It's at 98.88%

Savage strike only works on immobilized targets, which often results from your initial Force Charge. The problem with the ability really stems from a timing issue. The global cooldown is 1-1.5 seconds (can't recall its exact duration). The stun on your force charge is only 2 seconds in duration. This means you usually have less than 1 second to use the ability after recognizing that it can be used. Often once your brain acknowledges that it can be used, and you hit the button to use it, the mob is no longer immobilized (your Force Charge stun has worn off) and thus you fail to execute the attack. To successfully execute a savage kick means immediately after charging you need to hit the button bound to Savage Kick. The problem with doing this of course is that Savage Kick sometimes works on strong enemies but sometimes it doesn't. So either you commit yourself to always following up a Force Charge with a Savage Kick (and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't), or you just stop using it altogether on strong mobs (and never use it on elites). Pommel Strike rarely (if ever) works on elites and only sometimes works on strong mobs. Since I spend >90% of my time with my Jugg tank in hardmodes and raids, these are two of my better attacks that could be used to help me maintain aggro that I cannot use because of the game design. IMO this is just flat out stupid. These two attacks should be usable on all mobs up to elites, and not be contingent on the mob being CCed (because elites and boss mobs usually are immune to most CC).

Thanks all. My guild is small, but we have very competent players with tons of MMO raiding experience. We cleared normal mode EV first try (which I know isn't saying too much) so I am pretty confident we could tackle normal mode KP pretty soon.

Other than the Qel Droma Ancestry Blade that can either be purchased with a ton of commendations (like >70 of them), or obtained as a lucky drop from hardmode False Emperor, are there any other good main hand tanking weapons for a jugg tank? I made the player crafted one from Artifice, so I'm wondering if I should be running other flashpoints other than FE to try for a decent tanking weapon. Thanks!

Guild ran regular mode EV last night for first time. Most of us were in Columi/Tionese and/or PvP gear. We cleared it first shot (though it took us about 3 hours to learn the fights/mechanics). We plan to head back in a few days and will keep running it on normal mode for a while. I'm interested in trying Karagga's Palace (normal mode). Is it about the same difficulty as EV, or is it much harder? Thanks!

Well, that is kinda the problem!! I don't use Taunt in my rotation, but I have to use it often when a DPS pulls aggro off me. So in effect by default it is in my rotation.

level 50 Jugg tank. Current spec is 33 Immortal/8 Vengeance. I'm in mostly Columi/Tionese gear, with 3 oranges (saber, helmet, gloves - though all 3 are modded with high-end purple mods). My unbuffed stats are: Health = 17,490 Armor Rating = 6,967 Damage Reduction = 45.21% Defense Chance = 22.70% Shield Chance = 39.46% Shield Absorption = 21.76% The problem I am having is maintaining aggro. I have no problems with rage or generating rage, and my gear gives me sufficient health and mitigation to keep me up in most hardmode flashpoints. The problem for me is that the usual guild members I run with (who are mostly in PvP gear) rip aggro from me all the time. Even when they hold off for a few seconds at the start of a fight they still seem to easily surpass me on threat. I'm constantly taunting just to get a mob back to me after it b-lines for one of the DPS. My rotation usually consists of starting with Saber Throw, followed by Force Charge (this combo builds 6 rage for me). Then I follow-up with Backhand then Force Scream (for Sonic Barrier). Next I do Crushing Blow followed by Sundering Assault (this gives me 5 stacks of armor reduction). After that I use Ravage, and when it procs I use Retaliation. I rarely use Assault unless everything else is on a cooldown or I need to build rage (which I usually have plenty of). Then I just rotate those attacks based on cooldowns. I feel like the problem is that since the DPS do far, far more damage than me they are simply producing more TPS than me, thus causing me have to use Taunt constantly. Backhand is my only attack that states it does a "high amount of threat," but it's on a 1 minute cooldown so its effectiveness IMO is greatly diminished. Are any other Jugg tanks experiencing this issue? Maybe something wrong with my rotation, spec, or opening sequence? Gear-wise I don't feel like I'm being outclassed by those I tend to group with, but with how often I have to use my taunt I'm feeling like I'm doing a poor job tanking.

Already did. My BH/Merc just dinged level 40. And I've yet to experience all end-game content on my main, still have yet to set foot in an Operation. Just pointing out that 400/400 Artifice seems lackluster. Sure you can make an epic relic which is about on par with what you can pull from one of the easier hard modes. But the level 50 lightsabers are orange moddable gear, and not as good as the epic sabers you can get from a hardmode/Columi/Tionese commendations.

Selling things to make money is only of benefit if there are things to buy yourself with said money you earn. There is really nothing to spend money on once your level 50 that benefits your level 50 character. As one of the two MT for my guild, who is looking to start doing Ops soon, some of the others have been hinting that I should pick up Biochem. I'm just hesitant to do so after the leveling Artifice/Archaeology/Treasure Hunting all to 400. Keep thinking maybe Bioware will drop us a bone in a coming patch and give us some decent schematics.

I could, except I have no need of money. There really isn't anything to buy in ToR once you are a level 50, other than gear to twink an alt (and gear is easy to come by as you level an alt). Between my level 50 and my level 40 alt, I've got around a million credits (most due to slicing on my alt) with nothing to spend it on.

My main character is a level 50 Sith Warrior/juggernaut (tank). When I first hit level 10 and had the chance to take crew skills I though Artifice would be a good fit since I could make lightsaber hilts and color crystals. The two companion crew skills for this were Treasure Hunting and Archaeology. As I leveled to 50 I was able to use the Enhancements, saber hilts, and color crystals to keep my moddable gear at my level. But now that I am level 50 and pretty much decked out in Columi/Tionese hard mode epics I'm not sure if I should keep my chosen crew skills. I cannot craft anything with Artifice that is equal to or better than the drops from the 4-man hard modes. Even the epic relics I can craft are ho-hum. And they are BOP so its not like I can craft and sell them. I guess I could keep artifice and go after some of the special color crystals, like magenta. But that is a pretty narrow reason to keep a crew skill. Archaeology is totally useless to me since I'm not using my Artificing anymore. If I'm not crafting anything with Artifice, then Archaeology is pointless. And Treasure Hunting is useless other than for the gems (or for companion gifts). But even then, the gems are useless if I'm not crafting things with Artifice. All in all at level 50 I feel like my three crew skills (Artifice, Treasure Hunting, and Archaeology) and totally pointless and useless. My Bounty Hunter/Merc alt (currently level 40) has cybertech, slicing, and scavenging. I predict that at 50 the cybertech will probably be somewhat useless as well just like artifice, and as such will render scavenging kinda useless also. But slicing has proven to be invaluable for making a ton of credits, gearing out my ship, and obtaining special crew missions. Maybe I need to drop something like Archaeology and pick up Investigation so I can get some high-end schematics for my Artifice. I check the GTM all the time, but there are rarely any schematics for Artifice (and if there are they tend to be low(er) level ones). Anyone able to shed some light on what to do with these crew skills I have at 50? The more I play the more I feel like the only real valuable trade skills once you hit level 50 are slicing, biochem, and maybe investigation.

Perfect! Thank you.

Anyone know where I can locate a guide/list that shows which set pieces drop from which 4-person hard mode flashpoints? Thanks!

Good to know about the crafting mat missions. I tried the zoning thing, it doesn't work. Running lower rank missions only seems to refresh that rank's available missions for me.

Is there a method to force a certain rank of crew mission skills to randomize? I've got 400 Treasure Hunting and can't recall the last time I saw any "Bountiful" or "Rich" rank 6 missions other than Companion Gifts. I get "Moderate" and the occasional "Abundant" Gemstone or Lockbox missions, but in the past few weeks I haven't seen any Bountiful or Rich rank 6 Gemstone or Lockbox missions. I've tried running different rank 6 missions and it seems to randomize the list after some time, but it almost always randomizes to the same level for each type (e.g. rank 6 Companion Gift missions tend to be Rich or Bountiful while Gemstone or Lockbox rank 6 missions are almost always moderate to abundant). Anyone figured out how the missions randomize? Is it based on time (e.g. every 20 minutes the list of available missions randomizes)? Is it based on you running missions (e.g. of the 5 available rank 6 missions if you run one the list randomizes)? Any insight into how the list of crew missions works is appreciated!

I just wanted to add, I'm not complaining that my class is gimped, after all I do very well tanking flashpoints. But when I'm questing/soloing I see Bounty Hunters, Sith Assasins, etc. (basically the DPS classes) tearing through the same mobs as me like a hot knife through butter and then quickly moving on to the next batch of mobs to tear through while I'm struggling to even down one pack of mobs then having to rest post battle. I'm not asking to be a DPS machine like them. If that is what I wanted, then I would have rolled a DPS class, not a tank. But as a tank my expectation is that I will be able to kill slow and steady while taking little damage due to my mitigation. But, the mitigation just doesn't seem to be there and my expectation is not coming to fruition. The DPS classes all have a tank companion that seems to have better mitigation than me, thus allowing the DPS classes to focus on DPS and burn down mobs fast and move on and a steady pace. Sure I have two tank companions as well (Lt Peirce and Broonmark) but what good does it to me as a tank to use a tank companion when my DPS isn't there to burn down the mobs. Its almost as if either my mitigation isn't what it needs to be post level 40 versus level 40+ mobs, or my DPS companion's DPS is just falling behind so that the mitigation I have isn't enough to give me the survivability I need for my DPS companions to burn down mobs fast enough.

I'v been playing a Sith Jugg Immortal spec since level 1. I don't PvP, just PvE. I enjoy being a tank and spend 70% of my time questing (to level up) and the rest running flashpoints. In the flashpoints I have no issues tanking and have a great time and have found myself being added to many other player's friends list to look up when they want a tank. Prior to coming to Hoth I was doing just fine, but that was probably because I like questing and tend to do almost all the quests on a world so I would quickly out-level a planet while I was still on it. As such, I was typically 2-3 levels above the mobs I was fighting (they were green to me) and life was easy. But now that I am on Hoth I am getting my arse resoundingly handed to me on quests by Strong and Elite mobs that are less than 1 level, or equal level, to me. I can't go up against an elite of equal level to me w/o blowing most my oh $**** cooldowns (Saber Ward and Invincible) and consuming at least 1 medpack. Even then I will typically end the fight with 20-30% health and need to Channel Hatred to recoup health. Against a Strong mob I can fight w/o blowing my cooldowns or consuming a medpack, but I will end the fight at 40%-60% health. Two Strong mobs have about the same result as an elite (slightly easier than the elite, but not by much), where I will need to blow cooldowns and consume a medpack and end the fight around 20%-30% health. A pack of 2-4 regular mobs plus one Strong mob has about the same effect as going up against two Strong mobs. Gear-wise I do a fairly decent job of keeping my gear and mods up to par with my level (I'm have the Artifice crew skill so that helps). I also keep my companion's gear to level. I almost exclusively use Jaesa since she does decent AoE damage and most of what you encounter while questing are packs of between 2-5 linked mobs. My stats are (in Soresu Form): Level = 41 DEFENSE Health = 10,710 Armor Rating = 4,845 Damage Reduction = 41.18% Defense Chance = 18.18% Shield Chance = 29.86% Shield Absorption = 20% Melee Damage (Primary) = 320-409 Damage Bonus = 140.9 Accuracy = 90% Crit Chance = 16.50% Crit Multiplier = 56.23% Force Bonus Damage = 291.6 Crit Chance = 12.33% Crit Multiplier = 56.23% I prefer Soresu form over Shii-Cho form since the damage mitigation from Soresu form is of far greater benefit (IMO) than the paltry 3% damage reduction and 3% damage output of Shii-Cho form. So what am I doing wrong? I usually start a fight with saber throw immediately followed by Force Charge. This starts me off with 6 rage. I then go right into a Force Scream to pop my Sonic Barrier (damage shield from 5th tier Immortal talent). After that my rotation will vary depending on if it is a single mob versus a pack. I don't feel like I have the mitigation necessary to a tank to offset the low DPS I put out. I'd prefer to stick with Jaesa over Quinn (I like her story line), but if I must go back to Quinn to make leveling my character in the 40+ bracket viable then I will. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Green is restricted to light side (lvl 1 and above I believe).

You missed the point, it isn't a 3 to 1 ratio like you would expect, its closer to a 4 to 1 ratio.

On my server either not enough people know about the cross-faction GTN, or simply not enough use it. I've tried using it, no one buys stuff from it, even at rock bottom prices. I end up just vendoring all the blue and green color crystals and light side stuff I get.

You don't get schematics from Treasure Hunting.

True, but then this requires you to continually buy the higher level schematics for blue or green color crystals from your trainer just to craft items you don't want and probably can't use or very few people on your faction will want. It also means you expend the other materials that could have been otherwise used to craft items that you could use or would be desired by players of your faction. Point is, the way the color crystals are working heavily favors the "good guys" in the game. IMO what could help alleviate this would be to allow our companions to use any color since they are neutral. I should be able to mod an item as I see fit, but simply not use it due to my alignment. This way if I want Vette to have green blast fire, then I could. This might potentially create a market on the imperial side for green and blue color crystals.

Great question! Here is what I have noticed. a) Spawn locations are static (i.e. at coordinates XYZ an item will always spawn). b) What spawns at a node may to be random. I harvested a node (power crystal type A (for example)), and went AFK to answer the phone. When I came back power crystal type B had spawned at that node. What is unknown is if a node is random but limited to a single material type (so in my example, that node could spawn a power crystal type A, B, C, etc but not a color crystal. Just from my observations, red color crystals in the game world are fairly rare compared to blue green.

Does Archaeology & Treasure Hunting heavily favor Republic players, or do I just have rotten luck? I'm level 41, and currently questing on Hoth. I have hit every level appropriate planet and done nearly all the quests on each planet as I have leveled. I have kept my two gathering skills (Archaeology & Treasure Hunting) and my crafting skill (Artifice) up to my character's level as I have leveled. During this time, what I have noticed is that accumulating color crystals, whether by gathering them from the game world, or via Archaeology crew skill, heavily favors Republic players (at an almost 4:1 ratio). Jedi players can use green/blue/yellow color crystals, and Sith can use red/orange/yellow. The first problem stems from the fact that the only gatherable color crystals from the game world are blue, green and red. Right there alone the Republic players have an advantage over Imperial because two of the three color crystals available to them can be simply acquired from the game world. While blue and green represent 2/3s of the gatherable color crystals from the game world, they are far more common than red (I didn't use any color crystals for 4-5 levels to see how many I would have and I ended up with something like 140-ish green, 90-ish blue, and 50-ish red). Second, utilizing the Archaeology crew skill you can send your companions on missions to obtain color crystals. typically when you do so you will get two colors, usually red and green, or blue and red, etc. Where you obtain orange color crystals, I have yet to discover. The end result is that a Republic player with the Artifice skill can easily and cheaply level up his/her Artifice skill (and use the large number of mats necessary to reverse engineer greens and blues to get a new schematic proc) with little effort due to the abundance of green and blue color crystals. Also, Republic Jedi have available to them 3 out of 3 of their color crystals (yellow color crystals come from Treasure Hunting for gems). Conversely as a Sith player I have to spend an inordinate sum of money sending my companions on crew skills to locate red color crystals since they are so rare in the game world. And when they come back, half of what they bring me is utterly useless (may come back with 2 red crystals and 2 green). Also, as a Sith player I can only craft two of the three colors my alignment can use (yellow and red). I've looted sabers with an orange color crystals, but at level 41 I have yet to find the schematic to craft one. And finally, when I dispatch my companion on a "Rich" Treasure Hunting mission and they bring home a relic, 9 out of 10 times it is only usable by a light side alignment character. I must not be alone in this, because our Imperial GTN is flooded with light side relics that no one purchases. Anyway, perhaps I just have bad luck. If not, this is pretty poor tradeskill design IMO.

Red and yellow crystals work fine, but it seems since I'm Dark 4 I cannot equip any color crystals in my companion's weapons that I myself could not use. Just seems kinda dumb since they are neutral.