Thanks! This is exactly my point. People are confusing a faction problem with a population problem.

No, but they DID add it for the same reason that BioWare did - it is the best thing for the subscription based MMO business model. Now players have to engage in TWO separate gear grinds to participate in two distinct areas of gameplay. These grinds mean time, time means active subscriptions, and that means money. BioWare could make all the gear equal between PvE and PvP and just make it so people could get gear by playing the game however they choose. ArenaNet is taking this approach with Guild Wars 2, but then again, they have no subscription quota to feed. It's the same reason that everyone in a GW2 dungeon group receives loot they can use from their bosses. They don't need slot machine RNG to force you to come back week after week. I'm enjoying SW:TOR, don't get me wrong. But at the end of the day, it is a business, and subscription based MMOs absolutely feature mechanics that are only in place to keep that subscription money flowing in. Specialized gear is one of those mechanics. Here is a full article on the subject. PvP stats are a business decision, not a player experience decision.

Here is an article which provides reasons why Faction Imbalance is a non-issue. One less thing for people to cry over.

Awe, Ava! Why would you do this to me? Here this whole time I thought you were the whore with a heart of gold! Instead you're a whore with a regular whore's heart!

I've noticed a difference between Elara's effectiveness at healing and Makos. I certainly die to packs that seem perfectly reasonable given my PT leveling experience. Then again, I leveled my Powertech as a Shield Tech while my Vanguard is Assault Spec, so maybe the healing is the same but my ability to take damage is greatly reduced. That seems logical to me. What I've started doing on mixed elite/champion/normal mobs is keeping a shield generator handy and popping Ion Cell until I clear the pack of normal mobs and at least get the numbers in my favor. I don't gain the full benefits of my DPS spec, but I'm not as much of a glass cannon either.

Actually it is a 1.5 second cast that requires you to stand still. And to the OP... the hybrid build is far from being "trash". It may not be the spec doing the most damage, but it is absolutely the one racking up the most medals, holding the most points and possessing the most mobility. For objective based PvP, it is amazing. Move a couple points around and you can easily use the same spec for PvP and for tanking HM operations. If your play style hinges on doing the most damage possible, and winning to you means having top damage or top kills regardless of it your team won or lost the match, I guess I can see where you'd consider the hybrid build inferior. For a lot of us who love seeing those big green letters spell out VICTORY after each match, and who focus on objectives more than damage done, 21/2/18 is amazing.

This video applies to most of the twitter generation in general, but especially the vocal minority on these forums with huge entitlement issues and short attention spans. The game has been out for two months. Like most things in life, it is about progress, not perfection. Most players are having fun and appreciating the game for what it offers. Where criticism is warranted, BioWare is taking action to improve it. Love the game. My guild loves the game. Well worth my time and money, and I'm looking forward to watching it develop, improve and expand. A huge thanks to everyone who had a part in making it, and an even bigger kudos to those poor souls who have to wade through the mire of unproductive whining that are the official forums. Trying to find mature, constructive feedback here can't be easy. Have a nice day.

Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

Single elimination death matches are for shooters. In MMOs, you end up centering class design and balance around what is, in actuality, a glorified mini-game. Objective based PvP is the ideal setup for MMO PvP. If you are "mindlessly" playing Warzones, then that problem exists between the chair and keyboard along with 99% of all PvP complaints.

Originally posted in the general Bounty Hunter thread by mistake: While I appreciate the nature of this ability and use it frequently to shed a bit of heat, it feels a bit lacking for a capstone talent in the Shield Tech tree. My suggestion would be to have the damage of Heat Blast scale upwards with the total amount of heat you've built up. Obviously as tanks, heat management is key for sustained threat, but I think this would introduce an interesting risk/reward mechanic to the talent. Overall, I love the Powertech for both PvE and PvP! Thanks for your time.

Pretty sure this is already in development. The security key app is set up with a "select an application" header, meaning more options are coming. I'd be willing to bet that a crew skill app is among them.

I agree with this 100%. Big step forward for MMO design in general. Story works. My character means more to me after a couple weeks than my WoW toon did after 6 years. I can't imagine going back to a WoW-style questing system. The PvP is amazingly fun. Huttball is outstanding and mixes in a lot of strategy along with entertaining gameplay. Best PvP experience I've had in a MMO, and 1000x better than WoW's arenas or battlegrounds. I'm wishing for more Huttball maps and competitive league play. Hell, I am wishing for more Warzones featuring environmental hazards. If they add one like Khaine's Embrace from WAR, where you can detonate a high yield explosive that can vaporize friend and foe, I'll be damn near giddy. Just no arenas please. Not now. Not ever. Keep it focused on objective based PvP, and the game will be better off for it. Sure, there are some issues in PvP, but the ability delay will be fixed, and most of the imbalances people cry about have more to do with who is sitting at the keyboard than the classes themselves. The End Game will grow and develop in time along with everything else. Most of the complaints are from people who blew through the content to hit max level during their Christmas break and had unrealistic expectations of what would be waiting for them. The fact that there is a functioning Operation at all is something to be thankful for - more than a lot of launches had. Enjoy it, and look forward to what is on the horizon. The game has set the bar as far as a launch for a MMO is concerned, and I've been through more than a handful of them. I have my list of complaints and gripes, but 90% of the game rolled out perfectly. I'm content to play and enjoy myself while BioWare tweaks, fixes and adds to the game. We just have to get through till February when the ADD kids cancel their subs and take their entitlement issues elsewhere, leaving us with a better community overall.

Spacebar is your friend. Just jump every so often. No big deal. The alternative is what? People who are actually AFK remaining logged in and increasing queue times? If I had to err on one side or the other, I'd rather people get booted.

User review sites are less than worthless because I place no value in the opinions of 14 year olds who skipped their meds that morning - or the adults who act like them. I place my trust in specific, professional reviewers whose work I follow and whose opinions I can trust - even when they differ from mine. I do NOT place any faith in random trolls or fanboys who still wouldn't know a thing about objectivity even if the Googled it.

This was a joke, right? Oh, maybe you weren't there for WoW's launch and are being serious.