Greetings DocDAM, 1) You will still have access to the areas as you are preferred status. A true F2P (non-preferred) would not. 2) No 3) It is per character and not account wide. You can buy from either CM or GTN as they are the exact same unlock. 4) I would suggest transferring credits out to your other characters until you are as close to the cap of 350k on each as possible. It will save you in the long run as you won't have to spend CC to get the escrow transfers. You will just have to move it between characters. Anything above 350k (even from drops) will get moved into escrow. 5) Make sure to also buy an Event Item unlock as well. It will let you use items/gear you get from events like the Gree or Bounty Contracts. 6) Only what you think is worth it No problem. If you are not into GSF, PvP, or end-game ops/raids then preferred status is ideal for you. There are some drawbacks but with the right purchases/unlocks you can minimize them. I would also add that it is worth it to get the unify color unlock as well. Saves you the headache of having a nice set of gear that doesn't match. I.E. Brown chest piece, orange gloves, blue pants, and yellow boots. That would be a nightmare of epic proportions visually *shudder*. Best of luck to you!

Short answer: Yes Long answer: Yes but you have to find an appearance kiosk. These can be found on fleet (I don't remember exactly where) or on your faction's home planet. For Imperials, this is located in Kaas City. It is to the right as you enter the city. You go up the stairs by the legacy item/weapon vendors and you can't miss it. It's a big blue hologram floating above a machine. Pro-tip: You can preview any changes before making your final decision and it will list the price per item. I.E. species cost ___, body type cost ___, etc..., etc...

Well welcome back to the madness that is SWTOR. I'd like to think of myself as a veteran due to me playing since pre-release and have been a subscriber with the exception of 3 months. To answer your questions: 1. The subscription is definitely worth it in my opinion. It allows you the ability to do so much more than a free to play or preferred status player. As a bonus, if you have someone bring you in under their Refer-A-Friend, you get 7 days free of Subscriber status plus some decent rewards as well. The other person also gets rewards if you subscribe within 14 days. Everyone wins! Side note: due to some "shenanigans" with disguising links, it is now "illegal" to use a refer-a-friend link on the forums. They can still be sent in a private message though . 2. I personally like the Imperial Agent class. I am biased as it was my first toon, first 50/55, and still is my main. Truthfully the choice is all discretionary though. Pick the class that fits your playstyle ad go with it. Marauders put up some decent numbers on the DPS charts. They are also invaluable in raids/ops with their Bloodthirst ability. Though they are only as good as the people that play them. As are all other classes/specs really. 3. Yes and no. It really depends on your faction and server. Prime example: Jedi Covenant had at least 2 full instances on fleet this afternoon (1:30pm est) for the Empire and only 1 instance on the Republic side with 43 being the peak number I saw. Each server has their high times and low times with population. As for which server to choose... pick one and go with it. If it doesn't seem to be populated enough, transfer. Did I mention that with a refer-a-friend link you get 1 free character transfer? If you are unsure about subscribing, see if anyone will give you a RAF link to test out the difference. The main things that you will see in early parts of the game (sub 55) will be rest xp, color unification (makes all items match chestpiece colors), no credit cap, infinite warzones, infinite flashpoint loot rolls, the ability to wear purple grade items, and the ability to whisper other people. Hope this helps and wasn't too much info

Keep in mind also that each class has a unique storyline specific to that basic class. This means that even though the Smuggler is the mirror class of the Imperial Agent, they will have very different storylines to enjoy. As a general overlay (without any spoilers) the Empire classes tend to focus on power and deception with a few small exceptions. The Republic classes tend to focus on benevolence and generally doing the morally right thing. There are exceptions to these rules as you can play an Empire class and be friendly in most situations and also play a Republic class and be ruthless. If you are playing for story, keep in mind that the stories really don't start to have depth until later in chapter 1 and even into chapter 2. Just remember though; if you don't like how the class plays, you will have difficulty enjoying the story. As for your gear questions; You do not necessarily need PvP gear even if you are on a PvP server. In fact, while questing, expertise (a stat given by PvP gear) is actually useless. Its only use is against other players. This means that you will only gain anything by wearing it if you are attacked by (or attack) an enemy player. Expertise also often comes at the expense of another secondary stat. Personal note: I am a PvE person and have no love for PvP. Probably because I suck at it. Thus all of my comments on gear are slightly biased.

I am an old vet who purchased a CE back when it came out. To the best of my knowledge, the only way to acquire a legitimate (unopened/unused code) CE is to pay a scalper online. The DDE (Digital Deluxe Edition) is still available as an upgrade on the forums for a ridiculously low $4.99 (US Dollar). I think that this is the only way to get the upgrade though. You can follow the link I will post below (no funny business with the link) and purchase it there. It includes a Flare Gun, Training Droid (hovering type), Holo-Dancer, Holo-Cam (great for first person screenshots), and the STAP mount. The mouse droid was a CE exclusive. There is a similar one that can be gotten off of a drop in Karagga's Palace called the Thrall Droid. It looks nearly identical but has red eyes. Hopefully this helps. Cheers! Link to DDE upgrade page: http://www.swtor.com/buy

Been here since open beta, bought the CE, been a sub since day1, and also bought the new X-pac as soon as it was announced. I don't post very often as I mostly just enjoy reading the posts and the occasional bouts of hilarity from people like Sir Copperfield. Seriously though, that guy is hilarious . I've seen lots of things change over the course of the game. From launch where roughly 70% of people rolled on the Imperial side (and roughly 80% of those rolled Assassins... ugh) to now where the factions are fairly well balanced. I can't help but laugh though. With all of the FOTM madness that has happened I've stayed true to my sniper since day 1 and arguably have a claim to first 50 sniper on Jung Ma (debatable as game first but I make no claim there). Our class has seen very few changes, nerfs, buffs, or any kind of tampering since launch. Though with ROTHC I can tell that it will probably become a FOTM just because of features like "Roll to cover". Anywho, as for the game state: I think that EA/BioWare have made decent progress considering the deadlines that they have rushed to satisfy. Could they have done more sooner? Probably but at the same time, does anyone here remember the nasty bug at launch that was Taris (the one where you could not leave and had to put in a ticket just to do so)? That was nothing short of a rushed feature and I would hate to see it happen again. I can honestly say that I am pleased with the progress (albeit rather slow) that has been made and plan on sticking around for a while yet. P.S. In case anybody feels the need to flame me for loving up on the dev's; I am a SW fanboy, but not a drooling mindless one. I am also a '90's kid (lego jokes anyone?) and very vividly remember the disaster that Ep. 1 was. I also rarely stick around in a thread once I have posted, so don't expect me to "feed the trolls" as I rarely even notice them. May The Force Be With You

I thought that the answer to everything was a purple seven..... Shows what i know

Ok, I said I wasn't going to but oh well... *Jumps on the train - Choo-Choo* OP please go waste someone else's time in another game... Say maybe that "other game".... I've been around since launch and I can say that there are FAR more pressing issues they could be fixing. How long did it take for them to fic the companion lightsaber bug? That was around in Beta.... Just one more example of a player QQ'ing over people using something to their advantage....

As for hanging out on, Nar Shaddaa has some great RP in the cantina from both sides. In terms of exploring though, gotta say I love Belsavis. Lots of different zones to go through... Especially if you are a completionist and have to unlock all locations including enemy bases... Can get really hairy. I must add here a side note though: I actually enjoy Quesh for RP'ing as well. It's prety much useless in other terms but its toxic environment can add that extra oomph to any RP situation.

I personally love my MM sniper. I run with a "pure" MM spec 31/10/0 as it gives me the abilities i want/need from Engi and also gives me 90% of the stuff in MM. When it comes to PvE (my bread and butter if you will) MM is hard to beat. I can consistently do more dps than a full Engi specced sniper and a Lethality can't even come close. Ironically on my serer, Jung Ma, the most recent top dps was a MM specced sniper. As for PvP; I can't really say much. I don't generally PvP but the few times I have, I haven't had any real fun. MM tree has very little survivability rate outside of cover and it doesn't take long to have yourself targeted when you start critting for 4-7k. After that, be prepared to get targeted down and die quickly.

1) Yes and no. Some people mix/match certain gear sets to get more of a set bonus or because they like the stats better. 2) Yes and no here as well. You can swap mods/enhancements/armorings into any set that is moddable (purples/oranges) but in order for it to be "endgame" level it would require either having the endgame armor already or have a huge chunk of creds to gt the BiS 26/27 items. As for making it better; If you are able to fully use the 27's and fully augment with kits and items, then yes you will technically be better than top end gear. 3) Pretty much the same answer as #2. Just swap in the mods and presto, you now have gear that looks different than endgame gear but still has the same/better stats. 4) By crafters I am assuming you mean those that craft armor. Unfortunately, most of the armor that these crafters can make is useless at the top tiers. They can, however, make augments and some can also make augment kits. Not to mention that all of those pretty 26/27 things on the GTN are crafted. This list includes; relics, earpieces, implants, mods, enhancements, armorings (rare but out there), hilts, and barrels. Hopefully this answered your questions

There have been a few posts about credits not returning once people go back to sub status. Hopefully you do not find yourself in this situation. If you do, it is extremely useful to have a screenshot of your credit amount before you went to preferred status.

Wow... Literally just got done posting and BAM!! The launcher worked... *shrugs* I was about to throw it out the window and see if the fall/landing would "assist" with the problem

Same issue for me as well. IPCONFIG did not work. IP: Verizon Fios Using authenticator

Couldn't have said it better myself. I have a Sniper (and have also been beaten many a time by a Sniper when I was otherwise) and if left unchecked, they can be a force to be reckoned with... However their greatest strength is also their "Achilles Heel", if you will. Knock a Sniper out of cover and stun when cc breaker is on cd and watch him squirm as he can do nothing about it. Let him be and watch as you get hit for 5k+ consistently (my personal best was 7.8k way back in early 1.5). Tip though: don't rush a sniper blindly and with no assistance. They have 1 distance root (30m), 1 melee stun (4m), their knockback/stun (10m knockback to 15-25m if specced right), and possibly another knockback if they spec into the knockback for Ambush (15m knockback). If they know their rotation, you will be down below 40% before you can even land a single hit on them.