Hardcore mode for Swtor? Or how to make leveling harder and challenging.

[felleto]

I was watching some World of Warcraft Classic Streams and I was wondering if there is some sort of website that keeps track of these kind of challenges in Swtor? Like the Ironman challenge, Hardcore Mode, Tinman Challenge. If there isn't no problem too. How would I go about making the game as hard as possible for leveling you think? Guess just using white items and I should be good. Have you ever tried something like this?

I wish there was a way we could get back some of the challenge in Swtor. I remember facing Darth Thanaton the first time and man that dood was hard to kill. Now, Khem Val can solo him -.-

[DWho]

31 minutes ago, felleto said:

I was watching some World of Warcraft Classic Streams and I was wondering if there is some sort of website that keeps track of these kind of challenges in Swtor? Like the Ironman challenge, Hardcore Mode, Tinman Challenge. If there isn't no problem too. How would I go about making the game as hard as possible for leveling you think? Guess just using white items and I should be good. Have you ever tried something like this?

I wish there was a way we could get back some of the challenge in Swtor. I remember facing Darth Thanaton the first time and man that dood was hard to kill. Now, Khem Val can solo him -.-

The best way is to only use gear that drops from the class missions, skipping most of the extra content (Heroics, PVP, GSF, flashpoints. Heroics and flashpoints reward excessive xp and gear for their "level") to stay below the planetary maximum level, using a level 1 companion that doesn't level up as you go through the story (one of the GS companions should do if you haven't increased their level above 1), and limiting yourself to the appropriate abilities for the planet makes things more difficult too. The game is designed to be relatively easy leveling since the focus is intended to be endgame (lvl 80 content) so you do have to put in some effort to make it harder while leveling. Anything that reduces your xp gain rate (White Acute crystal, but that's only available during the Gree event I believe) helps keep you under the planet cap (level sync will not weaken you enough). Also avoid datacrons and completing any of the companion quests (these will eventually give you bonuses to your stats) and playing on a server where you do not have any legacy buffs. Once you get to KotFE and beyond all bets are off on what is difficult and what is not. A lot of the KotFE/KotET content was never rebalanced for the weakening of characters (and companions) in 7.0 so depending on your class, some of it can be quite challenging.

[Gwena]

Some great ideas in the above post! I'd also suggest:

Turn off some of your Companion's abilities, put them on passive, or simply unsummon them. I imagine that would make a big difference. You could also only use them in their "original" role, ex: Aric as a DPS, Khem as a tank, etc. So no healer for Knights until they get Doc, and so on and so forth.

If possible for your combat style, you can use a sub-optimal weapon type. Ex: blaster rifle on a Sniper or Commando. (I think this is still possible, as my Sniper can still use blaster rifles, but not sure if it has changed for any combat styles since 7.0). This will be a bit of a nerf to your DPS.

And if you really want to get that fresh launch feel, turn off sprint for your first 10 levels, don't use a speeder until you hit Tatooine, and don't taxi/QT anywhere you haven't already been. 

[Stradlin]

7 hours ago, felleto said:

I was watching some World of Warcraft Classic Streams and I was wondering if there is some sort of website that keeps track of these kind of challenges in Swtor? Like the Ironman challenge, Hardcore Mode, Tinman Challenge. If there isn't no problem too. How would I go about making the game as hard as possible for leveling you think? Guess just using white items and I should be good. Have you ever tried something like this?

I wish there was a way we could get back some of the challenge in Swtor. I remember facing Darth Thanaton the first time and man that dood was hard to kill. Now, Khem Val can solo him -.-

Most unusual way I've ever leveled must have been from within the Republic Walker!  Was such  a perfect way to do some hardcore in-game social distancing in middle of covid era. 

 

If you esc out from the opening dialogue of a freshly rolled trooper, the door of that walker never opens.  You can fly GSF from lvl one. Once GSF match is over, it teleports you inside the walker, and starts the opening cutscene again.   Combine these three delightful facts of life, and you have a pure GSF pilot spending time between matches in a perfect isolation.  Via legacy unlocks, I'd have luxuries such as  mail, banks, vendor droids in my island of walker isolation.

 

Been like 18 months since i lvl'd 75 on the dude! Writing this, I realize I have 5 new lvls to ding...

I officially claim Maarek Farlander remains  the only max lvl   char who has never stepped out of that Walker in his life!

 

https://i.redd.it/t1v8k0lmstd71.png

 

I even made a riveting live journal detailing my social distancing covid era anti journey

https://forums.swtor.com/topic/906591-the-magical-anti-journey-of-maarek-farlander/#comment-9632791

 

 

Questionable if above is hardcore, but at least it is unusual! In general, it only natural for GSF pilots to lvl more or less exclusively via GSF. Notable majority of my characters stop being jedi or sith or agents or troopers., Pilot's the only real class! I space barbie them into proper navy uniform& flightsuit, then head for hangars of fleet and  get busy:P

Those allergic to GSF could do the same in railshooter, though that requires plenty of impurities such as progessing the story til playership.

 

When it comes to less hispterish things, always keeping companions as DPS works great. Makes things faster too. Feels borderline unnatural to have em as healers.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Stradlin

[SteveTheCynic]

7 hours ago, DWho said:

a level 1 companion that doesn't level up as you go through the story (one of the GS companions should do if you haven't increased their level above 1)

Or the ship droid, which has the advantage that players who begin between seasons can use it.  The only way to rank up the ship droid's Influence is to give gifts or do crew skill missions.  (Exception : they can gain points if you rerecruit them carelessly on Odessen.)

[fabsus]

i have my bonus xp armor, so i use it. i also just use a weapon from my collection with a +41 crit crystal.
all other slots i just use the drops from quests. so for the most slots it is the level 10 stuff you get for the
stronghold quest, i think. 

personally i don't think it is challenging. if i don't die because of stupid things, like jumping down a cliff
while having half life, i don't die at all until i'm level 80. but i do know the classes. 
of course i know many people having problems with boss fights, especially the one on ilum,
even if they are overleveled and have augmented gear. so my way might be challenging enough for some.

if you want it to be more challenging, just set the companion to inactive or send the comp. away if possible.
you also could forbid yourself to use medpacks, just use autoattacks, no selfheals and so on. 

i mostly use darth hexid on level 1 until i'm 80.

Edited March 1, 2023 by fabsus

[felleto]

As for the unsummon companion stuff, I think it would go against on of the main core mechanics of the game.

Sometimes I miss the old swtor. Companions and you were not overpowered and you had to be careful before pulling stronger packs. If it had an elite good luck you could die. Of course equipping your companion was a pain but it added some mass effect vibe to the game, also good luck doing the end bosses of each chapter with an unequipped companion. 

I think I will go the route of just using white equipment like to he ironman challenge in wow (no stats on them - this is cool because you can transmog the appearance of your character too). As for the companions they are so strong nowadays it can be a problem. I remember when you could get negative reputation with a comp haha. 

I never understood why they removed the gearing up of companions. I used to spend hours gearing up my comps in mass effect, and I liked that aspect of the game. Also, I LOVED the unique skills each comp had. I actually had to choose which companion was best for each fight.

I will have to see how the companion scales with me just wearing white gear. I will keep you guys updated of my progress. 

If anyone wants to level together under these conditions please let me know

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by felleto

[felleto]

7 hours ago, Gwena said:

 

And if you really want to get that fresh launch feel, turn off sprint for your first 10 levels, don't use a speeder until you hit Tatooine, and don't taxi/QT anywhere you haven't already been. 

I already do this

[JediQuaker]

I generally agree with the idea of making some leveling content harder but I would tend to think that that's a very minority position. There is much more emphasis (in-game) on getting through 'leveling' as fast as possible. There are even 'boost' tokens and Datacrons that will make it even faster. So, I would think that BW wouldn't put much effort into making levelling harder, since fast levelling seems more popular.

The best I can suggest would be to do flashpoints and 'chapters' in Vet or MM mode without a group, and perhaps even without a companion, if you want a challenge.

[felleto]

5 hours ago, JediQuaker said:

I generally agree with the idea of making some leveling content harder but I would tend to think that that's a very minority position. There is much more emphasis (in-game) on getting through 'leveling' as fast as possible. There are even 'boost' tokens and Datacrons that will make it even faster. So, I would think that BW wouldn't put much effort into making levelling harder, since fast levelling seems more popular.

The best I can suggest would be to do flashpoints and 'chapters' in Vet or MM mode without a group, and perhaps even without a companion, if you want a challenge.

Hey I totally agree with you, sorry If I was not clear in my post. I'm not asking bioware to do anything. I'm simply asking for my fellow players suggestions on how they would go about making leveling more difficult or if there were websites or addons that keep track of players undergoing these challenges. I think it would be major fun to see people taking a hardcore mode adventure in SWTOR, only white equips allowed, must use a level 1 comp and no deaths allowed.

In wow there is an addon that notifies everyone in the server when a hardcore player dies. Wish there was something like that in Swtor. 

If bioware one date caters for this aspect of the game that would be great. If not, no problem, we as players still have the option to make leveling harder for us by wearing white gear with no stats on or using the companions in their original roles. It would be interesting to see an item that maybe locks a companion reputation or that make itens affect the companion performance once again. AS AN OPTION, I don't want to shove my playstyle down other people's throats (even though that's what bioware does with us sometimes ha)

Edited March 1, 2023 by felleto

[SteveTheCynic]

9 hours ago, fabsus said:

so for the most slots it is the level 10 stuff you get for the stronghold quest, i think. 

It surely is not, because the only rewards from the stronghold mission (if you mean the one from the holostatue on Fleet and the capital worlds that sends you to buy and visit a stronghold) are decorations.