you didn't really specify what your goals are. i've only done heroics so far (guild isn't rdy to do operations), but in the last couple weeks, i've tanked heroics just fine with 31 pts in shieldtech. i'm extremely happy w/my spec etc so far. i don't ever lose threat and i feel like i'm easy to heal.

SPOILERS SPOILERS i liked act 1. after that, it didn't feel like an epic quest. it felt like a series of random quests like you'd get lvling up. no characters to whom to report, nothin. only an appearance by mandalore at the very end... it's like, you get blood, you win the great hunt.. and then you start answering to a bunch of dudes.. who all of a sudden just die on nar shaddah lol. ooook. then you start working for a sith lord.. like in the 40's.. hardly much time to get to know him etc.. then sure enough you right away do the big thign w/chancellor or tormen (i killed tormen) it felt to me like a south park episode. 20-25 mins of building a main story(or two main stories) and then 5-10 mins of "OK NOW WRAP EVERYTHING UP FAST" not paced well for my liking. trying sith warrior now (marauder). i'm liking act 1 so far. but no frame for comparison for all 3 acts yet. SPOILERS SPOILERS

i let him out so i could embarass him, then asked mako what she wanted to do.. she said to leave him to die, so we did!

yea i just dont' think you have to.. we did it two nights ago and all four of us had to drop any quest we had and talk to the guy right outside the instance, was fast and easy

not sure if that's entirely accurate. when we did boarding party the other day, none of the 4 of us had ever done boarding party on regular mode. there's an additional NPC right outside the actual flashpoint that will simply give you a quest for hard mode. in fact, you cannot pick it up if you have the regular mode quest.

i never ever ever use missle blast. other than that, granted i'm a fresh 50, but i pretty much use everything else, lol. diff situations, of course. i don't use shoulder slam when tanking elites, cause you can't, obv... but i swear i think i use everything else. i use flame burst as a filler if i screw up on rotation threat on a single target and have heat to spare

i one-shot it as a fresh 50 last night in my first try, it was really easy? just interrupt the heals and i had mako healing me. i'm in mostly high 40's blues. they barely touched me.

great reply, demon! what gear do you use? oranges with purple mods from dailies? or rather, what gear did you have when you started tanking heroics

i did it yesterday, was absolute cake. i did the first half with torian cause i killed mobs faster, and as is the case anytime i expect something to be more difficult, i switched to mako (conveniently for your question). both are decently geared. the two supreme guards took a couple mins, but interrupting one of their heals is cake. just start with electro dart, then next one do the shield bash thing, quell or w/e it's called.. which is on a short cd.. then use carbonize for the next one, then quell again, and at least one should be dead.. i'm full shield tech etc, they barely touched me. in fact i clicked the DPS stance for mako halfway thru. **NOTE** i had to do the first bulk of the quest TWICE. i didn't see that i had to kill the 5 guys in the hangar, just did the explosions on the ships etc.. and then i cleared the entire ship (didn't include the two supreme guards etc) - and clicked the console that you're supposed to click LATER in the quest.. and my guy blew up the console after a few right clicks. then i did the hangar, then went back, and sure enough, it bugged the quest. i had to use emergency fleet pass and reset it from the imperial fleet before doing it again.

hrmmm. thx.

yep, can anyone confirm: Accuracy to 105% > DEF/Shield/Armour > Endurance/Absorbtion > Aim > Secondary Stats as being the best way to gear? i saw the deiminishing returns / etc breakdown of def/absorp/shield.. so if i don't have any gear with built in accuracy, good idea to mod for it in an orange piece or something?

thx dude http://www.forcejunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/BH-Tank-Spec.jpg that look right to you?

i'm in same boat basically as OP, i just hit 50 last night, bout to start doin heroics tonight. what's the exact tree you guys are using? i'm pretty sure the 31 pts in shieldtech are obvious, but not positive on the other 10 points. i'm thinking 2 in rocket punch and rest in the middle tree, just not sure which things. thanks in advance

same, the helm from hoth or taris commendations is really sleek, black full helmet, not bulky

i use mako and torian as needs fit still. i really enjoy watchin torian dps, fun having diff char w/you at times.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc138/EzFlyers10/Screenshot_2011-12-29_17_41_50_599454.jpg there it is

torian is way better (imo). but i also have geared him more than gault (since the cunning gear i get goes to mako and i give handmedowns to torian)

hehehe same.

i think that's exactly what i do, too. at 42, atm. i use heat blast as a filler as well, (especially if i somehow make myself get high on heat).

and yes, everything theron just said ^^^ i haven't found him a new weap, either, but he's perfect for handmedown gear - sometimes greens i find in early 40's are better for him than my blues/purples/oranges tho, cause i mod 'em for more defense

i've never figured that out, dude.. the only thing i can come up with is: armor pen for faster fights, exsanguination for elites?

i'll try to remember to upload it when i get home tonight (at work now). i'm pretty sure this is it, though - i didn't even have to change the enhancement, just the armoring and the mod: http://www.torhead.com/item/ejdLJKz it's gorgeous. very sleek, mostly black helm. it's my fave helm graphic in game so far. i'll set a reminder and yes, as someone said above, there are no base stats on oranges. some gear i THINK is "sith warrior required" but the helm i can gaurentee you is fully usable. it's prolly stayin on my guy until i get some lvl 50 BH gear

this. i barely use my blaster as is. and a rifle, or any two handed weapon just wouldn't make sense. we're not ranged tanks. we're close range. it'd be hard to do the grapple hook and flamethrowers etc if you didn't have a free hand. i do wish the generator would have a pulsing graphic or something, though

hahahaha this!! i bring blizz w/me a bunch, he's just so cute/fun/funny! damned sensibility! damned balance! damned effectiveness! i now rotate between torian and mako. a: they're both kinda goodie two shoes, which my BH is. b: torian's the best for damage for me, he kicks butt. however, if i have to solo a groupx2 or something, or an orange quest (i'm 42 right now), it's gotta be mako. HOWEVER i'm totally fine questing w/blizz. what i do on elites (not that i can't beat them straight up) - is, i send him in first, let him take a bunch of damage, then i come in and lay into mobs. i get aggro obviously very fast. can always taunt, too. and if it's a really hard mob, i can make blizz taunt if i'm in any danger, and i can taunt back when he's really low. you can make any work. don't neglect gearing your companions if you want them to be effective. torian and mako are very well geared for me, and both perform awesome.

yea finally someone who believes me hehe. i'm pretty sure it's just a bug in the game, achri. i'm pretty sure the purple one should be orange. if you look at the lvl 50 raid token loot on the fleet, you'll see it has built in stats (i.e. a jugg BP has 96 str, yet only 48 str from the mod and enhancement) purples should be better than oranges, i do believe