Welcome! My advice: Don't waste your credits (and especially Cartel Coins!) on upgrading your LS, or your gear. At least not yet. Just do the basics (see below), before you start spending. Yes, credits come fast, but I guarantee you'll be wasting them optimizing gear at this stage of the game (and your learning curve). You really don't need to. To answer your original Q's: Most custom gear comes essentially stat-less. They are also called “shells”. The benefit of them is that they are upgradeable and you can keep the same look if you wish. You get the stats by placing “mods” in them. These mods are available from the vendors in the Supplies section on fleet. You will see these vendors are keyed to levels (10, 14, 18, 22, etc.). Buy the highest ones not above your level (i.e., if you are level 20, you can use the L18 mods, but not yet the L22 mods). They are dirt-cheap and serviceable. Or run Heroics to get the blue crate rewards (they give level-appropriate gear, and blue have a higher rating for a given level than green gear the supplies vendors sell). There’s a lot more to gearing. And a lot more ways to gear yourself. The above is just the basics. “Auction house” is two sets of large terminal located in the area called “Galactic Trade Market” on Fleet. There is also one in the Cartel Bazaar section (elevator on outer ring). These terminals also exist in other locations like in market section of home planets (Coruscant, DK). You will also want to buy a “Galactic Trade Network” decoration to place in your strongholds. It is a working version of same terminal. And if you don’t know about Strongholds, research, ask here, or just go buy one (dirt-cheap for Coruscant/DK for Republic/Empire respectively). You definitely want them! Read up on those as well. Probably left you with more questions than you started with. But there’s a lot to learn. Part of the fun is exploring and learning as you go.

Might want to list your server, and post on that dedicated server forum. I'm guessing Satele Shan?

Agreed. Many similar threads out there, so won't go down that path ... much I video'd my T7 beating the most powerful force in the galaxy while I contemplated the Jedi code. I'd say the crowd is 50/50 on this between the "too easy" and "leveling should be easy, do hard stuff if you want it hard".

Do you mean this (Dulfy)?

Sounds like you just completed Chapter 9. No, you don't need to do any of those alerts. They are mostly a mechanism for "recruiting" (returning) class companions. Not just from your class, but from the others as well. So you might want to get yours back ... at least the ones that are currently available. Alternatively, you can just click a console down in alliance HQ and get ALL of your class-specific comps back. When KotFE was originally released, it was as a batch of these first 9 chapters. Than a couple of months delay, then roughly a chapter per month. So a whole system was set up to encourage a grind in the interim to keep people invested (Star Forge missions, Alliance Specialist ranking, Alliance alerts...). You may find some of it interesting, but it isn't necessary to further the story. For complete coverage of KotFE (like figuring out which alerts are for your classes comps), see: http://dulfy.net/2015/10/22/swtor-patch-4-0-fallen-empire-coverage/

I like your suggestions ... better than mine! I didn't mean to imply you have to binge read all that stuff, but it can be read that way. Totally agree that you will absorb a lot of it just by playing, and going to above resources as questions inevitably arise.

Back to OP: Yeah, my guess is you wandered into the Heroic area, or keep trying to battle the one large beast wandering around. All the others, as everyone else wrote, are easily doable solo (if annoying). The only issue I ever have is when I'm a low level, and somehow managed to get attacked by a L70 someone else activated (die in one shot, LOL!) Just do the 4 non-heroic, non-Ops quests, plus the cure one in Anchorhead (and the pass around the virus one, if you are patient). And do it on multiple toons. Yes, it is yet another long GRIND, ughhh. You quickly get used to it and can run it in maybe 30 minutes. One tip: for the scanning, use your eyes first, not binocs. Larger field of view = faster sighting. Stand at the edge and look towards the center (might have to try from two/three "edges"). By then, 9 times out of 10, I can just see it. Then pop the binocs to acquire. Consider at least getting to "Newcomer" rep. Then you can buy the cheap BoL rakghoul relics from GSI vendor (at event and also on Nar Shaddaa - permanently). Not bad ones to have if you have nothing else. Plus they have a vaccine buff, so no more annoying viruses!

HI Eric, [in case this hasn't been pointed out umpteen times ...] Thank you for being very clear with the start & end times (i.e. giving both PST and 24-hr GMT)! Can I ask for the same level of rigor to the other announcements, in particular for events? ... (1) Times are ambiguous (listing 12 am when it isn't clear if that is noon or midnight). Use 24-hr. (2) They are inconsistent (12 am GMT is translated randomly as 4 am or 4 pm PST) (3) Sometimes not even listed (current 2XP event only appears in patch notes, no start/end times given) (4) They are sometimes wrong either way - people get surprised/upset when it ends "a day early" For example, see http://www.swtor.com/info/in-game-events All show "12 AM GMT", 4 convert that to "4AM PST", the other two to "4PM PST" Thank you!

1) Read up on the changes: https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/wiki/major_changes Main changes (that come to mind): Companions don't use gear anymore for stats. You just build up their "Influence". Also, you can use Outfit designer for your visual armor. Read up on it. Strongholds are an incredible quality of life concept. They will become your home base. 1a) Oh yeah, Dulfy.net will be your main go to for learning about each major feature (besides here!) 2) Get a security key (free 100 CC/month and access to a special vendor in-game) http://www.swtor.com/info/security-key 3) Don't start with a L60, 65, or 70 boosted character (only for subs anyway). Play the original class stories! 4) If/when you do sub, don't rush to spend your free CC! Don't waste valuable CC on cosmetic gear. Except ... 5) Buy Rocket Boost as soon as you can (Going Places Bundle, cartel market, 375CC) 6) Play game, enjoy! BTW, it is totally EZ mode now. At least the 1-70 leveling. You don't need to worry about optimizing anything.

Agree with Psandak** Perhaps the main advice I can think of for a new player:: Take the character boost and shelve it for ... well forever. I think it is absolutely the worst possible way to start the game. IMO, of course. The basic class stories are the best part of SWTOR. ** Note:

Give it a try and let us know how it goes Seriously, it is perfectly viable. I usually play LS, so I have plenty of LS Empire toons. And now I'm trying a DS trooper. Some things change, most stays same/similar. Sometimes things hinge on one choice. You don't want us to spoil it for you

I’ll just contribute this very interesting take from a SWTOR developer on microtransactions. And, yes, removing the weekly passes is totally contrary to his treatise … http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2017/11/damion-schubert-former-swtor-dev-on-loot-boxes.html Some excerpts:

I thought it was pretty much understood by now that a lot of people play(ed) SWTOR despite being an MMO, not because of it. I was drawn to it because it was the closest thing to KOTOR 3. I had no interest in the MMO aspects. I recall firing up the beta and feeling very uncomfortable (Who are all these people running around? What’s all the rambling in the box in the upper left? I must look like an idiot just standing here for 10 minutes doing nothing). With time, I came to appreciate many of the MMO aspects. But some of it remains ludicrous. I’m this once in a century champion of the Force with these unique companions I’ve been fortunate to meet …. and there’s another dozen of me with my companion’s twins doing the same “unique” quest.

I’m not savvy on the cartel item stash, so I googled. Hopefully it works for you. If not, and no other good suggestion, definitely make a customer service ticket. Here’s the link on the stash: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/star-wars/star-wars-the-old-republic/swtor-pack-viewer-item-stash/ Apologies for the following, admittedly unsolicited, advice: CC are a precious commodity. Sounds like you are new and have a limited #. It is certainly up to you and your play preferences, but my usual advice is to conserve them, get used to the game’s features, then with time, you’ll know what to buy. For instance: There are tons of advanced crystal lightsabers available on GTN for relatively cheap (yes, you will think of 100-300K credits as cheap soon!). I wouldn’t “waste” CC on them. Frankly, unless I have many thousands of CC, I wouldn’t buy any cosmetic item (armor, weapons …). I’d buy account-wide unlocks. First purchase I highly, highly recommend: Going places bundle (375 CC). It includes Rocket Boost, the single best quality of life item in the game! You want it, and the two upgrades (120 CC each). All can be unlocked with credits, but they are Legacy Level locked. If you have a high enough Legacy, you can instead use credits, but otherwise, spend the CC.

As mentioned, you can go back and do the quests. And your XP rewards and random loot drops are scaled to your actual level (but the specific reward gear is not). I do encourage you to at least once do all the “planet stories”. These are purple missions that aren’t your class story. Some are quite story-based, some quite good. Usually they are aligned with your story in terms of zone, so you save time by doing them along with your class story. But I find that having all these stories going on simultaneously gets confusing. A lot of that “I’m talking to who … about what … why again? If you are better at multitasking than I am, maybe not a problem. At least do the Dromund Kaas one since it is a bit more focused and relates to a subsequent story arc.

A good overview of the changes: https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/wiki/major_changes And, as always, Dulfy.net If you are an end-gamer, you'll want to read her set of 5.0 (to 5.x) guides. And get familiar with Galactic command. http://dulfy.net/2016/11/29/swtor-galactic-command-guide/ http://dulfy.net/2017/01/23/swtor-patch-5-1-gearing-guide/ Or look at a few of the many, many threads of the "returning player, where to go...?" type. In a nutshell: Leveling through class story has become brain-dead easy and fast Post that, the major story arcs are: Ilum>Rise of the Hutt Cartel>Shadow of Revan (starting with the preview)>Ziost>KotFE>KoteT, and now Iokath And some daily areas which sometimes have smaller arcs that fit into the overarching story, but are skippable. And yes, a definite content slowdown in 2017 and apparently 2018.

It looks like the L60 Veteran Pummeler/Bulwark armor that comes with the boost character token (L60 boost?). But I can't quite get it to dye exactly like the picture. Here's the tor-fashion page with that armor and it shows similar pieces: https://torf.mmo-fashion.com/veteran-bulwark-pummeler-pub/

You are talking the Thermal MK-2 set you get from blue crate drops in Heroics? I believe the short answer is: no. Here's how the Heroic blue crate gear drop works: It is level (not heroic, or location) based.** And bind on pickup. Once you are past the level of a certain type, the next type becomes available. One of the donwsides of fast leveling, and 2XP this week, is that you fly through the levels so likely won't get a full set before you have passed that range. And it is bind on pickup, so you can't pass it to an alt. So, options are: 1) Make another toon of same type, and this time keep the armor 2) Look for a similar type on GTN, or from vendors, or maybe even a later drop (some of the gear sets are identical to previous, just better stats. For example, "Yavin" set is a copy of an earlier (green?) set. Do take a look on TOR Fashion, to see if the same or similar set is available elsewhere. They have a handy "similar to" section with most gear. It takes a while to get used to that site, but it is very, very useful! Here's a link to a page with Heroic set armor, alas it seems incomplete: https://torf.mmo-fashion.com/mission-rewards/ ** Note: You'll note that the levels correspond to the "normal" range of planets, so the L38-41 set, is often called "Hoth", since that's the normal levels for Hoth. And thus the set is called "Thermal". cute. But you get it when you are L38-41, not tied to being on Hoth heroics. Good luck!

I think most (all?) of the armor is bind on pickup. I don't know what the highest level of craftable there are that you'd be able to buy on GTN (did a quick search and came up with 246). Check on GTN, limit to adaptive gear, put just L70 to L70 in the search, and see how high the armor offers are (both in level and asking price). Then do the same with "item modification" and select, the different types (armoring, mods ...). I'm betting rather costly!

I assume you plan to do hard-core raiding (Ops), flashpoints, and/or PvP? Otherwise, 248 is overkill. Or maybe it’s just the goal thing 😊 All the 8 ratings you see are custom “shells”. Yes, you fill them with what are collectively called mods (armoring/hilt/barrel, mods, enhancements) to give them stats. But that just begs the question on where to get highest level mods. Which I think is just by pulling them out of the highest level gear. So we’re back where we started 😊 Getting 248’s is a complex process either involving running highest level Ops (which you already need very good gear, experience, and a great group to succeed), and/or a convoluted process that is too laborious to explain here (ok, honestly, I don’t know it that well). [edit: or there is the hope the RNG gods smile upon you through the command crates, see the links below] So, I highly recommend learning up on gearing in galactic command. As always, Dulfy is a great place to start. Here’s the links: 5.0 Galactic Command 5.1 changes Also, to see the gear, tor fashion is a great resource. Link.

First, the obvious … that is still sometimes missed: Make sure your alignment (little thingie in lower RH corner of the UI) is set to dark side red thingie. A quick google: The starter FP's (Esseles/Black Talon) are great for first companion influence. And racking up kills. But is it really that good for LS/DS pts per minute? Only two alignment convo's each, if I recall. TBH, I don't know the best method. But like most everything else in the game, it has been turned into a grind fest where you get points for doing all activities. IF it is like many others, it would be a pct of all other XP, so higher level stuff might give you more DS pts. Otherwise, as others said, Heroics, Dailies, and crew missions.

Well, I was thinking the Jaesa Light vs. Dark decision point. But on checking, it seems that is determined by the one convo choice, not your alignment. So that leaves the scene at the lake where you meet your spirit. Convo is alignment-based. Sith Inquisitor gets a different title at the end. Some reports that IA story changes (though I don’t know if that is alignment vs. particular convo choices). Sorry, guess I’m not really helping that much! And, of course, there’s the whole show dark side corruption on all toons.

Dark vs. Light alignment overall has a number of gameplay impacts (especially in Sith Warrior story). And patch 5.0 added the whole DvL thing (mostly for level 70 end-game gearing). For the latter, see Dulfy.net. But as to rank V specifically – there are some vendor items that require rank V to buy and use. Nothing too vital. Like decorations. Just click on those vendors (corner rooms in the market section on fleet) to see. And you get an Achievement, of course. Maybe some other small things I can't recall?

As cynical Steve mentioned, there is the 36hr bind on most CM purchases. After that, you can give to an alt, gift, sell. I guess the idea is to keep people from just quickly buying and selling. So only your character can use the items during that period. Which, of course, either consumes it, or binds it to that character. Instead of Newcomer Bundle (which I think is pretty weak in value), I’d recommend: the Going Places Bundle. Rocket Boost is the single best quality of life item to get in the game! An aside: if you start getting into buying CM items (like armor, weapons, crystals), learn about the Collections system. Oh one more: since you are both subbed, try linking to each other through the Refer A Friend program.

Got that backwards. Trooper mirror is Bounty Hunter. Smuggler mirror is Imperial Agent.