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Author Topic: Giving this a whirl for a bit.  (Read 91707 times)
Pennilenko
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on: August 21, 2013, 06:11:42 PM

I completely ignored this game because EA, however with all of the lively MMO discussion going on recently I decided to give a whirl since it was free.  I liked the story bits and decided to throw a sub on it for a few months so I could play without stupid ass restrictions.

I am using this thread to openly solicit advice on anything that I should know that might make the game a more streamlined experience for me. What are some things I should look out for or avoid?

"See?  All of you are unique.  And special.  Like fucking snowflakes."  -- Signe
Ingmar
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Reply #1 on: August 21, 2013, 06:21:38 PM

- Don't try to gear up all your companions while leveling, there just aren't enough quest rewards and you won't be able to afford doing it through other means on a first character. Focus on one or two. If you're soloing that probably means the healer, if you have one available, otherwise a dps companion is normally a bit better than a tanking one for solo stuff in my experience.

- Crafting isn't really necessary, you are probably better off grabbing a couple gathering skills (slicing is always good) and a mission skill and just selling stuff on the GTN for money unless you intend to be some kind of endgame crafting dude. Possible exception is biochem since you can make yourself healing/buffing stuff that can be useful.

- For that one mission skill, level it up with companion gift missions, they're the cheapest to run, they take the least time, you can use those to get your relationship up with the companions you aren't using in mission dialogues, and they also reliably sell on the GTN last I looked.

- Trooper and Jedi Consular have the most boring stories overall, so if you picked one of those first and are like "this kind of sucks" consider giving another class a try before you punt the game. (Just my opinion, some people are irrationally in love with the Trooper story, like Fordel.) Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior are the most traditionally Star Wars-y of the storylines in my opinion. Smuggler and Sith Inquisitor are the funniest.

- I know you've mentioned that you play games with your wife/girlfriend/SO/whichever frequently, so note that this game is excellent in a duo, as you + friend + 2 companions is a full party of 4 and you can do heroic missions pretty easily that way. Make sure you play different classes, the class story missions don't work so well with 2 of the same class.

- Low level battlegrounds (er, warzones) are pretty fun and largely free of huge gear imbalances and such. Endgame PVP is more WoW-like, but the low level stuff is pretty good and can supplement your XP if you decide you hate a planet and don't want to do side missions there.

EDIT:

- If you think you might level more than one character all the way up, make your first one a human. Humans give a +100 presence bonus to all your characters once you get one to 50 which is a big, big boost in the effectiveness of companions for future characters. Other races just let you unlock them for use with classes they couldn't be originally.

- Don't sweat Dark Side/Light Side points too much, nothing important in gameplay terms is gated by them so you can freely do what you think makes sense for your character without worrying about consequences as far as gear or whatever.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2013, 06:28:36 PM by Ingmar »

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Morat20
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Reply #2 on: August 21, 2013, 06:23:53 PM

If you're on Ebon Hawk, I'm Acica


I dunno, it's been fairly fun. Combat's already getting a little repetitive as a Jedi, my smuggler's a little more fun. I'm not enthralled by the talent trees, but I DO like the upgradeable gear a lot.

Pick-up groups seem fairly interesting (most are quite competent and good natured, at least on Ebon Hawk). Whomever hides the datacrons needs to be beaten with a stick. A stick on fire. "Out of the way" is fine.

 Fucking jump puzzles from hell are from assholes.
Pennilenko
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Reply #3 on: August 21, 2013, 06:27:30 PM

Thanks for the tips. I will have to check, but I think I picked an east coast RP server.

"See?  All of you are unique.  And special.  Like fucking snowflakes."  -- Signe
Evildrider
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Reply #4 on: August 21, 2013, 09:22:37 PM

Cybertech is a good crafting skill to grab cuz it allows you to make mods and armorings for gear.  

Also I've ran every story but Jedi Knight and Sorc.  I think Agent is my favorite.
ajax34i
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Reply #5 on: August 22, 2013, 08:29:23 AM

Use the bonus (free) cartel points you get to unlock account-wide things, such as more inventory slots, or various races that you don't feel like playing to 50 to unlock.  Keep in mind that you have to initiate the unlocking purchase from the pertinent window (inventory screen or your legacy screen for example), because a lot of these are not specifically offered in the cartel market browse window.

Purchase a speeder from the GTN rather than the NPC trainers, as it is much cheaper.

Companion healer and/or tank may be needed to complete certain harder quests (or a certain companion may be forced on you by the story line).  They will function just fine if you simply buy some level-appropriate green gear from the GTN to outfit them with, just before the quest; you don't have to keep them geared up as you go.

The first companion you get (or the romance interest) can typically be chatted up in affection levels via dialogue choices as you play the game.  Later companions, you may have to start by giving them the cheap NPC vendor gifts to bring them up to 3000 or so, before you use your conversation options with them for affection increases.

You can definitely skip planets, if you get XP elsewhere.  As soon as you get your ship, doing a few space missions is a solid chunk of xp that can allow you to skip the next planet, which may be one of the sucky ones.  

Your rails in the game consist of a chain of "personal" quests, which send you to each planet with a specific task.  These you must do in order, if you wish to progress your story.  The starter planet typically establishes some NPC as your boss, and the personal quests come from him/her/it.  However, as soon as you land, each planet also hooks you via someone waiting for you at the docking station, to tell you to go see the planetary governor for an issue of importance.  That's the planetary quest chain, and it's long but can be skipped, if you're too high level for the planet.  You also get unrelated quests from NPCs on the planet, also optional.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2013, 08:37:29 AM by ajax34i »
Ingmar
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Reply #6 on: August 22, 2013, 11:02:02 AM

The planetary main quest chains are all worth doing at least once, and note they tend to give oranges out at the end. They also generally have more interesting dialogue options than side quests, more options specific to the class you're playing, and often at a point during them will let you choose between a couple different ways of completing a step (like, dark side, go murder these guys, light side, go disable these access points, or whatever). The side missions that come at each hub are usually more traditional kill X guys or collect Y things type quests.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Pennilenko
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Reply #7 on: August 22, 2013, 10:48:36 PM

I settled right into my sith sorcerer, and am getting right down to being the biggest asshole the sw has seen. (storyline wise). Just got my ship. I think my sith lord boss, zash, is planning on screwing me over.

"See?  All of you are unique.  And special.  Like fucking snowflakes."  -- Signe
Fordel
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Reply #8 on: August 23, 2013, 01:06:30 AM

- Trooper and Jedi Consular have the most boring stories overall, so if you picked one of those first and are like "this kind of sucks" consider giving another class a try before you punt the game. (Just my opinion, some people are irrationally in love with the Trooper story, like Fordel.) Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior are the most traditionally Star Wars-y of the storylines in my opinion. Smuggler and Sith Inquisitor are the funniest.

The JK is the most StarWars'y because it's the original Starwars story with planets and characters renamed.  Ohhhhh, I see.

The JC story is nothing but Jedi Bullshit layered ontop of Jedi Bullshit.

The Smuggler is a random collection of Han Solo tropes.

The Trooper has the best set pieces but some of the worst filler. It suffers the most from the only 1 companion at a time limitation of the game.

The SW story is like, the evil mirror to the JK story.

The SI story is basically retarded, but totally carried by it's Voice Actors and dialogues.

The BH story is just sorta there.

The Imp Agent story is the best story in the game, easily.

and the gate is like I TOO AM CAPABLE OF SPEECH
Zetor
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Reply #9 on: August 23, 2013, 03:37:43 AM

I played Trooper, Consular, and Agent to 50 -- and yeah, I'd say agent is the best. The one redeeming feature of the consular storyline was the (PlayerName) Tours The Galaxy With His Amazing Friends In The Magic Consular Bus setup of ... act 2 I think? The end-of-Act missions from the trooper storyline were really good, the others were kinda meh.

The Trooper has the best set pieces but some of the worst filler. It suffers the most from the only 1 companion at a time limitation of the game.
This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that after you get M1-4X, the other companions may as well not exist*. Do you not love the Republic with all your (flesh or metallic) heart, citizen?! DRILLING AND MANLINESS

* well yeah, if you play Vanguard, you pretty much have to go with Elara 99% of the time. Details!

Sjofn
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Reply #10 on: August 23, 2013, 04:39:21 AM

The trooper story sucks hardest. There I said it. The filler is god awful, the non-filler is excessively same-y after Act 1, and the companions (except for Forex) are not particularly interesting (I liked them, but they're dull). It is the only class I am evidently incapable of leveling a second one of past Coruscant/DK, because I find it so boring.

IA is the best story if for no other reason than it has the least "okay we're going to have you tread water for a planet or two before we get back to the action" bullshit, but I also enjoyed it immensely because it has a shout out to pretty much every other class storyline in the game.  Heart

Also, because I could sleep with almost anyone I ran across.

God Save the Horn Players
Sky
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Reply #11 on: August 23, 2013, 06:49:22 AM

I was thinking of playing again a bit, I love Sithy goodness and thought I was over the whole 'pay a buttload for early access, secure all my awesome names, then have them taken away. Twice.' thing. Turns out it still pisses me off to be named Håruspex and Sk˙.

I had to log in because someone tried changing my password. It still amazes me the horrid security of mmo admins, email as username was bad enough, but now they're giving away the username by using the forum name? How do these people have jobs? Luckily I caught the email and have a security key, but sheesh.

They try so hard to make me dislike this game that I really friggin' liked when it came out.
Mosesandstick
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Reply #12 on: August 23, 2013, 11:00:56 AM

Are the travel times still awful?
Ingmar
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Reply #13 on: August 23, 2013, 12:51:40 PM

They lowered the level you can get speeders at some point - although maybe that's only for subscribers? I don't remember. You also get sprint from level 1 now. There are also priority transport terminals that let you teleport around between the various endame daily hub type spots. That was the only time I ever felt like the travel times were obnoxious though, when they only had a couple of those areas and it took a long time to go from Belsavis daily land to Ilum, or whatever.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Nebu
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Reply #14 on: August 23, 2013, 11:31:33 PM

I just resubbed for a month as well.  I wanted to see the expansion and get my pvp fix.  The WoT community was starting to wear on my nerves.

I'm on Jedi covenant with two friends if anyone is also playing there.

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-  Mark Twain
Pennilenko
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Reply #15 on: August 25, 2013, 06:27:35 PM

All of the problems (which can be glaring sometimes), I am having a hell of a lot of fun playing a game that I never intended to even try.

I love my Sith Inquisitor (Sorcerer) so much.  He lets me be the biggest asshole in the universe and still sleep with randy sith lord hotties. Also I love Khem, I play my relationship with him all like, "keep talking shit to me slave, I'll mop the floor with you again..."

My favorite part of my Inq is that I am always like, "don't waste my time...hold on, what did you say you can do for me...okay, kill everything, got it...be right back."

"See?  All of you are unique.  And special.  Like fucking snowflakes."  -- Signe
Sjofn
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Reply #16 on: August 25, 2013, 09:12:02 PM

Sith inquisitor is one of my favorite voice actors in the game. He knows precisely what a goofy-ass universe he is in, and he will happily shovel scenery into his gaping maw for my entertainment.

Force lightning being a dialogue option as often as it is helps too.

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Hawkbit
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Reply #17 on: August 01, 2014, 11:34:34 AM

Going to put this here instead of making a new thread. 

I'm playing this casually for the story, Republic Knight.  I finished Corusant and I'm lvl 17.  However, it seems like the next step up is a level 20 zone.  What am I missing?  F2P XP seems to lag behind the story.
Paelos
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Reply #18 on: August 01, 2014, 12:03:02 PM

You're supposed to go to Taris.

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Sjofn
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Reply #19 on: August 01, 2014, 12:18:40 PM

Yeah, Taris is your next step. I know they let you go to Nar Shaddaa too, but that's because chapter one is weird and really probably shouldn't do that.  why so serious?

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Fordel
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Reply #20 on: August 01, 2014, 11:07:34 PM

I have zero idea as to why they even give you that option. 

and the gate is like I TOO AM CAPABLE OF SPEECH
Paelos
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Reply #21 on: August 02, 2014, 07:35:14 AM

I have zero idea as to why they even give you that option. 

Because if you're subbed and use the xp boosts, you can get pretty close to 20 if you do everything on the other planets, along with some dungeons and space missions. I've just done Taris story and moved on most of the time.

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Sjofn
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Reply #22 on: August 02, 2014, 12:00:22 PM

I have done that too (in fact, it's my standard leveling procedure), but I don't think that's the reason, as you still have to do Taris for your story, and at level 20 you'd still get real XP instead of mere-technicality XP. I think it's just to give you the illusion of choice.

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Ingmar
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Reply #23 on: August 02, 2014, 08:33:18 PM

I suspect it's an artifact of some early design that they changed before any of us got into the beta.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Maven
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Reply #24 on: August 05, 2014, 09:28:12 PM

Alright, I'll give it a try. After all, F2P.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2014, 09:35:07 PM by Maven »
Sjofn
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Reply #25 on: August 05, 2014, 10:23:41 PM

Rakghoul event is going right now btw.

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Maven
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Reply #26 on: August 07, 2014, 11:53:11 AM

I found that out the hard way. "Oh, I'm infected." "Oh, I blew up."

I find the game charming, and enjoy the character I'm playing (Thank you for Imperial Agent suggestions), who is done with formalities, wants people to get to the point, and is trying to work her way into Kailyo's pants. Because, of course. Even if cutscenes take longer than it takes to complete the quest, I'm enjoying the opportunity to interact and realize when I chose an option that is Sith-appropriate or when I'm just being a bitch. I *greatly* enjoy that they added a Legacy system for account-wide character unlocks through playthroughs, and find the Social system a nice incentive for group play. My first couple Flashpoints went well. It has its quirks and mirrors the WoW model closely, but it scratches that itch and does it well.

I feel like I'm in an RMT Business Man's Utopia. I've never seen "Only for Subscribers" so interwoven in the user interface. I feel like a second-class citizen, and, well, I am, but it wasn't nearly this bad in Planetside 2. Besides completing large quest chains, is there any other F2P way to earn Cartel Coins so I can at least start unlocking things like Crew Skills? I expect my first playthrough to be gimped.

As a Sniper, I'm encountering difficulty with hot bars. I've only got two, and I've set up abilities I use between cover and non-cover on the second bar. However, it auto-switches back to the cover hotbar when I don't want it to, and when I hit "First Hotbar", it takes me to my non-cover hot-bar. Is there a way around this?
« Last Edit: August 07, 2014, 11:55:54 AM by Maven »
Evildrider
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Reply #27 on: August 07, 2014, 12:39:07 PM

You don't necessarily need Cartel Coins either.  People will sell them for credits on the GTN.  You also get coins for finishing achievements though.
Ingmar
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Reply #28 on: August 07, 2014, 12:46:46 PM

I found that out the hard way. "Oh, I'm infected." "Oh, I blew up."

I find the game charming, and enjoy the character I'm playing (Thank you for Imperial Agent suggestions), who is done with formalities, wants people to get to the point, and is trying to work her way into Kailyo's pants. Because, of course. Even if cutscenes take longer than it takes to complete the quest, I'm enjoying the opportunity to interact and realize when I chose an option that is Sith-appropriate or when I'm just being a bitch. I *greatly* enjoy that they added a Legacy system for account-wide character unlocks through playthroughs, and find the Social system a nice incentive for group play. My first couple Flashpoints went well. It has its quirks and mirrors the WoW model closely, but it scratches that itch and does it well.

I feel like I'm in an RMT Business Man's Utopia. I've never seen "Only for Subscribers" so interwoven in the user interface. I feel like a second-class citizen, and, well, I am, but it wasn't nearly this bad in Planetside 2. Besides completing large quest chains, is there any other F2P way to earn Cartel Coins so I can at least start unlocking things like Crew Skills? I expect my first playthrough to be gimped.

As a Sniper, I'm encountering difficulty with hot bars. I've only got two, and I've set up abilities I use between cover and non-cover on the second bar. However, it auto-switches back to the cover hotbar when I don't want it to, and when I hit "First Hotbar", it takes me to my non-cover hot-bar. Is there a way around this?

Just as a heads-up, the companion romances currently in the game are opposite sex-only so if you're looking to romance Kaliyo you will want to start over with a dude.

On the hotbar question, you should probably embrace the cover hotbar. You'll eventually have enough abilities that you're going to want your second hotbar filled with utility powers that are usable in either stance, and as a sniper you'll want your primary DPS abilities to be on your cover hotbar so you can access them via number keys without extra clicking or modifier keys. I think you can disable the cover hotbar somewhere in settings but once you get used to it I think you'll find it a superior option.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2014, 12:48:58 PM by Ingmar »

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Maven
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Reply #29 on: August 07, 2014, 07:03:22 PM

Thanks for the tips, it's improved my play experience. I've enjoyed playing in the different modes, but I am getting absolutely wrecked in Galactic Starfighter. The most shocking thing was that there is an ability that prevents you from maneuvering.

I can't even figure missiles out. While Warzones, Flashpoints, and the on-rails space battles were all picked up, Starfighter ... ugh.
Tannhauser
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Reply #30 on: August 07, 2014, 07:28:43 PM

You 'paint' your target when a big yellow reticle appears, then fire the missiles.  You can paint multiple at once and then fire and hold the missile button to blast the group.
Sky
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Reply #31 on: August 07, 2014, 07:37:43 PM

The RMT in TOR doesn't bother me because I really consider it a subscription game.
Ingmar
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Reply #32 on: August 07, 2014, 11:02:39 PM

You 'paint' your target when a big yellow reticle appears, then fire the missiles.  You can paint multiple at once and then fire and hold the missile button to blast the group.

This is advice for the rail shooting space stuff, not Galactic Starfighter.

GSF is the 'real' PVP space game.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Ingmar
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Reply #33 on: August 08, 2014, 12:02:05 PM

Speaking of GSF, had a match end 1000-999 last night, it was a fucking blast even though my team was the 999 side.

I don't know about other servers but Ebon Hawk has custom chat channels (called "GSF") on each side where you can get tips from people that are good at it. (Although thinking about it, custom chat channels might not be a F2P feature?)
« Last Edit: August 08, 2014, 12:04:54 PM by Ingmar »

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Ginaz
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Reply #34 on: August 08, 2014, 05:30:37 PM

Speaking of GSF, had a match end 1000-999 last night, it was a fucking blast even though my team was the 999 side.

I don't know about other servers but Ebon Hawk has custom chat channels (called "GSF") on each side where you can get tips from people that are good at it. (Although thinking about it, custom chat channels might not be a F2P feature?)

I actively avoid anything GSF because I am awful at it.  Like really, really bad. ACK!
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