Hi chaps, I'm torn between two types of mod'. My primary stat is Cunning (Gunslinger) but I also try to keep up my Critical Chance. I've got supplies of two mods - one has a cunning stat of 41 and no critical rating, the other has a cunning stat of 35 and a critical rating of 6. So here's my question...should I max' out my cunning stat or go with the mod that increases both the things I'm looking at? Bear in mind that I'm looking at doing this across the board so the values should be multiplied by 8 (6 items of clothing, 2 guns). Dr. S.

Oh, I should add that the example I gave was a "real-life" one. The blue item I'm wearing seems, on paper at least, to be better than the best thing that's available to me via a vendor right now. And the same goes for mods, I would not be able to modify the item to a higher level to what I'm already wearing, based on what I can currently buy. Seems odd, no? I did try to make my own stuff, but crafting just gave me a load of junk that was, again, much worse than items I could just go and buy. I don't know how you are managing to make your own stuff and get by with that, but fair play to you. I've retrained my crew long since. Dr. S.

I get that this is how it is meant to work, and yes, you look the way you want to, but as I say, I have never seen any mod that will take an orange item to an equivalent level of something I can just loot and wear. I would like to go down this route, but it seems costly. I'm struggling to make ends meet as it is. Dr. S.

So I should be looking at the rating alone? Not the armour value? Or a combination of the two? So, I'm currently wearing a blue item with 427 armour, and a rating of 92 and a durability of 100/100. Are you saying that an orange item with 314 armour, a rating of 96 and a durability of 80/80 is better? This is what I'm struggling with... One value is higher, but two are lower. Dr. S.

I've never seen anything that good though. Maybe I'm just unlucky... Dr. S.

Every time I see any orange-type armour, the price is exhorbitant and although it technically has a higher number rating, the actual armour value it provides is lower. So, I know you can modify these items to upgrade the armour rating, but I've yet to see any armour plate that even approaches the level of the "off-the-shelf" stuff I can buy from a vendor or get in a drop. Anything I see is an order of magnitude lower than the item I've got on. Am I missing something here? Why the heck would I spend vast amounts of credits on an item that I can't turn into something that's as good as what I'm already wearing and that will get me killed very quickly? Dr. S.

On the plus side, I finally cracked the Sullust Interception mission. So now I'm off to bed! Dr. S.

Oh, I'm just a miserable git. No need to feel sad. Dr. S.

Gotcha. I'll file both those away in the glossary. Thanks. Dr. S.

Ah. Voss. That would explain a lot. Now I just look stupid. Apologies, I thought (for some reason) I was stuck with Ilum. Thanks. Dr. S.

Well, there's a problem right there - I don't really understand the Interrupt thing and I haven't a clue what Kiting is. As for who I'm having trouble with - basically any boss at Elite level. I don't know if I had the wrong skills, I'm not using the right controls or I'm not fast enough. It's taking me four attempts or more to kill some of these guys and it's frustrating. I know it's because I'm a poor player, I'm just trying to find a way to survive and keep going. At this rate, I'll have to give up because at 40 years old, my reflexes aren't getting any better. Dr. S.

Hi all, I'm loving SWTOR, but it's only my second ever RPG (my first was Star Trek Online) and I must say, it's been a really steep learning curve for me. I still don't know what half the acronyms mean that are thrown around in here. So here's the deal, I'm a level 42 Sith Warrior Marauder, and I'm having major problems killing bosses 4 levels below me! I seem to have reached a point where I just can't move on. Up until about level 40, no real issues, but I've reached an inevitable crunch point. Yeah, I'm pretty appalling as a player. Someone gave me some tips on re-speccing from Rage to Annihilate, and suggested I take Quinn with me everywhere I go. Well, I find Quinn pretty useless as a Companion, but it turns out I just might not be gearing him up properly. So the solution was put to me, that if I spend a couple of hours in PVP, win or lose, I'll get some decent gear for him and, well, problem solved. The problem is, I'm in this for the story, I have literally NO interest in PVP whatsoever, because I know I will never win. If I can't beat the computer, there's no way I'm gonna beat a human being. Nevertheless, on this advice, I travelled to Ilum, where of course I got my backside handed to me. And I'm really confused. The game suggests you can go to Ilum from level 40 onwards and there may be stuff to find. But after an hour of travelling, I've found literally nothing except a regular nasty death at the hands of other players. Are there supposed to be nodes? Equipment drops? So, what is the point of me being on Ilum when everyone is at level 50 and I die within two seconds of being attacked? It's no fun for me, and there's no point me even fighting back (I just don't bother). I'm not earning any points, my Valor score is at zero. Am I missing something here, or was I sent in the PVP direction for a laugh? And, as a player really struggling to make money in this game, how am I supposed to equip my crew and move on? I'm stumped. Should I just re-roll a more survivable character and ditch hours of play or will I just end up in the same position? I should add - I have no friends, real-life or otherwise, so teaming up with people is not an option. Dr. S.