A Hundred Seagulls Swoop down to Kill a Jedi

With patch 1.1.2 live on the servers, after two whole days of testing on the beta server (cough, cough) everything is running smooth as silk (cough). Players are delighted to find that they are no longer getting credit for some of the kills they are making in Ilum! Not only that, warzones are randomly not giving credit for wins. As you can imagine, when you add issues like players being able to stealth cap objectives in warzones, and the drop rate of tokens in PvP bags seemingly diminished, players are really excited to get out there and PvP (cough,  cough).

I didn't bother handing in my weekly last week so I went out to Ilum to get my daily completed this morning and the above screenshot is what I experienced. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a pelican anywhere to save my ass (Finding Nemo fans will understand my comment).

I was able to get a couple of kills out by our base by tricking some unsuspecting Imperials into the range of the new turrets. Aside from that though, even after assembling a full operation group we were still outnumbered. Ilum at this stage involves the dominating faction holding center, farming the random spawns of armaments and destroying any groups that try to complete their dailies, and patch 1.1.2 has done nothing to fix it. If anything it's made it worse because the lag has increased. Even with a high end PC I was experiencing frame rates of as low as 4-5 fps during combat. Any time anything happened to do with the Ilum quest, the server would almost croak it. 

Despite all this I was able to complete my weekly Ilum mission as I had it 3/4 of the way completed from last week. I was also able to complete my weekly warzone missions along with my dailies. This took the better part of 4.5-5 hours. All that effort rewarded me with a total of 9 PvP bags. Every single bag gave me 15 Centurion Commendations, 7 Champion Commendations and a random amount of credits. Out of the 9 bags I received no tokens at all. The commendations, after completing both weeklies and two dailies, allow me to get no armor upgrades at all.

I might have just been unlucky this week and devs are swearing black and blue that the drop rate is still 25%. I guess time will tell but it seems like a lot of people in the SWTOR forums, myself included, are seeing zero drops of tokens.

The lag in itself, in my opinion, is enough reason to close the PvP section of Ilum down. The server is obviously not handling it and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. As far as PvP awards go, every day this PvP zone remains open, the dominating faction gains an unfair advantage in gear against the opposite faction. This affects all PvP, not only in Ilum. Once the damage is done it will be hard to fix.

Let us know how you went with PvP bags this week. have you found a decreased drop rate of tokens? Leave your comments below. We will be taking this feedback to the devs directly.

SWTOR Patching PvP with Duct Tape

Patch Notes for patch 1.1.2 were released yesterday and the patch has made its way onto the beta server for testing. There seams to be lots of confusion about the changes BioWare is making to PvP and specifically, PvP bags. Daily and weekly PvP missions award a PvP bag which has a random loot item in it and specific tokens. The random PvP item provided level 56 epic PvP gear and the tokens allowed you to save up and purchase level 51 gear. The randomness of this system caused all sorts of upset in the community as some players, due to luck, were able to gear up much faster than others. I found myself not PvPing at all on my level 50, as I've already got all my level 56 gear and the last three rewards I received were all duplicates of what I already have. So what they've done, in an attempt to fix this, are:

This is from patch notes 1.1.2:
The number of commendations in Champion and Battlemaster Bags has been greatly increased, and the direct item trade tokens appear less frequently in Champion Bags. This change allows players to obtain PvP gear at a steady and significantly more predictable rate with an occasional bonus.
Then Gabe clarified after an uproar int he forums with this post:
It's obvious from comments here that the patch note is not specific enough, so we'll get it updated before the patch goes to the live servers. Here are some specifics:

Champion Bags now always contain 15 Centurion Commendations AND 7 Champion Commendations. Battlemaster Bags now always contain 15 Champion Commendations. So Centurion gearing up progression for new level 50s is increased significantly and Champion gearing up progression will be steady.

We do still intend on adding more intro level 50 PvP items as well as change how Battlemaster Commendations operate toward the same 'steady' goal. It's just the scope of that change was more than could be done in a weekly patch as it included vendor changes, conversions to existing commendations on players already, etc.

That being said, the current interim 'gearing up' system will change significantly when we introduce Ranked Warzones (aiming for Game Update 1.2). Stay tuned for more details on that.

- Gabe

Georg further relieved some tension, explaining in even more detail:
Let me just point this out, since there's confusion about it.

The 1.1.2. bag changes have reduced the RNG element on drops DRAMATICALLY. Exactly what you guys asked for.

Instead of hoping to get specific item tokens, you now get (more) commendations that you can turn into an item of your choice. That is a lot more deterministic and reliable than opening bags and hoping for a token.

-- Georg

Now I must admit that I can see that these changes might make it worthwhile for me to go back and PvP again, as I can save up for the higher level tier gear even though I'll still be wasting a lot of Centurion Commendations. The new system gives me at least some reward. This doesn't alleviate the problems that still exist in open world PvP. At the moment the Tatooine PvP battlefield is a ghost town with no objectives and Illum is a gank or be ganked zone depending on what faction you are. The dominating faction controls the center and doesn't do anything else in the zone. There is no incentive to capture all the other bases when the oppossing faction is hardly making an appearance. 

I still believe that Illum needs to be re-thought and Bioware need to take a close look at other open world PvP zones in other popular MMOs for some ideas on balance and making the zone fun.

It's all about the color of your lightsaber

I recently got excited when I found out that you can get a white lighsaber crystal ingame. A player going by the name of CatchDeathwalker became legendary overnight after posting screenshots of the first white lightsaber ingame. His fame was short-lived when the developers confirmed that he had actually used an exploit to get that color crystal. Looking through history, it looks like CatchDeathwalker had actually found the color exploit in beta and then used it in live. According to the Devs, action has been taken on this idiot's account. If you're going to exploit, or use a known bug to get something that you shouldn't have, it's probably not wise to brag about it in the forums! It's definitely not a good idea to insult the intellect of other players for not being able to work the exploit out. Overnight CatchDeathwalker has gone from legendary to hated in both the SWTOR forums and on Reddit.

But what's all the fuss about? Why do people get so excited about the color of lightsabers? For as long as I can remember, all Star Wars games have had some way to change the color of your lightsaber. I still remember the first time I saw Luke's green saber in Return of the Jedi. It's funny but the color of that humming blade can make all the difference. I personally hate the yellow/black color crystal supplied with a pre-order of SWTOR.

Part of the reason why people are so up in arms about colors of crystals is that data mining sites originally posted lots of different color crystals. A whole rainbow variety was available, and every Jedi, myself included, was desperately seeking how to discover these elusive colors. I even know of players who dumped level 40 Republic Jedi Knight avatars for the sole reason of not being able to get a purple lightsaber! Considering that the only purple lightsaber that you see in the movies is Mace Windus, I am surprised that purple is a Sith-only option in SWTOR!

So I have started a list of the different color crystals you can get and how to find or craft them. I will keep updating the list as i find more information and please, if you have any, let me know.

Lightsaber Crystal Colors and Crafting Information

What we have here is a list of all of the currently available colors in the game, with information on how to get them (if we've found that yet). This information was gathered from both SWTOR official forums and Reddit, from a variety of different contributors.

This list is a work in progress and will be updated as more information is found.

Black Blue
Republic Rakata Gear

Black Red
Empire Rakata Gear

Black Yellow
Pre-order Bonus

Black Green
Obtained as bonus for Razer TOR hardware - http://www.razerzone.com/swtor

Blue
This crystal pattern is learnt from an artiface trainer. High quality versions of this crystal are discovered through reverse engineering.

Cyan
REPUBLIC ONLY!!! Obtained from Columi gear, listed as "Light Blue" [LTBLUE]. Champion versions can be Cyan, but not removable.

Green
This crystal pattern is learnt from an artiface trainer. High quality versions of this crystal are discovered through reverse engineering. 

Magenta
This is one of the rarest items in the game. It is not acquired through reverse engineering. Also listed as "Light Red" [LTRED], Magenta has a few steps to do before you can get this one. Gargath, on Hoth drops a +33 Power schematic. Belsavis's Worldboss's, The Primal Destroyer, drops a +33 Endurance, a +33 Crit schematic and a +33 Power schematic.. The following are the steps for the main ingredient. Thanks to Taskcommnda




Quote: Originally Posted by Taskcommnda
First Step - Tattooine: Click the base plate of any Water Vaporator (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Moisture_vaporator ) for a refresh buff (waterglass icon) -- I found mine north of Mos Ila, but they are scattered about. Note: they seem to be on a fairly long cooldown.
Second Step - Travel to the top of the really tall mountain on Hoth (X-907,Y 637) - The closest speeder is at the Leth Outpost and the mountain is clearly visible from here. Your buff will disappear and you will get the "Pure Shockfrozen Water" item placed into your inventory.
Third Step - Take a couple of level 50 friends and go to the Depleted White Adegan Crystal node on Ilum; to the west (-553,-5) and click it. A Force Ghost will spawn from the frozen pool (boss level 50 mob). A crystal will then spawn for the group a few yards away from the depleted crystal. Loot this for the Magenta Crystal.

note: the moisture vaporator's are around outpost Rennar in the Jundland area of tatooine

CONFIRMED: drops from a nearby crystal formation that appears after you defeat the force ghost, seems only 1 crystal per formation, though no one else in the group had the frozen water to summon the ghost we could only try it once.

Orange
High level Artifice (lvl 400), also drops from Corusant Worldboss, Nar Shadda Worldboss and Ulgo Siegebreaker on Alderaan [Note - "Normal" gems can be found in vendor sabers/gear as well]

Purple
EMPIRE ONLY!!! Tier 2 Empire Columi Gear, obtained via Hardmode Eternity Vault [Unconfirmed]. They can also be obtained from PvP sabers, but YOU CANNOT remove the crystal.

Red
This crystal pattern is learnt from an artiface trainer. High quality versions of this crystal are discovered through reverse engineering.

White
The white crystal "found" by CatchDeathwalker was confirmed by Bioware to be a fraud. It is not available inagme at the moment.

Yellow
This crystal pattern is learnt from an artiface trainer. High quality versions of this crystal are discovered through reverse engineering.

Let me know if you have any more information about how to get color crystals. I am going to update my 'New Players Guide to SWTOR' eBook soon and might include a complete list if I can put one together.

Taking Full Advantage of Bonus XP Leveling

Now that my main character is level 50 and fairly well geared, I'm spending some more time exploring other classes and their class stories. The problem is that I have already done all of the side quests three times now! So although I am enjoying the main class story lines, which are fresh and new for each class, I'm finding myself not wanting to repeat the hundreds of side missions yet again. 

To avoid them I'm playing avatars at the same time and taking full advantage of rested XP. As you can see in the screenshot here, I have three quarters of a bar available in rested XP. The green outline indicates how much double experience I will get. The double experience applies to all NPC kills but does not include the actual experience you get from the quests or from space. With three quarters of a bar of rested experience I will be getting double XP for all my kills for up to three levels. This is allowing me to skip a lot of the side quests on most of the planets for all my alt avatars.

To get rested experience, all you need to do is log out in a cantina or on your ship. Rested experience will cap out at a full bar. 

Other things I'm doing to avoid side missions are the daily space missions, which are quick and profitable, and also PvP. Spending all my warzone commendations on gear for for my alt characters and their companions makes up for the loot that I missed out on getting by choosing to not do side missions.

That's Not a Leprechaun Waiting for a Pot of Gold!

This is a common sight on the planet Ilum. You've just battled your way through enemy forces in hopes of obtaining some sort of epic reward. But when you reach the end of the dark tunnel you find a level 11 character using a 3rd party program to "AFK" loot the security chest that spawns about every 5 minutes.

Inside these chests, players can usually find reward items which scale in level or value to the planet's difficulty. Armor pieces, weapons, stims, or sometimes just a good amount of credits can be found inside these chests.

Many players have voiced their displeasure with what is happening here. On Keller's Void, an East Coast US server, there are even stories circulating about a character who made it all the way to level 50 just by entering warzone PvP matches and going AFK in the corner until the match was completed, gaining all the experience the players who participated in the battle would recieve. Obviously this person pictured here rode the back of another player, perhaps even of their own creation, simply to "camp" the security chest, robbing anyone who actually fights their way to it of any riches it may have inside.

What can BioWare do to prevent this from happening? It is quite obvious that a 3rd party program is being employed here as the chest is opened and looted the very second it spawns into the world. Didn't BioWare state that they would not tolerate the use of 3rd party programs in this manner shortly before the game's release? These items are ending up on the Galactic Marketplace, making these "credit farmers" a fortune.

Here are suggestions from some of the players I have spoken to :

- Spawn a "boss" NPC along with the security chest every 5 minutes which would very easily dispatch any character not of the appropriate level in the vicinity. This boss could also hold the "key" to the box itself making it impossible to open unless the key is obtained from the NPC.

- Put a level requirement on the security chest, making it impossible to open unless the character is 5 levels above or below the items actually inside the chest itself.

- Put a level requirement on the entire planet, making it impossible to set foot into the areas where these chests spawn until a good portion of the character's class quest is completed.

Please feel free to comment and give your suggestions as well. Nothing is more frustrating than finding someone who is obviously away from keyboard taking away your opportunity to gain items which may help you accomplish your goals in Star Wars the Old Republic.

Defeat Bonethrasher!

This is not your average Rancor!

Bonethrasher is the first boss you will encounter in the Karagga's Palace Operation. Once you enter the operation you will need to clear your way through the guards and into the front door where you are met with a bit of "Hutt Hospitality". Karagga the Hutt will quickly pull the trap door out from underneath you (just like when Luke Skywalker confronted Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi). You will fall onto a platform surrounded by a pit of poisonous liquid which will kill your character off instantly if you fall into it or are knocked back. A set of four creatures await you at the onset of the fight. With crowd control and focused fire, they are really not much of a challenge.

Once the creatures are defeated, Bonethrasher will make his way into the arena. He's big, mean, and hungry! During the fight, unfortunate Gamorean Guards will be thrown into the pit to keep Bonethrasher "well fed", giving him an increased damage buff. Also unique to this boss is an ability that will not allow him to be taunted. His aggro will spread randomly to different members of the group and you will need to stay close to the center of the platform or he will simply swing at you, knocking you into the poison around the stage.

Your best bet is to keep behind him as best as you can. When he turns to face someone, you will then know where his interest has turned to. During the fight he will actually pound you into the floor, pretty much planting you in place and you will actually need to crawl out to keep battling.

This is a pretty entertaining fight but you will need quite a bit of DPS to take him down. The inability to taunt him makes it quite challenging, and having to constantly stay on the move really makes it hard to lay down alot of damage.

He has a 7 minute enrage timer so you will need to defeat him before then or become his next meal.

Security Key Vendor FTW!

Account security is a big concern on BioWare's part. I do not know how many times I have heard someone say "my WoW account got hacked."

By adding an extra layer of account security via security key, BioWare has insured themselves of alot less problems and having to retrieve accounts for players. Players also can rest assured knowing it will be that much harder to have their accounts hacked into.

The Security Key Generator itself is a small keychain sized device which generates a 7 digit security code required when logging into the SWTOR launcher. It is powered by a simple watch size battery which can be easily replaced by opening the actual key generator. There is also a smart phone application that can be used.

As incentive to use this extra layer of protection, BioWare has added in-game Security Key Vendors that can only be accessed if you have logged onto your account using a security key.

There is a unique Dancer's Uniform which can be modded, a collection of extra Companion Customizations, a Rythym Augmentation Droid, which will play music for you for 20 seconds after being summoned, and my personal favorite, Fleet Passes.

Fleet Passes can be purchased from the Security Key Vendor for 1,000 credits each and they stack in your inventory. They are bound to your character so they are exclusive to those using a security key to log in. They have only a one hour cooldown as opposed to the Emergency Fleet Pass ability which takes 16 hours. These make it much easier and quicker to get back to your respective faction's hub for quick access to flashpoints, storage, vendors, the Galactic Market, or even just a rest area to log out.

In my opinion, the Fleet Passes alone make it very worthwhile to use the security key option when logging into your account. I do also enjoy the Rythym Augmentation droid despite it's 55,000 credit price.

By adding these incentives to use the security key option, BioWare has probably saved themselves alot of headaches and have added a few very convenient items for players who will have exclusive rights to the Security Key Vendors. They can be found on your faction's Fleet Hub, and some of the orbital stations like the one found on Ilum.

Imperial / Republic Fleet Quickly Becoming Everyone's Hang Out.

It did not take long for players to start to congregate on Fleet for both factions. It is the place to be for Galactic Market buying and selling, along with a wide assortment of vendors, quest givers, Flashpoints, and trainers. Fleet has been a very lively place. So much in fact that you may need to turn off the option to display other player's nameplates to increase performance. The cantina band generates music which echoes throughout the hallways, giving an almost stadium like feel to the entire place. My guildies danced away on top of one of the bar counters as they waited for group members to ready for the next Flashpoint.

Was Ilum and SWTOR's Endgame PvP Content Rushed?

Since launch, the planet Ilum has caused much concern for BioWare and the players of Star Wars the Old Republic. From overall performance issues, loopholes in the daily PvP quests, to "bots" farming high end loot chests while away from keyboard, Ilum has raised alot of issues with the player base.

With yesterday's 1.1 patch, players are no longer able to "trade off" with the other faction in order to complete their PvP daily quests. They now HAVE to PvP to complete the PvP daily.

As a result, players from the Sith Empire have now found another loophole. It became apparent that they were farming Valor (PvP Rank) by simply completing quests while inside the actual Republic Base. Some players made it all the way to rank 60 in just one day by taking advantage of a mechanic that was not intended to exist. Sith players going inside of the Republic Base were to be killed almost instantly, but this was not the case, and the damage has been done. In turn, there was nothing similar for the Republic players to take advantage of.

Many Republic players are claiming that the gap has already been breached, and many of the Imperial players have literally cheated their way to the top by taking advantage of this exploit. They are now able to use alot of the top end gear, leaving the Republic players months behind.
Players have threatened to cancel their accounts, and some are demanding a roll-back to make the stage even once again.

Today, in response, BioWare is implementing an emergency patch which will eliminate Imperial players from being able to go inside of the Republic Base without immediate death. Whether they take action or not on those players who took advantage of this exploit remains to be seen. It is uncertain at this time if they will roll back Valor ranks on these players as well.

Has the damage been done? Will the players involved see their Valor ranks rolled back? Is it fair to leave it as is?

With any MMO it will always be a work in progress. Some are calling yesterday's 1.1 patch the worst patch in MMO history. While myself being a former Star Wars Galaxies player, I can definitely beg to differ. However, there are many players who are dedicated to PvP and are quite upset over what took place yesterday. Hopefully BioWare will take some sort of action to even out the scales and make the players happy.

With this being said, do you feel SWTOR's end game PvP content or even the planet Ilum as a whole were rushed to live? Would more beta time have revealed some of these problems before the player base got involved? Should the PvP on Ilum have been instanced like the warzones?

More to come as we see what BioWare has in store with the emergency patch going in right now at the time of this post.