Looking for advice

[SAjames]

Hi all,

 

I played SWTOR for a little while a long time ago, but my pc couldn't run it very well so never got very far. After going back to WoW recently I couldn't believe how anti-social the game has be come. So I have decided to give SWTOR another chance on my upgraded pc.

 

So just a few things while I wait for the download.

• How social is this game.
  
• What is the end game like
  
• How balanced is PvP (I know this changes but on an average)
  
• what server should I be joining, would like a PvP type server
  
• and finally the balance between Sith and Jedi (although that may be a server based issue)
  

 

Thanks all in advance.

[JouerTue]

-depends on what you like..i usually join big guilds for levelling and then switch to a rading one at endgame

 

-end game is as you like it..can just do wz, grinding dailies or join the rading nights of your guild..can even find easily a pug for operations, even hard mode, if you have free days and you are going to play at different times of the day other than fixed raids.

 

-pvp is balanced enough for me..hard against premades, bad if you have clueless people in your side..again playing with a group in voip makes the first case less hard and the second totally manageable

 

-idk..i play on pve server last days population was heavier than in the past so any will be good i think

 

-on my server, the red eclipse, there are times of the day where one faction seems to prevail, but in general it's balanced..maybe slightly more imps

Edited August 26, 2014 by JouerTue

[Keyboard_Cowboy]

SWTOR is literally what you make it. I have played probably every MMO that has come out and did some Beta testing for newer games that will be launching yet here I am. I just recently returned for a very long hiatus, because I missed hunting people down and placing my retractable blade into people's gut. The selling point for my return was the forums actually. Typically on every MMO the forums are filled with people ranting about how unhappy they are with the game or trolls doing their best to tear down the community, but for the most part the posts I have come across are extremely positive. They are happy with the new content and really enjoying the new expansion as they build their Strongholds and Flagships.

 

Now as for a more social environment that will depend on you really. As previously stated I just returned, but found a guild on Jung Ma (East RP/PVP) that is very interactive when it comes to grouping for Flashpoints, PvP and Roleplay (Gotta love that Mandalorian RP). I hope you do decide to make the change and come back to SWTOR!

[scarlet_magpie]

As far as the social aspect goes, I find the folks in SWTOR for the most part much more friendly and helpful thanm those in WOW. Of course general/fleet chat still has those wise monkeys who respond to every single question with "Google it" but for the main part, it's either useful (selling or forming groups) or funny.

 

The endgame in SWTOR is richer to me than WoW as I find there is much more to do than simply grinding dailies over and over. I play on a crappy computer, so I struggle to run Operations (raids) due to lag problems. Nevertheless, there's Galactic starfighter, space missions, PVP, dailies, flashpoints, exploration, Datacron hunting, heroics, Planetary conquest, macrobinoculars, Seeker droids......... plenty. And that's BEFORE you get into crafting, gearing up companions, farming commendations for alts etc...

 

I play on the Red Eclipse, and as the poster above pointed out, while it is a PVE server, the balance does tend to shift from one to the other side regarding imperial/republic.

 

I now have 4 level 55 imperial toons and do not even remotely have time to do all the things I'd like to do on ONE of them, much less 4!

[Merouk]

• 
  
• Social: People are quite social, especially on the RP servers, but the game is designed to allow for solo play (you always have 1 of 5 NPC companions with you, so you can pick the tank, the healer, or the DPS'ers, and between your character and the companion, you don't really need other players for PVE questing etc.). If you ask for groups on the chat channels or using the LFG tool, you usually can get them pretty fast, but again you can also solo content.
  
• 
  
• End game: It's kinda like World of Warcraft; there are raids (called Operations), there is ranked PVP, and various heroics and daily missions, and there are tiers of gear that you can progress through after you hit max level. Having a guild will let you avoid PUGs; otherwise the LFG and queue tools are usable and robust.
  
• 
  
• PVP balance: It's pretty balanced, I believe. They certainly rebalance classes pretty often. And also they've managed to separate the tanking and the healing stuff into separate talent trees, so all classes can switch between Tank/Heal, full PVE DPS, and PVP talent trees. They also have a Bolster system where if you go into a PVP match naked or with PVE gear, you automatically gain the PVP stats appropriate for your level. Of course, if you PVP and use the commendations to buy gear, you can surpass the default bolster stats.
  
• 
  
• What server to join: Here is the server list. If you like PVP, join a PVP or RP-PVP server. The Bastion is pretty popular, as is Jung Ma. You can also look at the server forums to see what guilds are recruiting and the general atmosphere of the posts.
  
• 
  
• Balance between Sith and Jedi: The Sith and the Jedi are equal in power - they actually have the exact same abilities just with different names. The balance on the server, however, will likely be in favor of the Sith - everybody likes to be a bad-***, so the Empire population typically outnumbers the Republic side by 2:1 - 3:1 odds, on pretty much all the servers. For the Empire, this translates into an advantage in world PVP, but longer queue times (if any) for battlegrounds.
  

 

Advice:

This game has one big difference to WoW: Bioware has put A TON of effort into the spoken dialogue and voice actors, and so the biggest feature of this game is the questing, especially the epic class story that develops as you level from 1 to 50, with you and your companions as the main characters. A lot of people play one character to 55 then switch to the next, 1-55 again, then the next, and so on, just so they can see all the stories. You get 8 total, and they are all different. And the Legacy and Collections systems make it extremely easy to twink your alts (cartel gear that you collect becomes free for all your current and future alts, you get Legacy perks, etc).

 

So, once you reach level 55, rather than grind through PVE gear tiers or for PVP commendations, it may be more fun to make an alt and enjoy the level-up process again, with a different story.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Merouk

[SAjames]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for all the replies they have been very useful. Hopefully I will enjoy my time here .