Thanks a bunch everyone. This is all very helpful. I'm still a bit confused in some areas, but I'm sure that as I start actually doing some of what you recommended that some answers will reveal themselves. One question that I still have, though, that I'll ask here, is what are the MK-1, 2, and 3 pieces of equipment and how do those work?

Can someone please explain to me how end-game equipment works. I've read numerous posts and other sites for this information and everyone assumes people have a knowledge of acronyms and game mechanics. For someone like me that doesn't, how does end-game equipment work? What is Tionese vs. Black Hole vs. Rakata vs. Columi? Why are some better than others? Why does one need this equipment before doing raids? What about ear pieces and supposed MK-1, 2 and 3 implants? What is my goal that I should be working towards in terms of the best equipment for PvE? How does all of this relate to each other, where does one go about getting it, where is the best place to start and the progression one should take in order to keep getting better equipment? I know this is a lot but there doesn't seem to be any solid resource for getting this knowledge that doesn't assume that a person knows everything about the surrounding context of the information it's giving.

Thank you very much for the advice. This definitely helps but I still don't know where to get the mission at initially! Also, I've always just used the general chat to get groups together. How do I use the group finder? I saw another thread while looking for answers to these questions that mentioned checking a box in order to get the daily comms also. What does this mean and how does it work?

I just finished the game and really would like to do this Op so that I can get better armor. Also, how hard is it to get a group together in order to run this Op and what's the best way to go about doing it?

So I've just started a Sith Assassin character and am looking for advice on which build to go with? What are the main differences between Madness and Deception with regard to DPS? Which have people found they enjoy playing with more? Which is better for leveling and which is better for end game? Any advice is welcome!

There's only one, I believe, if you're an assassin... soo..... that one.

I just decided to start a Sith Inquisitor and got him to level 11 last night. I was wondering which skill tree is best to use for the assassin? I don't know much about any of them as I've been playing a jedi knight. Do they really make good tanks or are they more effective as a stealthy DPS? Is one better for leveling?

What are its drawbacks in terms of style of play and what are its benefits?

So far from my searching I just seem to be seeing threads on the Watchman and Combat spec tress but haven't seen much on the Focus tree. From a quick scan of the different trees I see a lot to like about the Focus tree, as it seems to have really high AoE damage. The final skill, Force Exhaustion, seems to do even more damage than the Watchman's Merciless Slash. What am I missing that nobody seems to be giving the Focus spec much validity? Why do the other two spec trees, Combat and Watchman, appear to be favored by more people? I understand that various people have different play styles. How does playing the first two give a person an advantage vs. playing the Focus spec?