i like the direction they are going where lock box missions yield minor gain that is not remotely noticeable.. however, i want slicing to be a viable option for gathering support. we all know and love those rare missions that you sometimes get and you either use them yourself, give to friends or sell on the GTN. if moderate and abundant rank 6 missions got a minor buff to mission drops and/or world nodes got a buff to mission drops it would still be viable, im not sure of the actual numbers as i dropped slicing (not RQ i planed on dropping it at 50 when i picked it up) i used slicing for the extra credits and missions to support my mission skill and other gathering skill, and to me it seemed to work out great having 1-2 companions on slicing while the rest were out on missions for gathering worked out great, the slicing missions both put a dent in the cost of running so many missions and gave me wealthy yield missions that were considerably more profitable. when i knew i was going to drop slicing i ran 5 on slicing for 6 hours to get some last minute gathering missions for myself and the gtn, the profits from those sales helped me with my crafting skills training costs. it should not be a money printing profesion but it should be a profession that helps other skills as its main focus, like a true gathering skill /endrant

he means 9% lol 3 points of 3% each

for the lower level slicers complaining about companion downtime, just send your 1 or 2 companions out while you pvp or do space battles, worked out fairly well for me

i am a slicer/bio analysis/diplomacy. i have been hording companion gifts and mats in my cargo hold with the thought of dropping slicing at 50... but. mission discoveries are amazing!!! i did a discovered mission for diplomacy and got 10 blue and 5 purple mats. i also am getting slicing discoveries, which when done net a 2k profit and a level 49 purple augment on average (of 3) i might just have to drop bio analysis at 50 instead

just be polite, and dont steal from real people its just like asking for off spec gear ohh no one wants this? mind if i grab it so it is not vendored and goes to some moderate level of use? that being said i am afraid of the mid levels as i am rolling a healer, im guessing there will be a point when gear starts to matter more for companions that sneaks up on you.

first of all it was tuned for 2 people so doing it solo is not too different from doing another 2 man mission solo second of all it is how many people will get to the 2nd planet for the first time, to use an old wow reference was it really that bad that the walk from elwyn forest to westfall was relativity safe? to reiterate everyone above this... it is the first flashpoint, you dont want people wondering how group conversations will work while they are wiping on the trash to the first boss do you?