I just need clarification of the "soft cap" term. I'm essentially new to MMO mechanics, but from what I've inferred on these forums is that the term "soft cap" is exactly what you said (highlighted in yellow), i.e., the point at which gains are no longer optimal over another. Are you saying that "softcap" has a different definition, one that does not apply to SWTOR mechanics? Or are you just saying that "softcap" is just a misleading word (but does actually mean what you wrote in yellow)? Or is it something else altogether? I really just wanna know in case I ever play another MMO in the future... and because it's difficult trying to figure out what's what with terms being used interchangeably. Thanks in advance for your clarification. Now I know. Although whenever I was in doubt, I would just alternate between mods and mouse over my stats to see which one provided the best overall return.

I agree with Khadroth. I'm assuming it's a PvP build since you specced into Confound. If it's PvE, I would consider speccing into Psychic Suffusion rathen than Confound (especially if force management through noble sacrifice becomes necessary). But I haven't done HM's yet, so I may just be ignorant of Confound's necessity in PvE.

That's sort of what I did. @OP... I do plan on sticking it out. But to qualify my position, I'm a casual PvE player. My guild hasn't even done a single HM FP. But had SWTOR gone live with these changes ... my guess is that I'd still have chosen to be a healer and just dealt with how the mechanics worked. So when I look at it that way, I just think I'm basically playing SWTOR for the first time, except I'm already level 50 with gear (and yes, I understand that may be a dumb way to look at it). Don't get me wrong, I realize most people are more than casual PvE players that have invested way more (WAY MORE) than I have. And I understand that for some (perhaps many), the changes are unbearable. I'm not diminishing their feelings as they are probably well justified...I'm just providing the "why" I plan on sticking it out.

Are you still abstaining? I just want to know what your big picture is? It's a sincere question. As a customer, I just want to know what your thought process is as Lead Combat Designer. I left the question open-ended because I don't want to steer or corral you. If you want me to be more specific, I can be. I would just prefer to have unbiased insight into your big picture "design" ... in particular with Patch 1.2, but as well as moving forward. By actually giving the community insight into your design and development processes, it might actually help the community return more meaningful feedback...that will, in turn, help you and your staff with design and development.

Who said it was "more" viable? I'm not necessarily doubting you, just haven't read that. Could you provide a link if possible? I've read healing is still viable but more challenging...but that's not the same as more viable (which to me would imply an improvement in overall healing capability/capacity at the expense of being more challenging...if that's not how you're defining "more viable," than just let me know and ignore the request). But I have not read any reports that 1.2 healing on PTS is better/more viable than current healing. Mostly it's about how it's not as bad as people think, it can still work, etc., etc.

@OP--George said participating in Crew Skills, he did not necessarily say crafting. It's possible that's what he meant, but that hasn't been my experience (albeit a limited one). IMO, crafting is generally more of a sinkhole (especially if you only have one toon). I basically made one toon and took it to 50. Rest of my guild made 4-5 toons, took them all to 400 crew skills (no repeats). I'm by FAR richer than any of them...and I seriously doubt any of them will catch up to me on credits/toon. I took Slicing, Treasure Hunting and Biochem (and I don't craft, I just took Biochem to 400 so I could use the purples...in fact, I "bought" Biochem to 400 after I turned 50). I'm guessing there are lots of crafters that are richer than me. But either way, I think the point Georg is making is that you have to be involved in Crew Skills, crafting or not. I only play @ 2-4 hrs/night, and despite some people's beliefs, 3 Treasure Hunting Lockbox missions (levels 1, 4 & 5) and 2 Slicing Lockbox missions (both level 5) have pretty much worked out for me--and people on my server say I'm doing it wrong! And I'm not even doubting them...but if I'm doing it wrong...just imagine what you can make if you do it right! I have a little over 5M in creds on me, and I've spent about 2-3M in fun stuff for myself. And I've still been able to outfit my companions with pretty good gear.

Hello Georg, Devs are obviously arbiters of whether a change in game mechanics is worthwhile, provides a quality of life upgrade (or downgrade), is an evolutionary adjustment, or improves balance (up or down), so... Now that the details are out, and discussion is no longer moot, I was hoping you could express "the big picture" in terms of class balance and quality of life upgrades. Reading through the various Class threads, opinions are varying quite a bit...but most seem to be negative (although, I would suspect that to be the case as those who don't like change are more prone to voicing their opinion). But I would really like to know just what you felt to be "the big picture" -- and is this the reaction you were hoping to receive from the community? I realize this is still PTS, so I'm assuming you'll be taking feedback and reaction into account before these changes go live? Or are the PTS notes set in stone and the PTS is just for working out bugs...not actually testing of "the big picture"?

Thanks to everyone who has given additional advice. Now I feel like if we fail, I'll have failed all of you. @Elyssandra: That's the build our main healer has, and the one that I used to have. I re-specced because we only have 4 people who are 50...and I thought the extra damage might help out. But from what you and Emptus have said, it seems as we move to HM and Ops (and others get to 50), I'll have to go back to being a full healer (which is fine). It's not like my DPS is OMGWOW or anything. @NotDonnaReed: I'm guessing we're not ready for HM's yet LOL ... but we'll keep trying until we get it right. Thanks for your input! @thatmaskedman: Thanks for the clarification! @EnoYls: I agree that the OP set the tone very well. I actually think people in this community really really want to help...but they also want people to be able to help themselves too (e.g., look for a thread that might have their question/answer). But I really do appreciate everyone's help here

I appreciate any input, even if it's in support of another plan (at least I know it's a well-supported plan, right?). According to the Jedi Knights, Force Kick does not interrupt Project Storm (nor does his Force Push, nor does my Force Stun or Force Wave). According to the Sentinel/Watchman, the Force Leap interrupts the other powers, but we're not sure if interrupts Project Storm (but I'll try to verify next chance).

Thanks...I will also try your method of assigning interrupts...it sounds like a good plan. I know you mentioned that he can spam Disturbance 5+ times in a row...does he do the same with Project Storm?

I love the spec...but I would really like to know your thoughts because I haven't really been told otherwise. I was a traditional healer (31-7-3), but I never used Salvation, so I decide to get more DPS...which I've found helpful in solo PvE. But if the build is really that bad, I would definitely welcome suggestions (keeping in mind a build that is primarily for PvE/HM/Ops)...thanks! I have yet to use Focus Target...I will try this and practice at it. I use mine, but I'll have to get stims/adrenals/relics for the main healer and make sure they get used appropriately on CD. It does...thanks! I look forward to your thoughts on spec builds.

My friends and I are having issues with Stands Tall as well. Currently, we have one Sage (31pt-Seer), a Sentinel, a Guardian, and me (I'm also a Seer, 27-0-14). So I can do some damage as well as heal...which is how the battle starts off. I'm thinking our problem is that we're not able to interrupt his Project Storm fast enough. He seems to still be able to get off a few ticks, which does enough damage to focus both healers on our tank. Even if we interrupt it once or twice, he seems to cast if before our interrupts are ready again (the primary healer isn't interrupting though, she's focused on healing). And if the tank starts taking too much damage and I have to focus heal as well...well, I'm just not that good at interrupting unless I'm on target and can see the channel bar over its health meter. I realize there's a lot of L2P issues in there...plus, we only have one real DPS. My question is if there is some other tactic we are missing? Should the tank try running out of the AoE, or should I "Rescue" him? Are we just screwed with only true DPS? I would also say our gear is just average. Our tank has the armor mods from the daily vendor, everything else is purples from the dailies. None of us have Rakata implants/earpieces from the daily vendors. But our assumption is that those things really shouldn't be needed...or are they? Everyone here is saying to just interrupt Project Storm. And while this may sound dumb of me, maybe you could give me some advice on how we could best handle interrupting? I'm assuming the tank can't be the only one interrupting it, right? Do you all assign a rotation to interrupt it and just heal through the other specials?

Nice guide...very interesting spec to me, because this is the kind of tri-tree spec I'm trying out with my Scoundrel (obviously different in practice, but the same in theory--a Jack-of-All-Trades). But I just started a Sith Inquisitor (in anticipation of the Legacy system), so I may try this as well. Also, Qyzen would emphasize AIM rather than STR (although the debate on this still continues depending on how he is used). Since you're only 30 on your Sage, might I suggest you try using Iresso (our Xalek but in Heavy Armor) when you get the chance (Hoth)? He seems to do more DPS (single and AoE) since he can equip a moddable weapon (STILL NO MODDABLE TECHBLADES!?!?!?!). He uses the same armor as Qyzen, so no extra investment either. And even though he's ranged DPS, you can just begin with his Rifle Rush and then play him out just like you would Qyzen (if you prefer mobs to cluster around him). Everyone has their own playstyle, but I'd be interested to know if you think this spec is better suited to a ranged tank vs. melee tank.

Being a nerd (and bored to wit's end)...I too will bite. I've never read the Harry Potter books...only seen the movies. Same is true for the Star Wars franchise. So I can't adequately speak to what is often referred to as "lore" on these forums. But based on the movies... I will take one Yoda over an entire house of snot-nosed kids!! (even if they are led by Snape) In terms of magic vs. the Force ... all things considered (i.e., magic lore outside of the Harry Potter books) ... magic is much more powerful than the Force imho. But I'm an old-school table-top RPGing nerd .

@vartius - Thanks for the advice and insight. I forget how easy it is to re-spec, so maybe I will try it out and just see. Your description is kind of how I see it playing out...hopefully I can L2play as easy as you make it sound. @Ultanar - Thank you too for the insight, particularly in HM PVE. The build was initially a sort of "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" concept. And while I do want it to be viable in HM PVE, it really just came to mind as I got to the 3rd/4th tiers of Scrapper...wasn't sure what to do...did some forum trolling...and still wasn't sure...so I theorized/explored other options. I don't see myself being a primary healer with this build. I was looking at it as secondary DPS (single target and AoE) with the ability to support healing (which is why I went up to SRM) and support mitigation/CC. I tend to run out of resources, so I was hoping to bolster that through Keep Cool and Street Tough. My premade would likely consist of a primary DPS, a healer, and a tank. I appreciate the support followed by tepid honesty

Thanks for the reply. I do intend to use the toon for the entire gamut of PvE, including HM FPs and Ops. I suppose I would even try the toon at some point in WZ and PvP type stuff. But back to PvE and HM...is it just not good enough at any one area (DPS, healing, AoE, CC, etc.) to be useful? Or does it actually mean that 3 others and I just wouldn't be able to do complete one? My friends and I have yet to do any HMs. So I'm still ignorant on what exactly it's like and how important it is, if it at all, to have a "perfect" setup.

Something maybe like [15/13/13]? Mostly for PvE. I don't want to go too far into the healing tree since my main is a Seer. I was going to go full Scrapper DPS (something like 7/31/3)...but I've been trolling threads, and there just seems to be a lot of debate about the effectiveness/worth of many of the T4-T7 Scrapper tree DPS-skills. Everyone seems to like Shrap bomb though. I really don't know how SRM works yet, but it looks like it might be helpful to "buff with" in order to mitigate initial damage so I can focus on DPS? And I like the idea of Sedatives reducing the NPC's damage to me since I often try to solo group mobs with multiple elites. Or is this just a simply terrible idea?

If you have Social III, you can get a moddable Social headband on Alderaan (which I believe is before Hoth). Otherwise, the one on Hoth is 12 commendations.

Chaos and Harmony was the hardest for me...I heard some were able to defeat him with good timing of CC...but I was never able to pull it off. So I actually had to look up the "cheat/trick" for that one. I still feel bad for having to do that. Without question, for me, the hardest other boss to solo was Lord Tharsis on Balmorra. Died twice. Killed him the third time (got lucky)--but did not get credit Tried two more times to get the credit, but just kept dying. I thought I'd be able to come back for him with help, but did not realize turning in the quest would negate that possibility. He was a serious pain in the arse! He was waaaaay harder than any Heroic 2+/4 champion mob I faced. Everything else came pretty easy...although I tended to be over-level for many of the class/planet quest lines. I don't recall these mobs.

In regards to Belsavis... I've had both medium and heavy moddable bracers drop from the Elshuu daily on Belsavis [sleeping Rakata]. I'm guessing it's possible to get light ones as well. They dropped from the mobs at the very end of the tunnel (his Disciples that are kneeling). As a note here: orange pieces that don't have mods in them don't get rolled for...they go to whoever picks them up (at least the way default looting is set)...so if you're not soloing, make sure you let your party know you want them. I've also gotten moddable trooper bracers from the Heroic 2+ Belsavis daily [A Lesson is Learned]. It wasn't a drop though...I got it from the reward chest/box from the NPC (rather than choosing a mod). Again, I'm guessing it's possible to get a light bracers from here as well. Good luck.

I'm not balanced spec, so I can only suggest in theory... But if you're trying with a melee/tank companion, make sure their gear is up to level. You said certain attacks are not interruptable...if that's the case, I'd make sure to interrupt all other attacks as often as possible. If it can be stunned/mezzed...definitely use them on CD (in particular, Holliday's if using Theran). By reducing its DPS, it may help you manage your heals and medpacs and prolong your companion's damage output. I'm hoping you'll be able to do enough damage with your companion that even when your companions does die, you'll be able to finish it off (either with burst or by kiting). Good luck. P.S. - If this quest isn't your last quest, you could try finishing the rest of Voss and then come back to finish this one...maybe you'll acquire an extra level or 2 which might help as well.

Sorry to hijack your thread... But is there a specific mission that is likely to produce the return? Or can it be any mission at any level?

+1 to Ruuprect

I can't be positive since I'm not in game, but I think it's just his second AoE, which is EMP Blast (or something like that). Qyzen's Abilities

Aside from AoE (which I assume you plan to toggle off) -- I do not think so. Personally, I ended up using all AIM to have the flexibility of using those AoEs. But I didn't notice any marked difference in DPS between STR and AIM when AoEs were toggled off. Others might differ in this opinion...or perhaps they'll have factual data to back it up. My personal suggestion: If you're comfortable using STR-based self-crafted Synthweaving pieces and don't feel you're having any issues...then keep at it, enjoy the game, and enjoy your playstyle. Companions are pretty much for PvE, and I doubt STR-based pieces will hamper that experience.