Why are purple lightsaber crystals so rare?

[AvatarofMalice]

Just kinda chiming in here, but I've been reading SW books, playing games, and of course watching movies for around 34 years now (starting watching when I was 2). There are a few things in this debate to be considered. First, I will admit that I am pro-purple, and have always bounced between this and blue in any game I've played where they're both available. The annoyance I think many feel stems from the fact that the purple sabers have floated around in the books for years (and in both of the KotOR games this one is based off of)), and were neither rare nor powerful, and weren't any different from any other color crystal in terms of function or benefits. Someone above asked what you would do with the stats if they weren't on the color crystals. Well, in KotOR 1 and 2, there were NO stats on the color crystals. Oddly enough, the name equated to their function-they determined the color only. Second is that Lucas himself has said in any interview that he's been asked, that there were many colors of lightsabers, and also that the color was simple preference of the wielder. Now, all the arguments from a tradition-standpoint as to what was shown in the movies boils down to functionality. In interviews, Lucas has stated he originally chose the blue and red color sabers because they contrasted better visually with the environments he was filming in. In the first star wars, if you notice, the sabers are all (in the original films) the cyan color except when Luke was training on the Fulcan enroute to Alderaan; then it was white/silver (a low-power training mode for the weapon was the explanation). That's it. He planned to stick with those colors only because there were only really 3 lightsabers you would ever see, but stated there had been many other colors. When they began working with the FXs for RotJ, Luke's new saber was also supposed to be blue originally (reflected in the original Revenge of the Jedi posters; yes, that WAS the movie's original title, later changed because the word "Revenge" did not keep with the peacemaker image of the Jedi. I have a 28 year old children's belt buckle and a movie poster both with that title). As they were working with the effects, because of the wide-open outdoor desert sequences, the blue saber blended with too much of the background (mostly the sky). They found however that a bright shade of green cotrasted well, and could be seen in any of the environments, so he introduced green color to the film. On making the new movies, he stuck with the FX models he already had for the sabers in a "keep it simple" appraoch, because he knew both saber colors would contrast well. Yes, Samuel Jackson DID request purple, but the approval wasn't based on any "rarity" factor but on the fact that with Mace's blue saber (the color he originally had) you couldn't pick him out in a fight. Again, functionality won out and he introduced purple because it both contrasted with all of the filming environments AND allowed you to spot Mace. SO, in short: Lucas agrees that the colors are simply up to the Jedi in terms of what's allowed, and explains his color selection for the films as a matter of functionality (all of this can be verified; google is your friend). And as to the extended universe, I've named off a long list of purple saber-wielders (there seems to be one in almost every book, and a variety of other "rare" colors too) in another post, so I won't repeat it again. This is really a pointless agrument, however, because A: too many game-chair Gurus who have nothing better to do that dedicate 90+ hours a week to a game "want to keep some things rare" while others believe that "its not that hard to get" (for them its not; a 10 hour or more gaming day is considered normal), and B: Bioware has made a marketing-strategy decision on this topic (kinda like Tool back when they "refused" to do interviews so that everyone wanted one), and could care less what I or anyone else thinks. I hope the actual information I have given provides some fun in the research (there's ALOT of other really cool fun-facts in the interviews), and silences some of the ignorance in support of the "rare color, because there's only on in the movies..." arguments, as there are MANY things in the movies that there are few of, yet many of in this game); I haven't fought a sith boss-NPC yet that didn't have a purple saber, so they aren't too rare. By all rights, I should have been able to salvage theirs. It truly is a matter of "seeking the forbidden fruit", which amounts to continued subscriptions and revenue for all companies involved. Any intelligent discussion amongst ourselves is simply us trying to rationalize something that doesn't make sense, but we would like explained. Like many things in life, the explanation is usually less dramatic and more pragmatic.

[wardrich]

Holy wall of text Batman. Learn some BASIC punctuation!

 

 

TBH... all sabre's should be white when you first receive them and the colours should be earnt through questlines or deep crafting.

Edited February 13, 2012 by wardrich

[Syrus_OdinAwa]

This is what happens when you bcome a WoW clone and design a game with carrot on a stick gear progression Endgame.

 

Biowares choice to hamper customization in this game is inexcusable. From lightsabers to companions this game has far to many restrictions on customization.

 

I should be able to choose ANY companion is instead of forcing me to take from a limited selection based on glass. Same for ships... Same for lightsaber colors.

 

BW is really missing the mark on what players want. CUSTOMIZATION! Instead, they chose to limit every option we have so we are forced to play through another class to get what we want.

 

All in all, very disappointing. Really enjoy parts of this game, but issues like these, to me, are immersion breaking and make me seriously think about canceling sub.

 

Why is it ok for developers to provide dumb downed products that reward tedious gameplay over genuine fun and customization? Give it a few years and I can see everyone in endgame looking exactly the same. Then a new expansion comes out that releases another carrot on a stick just to get what you want.

 

For aesthetics it simple doesn't make sense. Save that crap for gear stats if you must.

 

 

:::EDIT:::

Please excuse the hideous amount of grammar mistakes etc. I promise I do in fact know the English language... I just fail at iPhone typing

Edited February 14, 2012 by Syrus_OdinAwa

[Azumio]

Lol @ Samuel Jackson requesting purple so you'd be able to pick out Mace in a fight..

 

I mean, seriously? There wasn't something else about Mace that just shouted "There goes Mace, that ******!".

 

Dude come on.. It's so obvious.

 

He was black.

 

Yes, I went there.

[APhantasm]

Stupid Black center lightsaber? Sir, Those were pre-order only crystals; That means they are limited. How can you take away something thats not even being given away anymore?

 

Or are you mad cause you didnt get one, bro?

 

Uhm isn't there a vendor on Fleet that sells the pre-order crystal. Or did they take it out? I seem to remember a vendor somewhere selling them and that was like the only thing they had for sale.

[Toweleeeie]

This is what happens when you bcome a WoW clone and design a game with carrot on a stick gear progression Endgame.

 

Biowares choice to hamper customization in this game is inexcusable. From lightsabers to companions this game has far to many restrictions on customization.

 

I should be able to choose ANY companion is instead of forcing me to take from a limited selection based on glass. Same for ships... Same for lightsaber colors.

 

BW is really missing the mark on what players want. CUSTOMIZATION! Instead, they chose to limit every option we have so we are forced to play through another class to get what we want.

 

All in all, very disappointing. Really enjoy parts of this game, but issues like these, to me, are immersion breaking and make me seriously think about canceling sub.

 

Why is it ok for developers to provide dumb downed products that reward tedious gameplay over genuine fun and customization? Give it a few years and I can see everyone in endgame looking exactly the same. Then a new expansion comes out that releases another carrot on a stick just to get what you want.

 

For aesthetics it simple doesn't make sense. Save that crap for gear stats if you must.

 

Im not defending Bio here but in 1.2 update in March all armor will be modable, which was in beta. They said it was to complicated for some people so they dumbed down the mod sytem for launch.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Toweleeeie

[grueber]

It's apparently so rare I see them on npc Jedi/Sith quite frequently. It would too logical for your toon to be able to pick up the lightsaber and use it as your own.

[xMrFacex]

Because you don't have the concentrated awesome to make a purple lightsaber like Mace Windu. All those ones you see are fakes that explode.

 

the only reason why he had a purple one in the movie is because the actor had requested it to the director if he could have a purple one

[nodddd]

i know sammy requested the color, but it can easily be made to fit the lore seeing as he did create a whole new lightsaber form which is considered the hardest to master, and he was widely considered the greatest lightsaber dueler of all time, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume he spent plenty of time refining his saber to maximize his ability with it.

[Koalachan]

Uhm isn't there a vendor on Fleet that sells the pre-order crystal. Or did they take it out? I seem to remember a vendor somewhere selling them and that was like the only thing they had for sale.

 

They only sell to people who pre-ordered. And they are getting more black-yellow crystals of various levels, including +41 stat end game ones.

[swiftdh]

Let me start by saying this is not a complaint thread. I'm simply curious as to the thought process of making purple (color, not quality) lightsaber crystals so scarce. I'm at level 24 or so at the moment and I have yet to see one in game. I checked the Galactic Trade Market and there are none there either. This is not a huge deal to me, it would just be nice to have the purple option. Sorry if this topic has been addressed, the search function is MIA

 

1) Can you get them through archeology?

2) Are they only available late-game?

3) Do they drop in flashpoints or for specific quest rewards?

 

P.S. I'm loving the game so far...Taris was freakin awesome! Keep up the great work BW!!

 

wait till 1.1.5

[Toonimator]

It doesn't need to be 'made' to fit the lore; there was no lore before AOTC when George said "good guys use green & blue, and Sam asked for purple". The early EU had only the first three films to go by, and they rightly didn't assume that red, green, and blue were all there was just because that's all we see in those 3 films... we also only see 3 characters who use lightsabers frequently. That's too small a sample to declare--if you're not George with umpteen years between films changing your mind about a lot of things--that ONLY those 3 should exist as commonplace.

 

TOR already gives us yellow crystals fairly easily, and orange somewhat less so. I think yellow, orange, AND purple should all be on the same level: rare mats from TH, crafted as blue recipes via Artifice. I know we'll supposedly have easier access to purple in the next patch, but it's still a pretty high-level thing, I think. I always go back to KOTOR where you could get a purple crystal fairly soon after leaving Dantooine, well before you learn your true history.

[ELECTRICJUDGMENT]

It's apparently so rare I see them on npc Jedi/Sith quite frequently. It would too logical for your toon to be able to pick up the lightsaber and use it as your own.

 

The solution for this is to reduce the number of NPCs wielding a purple saber, not make it easily accessible to low level players. Purple saber crystals should remain rare unless purchased for a large sum of credits (again, due to their rarity) and still have a level 50 requirement. Allowing level 20s to have a purple saber would only make the situation worse because then everyone one would have one, not only the NPCs. Want a purple saber? You can have one when you hit level 50. The real issue here is that too many NPCs have a purple saber, not that some over entitled players can't get or use one at low levels.

Edited March 4, 2012 by ELECTRICJUDGMENT

[Xavon_Wrentaile]

My two credits:

 

1) Split 'em.

There should be Focusing Crystals that give stat bonuses, and Color Crystals that are purely aesthetic in nature.

 

2) Make them truly customizable.

The pre-order bonus said we would get to customize our crystal color. That quickly got changed to a special color crystal, but no before I and many other people dropped money on that. It has been suggested before that there should be a way to choose an inner and an outer color, and have that for your crystal. I agree. Completely. BUT to satisfy the other side, maybe make a special crystal that is a boss drop or a master Artifice schematic, and that when it is slotted, it lets you pick two colors, and then permanently gets assigned those colors. That way it is still somewhat hard to come by, but not as hard as purple/white/magenta are now, and it provides the flexibility so many of us crave or even demand.

[Toonimator]

My two credits:

 

1) Split 'em.

There should be Focusing Crystals that give stat bonuses, and Color Crystals that are purely aesthetic in nature.

Great idea... harkens back to KOTOR, and puts color right where it should be.

[Prime_Knight]

My wife plays, infrequently. She may never get a level 50 character. Her favorite color is purple.

 

She would like to shoot purple lasers and use a purple lightsaber. What would it take to get low level purple crystals in the game? Why limit colors?

[Xatoo]

My wife plays, infrequently. She may never get a level 50 character. Her favorite color is purple.

 

She would like to shoot purple lasers and use a purple lightsaber. What would it take to get low level purple crystals in the game? Why limit colors?

 

It's a status symbol to have a certain rare colored item, and very expensive as well for the even more rare. It's a way of showing your status, time spent leveling I guess, and in certain cases crafting ability. Getting to 50 is not that hard. Yea it takes time, but just follow the story and it will come, along with the purple colored light saber. personally I have 2 on my Marauder, but Cyan is my favorite.

[Prismatico]

It's a status symbol to have a certain rare colored item, and very expensive as well for the even more rare. It's a way of showing your status, time spent leveling I guess, and in certain cases crafting ability. Getting to 50 is not that hard. Yea it takes time, but just follow the story and it will come, along with the purple colored light saber. personally I have 2 on my Marauder, but Cyan is my favorite.

 

If they hadn't given them to so many really low level mobs I'd understand...but they just kind of rub it in that you won't have what they technically drop on the ground when you kill them like a hundred hours before it's open for you to use.

[Holinyx]

i don't have time to read 12 pages.

 

 

it's not rare. it's vendor sold on the fleet.

 

 

where you been the last 3 weeks?

[Prismatico]

i don't have time to read 12 pages.

 

 

it's not rare. it's vendor sold on the fleet.

 

 

where you been the last 3 weeks?

 

Topic was made in December

[Elepole]

I personally like that purple is rare, but ffs, change the color of every npc who have a purple lightsaber, stop giving us the finger like that.

[Prime_Knight]

It's a status symbol to have a certain rare colored item, and very expensive as well for the even more rare. It's a way of showing your status, time spent leveling I guess, and in certain cases crafting ability. Getting to 50 is not that hard. Yea it takes time, but just follow the story and it will come, along with the purple colored light saber. personally I have 2 on my Marauder, but Cyan is my favorite.

 

Interesting perspective, but like I said getting to 50 may never happen. As far as status goes, some my think it's cool that someone spent the better part of their time playing a game, but I just don't have that luxury . This is a video game, and there's so much more to do that just play all the time.

 

Limiting someone else's fun and/or enjoyment because someone says it's the right thing to do may make it the wrong thing. It's just a color, how does that harm you or anyone else?

 

And here's a twist for you, I have a level 50, I could buy and equip a purple crystal right now, but that's not what I want. So I have a wife with a low level that I can give a purple crystal to right now, but they can't use it. How silly is that. It's actually more frustrating than fun.

 

And here's another perspective, if the player base needs to be expanded, the best thing to do is to open up as many options as possible. It's difficult to tell what'll draw in players.

 

As far as lightsaber color rarity goes according to the films, purple is the fourth least rare color, and no sith carry purple lightsabers, yet this game says differently.

[deadsaber]

purple lightsaber crystal schematic other day on the market for 5m 41 power keeped asking how he got it and wouldnt tell anyone

[Karkais]

I rather like purple being rare. I like that something is rare.

 

I dont think purple is rare enough. There is magenta but..

 

ps. blackcore lightsabers are ugly.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Karkais

[DarkDisturbed]

purple lightsaber crystal schematic other day on the market for 5m 41 power keeped asking how he got it and wouldnt tell anyone

 

Silly..in 1.1.5 the vendor sold BoE crystals. So you could buy any level 50 purple crystal for 250k.