The game is neither dead nor agonizing, it is very, very alive, and I think the picture is good, especially with the development of content not only for the game, but also in other areas of the franchise such as movies and comics, all that is attracting new players, who knows, the future is uncertain, but for now the matter is stable and improving

the idea is that no matter where you play, never be boringly easy, but in any case it is worth adding that option to activate or deactivate level sync

the arsenal has not really changed much, so most of the guides have not been updated, and those that have changed, have already been updated, so you can use the old ones. Also remember that you are not obliged to follow them, use your creativity, invent something new, that is also part of the fun

almost any mission can be completed alone as long as you know how to use your character as efficiently as possible and with the right equipment

it would certainly be great to be able to challenge the emperor / empress, and most likely the player would end up winning that match, unless they make him lose for the sake of the plot, but in any case I doubt very much that they allow it, despite the fact that would give some sense to the last decision

short answer is no, except augments. The best items right now are found in drops from flashpoint and in similar activities

If what you are looking for is to do a great deal of damage, I recommend the sentinel, it is like a berserk, a lot of damage and it is fast, but unfortunately that is where the problem is, in terms of defense it is mediocre unless you know how to use it, something that I never managed to learn. On the other hand, the shadow is more versatile, with more variety, and it has certain abilities that can seem like a cheat because it allows you to avoid certain attacks very easily, which gives you a much more decent defense than the sentinel, but in terms of speed , aggressiveness and damage, does not compare with the sentinel at all. My recommendation is that you use in the shadow, it is easier to master, but as with everything, it is better that you try the 2 and draw your own conclusions, or simply use the one that catches your attention

the best thing would be for you to start over, refresh the story, correct any mistakes you think you made, see what is new, etc.

There really isn't much difference, it's almost minimal, I could say it's more a matter of taste

If you are in a hurry and do not want to buy datacrons, I recommend that you buy with credit the perks of the legacy that increase the experience of flashpoints and make only flashpoints

It can be an internet problem or it can be the server itself. What server are you playing on? Remember that you should choose the most appropriate server according to your location