This. I've been a sub since early launch. took a break, let my accounts fallback to Pref for a few months. came back in, decided to try the pref life for a bit before subbing. that lasted all of 3 days. the limitations without unlocking things is pretty big. And not everything is available on the GMT. Most, but not all. good luck trying to guy an unlock for crafting, or an unlock for your cred cap. it's by design that many of these things are purchasable on the market. And honestly, as a sub, im glad they are. there are things from the CM that you cannot get anywhere else in the game. even as a sub. That idea really irks me...and it was one of the reasons I didn't want the f2p in the first place. but it's here, and I'm glad at least that these items are available on the GMT. because im not a fan of having to pay CM for them...so as a sub i can get them with creds too.

Its funny....I actually thought the same thing. my favorite male body is 4, just cause it has a more friendly profile, doesn't seem weird and out of place...

Soo true. and not unpleasant to look at either. On the topic though, I do wish they had a type 2.5 for male bodies. 2 is just a bit too skinny for me, and 3 is a bit to rhoidy for me (but in weird ways) their chest structure is too big...like the skeletal structure. reminds me more of just a big farm boy then an actual trained muscled mercenary I'd like to see a type 2 with a bit thicker legs and arms.and less of a bubble butt

AFter leveling several juggs, I agree that all specs are viable. Immortal : highest survivability with talents. slowest overall killing speed (it's not by much).most flexibility with companion choice. It is currently my favorite tanking spec out of all 3 classes (I do play all 3). Vengeance - highest overall kill speed (until later levels where Rage catches up). moderate mitigation (this is my spec of choice when running solo and group content leveling...you can tank most the content up to 55 with a Venge spec...heck a Rage spec can do it to, but you put more heat on your healers that way). Rage - AoE spec. high burst. good maneuverability. simpler rotation then Vengeance, less overall mitigation. My choice when im doing mostly solo PvE and PvP together. My personal preference is vengeance when I level for both solo and group content, and at level cap i switch regularly (im a sub so i have free respecs). Rage is equally viable, I just prefer Vengeance. I'd recommend trying all 3 to see which one fits you better...and make sure you do a few levels with the new spec to make sure your comfortable with them. doing them just a short while isn't viable as their skill rotations are different enough that you will need to get used to them initially. TLDR: all 3 specs are viable enough that you can play what you enjoy,but I highly recommend trying all 3 long enough to get a feel for them before choosing.

It sounds allot like what they did originally with the BH set. It's not an optimized full tier upgrade. it's a set with sub-optimal stats overall, but a few nice mods here and there. It's designed as an option for those how are not pushing progressive content, but still want upgrades, so they aren't supposed to be "the best". They're also there as an option for mixing and matching for optimal or personal preference. If they follow suit like they did with BH, then the next set of gear we get will be the actual full tier upgrade.

I agree. The proc had been the bane of the Vengeance class since it's indocrination. It's one of the reasons that we get such a dynamic variance in our DPS meters, and why for a long time the Jugg was seen as a subpar DPS class. Our consistent damage has grown, so we are no longer the ostracized of the DPS specs, but it is still RNG that can really determine the output of our class. It sucks to have to rely on "I had bad RNG that run, sorry about that" as a crutch. Or frends and fellow players understand, but it's not optimal. The "stack" idea is not too shabby. It could be a good replacement. but they would probably do either or...both would almost be OP. So I think the real question is, which would we prefer? Benefits as I see them: Stacks: Pro - regular and consistent increase ravage application, smoother damage profiles over the long run. Con - we lose burst. Shorter fights will net regularly less damage. CUrrent Proc: Pro - amazing burst, Con: prey to the RNG gods, our damage is as spiky as a roller coaster.

It was Mostly covered above OP. I'll just add a few notes: 1) The biggest attraction to hybrid prior to 2.0 was Unstoppable. due to the amazing amount of knockback in this game, it smoothed out allot of initial threat grabs. Plus, immortal prior to 2.0 was simply miserable. the worst designed tree in the game up to that point. So bad that a DPS tree was a better tanking option. the best talents in the tree were actually in it's first 3-4 tiers. thus the hybrid was born. But Immortal now is amazingly smoother. It's damage output has scaled up with the other tank classes, and our mobility and control in immortal is one of the best. and crushing blow is IMO the best top tier talent the jugg has. 2) I think that the biggest issue your dealing with when "trying out" immortal is that your simply not used to it. your used to your hybrid rotation, and you most likely have some skill, and on top of that good gear. That combo allows you to survive with the hybrid build in situations where lesser skilled players may show it's weaknesses. in short, you can get it to work in your current gearing and environment...but it's far from optimal. SO, if you like it, continue.It's obviously working for you right now. But you'll want to realize that overall hybrid is far inferior to immortal for tanking now. I'd challenge you to try immortal out long enough to really get used to the rotation (a few weeks of steady play, not just a few trial sessions like most do). I honestly think that once you get used to it, you're tanking ability will soar, and you'll start to get allot more compliments from the healers then you do now.

Personally, I like this game more the Rift. I really wanted to like rift. The idea sounded great. but after lvl 20 I got burnt out on "rifts", the quests felt very canned and clicky (I just clicked on them to get them to finish them to get the exp), and it felt like a constant grind. which SW never did to me. even after leveling dozens (kid you not) of alts in the game to various levels, I still enjoy the cut scenes, the storylines, etc. Rift did not have the same feel. after lvl 8 or so I lost teh story direction, and it became a group of meaningless quests to me. Teh Rift character system was fantastic. i wish more MMO's tried to move in that direction. it was probably a balance nightmare for them, but IMO it was well worth it. Point for Rift here...SWtOR skills aren't horrible simply because they copied a known system that wasn't broke. uninspiring, but worked. Rift won that one. Rift gear design drove me crazy. no matter what I threw on my Cleric, she looked the same. as levels went on, she lost armor (it got skimpier), but that's about it. customization is a big deal to me, and Rift really doesn't have it. Plus, they tend to go with very similar looking meshes for a large portion of their class specific gear, so even if it's different you almost have to zoom in and stare hard to see it. last but not least, the character animations were boring at best. Cleric didn't look like she was swinging a hammer...she looked like she was churning butter. compared to my Juggernaut leaping, smashing, impaling mobs in the head with her saber...sad thing is even with the horrid engine this game has, it also has some of my most favorite animation in the genre (aion tops the list IMO...gladiator animations were simply awesome). In all honesty, the biggest thing Rift did right (and i think you or someone else did mention it), is that they listened and changed ALLOT. but on the flip side, they also were in a really bad situation...they staved it off by listening and making changes. difference between the two really is EA. big companies influence small ones they own, period. EA's business model, it's upper management (who approves and organizes the budgets for the smaller teams), this all really is what makes the decisions for Bio. no matter how amazing the dev team they have is, the Management Org is what drives the decisions...the tools for the metrics, etc. Not sure who was making those decisions on Rift's side , but they obviously made some solid decisions. Bio has been getting better. In spite of the doom and gloom on the forums (remember, forums usually barely compromise 10% of a given games population, if that. more like 5%), the game has been getting better...populations have seemed to stabilize, and overall its not in a bad spot. it has tons of stuff that it can do better, but I think at this point Rift vs. SWtOR is Apple vs. Orange, with the exception that Rift seems to have a team that listens, AND has the capacity to act (acting is they key here) most larger Corps don't offer their dev teams that luxury.

1800 caps isn't bad at all. But on the flip side, I can understand the frustration with those caught in the spinup of servers in SWtOR. I don't think it would be a horrible thing for Bio to provide a single time bulk discount fee for those who want to transfer all their toons on ONE server to ONE other server ONCE. make it roughly the cost of 2 transfers, and were golden. 3600 caps isn't sky high, but it isn't a walk in the park. those serious about Xferring 8 toons will be getting a huge discount, but it will also curb the desire of spontaneous hoppers of moving unless they're serious about it. ONE time. after that, 1800 a pop. To me it's really an issue of a positive customer experience...it has nothing to do with right/wrong, contract or no contract. companies to satisfy their customers usually keep said customers. I think the one time bulk xfer discount would do much in this regard.

well, the keys for affection and romance storyline also include resonding appropriately along the way to certain queues she gives you. At some point you start to get flirting options. if you choose other options in the conversation early on, you can halt the sordid romance before it even starts. once it's gone, it's gone as far as I know. the queue for the relationship portion of the story is after you finish chapter 2 (which your way past). so it leads me to believe that at some point you refused the flirt options (hence her advances) and so now shes flirting with the ship med droid...or the computer...or something.

Actually, If you really pay attention to all the drone mobs you kill on your way from lvl 1 to level 55, most of them are of the opposite faction. the simple fact that they aren't controlled by another character is irrelevant. My repub toons have taken out tons of imperials, and my Sith have laid wast to entire platoons of republic soldiers. If you watch the movies...the characters in there do exactly the same thing. actual fights between the main storyline heroes is few and far inbetween. ...kinda like in this game. Ha, gotcha!

It's situational. You didn't specify, but it sounds like you play allot of PvP. due to the "burst" nature of PvP, the short term short CD mitigation skills a marauder has definitely even up the odds. Jugg's passive mits really are a "mitigation over time" effect, more suited to PvE. Overall, I find that my Juggernaut requires less downtime in PvE play solo then my marauder does. but when it comes to short term high damage situations (burst from a silver or elite as an example), my marauder fends better. with Quinn in tow its all a moot point really both tear through stuff. it really boils down to aesthetics and personal pref at that point.

After leveling 3 Juggs and trying every companion available, the most optimum setup is a DPS spec with Quinn. Optimum as it refers to overall leveling speed. the "Right" Companion is very different and will vary allot based on your expectations and what you are willing to tolerate in play. Makeb gets tougher when you get to lvl 55 mobs. I felt it too....3/4 of makeb was the same as running BH dailies...then suddenly im taking damage and having to heal, even with Quinn in tow. so part of what your feeling isn't you, or Quinn. I think they upped the challenge on the level capped mobs a bit to give people something to bite into for end game. you may feel it now with the gear you have, but as you gain gear from lvl 55 HM's and start to grow past tier one end game gear (or just get TO tier one end game gear) you wil start to feel more normal. It's all about balancing around what they expect players to be doing for most their career, and what gear they're be wearing. It may be a pain right now, but I'd rather have that now, then to have it easy now, and boring once i hit tier 3 or tier 4 gear levels.

Good to see you playing OP! Im an old guy too and my eyes seem even older I think this issue is something for gaming for us old guys in general (and old gal's too! ). I've gotten into the habit of arranging my keybinds in very similar manners on all my characters and i base it attack types. I tend to have my main attacks on 2-3 specific keys...my ranged attacks (if they aren't main attacks) on 2 others, and my gap closers on one or two specific ones as well. So if i hop onto my Jugg, I know that sunder is the same key as tracer missle is on my BH (they're both primary attacks). that way when all else fails i can mash my "main attack" buttons when in a panic and I know that at least one of my attacks will go off! Aside from that, I also prioritize feel. i have a very specific key setup. i use ESDF to move instead of WASD, and all the keys around it are bound to skills (QWRTAGZXV). that way all my keys are very close, and intuitive to press for me. when I have a skill. i tend to position it based on where it "feels" best. "A" has always been my gap closer since DAoC days, so i tend to put my leap/ranged/speed boost there. my finger automatically goes there for that kind of skill. but if it doesn't feel right being there, ill move it. sometimes a skill just feels good in a certain spot. It could be due to the sequence I use the skills, or what skill i tend to use right after that skill, or a myriad of reasons...but if a skill feels better being on the "V" key rather then the "A" key ill put it there...I find things easier to do when i do it that way. And above all else, get a familiar pattern and stick with it. i find that having to rethink where certain skills are regularly impacts my play a great deal. but If i just leave them in place long enough, my fingers start to automatically go there, and I don't have to key stare anymore. On the note of number of skills needed: Bio actually bases skill development around a threshold for most used skills....it's the primary reason they recently modified the Shadow/Assassin class in 2.2...in Bio's opinion they had too many skills in their core rotation (it was a specific AC) Usually the average number for core rotations is around 6 skills. so on most classes you can get away with basic function with only 6-8 skills. that being said, i find that most the juggernaut rotations are pretty simplified now. sunder for rage, 1-3 skills, a proc skill (if it procs), and a smash. wash rinse repeat. thats about 89% of your gameplay. Immortal is probably the least expansive early on...the only clutter it gets is a few stuns later on, but those are not regular skills.

Emphasis mine. If you take a look at parses, you'll realize how untrue that statement is. Player skill > class capacity 98% of the time. it's a well know fact that A: most players cannot maximize their class role perfectly, and B: most players assume they can. Which is the ideology that leads you to your statement. there aren't 7 better options. there may be 7 other AC's that have the POTENTIAL of possibly having more DPS, but in most situations, a raid leader really isn't making a choice from a perfectly optimized group of AC's. he's pulling from a small group of people that showed up for his raid. So all the bantering about "uselesness" of a class is not only unwarranted, but it's childish. Or motivated by a PvP player who wants EZ mode kills, so he's overstating the uselessness of his class to get buffs he wants. As long as a class can meet the DPS thresholds, it's not really an AC issue. there will always be an AC at the bottom, and an AC at the top. and most players skill will probably put them all smack dab in the middle. if the AC suffers from lower DPS, then a change is warranted. but the uselessness charge can go. if the AC is useless, then there are dozens of guilds every week that finish NM Ops with useless classes. doesn't say much for the game design, does it? or perhaps Bio had that in mind...

I agree with you OP. Im not actively playing atm, but it's more due to other interests being...more interesting at this point. but I enjoyed many of the things you point out. One of my biggest gripes about Rift (other then getting burnt out on Rifts real fast) was the animations feel very underwhelming. The feeling of my juggernaut leaping into a mob and impaling it is very fun! charges me up. I do a leap attack in Rift and its very...I dunno...uneventful. i start at point A, then end at point B. my cleric swings her huge hammer like shes churning milk, not trying to pound an elemental being into mush. I get no visceral feel from the combat in Rift...but SWtOR charges me up. animation and feel of play are very big for me in a game, and SWtOR got that right in a good way. Also been playing neverwinter, and it runs into a similar situation. animations aren't bad (some are cool), but the interaction between the character and objects (mobs) feels very clunky. some of the animations feel over-scripted and get stuck halfway if you cancel them ...my great sword fighter runs around with her sword in the air for a few seconds after every fight because the animation didn't cancel very smoothly. so SWtOR did a great job with character interaction in the world. So there are definitely good points in the game. If there weren't, people wouldn't be playing it. It's easy to only see the negative side when your reading the forums because, well, people most often come here when they have a gripe, not when they are happy. So happy threads like this are few and far inbetween. glad you posted. we need happy posts once in awhile

Personally I just don't want to PvP anymore. been playing MMO's and PvP'ing since DAoC days (RvR ftw). after years of dealing with the PvP environment (in and out of games), I just woke up one day and realized i could care less to PvP. I Don't have any issues with it in general...just prefer not to do it anymore. I'm also a supporter of the idea that PvP and PvE should not be developed in the same game together (or at least they shouldn't attempt to give both equal priority). It just doesn't work. So I also often don't do it for ideological reasons. no hate though...it can be a fun environment for those that choose to do it.

Sounds like there were a few things going on OP. One, you mis-communicated your intentions due to not saying it well. "spacebar" is a bit rifling to most, extremely offensive to some. "is everyone comfortable with Spacing through the cutscenes?" is more precise, and conveys respect (as many of the examples given so far). Two, the group responded to your miscommunication immaturely. in most runs I've done, silence is usually the answer you get. I read this and think OK, guess i have some downtime to refresh my drink, surf the net, let the dog out, whatever. Or i just watch the scene (for my favorite parts). Both are individual issues that need to be addresses separately. one does not justify the other. On your part, just be a bit more communicative. say please and thanks and smile and you will get a much more positive response. if they decide to be snide and kick you at that point, you can be comfortable knowing that you did what you could to be respectful. In all honesty, your second communication conveying that you meant no disrespect would have been good enough for me. But that burden is on them. My suggestion was only to convey the idea that it very well could have been avoided in the first place with a slightly different initial request. that's all.

Juggeraut is the only AC with a tanking option, so you'll probably want to go with that choice. There's a ton of flexibility in early game, so playing as a full tank spec isn't really necessary. that being said, the Immortal tree is a fun and versatile tree to play. you won't win any damage competitions, but the flexibility is great. If you want to run with Vette all the way (she is my favorite companion personally), then Immortal is the way to go. however, gear wise you won't see any real "tank" stats on them until the late 30's early 40's. these stats being stuff like defense, shield, absorb, etc. Endurance is nice, but in early game the difference between a high end piece and low endurance piece is very small. the damage bonus from wearing damage gear is far more beneficial then the extra health you get, so I usually run damage based gear until late in the game (40's or even 50's). At that point you can probably start to look at tank style gear. Having a shield and tank spec will be more then sufficient till then.

Not enough to make one choice better then the other. I'd pick based more on support skills then damage. i.e. do you like the force camo/enrage/dual wield aspect of the Mara, or the single saber/passive mits/tankability aspect of the jugg?

Play what you want. both are viable in end game, both for DPS and (guard) tank. I agree with the sentiment of the Guard being a slow developer early on though compared to the sent...but this evens out post 40-ish. For me its an issue of one saver vs. 2. and I actually like the animations on the sent better. but I've always enjoyed one saber more. It's prob why my Juggs get more uptime on sith side, and my sent gets more uptime on Pub side.

You know, back in the day when i worked customer service, we often had some flexibility in giving customers compensation for issues and frustration, and you'd be amazed at how much better it can make people feel... ....I don't think a single free transfer to server of your choice is out of the question at this point.

I think this is a valid point, and probably why i tend to balk at the cost. Im perfectly OK with a cost, either coins or CC, and IN used to seeing some high costs...but those are usually on globals. I think 500k/200cc is reasonable. and in all honesty, he kicks butt with green gear. and you don't have to wait till level 10. on two different alts I've unlocked him at lvl 1, and picked up green lvl 3,5, and lvl 7 rifles for him to use (he can use blaster rifles too). its' sort of fun to have your Comp kill most the mobs prior to lvl 10 on his own

exactly. I'm trying out neverwinter Online right now, and there's a ton of level capped players in beta already, and the rumor is they plan on NOT resetting servers (a.k.a beta characters transfer over). My jaw dropped to the floor on that one. guess we'll see how it turns out. Moral of story = Dev's underestimate the sheer intensity that MMO addicts devour content. the fact that a single player dev team underestimated this isn't surprising...people in the MMO industry STILL underestimate it.

excellent points. Doesn't help that the Jugg is a late bloomer...none of the specs get really good until you hit the mid 30's. Assassin/Shadow tank suffers from the same situation...very squishy until they get to their late 20's early 30's.