I don't dislike the Sorcerer gear. Those antenna and the triangle OPs referring to could be a bit smaller though. They stand out too much. I like what's going in with the shoulders

I certainly don't recall paying $9.99 for a WoW expansion. This one doesn't seem to be AS big as a full fledged expansions that you're used to seeing in other MMOs but it's reasonably priced for what you're getting.

Exactly. I've read quite a few of these "reviews" and they're very childish in nature. They're nothing more than biased click-bait for the bandwagon of SWTOR, MMORPG and F2P haters. But this one starts off just like the rest but ends with what seems the most perfect conclusion when it comes to this topic. He points out that Bioware could've planned for the long-term by implementing a more favorable F2P system, to first focus on attracting new and old players and go from there. "Instead, BioWare seems to have tried to find a way to get the most money in the immediate present. I don't know how well it will work. I certainly don't expect it to work well in the long term. There's an expression out there: don't burn your bridges. I guess BioWare wants to invent a new one: If you're going to burn your bridges down, you may as well sell tickets to the show." I agree with the conclusion 100% and it's undeniable that the current F2P system has a lot of flaws, too many flaws, that need to be start to get fixed RIGHT NOW and it kinda blows my mind that some people here are accepting it. Like he author says, the window of opportunity is closing fast. I believe this window will be open for about 3 months (if nothing is done about F2P, the hype will die down within 3 months). It's IMPERATIVE that this game continues to attract new players month after month while keeping old players happy as long as possible. This game is F2P for a reason and that reason is because it was dying, no player here should blindly accept the F2P system we have because Bioware can do better. Bioware COULD come up with something amazing. It's not impossible to make the come back of the decade. Bioware needs to shift their focus from short-term to long-term. Not saying giving everything away is the answer but they could come up with something way more reasonable that increases interest and spending in the game. Now's the time to discuss it together with players to come up with the best system possible.

Yeah all of that is nice but I personally don't feel so secured. They're adding content and in a timely matter but that alone won't be attracting new players, nor will it keep everyone from leaving. They don't just have to focus on content but they have to focus on tweaking cartel market and F2P/Preferred because making people feel like they're getting their money's worth and making outsiders feel like this game is worth playing and not punishing to them is important. Attracting new players should be top priority as well as adding new content.

We've already seen the backlash this F2P has received. Right from the start it's nickle and diming the very people the future of this game depends on. The moment you create your first character the game is all up on your face telling you you can't have this or that and that you have to subscribe to get it or buy coins. If I hadn't subscribed to this game I would've stop playing it altogether a couple of weeks ago. There's new people who will stop after finishing one story. There's new people who aren't even bothering to try this game based solely on the punishing F2P system. The list goes on and on but my point is that behind every new player's reason for not continuing the journey or not starting it at all is the F2P system. Right now there's people like me who have joined the game because of the new attention the game has received due to going F2P but soon all of that will fade away and once again, the game will start hemorrhaging more players than it gets in like it was doing months ago. They're making profit now... for the short-term. But just watch if they do nothing about tweaking the system. I'm not saying they should give everything away because there is quite a few things I agree, but I feel that new players would be more comfortable with chipping in money if it didn't mean they first have to pay for the bare essentials in an MMO - like cargo access, crew skills, inventory, item equipping, quickbars, revives. Some players might even pay for piloting training so they get it faster (don't underestimate how better it feels to know you have the option of waiting or paying to get something faster as oppossed to having no option but pay). To make up for all that they should work at putting more items in the cartel market to encourage these people to buy coins. Of course they should priced reasonably because few people already consider a 1200 CC recolored set to be worth the coins. I'm probably gonna get flamed for saying F2P people (or Preferred) should get more but whatever. If nothing is done you'll remember this post in a couple of months.

More reasonable prices

Wonderful. Just what every prospective new player interested in a MMO would want to hear. /s

Unlike those other MMOs, this game has been shown to struggle to keep subscribers since it came out but nope, EA/Bioware wanted to be picky and designed a F2P system that is quite terrible, alienating and overall it turns off a lot of potential new players. If nothing is changed then this game will go back to struggling to maintain subscribers and within 2-3 months the F2P hype for this game will have lost steam so you'll be getting even less new players. I'm DEFINITELY not feeling very confident about the long-term prospects which is why I've stopped buying any more coins. It makes me question if I even want to continue supporting a game that will eventually go down because of a company that clearly has learned absolutely nothing the past few months.

Oh boy this ship is really going to sink then . If the main reason to subscribe is to avoid those annoying restrictions then don't you think it's a bit dumb to have a F2P system at all? Think months ago. Months ago the game was losing subscribers at a pace of tens to hundreds of thousands every month. If a new player wanted to be paying for a subscription don't think you they all would've done it months ago?? If people were despising paying $15 a month in the past, let's not fool ourselves and believe for a second that new players will automatically fork over $100+ to be able to have SOME stuff.

And isn't the Investigator set a recolor of another set too (one that was already in the game)? I can't even comprehend how they expect people to drop 1200 CCs for those sets. 1200 CC would be reasonable for a brand new set that isn't a recolor and isn't in the game. People would buy more coins if they tweaked the cartel market.

Only because few new people have joined so there's not much pressure on the servers (I've yet to see one go FULL). Most of the people I've seen leveling are alts. You can see the evidence here in the forums that old people have subbed. It's only a matter of time before things go back the way they were months ago when this game was struggling to keep people subscribe. It's been proven that the current F2P system is a turn off to a lot of potential new players and telling them to sub is not the answer.

It's funny that 4 months ago you had to be a subscriber to play the game. Nowadays if you want everything you have to subscribe anyway. Doesn't seem like anything has changed besides the fact that now there's a shop to get you to plop down more money. If this game was sinking before F2P, it will start doing so again in a few months.

A big concern of mine is the current system doesn't hold any potential for long-term growth. At the very least I'd wait to see if they decide to tweak things a bit before putting so much money in because there's a chance you'd waste your money if their priority continues to be short-term over long-term. I say this because I seriously doubt that just because it's F2P that people will continue joining 2-3+ months from now, or that some people will remain subbed. All over the internet you can see people want to play the game but feel alienated by the restrictiveness of the system, it gives little incentive to play this game over any other and if they're forced to subscribe they might as well subscribe or buy any other MMO that their friends play. New people are coming in but only because F2P is new but soon enough the hype will lose steam and this game will go back to hemorrhaging subscribers. It's important that they modify their current way of doing things so people feel convinced to stay and join in. I'm with you on adding more items to the cartel market because as it is, the market might as well be renamed to Pack Market. I've bought a few coins but to me nothing seemed worth it besides the packs. IMO (and I'm not alone on this) 1200 CC for a set that is a reskin is too much and it's high prices such like those that will/is keeping some people from buying more coins. Honestly, if people felt they get more bang for their bucks they would buy a lot more coins. I know I would. You can't forget that this game is where it is now because it lost a ton of subscribers over the past months so a focus on long-term is very important and everyone should take concern in this rather than just accept what EA/Bioware are doing. The way they're handling things is partly okay but they can do a lot better and come up with something that benefits every party. I don't feel much confidence or any security and I've stopped dipping any more money coins until I see something more positive.

People like OP are just encouraging their current behavior. Isn't anyone thinking about the long-term? You can't seriously think this game will keep growing if things don't change. It's alienating to some subscribers and F2P (new) players. The people who are okay with everything are like a minority right now. IMO EA/Bioware can do better. They can certainly come up with a better system that would attract more players and make more people happy. You have to consider that in a couple of months the new F2P hype will have lost steam. Selling packs and forcing new people to buy unlocks isn't healthy for a long-term and satisfied community. I'm okay with packs and with unlocks but not in the way they're doing it so. I think they could come up with a more forgiving F2P system. They could also turn the cartel market into one that gives incentive people to spend on just about everything instead of just packs. No one should be okay with the current trend because EA/BW really can do better. A better system will benefit everyone not just players.

Curious question, if they're doing that wouldn't it be better to dump the subscription system and focus on giving close to everything to Preferred people (and F2P be treated as more of a trial - be left as is)? What I've gathered is that subs are buying a good bulk of coins already and that by letting go off subscription system, people would have more money available to buy coins and those who weren't buying coins would be more open to that idea since they don't have to pay subscription on top of dropping money for coins. It would also attract more players, new and old, who would be more willing to spend since they wouldn't feel forced to spend $60+ on unlockables. Of course this would only work if they added new items to the CM more often and at more reasonable prices since few people want to pay 1200 for sets already. I'm pretty confident that some people would continue to buy coins to get legacy perks faster, get piloting faster, get boosts, etc.