I RE-ed several things to either blue or purple today without more trouble than before, so I think it's just bad RNG. They were all low-level and gray, since I'm RE-ing for alts. I haven't had much luck getting a different purple version on a 49, but I'm used to those taking forever.

On every planet, you will find 2 commendation vendors. One sells equipment, while the other sells equipment modifications. I haven't been able to find moddable bracers and belts while leveling, so it's best to buy them with commendation marks if you don't have better ones (from crafting, dungeons, drops, etc). For all your orange items, you can buy armorings, hilt/barrel, mods, and enhancements with commendations as well. The gear from these vendors doesn't tend to have restrictions, so if you have spare commendations, you can buy things for your companions too. It's basically a nice, free supplement to the gear you get from quest rewards, since you accumulate a fair number of commendations if you do most of a planet.

Just from my experience, TeamSpeak is pretty horrible. I highly recommend Mumble as an alternative to Vent. Everything is free and the quality seems better than Vent. But since most people use Vent, it's a good idea to have it downloaded in case you're asked to join their server.

I occasionally get recipes from Underworld Trading which require Empire classes. What I do is keep them in bank until I gather a few, along with any drops which require Dark, and then take a trip to Nar Shaddaa to post all of them at once. I usually post them for 2 days, but so far they have sold immediately. The neutral AH is also a great place to find deals for your own faction. It's a long run from the hangar and I think a lot of people underprice things just to make sure they sell the first time. I've picked up a few nice recipes for friends for very cheap, some mats, relics, etc.

Medical Probe is one of the baseline healing spells you get for choosing Commando as your Advanced Class. It is by no means a robot, so don't expect it to summon a droid who heals for you or anything like that. It's simply a spell which you learn from the trainer and which you cast on people to heal them (or yourself, companions, etc.). I can't remember when I got it, but it was pretty early - 10-15, I think. Both your abilities window and the trainer have two tabs - generic Trooper spells (which you share with Vanguards) and specific Commando spells. If you trained everything, look under your Commando tab. Otherwise, check the trainer and see if there isn't anything in the Commando tab that you haven't trained.

I know what you mean. The demographic you were in (buying power thanks to a job, but also more free time to spend playing) has a limited shelf-life. Most people end up getting in a serious relationship or getting married. By the time you're in your mid-30s, you're either working a lot to get ahead, you're saddled with kids, or doing both at the same time. Realistically, people 30+ have the most buying power and the least amount of time to spend on entertainment. If you want to attract them, you have to give them a reason to stick around. ************************************************ Regarding WoW being more of a grind, I think that highly depends on your playstyle. The fact that it can cater to multiple playstyles is another reason why they are successful. If SWTOR follows the same path, I don't see why it wouldn't be very successful in the long run. The wrong assumption in this case is that everyone plays to get the best gear possible. This is absolutely not true. If that's what you want, then you'll have to put in the time and effort for it. But there are things to do for people who are less interested in min-maxing - alts, crafting, playing the auction house, running normal-mode content, non-competitive PvP, etc. By having multiple tiers of content, an MMO can cater to a greater number of demographics and maximize their subscriptions. Completely alienating the largest demographic doesn't make business sense. ************************************************ Bottom-line: I can't tell you that what you want is wrong and if I was mean before, I apologize. But you are not going to convince the devs that a formula which has proven successful needs to be changed to accommodate the wishes of a minority. Instead of trying to change these "ezmode" MMOs, you should be looking for MMOs which fit your playstyle.

If by "challenging" you mean something which causes you to lose 8-10 hours of play, then yes, you are a masochist. Perhaps you don't value your time as much as I do, but I see no justification for losing a few days' worth of progress for one mistake. If you can't understand what a valuable currency time is, you have greater problems than I do being "new to the MMO genre." "New," of course, is pretty subjective, since I've played WoW since Vanilla. Games like EQ didn't interest me or others like me because we had things to do with our lives.

Maybe you should realize that the reason why WoW was so successful is because it was playable by people who aren't masochists and don't have the luxury of spending 16 hours a day playing a game (and losing those hours when their character dies). For your benefit, here's the harsh reality: people who spend 16 hours a day/7 days a week playing MMOs don't have the buying power of people with jobs (except those with very affluent parents or those who inherited some money). You may be able to afford the initial game and subscription, but you will not spending much down the line on additional services. Also, your subscription isn't worth the loss of hundreds of thousands of other subscriptions from people who find hardcore games unpalatable. Videogame companies are not in the business of making nerds happy; they are in the business of making money. You don't make massive profit by catering to a small demographic with limited buying power. You make your profit by catering to as many people as possible, including those with limited time to play. Anyone who plays 2-4 hours a night isn't going to put up with death penalties which involve massive credit losses and/or level losses, being unable to complete a dungeon because the area is overcrowded or others are griefing, and spending the vast majority of their playtime running between quest hubs. They want to log on and accomplish something, whether it be gaining 1-2 levels, finishing a quest area, successfully completing a dungeon, etc. Since we derive our sense of accomplishment from real-life activities and we deal with enough setbacks and negativity at our jobs, we don't need pain and "work" mixed in our entertainment. If a game requires me to do ridiculous amounts of grinding for the smallest things or sets me back considerably for the smallest mistake, I'm not going to buy it. Period. You're playing the wrong MMO, I'm afraid.

Mods are identical to the ones you can get from the daily. I got my epic RE on the first try, though, so I can't complain. I hate dailies and that's one less daily I have to do, unless my friend wants to do it. Earpieces with augment slots are better than the Rakata ones. Again, I lucked out and got a very good purple version, although it probably took me 50 blue REs. I didn't luck out with the tanking one, but I'm still trying it every now and then for my friend.

You are mistaken, actually. You're confusing addons with macros, first of all. There's nothing shady about macros. They don't require you to install anything, buy anything, etc. They're just written commands you can save up if the interface allows it. They accomplish exactly the same thing as pressing 2 keys at the same time, so all they do is allow people to clean up their keybindings and make their gameplay more fluid. Using them is not rocket-science, and people who are good at writing them often write guides which teach others how to do it. Regarding "info," hopefully you realize that simply mousing over someone or targeting them shows you information like their class, level, HP, whether they are casting anything, what they are casting, etc. You can also inspect their gear and their schematics. In other words, you don't need addons for that, so no need to be paranoid. Things like being to resize and move interface elements, mouseover healing, raid frames which show relevant information, threat meters, target of target are all things which should have been part of the standard interface. I would personally prefer they would simply introduce them precisely so we don't have to rely on addons.

Just because stats are there on equipment you can put on, it doesn't mean you should use them, regardless if you're raiding or not. Each class is designed with a certain itemization in mind based on what they are supposed to do. Healer and DPS specs get class abilities which allow them to prevent damage from occurring in the first place - CCs, interrupts for casters, knockbacks and slows for melee, etc. Tanks don't get a lot of these, but they get talents and abilities which allow them to soak more damage; obviously, their gear does the same. If you're not a tank and you're taking overwhelming damage, you're either playing badly, or you're being greatly outnumbered/outleveled. While you can't do much about 5 people ambushing you, dealing with someone 1-on-1 doesn't require tanking gear. In fact, you're making it easier for them because you're lacking in stats which are actually beneficial to you. Presence I addressed above. Get your companion better gear, and then both of you can function at a higher capacity. Even if useless variations were eliminated, we are still looking at far more than 2 epic variations - about 8 for Cunning and 9 for everything else. There are plenty of subpar versions in there, so people will still have to grind for the ideal one for their spec, but at least they are all usable and they don't encourage bad play.

Companions can't equip items which have - class requirements (e.g. Jedi Consular) - alignment requirements (e.g. requires Light II or above) - social requirements (e.g. requires Social II or above) Anything else they should be able to equip, assuming they have the armor proficiency for it. There are some crafted orange pieces which don't have any requirements, as well as moddable pieces on the commendation vendors. You can also give them green pieces you get as drops if the stats are beneficial to them. They won't be the best, but they're okay placeholders. Many quests also give companion upgrades, so if you don't need the commendation and your own reward is a downgrade, just get upgrades for her.

You have to hold down the right button for about 5 seconds before it locks on, and then you can fire them. Most times it works, but sometimes it doesn't and no torpedoes get fired even though the visual indicates the lock is on. The only missions that become annoying are Makem-Te Assault and Zosha Advance. For the others, you can use them to destroy the com stations for the special bonus (they don't interfere with your main mission or other bonus missions). So I just unequip them for those 2 and use missiles instead. You can do those missions both ways, so it doesn't matter.

I also noticed activation delay on Supercharge Cells. Sometimes, I have to hit it 2-3 times before it activates. It's annoying as hell, because I'm already hitting Kolto Bomb or APM with another finger and then I notice that they aren't getting the extra buffs. The bar going red has happened to me too, but I think it might be because we are spamming too fast. Not having Quartz to gauge latency and queue spells depending on latency is annoying. Anything else, not so much (anymore). Relics seem to activate fine for me, and so do consumables. I used to get everything you describe to an aggravating level before I replaced my video card. I was also sharing my internet connection with my fiance over Christmas. Now, everything seems to be a lot smoother, so I'm not sure if it's just the video card, or video card + unshared connection.

You can't court Yuun I thought it would be hilarious too, but only Jorgan and Elara are romance-able. On another funny note, Forex likes Courting gifts. Jorgan takes longer to put out than Elara, and although I was at max affection with him and had completed his chain, it wasn't until I was done or almost done with the romance chain. I love the voice too, btw.

As it is, RE-ing level 49 items to a desirable purple is a lengthy and expensive process. The following suggestions are not meant to eliminate randomness or rarity, but to eliminate some of the unnecessarily frustrating aspects of this process. 1. Eliminate + Presence as a possible stat for T2 versions. Presence is a relic of older Beta builds and has zero utility on entry-level raid gear. Allow me to explain this. Presence slightly improves your companion's performance, at the expense of your own stats. For one, improving your companions' performance can be achieved more effectively by giving them better gear or mods. They benefit from certain stats just like players, and you don't need to sacrifice your own stats to achieve this. Secondly, you will not be using companions in either HM flashpoints or any operations, so the existence of this stat on level 49 epic gear (which is entry gear for end-game content) is absolutely superfluous. The only reason +Presence exists on epic variations is to make the RE system more frustrating for crafters trying to discover a well-itemized recipe. If crafted gear had any lasting value, I could see some justification for this. As it is, easily replaceable gear should not be overwhelmingly complicated to obtain. 2. Eliminate the Redoubt blue version, as well as any epic versions with +Defense and +Absorb from any Cunning gear. Smugglers and Imperial Agents do not have a tanking spec in either of their advanced classes. There is absolutely no point in having advanced versions with tanking stats for classes which are not designed to tank. 3. Eliminate +Absorb from epic variations derived from Critical and Overkill blues. The reasoning is simple. If you want a tanking epic, you RE Redoubt blues. If you are RE-ing Critical or Overkill, you are after a DPS or healing piece. 4. Eliminate +Alacrity from epic variations derived from Redoubt blues. Similar reasoning as above. Alacrity is a useless stat for tanking. 5. Eliminate the discovery of duplicate recipes (i.e. recipes you already know). ********************************************************************** For naysayers, this isn't meant to make crafting "ezmode" or give people things "on a silver platter" (oh, how tired I am of these stupid cliches). You'll still have to wade through unwanted epic versions, but at least they will be sellable to someone who prioritizes different secondary stats. As it is, some versions are completely unusable by anyone, and a complete waste of time and mats.

I've been trying to understand your reasoning, but I can't. What you wrote there is completely illogical, based on false assumptions, and contradictory. Diversity and balance are not mutually exclusive in any way, unless you intentionally design an imbalanced system because of your poor understanding of what most people find "fun." Differences aren't "fun" for the guy at the bottom (although of course they are "fun" for the one who is reaping the benefits). Eventually, he smartens up and corrects his choice. In the end, imbalance weeds out all diversity because people flock to whatever offers the most benefits. A balanced system encourages differences because people don't feel forced to make one specific choice. They choose what they personally enjoy, knowing that in the end the benefits they derive from their profession are equal to other people's. The "harmonization" in WoW wasn't meant to satisfy the needs of the 1%. The 1% took whatever was strongest at any given time, without caring what profession it happened to be. It's the 99% who insisted that the professions they personally found fun be given equal benefits.

Ilum and Belsavis both have dailies and commendation vendors. Vendors have armorings, barrels, hilts, as well as Rakata earpieces and implants. Armorings/barrels/hilts are slightly better than the epic crafted ones. Earpieces and implants are slightly better than a crafted item without an augment slot, and slightly worse than one with an augment slot. Daily (heroic 2) on Ilum gives epic enhancements (equal to crafted ones). Daily (heroic 2) on Belsavis gives epic mods (also equal to the crafted ones).

Exactly. Since you can reset them anyway by zoning or logging, there is no logical reason why there shouldn't be a reset button on the interface. However, you're arguing with people who think that RNG and "skill" are somehow connected, and that wasting time makes them "hardcore." And it keeps getting better. For the last tier of vendor mats, you'd have to be nuts to buy them from the vendor. For example, 40 Thermoplast Flux cost 20,000 at the vendor (500 a piece). A rich Scavenging mission, which provides 32-40 pieces, costs 2,000.

Red Eclipse and Bloodworthy. Red Eclipse probably has more Dutch people. I suspect there are some Scandinavians on The Progenitor, Imp side, but I can't confirm.

I think that implementing a same-server LFD would please everyone. You'd still be matched only with people on your server, but you could be out questing instead of sitting at the Fleet like a disgruntled puppy. Or, spec healer and prepare to be constantly ambushed.

Every class gets a skill, on a 20-min CD, which restores a small amount of health to both you and your companion. If your advanced class has a healer spec, you get a couple of basic healing spells even if you don't spec into healing. You can use those to heal your companion. If you're using a tank companion as DPS, you should try to CC the hardest mob in the pack and kill the small ones first. That way, your companion won't get pummeled. Obviously, only do this if you're having trouble with that pack. Otherwise, you can just blast through them. If you're a tank, you can put guard on your companions and taunt off them. As either tank or DPS, you could try running with a healer companion (they heal themselves too, but you'll have to protect them via CCs and taunts).

The CE only gives you the actual vehicle, and not the piloting skill. The vehicle costs 8K at the Fleet and a few other vendors, with a few fancier versions available for 25K. However, you can't ride your CE speeder until you train piloting rank 1, which is 40K. I'm not sure why you're so broke. I'm pretty wasteful with my alt, but I'm powerleveling her professions to provide my main with a few things and I can afford to funnel her credits. On my first character, I didn't really start selling things on the GTN until 35 or so, and I had plenty just from running missions. A few tips: - vendor all your grays - vendor greens unless they are earpieces and implants; those two you should be putting up on the auction house - don't buy gear; quest rewards and items from commendation vendors range from adequate to excellent - don't buy stims and medpacks from vendors; you get sufficient medpacks as drops - don't spam profession missions; gather all you can while leveling, craft what you can with your available mats, and don't obsess over RE-ing everything to purple. You can selectively train only those items which you're going to use for yourself, and fill out your crafting book once you have the spare credits - if you're auctioning things, don't put them up at the default price; some sell reliably at much higher prices - it's fine to outlevel a planet. Missions give you a lot of credits, so you can do the bonus series too just for money, commendations, and gear.

If someone needs it, then just pass. You can gear your companions nicely using your old gear, crafting profession, quest rewards, items from vendors and commendation vendors, drops you get when you solo, GTN, etc. If no one needs a particular item, ask if you can need it for Fluffy. Most people aren't hardcore jerks and won't have an issue with it. It's best if you bring this up at the beginning of the instance, so people can't say they would have needed for their companions too if they'd known. As long as you're fair and civil, you shouldn't have problems.

It's probably better to stick with a DPS character until you get a firmer grasp on the game. It's not that tanking or healing are that much harder, but people tend to blame you even when they make mistakes, so it could sour your experience pretty fast. As a tank, people expect you to lead them through an instance. You need to know the pulls, which mobs need to be CC-ed, when to use your defensive cooldowns, when to interrupt, etc. This game doesn't have a threat meter or default target-of-target, so there are some UI issues which make things a bit more complicated right now. As a healer, you need to know the pulls and when to expect a lot of damage. You also need to be able to gauge how good the tank is and be prepared to overcompensate. There is no healer UI, so it's probably the most involved role in the game at this point. I'm not saying this to discourage you. I just think you'll have a better experience in the long run if you figure out the game before you go into tanking or healing. ______________________________________________________________________ Regarding your lightsaber, it has 4 moddable slots - color crystal, hilt, mod, and enhancement. With Artifice, you can create color crystals, hilts, and enhancements. Mods are made by Cybertechs, but you can also buy them on each planet from the Commendations vendor. Your profession doesn't level automatically with you. You need to level it separately, by crafting items which give you points. You start out with a few recipes, and every 20-ish points, you need to visit the Artifice trainer to learn new recipes. I assume you have Archaeology as your gathering skill, and Treasure Hunting as your mission skill. As you noticed, you can gather crystals in the wild, so you don't need to send your companion on Archaeology missions, except for those offering vendor materials. The reason why you want to do that is because they bring you back vendor mats at much cheaper prices than you can buy them from the vendor. Treasure Hunting provides you with blue and purple materials you'll need to craft superior items. You can't gather these yourself, so you'll have to send your companions out on missions. You might have noticed that your bags have a Reverse Engineering button (if it disappears, talk to a vendor or use a bank, and it should reappear). You can RE your green items to get some mats back and have a chance to discover a blue version with more stats. RE-ing blues has a chance to give you an epic recipe, but don't do that at lower levels. Blues are fine and you'll outlevel them pretty fast. If you don't have the materials to craft a certain item, mouse over the mats you're missing to find out what grade they are (there are 6 grades of both common and rare materials). If your crafting is a bit above your level, you can stop leveling it until your gathering skill catches up. If you can't find the mats you need on your current planet, it's likely you'll be able to find them on the next planet. If your gathering skill is too low for your current planet, you can go back to a lower planet and run around gathering a bit until you catch up (or send companions on missions, but that could get costly).