It's funny how people are saying the story here is so fantastic. Yes, the story was good from 1-50, but after? Not so much. Very little replayability and a bunch of choices that don't really matter in the end. As for group content, the lack of any meaningful group content ends up hurting the game. I remember on release and even in RotHC, plugging wasn't bad. People knew how to play their toons and FPs were actually farmed for gear and mods. Now? Not so much. People have zero idea how to play their characters. They have zero idea what is expected of them in group content. It makes the rest of us casuals who spend an extra 10 minutes to see how to maximize our toons look "hard core". The lack of raiding centric and casual raiding guilds will continue to affect the quality of players in game. Less guides being written. Less people and guilds willing to help others learn. All your left with is people smashing 1-3 buttons or face rolling across the keyboard, playing "how they want to play" then complaining that content, both single player and group, is too difficult. (See comp nerf outrage after KotFE dropped as an example). Unfortunately it took me getting into an GF EVSM pug and wiping on Gharj 4 times in a row to realize how bad people are in groups now.

216 is for SM Ops? Really? You can do any GF SM Op in old 198 gear or 200 blues (probably less) thanks to bolster. Hell, EV/KP HM can be done in 208s if you have a basic clue on how to play your toon. Once you get 216 (6/6) that's HM, not 220...

Overall, kind of a waste of a sub. Yes, it was nice getting HK and Niko but outside of that, eh. A lot more negative than positive to say about this xpac.... - Choices don't matter nor does being Light or Dark side (the latter never really mattered though). - Chapters are too short. 15-30 minutes of actual game play per month isn't very "EPIC". - Ending was extremely anticlimactic. - No real meaningful group content. No reason (or carrot) to run Tac or HM FPs other than for an achieve. The later isn't worth it for gear or even conq, especially when you can face-roll through GF Ops. - No new Ops. Biggest let down and seemed to be the biggest cause of people leaving/guilds collapsing, IMO. - Lack of Conq choices/changes. They couldn't even incorporate the Star Fortresses, Bounty Week, or even more planetary Heroics into them since they are now weekly's. - The fact that an MMO is turning into an online RPG where people play next to each other and have zero incentive or purpose to group (yes, would be nice to actually have forced group content to advance the story like in FF14). My sub, like others here, will be up in the air. If they don't have 2-3 new Ops ready to go by the time the xpac drops, or very shortly after, I'll probably bounce as well and come back at the end and play everything at once on one toon.

Well, just when I didn't think you all could pull something even more stupid than before, you pull this. I'm not even mad. I'm actually amazed at the stupidity of this event. Re-roll characters that we have already leveled since launch for some legacy achieves and random pieces of legacy gear....wow...really? Where are the new Ops and FP's based on the this Xpac? Where is the actual new group content to hold us over after we play the 60 minutes of "epic story" every month? If this was the best idea you all could come up with, I'm even more worried about the future of this game than ever....

I could use some help on deciding which beer I want to drink this weekend, but other than that I'm good. I think I'm more than stable mentally, fiscally, emotionally, etc etc etc. Thanks for your concern though.

AH, but you didn't create a post seeking others who play the same way you do. You may have started off as that, but as soon as you brought in how others use LFG and complained about it, it became a different thread. If you really wanted to write a thread to find like minded individuals, that's what you should've stated. You should've just stuck to that, "LFM more people who play like x..y...z". Instead you wrote a small essay on not only that, but on the social and LFG "problems" as you see them in game. Criticizing how others play yet expecting them to respect the way you play. This is shown in the initial post and subsequent posts after. So yes, the TL/DR version of this is a "Do as I say, not as I do" rant. No "Wow, just wow" involved. Because you play in a game that doesn't allow for anything other. Builds are standard, no hybrids. Rotations are set for optimum DPS. If you don't use them, you'll probably fall behind and fall behind by a lot. Walkthroughs are there if you want to use them, but then again, you've already made it clear that you don't like the fact that 7 or 15 other people don't want to carry you in a pug. This game isn't the best example of what you listed above. TSW on the other hand, great game for what you listed.

Actually, after a decade plus of playing MMO's where you end up is just as important as how you get there. You're right, people play the game differently, but don't expect others to make special accommodations for the way you play if you're looking for a pug. What you wrote here completely justifies the LFG issue's you're complaining about. This is the only thing you said that makes any sense. You're right, it's a game. Any accomplishments here are nothing more than a warm fuzzy and have absolutely no bearing on anything in real life. It's just a momentary good feeling that you advanced past something in the game. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, yes, I did read your entire thread. For those who didn't for the TL/DR aspect, it pretty much sums up as follows. You're venting about how others play when it comes to LFG and pugs. You want others to respect the way you play, but you don't want to respect how others want to play when it comes down to how they want to form their GF pug groups. It pretty much boils down to a "Do as I say, not as I do" rant.

5 mil? For a SM run? Why are you wasting credits on content that is face-rolled through?

Because you're complaining about how others play. I'm just stating what the majority thinks. If you want to learn how to play your toon from scratch and learn the fights without looking at any guides, go ahead. That's your prerogative. Just don't complain that pugs in Gen Chat don't want to invite you because you don't know your class and you don't know the fights. I'm sure the 7 other people in group just want to be done in an hour or less and move on to something else without having to carry a sub 3k DPS who doesn't take the time to at least familiarize themselves with said fight or their class. But here's an idea. Find 10-20 like mined individuals who want to learn everything from scratch. From there form a guild. Then you can run GF Ops with other like minded individuals who also don't know the fights or how to optimize their toons. You will be able to beat your head against the wall for the next few months learning SM Ops that have been out, and nerfed, for the past 1-4 years. That would be your easiest fix instead of complaining how people set up their pug groups. Or you can set up your own pugs and state that you will only take people who have never done it or have never read any guide on a Op or class. Either or, easy fix.

And the people who are spamming LFM have every right to expect people to know the fights. It's a pug and most pugs don't really want to take the time to teach every fight. If you're new to them, get a guild and learn the fights. UM, if you don't follow or at least look at the class guides, the rotations, and have at least a vague idea of the fights, then it's not "robing" you of anything. On the contrary, you're doing a disservice to the 7 or 15 other people in your group by being unable to pull your own weight. Just that comment right there underscores a problem. The amount of people who still can't get past SM Lurker and SM Master & Blaster because of a lack of DPS is still high. Hell, I was in a pug that needed 3 times to get past Gharj becuase the DPS was extremely low. Although watching the boss enrage 3 times was rather comical.

Unfortunately not. Family commitments keep me from doing any early runs.

I'm looking for a HM Ops group that starts at 9pm PST, 2-3 days a week. I have a Merc and Trooper DPS ready to go and I am not looking for a faction specific group (ie: Imp or Repub doesn't matter to me). Am also working on another DPS and a healer (both factions) for possible HM groups in the future. If interested, please let me know who to contact if interested.

Added my cent and a half to the last question on the survey: "Early access is always a good thing, but if you really want to keep people subbing you need to make it worth it. 500cc is a joke for being a sub. The Secret World has a great F2P system. All new content costs 1200 FC coins, and those that sub get 1200 to spend each month in the store. To get the new content, subs still need to spend 1200 coins on the content, but they also get a 3 days early access to all new content/chapters. If you want to keep those who sub around and broaden your sub base. First I would take away the Ops, PvP and gear restrictions on F2P and Pref customers. Less content restrictions on those 2 player bases would increase the population for endgame and make it a bit more healthy than it already is. Now, below are some ideas to keep those of us subbed to continue subbing and to attract more to sub. 1. Increase CC coin rewards. 500cc is a joke, especially when most everything costs 1200+. Increase the CC reward to 1200-1500 per month for subs. 2. Sub only items in the Cartel Market. Having certain armor, weapons, perks, etc available to subs only in the market would make subbing more attractive. 3. A discount for all Cartel Market items. An XX% discount on all items while being a sub would be attractive. 4. A monthly "goodie box". This could contain Bind to Legacy XP buffs, Valor buffs, Companion gifts, GSF paint jobs, high level potions, adrenals, stims, etc. Adding a rare chance for a unique stronghold decoration, armor set, crystals, GSF ship, mount, etc. 5. Crafting buffs. An additional 5% to crit proc's would be good or a 100% RE rate buff. Those are just some random ideas to make things a bit more attractive to actually have a sub." Hopefully they actually listen to what people had to say on the survey and are not just paying their player base lip-service...

Korean MMO's are worse, but being a Japanese game the grind isn't that bad. No worse than others.

Easier on the wallet. An extra $380+ a year to spend on other games (sub+CC coins).

You have this one, but it's being changed into an online RPG where people play next to, and not with each other (not unlike how toddlers play). Lack of any new Endgame or PvP is going to narrow this game into more of a niche crowd than it already is. Similar to Secret World. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it doesn't exactly bode well for a diverse population. Secret World has a really good story and their FTP model is the best I've seen as of late. No restrictions and you only pay for the additional content, which is pretty cheap. Learning curve at the start is a bit steeper than most, but smooth once you're past that. Also, little to no replayability between factions as the storyline has little change between the 3. Unfortunately the Engame PvE and PvP is ignored even more than it is here so I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for Endgame. FF14 is what I've begun to move to. It actually reminds me of an MMO. Plenty of content for the casual and has endgame difficulty that varies from easy to hard. The story is good and you actually have to group for a handful of dungeons to actually progress through it (which is nice to see). It's also easy on the system requirements for those with less than mid range PCs. The ability GCD is a bit long and takes some getting used to and leveling any class/job outside of your main can be grindy, but GF gives alot of XP. Plenty of level based dailies to do as well as Fate farming. The later being similiar to Rifts in Rift and Dynamic Events in GW2 and most are soloable as well. The UI isn't very customizable at all outside of moving the bars around. Although, it does save ability placement throughout all the difference classes. Outside of those I haven't gone back to many MMOs as of late. Although, Rift is tempting but those damn macros!!!!

Actually, they did announce that they aren't planning on having any new Ops for KotFE. Your definition of endgame is the definition of everything content wise. Using your definition of this, then how is this story different from the others? You start, you finish, you save the day. Then again, if the mechanics are the "same" for every fight, then there wouldn't be any issue with groups clearing current content. I mean, if you kill one boss, you can kill them all right?

That's the case in all MMOs. I'm more concerned with no new endgame of any sort either PvE wise or PvP wise. No real point in repeating the same content that I did at level to begin with.

Even as a casual player, finding a group who knows what it's doing or individual players who know what they're doing has been difficult since 3.0's launch. The amount of ToS and Rav pug fails is testament to that. Even with the movie, the influx will last what, 2 months, 3 tops? Then what? No new endgame, no new PvP, and people burning through the "epic story" faster than they release chapters. Doesn't really sound like a recipe for success, at least in the wider market.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but shouldn't an MMO be group content based? I mean what's the real point on playing online NEXT to instead of WITH other people online. If one is more worried about single player content, then whether it's an MMO or not shouldn't matter. What's the exact point of paying a sub for a single player game with very little replayability? Now, between the rehashed endgame content and crafting getting changed, why bother with evening having any sort of endgame if the set bonus gear will be craftable now? Why not just give it away from a vendor? It's not exactly helping in retaining even the casual raider in 4.0.

Apparently not. But it's ok. It's a sub to spend elsewhere. Plus, Battlefront will cure the Star Wars itch.

That might hold water on release with 8 different stories, but in the end this is an MMO and most MMO's need to have a good balance of story, pvp, and endgame PvE. Having an xpac that is only a single storyline isn't exactly screaming replayability. Now, if it was 8 different storylines, each being 1/2-3/4s as long as what this single storyline is supposed to be then maybe...but sadly it isn't.

/Agree Rehashing old Ops content is not new content. Why stick around as an endgame player if there will be nothing new for a year at least? If there was some new PvP content instead, then maybe, but there isn't even that either. Maybe I'm a bit old school in thought, but to me an MMO is about group content, not a bunch of people playing solo content next to each other. To those who say people aren't leaving en masse yet, that's because most are waiting until after KotFE to leave. I've lost count of the number of people I run Ops with in guild and in pugs that are doing the same thing I am. Timing our subs to expire shortly after (1-3 weeks) the expansion drops just to see what the hype is all about over the new single, non class specific, story content. Hell, I only log in now to run with my HM Ops group twice a week. (FF14 is getting a good majority of my time now (yes...I can afford 2 subs at once...amazing isn't it?) Now, here's the one thing I'd be willing to bet from my time playing on JC and Harb. Given how the F2P and Preferred restrictions are, I am willing to be a good majority of people who sub are PvE endgame, PvPers, or both. With an expansion dropping that has nothing for this group of folks, I don't see them staying around much. Is this going to kill the game? No, but it will affect and possibly limit BW in the future with new group content as a good majority of the hardcore and better casual players will have moved on to other games that have new group content. Now, if BW took away the sub fee and removed all the F2P/Preferred restrictions then sure, I'll stick around, but a single player themed game isn't worth $15 a month (plus a couple hundred a year extra in CC's). I have RPGs for that... OH...my wife has a Versa, and yes, they are no Lamborghini but the gas mileage is great though.

Pulled this from another thread, but it's fantastic. There will be at least 1 hour of story per chapter per month. Seriously, that's all they could do for this "Epic Story"?. There ya go. First 9 chapters should be less than a week worth of content and an additional 1 hour (on average) per month after. That's worth a sub.

Actually, that is exactly what they said. Here's the quote to remind you; "We know that many players love our Operations and look forward to the introduction of new challenges, however with Knights of the Fallen Empire there will not be any new Operations. We felt it was important to first address some of the issues with our Elder Game before moving on to new content. These changes will allow us to be more flexible with how we release new content, as the content no longer needs to be tied to a new gear tier or level cap increase. Even without new Operations, though, you will have a whole lot of content to play at the level cap. Let’s go over everything you will be able to play in Knights of the Fallen Empire!" Lets see here. No new Ops in Fallen Empire. No where does it say shortly after, Christmas, April, Spring time, Labor Day, etc. So, they want to address some issues with Elder Game. That's fine. Does this mean they're going to be able to fix all the bugs in every Op that they haven't been able to or refused to fix over the past 3 years? To that I say doubtful. As for PvP, well, they haven't done anything to add or to fix it now, what should make us think they'll do anything about it in the future? You say stop burning through content? How about they make a story that lasts longer than a week to get through. IF they want this to be about the "story" then they should've went all out. A storyline for each class, not some generic Makeb/SoR on steroids story. Kipsus hit the nail on the head about one thing, as to which no one has yet to answer. How is a single player RPG (disguised as an MMO) with limited story replay-ability worth $15 a month?