Add All CM Decorations as Possible In-Game Drops/Rewards

[arunav]

Unless CM decoration sales are completely essential to financially keeping the game alive, I think adding them, the entire pool of CM-only decorations, as in-game drops is worth considering.

One of the few areas of the game that's now completely inaccessible without buying large amounts of CCs is Stronghold decorating. Yes, technically there are some in-game decoration sources, but, in order to create Strongholds that rival or even match SWTOR's environments, it's simply necessary to collect large numbers of CM-only decorations. 

Some longtime players have been able to do this, over years (or most of a decade), without needing to purchase a large amount of CCs. This is no longer possible, though, and hasn't been for years. Many (I believe most?) CM decorations simply aren't found on the GTN, and in-game inflation has made buying the ones that are impractical, at least in the numbers needed to decorate Strongholds well.

SWTOR is winding down, as best as players can tell, over the next couple of years. Would it really hurt, at this point, to start adding CM decorations into the loot pool for various types of content? Perhaps new systems might reward specific decorations for content completed in those environments, or they might be found as drops from mobs or bosses in those locations. 

This serves as a way to motivate players toward specific endgame content, and also gives them something to grind for, for those who have large, mostly empty Strongholds. In my experience, this is most players. 

Consider leveraging the opportunity to earn plenty of previously CM-only decorations, enough to actually thematically fill up all those empty Strongholds, as a means to promote FPs, Ops, GSF, PVP, daily areas, and other level 80 endgame content. Even planetary and leveling content might be revived somewhat with this approach.

After all, what's the point of leaving CM decorations all behind hundreds or thousands of dollars of CC purchases if the game isn't likely to be actively developed after a few more years, and not many people are even buying them at this point anyway?  

As in-game drops, CM-only decorations can at least add significant incentive to engage the various endgame systems and game modes for the remaining population, giving players much more agency to engage one of the few areas of SWTOR perhaps many haven't, Strongholds. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by arunav