Welcome to Phase 3 PTS

[dipstik]

some kind of summary of your initial aims of 6.0, summary of feedback (to make sure your paraphrase reflects what we have been saying), and changes to be made for live (even if not in 6.0 but aiming for 6.x) would be appreciated.

[swiftrav]

I personally don't see it that way. I think we are largely judging each issue on its merits (or lack thereof). I think we would love to be able to praise the new crafting and say it's much better, we just can't because it's not. It's not because of some historical loss of trust. (I mean, it's not for me, at least.)

 

And that fair point I perhaps should have been more specific in my trust comment (for me it just been lack of trust to do right by the game with it mechanics and execution that they have laided out or explained in a stream) it's also a lack of trust to me in that they have not ever seemed to learned for their mistakes. How many times have they right to reinvent the wheel or some system in this game only to have it fail and be forward by the community that it wouldn't work. It may sound like I'm being negative or attack them and I swear I'm not I'm just simply pointing out what been a repeat of action on their part

[dipstik]

The titles were mailed to my PTS character that completed the achievement. Make sure on whichever PTS character you got it on you check it's in-game mail.

 

the strike team titles right? i got those from another pts... but the mount... how do i get that on live? i got it on the pts.

[cibacrome]

Since PTS is coming down, here's my PvE centric thoughts. I don't PvP, so can't comment there.

 

I do like some of the changes, appreciate any attempt to make things more fun, mix them up, etc... and I think gearing is going to be in ok shape for the most part, with some serious exceptions.

 

But... this expansion is not there yet. I know they are still working on things, and PTS is not in a complete state, but right now there are too many issues for me to feel confident that in less than 2 weeks this goes live and all will be well.

 

Here is my top list of issues (not including reported bugs):

 

1) Level sync for HM & NiM Ops just doesn't make sense the way it's currently implemented. Personally I'm willing to give it a shot, but hard cap to stats IS a terrible choice for top-tier group content. The scaling feels unreliable on PTS with mobs having too much strength and bosses being kind of all over the place. I realize that can be adjusted, but with hardcapped stats the motivation to min/max gear is just reduced, plus it imposes a restriction to gear and medicinals that doesn't need to exist at this level of gameplay. Once Dxun is cleared, those raiders that haven't already left the game, and I know quite a few that have let their subs expire this month... well I don't see a lot of them sticking around.

 

2) 20 mod varieties per - this is insanity. RNG Vendor + 20 mod varieties per type for every piece in every piece of gear = WHY?! Unnecessary complications to gearing don't make this game more enjoyable. The number and types of set bonuses are already pushing the envelope, but at least there's some logic to it. This, however, defies explanation.

 

3) Gear bonuses & tacticals feel uneven between disciplines. Mainly because some classes like Assassin dps have GARBAGE bonus & tacticals, while others (Lethality Op & I/O Merc) feel like they have a decent set at least.

 

4) Assassin feels like it's in the worst shape I've seen it. A second round of nerfs, rotation breaking set bonuses, tacticals that barely register.

 

SPECIAL ALERT(!!!): The tech fragment cap is an unfathomable restriction. I can't think of a single thing it accomplishes other than annoying players.

[HKtheindomitable]

And that fair point I perhaps should have been more specific in my trust comment (for me it just been lack of trust to do right by the game with it mechanics and execution that they have laided out or explained in a stream) it's also a lack of trust to me in that they have not ever seemed to learned for their mistakes. How many times have they right to reinvent the wheel or some system in this game only to have it fail and be forward by the community that it wouldn't work. It may sound like I'm being negative or attack them and I swear I'm not I'm just simply pointing out what been a repeat of action on their part

 

I agree with you on that and see what you're saying. I've wished the same with reinventing how things (like the gearing system) is done. It's like they said in one of their streams, they've been trying to control it. Now they're letting go of that control. It will most likely take some time to relinquish it to a satisfying point (based on my limited play on PTS), but I feel it's getting there. And crafting will be another one of those systems that will get some love. It probably will get a bit of an overhaul too. It's one of the systems that has been the same since launch and only gotten minor tweaks and readjustments for the increasing mats, schematics, etc.

 

My biggest concern is that the security key app needs a helping hand. I just bought a new phone and the app doesn't stop pumping out keys even when closed. I had trouble getting it to link with my account. The play store even said that it's designed for older Android and may not work properly. If it's not taken care of soon, it will not work at all.

[Estelindis]

My biggest concern is that the security key app needs a helping hand. I just bought a new phone and the app doesn't stop pumping out keys even when closed. I had trouble getting it to link with my account. The play store even said that it's designed for older Android and may not work properly. If it's not taken care of soon, it will not work at all.

I would try using WinAuth instead. It works perfectly to generate security keys - it's incredibly easy to set up, too - and if something ever goes wrong with your phone you don't end up locked out of SWTOR.

Edited October 9, 2019 by Estelindis

[dipstik]

a major problem is relics/stims/adrenals being useless in synced content. if wen were capped with the ilvl buff and dynamic stat changes still worked, that would be so much better than what we have on pts now. Edited October 9, 2019 by dipstik

[Cephalanthera]

Same here.

 

 

I didn't receive anything

 

Same for me, finished the achievement but did not recieve anything per mail.

Logt on every single Char I played on PTS to check mail, yet still nothing.

[Nightblazer]

the strike team titles right? i got those from another pts... but the mount... how do i get that on live? i got it on the pts.

 

Looks like as per here:

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/article/20190829

 

"Earning both Achievements will grant exclusive rewards when 6.0 releases!"

 

They will be given to your live character on the 22nd when 6.0 launches.

[WhiteOsprey]

 

 

 

2) 20 mod varieties per - this is insanity. RNG Vendor + 20 mod varieties per type for every piece in every piece of gear = WHY?! Unnecessary complications to gearing don't make this game more enjoyable. The number and types of set bonuses are already pushing the envelope, but at least there's some logic to it. This, however, defies explanation.

 

 

I think they are making a few big mistakes in this gearing system, like not having unassembled drops from ops bosses to choose the specific piece of gear you want, or have a separate pvp currency so pvp'ers can buy the specific piece they want. What you mentioned here though is what i find the most absurd. When i first heard about this i assumed it was restricted to mods, which i thought was ridiculous enough, only to find out that it applies to all pieces of gear.

 

Last night my raid group went into the new op (which we very much enjoy, kuddos Matt) and i was playing the RNG wheel to try and get my item level up to see how a couple of the specs i play were performing. I stopped at level 300 and then purchased 25 302 versatile barrels just to see how much discrepancy there could be. The Mastery stat ranged anywhere from 432 on the low end to 451 on the high end. As you said, Insanity.

[Batwer]

Then we let ourselves be surprised. Can only get better. But ... I thought so with 5.0.

[Cephalanthera]

Looks like as per here:

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/article/20190829

 

"Earning both Achievements will grant exclusive rewards when 6.0 releases!"

 

They will be given to your live character on the 22nd when 6.0 launches.

 

Thanks!

[Estelindis]

I stopped at level 300 and then purchased 25 302 versatile barrels just to see how much discrepancy there could be. The Mastery stat ranged anywhere from 432 on the low end to 451 on the high end. As you said, Insanity.

As it happens, there is literally one scenario where I feel like a variety of different stats on the same mod slot could be helpful: trying to hit a precise score for accuracy/alacrity. With the amount on augments and enhancements, I don't always find the right level of granularity and sometimes end up wasting stats to overshoot a threshold. However that's a fairly edge case. I really don't see the reason to apply it so broadly, or in so many variations.

[WhiteOsprey]

As it happens, there is literally one scenario where I feel like a variety of different stats on the same mod slot could be helpful: trying to hit a precise score for accuracy/alacrity. With the amount on augments and enhancements, I don't always find the right level of granularity and sometimes end up wasting stats to overshoot a threshold. However that's a fairly edge case. I really don't see the reason to apply it so broadly, or in so many variations.

 

I understand where you are coming from. Having different options for min maxing (particularly for tanks) could be interesting but ONLY if there were a vendor that allowed you to choose exactly which variation of a mod you want. It's the RNG upon RNG upon RNG that i find ridiculous. It also shouldn't be on every single item. Mods and enhancements are fine (and maybe ear and implant) but armorings, barrels, hilts and relics?

[Estelindis]

Having different options for min maxing (particularly for tanks) could be interesting but ONLY if there were a vendor that allowed you to choose exactly which variation of a mod you want. It's the RNG upon RNG upon RNG that i find ridiculous. It also shouldn't be on every single item. Mods and enhancements are fine (and maybe ear and implant) but armorings, barrels, hilts and relics?

Yes, I agree 100%.

Edited October 9, 2019 by Estelindis

[cibacrome]

Yes, the 20 varieties issue is most acute when there is only an RNG method to acquire. I'd love to be able to purchase, with creds & or tech frags, the PRECISE amount of stats I need to min/max

[SithEmpress]

Eric, I really hope that drastic changes to crafting are part of the changes that have already been made. The community has consistently given strong feedback that 6.0 crafting is so expensive and time-consuming that it feels punishing rather than rewarding. I hope the team has been reading that feedback and taking it into account, because if PTS crafting goes into 6.0 without serious changes a lot of people whose primary interest is crafting will leave the game.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself and really hope they haved used all the helpful feedback the community has provided them. I won't count on it since many times in the past they've ignored feedback and instead we had to wait months as they make the changes that people told them about from day one.

[phalczen]

I have a feeling as if their crafting plans are projected by data from a few huge Crafting Whales who are able to absolutely dominate the market.

 

That’s really only relevant for the Jawa Junk. At 200 per single material, even a whale will quickly exhaust their pre-6.0 supply. The whales also won’t have any advantage with the exotics, the blue isotope stabilizers and the purple resource matrices... in other words, the materials for which they have to do group endgame and Conquest.

 

This punishes everyone. Honestly, it even punishes people in large conquest oriented guilds because the notion that it’s somehow acceptable to require exotics for green rating 277 mods is insane. It punishers crafters period.

 

Because clearly crafting was the most broken thing in the entire game.

[Solarmind]

We would love to put up more patches and show you the changes that have already been made, along with gathering more feedback.

And what's the point ? You've asked for the feedback but don't listen !

[CherryFlight]

Can we at least have an answer on the Alliance Supply Crates? The specialists have a (very slow) workaround but considering I hit 70 around Hoth on all my characters in the course of normal play, it’s feasible to hit 75 before even touching Ilum, let alone Odessen. This could very easily create conditions in which a player cannot progress their star fortress missions if they don’t realize they have to save whatever crates they have.

 

Just acknowledgment of this would go a long way. Is it intended? Will there be some other way to gain them if so? Will the structure of the star fortress missions change (a simple yes/no isn’t a spoiler is it?)? Is it a bug?

[Yezzan]

Well, we didn't get to test class balance because getting BiS gear is a nightmare and its too time-consuming to make the the Augments.

 

I would recommend you abandon this new gearing system and set bonuses; push out the story expansion and new planets and go back to the drawing board for how you going to make the gearing system work. "Cause, this ain't it bruh."

 

The issue of ability bloating is still not addressed, and some of the new abilities have absolutely no use to some specs. For example, Deception/Infiltration's new ability does not fit in the rotation, as it has no PvE usage, and everyone has tons of root breakers in PvP. It probably can be used as a filler in Serenity/Hatred.

 

For madness and balance, not too sure how the new ability fits in the rotation either.

 

Some of the new set bonuses are just...."*** were you thinking?" Killing someone during force-lift? Really? Please, fire the person who came up with that one. Using Mad Dash during Force Camouflage lol. Why the hell would someone use mad dash with force camouflage? Force Camouflage is only used offensively to cap a node or surprise an opponent, but, mostly, it is used defensively to get away and heal. Mad Dash is a root breaker (with utility). So, why we want to waste those two abilities for a 50% buff to Mad Dash?

 

And that stupid set bonus where you gain alacrity if under certain % HP. Like, really, now? And then there is the spreading of force slow..as if PvP doesn't have enough of those already. The one with force Choke should be a tanking 6 piece set bonus where its and AOE stun, and an AOE taunt after it ends. And why we have bonuses buffing defense when we already have plenty of defense from gear?

 

Twenty-one iterations of Mods and Enhancements and its RNG....Who thought of that one? You know, I think you guys are doing this deliberately to get people to quit so you can have an excuse to close the game...cause "the numbers aren't there to support continuing development."

 

Tacticals.... a few of them are good, like the 2 charges to force Shroud/Camouflage, but some could just be rolled in to one. And there are too many amplifiers. just get rid of the crafting ones already. What exactly will +10 to Artifice do? And why would I waste time and money re-calibrating gear just to boost, what? My return time on crafting missions? my chance to get a critical on crafting?

 

And 200 jawa scrap for premium resources lol . Just wow. okay

 

And where are we going to get credits to do all that re-calibrating? You may as well reduce number of characters per server to one cause no point in playing alts now. And to think I've never had a main all this time.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Yezzan

[JattaGin]

some kind of summary of your initial aims of 6.0, summary of feedback (to make sure your paraphrase reflects what we have been saying), and changes to be made for live (even if not in 6.0 but aiming for 6.x) would be appreciated.

 

I second that.

 

Looks like as per here:

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/article/20190829

 

"Earning both Achievements will grant exclusive rewards when 6.0 releases!"

 

They will be given to your live character on the 22nd when 6.0 launches.

 

Thanks for the find, Nightblazer. I didn't remember that they mentioned this in the news and it's good to know. Also makes sense, because what does it help to have the titles and mount on the PTS which isn't connected to the live collections. It also makes me wonder why some people got the titles ingame per mail on the PTS.

 

Can we at least have an answer on the Alliance Supply Crates? (...)

 

Just acknowledgment of this would go a long way. Is it intended? Will there be some other way to gain them if so? Will the structure of the star fortress missions change (a simple yes/no isn’t a spoiler is it?)? Is it a bug?

 

I also second ^^this.

 

(...)

I would recommend you abandon this new gearing system and set bonuses; push out the story expansion and new planets and go back to the drawing board for how you going to make the gearing system work. "Cause, this ain't it bruh."(...)

 

Amen to this and the whole post (which I mostly cut off in the quote). Spot-on text.

[JozsefGyorfi]

All of my characters will get both titles when the 6.0 officially launching because I got the achievement for it in the Phase 2 or just the one who played all the 5 Hammer Station runs? Edited October 10, 2019 by JozsefGyorfi

[Raansu]

Well, we didn't get to test class balance because getting BiS gear is a nightmare and its too time-consuming to make the the Augments.

 

I would recommend you abandon this new gearing system and set bonuses; push out the story expansion and new planets and go back to the drawing board for how you going to make the gearing system work. "Cause, this ain't it bruh."

 

The issue of ability bloating is still not addressed, and some of the new abilities have absolutely no use to some specs. For example, Deception/Infiltration's new ability does not fit in the rotation, as it has no PvE usage, and everyone has tons of root breakers in PvP. It probably can be used as a filler in Serenity/Hatred.

 

For madness and balance, not too sure how the new ability fits in the rotation either.

 

Some of the new set bonuses are just...."*** were you thinking?" Killing someone during force-lift? Really? Please, fire the person who came up with that one. Using Mad Dash during Force Camouflage lol. Why the hell would someone use mad dash with force camouflage? Force Camouflage is only used offensively to cap a node or surprise an opponent, but, mostly, it is used defensively to get away and heal. Mad Dash is a root breaker (with utility). So, why we want to waste those two abilities for a 50% buff to Mad Dash?

 

And that stupid set bonus where you gain alacrity if under certain % HP. Like, really, now? And then there is the spreading of force slow..as if PvP doesn't have enough of those already. The one with force Choke should be a tanking 6 piece set bonus where its and AOE stun, and an AOE taunt after it ends. And why we have bonuses buffing defense when we already have plenty of defense from gear?

 

Twenty-one iterations of Mods and Enhancements and its RNG....Who thought of that one? You know, I think you guys are doing this deliberately to get people to quit so you can have an excuse to close the game...cause "the numbers aren't there to support continuing development."

 

Tacticals.... a few of them are good, like the 2 charges to force Shroud/Camouflage, but some could just be rolled in to one. And there are too many amplifiers. just get rid of the crafting ones already. What exactly will +10 to Artifice do? And why would I waste time and money re-calibrating gear just to boost, what? My return time on crafting missions? my chance to get a critical on crafting?

 

And 200 jawa scrap for premium resources lol . Just wow. okay

 

And where are we going to get credits to do all that re-calibrating? You may as well reduce number of characters per server to one cause no point in playing alts now. And to think I've never had a main all this time.

 

These are my feelings to a T. I'm likely going to just play the story out of curiosity and then bounce because I want nothing to do with this awful gearing system.

[Exocor]

I would recommend you abandon this new gearing system and set bonuses; push out the story expansion and new planets and go back to the drawing board for how you going to make the gearing system work. "Cause, this ain't it bruh."

 

The issue with gearing is essentially caused by the removal of expertise. PvP'ers want (or need?) their gear quickly, while raiders want (or need?) it by progressing through an operation. You can't have both if you need the same gear for both types of activity, otherwise, PvE'ers could cross gear themselves by afkfarming PvP. It even happened in 4.0 with the 208 pvp-equipment, despite 224 gear being obtained ridiculously easy due to highlighted ops.

 

So, what we need in my opinion is, to remove any gear requirements for pvp. Give all classes a stat pool and the option to weigh their stats as they desire.

Now, add a vendor that contains all empty set bonus shells and sell them for tech fragments/unassembled components/commendations or whatever you want to call them. Reasonable prices please.Those tokens drop everywhere in, of course, sufficiently balance numbers. We don't want Fractured Grinding, nor should anyone else have a significant advantage in comparison to the level of difficulty.

Then, let normal gear without set bonuses but with inlays drop in all PvE-content, depending on the difficulty. We don't need 40 different levels. SM/Vet/MM tier is sufficient. Now, you can balance all content to drop all pieces by different probabilities. Obviously, Hammer Station SM has a very small probability of dropping the Master Mode tier Mainhand, but even then, some lucky drops make players very happy. Izax MM on the other hand gets a safe drop of such mainhand or chest piece.

 

In terms of crafting, just go back to 4.0. Only pieces to levels below the max level can be crafted. So, we have for example 290, 300 and 306 as dropping gear. Now, 288, 298 and 304 can be crafted. Purple Materials can be bought from vendors with our tokens and they are dropping from all content as well. No need to die into ranked pvp to get crafting materials please.

 

So, basically: Make it simple for those, who just want to get something that gets them through veteran mode flashpoints but offer everyone to dig deeper into it by optimizing set bonuses and mods.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Exocor