I don't have a problem with grouping, of course - I just wonder if my expectations are not matching reality. I just see so many people responding to "lfg" spam in general chat, like, "oh, its just a heroic 2 you can solo that".

I've recently returned to the game, and ... I'm finding Heroic 2s to be nearly impossible as an operative (Concealment discipline, level 13). In most games (and if I recall correctly from playing in beta/while after launch) I shouldn't be having this much trouble. Does this get better with different companions? I find Kaliyo to be fairly useless as a tank - my single paltry heal (kolto infusion) can't keep her alive with its cooldown, she's too squishy to hold off 2 or 3 elites while I dps them down. As a side note: is there some way of making a spell prompt for a target rather than using the current target? For example, if I press the hotkey for "kolto infusion", I get a targeting reticule that I can use to select my companion/myself/focus target without having to change my target? thanks.

I played this game back in beta and a while after launch. Quit before it went variable pay model. After a un-enjoyable bout with WOW recently, and having some fond memories of this game, I'm thinking of returning and leveling up a new character. Is there any reason this is a bad time to do so? Will I face serious resistance getting into dungeons/raids as a new player? Also, I assume - but can anyone confirm - that it is possible to get the full experience out of the game by subscribing and not buying Cartel Coins? That's all for now - I'm sure I'll have other questions... Thanks.

With the ratio of money you spend to content you receive, you're looking at worse return on your money than games with lots of DLCs. What's more is, since most of the "continually updated content" in MMOs is multiplayer content (dungeons/raids), if you don't seek to group, you're missing out on the vast majority of that content. Consider this game: so far, two months and we have a new raid boss and a new dungeon. No new single player content. Consider "that other game": new solo content only every expansion (3 times over 7 years, right? I lost count after I stopped playing), 99% of content updates aimed were dungeons and raids. Money is money. I don't really think about my $15/month much either, though you definitely sound richer than I am. (My wife has gone back to university, things can be tight occasionally. Gives me plenty of time to play though ) What you're really saying though, is that $15 meets your "indifference price" for the product. That's completely reasonable of course, and I'm not saying you're wrong, as that is something that can't be wrong. It's a personal matter entirely. I happen to agree. PVP in MMOs is a flawed and inherently imbalanced proposition. It's a fun diversion from time to time, but when I want real PVP I load up TFC.

I've quit playing MMOs at various points over the last decade+ because my life has forced me into a situation where "solo"/casual play is the only viable option. Playing an MMO alone is an inherently flawed concept for me personally. All it becomes is an ABSURDLY easy and repetitive game with a chat box and a loss of $15/month. I can achieve all of that with the combination of any single player game + AIM open on my other screen chatting with buddies... and that allows me to play an interesting/challenging game of my choice for one payment and no monthly. The only real point to a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG is group content, whether it be cooperative or competitive. Without those things, as I said, an MMORPG played solo tends to be absurdly simple and repetitive. That said, SWTOR definitely does play well as a single player RPG, albeit with almost no challenge (I say this with plenty of experience, two 50s and a couple 40+ toons). This really is a stupidly simple game from the "single player" mode of play. It also falls down where most MMOs do - repetitive combat, predictable enemies, etc.

My bet is this: IF server populations are "cashing" it's probably Europeans leaving because of jacked up maintenance times.

Two questions: 1. Which DPS classes are most desirable for their crowd control abilities? 2. How much does crowd control really matter in hardmodes/ops? Bonus question: what sort of cc does scoundrel/operative have? Does scoundrel/op EVER need to waste their time with cover?

Thanks for the advice. I'll check that thread out. I'm playing a Powertech. Overall I'm wondering though, how many slots I should dedicate to threat vs. how many I should dedicate to defense. It's quite subjective I know, since having "just" enough threat is fine, and everything else should be thrown at survivability in a hardmode/raid situation. But I want to make sure I have ENOUGH threat going into hardmodes for the first time. I understand what I should be emphasizing for my defensive stats, and I understand which I should be emphasizing for my threat stats - but I am trying to figure out how heavily I should emphasize threat over defense or vice verse. Thanks again.

I just hit 50, specced with a tank spec, and I've been running my dailies trying to get ready to do hardmodes. I have a question though: at this stage of the game, is it more importance that I focus on 100% defensive stats? Should I be focusing on my threat stats AT ALL, and if so, how much? Thanks.

It's pretty odd. Maybe it's just my guild. Soooo many tanks, I see our tanks regularly puging HMs. I'd just respec my PT to pyro but I don't enjoy mele dps usually.

I'm planning on rerolling ranged DPS because there are too many tanks in my guild (and in general it seems). So I'm split between the ranged dps classes. So I ask: how are Snipers doing DPS-wise in FPs and Raids? I don't care about PVP. I'm asking only about damage in PVE. Thank you.

There are SO many tanks in this game. I don't know what it is. Is it because they're so strong in PVP now? Is it because tanking really just feels like DPSing now? Is it because of the lower required ratio to dps to tanks? What's worse is, when I've occasionally specced DPS or played on DPS alt, I notice that most people who THINK they can tank aren't even really specced for it, don't watch agro on random mobs, don't mark targets, let stuff run around and bang up on the healer, etc... ie. the game is full of players who think they're tanks but can hardly manage a 2-mob pull! Whatever the story is, constantly looking for groups and facing the very real prospect that I'm not going to get to tank for my guild because we have WAY too many tanks (plus a couple guild officers are tanks and asking folks to find range dps), so it is pushing me to reroll ranged dps or quit. (And 8 mans are designed for only one tank? Yeesh! LOTS of tanks, very little demand!) How many find themselves in a similar situation?

Wow, do you have a job? Let me spell it out for you. I go to work "in the evening" and get off work "in the morning" as you put it. That means that I only get to play as much as any other career person on a NORMAL day. When the servers go down at 0200 CST once per week, I get 6 out of 7 days of play time. As I said, one day out of the week with absolutely no game time I can deal with. When they go down at 0200 CST twice in a week, I get 5 of 7 days play time. This has happened twice since release. You do the math.

No. Just NO. It's not just Europeans that are screwed by this 0200 CST across-the-board crap. It's also everyone in the US who works a shift other than 0900-to-1700. I work a second shift as a surgical tech. I can deal with being completely unable to play one out of seven days. Two out of seven is absurd. For me, 2 out of 7 = 8 days a month. As someone who wants to treat SWTOR as his new serious raiding MMO, that's actually a large amount of time.

Does Madness function well/competitive as a ranged DPS in raids/hardmodes at 50? I'm asking ONLY about PVE here, I couldn't care less about PVP, and have no interest in the warzone damage you can put up by dot-dot-run. Please only tell me about your experience in raids and hardmodes. The reason I'm wondering is because I want a class where I can swap between speccing as a tank and ranged DPS. It appears that Assassin is the only option, so I'm hoping madness DPS is competitive. Thanks.