They are horrendous--another poorly thought out part of the poor end game. Frankly, they feel like an afterthought.

IIRC, the second tier opens up at skill level 65. The range on the mission selector refers to the character level of the items or mats you'll receive.

It certainly makes a good badge of how little one does other than play SWTOR.

Some you can, but I have some stuck in my log which require entry into instanced areas that i can no longer enter because I completed the main quest.

All of them can be used effectively, depending on your spec. Tharan will generally give you the least downtime between pulls though.

You actually don't need to complete all side quests and bonuses to keep up to level with your class quests. Not even close, actually, especially if you do FPs, Heroics, Space battles, or PvP. That being said, more content is always good. It is also expensive to develop and I'd much prefer that time and money be spent on endgame content at this point.

Companions cannot equip class-restricted items.

When I first hit 50, I used planet commendations (of which I had many saved) and ran low level FPs solo to get orange moddable items and then crafted the appropriate mods.

Tier 1 scavenging missions or buy it from the Crew Skills Vendor.

You have (or will have) a companion who loves cultural artifacts and two that like rep memorabilia.

I consider this a FAR FAR better alternative than having the quest gaps that other games often launch with.

Generally, I agree. While leveling, I rarely go for a purple schematic unless it is a slot I will be using for quite a while.

I bet you won't. In thousands of items, I have never seen a crit on any enhancement, mod, barrel, hilt, color crystal, grenade, etc. I have only seen crits on fixed-stat slot items such as (non-orange) armor or weapons.

What is the difference between watching your companion's progress bar or your own progress bar other than with the latter, you can still do other stuff too?

WoW invented quests? It would have been funnier if you had blamed EverQUEST.

Considering the space station is the only open area where you run in to more than a couple other players, I like it as a central spot. it is the "capital city" of the game. That being said, they really do need to eliminate the airlocks and much of the extra zoning one must do to travel.

The answer is the same as if we ask: Why do you "h8" on less competitive gamers?

They have mentioned they will look at making social gear useful for non-Light Armor classes.

****SMUGGLER SPOILERS BELOW**** I personally have loved the smuggler storyline up to where I am at (Belsavis). It has quite a bit of zaniness to it, which makes it a refreshing change from most of the other class stories. Any time you get to trade the head of a long-dead Sith lord in a jar is a good time, in my book. I also think the smuggler companions are iconic, varied, and generally interesting: The mercenary who names his guns, the enslaved wookiee gladiator, the efficient Mandalorian *****, the self-interested daughter of a crime lord, and the bumbling Mon Calamari who tries to pass himself off as a Jedi.

I can verify that this works... but ONLY if you wear your boxers inside out and eat Totino's pizza rolls still frozen at the same time.

Still working great for me. Though big yellow letters are convincing,

There aren't any new answers in that interview at all. It is mostly "No ETA."

Guardian/Juggernaut/Vanguard/Powertech/Shadow/Assassin can all hybrid tank/DPS if you choose to.

Nope. The Mods listed at the Artifice trainer are a holdover from beta. You'll need Cybertech to learn and craft Mod modifications.

No, it doesn't.