Hey all, I have level 20 Vanguard that I want to take to level cap. Right now I'm Shield Spec with Dorne as my companion. I'm sure I could always switch to Jorgan for damage but I like Dorne's character. My question is, would it be more beneficial to swap from Shield to one of the damage ACs?

Yup, I plan on making a Female Mirulan. I played as a Male Consular back in the SWTOR beta before launch, it was awful haha.

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll go with the Jedi Shadow. My main complaint about it before was that Act 1 really didn't grab me. Now with the 12x Story boost, there's no excuse not to give it a try.

Thanks for the reply! For the record, if I play Consular, I would play as a light side Jedi. I guess my main question is this: is the Consular story worth playing? Otherwise, I would play Inquisitor again even though I already played the story once as a Sorcerer just because being a Sith that kills everyone with lightning is fun. But if Consular's story is worth playing, I would go with Shadow over Assassin.

Is the tank spec a better bet for leveling?

I know they are the same class, just mirrors of each other. I have never played the Consular storyline past Taris, it just never grabbed me the way other classes have. With the Epic Story Boost, I really want to take a Shadow or Sin to 50. I have played the Inquisitor storyline before, but playing my Marauder recently reminded me of how fun being a dark side Sith can be. That said, is the Consular storyline worth experiencing versus doing the Inquisitor storyline again?

First off, I am soo happy that the Bioware SWTOR team has given us this Epic Story Exp boost. I had all but lost interest in leveling my alts, but now I have the ability to level all of the classes I missed out on, experience the unique stories and decide which ones I want to play most at endgame. Truly loving this game right now! I have had a Jedi Guardian and a Sith Marauder both at level 32 (both having just finished their Act 1 questline). My goal is to play both to level cap. My questions are these: - Why does my Guardian feel so weak? Right now I am Vigilance spec, and it just feels like Silver and Gold enemies tear me apart. I make use of my active mitigation techniques but I still get demolished. My armor and weapon mods are all up to date. Any tips? - Is it better to continue from level 32 or start from scratch? I can't recall much of the plot details from either class' storyline. - BONUS: Would anyone be able to give a quick summary of the JK and SW Act 1 stories?

Elskii, I recently went through the same dilemma. I ultimately decided on Vanguard, and haven't looked back since. Vamguard is a very fun class to play, and not only has great survivability but pretty decent damage (I'm playing specced as tank so your damage may be better if you go for DPS spec). I've been blasting through Taris and Nar Shaddaa, running circles around other players who have to stop and regen after each fight. I play with Elara as my healer, and just go non-stop between fights. Its also a great class in PvP, but for PvE you queue very fast as a tank. Even if you don't like tanking, its quick experience. For solo play, its awesome.

Hey there Ajanus, hopefully I can give you some helpful info. Both classes (Merc/mando or Op/Scoundrel) are great. If you are looking for ranged damage and off heals, maybe willing to respec at certain points for full heals, I would suggest Merc. They are strong ranged DPS, with very decent off heals. If you spec full heals, they are more than enough to heal through PvP, flashpoints and KDY. Ops/Scoundrels, as I'm sure you know, are a stealth/melee DPS class. I would say that as healers, Ops are better than Merc. However, I find Merc to have the better DPS overall, plus its ranged so you stay out of trouble more. I also find that Merc is easier to off heal with. Granted, I have more experience with Merc than Op/Scoundrel, but in general ranged classes are more manageable than melee in SWTOR. KDY can actually be legitimately challenging. Unlike most/all regular Flashpoints that can be run through with almost any group, I have wiped many many times in KDY bosses due to bad teamwork. In fact, there have been times where I have had to completely leave and start over because my group just couldn't cut it. Since you're playing with friends that shouldn't be an issue, but keep in mind that although your combat roles don't factor in when queuing up, it does make a big difference when you're on some of the tougher objectives/bosses. My own personal recommendation is Merc/Mando, as it has better damage than Operatives (or I should say, better damage with less effort, Ops are much more involving and specific to attain good damage whereas Merc is more flexible), its a ranged class, it has decent offheals and really good heals when you go full heal spec. It gives you more options overall to do DPS only, heals only, or DPS with offheals. If you plan on ONLY leveling as a healer, go Operative/Scoundrel. Another suggestion, if you only want to do DPS, is Sniper/Gunslinger. Probably the most powerful ranged DPS in the game and arguably the best DPS in the game period, it gives you the same advantages as Merc regarding ranged damage, and while it lacks healing capabilities you do have several dots, stuns and other utilities that help the group. But between your two favored choices, my vote is definitely for Merc.

You are right that Commando's can still use assault rifles, but I'd like to add in a clarification. In terms of healing, I don't think rifle or cannon makes a difference, so if you're gonna be a dedicated Combat Medic, go for the rifle if you prefer. BUT using a rifle as a DPS spec means you miss out on 2-3 of the Commando's bread-and-butter skills which require cannons, meaning you're seriously gimped and wont be very effective. I personally find Mercenary healing much more visually appealing than commando healing. Rather than standing there with radio waves coming out of your head like the Commando, Mercenary does some inputs into his wrist-gadget and heals. I also like the heal bullets over the giant green beam (which screams HEY OVER HERE I'M HEALING in PvP). As a Merc I can more or less blend in with DPS in PvP matches most of the time and heal without too much attention being directed at me.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I ended up going Merc and Vanguard, and I'm very happy about that decision. Here's why: Vanguard, out of the two AC's feels more like a traditional soldier/trooper archetype to me. As I said in one of my previous posts, I am a sucker for anything having to do with Clone Troopers/the Clone Wars, so I wanted a Trooper that would look as close to a Clone Trooper as possible. The assault cannons, while admittedly cool in concept and appearing in the game's cinematics, just feels clunky to me for a trooper that is supposed to be the front-line "the buck stops here" guy or gal. Although Powertech has more vibrant animations than the Vanguard, I am really enjoying the Vanguards animations as they fit in well with a soldier type character. Plus Ion pulse and Explosive Surge are better imo because Ion surge gives a good representation of who will be hit unlike Flamethrower, and ES activates quicker and with a shorter animation than the BH counterpart, better for PvP. Additionally, although stockstrike's animations leave something to be desired, you can't beat that *CRUNCH* sound of the rifle hitting your enemy's jaw. The Mercenary feels right for a Bounty Hunter. I really liked my Powertech, but I LOVE my Mercenary. Its just an insanely fun class to play, and it fits the Bounty Hunter archetype. I thought the flamethrower was satisfying, but watching my BH discharge beams of death from both pistols, then lean forward and shoot out missiles Jango Fett-style, just can't beat it. To me this is what I envisioned of both classes...the Trooper is the vanguard of the Republic, he/she should be in the middle of the action. The BH is out for him/herself, collecting their due pay and making sure that it stays professional not personal. In this context, while both PT and Merc are awesome, Merc fits the bill more here. Anyway, what it really comes down to is my own personal opinion on the aesthetics of the classes and my own view on their role, since for all intents and purposes the mirror classes gameplay is more or less identical. The vast majority of people here went with PT and Commando, and more power to them. For anyone who is still hung up on choosing ACs for Trooper and BH, it should really come down to what you want to do with the class, and if you like how it looks. After all, if you're playing these characters for 100+ hours to level them, you better like how it looks or you'll stop playing. If you LOVE the BFG, go Commando and PT. If you like a more traditional trooper look, or think (like I do) that BH's modeled after Jango Fett should be more of a ranged class, go VG and Merc. Either way you can't go wrong.

Quick question everyone, I just made a Merc yesterday for endgame ops and PvP...apparently its not the best PvP class but regardless, as a PvP noob, I've been really enjoying it. I am at level 16 and am eager to get more heal talents so I can start healing more. I just got the cylinder that lets my rapid shots heal teammates, except I only shoot 1-2 heal pellets. I've seen other mercs shoot dozens at a time. Is there a talent or something that I am missing to shoot more heals out?

I have found myself in a very similar situation and was hoping to reopen the discussion on this. A while ago I made a BH Powertech to be my Empire-side tank. I love the Powertech's animations and everything about it, but the BH storyline kinda bored me and I shelved it for a rainy day, anticipating that I would return to it after getting my Agent to 50. I recently made a Commando, figuring on going with the opposite AC on Republic side, got to around level 18 and deleted it....I couldn't stand the ridiculous assault cannons. They look absolutely impossible strapped to a character's back, they blocked out my character in most cutscenes, and when running/traveling around, I can barely even see my character behind the big stupid thing. The massive higher-level cannons don't inspire much confidence in the class's longevity either. After deleting the commando, I made a Vanguard. I like the Vanguard's assault rifle so much more than the cannon, and it just feels more like a Trooper to me. Here's where my dilemma comes in...I already have a Powertech, and I don't like to repeat ACs. This would be a non-issue but the Bounty Hunter has the better animations BY FAR. Regardless of AC, the BH animations blow the Trooper's out of the water. I would delete my PT in favor of a Merc, (dual weilding pistols makes more sense to me than a cannon) but I am extremely hesitant to give up the much better animations that the PT has like rocket punch, flame sweep, flame burst, the rocket leap and the wrist-mounted blade. The Vanguard's equivalent of these moves are very bland-looking by comparison and don't have the same "wow" factor. Although the Merc has excellent looking abilities, and still has the almighty death from above, (and tbh, I still prefer the merc animations over the commando) I'm extremely hesitant to delete my powertech. Ultimately I am caught in a limbo: I favor the Vanguard over the Commando because the rifle looks better to me, the Vanguard looks more like a "clone trooper" than commando, which is a huge part of the appeal, and thus far I like the Trooper's story more than the BH. On the flip side, the Vanguard's animations are already becoming bland to me and some of the abilities make more sense coming from a Commando's cannon than a rifle, but I absolutely loathe the cannons. If I play Commado/Merc, I would likely DPS while questing bust respec heals for flashpoints and endgame content. So I submit to you my fair SWTOR bretheren...should I delete my Powertech and replace it with a Mercenary, so as to keep the Vanguard? Or keep the Powertech, struggle through Commando using the cannons, but switching to assault rifle when I respec as healer, so as to keep some of the desirable rifle animations? Sorry for the long post but I greatly appreciate the input!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I know that Commandos can play, mostly heal, with an assault rifle instead of a cannon, but in terms of DPS its severely gimping your damage. Dual pistols make more sense than a cannon though, which is a bonus to the Mercenary. I guess the only reason I am still hesitant is that the Powertech has, overall, much better animations than the Vanguard.

Hey all, I have a question for you all thats pretty much in line with the 1,000 Commando vs Vanguard threats but...here goes. I have gone from Commando to Vanguard and back countless times. I recently resubbed and have leveled a Sniper to 50, looking to do a character on the Republic side now. I typically like/prefer ranged classes and I enjoy healing. I made a Commando because my only other Republic character is a Guardian, so I figured it made sense to have one melee/tank and one ranged/healer. I got to level 15 with the Commando, but I just couldn't get over how annoying the assault cannon looks strapped to your back, and I was finding the rotation to be...boring. I have always thought that the Vanguard looks more like a traditional Trooper, and because I LOVE everything about the Clones and the Clone Wars, I was hoping to get my Trooper looking as close to a Clone trooper/commando as possible. I love the Vanguard's playstyle, but I am a big believer in not duplicating ACs and I do have a 25 Powertech chilling in the Imperial Fleet waiting for me to play him again....eventually. I am enjoying the gameplay on the Vanguard much better but there are times I wish I could throw some heals around. What it really comes down to for me is this: the Vanguard looks better to me (battle stance w/ assault rifle looks better imo than hunched back carrying a massive ***), I really want my Trooper to look like a Clone Trooper, and I enjoy its gameplay/rotation more. But I never really gave the Commando time to develop, and I do enjoy ranged DPS/healing more than tanking usually. I don't hate assault cannons, and to be honest some of the abilities like mortar volley, explosive round and rapid fire look way better with a BFG than a rifle. What do you guys think? Stick it out with Commando and just use non-obnoxiously huge assault cannons, or Vanguard it?

Hey all, over a year ago when I initially started playing SWTOR, I made a Jedi Guardian and was leveling it with the intent of it being my endgame tank for Republic side. I ended up benching the game for a while, but I have recently started playing again. My Jedi is level 32 sitting in the Fleet, I don't remember much of the story of Act 1 other than I was hunting various superweapons on each planet, and at the end of Act 1 I joined a coalition of other Jedi trying to hunt down the Emperor. Is it worth the time investment to restart from scratch, or just pick up my Guardian even though I've forgotten the finer points of the story?

Absolutely this. I came across this thread after the choice on Tatooine in the SW storyline. I feel like with Bioware making the LS/DS points into their own morality system of good/evil, the nuances of the meaning behind LS/DS is skewed. People such as some in this thread who see a LS SW as a Jedi are not really getting the point. As a Sith, you embrace the dark side. That is the very essence of being a Sith. You can't be a Sith unless you embrace the dark side, otherwise you wouldn't be a Sith. There's no middle ground here. HOWEVER, embracing the dark side doesn't mean "be a dick to everyone at all times". Palpatine was as dark side as you can get, but he was still smart. He didn't go around killing and murdering for no reason, he acted logically and did what he had to do to achieve his goals. Sometimes that was killing those who stood in the way, sometimes that was engaging in diplomacy to maintain his cover. I will agree that some DS choices in this game make Sith seem like sociopathic lunatics, and to be sure there are some Sith in Star Wars lore that are this. But "true Sith" aren't just bloodlusted lunatics. Darth Bane, Darth Plagus, Darth Sidious, Vader, even Revan while he was Sith....they were all powerful dark siders to be sure. They all embraced the dark side. But you didn't see Vader killing everyone under his command just because. Vader knew he needed loyal Officers, and he knew that the Empire and the Sith were stronger because of loyal and reliable assets. He only killed when there was a purpose...for example, when Admiral Ozzel continually failed at his command, and completely blew their invasion plans which compromised their attack. Darth Bane was all about the dark side, but he was also smart enough to know that there was a larger purpose. Going around slaughtering everyone "just because lolz sith" was stupid, and he knew it. Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to plug in my thoughts on the matter. I guess to bring it back around, LS choices in the Sith Warrior story make sense in the context that you have the long-term goal in mind, strengthening the Empire. But Sith by their very nature embrace the dark side, so this doesn't = Jedi with a Sith story. At the core, all Sith are still embracing the dark side.

Thanks for the replies. I'm finding that there are a lot more skills than other classes I have played, and as such it was getting slightly difficult to maximize rotation. Its definitely a more "active" class...when I'm on top of my game, I can jump from group to group at almost full health and full rage, when I don't optimize my rotation, I'll be sitting at half health or lower with no rage. Still, its a lot of fun. What is the best saber form to go with? I am using Juyo right now, but honestly I don't see any difference in performance between Juyo or Shi-Cho. Also, I have heard that Rage is the better all-around spec later in the game due to its AoE. When is a good time to switch to rage?

Hey all, I made a Marauder yesterday after wanting to see the Sith Warrior story, and I had planned ahead to play a Mara since my Jedi is a Guardian. I am amazed at how fun and interesting the gameplay is, definitely more fun, imo, than the Guardian/Jugg. So far I have been leveling as Annihilation, and using Vette has allowed us to clear through enemies like crazy. Only thing is the downtime between fights to heal, and sometimes against stronger enemies I definitely get the "glass cannon" feeling. I have a couple questions now that I am getting more into the class.... First, what is the ideal leveling spec? I have heard that Annihilation + Quinn heals is a good combo, but do you find another spec/companion to be better? Second, what is a good general rotation that I should be aiming for? I am somewhat overwhelmed with the amount of skills the Marauder has, feels like more than any other class I have played. As such, I have just been using skills as they come off of CDs, and sometimes I experience either lack of rage or lack of skills (all on CD). I really appreciate the help!

I'm thinking of starting a SW to be a Marauder and I am trying to decide between male or female. Both voices sound awesome which makes it harder to choose...my only holdout is that I had originally intended to do the Jaesa romance, which isn't an option as a female SW. At the same time, all but one of my characters are male. What do you think, which gender fits better with the story?

Hey all, I'm thinking about starting a new class but I'm torn. Recently I have been doing some missions with my friend, who has an Assassin. He is relatively new to SWTOR so I was helping him out. Watching him play his assassin looked really fun, and I got interested in making one. However, I already have a Sorcerer leveled to 50, and I am hesitant to make another Inquisitor when there are other class stories, such as the Sith Warrior, that I haven't seen. I have a Jedi Guardian, so if I made a SW, I would likely choose Marauder as the AC. Given this, what would you recommend? Marauder and SW class story, or is the Assassin THAT good that its worth replaying the Inq storyline? (If it matters, I LOVED the storyline for the Inquisitor, it was great. I might feel weird going through it again when there are others I've not yet seen).

Hey all, I recently started playing a Sniper and I absolutely love the class. Its probably the most fun I have ever had with this game. Its just a powerhouse, and up until now I have felt confident taking on plenty of mobs at once, even multiple silvers/golds and have always faired well. I might be mistaken, but just as I did with my Sorcerer which I previously leveled to 50, I think I just hit "the wall". Upon arriving on Tatooine, almost every droid enemy instantly heals itself for whatever damage I do to it, making battles last 2-3 times longer. Additionally, almost every boss/gold mob I face does the same thing, turning fights with a Gold and some adds into a pretty tough situation. In group Flashpoints, my Sniper is still performing amazingly, and I routinely defeat mobs before other players can get more than a couple hits in. However, upon arriving on Tatooine, my soloing experience has increased in difficulty significantly. Is this normal for the Sniper in this level range? I'd appreciate your input!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am at level 26 currently with my Sniper, and I just got to the point where I can make Skill Armor/Mod 10, which is about where I'm at if I am buying mods from planetary coms vendors. The problem I am running into is that I am always lagging 1 or 2 levels behind in mods, so my strategy so far has been using planetary coms to pick up the best blues I can, then using my greens to fill in the remaining empty mod slots. Its working fairly well, but its pretty taxing on my credits and as a result I end up low on cash pretty quickly. I am also apparently very unlucky with RE, I probably tried to RE about 30 times last night and only got schematics twice. One thing I was wondering, is how do you craft some of the mod types that you can buy from vendors but can't craft? For example, I can buy commando and patron mods, but I can't craft them. Are there schematics that I must get to make those, and if so, where/how can I go about doing it? Thanks again for the answers all, this is the first time I'm really trying the crew skills. Takes a bit but its really fun.

Thanks for the reply. Is it worth trying to constantly RE mods (especially the ones you/guildies need), or just power through greens until you max the crew skill, THEN try to RE mods?

Hey all, I am playing as an Imperial Agent Sniper doing Cybertech/Scavenging/Underworld Trading. My goal is to be able to make mods to support my 3 empire classes (Sniper, Ptech and Sorcerer). I am slowly getting up to the point where my mods might be useful to me, but I have a question. How do I get blue prototype mods (for example, Blue Skill Mod) rather than a green one of the same stats? Are blue ones better somehow even if they both grant, for example, +15 cunning, +7 endurance?