The Old Republic for Dummies

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Ok, I just learned the hard way that putting BH mods in a Tionese piece isn't going to help you. There goes 60 BH comms down the drain..oops.

My 36% crit rating dropped to 31 after I did all that..pretty pissed about it actually.

 

i.e. Rakata sets aren't adaptable.

[Lynk Former]

Ok, I just learned the hard way that putting BH mods in a Tionese piece isn't going to help you. There goes 60 BH comms down the drain..oops.

My 36% crit rating dropped to 31 after I did all that..pretty pissed about it actually.

 

i.e. Rakata sets aren't adaptable.

I put my bh mods into my rakata gear (and columi chest)... no downgrade in stats.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Ok, I was wrong - but something IS messed up. My critical chance keeps fluctuating between 31.whatever to 36.whatever and then back from area to area.

So a bug maybe??

I was all p.o'ed cause I thought the Tionese hat had some sort of cap on it.

 

No... You can get a set of recruit gear for free. Go to the fleet and see the vendor in the PvP section. Even if you don't PvP get that gear just to sell it for credit. To upgrade that gear, then yeah you have to PvP. You can find some on GTN, but you have to have the proper valor level to wear it.

 

I don't have a 50 Twi'lek, but I will check the Mirialan, I think I have one at level 50.

 

Didn't they do away with that? I know both my first two 50's did it and sold the token for the 320k. But I just tried it with my knight and all he got was the gear set and no option for the token. Then selling it only gives you 1 credit per piece.

[mimartin]

1 check your buffs/stims. That is likely where the difference is from.

 

2. likely on the recruit gear. Another another un-noted change, like the nerf to sawbones patch 1.4 that killed our sound clues.

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

Ok, this looks a good thread to start for me. hehe So I know hardly anything about MMO's, but am I huge fan on the KOTOR series (they are my fav games). I've been putting off checking out TOR for a long time because.... well it's not KOTOR III and I really haven't had a computer capable of running it. Coming from the KOTOR series, will I feel right at home in TOR? Will I be able to jump right in and have fun? Will it be overly complicated for me to figure things out?

[adamqd]

It wont be hard to pick up at all; You don't need any prior MMO experience.

 

As for it being a worthy to successor to KotOR... That's to be found in the eye of the beholder.

[Tommycat]

Ok, this looks a good thread to start for me. hehe So I know hardly anything about MMO's, but am I huge fan on the KOTOR series (they are my fav games). I've been putting off checking out TOR for a long time because.... well it's not KOTOR III and I really haven't had a computer capable of running it. Coming from the KOTOR series, will I feel right at home in TOR? Will I be able to jump right in and have fun? Will it be overly complicated for me to figure things out?

 

If you can handle Mass Effect, you should be right at home with SWTOR. If you like KotOR, and hate MMO's, I would even go as far as to say that you are more likely to like it than an MMO fan is. Some things may be tough, but fortunately there are a whole mess of people who are willing to help out the new person(sure some are jerks, but you get that). The use of powers and specials is a bit more tricky than KotOR. But you can customize most of it. It feels more like an RPG with multiplayer aspects, than an MMO with RPG aspects.

[Eefluxx]

What Tommycat says is true.

 

I didn't want to play it because it was a MMO and since I started I have only missed two days due to the servers being down till the time I had to go to work.

 

I will say I got sucked into the MMO part of operations and joining a guild. I only joined just to see what it was like and after a slow start I found I enjoyed it because I was with the right people.

 

I made the mistake of not looking on here to see where everyone was which is on the Harbinger and wound up on the Shadowlands server. I have since made friends on there that I would feel bad about leaving abruptly just to join the Harbinger. Not saying I won't eventually roll a toon on the Harbinger just not likely anytime soon.

 

There are jerks in the game as well as a ton of nice people who will help and understand if you are just learning the MMO aspects of it. With most guilds they don't seem to care what guild you are part of they will help you just to help.

 

I will say if you are going to try to just do the story to watch out for PVP jerks on a PVE server. I have come across some on the empire side who lie in wait in stealth for a Republic player (usually a lower level) to be doing one of his missions and use an AOE (area of effect) on a target and then they throw themselves into the AOE and get the player flagged for PVP. Then pretty much ambush him. But in response to the action of not only being reported a bunch of different guild members on the planet joined up and kicked their butts for doing it.

 

Its a fun game with many things still to be worked out. And there seem to be more good people than bad people playing it.

 

I will continue to sub since I like doing operations but F2P is perfect for those who just want the story.

 

Edit funny story:

 

I did my first Hard mode Flashpoint the other day. This came 2 days after I was invivted to an OPs by my guild and they realized I was undergeared and I had to drop out. They apologized profusly and promised they would do some missions to get me geared for the other missions they were doing. I assured them it was no problem and I wasn't mad and a day later was just asking casually what kind of missions I could do with the gear I had.

 

The same person who inivited me the other day invited me again to join them on a mission I could do and would help me get better gear. Promise kept.

 

They use Teamspeak and I don't have a mic so I could only hear them and type my responses in the group chat. What makes it funny is the Tank in the group was someone we didn't know, wasn't part of the guild and wasn't on teamspeak. After halfway thru the FP I began to think this Tank thought I was crazy and my 2 guildmates were rude.

 

I imagined him/her sitting there saying to themself "2 of my group don't even talk and the one that does just blurts random crap from time to time" He/she was explaining one part of the mission at the same time my guildmates were telling me over the headset the same thing. Finally one of my guildmates realized the same thing I was thinking and told her what was going on explaining they had me on teamspeak but I didn't have a mic and they were helping me get geared up and that I was basically a noob.

 

Once he found that out he was offering advice for my gunslinger as to what shot I should start out with and telling me what drops I should pick need for and everything.

 

So its somewhat funny but also shows it doesn't matter about the guild entirely and how helpful alot of people can be.

 

One last tip I came across: As a male player and male toon I rarely get anyone to help with a heroic or join a group. But a female player or someone playing as a female toon can ask and 8 people are ready and willing to help.

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

If you can handle Mass Effect, you should be right at home with SWTOR. If you like KotOR, and hate MMO's, I would even go as far as to say that you are more likely to like it than an MMO fan is. Some things may be tough, but fortunately there are a whole mess of people who are willing to help out the new person(sure some are jerks, but you get that). The use of powers and specials is a bit more tricky than KotOR. But you can customize most of it. It feels more like an RPG with multiplayer aspects, than an MMO with RPG aspects.

 

Thanks guys, I think I will give it a shot here soon. How long does the download usually take or should I just order a 10 dollar copy off Amazon or something? Yes, I've played Mass Effect and love it, but I played on 360 and I do prefer the KOTORs on the Xbox, is it possible to map most of the controls for TOR on a 360 controller? Or will it feel perfectly ok with a keyboard and mouse. For KOTOR on PC I could never get my character to move with the mouse so I just mapped it to the arrow keys. haha I'm hoping I can figure out if I can map the KOTORs on the 360 controller as well cause that would be the best of both worlds for that game as well.

[CrisG]

I just finsished the download a day ago and it took a day. I own the Collectors Version but decided to do the download as it is the most recent and already patched....

 

others can give you more info on your other questions, it is going to be different from KoTOR as you are much freer to do things, the KoTOR games combat is very tracked..this is more open and a lot of fun. I like them both but this is really a lot of fun and a huge universe to explore ..you get to see some worlds that have never been modelled in any game title yet.

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

Alright, bit the bullet, it's downloading now. I started downloading 10 o clock last night it's probably 1/4 there. Im thinking for my first character I go for a Dark Jedi Sentinel. Any reason I shouldn't do a Dark Jedi? Or should I just be either a good Jedi or Sith. Also, is there restrictions on class on what kind of lightsaber you use, whether it be single blade, dual-wield, or double-blade? What are the restrictions on color as well?

[CrisG]

I started with a Jedi on the light side, i hear the Dark side is fun and the story interesting. the one negative i hit was I tried to be a tank and it was just too much work and punishing..so a Sentinel should be a good choice, the bosses are tough at each general level as you advance but if you have skills in combat i am sure you will do fine.

 

Re the Saber, you level up and have access to limited weapons at the start and then they improve over time, along with the equipment, there is a huge range of equipment you can buy or find or loot, i dont want to spoil your discovery of the way things work but you will have a chance to try out a lot of equipment as you progress. Others are much more knowledgable about this, but that is my response to your question about that.

 

You gain, have to pay for, skills to allow you to weild the two sabres and the double blade so you should start gathering credits in the learning area right away as the skills are expensive in the in game currency. You will pick up on it soon i am sure, and anyone here will help they were very helpful to me. I wont be back in the game myself until Monday or so but if i do see you i will say hi..and help if i can. Be sure to post your avatar name and i would suggest joining one of our guilds they are a lot of fun and you will need to do group activities to advance past things....there is a lot you can do SP but you will need help at some points and people here are great...

 

It is a really remarkable game world and a lot of fun and it does expand our chance to see the Star Wars universe a lot. The in game videos and movies are superb and they managed to almost seamlessly match the game vids and the actual game graphics so it feels very realistic. I am just coming back after about six months away so i will have to remember a lot too.

 

There are special data chrons hidden around the world that give special abilities and game story but they are hard to find. They give off a glow you can see as you explore..if you see a coloured glow on some high ledge or place that is usually a data chron, there are several at least in each world.

 

Here is what they look like in the game...

 

 

they are hidden, often very well, inside too..

 

 

If i got something wrong hopefully some of the "elders" will correct me, i just wanted to welcome you and encourage you as you wait for the download, it takes time and there was a recent patch too that will load up, 1.5 i think it is. they are fixing things all the time and adding new content and new events.

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

Thanks ChrisG, I think my character name will probably have Bologna in the title. Screen name I signed up with was JTrials. Not sure where I'm at on the download really, I have about 4.04G of Main Assets 1. Not sure how far along that is. haha I probably won't start until Monday or so either.

[CrisG]

hi and cool. you can just call me Cris I am played quite a bit early this year and this group is very nice, they revolved around the Walking Carpets, (Jedi) and the Imperial Bastards (Imperial) and they have a forum now as well as this one for orgainziing group events...here: http://thewalkingcarpets.com/ if you want to join either guild sign up here and over there, and introduce yourself once you get your character name and info.

 

the rules are simple and good for the Casual Alliance and i think it sounds like a great way to share in the group experiences which are an important part of the game.

 

Be sure to start your play on the Harbinger server, there were a LOT of servers in the start but now there are fewer and they are consolidated. Have fun and be sure to ask any questions, people are very friendly here.

 

You got a ways to go, the total game is almost 20 GB enjoy

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

hi and cool. you can just call me Cris I am played quite a bit early this year and this group is very nice, they revolved around the Walking Carpets, (Jedi) and the Imperial Bastards (Imperial) and they have a forum now as well as this one for orgainziing group events...here: http://thewalkingcarpets.com/ if you want to join either guild sign up here and over there, and introduce yourself once you get your character name and info.

 

the rules are simple and good for the Casual Alliance and i think it sounds like a great way to share in the group experiences which are an important part of the game.

 

Be sure to start your play on the Harbinger server, there were a LOT of servers in the start but now there are fewer and they are consolidated. Have fun and be sure to ask any questions, people are very friendly here.

 

You got a ways to go, the total game is almost 20 GB enjoy

 

Thanks, I'll send my info in and join when I get it all done. Yeah, It'll be a while, still got about half a gig left on Main Assets 1.

[CrisG]

takes time for all that SW goodness to get downloaded worth the wait ....... see you soon.

[mimartin]

Im thinking for my first character I go for a Dark Jedi Sentinel.

If you are new to the entire MMO thing, then there are easier classes for solo leveling and saving the Knight for later. The Knight gets it healing companion later in the game than other classes. Shadow or scondrel both have stealth on the republic side and many CCs. Makes for way easier solo leveling. However, I'm leveling a Knight now and it is a blast. Watchman spec and I do not need stealth or CCs to level her. Total blast to play. Just read up on what to wear and what spec suits your play style best. Questions just ask.

[CrisG]

There you go, Mim is one of the pros here, and has been a huge help to me, follow his advice any time it is offered i do

[Pho3nix]

The Trooper is a pretty easy class for newcomers too...

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

Really wanted my first character to be a Jedi. hehe What about Consulars? They were always the hardest to play in KOTOR so I figured they'd be tough to play here, but I may be wrong. It's probably done or almost done downloading by now, it was almost done when I left this morning. So I will probably give it a go tonight after work.

[mimartin]

Really wanted my first character to be a Jedi. hehe What about Consulars? They were always the hardest to play in KOTOR so I figured they'd be tough to play here, but I may be wrong. It's probably done or almost done downloading by now, it was almost done when I left this morning. So I will probably give it a go tonight after work.

 

 

Hey don't get me wrong... if a Knight is what you want to play, play a knight. It really does have the most epic story (not the best story, but it gives the best KotOR feeling). Consular story is meh at best.

 

Check out this thread on the The Walking Carpet/Casual Alliance page, Seijin is the real pro. Everything I know is pretty much from him, Mav, Lynk, Jeff and the rest of CA or from what I read.

 

The Knight really isn't that difficult, but it does require planning and keeping up with equipment on yourself and your companion. You may have to wear something really ugly for a few levels, if it gives you the best main stats. Stats will be more important than looking good at times.

 

I would suggest if you go Knight, then go DPS if this is your first MMO experience.

 

Now as far as a consular goes, Melee DPS is a Shadow spec. While the story isn't that great, the game play is a blast. Stealth, Crowd Control and burst DPS makes for easy leveling. However, once you hit 50, unless you are super skilled player, you dps will be behind the other classes. Again great for dailies and good at HMFP, but lacking in Operations. Only behind my agent for favorite class to play. Sage is the healing/range DPS side of the Consular, don't know anything about the DPS part (but they outproduce my Shadow), but Sage healer is a really good healing class. However, don't make the same mistake as me, if this is your first MMO, level a DPS spec. It was a real pain leveling a healer, mainly because I just played that spec how I normally would play a character without really learning to use my abilities to my advantage. That link will help you do that, be it DPS, Healer or Tank.

[CrisG]

cool. good to hear. There is an in game chat system, you can talk to friends once you put them on your friends list, and guild members once you join a guild. People use a live talk program called Vent to talk during group play, there is no built in voice system. You also can share credits or items between people, as well as PMs in the game, lots of ways to communicate.

 

You also can challenge or be challenged by other players to Player vs Player combat, but you never have to accept. The in game support is pretty quick, or it was when i played it may have slowed down but dont know, you can get a live person to ask questions of, they are called service bots or something like that but they are service and support people in India i think but they do speak pretty good english. There is a help system which is sort of a manual but it dosent answer all the technical game questions you may have, you can consult the on line manual via the game site, once your subscription goes live you can post on the in game forum, but not before and not after it expires. Or you can ask questions here or over at the CA site i gave the link for. People are very helpful.

 

You can start leveling up and gaining loot and credits right away in the training area and your in game story will start based on what character type you pick. Have fun and May the Force Continue to be With You.

[Obi-Wan Bologna]

Sweet, thanks guys, looking forward to it.

 

So anybody played Dark Side on the Republic side? Is it cool and worth it? Or should I save it for another character later?

[mimartin]

So anybody played Dark Side on the Republic side? Is it cool and worth it? Or should I save it for another character later?

I haven't but I leveled my trooper (most of the game) with Lynk's smuggler Priss and Lynk did go darkside with it. So I have seen both side of most of the smuggler story. Both are very good, but darkside may be slightly funnier. Pretty sure Mav's shadow is also darkside, either that or he has a serious skin condition. I haven't even gone darkside on the imp side, of course I haven't gone male either.

[CrisG]

Obi-Wan B, there are several ways to move around and travel in each world and between the worlds, i wont spoil it for you as discovering the details is fun, just in principle things open up as usual as in most games as you explore and travel. Once you get into the game we can give more detailed advice. I was blown away many times by the beautiful and amazing settings, worlds and locations. You got a lot to look forward to.