Bonus XP and maxing out companion affection with gifts

This post is a bit of an update on what I'm doing in SWTOR at the moment, including information on using bonus XP and low level gifts to boost up a new companions affection quickly.

With the server transfers opening up last week I finally managed to get two of my other characters over to my main server. The characters I have right now are:
Level 50 Miraluka Jedi Consular Shadow who is blind and cannot be seen
Level 50 Jedi Guardian who looks just like me, or a fitter version of me
Level 40 Smuggler gun-slinger with a cyborg eye-patch for the win
Level 20 Miraluka Sith Warrior, and I'm sick of people asking me where I got my helmet from that looks like glasses
Level 22 Trooper Comando, and why does anybody like to heal? I am finding this character almost painful
... and a couple of level 1s.

They are all on the same server (now). What I'm planning on doing is having one of each style spec. So my Jedi Knight is a Guardian and my Sith Warrior is a Marauder. My Jedi Consular is Shadow and my Sith Inquisitor will be a Sorcerer. That's the plan. So in the end I will have played every style of advanced class.

PvP vs PvE

Pre-patch 1.2 I leveled my Shadow up to 50 mainly through PvP. But post-1.2 I'm finding the going is a bit slow. I am having a blast on my Sith Warrior and it's real fun to PvP with but the PvP rewards have been nerfed to the extent that it's a lot faster to PvE level, especially if you're stacking your bonus XP like I am.

Stacking bonus XP

What I mean by stacking bonus XP is that I'll let a character sit and max out their bonus XP for a few days whilst I play with another character. With five characters on the go it's really easy to spend 100% of your game time leveling with bonus XP. PvP is way slower than this.

Note to self: remove the Ratghoul customization if you plan on making out with your companion

Maxing affection with new companions

The other thing I'm doing with all my alts is maxing out affection with a companion as soon as I get them. Using the Companion Items Vendor on my fleet station, I start by purchasing 50 or 60 level 1 gifts which that particular companion loves. (Check what they like in our Companion Lists) These cost 200 each. I pop that gift in the number 1 spot and turn on a repeating macro on my G19 keyboard, so that every four seconds a gift is presented to the companion. So in four minutes they get 60 gifts they like. As soon as they reach around 3000 affection they stop liking the level 1 gifts and then require the level 2s. Another 40 or so level 2s will take your companion to just over 5000 affection.

What I found after leveling 3 level 50s (2 in live and 1 on beta) is that at the end of all your mission lines, most companions are sitting on 4000 - 5000 affection. By starting them off with the cheap gifts from the vendor and getting them to the 5000 mark before you even start using them on missions, means that at the end when you do reach level 50 they will be maxed or close to it.

Every companion costs about 60-70 000 to get started in this way. So this is impractical for a new player. But anybody who has got level 50 alts knows how easy it is to make 60-70K. To try and bump them up once they have reached 6-7000 affection with gifts ends up costing a lot more because the higher level gifts cost more. Best case scenario, if you're getting your gifts through missions, you're looking at 2-2.5K each. After you have topped up your companion to about 5000 affection, then take them to the cantina or ship and start their missions. You will see your affection go up approximately an extra 1000 just from the first group of missions.

Sith Warrior Companion Update

I've noticed over the last week, since game Update 1.2 came out, our companion pages are getting quite a beating. It seems that every man and his tantuan are trying to get the most out of our companion gifts sections, because of the new presence buff and other unique buffs you get from maximizing your companion's affection. To make it easier on you we've been updating all of our companion pages.

Today we've just published a new version of our Sith Warrior companion page. Sith Warrior is our most popular page next to Sith Inquisitor. To get the most out of your game experience as a Sith Warrior, check it out now.

To all you Republic players that are sick of getting your ass whipped in PvP, Sith Warrior might prove to be beneficial as your next character.

Attention Smugglers. Your Companion List Page has been Updated

Some of our most popular content are the lists of information about companions. Each one has been getting an overhaul over the last few weeks so that they look better and it's easier to find what you need. The Smuggler Companion List has just been updated. On it you'll find out all of the character information about each Smuggler companion, where you get them and what gifts they like.

Here's the section on Guss Tuno, the last companion for the Smuggler class.

Guss Tuno

Character Information

Gender: Male

Species: Mon Calamari

Age: Unknown

Gameplay Information

First Encountered On: Hoth

Becomes a Companion: In the class mission called Trick or Treat

Companion Type: Healer

Armor: Medium Armor

Crew Skill: +10 Underworld trading Efficiency, +2 Critical Investigation

Primary Stat: Cunning

Primary Weapon: Blaster Pistol

Secondary Weapon: Scattergun

Likes: Mocking Force users, profit from those who can afford it, a good scam

Dislikes: Killing innocents, risking your neck for nothing

Gift Preferences for Guss Tuno

Love	Underworld Goods
Favorite	Luxury Technology
Like	Imperial Memorabilia Courting Republic Memorabilia Cultural Artifact Trophy
Indifferent	Weapon Military Gear

Tips

Guss is an almost comical companion. He can be quite useful as a healer, especially in the end game daily missions for most non-healing smugglers. He describes himself as a blank slate and is a little too eager to please sometimes.

Guss Tuno Background

Guss Tuno prefers the underworld lifestyle's potential for material riches. In a perfect galaxy, Guss would spend his retirement lounging in a heated swimming pool surrounded by exotic beauties while consuming a steady diet of fresh fish and expensive cocktails.

Although he often speaks before he thinks, Guss has talked his way out of certain death many times. He often uses his minimal knowledge of Jedi-and the lightsaber he stole from his old Master-to fool gullible criminals into leaving him alone. When that fails, Guss reveals he's a much better shot than anyone would believe.

SWTOR Legacy Companion Unlocks in patch 1.2

Bioware is giving us a real reason to get in the good books with our companions. As of patch 1.2 increasing your companions' affection to 10 000 unlocks a unique enhancement for that specific class of companion. There are a total of five different companion classes and they are healer, melee damage, ranged damage, melee tank and ranged tank. Also, every single companion you cap affection with grants you 10 bonus Presence with all your characters under your Legacy name. So theoretically you can eventually have a default 400 bonus Presence on all your characters, if you play all eight classes and max out affection with all the (40) companions.


Somehow I think people are going to be spending a lot more time chasing companion gifts!


After doing some testing I discovered that the bonus I unlocked by maxing out Kira's affection on my Jedi Knight was applied to every other character I created, on both Republic and Sith sides. For Kira it was a bonus to surge and although it applies to all characters, the bonus surge can only be unlocked once. The Presence, on the other hand, can be unlocked on every companion and every class.

In the notes about what is unlocked is says "You may only receive this bonus for one healer/melee tank (etc) companion". It took me a bit of research to figure out that what this means is that if you unlock a healer companion on your Jedi Knight, you get the bonus for all the characters you create. It is not stacked or re-applied when you unlock another healer companion though on a separate character.

Here you can see the bonus surge applied to a naked level one Trooper. It is clearly not present in patch 1.1. Interestingly, base DPS with no weapon equipped seems to be higher in 1.1.

So, let's look at the bonuses that you get with each class of companion.

Achieving maximum affection with a healer grants you a bonus to the total healing you receive, increases your heroic moment by 12 seconds and reduces the cooldown by 1 minute. (Also grants 10 bonus Presence to all characters)

Surge rating goes up. Heroic moment goes up by 12 seconds and cooldown goes down by 1 minute.

Critical Hit Chance gets a boost for ranged damage companions as well as the usual increase of heroic moment by 12 seconds and reduction of cooldown by 1 minute.

With the melee tank companions you get a bonus to your accuracy (plus the usual).

With ranged tank it's the usual plus a Max Health bonus.

Here's a summary:

Campion class	Bonus*	Heroic Moment*	Cooldown*	Presence
Healer	Healing Received	Increased by 12 seconds	Reduced by 1 minute	+10 bonus
Melee Damage	Surge rating
Ranged Damage	Critical Hit Chance
Melee Tank	Accuracy
Ranged Tank	Max Health

* Is only unlocked once

All this means that getting on your companions' good sides is even more important than ever. To review the gift preferences of companions, check out our information pages.

Trooper Companion Information Updated

Troopers, it's your turn: our Companion List information for Trooper Companions has now been updated to our latest style of presentation. Character information, Gameplay information and Gift Preferences are all included.

Sith Inquisitor Companion Details in Full

If you want to romance Andronikos Revel, or maybe Ashara Zavros is more your style, you'll need to know what gifts can give you extra mileage. We've updated our Companion List information for the Sith Inquisitor class, with the gift preferences information and a whole lot more.

Go forth, you Force-attuned, Empire aligned players and get to know your companions! 

The Old Republic Toys for Christmas

So we know all you geeks have got a Collector's Edition or the Digital Deluxe, so what does that leave Santa to get you for Christmas? Me, being the lucky guy I am, married a Star Wars fan and my legendary wife found this Star Wars geek the perfect gift for the Old Republic fan that has everything ...

My very own Bastilla Shan figure! Now I will have Battle Meditation with me all the time!

For those of you who don't know, Bastilla Shan was in The Knights of the Old Republic and is the perfect gift for any Star Wars fan who is into the expanded universe. I had no idea that this figure was available until my wife pointed her out and although she let me take photos of it for this post, Bastilla Shan is now giving Batle Meditation to all of our Christmas decorations.

While we're on the topic of Christmas, I know that it's really exciting to spend a lot of time in your new found home in the Galactic Republic, but don't forget about those other people in your life over this festive time. Put reality first for a Merry Christmas!

New Players Guide to SWTOR eBook Out Now

So for some of you you're already in the game and probably not reading this! For others you are checking to see if you've been granted access in one of the random waves, just waiting to get your feet wet in the game! While you're waiting, or while you're learning the ropes, might I suggest you download this eBook I put together to help new SWTOR players understand the core elements of the game.

Whether you are a veteran MMO player or completely new to this genre of PC gaming, this guide will help you get started and understand the key concept of Companions and their role in the SWTOR galaxy. This guide covers getting set up with the game including the right hardware, a look at the background story and how to choose a server and guild. Key terms and roles for characters like DPS, tank and healer are introduced and inside information gained from over 250 hours of gaming in Beta is set out. The eBook then goes through the options for setting up a character before explaining and detailing the Advanced Class options. Complete lists of information about Companions available to each class is provided including their preferred gifts, which will help you build reputation, unlocking new and exciting Missions. Crafting with Companions, upgrading equipment and mods, keyboard and mouse controls, navigation, tips on Missions, combat, targeting, using Companions in combat and setting up Quick Shots is all explained, plus information on Datacrons and full Maps to planets is included.

Get set for your Galactic adventure! On sale for $2.99 now ... and besides, if you've been enjoying this site pre-launch, this is a great way to support us and in return get some useful advice for yourself.

The eBook is available on Amazon right now and can be read on iPad, iPhones, other smartphones, Kindle, Kobo, Nook and other eReaders.

SWTOR Jedi Knight Full Companion List and Gifts

To say T7-01 annoyed the crap out of me in Beta in an understatement! He had (it's now gone) this action called grapple that would pull what he was attacking to him. So I would jump to a NPC with force leap, then he would grapple it and I would have to run back after it. Man I wanted to stick my saber through his motorvater! As soon as I was joined by Kira (my second Companion) I never looked back; with my avatar semi tanking and her DPS killing stuff, was a blast! There is something about 2 Jedi out fighting side by side that I love!

Check out our full list of Jedi Knight Companions here:

SWTOR Companion Gifts: An Explanation

It's getting close to Christmas, the time of gift-giving. In SWTOR, the benefits reaped from giving gifts to your companions are immense. Not only do gifts grant extra reputation with your companions, and possibly unlock romantic interludes, but every new level you reach with your companion unlocks a series of very simple quests which are often just a conversation. These conversations can grant massive amounts of experience really fast. I found myself jumping through half a level in five minutes when unlocking a series of companion quests. There are multiple levels of gifts which grant multiple levels of companion reputation and you can either purchase these companion gifts from vendors in major cities or you can acquire them through crew missions from professions like Treasure Hunting. Make sure you give your companions the rights gifts though. Every companion has particular preferences. Some gifts will grant lots of reputation and others will grant no reputation at all. You will waste a gift if you give it to the wrong companion.

Gifts are easily identified in the game as companion gifts. They come with a deep purple label and a category:

Weapon
Military Gear
Courting
Luxury
Technology
Republic Memorabilia
Imperial Memorabilia
Cultural Artifact
Trophy
Underworld Goods

For each category there area variety of different items. I discovered the hard way ingame and wasted a lot of credits giving my companions the wrong items. If you use the gift system through leveling, it will help you get to 50 a lot faster as it will unlock easy quest storylines.

For every companion I have listed which categories of gifts they each like or are indifferent to. They are listed on the Companion List pages. Check it out here.

SWTOR Bounty Hunter Full Companion List and Gifts

Bounty Hunters really scored big when it comes to companions. Their first companion, Mako, is a pleasant enough companion who gives you ranged healing or even a little bit of DPS right off the bat. They also get Blizz; I mean who doesn't want a Jawa tank hanging out with them?! On top of that, they get a Devaronian. If that doesn't say bad-ass when you enter a room, what does?! The companion combination alone makes we want to play Bounty Hunter early on. I got to mess around with it a bit in beta and I loved the gameplay style. I have no doubt that we'll see our fair share of Bounty Hunter players in the galaxy.

Check out a full list of information about the companions for Bounty Hunter, including the gifts that do and don't work for them, here:

SWTOR Full Trooper Companion List and Gifts

The order in which Trooper's gain access to their companions gives them a lot of gameplay style options early on. The first companion is DPS and the second heals, which allows the player to settle into a gameplay style by around level 15. Using a DPS/tanking companion provides a very different gameplay than tank/DPS healer. DPS/tank with a healer might take a little longer to get through quests and mobs, but you definitely die a lot less, whereas using two DPS or even a semi-tank/DPS combo might allow you to kill things faster, but there are a lot of circumstances where you're waiting for the resurrect timer due to miscalculations or accidentally attacking more than one elite.

The Trooper companion line-up has good variety and there is a hot chick as the healer which is great for players wanting a romance storyline with a female character. Not only does companion affection help your relationship with that companion, it also unlocks valuable conversations which grant a lot of experience. I didn't learn the value of gifts to companions until I had already reached high level 40s on beta.

Check out a compilation of everything I have been able to gather about Trooper companions and their gifts here:

SWTOR Full Sith Inquisitor Companion List and Gifts

Sith Inquisitor has a different layout of Companions than its counterpart of Jedi Consular. As a Sith Inquisitor you don't get access to a Companion healer until the planet Hoth, which is at around level 35-ish. Some of the bosses that you will have encountered before then are quite a challenge without a healer Companion. A sith Inquisitor has to rely on being a healer for themself and using a tank companion, or using a Companion like Ashara Zavros and relying on burst damage to take opponents down quick. Playing with a healer Companion is very different than playing with a DPS Companion. The other challenge for Sith Inquistors is that if they play a male character and they want to play around with the Romance options with a Companion, the only female Companion option is Ashara Zavros and she doesn't like dark side choices. She can be bought over with gifts. I highly recommend not trying to romance Khem Val ... could be a little freaky!

I have put together details about the five Sith Inquisitor Companions and all their preferences for gifts right here:

Full Jedi Consular Companion List and Gifts

I just finished SWTORFace's Companion list and today we will look at the Jedi Consular Companion List. Knowing what your companion likes and hates will help you a lot ingame. We have a full list of gifts with every companion too. I found Nadia Grell to be a good companion but my God, her complaining! It was like dating a dumb chick in high school ...

Companions are going to play a massive part in your experience in SWTOR. Whether you use your companion to craft, or gather, or to tank for you, or even heal you, you'll never be alone. Much more than a simple pet, companions will share their opinions during your experience and judge you on your decisions.

You'll be able to customize their look and all their armor and weapons in the same way that you can customize your own look and gear. During your journeys in SWTOR you'll even get custom items for specific companions.

Every character, by the time they've finished the main story line, will have access to five companions in total. Every class has five different companions which are unlocked as you progress. Whether you choose to journey with a companion because of their special skills, or just because you like their company, it's totally up to you. Some players may even choose their main character's class based on the companions connected to a class, but the five different companions attached to each class represent one from each of the five skill sets (DPS, tank, heals, etc).