I like the trident idea. That should decrease Electronet usage by at least 14%. I'm glad you brought up Anthem. Seems that Bioware's future depends on the success of that game. I sincerely hope it's hugely popular. I hope they learned from Andromeda. But recent design decisions in SWTOR (cash-grabbing from every angle, uninspired quests) don't leave much room for optimism. I love the combat in this game. It's too bad there's very little substance surrounding it.

No but for real. Why isn't the range on Electronet 10m? Gimme one good reason.

Haha. Thank you so much for this. I know my mental wavelength isn’t for everyone, so it’s nice when someone picks up what I’m puttin’ down. I’ve never written professionally, but I’ve done so as a hobby since I was a kid. Your intelligent response officially made the energy that went into my post worth the expenditure.

In the heat of battle, I do not need to know that I'm wearing an 8-hour stim and the 4 class buffs. Know why? 'Cause I'm aware. Those icons are in my way. I want to move them. Please let me. Oh, and let's not forget Sprint. Thank the stars I don't need to activate Sprint while this Electronet consumes my very essence. What’s the range on that ability? 45 meters or so? I think I speak for everyone here. Nobody gives a damn about Sprint when a Merc comes out of nowhere right as you exit combat low on health, alone in a pit, making super weird grunts after launching into a quick set of regenerative push-ups, and then you're Netted (AGAIN) and he's Reflecting (STILL) and you've got nothing left except Roar, not even Dual Saber Throw, nor the many cooldowns that go dark across all classes—basically anything that could be useful—and he kills you by casting Tracer Missile 3 times in a row. Then he immediately backpedals into an acid trap before dying 6 seconds later. Because he's 11. This is a problem. Don't worry! I've come up with an easy fix. Here’s my suggestion (in case it's not already painfully clear): separate the buffs. Do you have any idea how many times I get hit with the class buff legacy quartet while queuing? Almost as much as Tracer Missile. You could have zero deaths in a match and I’ll bet the class buffs are refreshed as if the duration is less than 2 minutes. Does it seem like I have something against Mercs? I truly don't. In fact, my current favorite toon playing the game (besides some my own) is a pale-skinned, white-eyed, dreadlocked, leg-flashing huntress called Mandalin. Anyone ever run into her on Star Forge? She might have been the one rocking ilevel 235 whilst burning you and your friends to the ground. Yes, that Missile Blast hit you for 18k. And you probably saved your interrupt for a Tracer Missile that couldn't have been cast. And yep, those dots belonged to her. All of them. Fire everywhere. Whole team melting. Berating each other in Ops Chat. Healers blame dps, dps blame everyone, tanks blame themselves, stealthers blame their nodes, Fury Marauders haven’t looked at Chat in 7 minutes—what a beautifully confusing nightmare. Anyway, how about those buff trays? I think we need at least two but preferably three. Arguably more, though I'm failing to think of a good reason for a fourth. But definitely two. One for the class buffs because they are not merely applied with hyper-regularity; no, they are often refreshed 294 times an hour—especially in lopsided matches such as when 1-2 solo players ride the coattails of a premade murder deathsquad, and they just run laps around Novare Coast from one node to the next like an invincible virus farming everything in sight with bot-like intensity as their enemies flee, click, flee more, /emote, and win the game. In other words, the class buffs and “Sprint” ("Jog" would be more accurate) are so ingrained by now that some of us might like to move the icons that represent their effects away from our centers of vision. Seems like they should be permanent-once-unlocked 30m AoE legacy buffs already, don’t you think? The third buff tray could group effects like stims, exhaustion, rakghoul plague, party jawa, etc. Don't often need to be reminded of these things in combat. I wish I could make stuff like that really small and place it off to the side of my portrait or a quickbar. For me that would usually just be a stim, and probably a Command Boost. I need to know they're active, sure, but I don't need that crap cluttering my UI while I'm attempting to solo my ship dummy. But do you know what I may need to know at any given moment while trying to improve any stat measured by the second? I may need to know how many stacks I've got, and more importantly, how long until they expire. Information that useful requires easy attention. It shouldn't be lumped in with the kind of buffs that never proc yet seem to last forever. I think we're done here. This post started as two sentences. I’m pretty sure there’s at least one good idea somewhere upon or between the lines of the essay this has become. Let's not only improve the game, let’s also expect the game to be improved. Enough said.

For instance, my launch day, currently active Scoundrel basically embodies the crazy in me. Seriously, what kind of lunatic sneaks up on a target, sticks his gun where the sun doesn't shine, and THEN starts throwing punches?

I’m not surprised.

What percentage of SWTOR's population only participates in PvP? What percentage participates in PvP at all? I don't know the stats, but I'm reckoning it's a very small percentage. Point is: I don't think Cartel Market sales would take much of a hit if the gear grind were somehow removed from PvP. In fact, I'd wager they'd see an uptick in sales because, well, because math: more participants, more sales. Yes, I do think removing the grind would increase population. Obviously I'm just guessing (I don't claim to be psychic), but at this point, why not give it a shot? Seriously, what's the worst that could happen? The idea of being on equal statistical footing from the get-go is not specific to Overwatch. It's specific to many games this decade. It's specific to adapting to the market and consumer demands. It's specific to common sense. People these days, especially the younger generation and extra especially gamers, don't have the same kind of attention spans as seen in previous generations. Plus there are simply too many options, and many popular games available today only cost only time to play. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I just sincerely believe that only good things would result from eliminating the gear grind in PvP, so even though some may call it "silly," I'm gonna keep the dream alive. I think "silly" is ignoring a clear opportunity for improvement because you're an old dog scared of new tricks.

Completely agree about Overwatch and I've mentioned it before as an example. Translating SWTOR's entry level statistical disadvantage to that game would basically be like starting with 125 HP on Tracer, having a few extra seconds on Winston's jump pack CD, and just taking generally longer to charge an ult, etc. Why should newbies be at a disadvantage? In every game where PvP happens, newbies are already at a major disadvantage simply due to the experience of veteran players. In Overwatch it's less obvious (save for smurfing) because there's so many more people playing, thus the matchmaking system works better. Agree also about stat customization, which is why I think we need a PvP tab on our character sheets where we can tweak stats from a set pool, perhaps via sliders and/or boxes for specific percentage input. I think the Developers think they're stuck with the model because it has been implemented for so long now. 15 years? I dunno, when did WoW PvP become popular? Doesn't matter. The traditional MMO gear grind makes sense for PvE, but for PvP it is painfully antiquated and I don't think it reflects today's average mindset of a competitive gamer.

I know for a fact several times over that the gear gap has kept people from playing. I also know that it has made people stop. You know, these days, most humans realize early on that they aren’t at the center of the universe. I played plenty during 4.x. Yeah, it was way better than this, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been better. Doesn’t even mean the gear system was good. The difference between us when posting about this topic is that you’re kind of only thinking about yourself and your own personal enjoyment; whereas, I’m doing my best to consider anyone who may ever enter a warzone.

This paragraph concerns me. I’m fully aware that I don’t speak for everyone on this matter, but Eric asked for thoughts, so I’m tossing my two cents in the hat. Definitively, I do not feel a sense of rewarding progression when acquiring gear. The rewarding progression comes from getting better. Mounts, titles, and cosmetics would be cool too. Also quadruple the number of warzone achievements. I’ll say it again. Gear doesn’t keep people PvPing—it stops them, and that’s only assuming it doesn’t prevent them from starting.

This gets more mind-boggling by the day. Who actually, really, truly loses if the traditional MMO gear grind (i.e. statistical imbalance) is removed from PvP? And on the flipside, who wins? Maybe it's just my twisted mind, but to me, the answers to those two questions are painfully, ridiculously, glaringly obvious, and the best course of action going forward from 5.10 is a no-effing-brainer. Bioware, PvP won't die if you decide to get with times. Promise. Matter of fact, I'll bet you a sub (or several) that it rejuvenates.

You’re either not reading or not comprehending what I’m writing. But that’s okay. Again, we can group up if you’re open to proof of my capabilities that will wildly squash your assumptions. Lemme know. Exactly. No benefit, only detriment.

I’m not surprised that you think I’m bad at PvP. If you wanna eat those words, group with me on Star Forge.

This has become a real head-scratcher. The only reason I can come up with for anyone not wanting the antiquated MMO gear grind removed from PvP is so that a statistical advantage can be achieved, which, in my opinion, instantly invalidates the argument. It all comes down to a simple inarguable facts. Gear creates gaps, which diminishes potential for balanced competition. Removing the gear grind/gap would incentivize queuing for warzones. The flipside to that coin (since every action has an equal and opposite reaction) is that leaving the gear grind/gap as is de-incentivizes queuing for warzones. It literally can't be argued. There are OODLES of other rewards that can be issued for time spent in warzones. Mounts, titles, cosmetics, flair, cartel coins, pets, color cystals, tunings, et cetera until infinity. The vast majority of players do not queue because they want digital shinies; they queue because they want to PvP. Period. And PvP is nowhere near as good as it could be right now because of the gear gap/grind. And no, obviously the gear situation does not affect the upper echelon of players, but it negatively affects everyone else, which, in turn, negatively affects the upper echelon. Which, if my math is correct, equates with about 100% of the playerbase. I want more players and better competition. At this point I prefer solo-queuing into premades because being on a team that steamrolls the opposition offers me little more than punishing my ship dummy until my eyes glaze over.

This human gets it.

Yes. Exactly. Newbies are still gonna get blown up. The playing field is already unbalanced on that basis alone. Why do they need to get blown up any faster? Having an average extra 1.5-3 seconds per run-in against a skilled opponent can only make them better faster. It’s just math. Numbers have a way of adding up. More time, more practice. More practice, better player. To simplify, sticking with the same, past, or any previously mentioned theoretical future gearing system does nothing good for the game; whereas, removing it in favor of a new, more balanced playing field (where all players start with the same customizable stat pool) would be great for the game, in my opinion.

At this rate, the PvP population will dwindle until the remaining players reach an agreement to only PvP naked, rendering gear meaningless, as it should be.

You’re definitely not wrong about good players being fine, but this is not about that. I’m sitting at ilevel 234 right now and it’s whatever; I don’t feel gimped unless I’m soloing into a 248-premade of elite players. The concern is about geared good players running into 220 newcomers. That’s not fun for the overwhelming majority of people who queue up, which de-incentivizes queuing, which is obviously bad for the health of the game. One thing leads to another. When I find inexperienced, undergrared players, I target them last. Gear shouldn’t matter outside aesthetics. It’s a grossly antiquated concept that barely makes sense in a game mode where everything is scripted. That’s planned, paced progression. I get that. PvP, by definition, cannot be scripted. The factors that should matter in determining the outcome of a PvP encounter are skill and knowledge. I’m not gonna spend hundreds of millions of credits—or however much the new 252/258 sets have been predicted to cost—because that model verges on pay-to-win. Dedicated crafters are already rich. Dedicated PvPers are usually flat broke unless they’ve spent money on Cartel Market items solely for resale on the GTN. Hmm... The gearing forecast seems to suggest that either BioWare still thinks we PvP for gear, or it’s a Cartel Market cashgrab.

Add a PvP tab to the character sheet, which activates upon entering a PvP area, statistically tweakable at any point outside a warzone (just like with specs/utilities). PvP gearing issues solved. Keep the gear as is otherwise. Some PvPers might enjoy some occasional late-night inebriated PvE.

No, really. Why? PvP gear is so 2004. What year is this again? In PVE the gear grind makes mathematical sense in terms of progressing through a complex problem, but in PvP, stats should be tied to specs. Uniformly. Depending on the chosen spec, every player in an endgame warzone should have the same stat allotment, allowing us to customize stats (e.g. mastery, power, crit, alacrity, etc.) via a point/slider system (kind of like character creation in a D&D-based game) within parameters routinely set by the developers in an ongoing effort to achieve the impossible dream of perfect class balance. People don't PvP for gear; people PvP for competition, of which there can be very little with so many arbitrary time barriers to surmount, especially in this day and age when attentions spans dwindle continuously. Getting a toon to 70 is PLENTY of time (or money) to spend before reaching what should be the game's real PvP experience, and, in my opinion, this game's PvP actually could be really, really good if enough people played. Why don't many people play? Look at all the most successful PvP games now on Twitch. Battle Royales, Mobas, Hero Shooters, etc. Think those games would be successful if players had to grind 50+ (100?) hours just to reach a level playing field? Imagine choosing Reinhardt in your first game of Overwatch and nope, sorry, your shield only has 10k health because this is your first game and thus you need to be EXTRA gimped for extra lulz. What good would that do? None, but it does plenty of harm. Particularly off-putting to newbies. Nobody wants to get rolled for what seems like forever just to reach a point where actual competition is possible. This is why warzones are so one-sided right now so often. The more tiers, the wider the gap. The wider the gap, the less competitive the warzones. It's literally just math. Sometimes it's easier and faster to sit on a node and wait it out. I've been on both sides. Even premade steamrolling gets old and does so in a bigger hurry than fight your way up to ilevelwhatever because you had to try and play well in order to compete. How can there be any real competition when the ones always winning don't even have to try? It's always ultimately why I stop playing. The competition becomes too unbalanced. It'd be like tossing the current L.A. Rams into the Pac-12. I'll bet you a dollar the Rams would get bored really quickly. Let go of this ancient gearing system for MMORPG PvP. It's not healthy. Get with the times. Level the playing field. Who knows, people might actually start playing this game to the point where it develops a top 20 presence on Twitch. Heck, maybe top 10! A guy can dream, can he not? This is Star Wars, after all. Bioware, you can have this shot of adrenaline for free. Inject it into your game. What's the worst that could happen?

Have wanted a Nautolan Sentinel since pre-launch.

Only ever played on the same old laptop I've had since 2011. Haven't played regularly since 2014, but still check in for a month or two about once a year since then. Think I wanna get back into it, but I wanna play in a higher resolution than 1600. I intend to snag a desktop. Nothing crazy. Just enough to run everything on max or very near. What's the minimum I need to make SWTOR sing? For instance, I don't wanna bother getting an i5 or i7 if the power won't translate through the graphics. Maybe I only need i3 8100. Also I certainly don't need to get a GTX 1060 or higher if 1050 is all this game can compute. I dunno; hence, here I am! I do know that I want an ultra wide monitor. But I don't know much else. Help?

Couldn't agree more. The gear grind is not what keeps pvpers involved. It's an outdated system. A chore.

I don't need to. Other fella did.

This assessment is as succinct as it is accurate.