I don't play a Master Jedi to sit around knitting the "best woolen socks in the Galaxy" A couple days after starting a new storyline, I have one companion running around with me, and a second one sitting in my ship. Idle hands + Idle minds = bad stuff. So I set them tasks. "Useless ship droid, what can you make out of this stuff I've picked up?" Droid informs me he can't make a purse, then gets busy making 5 of something else. An hour later I smash them up into little bits and tell him to do it again. Sometimes I actually learn something while smashing up his hard-earned crations into little bits, and tell him to create 5 more of the more time-consuming versions. From time to time, some of those items are useful, can be given to friends, or sold - but for the most part it just keeps them busy doing something. BTW, there are Crew Skills in SWtOR and there are Professions. The professions are things like Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Trooper, Agent, etc. If you want to be a play a crafter in a fantasy space-based MMO, take a look at EVE. Might be more your style. Of course, there are a few tweeks to the current system that would be useful, but I'd be much more interested in BioWare adding a droid story line to the mix, or a Sabaac mini-game, or a new AC choice aften 50, an upgraded GTN interface, etc. before worrying too much about Crew Skills.

I'd love to see a droid story line. The dialog options could be crazy fun!

Vanguards use Commando Mods, while Commandos use Reflex Mods.

I thought the JK armor was medium instead of heavy. If I understood it correctly, putting armor mods into custom medium armor will only gave 2/3 the armor stats as putting the same mod into custom heavy armor. Am I mistaken?

You can travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in 2 seconds. How much faster do you want to go? 2 Seconds to cross the galaxy... then 30 minutes spent running across one section of a town.

Cybernetics crafts some ship upgrades (shields, armor, missiles, etc.), and (in the story) you install prototype engines on your ship. In space combat, I think everyone always goes the same speed.

The picture of Yoda with neural implants, cybernetic earpieces, pumped full of stims, tagging behind a Smuggler and Trooper doling out healz is making me smile.

Except in this game, Yoda would have a 6ft human, decked out in the best gear credits could buy, have looted the sith corpse, complained that he couldn't use the artifact red lightsaber, and gone on to kill everything in sight in the hopes that one of them would leave some shiny loot behind

Information Broker is my idea of what my character & crew are doing based on skills and the main story. I periodically locate schematics (information) for weapons, equipment, and missions, which I can then sell (broker) on the GTN.

I think Cybertech, Scavanging, and Underworld Trading are a perfect fit for a Smuggler. You are supposed to have the fastest ship in your sector (Cybertech) and be involved with smuggling (UT) as part of the story. There are stim venders all over, so while I might not be able to constantly switch stims from presence to cunning, to endurance, to whatever like a "bio" can, I'm also not picking flowers and digging through mounds of bantha poo for "bacteria colonies" as I level up. You have a nice CC versus droids, so "farming" areas with strong/elite droids for metals/compounds is also more efficient while you level than strong/elite beasties. I currently have Slicing in place of Underworld Trading, making me more of an information broker than a black market trader, but may end up switching this out to UT if I'm not able to pick up materials I need on the GTN. Cybertech doesn't really give me a advantage in-game (I can throw an extra grenade every so often and ride a different speeder), but it adds a little to my character which makes the game more enjoyable for me.

Didn't this game just go live? Do you mean this game is NOT exactly the same as a different one? If you are paying money to "do a job", one which feels painful, then I feel really sorry for you. I played in a group the other day with three Gunslingers, plus Corso (so zero heals, zero tanks). While not my top choice for a four man team, we made do, had fun, then moved on.

Fallen Jedi are not Sith. Much like fallen Catholics are not Hindu. There are kind and cruel Jedi, as there are kind and cruel Sith. Jedi and Sith are moral philosophies about the nature of the universe and a lifeform's role in it. My Sith character makes mostly "light" choices, but is strongly opposed to the Jedi. If there is only peace, stop fighting! If there is no ignorance, stop seeking knowledge! If there is no passion, stop trying! The Jedi teach that the universe IS the way they wish it was, and will destroy anyone who disagrees. The Sith accept the universe, but seek to free themselves from its chains. Sith/Jedi is not the same as Empire/Republic. It's almost as if the strict law-bound Empire were a balance to the freedom seeking Sith code, while the freewheeling Republic provides the counterweight to the monkish Jedi code.

I sorta/usually like the way the crafting system works at the moment. My gunslinger has a penchant for tinkering with his ship - so he has cybertech. Do I buy mods from the Fleet commendation vendor? Of course! Could I buy the same ones on the GTN? Probably... But I liked being able to craft some myself. It kind of feels like a hobby instead of a job, which is why I like it. I have a profession in-game, it's being a gunslinger (or whatever else I'm playing at the time) - I'm neither a shipbuilder nor an engineer. Sometimes the whole re-engineering process can feel like lighting my credits on fire, but that's how hobbies work out. I would like there to be more options available, but I don't really feel like I have to be able to craft a top of the line item for crafting to be rewarding. If BioWare added a "Gambling" as a crew skill, where you lost 100 credits for every 95 you won, with no other upside than adding a title at 400, I'd switch out something and burn up credits to get it for my Smuggler - and enjoy every moment of it!

It wouldn't be so annoying if they were actually linked to events. If I get a notification that my shields are fully charged, I should be able to toggle shield regen off and switch to high powered blasters - sadly, this is not the case. It's the same for crew missions. I'll get a "I think you'll be pleased" on mission failures or "I'll do better next time" on critical successes.

Agree, except this would break line-of-sight. It would be unfair if you could freely attack something, and they couldn't hit back.

I'd like to reach out to the Gunslinger community for some simple tips to help me streamline my solo PvE gameplay a bit. I've mainly played Empire side of things, but wasn't wowed by the Imp Agent intro (1-20) storyline, so I changed factions to try out the Smuggler. I might try playing a trooper later, but not sure I want to be a Republic employee - like the IA was for Empire. So far I've been enjoying the story - although Skavic has come off as more of a punk kid ("Dude, you stole my ride! Not cool. Yeah, yeah... now I have a bounty on my head; doesn't everyone?") than as a dangerous rival. Right now, things are going okay, but with zero healing ability Corso seems to end up dead, or close to dead at the end of a few too many fights, and this is with mobs several levels lower than me (I'm a bit overleveled due to space combat and I'm sort of a mission completist). I also expect that stuff will get harder to solo in the 28-40 range. I was never a fan of wookies (sorry Chewiee fans), and find their "language" to be more annoying than Ugnaughts, so expect I'll keep Bowdaar chained to a holonet terminal in the back of the ship learning how to slice networks - even if he (might) work better with the mechanics of a Sab. That being the case, I'm looking for tips to solo PvE with Corso Riggs, at least until I can coax Risha out of my cargo hold and get her to change her hair style (I made corso to get rid of his silly dreadlocks... hmm, perhas Bowdaar wouldn't look like sasquatch after a clean shave). Back on topic: other than upgrading gear, how can I better structure a fight against 2/3 strongs plus 1 elite (non-droids)? Should I put Corso into sniper mode and let him add a little dps to whatever is attacking me, or his +aggro mode and have him tank a little? Should I let him tank the elite until I can finish off the strongs, or reverse those roles? When mobs AoE us, should I stay put or pick up and move? If I move, do I toggle Corso to passive so he'll maybe follow me out as well, or just let him stand in the fire/poison/whatever and cook? What would I need to change around if I started using Risha instead of Corso? I'm looking specifically for tactics that work well with the Saboteur's skill set. EDIT: I started using the ship droid for support in place of Corso, and so far it's been a little smoother. Combat is a tad slower, but less work, and I finish ready to run off to the next group. Right now he only has a couple parts, but I have cybertech so I'll order him start upgrading

Dirty Kick - Almost always makes me smile. Other classes might have similar mechanics that work better, but none are in the same ballpark for entertainment value.

I hope I never see this in SWtOR. Difficult should be overcome with clever tactics, solid gameplay, good teamwork - not by farming gear. I want this to stay a RPG played out in a mmo setting - not an Star Wars flavered MMO fight game. I hope BioWare adds more story arcs, and other in-game-content (Sabacc anyone?), before trying to copy what other MMOs have been doing for the past 15 years.

This.

I've played several alts on both sides, but my favorite is my "light-side" Sith Inq. He is often aggressive and violent, but goes out of his way to earn the love and respect of his allies. Choices are in tiers: Benefit Self > Hurting Enemies > Helping Randoms > Hurting Randoms. Who wants to live their life with a bundle of rage eating at their insides? Now I might agree with the idea that passion=power and power=freedom, but I can think of some more enjoyable passions than fear and rage.

I think the Jedi and Sith codes go a long way in explaining the disparity in player population (if there is one): Jedi: There is no Emotion - Prior to Athiss, Jedi Grandmaster told me I should be afraid (...what?) Sith: There is Passion - To help others, to help oneself, to gain prestige, to love, to hate - all passions. Jedi: There is Peace - Now craft a sabre and start the killing spree (...what?) Sith: Peace is a Lie - Jedi are trying to kill you, so you better be prepared (sounds about right) Game mechanics (kill stuff to gain loot and xp) doesn't sync well for the Jedi in my opinion. "What was I doing again? Oh yeah, killing people so I can steal their gear. How noble of me!" The Jedi code (pre-Skywalker) is just too fatalistic for me. Kind of like hinduism. Life is an illusion. Anything you do only reinforces this illusion. Try, by not trying, to do nothing so life (the illusion) can finally end... I like to think my choices matter, that my life matters, that my wins and losses are not just "the will of the Force".

Haven't leveled my smuggler up enough to get Bowdarr, but I can't imagine using him, as I find the Wookie "language" to be the most annoying sound in the Star Wars universe (worse than JarJarBinks). They always sound like they are complaining, but too lazy to use words... Barfy (from Space Balls) was an upgrade to the original.

I love the way BioWare has set up the game so far - I like the fact that I don't have to spend 20 hours hunting for the "top level" gear so I can kill the epic boss 50 times for the chance at the next top level shiny thing, so I can kill the next epic boss... There are plenty of other games that provide this sort of content. BioWare (I hope) is trying to offer something for those interested in something other than WoW, not just WoW with different "toons". I haven't reached "end-game" with any of the alts I've created, so have no idea if I'd like to continue playing the game after the story has ended, but I have to say, the titile sort of sums it up for me - you've finished the game. Those who are disapointed that there is no more to do after the story is over, might consider starting over with one of the other story lines, or simply playing a different game. There are thousands of OTHER ways to spend your time if this one is not providing enough entertainment. To me, it sounds like someone complaining that the credits at the end of a movie were too boring to sit through. If you want to watch the credits - go for it. If not, nothing's keeping you. I'm not saying everyone should enjoy the game and enjoy how it ends (I often leave movies or concerts less than happy with how I spent the last few hours), only that if the fun has ended perhaps it's time to move on. Perhaps in a year, there will be enough new content to bring you back for another dose.

I have just recently started playing this game, and I hope this is how I will be able to play my Empire character. I want to play a "light-side" Sith Lord filled with all the grand passions - not just rage and hate - but also with wonder, curiosity, hope, love, etc. I'm hoping the SI story will let me play out this to a certain extent... The Jedi claim to believe there is only peace, all the while crafting weapons of war. Crafting and using a weapon (lightsaber) is a symbol of becomeing a Jedi. The Jedi manipulate the environment with the Force to injure their enemies (throwing rocks, etc.) so they can delude themselves into believing they are not responsible for the outcome of their own actions. The Sith accept their own actions, and so use the Force directly to effect change. The Sith have slaves because they believe an individual should take the initiative to free themselves. The Jedi believe everyone is a slave to the "Will of the Force." How to Kill a Jedi? Once your chains are broken, you can then attempt to master the Force. Once you have mastered the Force, all Jedi by default are your mindless slaves.

Not what I wanted to hear, but what I expected. So I'll work on locating different shards and wait until I reach level 24. Thanks for the replies.