Does that mean that preferred players can craft only up to 228 lvl gear (assuming they can get schematics and exotic parts from veteran flashpoints)? As for the OP question, I mostly have fun by RP-ing my crafting. My smuggler has an "underground ring" on the Tatooine stronghold, where he collects crafted stuff from the other characters, which are then sold for profit or used by the characters themselves. The Legacy Cargo Hold serves the purpose of a loot box containing all the "riches". It might sound silly, but I find it pretty fun that way, and it certainly helps that I make credits and relatively good gear on the way, thus merging roleplay and gameplay into a single activity.

Yes, as a new player, I find it a little annoying that I can't find clear and concise information about original content. I actually found out about the whole bonus series thing by accident on a forum thread from 2013, and then couldn't start it, not knowing that I had to be lvl 60. Now I find out that there is a quest-giver for Nar Shaddaa on Fleet. All of these things increase my motivation to play, BioWare, inform me about them!

Oh, no, it;s just my imagination

This sounds quite ambitious, but please bare with me here. I believe that it is realistically achievable and that it can turn SWTOR into the greatest MMO out there. In order to find out how, you'll have to read the enormous mountain of text below. I am a new player, who started in September 2016 and thus I've had a mostly positive experience with the game. I've completed the JK and SI class stories, as well as KOtfE and KOTET with my sorc. I also started doing the IA, Smuggler, and SW class stories in order to decide upon my next character. I occasionally do group PVP and PVE. Been having a blast, mostly. Two things have put me off, however: 1) Solo play gets boring fast, apart from the class stories. First off, leveling is way too easy due to the OP companions and the fast xp gain, which almost always puts the player character above planet level. The only reasons why pre-lvl 70 is fun are the good stories and the gratification for unlocking new skills and talents (the latter of which is only valid for new players). I got extremely bored engaging in command xp solo grind post level 70, since there is no substance to it (i.e. no story, no character development, no conversations with companions, etc.). I can't imagine how tedious this must be for people, who have played the game for years. 2) I am demotivated to do group content. Since leveling alone is so easy (including heroic "+2" missions), it doesn't make sense to group up in the open world. Everybody else has done the Flashpoints a 1000 times, so they are annoyed when I watch the cut scenes, and, even if they weren't, they don't immerse in the experience as much as I do, which ultimately ruins my suspension of disbelief during cinematics. What's the solution? Solo flash points with a God Robot and no challenge. Great, more boring solo content. Uprisings are so easy and soulless that I can't believe they pass as group content. Operations are good for new players, but in order to play the higher difficulties I am coerced into the endless boring grind mentioned above, which simply isn't going to happen. Also, you might consider me lucky to be able to experience operations for the first time, but I don't get to experience new Operations for the first time by learning unique mechanics together with other players, which is what makes raids so great. PVP is fun when you get into it, so I'll give them that. However, I think BioWare is greatly missing out on it. I believe those two points are related on a very deep level, but more on that later. I started analyzing my own dissatisfaction and the dissatisfaction of people on these forums in order to find out the roots of the problem, and possibly a potential solution. I think I did. In order to explain it properly, I'll have to outline my reasoning. First, I thought about the two things that (almost) everyone seems to love about SWTOR: 1) Unique class stories, culminating into a larger galaxy story arc. 2) A steady stream of fresh and challenging group content that offers gearing rewards. Since neither of these has been offered to the player base for a while, it seems the problem is clear and we may commence into bashing BioWare again. However tempting this may be, I propose we analyze further instead. Those two strengths of SWTOR combine BioWare's unique (and arguably unmatched) talent of cinematic story-telling with the not-so-secret ingredient of every successful MMO - multiplayer experiences that require both cooperation and ingenuity and reward success appropriately. Everybody was hyped when they heard about this combination back in 2010 because it did sound exciting and it still does. So, BioWare was given a fortune to create the grandest story project in MMO history, all in the while offering decent PVE and PVP experiences for players. Alas, that fortune had its limits, unlike players' thirst for story. The players completed the class stories quickly and started skipping the group content cinematics after a while. There were never story moments in PVP to begin with. BioWare couldn't afford another fortune for eight class stories, and thus decided to merge the expansions into a single-hero story, which was never going to match the success of the original project, but was simply necessary. Meanwhile , they continued to release group-content (until two years ago - why they stopped is a mystery to me). Step by step, story content became more and more divided from group content, as leveling became trivial, and thus stopped requiring help, while expansions became instanced to the point of turning into almost exclusively single-player content. Now they literally separate "story mode", which can easily be done solo (aside from operations), from "veteran mode", where it is expected that cinematics should always be skipped. I believe this divide between story content and group content is, in fact, at the root of all player dissatisfaction. When people play solo, they are assumed to do so because of the story, and thus are stripped away from challenge. When people play in groups, they are assumed to do so because of the challenge, and are thus stripped away from immersive story-telling. In the former case, players feel like going through the easy difficulty of a single-player game. In the latter case, people feel like they are playing any other MMO, since BioWare's uniqueness is not present. In both cases, grinding gets boring and the replay value diminishes after a certain amount of time. Here is the proposed solution... Finally. What if there was a way to bring cinematic story-telling and group content (both PVE and PVP) together in a way that would make every instanced playthrough unique and different from the last without spending a fortune, while making series of played instances feel like a continuation of a single story, where decisions matter? Here is what I propose: 1). Release Flash points in which dialogue choices change the way the instance plays out. This is essentially a mini-version of Mass Effect /The Witcher / Fallout New Vegas, where both small and big decisions change the ending in a certain way, thus drastically increasing replay value. If a Flash point take, say, about an hour to complete, dialogue shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, which is more than achievable in terms of budget. 2) Do the same for Operations, but add more elements that depend on dialogue choices, such as Boss mechanics, secret rooms / treasures, and the like. Imagine how long the players would need to find out which dialogue options are related to which boss mechanic. 3) Bring character classes / crew skills sensitivity by offering unique dialogue and feats depending on the players' classes and professions. A smuggler could manage to convince a colleague to share Boss weaknesses, for example, while a Sith Sorcerer would manage to summon a Force Ghost for unique dialogue. The opportunities are endless. 4) Revolutionize MMO PVP by introducing cinematic dialogue between players. Yes, you heard me right. I am talking about short, Flashpoint-like story arcs, in which there are no trash mobs - just players. Just imagine The Esseles or Black Talon played out between two opposing teams. I receive an ****** every time I do. This could work by starting with 4v4s, so that all dialogues involve both teams and take the form of negotiation + deception, which would determine bunker locations, boarding strategies, etc. 5. Make flashpoints and raids tied into a continuous story and make player decisions matter. The latter might sound tricky, but it isn't. Every time we finish a flash point we get to choose if it is our "cannon" version", and then we que for the next fashpoint chapter with people who have SIMILAR canon versions. BioWare can make this work. I believe in them. 6) Use the above formula for in-game events. 7 Somehow relate this new content with the LvD system, so that it finally makes sense, and there is a feeling contribution towards the standing of one's faction in the war efforts. Since my sub ends on 14.01.2017, and I don't intend to resubscribe at this point, I won't be able to post on this forum, so I leave it to you guys to further develop these ideas in case you find them interesting... and in case you went through the enormous mountain of text above.

I don't know why you guys are so easily dismissing the Inquisitor. The entire KotFE - KOTET story-line felt like a direct sequel to the personal story of my DS Sorcerer: 1. My long-term ally Darth Marr died stupidly at the hands of the resurrected emperor, whom I murdered through backstabbing in order to become the uncontested Dark Lord of the Sith. 2. I got imprisoned by his suprisingly powerful son. This was the last time I underestimated an enemy. 3. I got rescued by a promising Sith Lord, Lana Beniko, whom I started grooming for continuing my Legacy. 4. I found out why I was so easily imprisoned. The ghost of the death emperor had infiltrated my Dark Mind by weakening my Force Walking abilities, using them against my will, and starting a battle for total control over me. However, he was gravely mistaken. My mind had been designed for such a battle. 5 Through intrigue, direct confrontation, and authority I gained total control over my new power base, the Alliance, and excluded almost all Republic sympathizers from the decision-making process. I only kept Theron Shann close in order to have an edge over his mother - the only remaining powerful LS threat. 6. The ghost of Darth Marr and Satele Shann thought me new powers, since they believed I alone had the power to stop the Eternal Empire. Marr should have known better - I didn't intend to stop it, but to control it. I attempted to end Satele, but she ran away. 7. I continued building my power base by defeating the Emperor's son, taking back the Gravestone, securing allies within the Sith Empire and Zakuul, and taking control over the birth-place of the Eternal Fleet. My minions finally became under total mind control - they even suggested I should take the Eternal Throne. 8. My old lover, Darth Acina, has taken the Sith Emperor's position. She would be a useful and amusing ally. For now. 9. I destroyed Valkorian's children in order to use them as pawns against him later on. I need to find out how. 10. I found a holocron that uncovers the mystery of Vitiate's rise to power and gives me the final piece I need for his defeat. The time had come. 11. Vitiate took the bait and accepted the terrain of our final confrontation - my Dark Mind. Through years of Force Walking I had been preparing my Dark Mind to defend against rogue ghosts. The fool! He taught that by summoning his children, he would get an edge against me. Fighting ghosts is my specialty! I used the holocron and took control over the ghosts. With their help, I destroyed him. My chains were broken. 12. Finally, I took the throne and became The True Dark Lord. Acina would either swear fealty, or be destroyed. The Republic is next.

Agreed. And Marr died in an incredibly dumb way. During the entire encounter my Sorc was like "No, dude, wait... let's try talking this through... Don't... Let's learn more before... Wait! Don't! NO!"

Ouch, didn't know about that - important point! I would also add all the Alliance missions, which give access to Alliance crates, unique shells, and legendary gifts. Making a boosted alt is actually a great way to farm these, if one is still focusing on class stories and doesn't intent to start the Eternal quest line any time soon. However, there might be mild spoilers about certain companions from the class stories - no biggie.

Should put that in a spoiler tag, Especially for those of still playing the late 20s story. Please don't spoil the 40s expansion prelude.

While "learn both and decide for yourself" is often considered as a non-helpful cliche, it is often the best answer. I also just started as Concealment due to the reasons stated above and due to the fact that I love it on my scoundrel. However, I switched to Lethality out of curiosity, and I am never switching back. First of all, the additional DoT mechanics makes the Imp Agent fresh for me, since I hadn't tried it on my Scoundrel, and second Lethality looks amazing for the Operative, who now uses his rifle for a change. Enemies die a little bit quicker for a concealment while leveling, yes, but they die so quickly anyway that this isn't an argument at all. As for end-game PVE, DoT classes usually do slightly more damage than Burst classes. However Lethality is notorious for target swapping due to the many skills that need to be applied for the class to be effective. For PVP, check this out and tell me Lethality isn't awesome:

Thanks! OK, so the claim that the Unlock is needed for raid gear is now confirmed . This, however, isn't important for preferred players, since they don't have access to this gear anymore. Do you remember if you could also use unequipped crafted gear?

Thanks! This is evidence against the claim that 51+ purple gear can be warn without the Unlock. It is also very helpful that you experienced this for Makeb-related gear, since the claim is directly tied to the RotHC. It never made sense to me that having an expansion would suddenly make the most expensive unlock on the cartel market and the GTN completely useless. The "mystery" is slowly being uncovered.

Bump. Doesn't anyone find it odd that there is so little clarity and so much controversy about what exactly players receive in exchange for paying real money (about 26$, according to rough calculations) for an in-game item?

Check this website for swtor-specific RP guides and communities. As for RP in general, Google is your friend.

Any and all of the above. Great, so it's not just me

You can also take advantage of the reduced character transfer prices (currently at EDIT: 90 cartel coins - not sure when the promotion expires) after you check the server populations.

By "won't discuss" you mean people can use them without the unlock or not? How about higher level crafted gear? Also, please explain how you found out: testing with a preferred account or learning from an official source.

That's yet another piece of info that's completely different from everything I've found before... Was this written in some patch notes or something?

I have been researching this for quite a while now, but, alas, the information on the Internet is contradictory to say the least. I'd like to create this thread and use the forum's collective efforts in order to once and for all (or at least until the next patch) determine the usefulness of the Artifact Authorization Unlock, so that f2p and preferred players know whether to ignore this hefty investment (2700 cc for account!) or put it on their priority list. Here is the contradictory info I've got (please help me clarify it, and I will update the OP): 1) On some threads I have seen that if players have RotHC, then they have access to all artifact equipment that requires level 51 or more. On other threads people have argued that either this is no longer the case or it doesn't apply to end-game gear. Which is it? 2) Some people say that since as of patch 5.0 f2p and preferred players won't have access to end-game gear and set bonuses, anyway, the Artifact Equipment Unlock has purely cosmetic value. However, other people claim that the unlock is required for final tier crafted gear, so it is still very much useful. 3) Most people say that the unlock is required for purple mods, but I have seen posts arguing against this (both on this and other forums - sadly I didn't save the links of these threads). 4) Once a player ends their subscription, they keep all equipped purple gear, but they can't equip any new purple gear (this isn't controversial, but I put it in for the sake of complete information). Once these points are clarified, I will update them with the relevant data and write a short recommendation with regards to the uses of the Artifact Authorization Unlock.

Exactly

The value of being free to pursue one's passions and self-determined path is not a motto; it is the reason modern democracies exist. Before The Enlightenment this value didn't have any weight and personal freedoms meant next to nothing, especially when compared to religious or national ideals. I agree that the USA was one of the major reasons this idea was turned from philosophy into practice, but its roots were in Europe and since the 19th century it has been recognized by most nations in the world (including Canada btw) when they signed the Universal Convention of Human Rights. So, no, it isn't just an American motto; it is a universal value. I myself am from Bulgaria, and I cannot imagine my life without the right to pursue my aspirations freely in my country and in the European Union. Think about this: do Jedi have this freedom? This is a one-dimensional way to look it, especially if you read power and strength literally, which was advised against. By pursuing one's passions freely, one gains inner strength and confidence, which in turn makes them powerful. Anyone who has achieved something of great value has felt that way: the athlete, who breaks the world record; the computer scientist, who invents the next technological marvel; the director, who creates a cult classic - this list can go on and on. Even small feats, such as successfully dating for the first time, getting accepted in the university you chose, or becoming financially independent from your parents can make you feel that way. So, no, there is nothing extreme about the codes. If you have ever managed to look beyond your emotions to gain inner peace, you have tapped into the Jedi code. If you have ever pursued your passions to gain inner strength, you have tapped into the Sith code.

Not only should the codes not be taken literally; they should be understood as recopies for personal growth, rather than for societal growth. The Jedi code and the Sith code are reflections of Eastern philosophies (i.e. attaining enlightenment and inner peace) and Western philosophies (i.e. striving for and attaining individual freedoms) respectively. It is a known fact that George Lucas was greatly inspired by Buddhist, Taoist, and Japanese cultures when creating the Jedi. It only makes sense that the Sith should reflect the opposite core viewpoint. Having this in mind, here is a very simple interpretation of the codes: The Jedi Code (peace - serenity - harmony - Force): It's not about controlling one's emotions - it never has been. It's about not letting emotions control oneself. According to Buddhists, emotions and passions are impermanent creations of the mind, which are often compared to clouds or waves. They are considered to be illusions, which stand in the way of enlightenment and true compassion. When clouds / waves are "let go", all you've got left is "a still sky" / "a still lake". By using this interpretation, peace is internal, and not external (e.g. the absence of war). Letting go of one's emotions, gaining inner peace, and, as a result, becoming unconditionally compassionate towards others is the purpose of Buddhist meditation. It could be claimed that it is the purpose for Jedi meditation as well. "The Force" could be interpreted as the eternal spirit (or the Tao in Taoism), which is not subject to mortality, unlike everything material. The Sith Code (passion - strength - power - victory - broken chains): This one is so obvious and so close to Western culture that I find it amusing so many players consider the Sith to be evil and difficult to relate to. It is basically written in every constitution that acknowledges human rights. It is also a rehash of "The American Dream". Here is how to decipher it: Following one's passions = following one's heart and dreams Strength / Power / Victory = succeeding in life by achieving something of note and by becoming the best at what you do Breaking one's chains = attaining psychological freedom from other people - yes, psychological, not physical (i.e. making life choices regardless of what Sith Masters (parents), Allies (friends), Consorts (spouses), or The Empire (society) have in store for you) So, the Jedi code is about gaining inner peace and the Sith code is about gaining individual freedom. They are both viable in real life because they are based off of real life . I've tried them both, and I am sure every person has tried at least some aspects of each "code" in their lives.

With the insane inflation in this game, it only makes sense that the credit cap gets raised as well. This is economics 101. When the decision to make the cap 350k had been made, prices on the GTN were MUCH lower - the cap was somewhat useful, but still harsh. Now it seems entirely useless - might as well remove players' ability to use credits.

Did you conduct a research with all Star Wars fans to come up with this conclusion? Didn't think so... Most of the Star Wars fans I talk to like creating depth for their characters, which necessarily means multiple character layers, grey areas, etc. At any rate, talking for "most Star Wars fans" is counterproductive and disingenuous. The proposition of creating a Gray Side doesn't in any way change the game for purely dark or light characters, who can play the game the same way they have always played it. It simply adds depth for gray types, and thus enriches the game for them. If you don't like it, you don't really have to use it.

The key thing from your post is that you stop at level 10. If the SW lore is what you are after, you are gonna get a lot of it - you just have to be patient. The stories themselves get interesting (some get fantastic) as soon as you reach the end of the Prologue, which, at the current rate of leveling happens past level 20. At this point you will also get a starship and have the opportunity to visit all the planets you know and love, and more. If you like reading the lore, I also recommend exploring your surroundings and finding lore objects, which give a lot of info about the history of the places you visit.

This claim: ...and this claim: ... contradict each other entirely. First you say that SWTOR isn't canon, and then you say that if anything is to be "fitting and correct" for SWTOR, it has to fit your interpretation of the canon. Which is it? You can't have both... SWTOR is indeed a part of the EU, but it is what we are playing, right? It is why we are writing on this website in the first place, and why I made this thread - my proposal is for the game, not the movies. Also, calling Revan, one of the most iconic, loved, complex, faulty, and (therefore) recurring characters of the entire BioWare Star Wars franchise, a Mery Sue is just plain wrong. It is fine to not like him, but calling him something he clearly isn't doesn't help your case at all. I have never read or watched anything from the EU, other than some clips from YouTube. Everything that makes me consider these characters as gray comes from the movies. Mace Windu's entire demeanor is based on the true neutral archetype. He is cold, calculating, willing to deceive his enemies and even use his allies/subordinates in order to win (i.e. when he sent Anakin to spy on the Senator). The scene before he died he literally said "He is too dangerous to be kept alive" referring to Palpatine, and willing to execute a defenseless fallen foe, which even Anakin recognized as opposite to the Jedi Way. If you can't see that these actions are at the very least tapping into the dark side, I can't help you any further. Nevertheless, Mace Windu was doing all of this in order to bring balance (that's basically THE key word for neutral characters in literature since ancient times) to the Force, which is what makes him both dark (the means) and light (the end).