Star Fortress balancing

[exfell]

This thread reminded me that it has been a really long while since I've done a starfortress so wanted to test.

Heroic/veteran mode done with dps sin in old 208 pvp gear with old augs and a level 11 companion. Nope, it's not tuned impossible yet.

Edited October 6, 2017 by exfell

[Thruine]

I've decided to start doing these again due to this thread since I never did all of them. Going to try the Voss one today and so far they play pretty much the same as the first. I believe one of the benefits you get from your advisors is an interrupt to help when yours are on cool down. We'll see how it goes. I like using the turret from the advisors since that speeds up the fight and if you need some breathing room it usually taunts for a bit. I think all those abilities have a 3 minute cool down except the heal.

 

Old content like this usually does become something people forget and gets ignored when balancing happens. They still haven't fixed the bug encounter when i have to resummon my companion after every elevator. But they all seem the same so far in terms of run through and final boss. I even encountered a bug where none of the shield protection (whatever its called) dropped so I couldn't get through the last bit to the final boss. I got the stuff to drain the boss on the lower levels but never the shield. First time I'd ever seen that.

 

I know its probably not welcomed but its just something to keep at. Eventually you'll find the combination that lets you pull out a win. I think its possible (or should be) to eventually win. It would be nicer if all specs had equal chance but I don't think that's likely to happen for these at this date.

[KhaoTicTycoon]

Just to throw in my 2 cents on the subject, The SF's don't need re-balancing. On the matter of it being OLD/DEAD content while true, it did get scaled up to level 70, so the notion that it should be doable for the majority of players in old 220 and under gear is not necessarily true; not to say that it can't be done however. With that being said let me try and offer some specific advice @ the OP.

 

From what I've gathered you say you're trying to beat the Voss Exarch on your Shadow Tank that's in 228/230 gear but he/she is out healing your DPS. The short and simple answer is that you need to do more DPS. Period. To elaborate further, I'm going to assume you're using the "standard" tanking gear-out of Shield/Absorb Earpiece & Implants and tanking relics along with un-modified crate gear. If so, then you need to adjust your gear.

 

Without going into the specifics of WHY, I'm simply going to recommend that you use:

1. Crit Earpiece & Implants
   
2. Mastery & Power Proc Relics
   

 

Depending on cost, I also recommend replacing the standard mods and enhancements from the crate gear with:

1. Crafted Lethal B AND/OR Warding B mods
   
2. Crafted Low Def / Med Def enhancements (Steadfast/Vigilant or Bastion/Bulwark enhancements)
   

 

Lastly, augment for Power and endurance instead of all Shield/Absorb depending on the type and level of content you plan to play. Hope this helps.

[LordFell]

This is not a Lern2Play issue

I have 8 level 70 toons (Combat Medic, Scrapper, Kinetic Shadow, Concentration Sentinel, Shield Tech, Marksman, Corruption Sorcerer, Immortal Juggernaut) and I've played another half dozen or so characters up to level 40 or so before deleting or shelving them. I've both Main Healed and Main Tanked 16 man Ops for a big Guild. I have a very, very good idea of how to play the game... you might want to argue that my skill level could still be higher (maybe) but you can't argue that it needs to be higher, because this isn't end game content anymore.

 

My gear, my companion, or my Alliance needs to be better

No... no it doesn't. I'm running these with a gearscore of 228/230, an Alliance with at least level 10 influence across the board (and you Do Not Need Higher than 10 to get the Alliance Buffs) and my Companions are generally level 20 to 25. Again... this is NOT end game content... but my gear is definitely good enough to start end game content.

 

Don't nerf all the challenge out of SWTOR!!

Uhm.... no. This isn't a "challenge" per se... it's just kinda broken. Challenge is when you need to learn not to stand in a certain spot, or group up at a certain time, or do "some specific thing" to beat an encounter. This isn't a challenge in that way. It's two specific bosses (Exarch of Voss and Nar Shaddaa) having a Powerful Heal that has no apparent Cooldown. Even if this weren't broken, it's still terrible game design; all it does is prolong a battle that's supposed to be a "second count cliff hanger."

 

Well... I did it on MY character...

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal.

...did you do it on Voss or Nar Shaddaa? What's your gearscore?

...are you keeping in mind that the only time you NEED to do a Star Fortress is towards the beginning of the KotFE expansion, when your character is (by my guess) level 65 with a gearscore of 216?

Star Fortresses need to be completable by a character that is NOT end game ready.

[Thruine]

Okay, I finally got the Voss one done and the OP is right, that one is a little rough. I definitely got frustrated. I had to remap my keys because interrupts (or interrupt as I found out) have to be my rotation (or the star of it). I found when he jumped in the air the heal would happen next usually. Then another attempt 1 second later or so making your interrupt on cool down half the time. You will miss an interrupt regardless (or I did) as he casts a second one after his first is interrupted which help drag the fight out. I used the turrent for that added dps, companion had to stay on heals or he'd just eat through it. I just gave up trying to avoid the red as he would cast the further away I was and mine is a melee interrupt.

 

I managed to keep him right at half before he started using it so often. He also says the same thing afterwards instead of before making that useless so had to watch his cast bar. I sort of figured out when a cast was something different but he said the same thing like he had healed so dunno if I missed on by not watching so closely. Place my turret, wait for the interrupt (seriously, it takes all your attention or it did mine) then he'd cast his next one. It took time and just wearing him down as I could always keep him from regaining all he'd lose..

 

That's all the information I remember that might be helpful.

 

I just thought of something, is this one of the games you can choose difficulty on? I know mine's not hard because i suck at button smash gameplay. This was long compared to the others (I seriously had no issue with any of the others as none healed like this). Maybe that's it? Anyways, I could only interrupt the first cast after he landed. Even the interrupt you get from the advisor is a ground cast so not really helpful for me after all.

Edited October 7, 2017 by Thruine

[LordFell]

Okay, I finally got the Voss one done and the OP is right, that one is a little rough.

Thank you!

 

I just thought of something, is this one of the games you can choose difficulty on? I know mine's not hard because i suck at button smash gameplay.

Yes... there are three difficulties, but to Liberate the Planet, you must do the Star Fortress on AT LEAST Heroic; the other option is Harder.

[Thruine]

Thank you!

 

Yes... there are three difficulties, but to Liberate the Planet, you must do the Star Fortress on AT LEAST Heroic; the other option is Harder.

 

Okay, then I guess I can do stuff I sort of wedged myself in that doorway that opens afterwards so I wasn't having too much movement caused by him. Spent so much time with some kind of CC on me but when he jumped into the air all I could think was he's not healing so CD hurry up. I can't imagine a class that either has lower health or low damage succeeding here. Its not exceedingly impossible but it doesn't seemed tuned for every class. As a tank spec I was able to soak up damage better which was the only way I could ignore everything else to focus on interrupts. No reason this shouldn't be scaled down a bit being old content (given where we are today and what is stated within the flashpoint... makes bringing Arcann sort of funny). I doubt they will given their refusal to make some really old stuff soloable. Hope it helps. Maybe I'll go back to the Eternal Champion arena and try getting past level 7

[nyrkverse]

Can't you respec to dps, OP? That should solve your problem with the boss outhealing you.

[LordFell]

No reason this shouldn't be scaled down a bit being old content (given where we are today and what is stated within the flashpoint... makes bringing Arcann sort of funny). I doubt they will given their refusal to make some really old stuff soloable. Hope it helps. Maybe I'll go back to the Eternal Champion arena and try getting past level 7

They did change the Aurora Canon on Section X so that it could be solo'd. Last time I tried, I was on my healer on lower level gear. I figured I could do it, but the amount of time it would take meant that the reward wouldn't be worth it.

 

Can't you respec to dps, OP? That should solve your problem with the boss outhealing you.

To be blunt... I just shouldn't have to.

...and I'm not convinced it would work. A DPS class might not have the durability or healing to survive.

Edited October 7, 2017 by LordFell

[exfell]

To be blunt... I just shouldn't have to.

...and I'm not convinced it would work. A DPS class might not have the durability or healing to survive.

 

If you look back in this thread I just did it in 208 gear with a dps sin/shadow and a low level healer comp.

I agree though that you should not have to respec. Voss is one where I remember healers and tanks having problems

even when this content was new.

Edited October 7, 2017 by exfell

[CrazyScruffy]

you are showing your ignorance OP... there are only two modes not three. You get a story mode, then heroic mode. there is not a third one that is even harder. and again you are not forced to do Star Fortresses. To even get them started you can pick up the mission inside odessen base, but you are not forced to or have to. and the first one is only story mode, and you get to choose which planet, and only have to do the first half of it.

 

so I stand by my statement, that it does not matter what you used to do. You used to be able to run ops with only 2 people since everyone was higher lvl then them. so again not impressed that you used to run 16 man ops. theses fights are designed to be done by yourself.

[LordFell]

CrazyStuffy...

 

your answers always aggravate the hell out of me, so I'll be ignoring your account directly.

 

You *are* forced to do at least one Star Fortress at Heroic level, because to progress your KotFE story, you MUST liberate at least one planet... and to do this, you MUST do a Star Fortress at Heroic (although, this is now called Veteran).

 

...and, uhm... you contradict yourself. The big problem here isn't that this content is supposed to be solo-able. In fact, "Heroic 2+" literally means it is NOT supposed to be solo-able (2+ meaning 2 or more players). The problem is that it is Dead Content, and also not much fun to do anyways... so it's hard to find people who will run this with you.

 

My entire point is that it needs to be solo-able, and it currently isn't.

[LordFell]

For the record...

 

Just did Tattooine with the same character that I had so much trouble on Nar Shaddaa with, on Heroic mode. Completed the whole Star Fortress without ever having to use Heroic Moment, or Dying... or even using a Med Pack. The final boss fight was no particular difficulty either. Just dropped the turret, hammered on him while the turret tanked... popped my defenses when the boss killed the turret... then popped the turret again when it came off cooldown.

...probably means that fight lasted about 5 or 6 minutes.

Edited October 10, 2017 by LordFell

[CrazyScruffy]

CrazyStuffy...

 

your answers always aggravate the hell out of me, so I'll be ignoring your account directly.

 

You *are* forced to do at least one Star Fortress at Heroic level, because to progress your KotFE story, you MUST liberate at least one planet... and to do this, you MUST do a Star Fortress at Heroic (although, this is now called Veteran).

 

...and, uhm... you contradict yourself. The big problem here isn't that this content is supposed to be solo-able. In fact, "Heroic 2+" literally means it is NOT supposed to be solo-able (2+ meaning 2 or more players). The problem is that it is Dead Content, and also not much fun to do anyways... so it's hard to find people who will run this with you.

 

My entire point is that it needs to be solo-able, and it currently isn't.

 

you blocked me because you can't handle the truth, and now do you want to know a dirty little secret with Heroics? Your comp counts as the second person! *Gasp* I know shocker, but they are designed to be done with a comp and yourself. that's why there is even an achievement for doing it by yourself, on heroic, without buffs or aids.

 

and I have completed the KOTFE and KOTET story without being forced to finish any Star Fortress