I agree that a companion shouldn't be able to perform better than a player, but they SHOULD be able to perform their role, at the very least. A tank that doesn't taunt isn't a tank. A healer that can't keep up with the minimum unavoidable damage isn't a healer.

Even worse is that the new flashpoint is also overtuned so that companions really aren't capable of helping well enough to survive the fights if someone from the group/queue leaves.

Boss 3 (the curse) is still very difficult when using a companion healer or tank. Too much damage being taken from multiple sources in the 2nd half of the fight, and even a 4000 presence healer is unable to keep up with anything longer than 90 seconds. Additionally, a tank companion does not agro the adds at all, and requires extreme micromanaging to direct it to each and every add. This is impossible considering all the other damage you need to avoid, while also trying to dps or heal. Additionally, mitigation and health levels are lacking for companion tanks.

Now that the new flashpoint has been out for a decent amount of time, and I've had an opportunity to run it more than a dozen times, I feel the need to make it known that companions are essentially useless in this flashpoint. This makes it extremely difficult to continue with the flashpoint if someone leaves, disconnects, or can find anyone to join. With companion set to healer (with 4000+ presence), it is unable to keep up with any more than 90 seconds before the Mind Corruption dot becomes too much to overcome the healing needed to survive. Keep in mind, this damage output discrepancy does not even include damage from the adds, the puddles, the tentacle slams, and the Curse slams. With companion set to tank, it does not properly taunt, or turn to, any of the adds that spawn at various intervals of the fight. Even if you direct the tank companion towards one of the adds, it does not adequately taunt any of the other adds. Additionally, the nerf to companions in 6.x has left even the tank companion with inadequate levels of health and mitigation, even with 4000+ presence. As for DPS companions, I haven't tested nearly as much, because DPS role is more plentiful. Please consider either buffing companions to allow stronger or more efficient usage of their roles, or consider nerfing the Curse encounter so that it is more possible to complete with companions being used in the group. Thank you.

I think I found the fix for this. It appears that the ONLY setting that needs to be changed within your old INI file is the following: LastCodeVersionRun = 1 to LastCodeVersionRun = 2 If it is anything other than 2, it will automatically implement the new 64-bit changes. Hope this helps.

Give this a try in your .ini, and you'll feel like you are playing in very low settings with good brightness. [Renderer] AntiAliasingLevel = 0 AtlasQuality = 1 Buckets = 5 DYDDrawDistancePreset = 0 EnableSSAO = false GraphicsDeviceId = 7200 GraphicsQuality = 0 Height = 1080 MeshLODQuality = 0 NativeHeight = 1080 NativeWidth = 1920 ShadowMapNumCascades = 4 ShadowMapResolution = 1024 SpeedTreeDistanceScale = 1.25 TextureAnisotropy = 1 Width = 1920 AllowColorRemapping = false AllowDepthOfField = false doBlobShadows = false doShadows = false EnableBloom = false FxLightsLimit = 0 PlantDensity = 0 RefreshRate = 95 ShaderSet = 1 StaticLightsLimit = 1 TextureQuality = 4 WindowX = 0 WindowY = 0 CodeVersionChanged = false LastCodeVersionRun = 2 NewBucket = 5 AmbientNPCCount = 15 DebugAdvEnviroLighting = false DynamicLightsLimit = 0 EnableAdvEnviroLighting = false EnableDistortion = false FarClipScale = 0.1371195 LightEnvironmentShadows = false UseMinSpecShaders = true VerticalSyncState = false doOmniShadows = false HighShadowResolution = false EnableHighShadowResolution = false shadowQuality = 0 EnableDynamicShadowFiltering = false DynamicShadowFiltering = false EnableZPrepass = false EnableAccumTrails = false

Do not despair. The data is being created, collected and analyzed to help nerf the game in a future update. Elitist teams and sales runs provide the necessary data to indicate where the ceiling will be, and allows the dev team to gauge where a standard pug or premade group should be in terms of Deeps and Heeps and Deteeps. As we have seen in nearly every expansion (how many times must I say this, as history repeats itself), the problems with the current iteration if the game and loot system will be resolved eventually. I encourage all to look back at the loot crate system, and review the time frame it took for the devs to adjust it to have more optimal inclusion that was pleasing to the majority. You can expect this to happen again in due time. All we are seeing now is a typical SWTOR expansion cycle. Again, do not despair. All will be right in time.

I feel that you're assuming the current rewards for the effort for those flashpoints is ideal or balanced. This may not be the case, at least imo it's not. A nerf very well may be merited. It should be understood that even the hardest FP rewards will have a ceiling, since they likely won't allow the rewards to outshine (or equal) what R4 VM provides.

Sorry, let me restate. They need a relative nerf/change that allows the harder FPs to still draw players.

If they remove the "require all" selection, they will need to severely nerf the rewards for the easier ones, such as the ones you mention. Some of us out there still enjoy doing the longer, more difficult FPs, and rely heavily on the "require all" feature to even get others to join. I dont mind removing the require all, but they would need a severe overhaul to the reward distribution.

I appreciate your well detailed list. I have a relatively large amount of experience in each and every one of these flashpoints on Master Mode, specifically, and felt the need to comment on your final thoughts. I think an FP ranking system may be useful, in theory, but my initial thought is "will the 'capable' people really choose to attempt it?" The reward definitely needs to provide enough incentive, and unfortunately incentive is different for everyone. I'm in fully aug'd 330 legacy gear, so getting un-auged 330 gear for all my toons isn't worthwhile for me. Conquest, credits, and xp can be obtained in much easier ways, so that's not incentive enough either. The harder FPs really need to have a tasty choice of incentives to choose from, imo. FP tiers isn't a horrible idea to implement this, but even then, there will be favorites within each tier. Why not give better loot with each chronological Flashpoint, so the newest few always give better gear? The older FPs can give minor upgrades/benefits (still net positive), but require significantly more runs to equal the same progression in the newer FPs. It provides a viable option for all quality of player, and incentivizes newer content as well. Gear minimums would be a good start, so at least you know your pug team has the tangible criteria met. As for changing content difficulty to force learning of skill, it won't work. People will avoid it. Its been a trend for casual players since the beginning of MMO time syncs. In addition, it will eliminate players who prefer to solo (for their own valid reasons). A note about the adds, and spread out positioning - these present opportunities along the way to the boss to utilize your dcds, learn about the class, and more recently get exposed to the upcoming mechanics of the boss. The opportunities are there, but players still decline to learn from them. I do agree that some FPs could use a reduction in adds.

The Launcher isn't even letting me log in. Is this related to all of the other issues as well?

Are people buying runs, or are they a spectator/admirer that is rewarding ops groups for completing a 7-man run? For that matter, what if a player dies during the fight, but the rest of the team completes the encounter 7-man. No money involved, but did the 8th really contribute anything either? Did they "earn it." Too much subjectiveness and opinion being pulled into the methods people use to acquire the achievement, when in reality, the completion itself is the only measurable value.

Recommendation: lower the original hug requirement from 1000 to 250, which is a much more manageable endeavor for people looking to enjoy the event without feeling the drag-on farm. And then add an additional 250 for each year going forward. At least the achievement will be fun, ongoing, and feasible for casuals and hardcore alike, but not overwhelming (again considering it is strictly seasonal).

Yeah, not all that merry about this achievement being upped even further, considering it is a short season-based achievement. I figured it was going to take me 3-6 life days to complete the 1000 hugs, but now that i have to start over AND get even more, it will end up being one of those few achievements that ill take in stride and hope that 1) SWTOR survives long enough to allow completion, and 2) it doesnt get upped unnecessarily again.

Hardcore pvpers have cash flow from not needing to repair, so they are more likely to be able to afford the NIM regeants. There has also got to be a carrot for team ranked to draw participants. NIM participants need an endgame carrot as well, and incoming cash flow due to repair bills or to buy the pvp regeant. Again, these are the intended populations for these items in the first place.

As usually happens, the drop rate, drop availability, and required mats for the augments will adjust to be available to more players as time passes. This is the way this game has worked for years, so why expect anything different?

Its important to note than rDPS companions will generally take less damage as well, because melee enemies will have to close distance. So companions like Shae benefit in multiple ways than just DPS. That said, mDPS can be very beneficial when AOE damage is being received, and you are able to kite and maintain agro, you will be able to move yourself and your companion out of the AOE damage without needing to micromanage. Its very useful for some FP boss encounters.

If your goal is to have max gear, and the gearing system supported acquiring max gear in a day or two, you would end up still being directionless because you wouldve achieved your goal very quickly and would have to decide whether to participate in the multitude of activities that were there anyways. Also, remember that your goal, and the overall goal of the game dont have to match. The games goal is to have players who participate long term. If your goal is the get in, complete your goal, and get out, then its not 100% aligned with the game itself. That doesnt mean its not possible, though, but it may not be within the time frame that you want it to be. That said, gearing up other toons gets exponentially easier the more you do it. I have banks full of the armorings, mods, and enhancements i prefer so if i ever get the itch to make another toon, i have created the direct path you speak of.

The answer depends entirely on who you ask, and what their associated goals are within the game. Relative to the number of active players/population, an argument can be made that there is too much content. However, relative to any specific individual, the game may or may not have enough content. Some players blaze through content, some players take their time. Some players' end game goal is SM ops, while others is NIM. Likewise for all other content within the game - heroics, crafting, decorating, conquest, guild/socializing.

I just did.....

It sounds as though you know how to gear, you just choose not to do it correctly. Therefore, you wont gear successfully up the ilvl tiers. This would be similar to a player knowing the ops/fp mechanics, but choosing not to follow them. Most likely wont end well. Thats not a BW issue. Play how you want - but there are rules to follow regardless.

Wait what? They hate the playerbase so much they have decided to make new content and extend the game. 8 years complete under their existing history, when there is no guarantee that the game wouldve made it that long letting the playerbase decide the dorection of the game. I bet there are many players who think the game would be so much better had BW listened to their advice, but honestly they dont know. Personally im more comfortable trusting in proven and educated professionals that have a track record of adding to a successful game vs suggestions from an inexperienced, over-emotional, amd overexaggerating playerbase.

Practical application: So i was running a bunch of fps on PTS today on a 270 geared toon. After a few fps, i noticed i was like 2 slots under the next gear rating (say 12 items at 272, 2 at 270). Before i queued for my next fp run, i chose to use the random vendor to upgrade the 2 270 slots to 272, for a very inexpensive amount of tech frags. Upon entering my next FP, i was now set to receive gear above 272. Had i entered the next FP without using the random vendor, my drops wouldve been 272s, with a 1/14 chance it wouldve actually helped me upgrade each of those 2 slots. It wouldve wasted a run. The random vendor serves a purpose, and this illustrates what that is, at least in the ileveling process. In addition, there were a few times i noticed my only discrepancy from the next ilvl tier was from a single mod or enhancement or barrel/hilt/armor, so i spent frags only on those less expensive upgrades to move up a tier. If i didnt have enough tech frags to completely put myself over the current ilvl tier, i wouldve waited and ran the FP and re-assess my status afterwards.

I have absolutely no doubts that their macro is decided internally and by statistically-supported findings. They are, as most business should be, unwavering with these plans. Plead as much as you want, but if the playerbases emotion-based feedback wants something that contradicts the plan, then its reasonable to believe that plan wont change, BUT that it can be tweaked to find a middle-ground thats acceptable for the company AND playerbase.