I had to resub! lul

[krackcommando]

 

So after rolling my eyes at a lot of the forum nonsense, I reinstalled swtor and started playing. the account had about 20 toons all sitting between 50-75 (75s with full 306 + purple augs). I started PvPing. I'll show the results in a second, but first the comedy that led me to resubbing for 2 months:

my xp bar filled up steadily but I noticed it was stalled very close to 76. I figured "ok. about to get my first level." I don't really pay attention to that crap. I just play. It wasn't until maybe 2 completed WZs later that I noticed I was still only 75. uh. hm. ok. well this is an interesting exploit. all I have to do is not sub and I can be 75 forever with full 306 bonus gear. lul

unfortunately, the reason for reinstalling wasn't to dominate mids (more on that in a sec). so I begrudgingly tossed amazon $30 for a one time use game card.

Things I learned in one night on SF:

1. you can complete seasons entirely in mids without ever having to level a toon to 80. (it's super easy if you have a couple of level locked 75s! - see above. lul)
2. WZs pop all the time, and there's nary a premade. I marked only 2 different grps of 2. I'm sure there were more but they were invisible b/c they were...not good.
3. Arenas popped frequently for about an hour. then the queue was mostly dead. The two groups of 2 that I mentioned seeing? that was in arenas and WZs (saw one grp a couple times)
4. I solo queued all night, and the competition was an absolute joke. Most players were in the 70s (mostly 75+) with some 60s and just a few (total) below 60. So for the most part it was all ppl with close to the same talents (75+).
5. I got 4 tiers of the pvp season reward in one night. I reached level 77, but I did play 2-3 WZs while level locked at 75, but I don't think that would have moved me to 80.

Here's a link to my WZ and Arena records: https://imgur.com/gallery/hWZYo44. 35 total WZs. 22 wins. 13 losses. 62% win rate. 14 total arenas. 13 wins. 1 loss. 92% win rate. The one loss was 3 dps + tank (my team) vs. 2 heal 1 dps 1 tank. (yeah. I'm salty.)

what's my takeaway? it's really hard to carry in WZs. it's really easy to carry in arenas. no duh, right? half the load to carry. for those whining about premades, at least on SF, just do your season in mids. it's ridiculously easy. there are very few premades. or those that queue have little influence on the matches.

Things I think about PvP Seasons on SF:

• the rewards are meaningless. I guess (based on the forums) that there are a lot of players who don't even like or want to PvP who come into WZs and Arenas to get the space barbie rewards. to each his own, I suppose. but you absolutely cannot structure your system or balancing changes around these players. they don't even want to be there in the first place!
• there were next to no premades in arenas, and the queue was still very slow outside of that one hour. that's not a premade issue. it's just not a popular format. and that's a reflection of the fact that the aforementioned space barbie players know better than to jump into a format that they're going to get insta-killed. that said, you could lose 3 arena matches (not rounds) faster than it takes to lose one WZ (any map). so if the rewards are all you care about, you might get things done faster just dying in arenas. 😃
• Weeklies make no sense. none. nada. zero. It's a WEEKLY that you can do three times on one character. Did the definition of weekly change in this sector of the galaxy? What's worse, is that apparently you actually need to do multiple WEEKLIES in ONE WEEK in order to complete the seasons. Um. iunno. does anyone else see the inherent wrongness of that? If the goal is 25 weeklies, then the season should be 25 weeks. iunno. not rocket science. this really feels like fudged math that you'd get in the classroom (give the special ed kids 2x time or a copy of the teacher's lecture notes) except it's for everyone not just the special ed kids. iunno. just weird.

Things I think about PvP queues on SF:

• the algorithm for map selection hasn't noticeably changed since 6.x. I'm still getting 2-3x more AHG and VS than any other map. Please stop this nonsense. Make every map pop the same and lump the HBs into one possible pop. I assure you that the number of players upset about missing out on Quesh and Vanden pale in comparison to the inverse.
• I like the new arena map. I only played it a couple times, but it seems cool. my favorite is still corellia. the only one I dislike is rishi.
• either create a mercy rule that ends matches early or allow players to leave. honestly. what is your deal here? this is a super casual game. you've destroyed any kind of actual competitiveness by killing rated WZs, killing rated rated arenas, and making every reward achievable simply by grinding. You've flooded the arenas and WZs with SM space barbies who don't even want to be there in the first place. why are you so dictatorial about this? like...it's ok for players to ignore the objectives and farm kills/dmg, thus completely subvert the win conditions of the game, but it's not ok to leave when those players are literally breaking the game? and you think changing medals matters to ppl ignoring objectives? you think the rewards track matters to them? you're legit only hurting ppl who play to win and the space barbies whom you've led to pvp like lambs to slaughter. Again for those who care about progressing (at least on SF), just play mids. most ppl are trying there. they're just bad.
• since I haven't hit 80, I haven't seen these abominable premades yet, but...like...it doesn't take future-sight to figure out that opening groups up to full 8m is insane and will once again work completely counter to your move to get more players into pvp who don't like pvp (space barbies et al.). again, what were you thinking here? (don't say it. it will only cause more ridicule. just limit premades to half the team in each format).

[TrixxieTriss]

On 3/5/2023 at 5:16 AM, krackcommando said:

 

So after rolling my eyes at a lot of the forum nonsense, I reinstalled swtor and started playing. the account had about 20 toons all sitting between 50-75 (75s with full 306 + purple augs). I started PvPing. I'll show the results in a second, but first the comedy that led me to resubbing for 2 months:

my xp bar filled up steadily but I noticed it was stalled very close to 76. I figured "ok. about to get my first level." I don't really pay attention to that crap. I just play. It wasn't until maybe 2 completed WZs later that I noticed I was still only 75. uh. hm. ok. well this is an interesting exploit. all I have to do is not sub and I can be 75 forever with full 306 bonus gear. lul

unfortunately, the reason for reinstalling wasn't to dominate mids (more on that in a sec). so I begrudgingly tossed amazon $30 for a one time use game card.

Things I learned in one night on SF:

1. you can complete seasons entirely in mids without ever having to level a toon to 80. (it's super easy if you have a couple of level locked 75s! - see above. lul)
2. WZs pop all the time, and there's nary a premade. I marked only 2 different grps of 2. I'm sure there were more but they were invisible b/c they were...not good.
3. Arenas popped frequently for about an hour. then the queue was mostly dead. The two groups of 2 that I mentioned seeing? that was in arenas and WZs (saw one grp a couple times)
4. I solo queued all night, and the competition was an absolute joke. Most players were in the 70s (mostly 75+) with some 60s and just a few (total) below 60. So for the most part it was all ppl with close to the same talents (75+).
5. I got 4 tiers of the pvp season reward in one night. I reached level 77, but I did play 2-3 WZs while level locked at 75, but I don't think that would have moved me to 80.

Here's a link to my WZ and Arena records: https://imgur.com/gallery/hWZYo44. 35 total WZs. 22 wins. 13 losses. 62% win rate. 14 total arenas. 13 wins. 1 loss. 92% win rate. The one loss was 3 dps + tank (my team) vs. 2 heal 1 dps 1 tank. (yeah. I'm salty.)

what's my takeaway? it's really hard to carry in WZs. it's really easy to carry in arenas. no duh, right? half the load to carry. for those whining about premades, at least on SF, just do your season in mids. it's ridiculously easy. there are very few premades. or those that queue have little influence on the matches.

Things I think about PvP Seasons on SF:

• the rewards are meaningless. I guess (based on the forums) that there are a lot of players who don't even like or want to PvP who come into WZs and Arenas to get the space barbie rewards. to each his own, I suppose. but you absolutely cannot structure your system or balancing changes around these players. they don't even want to be there in the first place!
• there were next to no premades in arenas, and the queue was still very slow outside of that one hour. that's not a premade issue. it's just not a popular format. and that's a reflection of the fact that the aforementioned space barbie players know better than to jump into a format that they're going to get insta-killed. that said, you could lose 3 arena matches (not rounds) faster than it takes to lose one WZ (any map). so if the rewards are all you care about, you might get things done faster just dying in arenas. 😃
• Weeklies make no sense. none. nada. zero. It's a WEEKLY that you can do three times on one character. Did the definition of weekly change in this sector of the galaxy? What's worse, is that apparently you actually need to do multiple WEEKLIES in ONE WEEK in order to complete the seasons. Um. iunno. does anyone else see the inherent wrongness of that? If the goal is 25 weeklies, then the season should be 25 weeks. iunno. not rocket science. this really feels like fudged math that you'd get in the classroom (give the special ed kids 2x time or a copy of the teacher's lecture notes) except it's for everyone not just the special ed kids. iunno. just weird.

Things I think about PvP queues on SF:

• the algorithm for map selection hasn't noticeably changed since 6.x. I'm still getting 2-3x more AHG and VS than any other map. Please stop this nonsense. Make every map pop the same and lump the HBs into one possible pop. I assure you that the number of players upset about missing out on Quesh and Vanden pale in comparison to the inverse.
• I like the new arena map. I only played it a couple times, but it seems cool. my favorite is still corellia. the only one I dislike is rishi.
• either create a mercy rule that ends matches early or allow players to leave. honestly. what is your deal here? this is a super casual game. you've destroyed any kind of actual competitiveness by killing rated WZs, killing rated rated arenas, and making every reward achievable simply by grinding. You've flooded the arenas and WZs with SM space barbies who don't even want to be there in the first place. why are you so dictatorial about this? like...it's ok for players to ignore the objectives and farm kills/dmg, thus completely subvert the win conditions of the game, but it's not ok to leave when those players are literally breaking the game? and you think changing medals matters to ppl ignoring objectives? you think the rewards track matters to them? you're legit only hurting ppl who play to win and the space barbies whom you've led to pvp like lambs to slaughter. Again for those who care about progressing (at least on SF), just play mids. most ppl are trying there. they're just bad.
• since I haven't hit 80, I haven't seen these abominable premades yet, but...like...it doesn't take future-sight to figure out that opening groups up to full 8m is insane and will once again work completely counter to your move to get more players into pvp who don't like pvp (space barbies et al.). again, what were you thinking here? (don't say it. it will only cause more ridicule. just limit premades to half the team in each format).

You’re right. I found the same thing when I came back in December. I’ve over 50 Alts to get to lvl 80. I only resubbed to do the new story. Otherwise I would have stayed in lowbies pvp at lvl 75 to get the season done.

Edit : this part needs to be updated. I checked this out yesterday on a preferred account & the system doesn’t stop you lvling up past 75 if you’re not a sub. Not sure if it stops you getting to lvl 80, but you can certainly keep lvling up as preferred & I’m assuming F2P.

But there are still a couple of premades that troll lowbies. They’re ex-ranked players who stopped subbing after BioWare got rid of ranked. So they’re perpetually stuck at lvl 75 with the best gear.

Edit: this part is also wrong. It’s not possible for people to play pvp constantly on the same character & be perpetually at lvl 75 with the best gear. 

They aren’t usually in an 8 man premade. I mostly see them in 4 or 6 man premades. But in lowbies they absolutely wreck the other teams. 

And because the lowbie queue has even less players than the normal queue, as soon as these premades turn up, they kill the queue really quick. You were lucky they weren’t playing when you were.

When I eventually got a few Alts to 80, I started seeing 8 man premades. But most were still 4 & 6 man premades. Which are still a problem. 

Bioware are going drive players off with this setup. It doesn’t matter how good their pvp rewards are next time. We don’t need to be rocket scientists to see how this will pan out 😞

Edited March 6, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[krackcommando]

On 3/4/2023 at 8:01 PM, TrixxieTriss said:

Edit : this part needs to be updated. I checked this out yesterday on a preferred account & the system doesn’t stop you lvling up past 75 if you’re not a sub. Not sure if it stops you getting to lvl 80, but you can certainly keep lvling up as preferred & I’m assuming F2P.

you're level capped at 75 unless you've already paid for 7.0.

edit: and seeing as ppl apparently have 50 alts, running each of them through mids will cover you for max arena weeklies for the next 3 seasons regardless of where they are level capped (when they last subbed).

edit2: 306 min/maxed gear is also legacy, so you can pass it to your alts as they hit 75 for the extra umph (for one level 😆).

Edited March 6, 2023 by krackcommando

[TrixxieTriss]

2 hours ago, krackcommando said:

you're level capped at 75 unless you've already paid for 7.0.

edit: and seeing as ppl apparently have 50 alts, running each of them through mids will cover you for max arena weeklies for the next 3 seasons regardless of where they are level capped (when they last subbed).

edit2: 306 min/maxed gear is also legacy, so you can pass it to your alts as they hit 75 for the extra umph (for one level 😆).

Then explain how my lvl 75 on an old preferred account I had not used since 2021 was able to get to lvl 76 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

I think you might be confusing a brand new free to play account with preferred accounts. Which is understandable considering this is a new account for you in 2022. 

[krackcommando]

you think wrong. I think that's not an unusual occurrence. it was preferred. I was stuck at 1 xp below for at least 2 WZs (probably 3) and it only changed when I re-upped.

also, how the heck did I have 14 odd toons (3 min/maxed 75) when I logged in on a "brand new account." go "correct" me again. go on. also, I'm just lucky because it doesn't fit your narrative. eeh. you.

edit: it states very clearly in the bw write-up that you get the following with preferred:

(https://help.ea.com/en/help/star-wars/star-wars-the-old-republic/swtor-free-to-play-faqs/)

Quote

 

Preferred players - including former subscribers

What happens if I decide to change from being a Subscriber to a Free-to-Play player?

Once your subscription has ended and you no longer have paid game time remaining on your account, your account will be changed to Preferred Status.

As a Preferred Status player, you have access to the following: 

• The ability to run faster (Sprint) starting at Level 1.
• Cargo Hold access (Bank Slots) and higher login queue priority.
• More access to Chat and Secure Trading.
• You can post more items for sale on the in-game Galactic Trade Network.
• You have 5 Quickbars available to fill up with abilities, mounts and consumables. 

If you convert to Preferred Status, you will need to choose which of your characters will remain active, and play those characters within the limits of Preferred player access.

 

 

I had all of this when I logged in and started playing.

edit: more history searching for you:

(https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/wiki/f2p/#wiki_free_to_play_.28f2p.29.2C_preferred.2C_and_subscriber_.2F_premium_info)

 

Quote

 

Unlocking Expansions and Level 61-75

For new players, access to levels 61-75 is obtained by subscribing for one month. All expansions and levels 61-75 will be unlocked for all characters and all new characters for the life of the account.

You only need to subscribe for one month to unlock the current expansions forever. If you unsubscribe after one month, you will lose your subscriber perks and status but will keep your expansions and ability to reach level 75. Once you unsubscribe, you will be a "preferred" player - you will have access to more perks than a free to play player, but less than a subscriber.

 

edit: my xp bar went from orange/yellish to green after I subbed and immediately went to 76 in the next match.

Edited March 6, 2023 by krackcommando

[TrixxieTriss]

4 hours ago, krackcommando said:

you think wrong. I think that's not an unusual occurrence. it was preferred. I was stuck at 1 xp below for at least 2 WZs (probably 3) and it only changed when I re-upped.

also, how the heck did I have 14 odd toons (3 min/maxed 75) when I logged in on a "brand new account." go "correct" me again. go on. also, I'm just lucky because it doesn't fit your narrative. eeh. you.

edit: it states very clearly in the bw write-up that you get the following with preferred:

(https://help.ea.com/en/help/star-wars/star-wars-the-old-republic/swtor-free-to-play-faqs/)

 

I had all of this when I logged in and started playing.

edit: more history searching for you:

(https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/wiki/f2p/#wiki_free_to_play_.28f2p.29.2C_preferred.2C_and_subscriber_.2F_premium_info)

 

edit: my xp bar went from orange/yellish to green after I subbed and immediately went to 76 in the next match.

According to the forums. This account you’re on started in November 2022. Is this you?

https://forums.swtor.com/profile/701726-krackcommando/

• POSTS

  162

• JOINED

  November 17, 2022

Edited March 7, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[krackcommando]

21 minutes ago, TrixxieTriss said:

According to the forums. This account you’re on started in November 2022. Is this you?

https://forums.swtor.com/profile/701726-krackcommando/

• POSTS

  162

• JOINED

  November 17, 2022

i haven't started a single character on this account. 😉

but you might remember foxmob.

Edited March 7, 2023 by krackcommando

[TrixxieTriss]

10 minutes ago, krackcommando said:

i haven't started a single character on this account. 😉

So to be clear. You subbed on this account so you can post on the forums again 🤷🏻‍♀️. Got it 😉

And the account you were discussing previously in this thread was a preferred account. Which you hadn’t played subscribed since 7.0 landed? And when you were pvping, you stated you were lvl capped at lvl 75. So you resubbed and it let continue lvling?

May I ask, when were you last subscribed on that account before 7.0? 
I’m try to determine why my pre 7.0 preferred account was able to lvl up and yours wasn’t. 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[krackcommando]

can't help ya there trix. game got pointless in 6.x unless you did rated. I stopped doing rated 2 seasons prior. so I left.

I could prolly give you a dna sample if you give me a mailing address. I need to go in for blood work anyway. doctor's office called today, ironically.

[TrixxieTriss]

12 minutes ago, krackcommando said:

can't help ya there trix. game got pointless in 6.x unless you did rated. I stopped doing rated 2 seasons prior. so I left.

I could prolly give you a dna sample if you give me a mailing address. I need to go in for blood work anyway. doctor's office called today, ironically.

So it’s possible that we’re both right 😉. I know that in the past, BioWare allowed access to newer content & lvling for preferred players if they’d been subscribed 3-6 months prior to it being released. Maybe they had an unannounced cut off for 7.0 that allowed my pre 7.0 preferred account from 2021 to keep lvling. But you had been unsubscribed for too long & it restricted you 🤷🏻‍♀️. That’s all I was trying to find out by asking you when you were last subbed on that account. 

[Sappharan]

19 minutes ago, krackcommando said:

I could prolly give you a dna sample if you give me a mailing address.