this game as, say, in certain other MMOs. A lot of bosses actually have a sizable aggro range for stealthed players (ask around about the stealth bug at launch, it was hilarious), so the emphasis for it is ease of questing through your leveling experience and getting in position for CC in flashpoints/pvp, etc. Infiltration's stealth perks basically center around giving you extra force regen for burst damage. With the right skill points allocated, it pretty much just turns your stealth-oriented abilities into "go time" buttons. The tree isn't absolutely centered on stealth. The cool thing about Infiltration is that it builds on itself and the use of Shadow Technique. This tree is great for people that like to have direct control over their buffs and chaining together abilities for maximum effect. Also, GREAT control in PvE situations. Lots of interrupts. As for the crystals question, your companions are bringing back the materials to be used by the Artifice profession to make color crystals for you to slot. If you need to upgrade that particular item, but aren't an artificer, check the GTN, under Item Modification>Color Crystal. The availability of items will depend directly on the crafters' whims, so good luck. Thanks for giving the game a try, and I hope you get settled in nice and smoothly!

Once I tried something other than Consular, I realized just how big the difference is. I hope you've since seen the other class stories.

Unfortunately, there are few times in-game that you get to experience this, as far as the class story goes.

Fun to play? Absolutely! The mechanics of each tree in the spec build on themselves beautifully, and the pacing is very engaging. You'll be a lot more on your toes as far as staying alive, but the experience will be healthy for you. Advantages? Depends on what you want...I enjoy the greater mobility, the utility options that come from the Centering spenders (Zen is especially neat), the flexibility on how you get to do your dps, and the animations are really enjoyable.

My first JK was a Sentinel - Watchman. It's not terribly squishy, since you start getting your health returns from burns about the same time that stuff starts hitting you noticeably harder. I was even able to run with Kira (dps companion) most of the way, only switching out for Doc (healer companion) whenever I failed a boss fight the first time or the rare occasions I respecced to Combat for kicks. Sentinel is fun and mentally engaging...plus, you technically have a free healing companion fairly early on: So it's totally doable. Guardian is a different creature, but the option to go into the tanking tree is nice, once in a while. I'd recommend it if you're new to the game. Welcome to SWTOR, we're glad to have you!

Are you counting NPC species in with this? They have animations and models, with variation, and are probably within the realm of reason to share with players (after some work). Selkath, Cathar, Nautolan, Mon Calamari, etc...mostly I want a Cathar JK Guardian, not gonna lie.