Looking ahead at Vanguard armor

[cobaltpraetorian]

My vanguard just hit level 31 last night, and I've decided it's time to begin looking at gear that I'll be taking all the way to end-game.

 

My understanding - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong - is that basically, once I find an orange set of armor (all 6 pieces) that I like, I can keep it until the end. The only thing I need to do is keep swapping in new mods/armorings/enhancements (and barrels for the guns) as I increase in level.

 

Now it's just a matter of finding a set of armor that I like the look of, and grinding until I can buy it (either through commendations or just plain ol' hard currency).

 

I REALLY liked the look of the armor the vanguard is wearing on Hoth in the Trooper progression video (me and every other Trooper, natch), but I'm not a PvP-er, and I'm given to understand that's PvP armor. Which makes me a Sad Panda.

 

Is there a location online where I can view the different armor sets as a whole so I can decide which one I want to pursue? I realize that my choices will be limited based on bonuses given, but surely there's a site where someone has put together a few pics.

 

Any suggestions as to sites with those pics, or armor sets for that matter, are welcome. Any other tips for moving into the upper levels are welcome, too.

 

Thanks, and y'all have fun out there!

[Gustomucho]

Once you hit 50 it's a 2-way.

 

PvE:

You keep your orange and put dailies reward mods/armoring/enhancement

Then

You farm HM FP and OPS for Tionese and Columi

Then

You farm HM/NM OPS for Rakata

 

PvP:

Treadmill, you farm farm farm... get items.

[va_wanderer]

Orange gear is nice in that once you have a piece you like visually, you can just keep fitting it with new parts to keep it up-to-date.

 

What'll be nicer is that they're going to change the endgame gear so that the set bonuses come from modifications in the armor, not the item itself- and make it so you can transfer them to another piece of orange (or purple) gear.

 

So keep an eye out- by the 30's, you should be able to have at least head, body, legs, and feet as orange gear (as commendation purchases, if nothing else), while bracers/belts tend to be much much rarer. Not only that, if you see a bit of heavy armor that "looks" Jedi, as long as it doesn't say "Jedi Knight" on it- you can wear it too. Don't be afraid to snag something you like (say, a head piece that is just a circlet or somesuch), strip the old mods out and refit it with Aim/Endurance stuff instead. Instant Vanguard armor. Armortechs can make some orange armor bits that you don't find on missions/commendation vendor, so check there too.

 

Once they patch it in, a lot of purple armor pieces will also have all their slots open to plug in modifications too- right now, it's only the mod and enhancement slots available, but that will change. When it does, your choices will expand considerably- so if you snag a purple armor piece you like, save it even if it's outdated. You'll be able to fix it up soon enough.