Please understand that I know where you're coming from and agree. But what you have to understand is when this game was released. Bioware advertised this game for the casuals - you know, the people with the money, not the hardcore minority where games made for them go free-to-play or die. When they launched this game, Bioware Austin did a bait and switch. This game was almost impossible to solo, and they catered to the lowest common denominator, the Hardcore Minority - a group of people who don't matter because games for them end up dying or going free-to-play. Bioware Austin literally invited DKP Guilds from SWG to an all-expenses-paid event, promising them there would be no flashpoint finder and they would work hard to make this game more challenging. After this, two million people left, the game went free-to-play, and Bioware Austin's leadership was fired. This game is a huge improvement from launch but it's still stuck in the past, catering to the hardcore minority. There's no console port and no gamepad support, which means the audience for this game is thinning out since normal gamers, not masochists like the Hardcore Minority, tend to bring the cash. Right now, because of the popularity of the Mandalorian TV Series, what EA Austin is doing is trying to cater to and make money from people who are willing to give this game a chance despite all the handicaps this game has. Even though this game is casual-friendly, it's casual-friendly in the way it should have been back in 2011. If the development team really wanted to make money, they could upgrade the graphics engine (again), add gamepad support, and launch the game on consoles. Again, what the hardcore minority thinks is irrelevant because they are irrelevant.

Yes, Final Fantasy XIV didn't have to resort to a free-to-play model. When the developers faltered at launch, the company opted to give people what they wanted. Now, from your post, it seems that you're a member of the hardcore minority. You're likely puzzled as to why games like City of Heroes and Matrix Online were shut down. There are people like you who are a minority who play Final Fantasy XIV and often wonder why anyone would engage in New Game Plus, where there are no tangible rewards. You might even have a tendency towards masochism, preferring challenging, difficult games that offer a sense of "accomplishment," a unique form of pleasure for you. For instance, games like Everquest and launch SWTOR are considered easy in your eyes. And, you're baffled as to why 2 million people left SWTOR because it was too hard at launch as you saw launch as easy mode. Now, I don't mean to insult your impassioned post. I understand that your question may be rhetorical, but on the off chance that it isn't, I must say that it's unlikely you would comprehend what average gamers gain from New Game Plus. This disconnect might be why many of the games you enjoy either go free-to-play or shut down. When SWTOR launched, we saw an influx of SWG players who were surprised when users demanded that DKP Guilds publicly declare and carry their affiliation like a badge of dishonor. These SWG players, being a minority and mostly reclusive, found themselves in a game that was not widely played. They became so insulated that when they eventually emerged into a changed gaming landscape, they were shocked to discover that society viewed DKP Guilds as dubious or fraudulent.

Allow people to purchase a New Game Plus so they can restart all the content well keeping their armor, companions and level so that way they can replay the game over leveled.

I would rather waste cargo space as I did long before you had played this game then pay a fee each and every time I wanted to transmog lets say a helmet. This is as backwards as the developers having a Guild Summit to promise the hardcore minority there will never be a dungeon finder and the game will never cater to casuals after it was announced this game would be the next casual friendly WoW Killer. After two million people left and those were fired we got everything we needed. Its so sad to come back to this game and see they fixed so much yet progressed to slowly on adding features paying customers who are not of a minority would like. Like gamepad support or a console port. The game is so good and I like the fixes but I feel like I am being nickeled and dimed. At least when ESO does it, it makes sense. Oh yeah the developers who developed this game also went over and made ESO in which that game failed because they rinsed and repeated and they had to completely remake that game and of course fire those developers, again.

I understand it can DPS now which stats should I focus on as for gear?

Yes, as I mentioned I have been gone for a while and this is a horrible change

So I have been a member since the BETA. What happened to transmog it used to be free to customize at will your character. Now you have to pay credit fee each time you update your character via the outfit slot? Not only do you need to but multiple ones but you cant just simply edit it.... wtf man This ruined transmog. Sorry if I am late to the party I heard the rumblings about two years or a year ago with the 7. something patch that screwed up the game but wow

Agreed, lets not try to break the story further.

No wonder why people are quiting the game on mass this bug from years ago was never fixed

I am in the legacy bar in my new character. I am seeing the buff is unlocked from my level 70 sith. I am on my new Jedi and I dont see the buff ability though its unlocked on the legacy tab

Yeah when you wear a mask it will mask the VActor

When you make a game and advertise it for casuals as EA did and when the heads of Bioware decided to make the game instead for the hardcore minority from failed games like SWG which caused 2 million people to leave in six months and caused the mass firings at Bioware Austin by EA for this idiotic decision you bet people are happy to see this. Some people paid a lot for the collectors edition and yeah Bioware said no Flashpoint finder or other casual features and even flew SWG players out for the Guild Summit promising them harder features which they like and a committment to no casual features like guild finder. Again 2 million people left and then with word of mouth tainted this game.

The now all fired heads of Bioware Austin for some odd reason decided to change the game's focus from casual friendly to appeasing the minority of players who come from failed games that never do well that used the Everquest formula. Think Matrix Online, City of Heros, SWG all failure games with people who have this BDSM mentality were they have to be hurt and have a hard life with perma death and forced parties fighting bats and rats. From being the WoW killer to changing things last minute making questing hard and forcing grouping. The Guild Summit which was a service for SWG Players who wanted Bioware to promise no Flashpoint finder and Bioware agreed and finally two million people left. Even though the hardcore minority sees the launch game as easy keep in mind these are the people who think anything that doesn't take six months and a game without deleveling is way to easy the game which EA advertised to the casuals was sadly revamped for players that you don't make games for and those games can't even go free2play they die. Thankfully EA cleaned house at Bioware Austin and fired the heads but lets face it.... this game's reputation was sullied as being a hard game focused on hardcore players not the casual. This game is an improvement and thanks to EA this game is pretty much casual friendly though Bioware for some odd reason makes one time quests like HK-55 so only a minority can access the content and everyone is forever locked out pissing off people. I hope this game is rereleased as a single player game so I can cheat and have fun with the game at my pace. I am uncertain that it would happen but I believe the game would sell. Right now like the PS3, Xbox One launch the begining of this game like the begining of those consoles were sullied and word of mouth got out and reputation sometimes never recovers or takes years to recover. Its so sad that the head of Bioware Austin decided to risk everything to appease a small minority of hardcore players who don't matter who either demand the game gets harder till that game days then they go to another game to demand the same thing never staying in one place because no game made for them like SWG can last.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THOSE WHO HAVENT BEATEN ALL EXPANSIONS So I beat all the expansion I understand there is a hidden chapter that sadly can't play but I was told you can rebuild HK-55. Can you do this without this bonus chapter? Also how do you go about doing this? I beat all the expansions and never saw an option

Thats not what he is asking you though

SWG members wanting hardcore and group content are to be ignored as the Bioware employees who decides to focus on a hardcore minority with the guild summit were fired by EA after 2 million casuals left with Bioware promising no group finder and harder and more group content. Games that are made for you people end up dying not even good enough to go free2play.

City of Heros was a failure of a game that was so bad it couldn't go free2play. Games based on and for the hardcore minority are games that get shut down. Small communities that have hardly any player base is not a game EA would support

I skipt this anything that forces groups should be patched out or fixed allowing solo missions.

This would never happen after half of Bioware Austin was fired for listening to hardcore minority/SWG players and in turn lost 2 million people which caused the game to go free2play. If it did Bioware Austin would have a whole nother round of firings. The hardcore minority needs to understand games based and made for people like them end up dying. EA would never ever favor ten customer to ban thousands of customers.

So what they can have volunteer overzealous former SWG players literally banning everyone? Remember the first six months of the game and Bioware promising that the game shall never have a group finder to appease the hardcore minority and SWG players. Then the Guild Summit in which invited SWG guilds and took suggestions and plans to make the game harder and ignore the 2 million players who left as a result of the guild summit and half of Bioware Austin getting fired due to this. lol Use the ignore list if Bioware did again listen to the Hardcore Minority EA would most likely have start firing and go on damage control to reverse the damage EA Austin has done.

This game is suffering due to the hardcore minority ruining the game the first couple years. Best thing to do is just ignore them. Otherwise not enough subs & you SWG hardcore players will have to find another home, again..

lol I remember during the sixth months during launch when Bioware decided to ignore the majority of their two million fan base to appease the couple people from that horrible game SWG and news reports came out Bioware modded people telling them how to cancel their account due to the fact Bioware literally hid the feature. https://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/swtor-unsubscribe-goes-missing-for-some/ Lucky enough Bioware Austin had a huge firing spree after the Guild Summit

So I was one of the casuals who played the game early with the Collectors Edition. We were so hopeful as this was advertised as the WoW Killer. It would be a casual focused game that was supposed to appease to casual players. At that time the SWG people were still hermits in a dying MMORPG based on the dead Everquest formula. The BETA was amazing it allowed us to choose our difficulty on missions it was pretty unique I loved it. Then SWG shut down and the game was not flooded as SWG only had a small player base but a vocal hardcore minority who believes in something close to BDSM pain for pleasure which their pain was for the 'accomplishment' all of a sudden you seen the Bioware staff started to change focus. The game launched and the millions of casuals who set records who joined instantly were surprised that the game was way to hard and often forced you to group for basic quests. We had SWG Guilds and people who were like hermits who didn't understand any guild using DKP must label themselves as a DKP Guild when advertising like a Scarlet Letter due to modern MMORPGs most who trick people to come in often the entire servers of good MMORPGs who force them offline. Pretty much SWG Players were isolated in a bad MMORPG for years unaware of current MMORPG etiquette. At this point the staff kept trying to appease the few SWG refugees by promising a harder game and forced group content and eventually Bioware paid for the Guild Summit so SWG Guilds can come and make suggestions to make the game harder which Bioware did and Bioware made a committment never to have a Group Finder. Needless to say that was the last straw and two million casuals left and this game has been on life support ever and EA ended firing everyone involved at Bioware Austin since because no one makes a game anymore for one percent of players. Now sadly this game is finally where it should of been during launch with making it as hard or easy as you want. Sadly because of what happened within the first six months focusing on the SWG people this game is almost stained and I am afraid it will eventually die. I hope it becomes a single player game because the game itself is great it was just made harder for years to appease people who really don't matter.

Wait are you talking about your character name or Legacy name (The Last Name)

The man is of the Hardcore Minority and praises SWG as a better game thus the 46 minute video is moot. The launch went from appeasing the casuals till at launch to appease the hardcore minority from SWG. Two million people left after the Guld Summit meant for SWG Players and promising a harder game and no dungeon finder, ever. Needless to say a bunch of people got fired at Bioware Austin and the game has been forever tainted This video literally skips from launch days till the expansions and fails to mention the Guild Summit and the massive firings that happened afterwards. It's pretty much a video through the eyes of an SWG Player ignoring why all the casuals left which made this game go free2play and talk about things the Hardcore Minority never liked about the game.