Star Wars The Old Republic

[CorporalClegg]

Interrupts! Since you're a Guardian, you have three because of Force Push.

Stop Thunder Blast at all costs. Do not waste your interrupts on Lightning (best to eat a lightning with your bubble.) You may want to put Kira's on an easy bind so if he lightnings her, you can have her bubble herself.

Combat should go like this:

Send Kira in first. Wait at least 1 GCD and then leap in.
Kira will still have threat, when her health gets below 60%, taunt him. You should be able to hold threat for the duration of battle. If not, just taunt again.

As far as his thunders, I would do it in this order:

The first one just Force Kick.
The second one Push him.
The Third one use Stasis.
Pop your Heroic Moment.
By the time the next one comes up, Force Kick should have finished it's cool down.
And Heroic Moment resets Stasis I think, so if he lives to cast a fifth, you can use stasis again. He should be dead by then.

Use Medpac when you need it.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, if I remember correctly, I had problems with Angral as well. He's rather tough.

 

[Mr Light]

Wow I had no idea there was so much strategy involved. I've been mashing buttons as they became available.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Honestly, that all sounds worse than it really is. Play long enough and that stuff becomes so second nature that it almost seems like button mashing.

Angral is notoriously difficult for new players. Like you, SWTOR was my first MMO and I started with a Guardian. He kicked my ass all over the place the first time I fought him. But I just finished leveling a Glowsticks with x12EXP. I think I was 29, was totally under geared, and didn't have any problem at all. Granted, I had a lot of Legacy buffs and what not, but my point is once you learn this stuff the game gets a lot easier.

I've always found it odd that SWTOR caters so heavily to new players, and does nothing to educate them about the ins and outs of MMO play. The tutorials are terrible. Then the game, quite early in some cases, throws you into these difficult fights were it expects you to know the more nuanced aspects of MMO gameplay.

Though Angral is about as bad as it gets for most people, in terms of solo/class content. The only class boss who I'd say is harder is the agent chapter 1 boss, but only if you're light side. And who plays a light-sided agent? It's bad enough if you're an op, but at least you can (sort of) keep Kali healed. But for snipers it's just brutal. I've know people who were light-sided but chose the DS option just to have the easier fight, which is too bad because the whole scene is probably the single best in the entire game.

So once you roll Angral, you're good to go.

 

[Reverend]

Actually, I played LS Agent....and Warrior and Hunter....but DS Consular. Go figure.
Honestly I'm generally very bad a role playing "evil" characters who do bad things just because they're an arsehole. In the case of the Agent, I just liked the idea of playing "the only sane person in the room".

One of the few exceptions to this was my Inquisitor, whom I started off playing more or less LS but became more and more sadistic and corrupted as the game progressed. That seemed to make sense to me.

 

[SPCTRE]

Honestly I'm generally very bad a role playing "evil" characters who do bad things just because they're an arsehole.

Well, characters like that are the least interesting bad guys, so it probably says something positive about your storytelling preferences

 

[Reverend]

I always thought villains with relatable (or at least comprehensible) motivations were far more preferable to moustache twirling, foaming-at-the-mouth caricatures of villainy. It's why I found it easier to play the a DS Inquisitor, it fits into the way the character is written and voiced.

The Smuggler and Hunter are easy to play as more or less neutral, with a personality leaning towards either the archetypal "rogue with a heart of gold", or jaded mercenary according to RP preference. On the other hand the Trooper can only be played as straight-arrow "good soldier" or a ruthless, arrogant arsehole. Anything else feels schizophrenic. The same applies to the Knight and the Consular.

The Agent is an interesting case because you can role play it fairly deep since you're almost always putting on a cover identity, even with your own people if you want to play the character as being a consummate spy and manipulator, to the point where only you know their true thoughts and motivations, regardless of what the character says (think Garek from DS9.)

This kind of approach can also work for a LS Warrior a lesser degree. That is if you're playing them as someone that sees most other Sith as petty fools and thinks to reform the Empire from within. Despite what game mechanics dictate I wouldn't call such a character a light-sider so much as..."lawful neutral" I suppose? The Sith equivalent to a Grey Jedi.

In the past I have tried playing just out and out evil characters in games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but I could never get into it. Mostly I feel the games are just built too much around a stark black and white morality system with the "good" options being the ones players are expected to take, where the "bad" ones tend to be written as afterthoughts.

There are some notable exceptions. Mass Effect was good at introducing moral ambiguity and ambivalence into decisions and indeed, the game generally worked best when shooting from the hip rather than blindly adhering to a pure paragon or renegade pattern.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I've always found it odd that SWTOR caters so heavily to new players, and does nothing to educate them about the ins and outs of MMO play. The tutorials are terrible. Then the game, quite early in some cases, throws you into these difficult fights were it expects you to know the more nuanced aspects of MMO gameplay.

Very nicely said, and I agree. I think in a lot of cases what makes it so difficult is the sudden steep curve in difficulty, in part due to that. It's like it throws one into the deep end, expecting one to survive when one doesn't sufficiently know enough to swim. All the while, the game tells you, Swim!

I liked the smuggler. Felt there was a lot of personality there.

 

[Mr Light]

As a first time MMO player, I am completely overwhelmed by all the crap being thrown at me despite the little tutorial screens. I've been playing it several hours a day for two weeks now and I understand the primary mechanics of gameplay now but I still don't know anything about playing with other people or Flashpoints or PVP or multi-player space missions I think that exists somewhere... or Strongholds or those millions different vendors you can buy crap from...

 

[Reverend]

Just use the group finder (bottom left of the screen, by the minimap) if you want to do a flashpoint. Technically there are npcs that you can get them from, but it's not necessary, they just unlock when you reach the right level.
That said once you get up to around level 30, there is a couple of FPs chained together with a quest called "Jedi Prisoner" than you won't want to miss. IIRC the quest giver is hanging around one of the fleet's outer elevators (forget which exactly.) You can do the associated FPs without this, but you won't get the story content, nor the extra XP & reward gear.

Since you're a tank you shouldn't have the queue for very long, just be sure to tell your group that it's your first time and they should let you know what tactics to use for each boss. Aside from that, just remember a tank's job is to generally jump into combat first, hold aggro and stay within the healer's range/line of sight so they can keep you alive while the two DPSers kill all the things.

 

[Mr Light]

I think I just got the Jedi Prisoner quest actually. I think I got it when I went to Balmorra where I am farting around instead of trying to fight Darth Angral again. It's a little too high level for me.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Actually, Jedi Prisoner is two parts (Two Flashpoints). The quest is rated at a higher level than the first part.

You can queue for the first FP at level 32 I think, even though the quest says level 38 or whatever. Of course, you'll want to talk to Master Oteg on the fleet before you do.

The first one, Taral V, isn't difficult; however, if you get into a group with vets, they're going to want to blaze through it. You can skip almost a 1/3 of the whole Flashpoint.

The second one, Maelstrom, isn't too difficult either, but a couple of the bosses have very specific mechanics that need to be followed or you'll get dead. The last boss can literally one-shot you, if you're not in good gear or aren't careful.

So they aren't the best Flashpoints to learn on. But, like Rev said, you definitely don't want to miss them.

The first solution is level up and do them yourself. You should be able to solo T5 by 45+ and Maelstrom by 50. But that's no fun.

So I'd start a second character in whatever class you want to do next finish its stater planet stuff and queue for Esseles (or Black Talon if Empire) a few times to get the hang of it. Both of those are really, really easy. Like, if you know what you're doing, solo them by level 13 easy. They're really meant to be played with two people plus companions, but the group finder puts you in a group of four anyway. The point being, you can't screw up.

The only downside is you'll inevitably end up with the "spaaaaaaacccccceeeeeeee baaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!!!!!!" guy. Both have a lot of dialog and take a long time to sit through and people get impatient. Just ignore them. If it really bothers those people, they can leave. It'll take you about 20 seconds to find a replacement.

After you do that, it also wouldn't hurt to then do Coruscant and get to 16 or so then queue for Hammer since it's the first real Flashpoint. Save for one group/pull right at the beginning (If the tank knows what he's doing, it won't be a problem.), it's pretty easy and it'll allow you to learn the ins and outs of a proper group/trinity make-up. That is damage, tank, heals.

If you don't want to make another character, then you can always queue for KDY at any time. You won't learn much in terms of group mechanics, since it's just an all-out blitzkrieg, but you'll at least experience playing with others. Before you do, make sure you get the intro quest. It's easy to miss. Go to Fleet and the Eastern elevator and go down to the Starfighter Launch Deck (I think it's the bottom floor.) There'll be a terminal with the quest giver off to the right as you exit the elevator. You get a free (albeit random) level-appropriate piece of purple gear for doing it.

Then of course there's always the option of practicing with some friends.

I think in a lot of cases what makes it so difficult is the sudden steep curve in difficulty, in part due to that.

Yes. In terms of "strength" of baddies (for lack of a better term), the difficulty curve is fairly linear. It's just that the later stuff requires to use a lot more of your tools--random button smashing won't cut it.

The irony is, a lot of experienced players think 99% of the leveling content is too easy. I would count myself among them now that I have a figgen clue. But when I was a n00b, I thought the game was hard as hell.

I liked the smuggler. Felt there was a lot of personality there.

Yup. The smug is a fantastic character. I prefer the female just because Kath is such a fantastic actor. She does the deadpan perfectly. The smug story isn't very good, but the outstanding dialog more than makes up for it.

Heh. Heh. Good times.

 

[sojourner]

The more I read this thread the more tempted I get to resub.

I first got to play the game in closed beta. I managed to play all of the starting planets during that and on live. It was interesting to see what didn't make it into the game.

I still think Korriban, the Sith starter planet is the best of the four.

 

[Mr Light]

So I leveled up to 34, and Angral is only 33. I went back. And got killed again. Sigh.

 

[Reverend]

So I leveled up to 34, and Angral is only 33. I went back. And got killed again. Sigh.

Is your & Kira's gear up to level? Have you been repairing it after you go down? What spec are you using?

It really shouldn't be that difficult...to be fair though, I'd already played Inquisitor and Agent up to level 50 before Knight, so I already had a reasonably firm grasp of the combat mechanics.

Worse case scenario; try and find someone willing to group up and help you over the hump.

 

[SPCTRE]

Worse case scenario; try and find someone willing to group up and help you over the hump.

And God forbid he'd ever do that in an MMORPG!

(I kid, I kid.)

 

[Mr Light]

yeah I know how to update my gear and repair it. that bastard just takes all my health too fast

I actually don't know how I would solicit someone to go on a mission with me lol I do 90% of it alone. The other day I stumbled across a guy willing to go with me and for 30 glorious minutes I actually had a partner!

 

[sojourner]

Are you sure you're using the interrupts? That fight becomes pretty easy if you do.

 

[Mr Light]

Force Push, Force Kick, Force Stasis? yes but I don't understand when I need to use them.

 

[sojourner]

When the opponent starts to cast that big attack. It'll tell you on the screen when he is casting something that takes time. This is the point in the game where you have to stop spending so much of the fight oohing and aahing at the cool effects and start paying attention to the information presented in all the different corners.