I thought we were arguing about rolling need for companions, not for selling. I think both sides of this disagreement agree that those people are trash.

That argument doesn't seem that sound. Because next you'll say your companion has 2 sets. One for tanking and one for DPSing. At which case you might as well just hoard every piece of gear you ever run into ever. Just in case you might want to equip it at any given time. Which isn't what you do. So why not?

I may be a unique case along with the sniper, but all 3 trees for the marauder is DPS, so no. I have 1 gear set and after trying all 3 trees, I've settled into one. But you're again bringing up the argument of main spec vs alt spec now. Is my companion just an alt spec of me then?

See, I don't agree with that. For the same reasons you already dismissed. I always play as Darne. But Vette doesn't always play with Darne. Neither does Jaesa, or Broonmark, or anyone else of those 6. My character (and others') are always out there on the battlefield. Your companions are not. Letting someone have gear they will put to use in every single mission they do seems to benefit the community more as a whole than me needing it for my companion who will maybe help me tank one champion or maybe help me heal through one group of strongs. Even if we are talking about lvling up. If you are struggling chances are it's not because of your companion. By your logic since your companion is an extension of you. Do you ever give your companion the better gear? Let me see your gear than your companions. I'm willing to bet you have the better stuff? Why is that?

That makes more sense. But why should I discriminate between PUGs and my guildmates? I've actually ran into the same Tank LFG many many times. By allowing him to be better, he can be better for everyone. Why should I be so greedy that I only allow my group to get better knowing it's my permanent group? That guy you need over is in someone else's permanent group.

I could roll need for my companion and leave the group just as well... That player is a bigger jerk than you sir. And there is nothing any set of community etiquette can do to prevent that type of player.

Haha, it's all good. It's always refreshing to find someone that doesn't "L2P" or "QQ more" come backs when trying to talk things out. I don't get upset if it's greens, or even blues. I know those are a dime a dozen, but those oranges and purples I feel like a human can use better. And I'll answer that below. Your definition of player is also different too I think. Your companion is part of your "player" for you, if I understand you correctly. I don't think he is. We can sum it up to the gear usage. Most people I don't think run dailies by themselves with their companions at lvl 50. Most people do PvP or HM FPs/OPs dailies. That requires their character. Not their companion. While your companion is off on his diplomacy mission with that full rakata gear you have on him, 5 other players out there are running FPs/OPs minus one of those pieces. It's about gear usage. Human players put it to better use.

that example implies a companion healer is as good as a human player. 9/10 that's no where near the case. even a beginner who's SWTOR is his first mmo, can do better than mako. In that case, mostly likely (depending on what you're doing) your group would have to start over and find a new HUMAN healer.

Because it's awful I don't want to hijack the thread as we have a good dialogue going, but I remember in other games where the LFG function was actually good and used by players. As a healer or tank, within seconds of throwing up that LFG, I'd get whispers saying "want to join for some X?" I just don't think rolling need for companions is legitimate behavior knowing another player could use it. Unless the community sits down and decides on how to deal with these situations, I'll always pass or greed on something I don't want or truly need.

This is a beautiful example that highlights EXACTLY what happens and why Player As get upset. It's having the courtesy not returned.

I can see we're never going to agree on this. I don't consider my companion as part of me. I consider him/her a silly cop out in taking the time to develop real multiplayer mechanics that utilize a functioning LFG instead of general chat to accomplish goals with real players instead of some heal spam bot I can't joke around with on vent or have a good time with in real life during happy hour. Some people take games more socially than you. Keep that in mind next time you roll need.

Communication with players is always a plus, I agree. But that would just lead to people being kicked out of groups for having different views. Would prevent one headache while creating a whole different one. Another question for you. Who do you think has more fun with that shiny purple armor piece. A human player or your companion? Do you think Vette goes "WOOOO MAIN HAND BLASTER!" when you win the roll? Or "awww shucks" when you lose it? It's just common courtesy to other humans... you know? with emotions and such.

So let get this right.... You need on items for your companions, so in turn you can go do your daily heroics, to get more commendations, to get more items for your companion? You realize that's exactly what other people are trying to do for their character? We might as well just watch our companions play then. Why bother having a character to begin with? This is so over my head, I don't even understand where people thinking like that come from. Like I said, it's fine to want to solo, and while one thing might not preclude the other, it certainly slows it down a lot. If your healer was losing every roll to people like you, it would take a lot longer for him to get his gear. Or your tank. Or you.

What do you do with those commendations? Buy mods for your companions? Not trying to be mean, but help me understand here because I don't get your logic. Are you talking about lvl 50? Also, are you 100% ok if someone rolls need on rakata item and they win it for their companion over you getting it? I don't even....

What dailies are you talking about? The Ilum missions/heroics? ****. Or are you running HM FPs with your companion? If that's the case, also ****.

How often do you use your companion at lvl 50? Never is the answer to that question. All companions do is promote solo play - which is fine I guess, we don't always want to play in groups. But don't take something away from another player to give to your companion which you may or may not use considering we each get 6 of them... People with that thought process should go back to single player games. That mentality ruins any kind of social/community aspect this game already struggles to have. Last question. Would you rather have a sick AI companion healer you can have while doing green missions, or a sick healer guildmate who can heal you properly through the tough FPs? Take your pick. If you answered companion, I'd honestly consider going back to single player RPGs. You roll need on everything in Skyrim.

I can't agree more with OP. Here is a typical situation for me. A guildmate or two and I decide to go questing on planet X. We all hop on one of our ships together and we're off. Except, oh wait, when we get out of the ship we are automatically teleported to our own hanger. What? My ship shouldn't even be here if we are talking "strictly story" as some of you suggest. Next we have to run around (we can't even hop on speeder... again, what?!) find our way though boring straight copy/pasta hallways and elevators that have no story progression or use, just so we can regroup later down on the planet. Truthfully, the whole "planets" thing already fragments the world to the point where it feels like several micro games going on simultaneously. Why add several useless zones within each planet to further split everything up? I'd much rather prefer public transportation via a ship that takes 5-10 minutes (with one load screen) to get there with chances of random encounters (similar to FFXI's boats and airships and WoW's boats, zeppelins, subways) than a boring run fest. This game severely lacks in the social aspect with all the story instances, group phase, and companion nonsense. As far as the story goes, those ships aren't all that crucial. So you have some team meetings at the table or around the holoterminal, big deal? You could have those conversations anywhere in the world. Personally, I'd prefer to sit back and socialize, maybe fight a champion pirate/jedi/sith mob or two with a group of 10-15 complete strangers while flying over than hit my auto run button and move my camera around. You could further develop this by adding things unique to that ship - like vendors, maybe something crafting related (you could fish off the boat in FFXI), maybe add a space mission in there, etc etc etc. The possibilities are there. They just got lazy and added empty space instead. You guys are right. This is a story driven MMORPG. DON'T IGNORE THE "M!" This is multiplayer. The thing I never understood is why games like this promote single player play? Why do people choose to compete for bear pelts instead of forming a simple party, making a friend, and collecting them together. MMOs need time sinks, yes. But there are more interesting, more relevant ways of adding them into game play. You guys are probably the same people that think achievements/trophies are fun and not a total ******** cop out on gameplay replayability. I never played beta or anything, so just out of curiosity, what were their original purpose? And is it something they plan on adding back?

That's an awesome analogy man, thanks. I needed to hear that. I've actually been playing anni since lvl 10. I gave carnage a try back at lvl 40 or so, but didn't like it and switched back. I feel like most of the forum community is PvP-centric. Which is fine. Would be nice to hear from a Rakata Mara. I haven't ever seen one. All of the Rakata "Robocop" gear I see are Juggs while most of the Battlemaster gear I see are Maras. Is Mara more of a PvP themed class? It never felt like that lvling up, but maybe this is kind of a sign? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess I should say that I kind of expected this to be the case for PvP (and to an extent PvE). Like I said, I've seen Stmp and Kiba play. I don't doubt that a mara can melt faces. I guess I was just venting and frustrated. It's annoying to have to get expertise just to be on par. The merits and validity of expertise/resilience is for another thread on another day though. I should have rephrased my original post to say something like: after I get gear, will I be a good team player as a mara? Especially in FP/OPs. Does my bloodthirst and berserk as anni (so group heals) make up for me being melee? Will I ever get to a point where the healer won't have to decide on me or the tank staying alive? I just want to help the team, and from last night, I felt like I just hurt it. I'm sure better gear makes us... well... better. But do you find yourself more useful in a team now with it? Our set bonuses honestly aren't that impressive and I fear gear will only help so much. In terms of team player, where would you guys put us compared to other DPS classes? I'm ok with not being #1 on damage as long as I can bring something else to the table. Right now, I feel like I bring little is all I'm saying.

That's good to hear. I guess we'll just have to be that group in gen chat asking "LF1M ranged DPS." I figured BW's claims of every class being equals was true, but mmos never change. You can still have "optimal" groups and what not. That's unfortunate. I do agree with you though that ranged always have it easier. Even a somewhat easy mechanic like Revan's pull in and AoE lightning can mess with a ranged player's mind who's so used to just sitting back, not moving, and nuking. I enjoy being up front and personal though. I enjoy my interrupt on such a short CD (talented). I enjoy my group buffs. I generally enjoy the marauder, and really don't want to replace him as my main. I just hope they start listening to our class' forum. While I generally think most of the things people ask for are over the top, I do agree that some balancing is long over due for our class. It's just more apparent now that I have a 50 and starting to get a taste of other classes from my alts. I guess I'll just do what I can for the time, and hope BW can truly balance things out. I do have faith in them. To go against everyone in their tin foil hats, I think they've handled this game well so far. I'll work on finding better mods for my current gear while trying to get some purple sets. Thanks for the tips.

I apologize in advance for the long post. Just feeling frustrated from last night and wanted some help from the community. So me and my 2 buddies just hit lvl50 earlier this week. Last night was the first time we were all around, so we figured "let's do some of this lvl 50 stuff we keep hearing about!!" We picked up a 4th from gen chat and gave BT hard mode a try. Everything was going fine. We got to the GXR-5 Sabotage Droid mini boss, and this is where I felt like things started going wrong. I am 100% certain that we were doing the boss incorrectly, so the little probes he adds were giving us quite the trouble. We wiped around 4-6 times. We had a jugg tank, 2 melee dps (mara and sin) and a healer. Since 3/4 of us were melee, we really had little kiting options for those probes and they just kept exploding on us etc etc. We finally got through it basically because my buddy is a beast of a tank. He had to kite everything with taunts while me and the sin just DPSed our asses off. The tank ended up dying but we made it. After that fight though, everything else was easy mode and we never died again. Long story short, do melee DPS always get the short end of the stick in terms of boss fights? I remember a few other "bosses" during heroics or flashpoints where melee DPS also got screwed over. If the healer has to choose between keeping me alive, or the tank, I can't blame him for choosing the tank. That has happened many times leveling up with my 2 buddies. In fact, the gen chat always has people "LFM for EV hard, ranged DPS." I never see "LFM for EV Hard, mara/sin." Are there any fights in any flashpoints/operations that favor melee? If all our damage = same, I'm starting to think there is no point to melee. EVER. My group buffs are ok sure, but what's the point in having them if I'm getting AoEed to death before I can ever use them effectively. I want to be a team player, not a drain for the healer's resources. Anyways, we congratulated ourselves and decided, let's PvP a little. God were we naive. As 3 fresh lvl50s, I can't even begin to explain how much trouble we had. We are on The Harbringer server, one of the most populated I believe. It almost feels like we were the last ones to turn 50 and therefore the last ones to begin our gear grind. Going up against people with 500-600+ expertise while I have ~30 from my saber is a *********** joke. We got huttball all 3 games we played, and I'm pretty sure against the same pre-made. The same 4 guys in full battlemasters absolutely destroyed our faces. They had us at 0-5 while farming kills AT OUR GOAL LINE WITH THE BALL. My healer friend ended up just stealthing and sitting down at their goal line while my other friend ended the game for us. My tank buddy had to end the game by pushing the ball carrier into scoring. What. A. Joke. In the 10-49 bracket, I felt like we always did well together. I always got around 4-6 medals and 50-80 comms depending on win or loss. I got 2 medals and around 50 comms between all 3 games last night. We rage quit. The first time I rage quit a game in years. I'm older now and play games for fun/entertainment, not to be the best or anything so I tend to take a relaxed approached to things these days. This isn't right though. Can expertise really play this big of a difference? I couldn't even get a guy down to 1/2 before he killed me. Even one on one. 1v1 is where I used to shine before, even against higher lvl'd people in the 10-49. It's heart breaking to suck at it now. Especially when my Sin tank alt EASILY gets 7-10 medals (win or loss, doesn't matter) + 2-4 MVP votes to break 110 comms every game. It's frustrating to play mara sometimes. Almost considering rolling a merc for DPS. I guess I'm just looking for some comforting words. Does it get better? If I somehow start getting my PvE/PvP dailies done and start acquiring better gear, will I start doing damage again? Will I ever not be a liability in raiding content? I don't consider myself bad at this game, but I am sure starting to feel unloved. I've watched Stmp and Kiba and others play. I learned from them for sure. I've asked around the forums for help vs certain classes. I know some tactics and strategies. All three of us played badly in PvP last night, but at least my two buddies did well in the PvE content. Last night I was very bad though. Even without meters, I know I under performed my two friends. It was a sad, sad day for me. The worst part is, I feel like I could have done better as ranged DPS. Please, someone talk me out of rerolling into a ranged DPS. I like my mara, but he sadly feels like a crutch in both PvE as well as PvP at the moment.

I never ran the number or anything, but I feel like I just intuitively did what you said. At lower levels I used it a lot while leveling .Somewhere along the way though, I started to bump it further and further down on my priority. Now it's to the point where I just about never use it. Like what others have said, I find the 3 rage cost for sub par damage to be a waste. It just doesn't flow into the rotation/priority I have going. Bottom line, in PvE I never use it. In PvP it gets used very rarely if I happen to have the rage and happen to have other, bigger hits, on CD.

I have a light-side Mara and a dark-side Sin, and severely I disagree with that statement. The reason is as follows. With my DS Sin, if I really wanted to, I could get gifts for Ashara to cancel out my DS dialogue choices. There is no permanent alignment for Ashara so to speak as there is with Jaesa. For those not familiar with Jaesa and without giving too much away, there comes a point in the story arc where you either convert her to the dark side or let her think you are trying to take the sith down from within (LS). The dialogue choices for establishing whether Jaesa (not your toon, but Jaesa) is LS or DS is vague and poorly defined - with different people saying they get different outcomes with similar choices. There are several threads about this in the SW forums. That being said, if you make Jaesa LS (regardless of your alignment) you can never romance her ever again. It's locked in. No amount of gifts or flirting or doing her side missions or anything, will ever make her romance-able. There is no warning about this either and people in other threads point out that even from a lore perspective it doesn't make any sense as full fledged LS Jedis can romance which go directly against the Jedi code. Not to hijack the thread or anything, so back on topic. In that regard, I guess I am spoiled. I don't mind having to send companions away on missions to get gifts or to buy gifts because if I wanted to, I still have the option to. That's the whole point of gifts. It's to make it possible to romance whoever you want, with whatever alignment you want. It just might take longer, but it's possible. That option was taken away from my Mara with nothing I can do about it. As for Thana, which I guess is the real topic of the this thread , I think she would make a great cross-class companion for anyone that wants to pick her up and should definitely be considered for expansions or whatever. I'm trying to think here, and there is no other NPC that stands out as much as her. There isn't even a light-side counter part to her I don't think on any of the other planets.

That makes sense. Try and interrupt as much as possible. I guess three skills I tend to forget I have are obfuscate, crippling slash, and predation. I mostly PvE and aside from some elities/champions here and there, those three skills aren't all that useful. I need to work them into my priorities, which I guess is something I need to try to remember for PvP. They seem to really shine there from what I hear. As for the fury comment, I finally reached the end of the anni tree and got defensive forms in the carn tree too. That fury builds up like it's my business now. It's awesome Thanks for the tips guys.

There is an interesting idea. I always considered camo as an escape mechanism. I will have to give that a try. At what point should I do that though? Before or after his knockback? I am anni, so I am not spec'd into the "removing all movement impairing" form of force camo.