Can We Get A Definitive Statement On Future 12x XP Plans?

[Highsis]

This. I will stop playing until another of these events.

[MandFlurry]

There is no reason to expect it will.

 

They might do some other promotion or some similar promotion, but this was clearly one-time and I wouldn't expect anything like 12x the next time, they did a boost like that because WoW did insta-90.

 

Bioware doesn't want players to level through 99 hours of KDY, they want players to go through all the planets, go through their story, arrive at the endgame familiar with the world and their character's part in it. So this time, instead of traditional 2XP, they made 12xp on class stories only.

 

Clearly this hasn't worked out too well, producing many players unfamiliar with their class, and they know it. The next time, without the pressure from WoW, I'd expect something like 2XP general and 4x on class stories, or just 2XP or 3XP.

 

 

That would be terrible XP bonuses, I thought Wow did the insta 90 thing after EAWare did the 12X xp thing. Not that it matters to me. I think EAWare did the 12X xp thing so that ppl couldn't say they didn't have a chance to get to 55 and then get to lvl 60 a Lot Faster.

 

The only way I see 12X xp coming again, is when there is another Expansion with 5 more lvls to grind. Which i think a a great thing to. I would pay an extra 1 time fee or do a Cartel unlock to do the rest of my alts on 12X xp because I have too many Handicaps to do the normal grinding that i used to be able to do.

[WestChelmsford]

What I've heard from people who've just gotten their black belt in karate is that rather than knowing everything there is to know, they have reached the threshold where they have just begun to understand what they don't know.

 

This thread reminds of that, if the time frame where you finish a class quest (around Level 50) is your black belt: you have a general grasp of the game, but there's still a lot to learn. However at that point, you have a general understanding of what you need to learn.

[Raf-]

I unsubscribed because its gone. I only found out less than a week before they announced the 12x xp. The grind is just too much and too boring.

[TravelersWay]

I unsubscribed because its gone. I only found out less than a week before they announced the 12x xp. The grind is just too much and too boring.

 

And you play the game because ...?

 

End game grind is just as much of a grind as leveling grind. If grind is boring, then perhaps MMOs are not what a lot of people here should be playing.

[Kadin]

I think it's pretty clear on why there's no definitive answer. It's easy to assume that people who want to know this are probably on the fence on whether to continue playing or not. If BW comes out and says, "We have no plans as of now to bring 12xp back," then these people might unsub.

 

And on the flip-side, if they say it is coming back at some estimated date, some people might be put off by that as I know a lot of people weren't happy that the option couldn't be toggled off. So yeah, I honestly wouldn't expect an answer one way or the other. Maybe a, "It's always possible to happen in the future" comment but I doubt much more than that.

[DarthTenor]

I would love to see the 12x gain back. I'm dreading going through and grinding the same side-quests over and over and over again. i'm a certified Alta-holic and right now leveling 2 bounty hunters Pyrotech/Merc. It's a pain grinding and grinding the same stuff over and over and over again. I'm enjoying the light/dark side options doing so however so that's fine.

 

I'm in my second month of subbing since I came back now I'm kind of debating whether to do so again without this 12x XP gain. It Made the game that much more fun for me.

[Sharzade]

The x12 XP month definitely helped lure me back into SWTOR, plus their throwing in the Hutt expansion was cream. I've really enjoyed being able to play as I can find time. Most games run XP bonuses at times where the main focus is family, and then I can't really take proper advantage. I hope x12XP returns, since I'll definitely be able to get something out of it. I managed to come back since playing last in early 2012, and I got a character all the way up to level 50, with a healthy amount of side quests and class quests so that I could appreciate each planet. I'd be happy if it came back for a few weeks from time to time. Maybe every November, and perhaps some other time too.

[Sharzade]

I'm in my second month of subbing since I came back now I'm kind of debating whether to do so again without this 12x XP gain. It Made the game that much more fun for me.

 

I agree that the x12 XP made the whole gameplay experience more fun. It took the grind out somehow, and kept things moving and not too bogged down.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Sharzade

[LordArtemis]

A 12XP boost, 0-55 would work great in helping folks relearn classes after the current changes. Sometimes its easier if you start from scratch.

[Highsis]

I missed 12x window and I need to level up a toon all the way upto 60 from 1...

 

What's the point of redoing the side quests I've done over and over again? Can anyone who is against 12x answer me?

[DarthTenor]

I missed 12x window and I need to level up a toon all the way upto 60 from 1...

 

What's the point of redoing the side quests I've done over and over again? Can anyone who is against 12x answer me?

 

I can't answer you fully. As I see it side quests can give gear for your level and heroics can help you learn team fights and certain aspects for greater challenges for flashpoints etc. Even give you decent gear and some commendations (Now basic commendations) for modifying your gear.

 

When I was leveling up so fast I was under geared for some boss fights and I found myself going to the GTN to get better gear. Which wasn't a bad thing IMO

 

. Even so just tonight I was playing for 1-2 hrs and barely leveled up by doing side quests along side my class story from level 21-22 on taris.

 

Side quests/Planetary story lines are great the first few times but it's such a grind. Especially to and alta-holic like myself.

Edited December 5, 2014 by DarthTenor

[DarthNevrohs]

really really hoping for something like this soon as I wanna play a jedi guardian but dont have the stomach going through all the sidemissions etc

Heck they could have the perk up til you reach either 50 or 55, after that you have to grind to ding 60.

[OddballEasyEight]

What's the point of redoing the side quests I've done over and over again? Can anyone who is against 12x answer me?

 

I'm very PRO 12x but I'll answer these anyway since I've heard the same tired old responses regurgitated plenty of times not only during this event but during old 2x events too.

 

1: "It's how the game was meant to be played". Which is kinda BS since xp rewards have changed since the game went F2P. It's now faster to level than it was pre-f2p. So that's out the window.

2: "It makes you learn your class". That's also BS since I played as a tank from 1-50 and never once learned how to properly tank since all I was ever doing was DPS'ing against NPC's. There's no "learning your class" in singleplayer content.

3: "It keeps the game challenging". No... it doesn't. There is nothing challenging about doing the same content over and over.

4: "I want to experience everything and with 12xp I'd outlevel everything". Well fine, but you'd end up doing that anyway. And there's nothing stopping you from playing the content you've overleveled. Besides, if it's optional it won't affect you in any way.

5: "You'll fall beind on gearing". Sure, maby. If you don't have any crafting alts or nice guildies then you'll maby fall behind a bit on the gearing. But not much and all it takes to catch up on gearing is doing a few heroics here and there. And with this new basic comms system gearing should be a breeze.

6: "People will grow tired of the game if they can just blast through the storylines". Oh really? I thought this was an MMO. End-game content is where the game "starts" according to most. If you're playing this game simply for the storyline then sure, but in that case you shouldn't be opposed to paying your subscription for a shorter amount of time than you'd normally have to.

7: "It's not fair because I had to grind through it back when the game was new". OH GROW UP!

 

There, I think that covers most of the bases.

Edited December 5, 2014 by OddballEasyEight

[DarthNevrohs]

yeah I agree that the game really starts when you hit max level and thats something I find odd with these WoW-styled mmos. Why did bioware design so many planets and make the level up part of the game so long? they could've toned it down alot and instead have alot more planets with dailies and what not. People will get past the leveling up process but then might not be able to grind for too long considering the somewhat limited endgame content.

[Heal-To-Full]

It's not all about the endgame. SWTOR's endgame isn't the most extensive and the endgame is only really fun for strong players - ones that can carry their groups, progress to hard and to nightmare modes, duo HM FP, they have a lot to do in the endgame. There is a very large casual playerbase in SWTOR that isn't looking for a challenge, only for an interactive Star Wars world, and the leveling game is more along these lines. If the goal is strictly the endgame, you could just hand out ready level 60s with a full basic gear set like that other game.

 

 

I found the leveling game overall more entertaining when doing it the normal way, at least impside. That is, doing all the quests on my starter world, capital world, grouping up for heroics, doing every flashpoint once (just once), getting at least my PvP weeklies done, most planetary quest chains, occasionally going for a cron hunt or just an area/heroic mob-killing run.

 

Doing each quest once is not grinding, not by any definition. It's a more well-rounded game that way, the first time.

The issues start when alting, because clearly it's no longer fun to do these things over and over on multiple alts. There are just two "packages", one per side, and while pubside class stories are mostly all right, side quest writing falls through the floor. Also, for f2p, I think they have to grind to hit the cap.

 

The 12xp game is, simply put, a different game.

On this scale: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfLinearityVsOpenness - you could compare it as Skyrim vs Dishonored, or maybe Mass Effect vs Final Fantasy.

 

Clearly some people like Skyrim and others like Final Fantasy, hence so much divisiveness and so many people begging for a toggle. A toggle won't necessarily help, events can depopulate low/mid GF and PvP queues, but there are reasons people can prefer to level slower.

I personally enjoy both, with a bias towards endgame, and I can simply disregard the lack of XP returns and do what I like, so the bonus doesn't bother me, but clearly there are those who don't feel that way.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Heal-To-Full

[LilyJedi]

A 12XP boost, 0-55 would work great in helping folks relearn classes after the current changes. Sometimes its easier if you start from scratch.

 

I disagree -- while it's better now that you start with some key abilities the second you choose your specialization, a lot of the rest of your rotation doesn't come into place until the high 40s.

 

What I'd like to see is a Toggle for the 12x, or alternatively, a way of boosting you up to the level of the next mission world when you finish the final class mision on a given world. That way, you'll never be under-levelled for a world, but nor will you be so massively overlevelled that there is no challenge to it whatsoever. Also, in this way, if you want to explore the rest of the content on a world, you can, without being forced to do so just to be on-par for the next.

[Willcutt]

I can't see a thing wrong with bringing in the 12x xp as some kind of permanent feature for those who want it. Not all gamers that play the hard way end up elite end game raiders who have mastered their class. Truth is class story + planetary side missions (maybe excluding heroics, which you already don't have to do) don't prepare you for end game group content any better than class missions alone does. These are all pretty much solo content and solo play is different than end game play. Alot of us don't really want anything to do with all that anyway.

 

I'm not here for gear or raids or end game. I'm the type of player that after the story is done, I'm ready to roll another toon and experience one of the other stories. And its not even like after we finish the 8 stories we will get bored, because thanks to classic bioware roleplay we can experience these stories in multiple ways. On top of that its one thing to play 8 different class stories then turn around and enjoy them again. Its quite another to play the exact same side quests 4 times out of the 8. That's what makes it grindy, repetitive, and boring.

 

People say we are asking for an easy button, but that isn't true either. Side quests, planetary quests, ect. Are repetitive not difficult and swtor doesn't have to equal repetitive. Not with all the content its setting on. People say we will ruin the market but I highly doubt that. If anything it will increase a demand on the market that didn't exist before because 12x xp levelers don't get gear from side missions so a lot turn to gtn to get their gear, mods, enhancements, ect.

 

People also seem concerned with how scarce grouping was during the event but I believe this was tied more to it being a limited time and those involved wanting to take full advantage than the feature itself. If it was more permanent for those who wanted it, people that like running group content could enjoy rolling alts and leveling at their leasure while still having the time to do their dailies, pvp, raids, whatever.

 

The biggest factor is that it will bring in a new life for swtor, for end gamers it will be less ttedious to roll alts. For rpers, and soloers it will be less tedious to experience the multiple stories, and even replaying ones they favor but don't want to go back and grind out side quests for the umpteenth time.

 

The point is that swtor doesn't belong to a small niche of elitist raiders or gtn market hagglers. There are many different types of swtor gamers. Just about every 12x xp post I see in the forums has veterans, returners, soloers, and just fans of star wars that want to immerse themselves in the game agreeing they want this. For me? I was one of those types that was here years ago, loved the story aspect but got burned out on the redundant side missions. This event brought me back and made it fun all over again. I can honestly say if 12x xp was a permanent feature for those who wanted it, I'd remain a subsciber till the servers shut down. But its just a matter of time now that its gone before i know it will all get repetitive and boring again.

 

Its not a matter of difficulty, end game, or otherwise. Its a matter of enjoyment. If a player is interested in learning the intricacies of their class for end game that's great! They can still level apart from it. They can pvp, do flashpoints, heroics, and other group content. They can solo or group level the longer way, if that makes them feel more comfortable or accomplished or whatever. There will always be that. But for others this only makes the game more enjoyable and Im just saying I'd pay an unreasonable amount of money for this feature. More money for bioware, bigger playerbase, more enthusiastic gaming community, means a more successful mmo, more potential for new and better content and an appeal to an even bigger crowd. There is no reason swtor can't appeal to both.

[Willcutt]

I can't see a thing wrong with bringing in the 12x xp as some kind of permanent feature for those who want it. Not all gamers that play the hard way end up elite end game raiders who have mastered their class. Truth is class story + planetary side missions (maybe excluding heroics, which you already don't have to do) don't prepare you for end game group content any better than class missions alone does. These are all pretty much solo content and solo play is different than end game play. Alot of us don't really want anything to do with all that anyway.

 

I'm not here for gear or raids or end game. I'm the type of player that after the story is done, I'm ready to roll another toon and experience one of the other stories. And its not even like after we finish the 8 stories we will get bored, because thanks to classic bioware roleplay we can experience these stories in multiple ways. On top of that its one thing to play 8 different class stories then turn around and enjoy them again. Its quite another to play the exact same side quests 4 times out of the 8. That's what makes it grindy, repetitive, and boring.

 

People say we are asking for an easy button, but that isn't true either. Side quests, planetary quests, ect. Are repetitive not difficult and swtor doesn't have to equal repetitive. Not with all the content its setting on. People say we will ruin the market but I highly doubt that. If anything it will increase a demand on the market that didn't exist before because 12x xp levelers don't get gear from side missions so a lot turn to gtn to get their gear, mods, enhancements, ect.

 

People also seem concerned with how scarce grouping was during the event but I believe this was tied more to it being a limited time and those involved wanting to take full advantage than the feature itself. If it was more permanent for those who wanted it, people that like running group content could enjoy rolling alts and leveling at their leasure while still having the time to do their dailies, pvp, raids, whatever.

 

The biggest factor is that it will bring in a new life for swtor, for end gamers it will be less ttedious to roll alts. For rpers, and soloers it will be less tedious to experience the multiple stories, and even replaying ones they favor but don't want to go back and grind out side quests for the umpteenth time.

 

The point is that swtor doesn't belong to a small niche of elitist raiders or gtn market hagglers. There are many different types of swtor gamers. Just about every 12x xp post I see in the forums has veterans, returners, soloers, and just fans of star wars that want to immerse themselves in the game agreeing they want this. For me? I was one of those types that was here years ago, loved the story aspect but got burned out on the redundant side missions. This event brought me back and made it fun all over again. I can honestly say if 12x xp was a permanent feature for those who wanted it, I'd remain a subsciber till the servers shut down. But its just a matter of time now that its gone before i know it will all get repetitive and boring again.

 

Its not a matter of difficulty, end game, or otherwise. Its a matter of enjoyment. If a player is interested in learning the intricacies of their class for end game that's great! They can still level apart from it. They can pvp, do flashpoints, heroics, and other group content. They can solo or group level the longer way, if that makes them feel more comfortable or accomplished or whatever. There will always be that. But for others this only makes the game more enjoyable and Im just saying I'd pay an unreasonable amount of money for this feature. More money for bioware, bigger playerbase, more enthusiastic gaming community, means a more successful mmo, more potential for new and better content and an appeal to an even bigger crowd. There is no reason swtor can't appeal to both.

[Lundorff]

It's actually really simple: does it make BW more money to have 12xEXP?

 

Will the influx of more players trying out new/old classes be a greater source of income than forcing players to spend a lot longer on their class mission? If the player base is dropping, then they might make it permanent regardless.

[Arkerus]

I would appreciate a large boost even if its not 12x. I have suggested a purchasable 5x or 8x boost to class stories. Edited December 5, 2014 by Arkerus

[Heal-To-Full]

It's actually really simple: does it make BW more money to have 12xEXP?

That's EA's job to decide, not ours. In the long term, better games make more money, and better communities make more money. So what it makes sense for players to debate is what makes for a better game.

 

Balancing that against short-term gains is other people's job.

[TheSeventhJedi]

I believe it'll come back.

I believe, even moreso, that expecting a definitive statement on its future, mere days after it ended for the first time, it going to be about as effective as begging for a million credits in impside fleet chat.

[Heal-To-Full]

...going to be about as effective as begging for a million credits in impside fleet chat.

Or posting a size 500 referral link in your signature.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Heal-To-Full

[Highsis]

As I said time and time again, Bioware shouldn't have many more than 1 side story quest chain per planet(series of SQ in one connected storyline), made individual storyline much, much longer, and use the rest of resources for end game contents.

 

Making dozens of sidequests per planet really was a waste because Bioware didn't put much effort in creating them, hence they are mostly fillers and boring even at the first time.