Right on, thanks guys!

Holy crap...things have definitely changed. It used to be that over 1200 Expertise yielded diminishing returns, as an effort to fight people from stacking a sh- ton of expertise on their kits and overpowering matches...but then again, the cap is 10 levels higher now. So, it 's not so much about the PVP gear in itself, right? I mean, I could just buy the PVP gear, like the days of old, strip the mods and enhancements out and put them into any other gear of equivalent level requirement and be just as well off, right? For instance, back in the day, I didn't have to use Battlemaser, I could have just as easily purchased the gear, stripped the mods out and put them into something else that was max level and retain the benefit. The PVP gear itself didn't have any particularly benefit...other than provide a matched set bonus.

Would all of this be why I can't queue for a ranked match? I am level 63 valor and level 55 character and it won't let me queue for ranked, on account that it claims I have to be 55. So if I just queue with bone-basic non PVP gear, bolster would bring me up to base requirements?

I guess I'm not sure what Heroics have to do with PVP gear. You get rewarded PVP gear for Heroics now?

I've checked with every PVP vendor and I see nothing below level 65. How do they expect sub level 65's to play? Every match I am in tells me my Expertise is below the recommended amount(I'm only around 400+), yet I see no PVP vendor selling Expertise equipment below level 65. Including enhancements and mods that I could be using to help boost my old Battlemaster stats, since that's what I was last working on anyway. There used to be 30x-33x Enhancements, for instance. I've even gone to basic PVP vendors, in addition to advanced ones....and the ones standing outside of the vendor area, near the terminals....the most I can find are sabers for use in PVP

I use "raid" loosely and not to be confused with Raid Missions. I just meant to attack their npc's out of pure amusement and actually surviving the process. The npc turrets and characters are beyond heroic tough.

Although, this is not a new concept to PVE'rs, I was roaming around Tatooine and Alderaan with my lvl 40 guardian, looking at all the old bases that are home to my sith char. It was a trip to see they are all (naturally) hostile. I went to attack a turret, with my companion and was mowed down and barely scratched it, using all of my hard hitting, dps build skills. Has anyone ever successfully raided a base? I came close to killing the sith duelist in the Imperial Dune Sea camp, but was subsequently taken out, after getting a 1/3 of his health down. I am, now nearly 51, using advanced armoring 25 mods and enhancements, I am wondering if I could now pull it off. It's all for the amusement, of course.