Wouldn't another solution be to play with players you know?

We had a good group of 15 people, ranging from 18 to 34 (lots of tanks and healers) and the boss on Coruscant smoked us in less than 1 minute. We used interrupts but most times they wouldn't work, which from what we ere told is NEEDED to stop his super attack. If anyone has some good tips for taking him down, let me know as I seriously have a grudge with that big tin can!

Ok, normally I just take what is given for a flashpoint but I have to say something about Athiss. Five times now that I have run Athiss with various groups there has never once been an item a Gunslinger/Scoundrel/Smuggler could use. Every single item was trooper or jedi based. I can understand once or twice but five seperate times? Something is wrong with the loot table here. Shouldn't the loot table at least offer 1 item per class running it or something like that? I'm not saying give me a full decked-out gunslinger set of items. Just 1 item please! I work as hard as the other players in the groups running it, so why shouldn't I get at least 1 item I can use? Regardless, I will still run it as people ask for help running it. After all, community is what ToR is all about right?

It is taking me forver to grind Cybertech. I have two of my three companions always making stuff but man the points take forever to build up and I rarely get a new schematic from reverse engineering. Odd, but that's just prolly means I suck at it! lol If anyone has any tips on making the grind go faster, please let me know.

We only have one heal ability right and it can only be used when we have a companion with us? Is there a way to tell our companions to use medpacs? That would save me some time and effort in combat.

I am not the best gunslinger, far from it. Heck I am still learning a good way to set my keybinds. I am level 27 and I love being a gunslinger. Do I win every single battle? Nope. Do you hear me screaming 'Damn you Corso' when he still keeps using harpoon at the most improper times? Yep. I am mainly going with the sharpshooter tree and I like to be pure dps. I can dish it out, provide support for those I am playing with, and still run up and give a good dirty kick when I need to. I honestly learn something new about my class every day from other players. So listen to your fellow Gunslingers and ask questions, reset your skill tree to what is good for you, and go lay some smack down! Oh let's not all forget. It is a unwritten rule that Smugglers/Scoundrels/Gunslingers have to hook up with someone on every planet we visit. Call it a Galatic Tour if you will!

Saying it brings them into balance with other skills. That's not really an explaination as we don't know what skill balance should actually should be. Some more detail from the devs would be appreciated.

They have not made a single reply to any of the topics about slicing. Heck, we don't even know if they even read the boards. It seems since the game went live, all we got from them was the occasional sticky and mostly silence. Dunno why. One would think they would take a few minutes and respond to the issue. Wait! That's logical. Nevermind, logic is not on the EA payroll.

Currently, there are none.

I think one of the reasons people are upset is that we never really heard the reason it was done. If a dev would take a few minutes and explain why such happened then maybe it would go a long way to helping the situation. As to me, yeah I had slicing, and no I am not even close to the crazy sums people keep saying they made pre-nerf. If level 26 and 70k is stinking wealthy, then I need to re-evaluate my definition of the word. I have zero desire to craft, absolutely none yet I have no problems with people who really enjoy it. I know those skills take a lot of grinding and work. Yet when they complain that the skills are a credit sink, I feel for them. After all, why should I complain. They are playing the game they way they want, so why can't I? It seems the devs are forcing us to get into crafting even if we don't want to. So it's either craft or do PvP. Neither of which I have any desire to do. As I said, I have no desire to craft. I have no desire to PvP as I really don't have the skill for it.

Nor is it Star Wars Crafting the Old Republic. Yeah Slicing needed adjusted but it did not get adjusted, it got nuked. Also, what are all these other ways to make a lot of money people keep mentioning? Crafting? Most say that is a credit sink until level 50, so not point there having to grind away at it for days to start making money. Seriously not fun, at least for me. PvP? Umm no. I don't PvP. Running mission? Not much money there and most times the gear I do get it is already worse than the gear I have. So people say go hit nodes. Well, with millions playing, most times the nodes are already harvested and take forever to respawn. So these other ways of to make a lot of money I'm just not seeing. I am sure they are there but apparently they have a really good cloak system as I can't find them.

Shhh don't say that. Otherwise they will nerf that too.

I see your point but what I am also seeing is now we are being forced into crafting skills. Things I don't like doing. As I want to enjoy the game, not spend hours and hours building stuff. Yet people cry about needing nerfs because they didn't agree with a crew skill. So Bioware nerfs slicing and now are trying to force players into crafting or pvp to make money or get good gear. Some some 'good, it's nerfed now go play the game'. Umm, I thought I was playing the game. Oh they mean go play the game they way they want it to be played. I wish Bioware would actually fix things wrong with the game instead of nerfing things. Like oh, how about fixing Corso's damn harpoon never staying turned off? Gee, that's a character ability that should have been fixed in BETA. Or how about commendations in peoples physical inventory that can never be used or turned in? That was also in beta and not fixed. Or how about some players getting mission rewards for other classes that they can't use or sell in the GTN? A Gunslinger who gets a purple hilt as a Smuggler quest reward..yeah that was useful, thanks ever so much.

Explain to me where this rule of thumb came from? Seriously, it's no fun having to struggle for cash just to trian your skills. No one is asking to be rolling in cash but as this a crew skill anyone can learn, what is to you that they make money off it? You have your way of playing and other people have theirs. Yet no matter what game there is always going to be people who scream and whine for nerfs. Yet people get confused when players leave because of those nerfs. I liked slicing. I got schematics I GAVE to people who could use them. In return most made one of the items if they could. I am not into the crafting scene and have no desire to be. So going by the logic others have used when it comes to crew skilsl they don't like, I should be screaming for all crafting skills to be nerfed. 'Oh look, they can make armor. I can't so it needs to be nerfed!' and so on. Yet I have no desire to do such either as I should not try and put my gaming ideals on other players. So Bioware instead of listening to people who bomb your twitter page. How about actually asking ALL players their opinions of things in the game. We pay the same fees and the vocal minority but it seems we get tossed on the back burner.

No one? Surely some players have advice on what keybinds to use and setups to use?

I know there are a ton of great players here and I am hoping I can tap your all's knowledge and experience to help me out. I am a level 20 Gunslinger and I want a good, easy-to-use, and effective hotkey setup so. I am trying to set myself up as a good DPS and support person as I evenutally want to try my hand at warzones. Also, I would like to have the crew skills to make some cash after all money helps get those good 'toys', lol. So what skills would I need to focus on to achieve this goal and what gui and hotkey setup would work best. Consider me a willing student who really wants to learn all I can. Thanks in advance all.

As a Gunslinger, I really don't have heals. I think I have 1 or maybe 2 but nothing major like a Scoundrel. So what do you all sugguest to keep my companions health topped off? I am a lvl 20 Gunslinger but I am still learning to effectively use my character and companions. I do find it odd that companions cannot use med kits on their own, why can such an option be added?

I agree about the companion part. I made the mistake tonight about that. I admit, it was my fault. So I offered the item to one of the players that needed it. I also have group with loot ninja's which really annoyed me but live and learn. Though I do have one issue, two heroic 4 missions and two flashpoints I did tonight. All 4 with the same party, Gunslinger (me), Trooper, Jedi Knight, and Jedi Sentinel. Not one single item from all those missions/flashpoint was something I could use as a Gunslinger. It was all stuff that the Trooper, Knight, and Sentinel could use and had stat bonuses they needed. Seriously, not one single item. What are the odds of that? I found that rather annoying and frustrating. All that work and not one single item I could use as a Gunslinger.