I would recommend Mercenary (Bounty Hunter), which get a healer companion from about level 6-8 somewhere... this means less pauses for healing yourself and you will be on the move all time Commando (Trooper) are about the same, but comes with a dps companion from start (level 8 somewhere). However the kind of tank I have most fun with is the Sith Juggernaut (or Jedi Guardian), but the Rage system might be harder to learn and that wasn't what you asked for

Source for that fact please... I am way above 5 servers with all my toons, but nowhere near 40 yet (i think). EDIT: Oh, I found a source... but the 5 server limit aint there, so maybe the 40 character limit aint there either.

You dont have to stop crew skills in total, just stop sending them on crew skill missions... unless you send them on slicing missions. Didnt read whole thread, but here is my experience... At the point I am reaching Balmorra or Taris (pre-20) I usually have my slicing skill up enough to earn a couple of hundred credits every 7-10 minutes from crew skill missions (slicing). It is almost not worth changing direction in game to gather a slicing node, cause they give 50-80 (IIRC). I usually send out both companions (starter and ship driod) and quest without them, unless I am Jedi Knight when I also got Kira. With slicing, by the time I hit 25 I am usually way past the 48k needed. (If well equipped with gear, you probably only need companions for elites and champions really. Unless you want the speed, without stopping for healing between every fight) If I go for other crew skills than slicing, I also do as mentioned. Stop sending crew on gathering missions, until I have the money. But when you are at Taris or Balmora at level 23 (or even Nar Shadda), you bring enough credits in through quest rewards to have the amount of money for speeders and ability by the time you hit 25. Use your commendations to upgrade mods and equipment instead of money, and use decent drops too meanwhile. And about abilities, I know for certain some of them is hardly ever used by me... i.e. I can live without them even if i use them rarely. No need to pay 1k+ upgrading them until I got my speeder, if I need to cut down on some expenses. GL and HF

Level issues?

However, checking the picture and realise you are level 28, you could probably find better "orange" weapons at equipment commendation vendors (or speciality vendors) on the planets of Taris, Nar Shadda or even Tatooine, for the amount of 10-16 commendation off that planet, than you get on Coruscant. GL

The equipment commendation vendor is in a booth next to the cantina (or two botth away) in the senate plaza market. IIRC the price is 12 or 14 commendations for a lightsaber. Be sure to pick one with your alignment to light or dark side thou.

Just curios... where do you check those levels?

LOL... disgusting actually, KIDS aren't supposed to have a sex life

EVE Online: Smooth.... I think we peaked at about 2.500 players at prime time the first two month in 2003 after launch. (iirc) And that was in a game world with about 4.000 star systems to explore. EVE has really grown since then