i agree with this. Unfortunately the usefulness is providing ultimate solo-ing utility for me. So I will stick with this craft to the end

I agree with this... the mediocre healing from a companion (compared to an actual player healer) does make it more challenging to solo heroics or champions as a DPS class. The reusable med pacs provide an efficient clutch heal when things go bad ... I experienced this on my Shadow. Decided that I would try out a sage, and last night I was running heroic 2s easily. Especially since Qyzen is great at holding aggro lol.

Yeah AmberGreen I think reposted it for us I am interested what reduction are we talking about for BioChem. I think the level 400 requirement is fair for end game crafts...

Sorry! LOL I do not speak or read German, so I blame Google... maybe we can submit a bug fix to them

Not sure... they haven't announced specifics but the dev is quoted: Too long? Not read? Many fine words "we nerf Biochemistry and Cybertech Endgame products" because they were so good that the players they have begun to be regarded as a mandatory requirement. Your choice of crafting skill should not be the deciding factor to determine whether you are allowed to participate in the endgame content, or it can be successful. We still believe that Cybertech Biochemistry and crew are very valuable skill, especially when you consider the amount of credits, the players make these craft skills on the GHN ... but they are no longer the "golden ticket" to enter the endgame content. He also mentions that the BioChem packs may heal for too much at the end game... not sure about that since i'm not level 400 BioChem. I wonder if he is referring to the Rakata med pacs.

LoL there are rebalances upcoming for cybertech... Before I get excited or agitaged, I will wait for the actual rebalance affect. The Dev Tracker did mention, that the grenades were causing an additional spike in damage calculations over short periods of time. This was making PvP fights much shorter than intended in their game mechanics... So maybe that is a longer cool down on the epic reusable grenades? Not to sure since I am not a cybertech... maybe a cybertech can offer my theories lol.

LoL Dry those tears Soldier! The great fearless commander has waved the legendary nerf-stick and now BioChem and Cybertech may be only *marginally* better than the other crafting skills! I will not be switching crafts... I am gonna stick with my crappy BioChem... this whole balancing thing is getting kind of ridiculous... and the way BioWare approaches with their magic nerf stick... i anticipate a level playing field of mediocrity for crafting very soon.

BioWare (and I do give them Kudos for posting an official post about it) has announced today that Cybertech's epic grenades and BioChems epic consumables at end game will be nerfed. So no more crying on one side... we can all cry together lol... Also if it makes you feel better, BW has offered you their shoulder, as they "understand that it will cause frustration for some players" especially those who just switched to BioChem. I laugh at the post that said their guild required all to switch to BioChem 400 for Raiding lol.

I agree... I just rolled a Sage and have BioChem to test it out.. and admit the consumables are way awesome... I won't be dropping the craft either... even with the nerf, the utility for BioChem still remains. Consumables that boost your stats will always be useful, PvE or PvP

See Dev Tracker from GeorgZoeller posted 1/13/2012

Developer Name : AmberGreen Forum -> Thread Date / Time Public Test Server -> Game Update 1.1 - Additional Notes Crafting Skills Below, you’ll notice some changes to high-end Biochem and Cybertech crafted items that reduce their output. We understand that these changes may cause concern for Biochemists and Cybertechs, but we’ve made them in order to prevent a situation where any specific crafting skill becomes the objective “best choice” for players challenging endgame content or PvP. We only make this type of change after very careful consideration, and only to ensure a level and fun playing field for all players. Artifice All mod type item modification schematics have been removed from the Artifice trainer. These schematics were invalid, and could not be used if purchased. Biochem All Energized, Exotech, and Rakata adrenals and stims now require 400 Biochem for use. The Exotech Medpac is now named “Exotech Med Unit.” Its overall healing has been reduced and is now in line with similar level medpacs, and it temporarily increases the maximum health of its targets. Use of this item now requires 400 Biochem. The amount healed by Rakata Medpacs has been reduced. This item now additionally increases maximum health briefly. Use of this item now requires 400 Biochem. Cybertech Wynz-Tek grenades now require 400 Cybertech for use. Wynz-Tek Grenades have had their damage reduced to bring them more in line with grenades of similar level. The Wynz-Tek Firestorm grenade’s damage has been reduced to bring it in line with grenades of similar level. It now deals damage every 3 seconds over 12 seconds.

I agree with your analysis! However, if you think about this "problem", it is the total opposite of the other "problem" that the community was worried about. The other "problem" was the the nerfing of slicing which was supposedly helping spur the economy full of credits. However I tried to point out that a lot of us will not have to worry about a lack of currency. This economy will eventually be saturated with credits, just nothing to spend it on Eventually, you will be able to get 1.5M credits for like 20 bucks lol. Personally, I don't really mind this "problem" of easy credits. In the short run, this crafting system makes it much much easier for gold farmers to earn credits. In the mid run, as more gold farmers do it, the credit pool will grow; and the demand of currency purchases will set the price on the internet. And in the long run, if this keeps up, the price of currency online will drop and then we can all buy currency for cheap Also those who don't buy currency can craft lowbie trash for some super rich and ignorant person and get paid with Chinese Farmer blood money

+1 This intial forum post is not a problem exclusively caused by unbalanced crew skills. Yes, I will agree for the most part the crew skills need some tweaking (not a revamp as most people want). However, a guild saying "No Biochem, No Raid" is more related to the two different types of cultures that are knocking heads in this community. Guys remember, this game was marketed across as a game for everybody (a very good marketing ploy!). There would be something for everybody. Thus we have HC and casual players alike. Even if Biochem was not as "overly useful" as people say it is, HC guilds will examine the current game mechanics and make the best crew skill mandatory to raid anyways. Even if the benefit was marginal. So yes, you can implore BioWare to look at this post and execute a plan to "buff" all other crew skills. But if I were BioWare, I would simply retort, this is a case of different mindsets and goals, and you really cannot satisfy everybody. You can try, but you will never fully do it. Again, crew skills need to be buffed, but this is not a reason to do so. This post only encourages one thing; figure if the poster is HC or casual or somewhere in between. His guild sounds HC and elite... Just maybe not a good fit.

LOL ... I think he is stating in the rudimentary sense what inflation is.. but in the exact case of money supply, his textbook description does not apply. The most simplistic explanation for inflation in SWTOR economy right now is this. Slicing can lead to an oversupply of currency. Oversupply of currency will lead to higher prices, as per capita income and wealth is higher than the "intial general/equilibrium price of goods". RL comparison. RL comparison (or textbook) = Currency supply and demand model with no borrowing or IR mechanism. Slicing was that source of oversupply. However, were the amounts being generated too much (completely staying away from the argument of OP skills and such)? I would say in the immediate term no. Because the wealth generated was still being used to purchase fixed costs that were mandatory (skills, speeders); and that money does not re-enter the economy. Note I did not mention anything about the supply and demand of goods like the OP was talking about. This is because I am not really interested in the whole crafting and the supply of goods and their demand. It is moot at this time, because the game is too new to have a large supply of goods and a matching demand for them. RL comparison = emerging market with low GNP. So ... in summary? Inflation is a non-relevant topic RIGHT NOW. If they left slicing the way it is? A year down the line, it could be. Because the monetary supply grows by the number of slicers in existence on a server and the amount of time they spend playing. The counter-effect to the inflation ends as soon as the need for currency to pay for fixed costs ends. Then currency accumulates in each person's bank. As the accumulated amount increases, so does our capability to pay higher prices. *SUCKS for the new player joining at that time* My 2 cents.

I wouldn't go that far... don't understimate a Chinese business person *ahem* i mean gold farmer lol... Lets say they are grinding mobs and circulating around high level boxes or playing the market, it still only take companions to do slicing for you. Pre-nerf slicing allowed them to add credits to their earnings without disrupting whatever else they normally do anyways (seeing that they have not other real use for their companion - those bastards!) ... pre-nerf slicing was a gold farmers dream Only thing we should have been questioning is if every other player slicing to pay for things affects the gold farmers profit margins or demand... I personally don't think so... it would just make credits cheaper ... enough that I wouldn't even have to think twice about buying... I could get a million credits for like 25 bucks as opposed to like 250,000 credits for 50 bucks >_< Though I totally agree, that the slicing nerf in essence made the gold farmer's service more in-demand since they removed the DIY ability to make your own buck.