Solo Player Question - How terrifying and difficult are SM Operations?

[Jazulfi]

Hi there

 

I've noticed the Galatic Seasons Weekly Objectives are all group based things (a thing I feared but nvm) and the only option even remotely appealing to me are the Storymode Operations.

 

But I've never stepped a toe in an Operation before, and while I'm not a total doofus at playing the game, I'm not exactly Mrs Awesome-Toast, and I tend to panic and turn into a pillock in front of other players. The exception to this seems to be the Dantooine group things but they are easy and everyone I've met during that event has been delightful.

 

So just how difficult are the SM Ops? Is joining via the in game queue a nightmare? Will people be mean to me?

 

All info most welcome. Unless you are going to be horrible and tell me to Get Gud, in which case I hope you get nits and have to use that really horrible smelly shampoo to get rid of them, and everyone points and laughs at you.

 

Many thanks o/

[waisting]

They are not difficult so long as the raid leader understands and explains the mechanics correctly, and people follow the instructions.

 

Just let the raid lead know you are new, and follow the directions the best you can.

 

Best way to learn is to join a guild that does SM operations on your server. There are plenty of big guilds out there that do regular SM operations for learning, with the hopes some of those people will want to run HM down the road or just for fun.

[HaoZhao]

No DPS check in SM OPs is likely to failed because one DPS died. Join OPs groups forming on fleet. Let the group know that you are new to the content and you would like to learn. People will help you.

[ElZaguero]

My answer would be, it depends.

 

A few months ago, the NiM ops group in my guild decided to do some SM ops once a week for those of us who don't participate. The problem was that their expectations were so lofty that even when toned down, it was hard for us that don't usually do ops. They were impatient, and they had a tendency to play rather sloppily, ignoring proper technique because, "it's only Story Mode". The obvious problem being, how are we supposed to learn the proper technique if they're not demonstrating it?

 

The last thing I would warn you about is that Operations will put more demands on both your connection and your PC itself. Partly that's the maps, and partly just the larger group sizes.

[Jazulfi]

Thanks for your replies, kind responders.

 

A few months ago, the NiM ops group in my guild decided to do some SM ops once a week for those of us who don't participate. The problem was that their expectations were so lofty that even when toned down, it was hard for us that don't usually do ops. They were impatient, and they had a tendency to play rather sloppily, ignoring proper technique because, "it's only Story Mode". The obvious problem being, how are we supposed to learn the proper technique if they're not demonstrating it?

.

 

Oh my word, I have been here!! And it puts you off continuing to learn group content stuff because the experience is so ghastly!! And then you get accused of 'not trying' or 'sticking with it'. Yuck. And where on earth is the fun in that!!??

 

Hmmm - do you think there's any mileage in trying to form a very casual group - not guild - where people can meet maybe at a certain time to do SM Ops for fun and laughs (and for the weekly ofc) but with NO PROGRESSION in mind.

 

It also bothers me that ilvl has worked it's evil way into the game. More yuck.

[DarkTergon]

Your best option is to look for a guild that does progression ops, these take in new ops players, show them the ropes. Usually have patient people who don't mind wipes, and encourage them even when really bad. There used to be some very good ones on SF, but most of the ones I know are gone, or the guilds have shrunk so small, it's no longer possible.

 

Unfortunately one of the pitfalls of all the bad decision that have happened over the last while, has caused a 'talent' drop, we may have new players coming in, but we don't have enough older players, who are decent people to help all the newer ones. In spoilers just in case anyone accuses me of trying to highjack the thread, or go off topic.

 

 

Another option, if the objective is just a random op, not a specific one, look out on fleet for people doing Toborros court (TC for short) it's a one man op, and on sm, is pretty easy for most teams.

[Jazulfi]

Your best option is to look for a guild that does progression ops

 

I know it's a failing on my part but I really reallly don't want to join a guild. Been in too many and I'm allergic to that kind of commitment now. It's my bad, I know.

 

Another option, if the objective is just a random op, not a specific one, look out on fleet for people doing Toborros court (TC for short) it's a one man op, and on sm, is pretty easy for most teams.

 

I will investigate and look out for it - thank you so much.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Jazulfi

[battycoda]

It all depends on your raid leader and raid group. I would suggest joining a guild that invests in new raiders because they are willing to teach you the ropes and cheer you on to get better.

 

LOL You answered this while I typed a reply. There are good ones if you are lucky to find them.

Edited April 27, 2021 by battycoda

[arunav]

Many of the mechanics that used to be in SM Ops have been taken out, to make them easier to new Ops players.

 

A good way to learn them is to start with the easier ones on a dps character.

 

For almost all SM Ops, your group will beat any given boss even if you die (i.e., they can be done with 1 or more dps down the entire time).

 

As such, you don't need to stress out about anything except getting comfortable learning a given Op and playing 8 or 16 person content.

 

There are some really easy ones to start with, including 1 boss Ops.

 

The easiest ones to start with are TC (1 boss), EV (5, but quite quick), and KP (5, but also quite quick). A bit more challenging but still quite easy (since mechanics were removed in SM) are DF and DP. These are the end of the Oricon story, and worth doing for just that.

 

From what I've seen, if you just tell your group you're new to any given Op, people are happy to explain what to do, even without Discord/voice channel. They'll type out what you need to know, which for SM is usually brief for the easier Ops.

 

The ones I wouldn't recommend starting with are Temple of Sacrifice, Ravagers, Gods from the Machine, and the newest one on Dxun.

 

In short, don't be intimidated by SM Ops. They are quite easy to learn, and are sometimes even easier than 4 man MM FP content.

 

Running some of the easier MM FPs is also good practice as a bridge to SM Ops. You'll get a better sense of how to use your particular class in group content that is a little more challenging, and MM FPs are generally more enjoyable than the Veteran mode versions. Just be sure to start on the older, original FPs in MM. This step isn't necessary, though. You can just join a group advertising in Fleet chat for one of the easier Operations (or start one yourself!) and do fine.

Edited April 27, 2021 by arunav

[xdjinn]

My answer would be, it depends.

 

A few months ago, the NiM ops group in my guild decided to do some SM ops once a week for those of us who don't participate. The problem was that their expectations were so lofty that even when toned down, it was hard for us that don't usually do ops. They were impatient, and they had a tendency to play rather sloppily, ignoring proper technique because, "it's only Story Mode". The obvious problem being, how are we supposed to learn the proper technique if they're not demonstrating it?

 

The last thing I would warn you about is that Operations will put more demands on both your connection and your PC itself. Partly that's the maps, and partly just the larger group sizes.

 

I'm sorry but your guild's behavior is rather childish tbh. I'd switch guilds ASAP in your place.

Now, SM does allow for further sloppiness, but if you are a talented player (which is rather a low ceiling to surpass now-a-days compared to old swtor) you'll do fine, 99% of the OPS I've been doing I don't say anything about being new and learn on the fly, died once falling off a bridge in Dread Fortress or Palace (can't remember), and that's it, the mechanics I interpret on the fly and do it without any issues, as for needing teaching I only really needed for one of the Dread Masters (the one you take portals), but that's because it's impossible to guess on your own anyway.

 

My DPS is humongous to the point that I often steal focus of bosses by just using priority rotations (I find "defaulted" rotations to not only be subpar, but a lazy train, and when I tried using them I would almost fall asleep playing, too boring, too lazy). And even than I rarely die, never died in any ops boss fights except for Eyeless 16 men due to how much I was lagging. I'd say that you NEED to know mechanics if you are tanking. And you might NEED to know attack patterns if you are a healer (which allows for greater mistake ration given one well geared healer can often compensate for another's mistakes)

 

PS: I'm exclusively talking about SM, I still need to start VM and MM for OPS, but for that I need to find either a group of people who like me to tag along, or start one with my guild, which has seen better days (most of our guild core members are somewhat inactive atm, and we never formed an OPS core at all)

Edited April 27, 2021 by xdjinn

[HiltoftheDragon]

I think the biggest deal in joining the right guild for ops is to make sure they can accept defeat and laugh about it. Being patient with inexperienced players is tough to do....but they are out there and will to wipe many times for you until the fights become a perfect dance.

[Darev]

I joined a "real" guild for awhile and did SM raids. It was a generally fun experience, and to be honest, for the "basic" SM operations DPS is pretty difficult to mess up. the main thing you need to do is turn off the option to auto target the next NPC after you kill the one you're working on.

 

Get in a group, get in voice chat that the group is using, and echoing everyone above offering good advice, let the people know you're new.

 

You may need to learn some of the basic mechanics, some of the terminology, but a good group leader will explain it.

Listen and ask questions if you need to.

[DawnAskham]

Most are not overly difficult, though some require more knowledge and coordination than others.

 

Toboros Courtyard and Queen are short one-boss operations that are very easy, and a good place to start.

 

Karagas Palace and Eternity Vault are also very easy, though longer.

 

I would not recommend starting with something like Gods or Dxun.

Edited April 27, 2021 by DawnAskham

[Jazulfi]

Thank you so much for your responses. I really appreciate you all taking the time and sharing your thoughts.

 

I'm encouraged by the general theme that if you say you are new and ask questions it will be treated with patience, so perhaps I'll pluck up the courage to join something on the Fleet.

 

I perhaps was a bit self deprecatory about my skillz. I mean, I read guides, I *sort* of know my rotations etc, and I try to get respectable gear if I can, and I'm not bad at instructions as long as people explain things properly and have a sense of humour about things. So perhaps I'm not as terrible as I suggest.

 

It's that first step isn't it.

 

Again, many thanks for your advice!

 

Happy Patch Day and have lovely evenings all! o/

[Sarova]

I know it's a failing on my part but I really reallly don't want to join a guild. Been in too many and I'm allergic to that kind of commitment now. It's my bad, I know.

It's most definitely not a failing! I avoid guilds like the plague because the social aspect and constant guild chat plays havoc with my autistic mind.

As for Ops I'd love to do them but small group/known group Ops = mean people being mean to me. This is why I loved LFR in wow when I used to play that as a whole load of us used to be able to pile into a toned down 25 or 40 man (I forget which) raid just for the experience and everyone got their own loot so no "ninjas". It was great fun and we got to see part of the game we'd never normally have had access to. I was really hoping they'd add LFR/LFOps in SWTOR. The nearest get to now is the random world boss groups but they are few and far between, yet always fun because there's no pressure.

[Ardrossan]

Agreed with other responses, joining a supportive guild is best. Some ops are easier than others, but they are all pretty intimidating to beginners. I would suggest too that you read some guides on the mechanics beforehand. Many of the ops have bosses that are not intuitive and even with a good raid leader can be very difficult, even on SM. This is particularly true of ToS and GftM, two ops I never beat despite repeat attempts with a good guild.

[ImmortalLowlife]

Hmmm - do you think there's any mileage in trying to form a very casual group - not guild - where people can meet maybe at a certain time to do SM Ops for fun and laughs (and for the weekly ofc) but with NO PROGRESSION in mind.

 

It also bothers me that ilvl has worked it's evil way into the game. More yuck.

 

If you decide to give this idea a shot, I'm down.