TL;DR: For PvE-oriented Conquest players, the game should be renamed SWTOH or Star Wars: The Old Heroics. The alternatives to playing SWTOH are to aim for smaller Planetary yields and play less, or be 'lured' into PvP and GSF - something not even the most powerful Tractor Beam in the Galaxy will pull me into despite the gross disparity in Conquest Point (CQP) acquisition. I have chosen the 'play less' route, have switched my subscribtion status to Preferred, am boycotting Cartel Market (CM/ Space Barbie) purchases, and am just slowly advancing my Alts through the story. There are two viable solutions for my playstyle: 1) restore the CQP Reputation nerf so I can move on to PvE activities I enjoy; or 2) significantly boost CQP rates for non-old Heroic PvE activities. In other words, go back to Play Your Way. First, let's state the obvious: Several posters in this thread have an ulterior motive -- transparently so. Their primary, if not sole, objective is to make sure PvE CQP aquisition rates aren't readjusted so as not to compete with PvP and GSF rates for fear those modes would be negatively impacted. This isn't necessarily a bad thing per se and it is not entirely unexpected for players to advocate / lobby for more resources to be devoted or make those modes more attractive as they prefer those activities. Some players have gone the SWTOH route and proven demonstrably (they brought receipts) that you can still rack up a lot of CQP points even in non-Heroic Pinnacle weeks. Arguably, they have shown that if you put in the time, you can achieve even more than the pre-Advance Reputation CQP nerf. There is nothing wrong with this play style and it is hardly my place to impose my in-game goals on others. But other parts of PvE aspects of the game should be boosted -- significantly -- particuarly given the relative time and difficulty of those objectives in comparison to doing 'Man with the Steel Voice' on Hutta, talking w/ Bow La (female Twilek), cleaning the water, and getting a minimum of 5K CQP per character. Some players will be 'lured' into doing Heroics or doing PvP and GSF. I am not one of those players. If the content isn't fun and interesting, I don't play it, regardless of the reward. Time will tell if this was the right strategic business decision on the part of Broadsword. For my small guild, it was the wrong one. I'm not playing SWTOH and I'm certainly not doing PVP or GSF in this game (I enjoy PvP in other games). The engine for PvP is awful and the controls in GSF are so horrid I avoid it like the Rakghoul plague. SWTOR doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are several credible competitors, even within just the MMORPG genre, where advancing Alts is far more enjoyable. Guess where my money will go? Dasty

And that's the price you pay for not being a subscriber. There are severe limitations to not subscribing. That is true in this game and in every game. It has always been this way and always will be this way. Call me when purchasing 130 out of 1500 Blueprint Fragments and some other cosmetic items vis a vis subscription impacts me in a deleterious fashion or negatively impacts the game in any way. On the contrary, it benefits the game and yours truly. If people want to pay money for a title that doesn't impact gameplay -- GO FOR IT! More money to Broadsword makes this greedy Hutt very, very happy. Newsflash: Broadsword is a business. Dasty

There are a whopping total of 130 Blueprint Fragments on the GS Rewards Track for the entire season. You easily obtain those and surpass that amount by leaps and bounds simply by logging in and doing Companion Influencer, nerfed Advancement Reputation, and Stronghold Decorator 4 times / week. Minimal gameplay is required to achieve the fragments later on in the track. If you're smart and don't claim them and save them for week when it's an objective, you can actually achieve that GS objective 4 times doing absolutely nothing but hitting the "Claim" button. Regardless, even if you purchase the entire Season of the Rewards track, that puts you at less than 10% of the 1500 needed for the Achievement. Your +41 Crystals for weapons being P2W argument is actually stronger. 🙄 Dasty

This is 100% factually incorrect. Blueprint Fragments are BoP and considered Junk. You cannot purchase them. You can only sell them. They auto advance the Achievement and in select weeks advance a GS objective. From @JoeStramaglia on March 12th. Reputation Track Galactic Seasons 6 does not have a Reputation track like previous seasons. There is still an item to collect the same way you collected Reputation currency in the past. However, it is for Achievement tracking only and progress is granted when you collect it - you're safe to sell them for credits! It’s worth noting that these will cease to drop when you’ve unlocked the achievement. https://forums.swtor.com/topic/934053-blueprint-fragments-are-considered-junk/#comment-9803611 Once again, you are demonstrably and easily proven wrong. Dasty

Traceguy, Not trying to start a flame war, and I appreciate the work that you and others (e.g., @Samcuu and @Darev) have put in detailing the fastest routes via Heroics to achieve similar CQP amounts prior to 7.1.4c. That's honestly not sarcasm. But -- and it's a big ole Hutt Butt... By your own admission, you were already doing many of these Heroics before the Reputation CQP nerf. The point that I and others are making is that if you love doing very simple and easy Heroics then you are set. In fact, you can almost certainly fare better, particularly on weeks like this one with Heroic Pinnacle. But I want to balance content I find engaging / enjoyable with the acquisition of CQP to obtain Tech Fragments. I don't want to do Toxic Bombs on Balmorra every day, much less on multiple characters. I understand there will always be some 'chore-like work' in MMORPGs, but other games (in my case ESO) afford me the opportunity to engage in a wide-range of activities while still progressing my Alts. If I did the Heroic loop you are suggesting even several days / week -- I would get deathly bored, unsub to just play Preferred and take my time advancing my Alts through the story, and spend the majority of time in ESO. Oh wait, I've aleady done that. Dasty

I intentionally avoided commenting on this topic (or related threads) b/c I wanted to reserve judgment until the actual changes went live. Yes, it is the case that if I carefully plot out which Planetary Heroics I do, I can make up for the loss of the Reputation CQP bonus. For me, however (and obviously others), this is not the fundamental issue. I primarily play MMORPGs b/c I enjoy advancing my characters. I can do so in two primary ways: 1) Progressing through the story; and 2) making my Alts more powerful so I can take on new challenges and tackle increasingly difficult content. The Reputation CQP bonus afforded me the cushion to still comfortably advance my Alts (I don't have a Main). I understand it is a balancing act but Broadsword took it too far. I gave it a try this morning. I very quickly got bored and am now off to go play ESO. The relevant question for me is not -- can I grind out the CQP? The pertinent question is: Can I comfortably acquire Tech Fragments while doing engaging content I enjoy and still achieve my in-game goals? The answer is not as much as before. And, we all have our personal threshold / tolerance levels. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago (last time I commented on a thread like this), I'm not leaving the game and look forward to wrapping up the Malgus / Heta storyline in 7.5 and 7.6, but as the experience of this morning taught me: I can comfortably achieve my in-game goal of advancing the story on my alts on Preferred Status. I have time and enough disposable income (I'm semi-retired) to afford $US 15 / month but... Since 7.0 (which was a disaster, though gearing improved with 7.1 onward) the game has moved increasingly from Play Your Way to Play Our Way. I respect Broadsword's right (hey, it's their game) to make their own design decisions. The flip side, of course, is that I'm sure Broadsword respects my right to spend my money on games that better align with my interests and ideas of having fun. Regards, Dasty

You were wise to ask (that's not sarcasm). Your Legacy Implants will not complete the Artifact quest if you deconstruct them. Artifact gear is the Rakata purple gear sold by the Operations vendor on the Fleet requiring Op-1 Catalysts to upgrade. If you don't do Ops, you can still purchase the items from the vendor by trading in Conquest Commendations at the Conquest Gear vendors. Sometimes, you can also get Op-1 Catalysts from random world drops or Treasure Hunting quests from lootboxes. For a comprehensive guide on this subject, check out SWTORISTA's guide. It can be found at: https://swtorista.com/articles/swtor-how-to-get-the-best-gear-in-the-game-7-4-hyde-zeek-340-and-rakata-344/ Dasty

No worries, I'm certainly not holding my breath and believe we are actually more on the same page than you (and certainly more than others) may realize for the following reasons: 1) I have already voted with my wallet and unsubbed (it expires in mid-April); 2) Since the release of the 7.4.1 (9 days ago), I have played a whopping 2 hours. The bulk of that time was running through 2 FPs on stealth characters last week for the GS objective; and 3) I have already made clear my prediction that any changes will likely be "meager" -- see below. But I don't countenance the attitude / contention and pay no credence to some players (not you) making the argument that Broadsword "Just Doesn't Care" for two primary reasons, both of which directly run counter to their self-interests: a) they have families to feed and / or bills to pay; and b) doing so would inevitably leak and it would utterly destroy any future career prospects and credibility they would have in the gaming community. Frankly, I honestly don't understand why players holding that attitude stick around. I know I would not. I guess it's b/c they are diehard Star Wars fans (not really my business -- their money, their choice). Indeed, in the nine out 12 years I have played this game, I have several times voted with my wallet, unsubscribed and boycotted purchases on the Cartel Market. I have no problem doing so again. But...if Broadsword didn't care, there would have been no reason for Eric to post what he did yesterday. On that point, we may well disagree (which is rare ). It's of no real consequence to me since I'm off to go play ESO now (which I prefer overall). But there is nothing we can do now but wait. Broadsword said there will be changes. Whether those changes will suffice to bring me back remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I personally believe they did not expect the blowback they received and are in damage control mode. Time will tell. Regards, Dasty

Leroy Jethro, I'm just not going to get into it with you. With respect, you are one of the most hyper-critical posters on this forum. Not saying you are violating the ToS by any means, but every post you make (at least that I have paid attention to) is about how bad SWTOR is and the incompetence of the development team. Bottom line, I really don't care if you think I'm naive -- it serves no productive purpose -- particularly given Broadsword's somewhat tacit aquiescence of the probem. I genuinely believe Broadsword recognizes they screwed up both in terms of substance and poor communication. Musco had zero reason to make his post earlier today if Broadsword was going to double down. Personally, I'm guessing Broadsword is going to boost Conquest points for a few select other activities and make few (if any) changes to the Reputation Conquest gains. I too am skeptical about those changes as they will probably be meager and Broadsword will issue their banal, generic refrain: "Of course, we will continue to monitor the situation." But I'm at least going to give them the chance. It is probably only a couple weeks max before we know, hence the reason I'm prepared to say: Time will tell. But if it makes you feel better to denigrate Broadsword and me -- fill your boots. Regardless, it matters little to me. I have been playing ESO for six years now and spend the overwhelming vast majority of my time there (even more so now). If I leave SWTOR permanently, which I most certainly will do if the the Conquest changes adopted in 7.4.1c are trivial, it is no skin off my back. So, no, you can't sell me that proverbial bridge. 😏 Dasty

That was my interpretation as well! 😏 The good news is that Broadsword appears to recognize they went way too far. https://forums.swtor.com/topic/934346-conquest-changes-following-741/#comment-9807051 Naturally, we don't yet know the size and the scope of the course correction they will deploy, but I've never seen them attempt to do damage control so quickly. Very wise for Musco to post what he did, even if the details aren't finalized. Smart business move on their part! Of course, the devilish details will determine whether or not I resub and Broadsword gets any more money from me. Time will tell. Dasty

You assume, quite incorrectly, that the situation is binary and the variables are dichotomous. The enjoyment I derive from playing MMORPGs is multi-faceted and the primary reasons (i.e., variables) are not mutually exclusive. Let me prove my point: I enjoy playing MMORPGs to advance my characters both in terms of story and increasing their power. Upon completion of the story across my myriad of characters and making different choices to enjoy different interactions, I enjoy advancing them in terms of power so that I can tackle more difficult content; e.g., Vet and MM Flashpoints, Eternal Conquest, etc. But there is what is oft referred to as a Zone of Acceptance. I enjoy some types of content more than others (which is only natural) to advance my characters, even though not every activity is my favorite. It exists on a spectrum and is not a binary choice. Moreover, sometimes those preferences may vary over time (even day to day) as I might tire of pursuing one singular activity over an extended period of time. Put differently, the variables are also interdependent contingent on my mood, whether my friends are online, or want change of pace. But there are limits. I recognize that in MMORPGs the playerbase is diverse and we all enjoy different types of activities. You, for example, given your post history, obviously enjoy GSF. I don't just dislike it, I detest it. It is quite simply -- beyond my Zone of Acceptance. Ergo, your argument that we simply want a shiny red button to push to progress our characters in terms of power is flawed. Broadsword should support a wide variety of activities to advance our characters. It's the nature of the genre. For me, and obviously others, Broadsword has gone too far and advancing my Alts requires me to engage in too much tedious content which is well beyond my 'fun threshold' -- or Zone of Acceptance. Your continued insistence to make conclusions about our motivations for playing is based on your assumption that you are wiser and smarter than us and that you can and should determine how we have fun. Needless to say, I disagree. Of course, according to you, I'm too dim-witted to know what I like and dislike and need to be 'lured' and 'tricked' -- your words, not mine -- by the Devs. 🙄 Dasty

This is 100% correct. Unfortunately, some individuals will always play the patronizing: "You think you are having fun, but you are too ignorant to know that you are really not" card. They arrogantly think that we are lemmings and if lured into Activity X as opposed to Activity Y we will suddenly begin to like Activity X. There is no point trying to have a rational discussion with those individuals b/c they will always invoke and fall back on the 'false conciousness' argument. This is a ubiquitous, all pervasive phenomenon that transcends virtually all aspects of society whether it is politics, economics, or as we now observe in this very thread -- entertainment. Simply put, when an argument is non-falsifiable, there is little to no point engaging with that individual. With all due respect to those individuals (which is very little), I neither need nor desire their sage input on how to determine whether or not I'm having fun in a video game. With regard to the topic at hand, namely 7.4.1, it has decimated my ability to progress my Alts at a pace and manner I deem acceptable. Whether I need to advance my Alts at the pace and manner designated by an anonymous poster on a gaming forum is irrelevant -- we are talking entertainment here -- not basic survival. Fortunately, there are other very good games out there (in my case ESO). Previously, my playtime and resource contribution (money) was roughly divided 80% to 20% b/t ESO and SWTOR. That ratio is now switching to 100% ESO in terms of resource contribution. I have no doubt I will play 7.5 and 7.6 for the story when eventually released, but there is no reason to subscribe to do so. As for for the interim period, however, advancing my Alts is nigh impossible. Not even the most powerful Tractor Beam in the galaxy will ever pull me into GSF. The previous system at least tried to strike a balance where there was a suitable buffer and balance b/t grinding and moving on to content I enjoyed much more. But hey, what do I know? I'm too stupid and lack sufficient self-awareness to know what I enjoy and when I'm having fun in a video game in a galaxy far, far away. <<sips medicinal martini>> Dasty

I typed a lengthy response in a different thread not knowing Jackie unlocked this one. Feel free to read it if you are so inclined... https://forums.swtor.com/topic/934046-conquest-pts-for-advance-reputation-nerfed/page/8/#comment-9804989 Here is the TL;DR: The current system has decimated Alt progression and is way too far removed from the 'play your way' philosophy of days gone by. There is no reason not to just go preferred status and play 7.5 / 7.6 to wrap up the story when they are eventually released. Dasty

Eric's post today sealed the deal for me, -- at least until dramatic changes are made. Given the substance (or lack thereof) and tenor of his post, however, change doesn't seem likely in the near future which leaves me with the impression that he and his team simply don't get it. The whole benefit of the daily reputation gain was that it afforded me and my small number of friends who play the game the opportunity to: a) still make reasonable progress vis a vis Tech Fragment acquisition; and b) switch to playing content we enjoy more depending our mood on a different character. Now it is no longer 'play your way' which is disheartening. Broadsword has not just nerfed, but decimated Alt progression. Of particular note was what Eric did not address, namely the fact that gear drops are now worthless. Yesterday Jackie said they plan to make changes, but only by "a bit" -- that hardly inspires confidence. By way of example: I ran Directive 7 this morning to complete the GS objective and the only meaningful drop was one piece of 320 gear vs. 12-15 drops of worthless gear. 🙄 The team at Broadsword seems hell-bent on incentivizing only certain types of content and gameplay. The philosophy of 'play your way' is once again gone, just as in the original version of 7.0 (though there it was gating / and horrid gearing system). Broadsword is delusional if they think the new daily GS level gain suffices. In my case, I got up to GS level 6 with no real path forward. Incentivizing content no doubt works for some portion of the player base, but they will never pilot me into GSF or march me into PvP. It simply will not happen. I respect Broadsword's artistic right to design the game in the manner they envision. Their game, their philosophy and vision. Concomitantly, however, my money, my choice how to spend it. As others have noted and I concur: When I stop advancing / progressing my characters in content I enjoy, I stop playing (and paying). I look forward to 7.5 and 7.6 to wrap up the storyline, but there is absolutely no reason to stay subscribed when I can do so on preferred status. This decision is made all the easier since ESO is far more alt-friendly and dropping new content. <<raises martini glass to denizens of the Forum (well, most of you)>> Dasty

As a matter of fact, yes, it does matter. Maybe not to you, but it does to me and obviously others. Some of us actually like to earn our gear, achievements, etc., in a legitimate fashion. Your point on sale raids is immaterial and irrelevant. Some of us have something called integrity. I don't buy credits, use cheat codes, use bots, etc., b/c I have something called self-respect. Same reason when I play a round of golf I don't lie on my scorecard. The victory would ring hollow. While I don't consider buying raid runs a violation of the ToS per se (I have no idea how they accrued the requisite credits), I have enough self-esteem that I would not want to be carried. It is for that reason that, yes, 32 million credits per OEM / RPM is a lot to me. I hate playing the GTN b/c I find it boring, but even I made billions selling OEMs / RPMs after I got my characters / alts decked out in the 336 Implants, Relics, and Augments appropriate for their respective classes. Still working on getting the Ilvl 340 ones for my Alts. FYI, if you play only an hour a day or 10 hours week and the character you're playing has three Level 50 Companions completing the 3 Treasure Hunting missions every 7 minutes, the Tech Fragments add up very, very quickly. Of course, your whole argument is moot for two reasons: 1) On the main topic at hand, Broadsword disagrees with you and announced on release day of 7.4.1 (i.e., yesterday) they are going to adjust drop rates b/c they went too far. 2) I imagine our exchange on cheating to buy Augments, Companion Gifts, etc. will be nuked by Forum Mods in due course. I doubt the Forum Mods will take too kindly to you openly advocating for players to violate the ToS. While I'm not going to report you (I like winning), I'd be surprised if the last portion of our exchange remained on the forums for very long. <<pours a second extra large Chopin Vodka martini with a lemon twist (can't stand olives)>> Dasty