Uh, yeah it is. This is noted from the devs in various places to include this thread. Very specifically. Now to be clear, my view was the companions were way too strong or at least the healer was. And yes, Heroics and Flashpoints should play as more challenging as the regular content, or they are no either. Agree. But if the nerf was so extreme as to eliminate the ability to solo such events with your companion, played well- then we're back to the old days of SWTOR. We shall see. Need to login and test.

I was in early BETA and have come and gone many times. When I came back, I was very pleasantly surprised by many things and wondered, is Disney telling EA- start listening to the players? Ive seen improvements in every single area and the mood of the community reflects that on many levels. So when I hear of drastic nerfs, I pause and am reminded of all the reasons I left so many times. But this time, it COULD be different. In my many years in MMOs, devs in general, tend to hold their views of how a game should be played versus how their customers want to play it. And so my big concern with this nerf is, does this take soloists out of heroics and flashpoints? And if so, will they be as quick to find a middle ground? As in, will they listen to the players? We shall see. But... the companions were WAY over powered. As someone coming back from a long time a way, I was dropping golds within seconds, top tier elites (I forget what those with the white star are called) with next to no damage. It all felt like I had taken an invincibility potion which was great for rapidly leveling through content I had already seen, but boring, too. It just didnt feel like a game. Now I remember the days of solosits having nothing, not really. And this posts wording of dramatically reducing stats reminds me of the old days of SWTOR when LOTS of people left. I wish they be more common ground focused, but we will see when I log in. If Im now suddenly dying all the time, that wont work either.

I heard of the leaking issue way back in BETA, of course tons has improved since then. Well, cool- I tried hard root beer while leveling last night, never thought beer would taste good over the rocks (or with vanilla ice cream) but WOW good (a tad sweet). Makes sense, I shall do this when things get freaky with the game. Thanks!

Howdy First of all, Im SO NOT technical. Just an FYI. So I have a mid level, basic rig- nothing fancy, have run many demanding games on it, never a problem. I can't run all high settings, its usually a mix and match of mid level settings. So I reup for SWTOR after reading several good recent reviews. I log on, play for a bunch of hours, no lag or problems unless Im at the fleet, which can be horrible. But Im rarely there, so no big. Annoying but survivable. Ive noticed that after a certain amount of time, typically right around the 3 hour mark, game performance no matter where Im at, starts to decline. By the time I log off, its rather laggy. What might cause that? Great in the beginning, sucky by the end? Mucho thanks for any insights

Howdy Peeps I am a returning player, was in BETA, have not been on for a very long time. Ive always enjoyed crafting but obviously, a lot has changed. Are there any good sites to plug into that deal with crafting? Thanks!

Thanks, all! Appreciate it

I was in BETA, then gone, then back, then gone-- so on and so forth. LOL Ive heard so many good things lately and am such a SW nerd, decided to give it a whirl again. I have 4 toons, but mainly want to level 2 over the holidays, one of them being a Slinger>Sharpshooter . I LOVE utility, run and gun every now and then. Any place to find a decent 4.0 leveling build that has a calculaor pic? You time is stupendously appreciated.

These days, I just go out to her, thats the only kingpin I do for the most part and put out a group request. Within minutes there are bunches of people, we take her down 2-4 times for everybody to get in their quests and we're done. Ive dropped her everyday since the event began that way without heavy delays.

I think it is important to state, get into a GOOD guild and a guild that is a FIT for your play style. As there are lots of bad guilds out there or they might be good for a given play style but not yours. Once you get to Endgame in any MMO, well most, find a good fit with a guild is key and there are a lot of valid reasons for that. A good guild typically has a good a system not just for gearing you up, but also for learning how to raid given instances. Such leadership is critical to be successful during end game runs. I rarely join a guild while I level, at least not my first few toons, as I like to enjoy the game at my own pace. But once Im ready for Endgame, yeah, guild. Also, if you are a more casual player, look for casual, mature and family friendly as buzz terms. Look for guilds that have websites and a specific process to get in, usually a good sign. If you're not a hardcore raider then avoid guilds that align with that play style. I truly think that with a little effort on Google on your part, writing some guilds, putting some effort into finding one that fits your playstyle, the whole game will open up and change for you.

I was in BETA for both SWG and this game, played SWG a little while past NGE---blah, blah, blah. And as one of the early and rare Jedi in SWG, before they had OPT IN, I was one of the hunted. Basically, people hid a lot, ran a lot, then there was the run into your house plan until they nerfed that escape. I get the idea in theory as in theory, it offers a very high level of immersion, but thats not what happened in SWG. I think for some of the hardcore PvP'rs in SWG, they enjoyed it and I could see why they would- but overall, not a successful strategy for the player base as a whole. The BH Event has some solid pluses and some "meh" pieces to it. And I think its only fair that it be available to everyone. Sure, when I went after my targets with my BH it felt more immersive, Mako and my toon got married around then, so apparently she dug on it, but I dont think it needs to be exclusive the BH's to be enjoyed by BH's. This game has come a super long way and offers lots of good things and yet, there are a whole lot of areas that still need attention, to include some bugs that remain. I do hope, however, then rather then push out more and more "stuff", they do pay attention to and get better and better at, immersive content. I think the ultimate measure will be just that, a few years from now, will we all have much better opportunities for immersion so BH's always feel like BH's, smugglers, marauders, Jedi and such- all feeling the same. I also think there is a ton to be learned from SWG in terms of open world PvP, open world random amazingly cool events and such, that also enhance immersion. So I hope that some of the good of SWG, because there was plenty that was not good, is brought over- but to help the game as a whole, not just one class.

Triple bump! It just doesnt make sense to me that so much effort went into us not having to quest alone, some rather awesome personalities and story lines, only to have it all come to a crashing end when they get fully unlocked. Or at least an NPC Dr. Phil to help us cope with our jilted hearts. ;-)

Yeah, I was aware of how holocrons work versus companion unlocks, in terms of account wide versus a given toon. But if I read what was just posted correctly, the companion unlocks dont stack? So If I unlock a boost to aim from a Jedi companion and then if I unlock another aim boost from a trooper, they will not stack? If thats true, why would anyone much care about unlocking all of your companions? Im not saying it isnt true, it just doesnt make sense because the mentality will be, unlock all companions once and then be done with it, no? So a fully maxed out Legacy will give you a small boost, small as compared to other end game boosts and thats about it? Just making sure what I think Im reading is in fact true. Many thanks!

Howdy ;-) First, could someone confirm the current Legacy cap is 50? Ok, now onto the post. I have several toons that range from 51-30ish. As I unlock more and more companions, three so far, it got me thinking. Lets say Im focusing on bumping my aim, crit and endurance stats. And lets say that I max out four companions that offer boosts to those specific stats. So a 4 X bump per companion unlocked in the (fill in the blank) stat. Do we know what % bump we get from that scenario? The big question I have is, if I hunt down every holocron/matrix cube/companion perk around a given stat, lets say "aim", how much of a total bump that would be- these three alternate sources combined? Im trying to quantify the return on investment of time. Many thanks for any insights and/or links. Jin

Thank you!

Hey All- Just a quick question that after an exhaustive search, I still cant find the answer to. Do we have a firm date on when this event will go live? Ive read several different dates in the official communications, about a day apart but I cant find any hard date that this will go live? I think they are also launching a new Cartel Pack, I assume with this? Thanks for any firm dates. Appreciate it! Bob

Thanks for the feedback. So Im assuming running 50 hard mode means running level 50 flash points on hard? I was thinking about that myself. Plus good training in terms of my role. Appreciate the feedback, all. Any dailies routes you all love? I found the Illum ones kind of boring.

Although Ive done a lot of raiding in other MMO's, I have not done so here. However, the same observation applies. When you join a good, down to earth and well managed guild and you raid with them, the leader (which would have been far more experienced, typically) may have done that for you just as a thank you, as he or she may do for any other player, for whatever reason that may be. Thats the thing I like about a good down to earth, casual guild that makes room for many types of players and scenarios. However, PUG's are a crap shoot. I think that the choices you made reminded me very much of the kind of tone found in a good guild run raid but in a PUG, over communication is a must. People dont know each other, they are not used to working with each other and like a one night stand (sorry), there is no real commitment there (at times). Most of the PUGS Ive run in TOR have been very fair but also very cold, very business like. MEH! This is a game, I play it for fun. All this to say, you seem like a rather genuine person- I would get with a good guild, where i bet you would thrive.

Greetings and Salutations Interstellar Travelers- So I was in BETA and have been on and off, with more large periods of off then on and returned about a week ago. Although there are still things that drive me batty, I must say that the gameplay has dramatically improved from where it was at launch. A lot of things are coming together nicely. I love the Ewok!! Treek is adorable, the Tauntaun looks fun, the HK droid quest seems a bit daunting but that also looks cool. And Im rather thrilled there will be a BH event, which Ive been working hard on getting my BH leveled for that. Which leads me to this post. I have a lvl 50 Sent and the number of options is a bit daunting. Im also not clear on how to best use the Basic Commendations and when, or on what? Ive done a ton of scouring of the internet but Im still not clear on what path would make the most sense. Here are the types of things Im debating. Do I just go through the quests to level to 55 then do dailies, or should I do some dailies first- to gear up? My gear is from almost a year ago. At 50, is there a specific dailies circuit that you do? If I should put off dailies until 55, what dailies circuit do you use then? Recommendations on how to best use the Basic Commendations? Feedback that would be super helpful would be something like, Step one- level to 55, step two - do these dailies and then step three, check out this gear to get ready for Ops... something straight forward. Any help and insights would be appreciated. Thanks! Jin

No offense, but your tone, which is totally your right, but you"re exactly the type of hard core raider I avoid like the plague. In my many years in various MMO's, I always join family friendly casual guilds- never hardcore raiding guilds, because I cant stand that kind of vibe when Im playing a game. I have a job, I dont need another one while playing a game. Now again, I greatly admire hardcore raiders- cool, game on and have a blast, just not my cup of tea. Ive played utility specs my entire 10 plus years of playing MMO's and I dont gimp raids nor do I now, because I know how to play utility and manage aggro (which aint easy lacking many of the add on mods WoW - Rift and others would allow). For guilds that do operations for fun and of course, gear and experience, thats fine. I have a Sentinel that is pure DPS that I have and can pull out, when needed and I dont mind that for a high tier raid, but for every day operations, I focus on fun not feeing like Im in the military. No offense, I respect your position, just not a playstyle I enjoy

Im currently running an 18-0-23, which offers a ton of options and decent sustained DPS. I have no desire to be the "best" tank or DPS (PvE only), just want to play a build I enjoy that offers good raid utility to aid in any number of scenarios- from off tanking, burning down adds, taking the heat for a tank briefly if needed then blinking out, I love versatility as a play style. Thoughts on what 2.0 builds would offer this role for end game and just for game play in general?

Ive played SWG BETA through about four months after the NGE and was apart of a very awesome guild. I played WoW , multiple toons to include my main, which was a hunter I maxed out when they introduced the Death Knight expansion. In WoW, I was also apart of an awesome guild. SWTOR was a game I waited for and talked about for years and in many ways, it did not let me down. Some of my best gaming moments ever, have been in this game, mainly around the storyline and some great moments there. So the typical BW strength, that of rich story driven, companion centric RPG- BW excelled. But as an MMO, sorry, but BW just does not get it and more importantly then anything else, does not listen to some very critical feedback. A friend I turned onto the game wrote me, telling me he missed the capital cities of WoW and the starter zones that seemed almost magical. After getting my Jedi Sent to 50, facing boring, repetitive dailies, no grouping system, content that requires me to repeat the same zones over and over to get legacy perks, on and on I could go, I just gave up. I think even from a content standpoint, I would have been more patient. But there were big issues that every time I saw them brought up, credible issues by players genuinely trying to get this game where it could be, the response was either nada or to blow us off. Even in these blog posts, you can just read them and see where the management team just blasts past things we've been saying since day one. I really wanted to play an MMO so I hoped on Rift and WOW what a difference. -The Rifts are a rather amazing idea that allowed me to "quasi raid" right away, at like level 8. Later, when I got into the teens, I got do a group join and run dungeons anytime I want, already, while just in the teens. -I had a mount at level 8. My life was so much easier as a result. -The AH, our GTN, makes sense and works very well. And their fees, to include the fees for "mending" your soul, to include the fees when porting, on and on I could go, were all sane- not a fraction of what it costs me just to play for a week in TOR. They get how an economy should work, TOR does not. In fact, Ive never played a game where the in game money was so out of whack. -Crafting. We were told we would now be able to make items that you could not buy at a vendor. There were several I zeroed in on as an artificer. Boom, the patch comes in with the new dailies from Corellia and guess what? There on the vendors list, items better then what I can make. -Zones. Although there are a few breathtaking zones, most of them are war torn burnt out cities that at first were cool, but MMO'rs spend lots of hours playing, we dont want to see death and destruction non stop. Once, I bumped into a smallish woods area that was like WoW or the amazing Dathomir in SWG and it was great. But there are very few magical and cool places to explore in TOR. And the zones are very small. -Rift had me obssesed with collecting artifacts almost right away. It was so great to be riding mountain tops again, exploring, finding cool surprises. I even bumped into an amazing rock climbing rock that took me like 30 minutes to climb, insane views up top. My reward? An epic item from a glowing stack on top. -Hybrids. Wow, I cant even begin to document the number of options available to me on Rift. My hunter is a rogue that can port and do some mean hand to hand, friggin a blast to play. And Im already in a guild with VERY supportive and kind people. And to change roles, of which I can have four, or play with points, doesnt cost me a fortune. I can find what works for me, they make it easy, not hard. -Then one of the final insults to me, Legacy. I love the idea, but so much of it was poorly put together. I make a toon the grandfather of the whole clan, but when I look at the chart- it doesnt say that, it has no meaning. Theres no place for me to write a story that other players can inspect. And my so called Legacy locks, more often then not, cost me a minor fortune to use. So whats the motivation and point? -Rift is almost 3D, beautifully rendered and fantastic and not a single lag or tech problem once. I never have a problem or am made to feel my computer is not enough, I can play and do play on max settings, not a single issue. On TOR, Im made to feel that its always my computers fault. Start listening to vets of MMO, people that have years of experience, or perish. I just got tired of trying and trying only to have insane demands on credits to enjoy content, everywhere I turned, more and more work, versus fun- it just burnt me out. And Im not alone, more and more articles are popping up on gamer sites saying the same thing. I will keep my sub for the next 3-6 months to see if TOR get itself squared away because like I said, to core quest was rather amazing. But I rarely log on, just not worth it when I can have tons more fun at level 25 on Rift. Their raid dynamics of Rifts constantly opening up, cool perks for world events that are constantly playing out, I dont have to work so dang hard to have fun. And I have lost track of how many times something has blown me away in their world. Although I know the people up on high at TOR would never do this, they should, they should get an account on Rift- their top of the line collectors edition (about $40 versus the $150 I paid on TOR) and just play Rift for 30 days, thats it, just do that and you will see what I mean. If I can have that kind of a Star Wars and MMO experience, I would be back in a heartbeat. But even the tone of your last blog post tell me, that wont happen any time soon if ever. Sad, because you could have one heck of a game.

Oh and glad you decided to delete your previous rather full yourself response and replace it with a far more helpful one. Its a good move to the LS because, well, as amazed as you were at the apparent stupidity of my question, well, yes, its just a game. I dont live my life playing it and thus dont know all its ins and outs, which is good. Thats what the idea of community is, helping each other, supporting each other. The fact the deleted your first post and replaced it with a helpful one, a good beginning aways from a life of trolling. Ciao! Jin

Based on how things were written, I thought they may drop of non level 50 but on hard mode but it makes sense that would not be the case. Well, guess I'll have to wait to fly a ton of missions or run some ops with a guild.

Does anyone know of a flashpoint that can be solo'd that drops these, the biometric one? Solo'd by a level 50 Sent, to be specific. Im geared to about 15K health at this point. Thanks!

Some of you may think this is good news, but trust me, it is so not: