Star Wars: The Old Republic anticipation thread.

[Amaris]

I've run into a problem on Tatooine due to the reduced xp for FTP. I was finished with Nar Shadaa at level 24. Did everything I possibly could, unless there was something I had missed in terms of regular missions, and everything on Tatooine was at level 25, so I couldn't make much progress unless I grinded, so that's what I did. Went out into the desert, applied an XP boost and went and killed anything that had the white symbol, such as the giant lizards and there were lots of those. Took awhile, but I eventually leveled to 25 and made some more progress with my missions. So, let that be a warning to anyone coming to Tatooine after Nar Shadaa while playing FTP. There might be a few other situations like this going forward too.

I started getting this problem not long after I reached Coruscant. Taris got really bad, to the point where I just started out and out grinding just to get the XP needed to arrive at Nar Shaddaa without getting sliced to ribbons on my first run through. Of course, now I'm really running through the problem on Nar Shaddaa, and as a level 17, I can't continue my missions until I grind some more.

Personally, I think SWTOR should have taken the same tack as STO. They're making money hand over fist with the way they run the C-Store. I think SWTOR would have more luck that way. Granted, it's too early to tell, but if I didn't really love Star Wars, I'd have probably left SWTOR by now, because while they insist the storyline is free, getting to it becomes increasingly frustrating, and it's all because you know they're limiting you, trying to force you to subscribe. STO essentially said "Play as much as you like, we don't care if you subscribe, but look! Shinies in the C-Store!"

Well, I didn't have that problem until Tatooine, except for a bit on Coruscant, but all was well until then. Have to wonder if there's a big difference in the classes and the xp they get. But there's also the fact that people will be visiting the planets in different orders depending on which class they're playing. I'd still rather be playing this than STO. I find it more satisfying and you do feel as though your actions have an impact on the universe.

Well, FTPers see XP reductions once they hit level 10. They get a 25% penalty on XP.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I started getting this problem not long after I reached Coruscant. Taris got really bad, to the point where I just started out and out grinding just to get the XP needed to arrive at Nar Shaddaa without getting sliced to ribbons on my first run through. Of course, now I'm really running through the problem on Nar Shaddaa, and as a level 17, I can't continue my missions until I grind some more.

Personally, I think SWTOR should have taken the same tack as STO. They're making money hand over fist with the way they run the C-Store. I think SWTOR would have more luck that way. Granted, it's too early to tell, but if I didn't really love Star Wars, I'd have probably left SWTOR by now, because while they insist the storyline is free, getting to it becomes increasingly frustrating, and it's all because you know they're limiting you, trying to force you to subscribe. STO essentially said "Play as much as you like, we don't care if you subscribe, but look! Shinies in the C-Store!"

Well, I didn't have that problem until Tatooine, except for a bit on Coruscant, but all was well until then. Have to wonder if there's a big difference in the classes and the xp they get. But there's also the fact that people will be visiting the planets in different orders depending on which class they're playing. I'd still rather be playing this than STO. I find it more satisfying and you do feel as though your actions have an impact on the universe.

Well, FTPers see XP reductions once they hit level 10. They get a 25% penalty on XP.

Yeah, that's what I referred to in my other post, ie the reduction. But what I meant was that due to the order you visit them through the class storyline, depending on the class someone chose, they might be meeting that gap at different times on a different planet. See, you got it bad on Taris where I didn't get the problem. I got it bad on Tatooine.

 

[Amaris]

Well, I didn't have that problem until Tatooine, except for a bit on Coruscant, but all was well until then. Have to wonder if there's a big difference in the classes and the xp they get. But there's also the fact that people will be visiting the planets in different orders depending on which class they're playing. I'd still rather be playing this than STO. I find it more satisfying and you do feel as though your actions have an impact on the universe.

Well, FTPers see XP reductions once they hit level 10. They get a 25% penalty on XP.

Yeah, that's what I referred to in my other post, ie the reduction. But what I meant was that due to the order you visit them through the class storyline, depending on the class someone chose, they might be meeting that gap at different times on a different planet. See, you got it bad on Taris where I didn't get the problem. I got it bad on Tatooine.

I think they'd do well to remove the XP restriction. With so many other things restricted, it's unnecessary.

 

[Reverend]

Right now, I just want a third damn quickbar! My Sith Assassin is at around Lv37 and though I manage ok on my own, it's become increasingly difficult to effectively tank in groupings. As it stands I have to open the skills window to select the guard ability. I've just plain ran out of space.

I understand restricting access to PvP, warzones, ops etc since that's what most people who sub are interested in, but putting actual gameplay restrictions that make it harder to function effectively just seems stupid. It's not encouraging me to sub. Hell, it's actively discouraging me to purchase preferred status (which I was contemplating) just on general principle.

As for the XP restrictions, so far I think I've been getting away with it (barely) because I've been using the legacy unlocks to boost it. I still need to do every heroic, area, side and bonus quest along with every flashpoint just to maintain parity. I also have the slight advantage of my characters having a slight head start since I created the account during the free trial and got most of them up to around lv12-15. Even then it's been rough so I can only imagine how much of a grind it's been for people starting fresh.

Indeed, I've already noticed that the server I use is noticeably quieter around peak time than it was when FTP first launched. I suspect a lot of people have already packed it in. For a while I thought I just might be ahead of the pack, but when I went back to Nar Shaddaa for the bonus series (which was awful btw) I saw pretty much the same thing.

 

[Briquettes]

I think they'd do well to remove the XP restriction. With so many other things restricted, it's unnecessary.

I agree with you there. I still have to grind at times as a subscriber and can only imagine how tedious things would get with 25% less XP.

 

[CorporalClegg]

^
If you have to grind at anytime as a sub you're doing it wrong.

 

[Jeyl]

Will this new Hutt expansion give us same sex relationships finally?

 

[Owain Taggart]

Well, FTPers see XP reductions once they hit level 10. They get a 25% penalty on XP.

Yeah, that's what I referred to in my other post, ie the reduction. But what I meant was that due to the order you visit them through the class storyline, depending on the class someone chose, they might be meeting that gap at different times on a different planet. See, you got it bad on Taris where I didn't get the problem. I got it bad on Tatooine.

I think they'd do well to remove the XP restriction. With so many other things restricted, it's unnecessary.

Yeah, I agree. But this is EA. When haven't they done something that was completely unnecessary? It certainly would make things easier though as the restrictions throw things out of whack in terms of readiness to tackle objectives. Since it's highly story oriented, the restrictions disrupt the flow from what was designed.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Well, Tatooine is my favourite planet so far. A lot of cool missions there, and one of the bonus missions even feels more involved than the usual crop and actually seems more like a full-fledged mission rather than a bonus. I actually like that it's more spread out, keeping in feeling of a desert planet.

Gonna need help with Lord Praven though. He's a toughie. I can manage to get him with a tiny sliver of health, but then he always gets me in the end. Best I can do at the moment as I'm halfway to 27.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Are you a sent or guard? If you're a guard you might want to try bringing along C2 and just tanking him.

But really the best way (either AC) is to just use Kira, buff yourself the best you can, and out DPS him.

Stop his Ravage at all costs. It's the only skill of his you really need to worry about, and as long as you interrupt it immediately, you should be okay. His AOE thing you can just eat. It hurts a bit, but wasting your interrupt on that and have him follow up with a ravage is bad news.

I beat him with my sent at 26, so it's totally possible.

Also (and I don't want to spoil too much for you), if you're light side, pay close attention to your convo options. There are two LS options, one of them sends him back to Tython. If you do that one, it will pay off later.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I'm a guardian, and I was bringing Kira along. Level 26 and doing the best I could, but couldn't take him down. I'll try again now that I'm leveled to 27 and I think that should help. Funny thing is, I did beat that other one on the asteroid planet when everyone else said it was impossible at that level, so maybe I'm just unlucky.

And thanks for the tip

 

[Rocketeer]

Any recommendations on PvE guilds, especially Role-Playing? Mainly looking at US East or European servers. Just starting out. Thanks.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Since you mentioned you were on Ebon Hawk, I would give TCO a look, that is, assuming they're still around. I haven't talked to anyone form there for many months, so they might have all gone back to LotRO. But I sent their GM a holiday wishes PM via the main boards a few weeks ago and she hasn't responded. So I don't know what's going on.

If RP isn't that big of a deal for you, I have lots of friends who roll on JC. I can hook you up with them if you'd like.

As for Euro guilds, I'm good friends with an officer in one of the largest guilds on Eclipse, but he's on holiday and I think they may be subbers only. But I can send him an email and find out. (Might take a while for him to write back.)

If you're willing to roll on Harbinger, I can hook you up my self. Lots of Euro people do since it's the largest pop server by far and the latency difference between east and west in negligible (so they say). Harb is really the one true international server.

 

[Holdfast]

FUUUUUU!

I need some helps guys, please.

I'm having trouble dealing with Lord Paladius on Nar Shadaa as a Sith Sorcerer. The dude Force Drains all your energy so you can't cast spells properly. I just can't beat the guy in about 4-5 attempts. I can get him down to about a small amount of health but not all the way. I've tried using stims, medpacs, channel the force and the various other buffs but he's just a bit too strong. An Assassin wouldn't have a problem with him, I'm sure, but a Sorcerer is really difficult to use against him.

Part of the problem here is being a free player. Googling suggests that the way most sorcerers beat him is simply by dying and then using a med probe to revive in situ; the force drain nerf disappears and you can just deal with him as normal (in fact, he'd be very easy with normal force powers). Unfortunately, if you have to return to the med centre and run back, this "feature" no longer works and the nerf is always present. Plus, during the run back, once you're in the story area, force drain begins to kick in so by the time you actually reach him you're already down to very little force.

Have any free-to-play sorcerers got past him? In other words, is there a way past him without paying for extra med probes? I felt lazy earlier in the game and used them all up already...

I'm only on lvl 24, which I guess is a level below where I should be, but I'm not even sure levelling to 25 would really help...

 

[Whizzer]

Its been a long while since i did that fight, but:
Do you have Implants and an Earpiece? Getting some extra HP and Willpower do to 3 more filled slots is a pretty big boost around Level 20.
Is your lightsaber hilt the best you can get at your level? Melee damage is dependant on your hilt, and if your forced to melee having at least a blue hilt of your level might make a difference.

 

[Holdfast]

Thanks for the tips!

Funny thing: first time I gave that mission a go today, I beat the guy. Remembered that I have a force power that lets me swap hp for Force, so used that a couple of times during the fight, and that was enough to get off enough damage to deal with him relatively easily (Khem had died by then but I still had about 3/4 of my health left).

Anyway, Tatooine looks really cool. Going to enjoy this planet I think.

I finally reached the next Legacy level too, so given that my XP gains are nerfed by not being a subscriber, I decided to spend some credits on the unlocks for XP buffs for exploring & class quests, so hopefully that will give me enough of a boost to not need to grind too much later on.

 

[Whizzer]

The Sacrifice ability is a pretty great idea for that encounter, I only discovered that when I switched to healing for the first time at Lvl 50.

IMO Tatooine has a great feel to it. I found cruising across the dunes with your speeder very much like the actual Star Wars movie. The quests are mostly not that memorable, only one I really liked "The Thing Czerka found" (or something like that).

 

[Reverend]

Tatooine is fun to explore and it was my favourite planet in KotOR too. It's that sense that you're exploring the inside of a Ralph McQuarrie painting that I found very enjoyable.

Speaking of KotOR, I just did the flashpoint that deals with what happened to Revan and...I can't believe they did *that*. What a let down!

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Any recommendations on PvE guilds, especially Role-Playing? Mainly looking at US East or European servers. Just starting out. Thanks.

I don't know about specific guilds, but The Progenitor is the dedicated RP server for Europe.

 

[Holdfast]

The Sacrifice ability is a pretty great idea for that encounter, I only discovered that when I switched to healing for the first time at Lvl 50.

Yeah, when I first got it, I thought I'd never really use it as things would have to be pretty dire to need it in PvE. So much so that I moved it off my Quickbar. Which is why I forgot about it. I only remembered about it while I was dropping off to sleep later in the day.

I can see it being very useful as a dedicated healer though.

But in that Paladius fight, using it really was an "unlimited POWAAH!" type moment.

IMO Tatooine has a great feel to it. I found cruising across the dunes with your speeder very much like the actual Star Wars movie.

Tatooine is fun to explore and it was my favourite planet in KotOR too. It's that sense that you're exploring the inside of a Ralph McQuarrie painting that I found very enjoyable.

That's exactly it; they've got the look & feel of the planet spot-on.

Plus, I think part of it is the sheer contrast between the wide-open beautiful (if harsh) space and the claustrophic, badly-lit, neon Nar Shaddaa that you've just left.