OK. So I've recently just reached lvl 50 with my sith sorc, I really want to do operations (story mode) but I'm not sure how to start. Should I get specific gear first? And how should I go about finding a 8-man group? Not sure if group finder would be that effective. And how exactly do operations work, I've heard their split up into sections which you can go back too, but I'm not really sure. Any advice at all would be great

Hey

 

Where to begin first, the gear. You can get some decent gear from doing HM Flashpoints, Black Talon being the easiest. However the Storymode Ops are really quite easy, and reward the same Columi gear as the hardmode flashpoints do.

So I would suggest just try and get or buy some lvl 50 blue gear from flashpoints or even buy some. And then yes, you can use groupfinder.

The only issue with groupfibder is that people might expect you to be experienced already. So my advice would be read up and watch videos of all the tactics. And then make the group aware that you've never done it before but watched all the videos, before you start. I'm sure some will be friendly and give you a chance.

 

And alternative would be to find a guild that is quite new to Operations and join them. Build your group and your gear together, you'll likely have a lot more fun than doing it with a Group Finder pug. Still no harm in using Groupfinder a few times first and then searching for a raiding guild.

 

That's all I can really suggest, best of luck. If you want more specific advise about how to gear up, do a search on the forum there's a lot of guides about what steps to take once you hit 50 and how to gear up most effectively.

Thanks, that was a great help. Reading up on tactics is probably a gd idea, i can imagine people getting mad if i don't know tactics (some people take this game way to seriously ) and hey, maybe I'll find a nice guild!

 

Thanks, again

Concerning gearing, dulfy has written a fantastic guide for this. You can find this at the following link: http://dulfy.net/category/swtor/endgame-gearing/

Also a thread about it here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=409021

 

Beyond that, I tend to disagree a tad with the other poster, most people dont expect you to know absolutely everything. I think most people just expect that you have either read a quick guide or watched a youtube vid, just you so you dont go in and 'oh lol this boss shoots missilies? Did not know that.' :> Beyond that, let people know that you havent been there before, but you have watched vids. Should do enough :-)

 

Hope that helps

Thanks a lot, that will be very helpful. But concerning gear, is their any way I can keep my normal gear (i.e. not being columni, rakata or tionese) but it still be decent? Because I'm not a fan of how PVE sorcerer gear looks Edited August 24, 2012 by Beniboybling

Thanks a lot, that will be very helpful. But concerning gear, is their any way I can keep my normal gear (i.e. not being columni, rakata or tionese) but it still be decent? Because I'm not a fan of how PVE sorcerer gear looks

 

Set bonuses are useful, your character will be stronger with them than without, but they are not essential. If you prefer the look of other gear then wear it. The game is supposed to be about having fun after all. It's really only important if you are attempting content that is at the limit of what your gear can handle, where that extra edge may make the difference - though usually fights depend more on tactics, communication and timing rather than gear.

 

You may be able to get by with a 2 piece bonus by wearing boots or gloves with a helm and hiding the head slot, if you don't find that too bad or you may even be able to use the full 4 piece if you wear an alternate chest piece. You should of course transfer the mods from any tiered gear that you earn so at least you have the stats if not the set bonus.

 

If you do manage to work your way up to campaign gear then you can have your cake and eat it too, as there the set bonus is on the armoring not the shell so you can have the look you like. This should also be the case for any new gear added in the future.

Ok, i see - i think I've finally got my head round PVE and PVP gear (at least most of it) Thanks again guys for all your help

Yup, you can just rip the tion/col/rak mods and place them in your current gear. But you will lose out on those set bonus. Some of the bonus are so insignificant that you can go without, some are useful.

 

If you ask a 100 ppl, some will say set bonus are a must, some say they are optional. I don't know the Sorc set bonus, so i can't say. On my Gunslinger i didn't go for the 4pc bonus, because i went for look over bonus.

 

If you really want the bonus, you need to do HM EC for Campaign gear. The set bonus is tied to the Armoring mod, while tion/rak/col are tied to the shell.

For story mode EV, just get the free recruit gear and watch some videos of the boss fights and learn the mechanics. It is easy if you know the fights.

 

Any columi gear (or better) will make it easier and make up for any issues with your play, but it's not strictly required.

For sorcs, at least imo, the 2-set bonus is important for healer spec. DPS I'd say the same. 4-set bonus isnt that important, as healer it gives you a tad extra force, and as dps it gives you more alacrity. If you're lightning specced, the alacrity is nice and can be helpful, but as madness its fairly useless imo.

 

Most people run with 2-set bonus from pve, and 2-set bonus from pvp, but its not required at all. :-)

 

Hope it helps!

If you want the set bonus, you can just replace the chest piece and keep the rest (assuming you don't care about the looks of the other pieces. You can still have the chest look (which is the largest part of character's look anyways) and just match the appearance of the other pieces. That way you can keep the two/four set piece but have a more custom look.

that's definetely worth a try, thanks for all the help again guys

It depends in great part on who you are going to raid with:

 

If you've never raided before in any game, the easiest way to get started is to find a casual raiding guild like ours that welcomes new raiders, helps them gear up and explains how to handle each fight. Note that there's a difference between getting some help (for example a patient tank and healer who'll go with you through a flashpoint) and getting handouts (asking for top end crafted items before you've been in an operation).

 

Getting into operations in the random groupfinder is another option. This does tend to require better gear than running in a guild to compensate for lack of coordination between players. You'll also need to have a thick skin and know the fights (from video) Sometimes you can get lucky and get into an op that has a large number of players from a single guild.

 

You can also get into a hard-core progression guild if you are geared, knowledgeable, and can prove you deserve a spot on their team.