So about those H2 Star Fortresses.

[Ghisallo]

Okay people saying "its group content" other saying "NO it is solo content and we should be doing it NOW!!!!!!". Both are right and wrong. Please note I do not say the below was a GOOD idea but when you look at it with an open mind it's pretty obvious...

 

First yes... If you want to do them you can get a group. Also it is intended to be done solo BUT it is intended that you might not be able to do it right now this minute for a host of factors. Forgetting class and player factors the very mechanics involving them show this is the case.

 

Let's run down the related mechanics...

 

1. Weekly quest gives twice the reward for completing 2 H2s vs solos. The weekly applies to both.

2. H2's have buffs inside. Said buffs require 10 in rep with the appropriate Alliance faction.

3. You get this faction by grinding other weeklies, which also provide currency for better gear and gifts for better companion faction.

4. You get an achievement for solo completion of an H2 for NOT using said buffs.

 

So if we ask "why would these mechanics exist" it is rather obvious.

 

Step 1. You do the old world weeklies and solo SF to familiarize yourself with the mechanics and get the rewards needed for gearing up, alliance faction and companion affection.

Step 2. Once you get enough from step 1 THEN you do the H2 using the buffs you have available. Experience will vary based on class and player as to how much gear and how many buffs you need. Eventually after doing that enough you have the gear/companion power that allows doing it without the alliance based buffs getting the final achievements.

 

The problem is the companions being overpowered allowed people to completely bypass progression, or grind to some players, and now that players may have to participate in this grind there is displeasure.

 

The encounters may need tweeking, maybe even the companions BUT make no mistake BW is not going to take that grind away because it appears to be the very foundation of this expac. Now I can appreciate that someone who heard "with KotFE we are focusing on the story for now" would perhaps think there would not be a grind but the devs would not have put in all of the "grind like" progression mechanics IF they expected us to simply bypass them due to the power of companions.

 

So yes the H2 SF's are supposed to be soloed BUT not until you have done a bit of grinding to get there and again I am not saying whether or not this is a good design for the expac, simply that this definitely appears to be the design... To EVENTUALLY progress to the point where you can do the H2 SF, not jump in head first as soon as the door is unlocked.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Ghisallo

[ZanyaCross]

Okay, I have a question for the community at large.

 

What does God need with a starship?

 

Okay, I have two questions. If the heroic is meant to be solo'd, then why is the solo mode called "solo"?

 

I am getting the distinct impression the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at Bioware and whoever said that anybody could solo the heroics had no idea what he was talking about. Everything about that FP's design tells me that soloing the heroic mode is supposed to be possible, but extremely difficult.

 

Hence, why it's an achievement.

[Nommaz]

I see, so where are the stats we are supposed to have before entering listed again?

You know like you cant do X OP (progression) because your gear is too low...

And I do not understand how someone that loves the english language as much as you appear to, has trouble comprehending that alot of people are having issues with OLD CONTENT, which has been forced upon us by a lack of new content and lazy game design, and the only new content to do after the current story end is dailies, not end game, not progression, but dailies.

Dailies that have been made artificially hard because the next lot of content is not here yet.

[Ghisallo]

I see, so where are the stats we are supposed to have before entering listed again?

You know like you cant do X OP (progression) because your gear is too low...

And I do not understand how someone that loves the english language as much as you appear to, has trouble comprehending that alot of people are having issues with OLD CONTENT, which has been forced upon us by a lack of new content and lazy game design, and the only new content to do after the current story end is dailies, not end game, not progression, but dailies.

Dailies that have been made artificially hard because the next lot of content is not here yet.

 

That is where the player and class come in. Different classes and different players always have different levels of success in scripted encounters. Example I could do it with my Jedi Guardian in Vigilance and an affection 18 Lana healing and I had no factions at level 10. However that JK wears heavy armor and has some good defensive cooldowns. I also use keybinds and since I tank am used to use interrupts and CC. Even then I still died once (I made some mistakes on the ambush phase). Thing is I expected i may diie... It is the hardest H2 in the game atm. That to me is a risk of doing the tough content. As for gear... 208 saber, 192 implants and ear, 216 armor and focus. The armor and focus was all bought via the grind or dropped via doing H2 SFs before Tuesday's nerf.

 

If you are say running an operative (as an example) and/or do not use your interrupts and CCs well I could see you needing a little more gear. I could see this though bringing about the old "I play games to have fun not grind and have to 'work' and playing." I get that. I have yet to get my operative to 65 so not in a position to test him yet but I will be running my Commando through this weekend. I would suspect that some fights I will have easier (running gunnery) so I will have ranged attacks for kiting and strong AoE. However if things go sideways I won't have as many defensive cooldowns so I will have less margin for error.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Ghisallo