Falling behind in lvls because lack of players on server

[Deadalon]

Hello. I am now a lvl 35 sorcerer and I finding my self having to go into 36+ zones to keep progressing. Since there are almost zero players leveling on my servers I can not do any of the 2 mans and 4 man content and since this is my first character I am unable to equip myself and my companions to play much higher lvl content than what I am.

 

For me this is gamebreaking to the point where Im sorta forced to wait for rested XP to fill up the gap needed. Even with the bonus series on lower lvl planets I have not been able to keep up and right now it has led to me unsubing and quit playing.

 

Any advise ppl can give for a first character player playing on server where its absolutly IMPOSSIBLE to get ppl to help doing 2 and 4 man content ?

[KuroshimaiHD]

You simply don't need to do the Heroic quests to be leveled. Are you actually doing the bonus quests? Edited May 2, 2012 by KuroshimaiHD

[DarthMetier]

Doing the dailies and space missions should be more than enough to level up. I am on a PVP server and I'm a lv.45 sith juggernaught. I have done exactly two missions with other people the entire story so far. Sure the gear from the heroics are good and all, however I can never find anyone to go with so I decided to focus on doing as many dailes on each planet as I can. When I get a few leveIs past the point where you pick up the heroic, I try to solo the mission, usually with some success. As far as gear goes, have bought orange moddable gear and keep upgrading every few levels as I go along to keep the companions decently equipped. Currently, I am on Belsavis,which is a level 41-44 planet, I am halfway to level 46 and haven't even started the class quests yet. All I am saying is that you don't necessarily need other people to level up while progressing through the story, there are lots opportunities to earn XP and credits. Lastly, don't forget to log out of game ina rest zone to get double XP, my last 6 levels have been all double XP since I started making sure I did this. It goes a lot quicker.

[Lofa]

If you like pvp then you can do that for a bit of a boost too

[Ghostrocket]

If you like pvp then you can do that for a bit of a boost too

 

Does PVP give you XP then ??? sorry if that's a noob question.

 

I just assumed it was valour and commendations

[shama]

Hello. I am now a lvl 35 sorcerer and I finding my self having to go into 36+ zones to keep progressing. Since there are almost zero players leveling on my servers I can not do any of the 2 mans and 4 man content and since this is my first character I am unable to equip myself and my companions to play much higher lvl content than what I am.

 

For me this is gamebreaking to the point where Im sorta forced to wait for rested XP to fill up the gap needed. Even with the bonus series on lower lvl planets I have not been able to keep up and right now it has led to me unsubing and quit playing.

 

Any advise ppl can give for a first character player playing on server where its absolutly IMPOSSIBLE to get ppl to help doing 2 and 4 man content ?

 

Well, if you've un-subbed AND quit I'm not sure why you'd then ask for advice, but I'll assume you're still around and actually want to play.

 

Do a search, restricted to the new player help forum, to see the number of threads from people saying "I'm under-levelling" and then follow the advice given by all the replies.

In summary:

- don't stealth your way past enemies just to reach the objective. Stand and fight and do those mission bonus objectives

- accept, and do, every quest

- try and do as many of the mission bonus steps as you can ("kill X womprats")

- do the bonus series on each planet

 

If you do these things you will not be under level, and will be suffering from the opposite problem of being over level. At which point you can be more selective about which missions you accept, or how many of the bonus steps you complete.

 

None of this requires the completion of the Heroic missions, PvP, space combat or flashpoints. They do give a nice boost but are not essential.

[Beemerchick]

Does PVP give you XP then ??? sorry if that's a noob question.

 

I just assumed it was valour and commendations

 

PvP gives XP. I don't know how much compared to questing, but it does give XP. It's also useful for getting orange gear, mods, and implants. (In my 30s, I used comms to get orange gear, though the mods were outdated. When I popped 40 last night, I used almost all my WZ comms to upgrade my companion.)

Edited May 2, 2012 by Beemerchick

[haliy]

I think when i was PVP'ing during my leveling, i was receiving anywhere between 7k - 15k per wz. How well you do and how well your side does also might be a contributing factor on how much xp you receive per match.

[SeaFour]

All of my planets are almost empty. Most times I play with 3 or 4 people on the planet. If there are every 10, it is a really busy planet on my server. So, I skip all HEROIC 4's but do all quests and all bonus missions and I am usually ahead of my planet by a level or 2. I also go get all Datacrons on a planet before leaving (except the ones that are protected by serious bad guys). HEROIC 2+'s are occassionally doable alone but usually I try and sneak around the bad guys in those areas and just get the Quest done. This is kind of fun because I am a Commando and sneaking around is not usually part of my game.

[Ghostrocket]

Thanks for clearing that up guys

 

To the original poster, I haven't done any HC's or FP's and I am levelling nicely.

 

I always get rested xp and always do the space missions if on my ship.

 

Its just like being back in vanilla WOW

[sadrhino]

I actually had a 32 inquisitor and two 20-something alts on a "light" server. I joined the game early on when people were complaining about the que and figured that was the way to go. Then eventually, I bailed and remade all my characters on a more populated server (forget the names now) and I can only say how much more awesome this game is with, ya know, other people to play with! My main has already blown through all the early level heroics and BT quest and my alts aren't far behind. More stuff to trade, other humans to talk to, made a huge difference.

 

Yeah, it sucks a little starting over but I find the initial experience helped with crafting (matching all the right skills ups) outfitting my companions, choosing my own gear etc. And better to start over at 30 than 50

 

Good luck!

[Deadalon]

Thanks for your answers guys. Like I said I do not plan to be playing any more cause I simply do not like how this game is built up for the more casual players that play 10-15 hours per week. I have yet to do a single 4 man quest cause there are no ppl around and its starting to hurt my overall gear progression very badly. It makes the rest of the game even harder to the point where its not much of a fun to play.

 

Overall Im really dissapointed in my leveling experience cause I do not like to leave quests behind like the 2 man and 4 man quests. But I have zero options with my limited play time but to skip them. And when you are forced to skip all - then you fall behinhd in decent gear both for yourself and your companion. Its a vicisous cicle that leads to no progression.

 

I do not like to read guides and be forced to look for special hidden secrets while Im playing online games. That takes away the fun of beeing in a game world. So far I can not see I have been doing anything seriously wrong in terms of how Im playing based on what the game is offering without detailed leveling guide so obviously this is something that Bioware need to look at.

 

I dont like to do PVP and thats probably the main reason I have been falling this far behind. But like I said - I have desided to not bother anymore

[Beemerchick]

and its starting to hurt my overall gear progression very badly.

 

No, it doesn't. (Not until end game, which does require groups.) Commendations - which drop from mobs all over the world, not just in Heroic areas, and are optional quest rewards - can be used to buy orange gear and mods to update orange gear. Using those allows you to keep your gear up to date.

 

If you want more orange gear, once you in your 20s, you can start running low-level FPs with just yourself and your companion.

 

And when you are forced to skip all - then you fall behinhd in decent gear both for yourself and your companion. Its a vicisous cicle that leads to no progression.

 

Again, this is not true. My main is in the low 40s and has not run a Heroic since Droman Kas. His gear and that of his companion is up-to-date.

 

I do not like to read guides and be forced to look for special hidden secrets while Im playing online games.

 

Neither are required. I suspect you are referring to holocrons. Those are nice, but far from required.

 

I dont like to do PVP and thats probably the main reason I have been falling this far behind.

 

PvP can help, but it is not required. My main leveled into the 30s without PvP without falling behind in XP or gear. (In fact, I was several levels ahead of quests, just from doing quests.)

Edited May 2, 2012 by Beemerchick

[Inspecter]

You're really still focused on the Heroics? They're completely optional (also, they're dailies. If you do one, you can go back the next day and do it again) It's completely possible to go from 1-50 without doing a single one ( and without setting foot into PvP or Space combat), and be over-leveled for the area you're in a couple of planets in. The gear from them is nice, but not having it is not crippling at all...your regular quests will provide good enough gear.

 

What you don't want to skip are the bonus objectives that often pop up while you're doing a quest (also, kill anything that looks at you funny...stealth is handy, but use it too much and you nerf your own leveling), and the Bonus Series of quests that'll show up once you think you're done on a planet...for example, on Taris , Republic side. After you've done all there is to do (excluding the Heroics...I skip them), the planet quest line is done, and your class quest is to talk to someone on your ship. When you get to the starport, there's a new mission giver that sends you back to the far end of the planet. boom. another 7-8 quests often with bonus objectives and when you finish all those, usually you get a piece of moddable armor, and a hefty chunk of xp

Edited May 2, 2012 by Inspecter

[Vexxation]

Oddly enough I had the opposite issue - and I prefer to play solo due to my casual playstyle (and work hours that are unforgiving). I found I was outlevelling areas far too fast - although it DID mean I could do the Heroic 2s with just me and my companion fairly easily with good CC. I love the space missions - they are easy and fast if you do the lower level ones - and give decent xp (until they go grey in the quest log) and I get a lot of credits too. I will do an instance / mission every now and again when I have time, but I don't usually do those unless I see people asking in general on the fleet. This was also how I played WoW - and I think both games are casual friendly.

[Holinyx]

"I am now a lvl 35 sorcerer and I finding my self having to go into 36+ zones to keep progressing"

 

i'm kinda confused by this. i almost never group. i never do heroics. i never pvp. and i'm always 2-4 levels ahead of whatever i'm fighting. i usually skip at least 2 planets and i hit 50 before i get to Corellia. you must be skipping alot of PvE content.

Edited May 2, 2012 by Holinyx

[AlienEyeTX]

"I am now a lvl 35 sorcerer and I finding my self having to go into 36+ zones to keep progressing"

 

i'm kinda confused by this. i almost never group. i never do heroics. and i'm always 2-4 levels ahead of whatever i'm fighting. i usually skip at least 2 planets and i hit 50 before i get to Corellia. you must be skipping alot of PvE content.

 

^This. I have not once grouped in this game. I have done *maybe* one Heroic 2, but that's it. No FPs, No WZs, No PvP, or anything like that. Now I'm lvl 31 and have had to move to a planet beyond my class story just to keep gaining xp, as I'm constantly doing missions 3-4 lvls higher than my character. Oh yeah, I freakin' stealth a lot. The only thing I'll complain about is that my class story hit a brick wall with a certain boss. I'll get that done soon and catch the story up, though.

[adamaj]

On all my characters, I've never had this problem. I'm always ahead by 2 and sometimes 3 levels. I don't do the 2 and 4 group quests. I pick them up, but only so I'm not constantly seeing the quest triangle on my map and repeatedly talking to the npc to see if it is a regular quest or group. When I leave the planet, I abandon them all. I just make sure I do every quest on the planet and I don't cut corners and look for shortcuts. On my Juggernaut I just arrived on Belsavis, which is a level 41-44 planet; he's level 43. Also, don't know how much it matters, but I explore and uncover the entire map.

[lordofdamornin]

I'm usually inclined to help people that are struggling, but in your case, I just can't.

 

Not only have you quit the game (which is fine), but you also completely ignored the several posts of helpful advice between your original post, and your first response.

 

Perhaps this lack of reading comprehension (or reading at all) is the core of your struggles, and nothing Bioware does can fix that.

 

This game has the most casual-friendly levelling experience out of all MMO's, period.

 

Regarding exploration exp - I haven't mathed it out, but it seems to be designed to give you about 30% of one level per planet, if you uncover the entire planet.

 

Riôt

[Deadalon]

I have been reading - But there is nothing there that makes the diffrence when it comes to the basic flaws of the current leveling progress. And that is lack of ppl spread around in way to many 4 man content instead of having fewer so that ppl can group up better.

 

To say this is a casual friendly leveling experince? Not really. I played both Rift and WOW very casual these days and even before those two had LFG - there was never much of a problem getting groups AND finding content that suited character levels and gear.

 

Bioware got the basics wrong when they designed their group content while leveling. It might have worked with 1000s of new players in the first month.. but it it doesn't anymore.

[shama]

Thanks for your answers guys. Like I said I do not plan to be playing any more cause I simply do not like how this game is built up for the more casual players that play 10-15 hours per week. I have yet to do a single 4 man quest cause there are no ppl around and its starting to hurt my overall gear progression very badly. It makes the rest of the game even harder to the point where its not much of a fun to play.

SWTOR is probably one of the most casual friendly MMORPG's around! Most of the complaints are from the people that want a more hard-core experience. I myself am very lucky if I get to play 10 hours a week, normally it will be more 7 or 8, so I'm not just saying it to disagree with you.

 

I think you probably have a very bad understanding of gear, and despite people telling you that the group quests are not necessary you carry on talking as if they are - and the sole reason for your troubles.

 

If your gear is falling way behind the curve then it isn't do with not doing group quests, it will be something else. Either you're not using your planetary commendations, or you're not keeping any modifiable gear up to date (also with commendations), or you're selling the decent gear you get as quest rewards, or you're just choosing gear with the wrong stat (although I think that's unlikely, because you haven't expressed any stat confusion in your posts so I will assume you know which stat is your primary stat).

 

Overall Im really dissapointed in my leveling experience cause I do not like to leave quests behind like the 2 man and 4 man quests. But I have zero options with my limited play time but to skip them. And when you are forced to skip all - then you fall behinhd in decent gear both for yourself and your companion. Its a vicisous cicle that leads to no progression.

No, you don't. You are wrong on this point. As already said, if you think your gear is below par then it will be for another reason and will have very little to do with not playing group quests.

 

So far I can not see I have been doing anything seriously wrong in terms of how Im playing based on what the game is offering without detailed leveling guide so obviously this is something that Bioware need to look at.

I said it before, but I'll say it again (and others have said it too) but it is pretty hard to be below level in this game IF you accept and complete every quest (except heroics), if you follow through on the bonus 'kill-x-of-y' sections of a quest, if you do the bonus series at the end of a planet AND if you don't stealth around every group of enemies.

 

The only people reporting that they are under level are guilty of not doing one or more of those things. You are playing a stealth class, so I'd suggest that maybe you are sneaking past enemies rather than attacking them.

 

 

I dont like to do PVP and thats probably the main reason I have been falling this far behind. But like I said - I have desided to not bother anymore

 

Nope, it has nothing to do with PvP.

 

So, seriously OP, it obviously has no impact on me whether you stay or go but the reasons you are giving for why you are behind the curve are wrong and needed correcting. Maybe if you take that on board and read what others have suggested, and try playing a little differently, then you will start enjoying the game. Or maybe you won't. Makes no odds to me.

[zejaie]

I have been reading - But there is nothing there that makes the diffrence when it comes to the basic flaws of the current leveling progress. And that is lack of ppl spread around in way to many 4 man content instead of having fewer so that ppl can group up better.

 

To say this is a casual friendly leveling experince? Not really. I played both Rift and WOW very casual these days and even before those two had LFG - there was never much of a problem getting groups AND finding content that suited character levels and gear.

 

Bioware got the basics wrong when they designed their group content while leveling. It might have worked with 1000s of new players in the first month.. but it it doesn't anymore.

 

I will venture to say that the problem lies with you. I do not like to pvp either and I don't do many 2 or 4 men heroics but I did not have any problem keeping my level up. With the exception of a couple of the boses I have played the whole game up to level 50 by myself. But it is up to you whether you will continue to play or not, if you don't enjoy it then it makes no sense to keep playing. There are other mmo's out there that you might like better. Good luck.

[shama]

I have been reading - But there is nothing there that makes the diffrence when it comes to the basic flaws of the current leveling progress. And that is lack of ppl spread around in way to many 4 man content instead of having fewer so that ppl can group up better.

 

Lack of people has pretty much zero impact on levelling progress ... that's what people keep trying to tell you but you keep ignoring. Or rather you aren't ignoring it, you just keep reciting it as a mantra as if it is true, despite everyone in this thread trying to help you realise you are wrong!

 

That is also the reason the game is casual friendly - there is NO need to group to get to max level. You can quite happily play this game as a solo experience.

[McNutty_]

Lack of people has pretty much zero impact on levelling progress ... that's what people keep trying to tell you but you keep ignoring. Or rather you aren't ignoring it, you just keep reciting it as a mantra as if it is true, despite everyone in this thread trying to help you realise you are wrong!

 

That is also the reason the game is casual friendly - there is NO need to group to get to max level. You can quite happily play this game as a solo experience.

 

I played a merc (first character) like an absolute sociopath. Refusing invites to do FPs and heroics (did 2 or 3 the whole game). Got to 50 with no issues. None. Started out on each planet 1.5 to 2 levels higher than what i was slated for.

 

So i completely agree. I'm living proof of this as are 463462377 other people

[lordofdamornin]

I feel bad about my previous response, so I'll offer something more concrete than my last post, and this is predicated upon you not skipping too many enemies that involve the quests themselves. You do not have to kill every enemy you come across, not by far.

 

IF you:

 

Do your class quest

Do the main planetary story arc

 

You will get approximately 2 levels worth of exp.

 

IF you:

 

Do the above, and every other solo quest on the given planet

 

You will get another level, maybe two.

 

IF you:

 

Do the above, and explore the entire planet, you will almost certainly have gotten the 4 levels in the range that most planets offer. You will achieve this even if you land on the planet 2 levels ahead of the minimum, in most cases.

 

IF you:

 

Do all of the above, it is very likely that you will start to encounter quests that are gray the moment you pick them up.

 

You will notice that I have yet to mention:

 

PvP

Planetary Heroic 2's and 4's

Space

Flashpoints

 

You have said that you don't want to do those things (and that's fine), but I've just clearly shown you that you do not need them at all. I don't want to see you leave, because this game is fantastic. I think you should take what I have just told you, and with what others have also said, and try it again.

 

Do the quests, and don't skip enemies that are directly involved, including the bonuses. The bonuses, especially, add up to a lot of exp over time. The Taris Bonus Series, for example (which I just did at level 38/39, btw), most of the quests gave me like 10k exp, and each bonus gave me like 6k...which is a 60% increase in exp from the same quest.

 

Good luck,

 

Riôt

 

Edit to add: I haven't tracked it, but I'm pretty the sure the exp from having a gathering profession is also fairly significant. Pick up Slicing (free credits), Scavenging, or Bioanalysis. Heck, grab all three, and just gather while you quest, and sell the materials on the GTN for a good price.

Edited May 2, 2012 by lordofdamornin