I have a tendency to like making my own stuff and using the GTN as little as possible. It's not like I won't buy anything if I really need it but it's just not how I tend to do things. There's tons of guides out there on how to make credits, and those are great, but I'm specifically looking for the ones that will make myself and my alts (if I ever get around to making them) the most useful stuff. I've never actually gotten a character past...40-50 I think...so end-game crafting is completely unknown to me. I've only been back in the game for a week or so and I've mostly just stuck to slicing since I've been unsure what to do.

My current character is a sniper, although whether or not that will change...who knows?

Biochem seems obvious, heals, buffs, and implants that are universally useful for all characters. I dislike diplomacy because of the whole light/dark thing if you fail but...not that big a deal.

Cybertech seems useful also since, again, universally useful for all characters. All characters need enhancements, mods, and earpieces. Added bonus is I like the space missions and I can make ship parts, although I have no idea if that's actually useful in the slightest.

Artifice is also universally useful for relics, although the rest of it is less so unless you're playing a character that needs the offhands or sabers. Of course dye and crystals are great fun, but not necessarily useful

The other three don't seem all that great to me honestly, at least from a universal "can help all my characters" way. They don't make left side gear and they are very specialized in what they make. Doesn't mean they're bad, but maybe not as useful as the other three, especially Bio and Cyber.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you

Well, now Im only talking crew skills from a lvl 70 perspective, since its bascially cheaper to BUY good enough gear and medics when you are leveling.

So.. from a lvl 70 perspective Cybertech and Biochem is the best. You can either RE implants/mods/earpieces you get in the crates, or you can use the schematics that drops. With a cybertech that have trained lethal mods and different enhancements you can gear up alts very fast to a low amount of credits.

Ofc, Syntweaving is good aswell for the Augment crafting. Augments is pretty important to have if you are doing ops or PVP. If you are a solo-player, you really don’t have to bother much.

TLDR;

1. Cybertech

2. Biochem

3. Synthweaving

First of all, ALL missions - diplomacy or otherwise - now generate LS or DS points. So that mechanic that you dislike is now universal.

If you are looking for what is most useful, it sort of depends on the class and role you are filling. You are right that some crew skills are more universally useful than others though and you have found them: biochem for the stims, adrenals, and medpaks (AKA consumables) and implants; cybertech for mods, enhancements, and ear pieces; artifice for relics, color crystals, and dye modules.

HOWEVER, from a leveling alts perspective, armormech and/or synthweaving are not as "bad" as you think. Because if you have a maxxed armormech OR synthweaver you can make armor for your alts that while static stat in design, have better stats than what you can get from moddable gear. The reason for this is that the level required to use that gear is lower than the level requirement for using item modifications of the same rating.

I'll give you an example: rating 86 item modifications require level 32 to use. OTOH rating 86 crafted equipment from armormech or synthweaving only requires level 24 to use. Therefore as a level 24 character you could have level 32 stats, and level sync would only kick in if/when you overlevel an area i.e. as level 24 if you are on Nar Shaadda or Tatooine then those level 32 stats are yours to use. And that gear would be good enough to get you through Alderaan.

But this is predicated on your ability to craft gear and have it waiting for your character when it hits the appropriate level; trying to craft stuff that is level appropriate and useful while leveling is very resource intensive (time, credits, materials).

NOTE: if you participated in the Dark vs Light event in the summer of 2016 and have the full set of XP gear then the above is moot, because regardless of class or role you are most likely to use that set of gear.

Thanks for the info, I'll aim for Bio for my sniper than, maybe stick one of the others on another character.

However, one thing to note. The light/dark side thing I was referencing was not the universal gain of light/dark, I'm fine with that. Diplomacy missions give you the opposite if you fail though, I don't think the other skills do that.

Thanks for the info, I'll aim for Bio for my sniper than, maybe stick one of the others on another character.

 

However, one thing to note. The light/dark side thing I was referencing was not the universal gain of light/dark, I'm fine with that. Diplomacy missions give you the opposite if you fail though, I don't think the other skills do that.

They do not give opposite if you fail, it is that the DvL points were overlaid on top of the old points. So regardless of success or failure some diplomacy mission grant both LS and DS points. That said, you can avoid the missions that give both. if you mouse over the LS/DS icon for a given mission it will tell you how many points you get for running that mission. What I can tell you too is that if you have the two rich and two bountiful missions the top rich and bottom bountiful generate DS points and the two in the middle grant LS points.

So if you are DS and only want DS points then take the top rich and bottom bountiful. If you are LS and only want LS points then take the middle two:

Rich - DS

Rich - LS

Bountiful - LS

Bountiful - DS

Biochem is by far the most useful due to the re-usable stims/adrenals/medpacks (new 5.4 schematics) which are usable exclusively by biochem(600) characters.

While true, you are assuming max level level characters which the OP states they do not have and won't for a while

From a more basic usefulness point of view I'd say : Anything with which you can build armor modifications.

Regarding Cybertech . I just loved to be able to build my own vehicles ! ... Unfortunately there is not moch to do these days anymore, especially since there is no need for droid parts anymore ... I really miss those times when I could go on tinkering ...

On Vanjervalis Chain the situation is so dire that the ONLY and i repeat : ONLY Biochem recipes on the GTN are those fo helping summon the Hoth Tauntaun ... Apart from that : oit's empty.

A similar thing is there - although not as much dire - for Cybetech : Mostly top tier vehicle schematics ... And not much more ... VC , on the other hand, seems to be one of those "dying servers", too ...

If you like having lots of alts, my advice would be to put a gathering or other acquisition skill on each, along with slicing. Level slicing on lockboxes, and use the occasional missions, that lockbox missions grant, to level the gathering skill of your other alts. A crew-skills mission is guaranteed to succeed, and guaranteed to grant either purple crafting materials (for skills like Underworld Trading, Diplomacy, or Investigation), or at least double the maximum non-crit yield for standard gathering skills like scavenging, archeology, et cetera. This means you can use missions to, both level the influence of your non-main followers (as you acquire them), and get purple items to craft RE schematics with.

This may sound complicated, but it essentially turns your alts into perpetual motion machines: never short of cash, seldom short of materials, and able to employ lower-influence alts to craft things, while using their main follower to quest with. If you are willing to set an alt aside, for a while, and just run lockbox missions on them from your stronghold, it also means that when you do play them, they can perpetually level on rested time.

Lockboxes run out by level 9, but by the time they go grey, you should be within a few quests of 600 in every skill, anyway, and will probably have several level 50-influence followers, just from all the lockbox quests you've run on them. You'll also be able to destory the local economy of your sever, offloading unneeded purple crafting items onto the Galactic Market, as well!

As a level 70 player with 600 skill in Cybertech I really need someone to help me understand what makes Cybertech at all useful to a level 70 player (either for yourself or to sell on GTN, I’m not interested in gearing alts).

I can craft mods, enhancements and ear pieces but as I understand it all end game gear comes from Galactic Conquest and will already have stats better than anything I could craft, is that incorrect?

Well, selling 246 rating items is profitable, and Cybertech has a lot of them. Not all players are in T4 and therefore would buy mods. But given recent changes and speed up to ranking process, crafting mods might become less profitable.

Additional note, crafting mods require VMCs, so you will have to do the OPs or lower your profit margin by buying them off GTN.

. But given recent changes and speed up to ranking process, crafting mods might become less profitable.

 

Additional note, crafting mods require VMCs, so you will have to do the OPs or lower your profit margin by buying them off GTN.

Exactly my thoughts which is why I am baffled every time I see someone saying Cybertech is one of the best crew skills to have or “great for any class.” Even while leveling, who bothers crafting and swapping mods when you level so quickly in this game and out level gear so fast?

Synthweaving, Armormech and Armstech are so much better with crafting augments and kits or Biochem as everyone needs stims, medpacks and adrenals. Even Artifice has dyes which are also consumable.

In my experience Cybertech is by far the worst Crew Skill.

Well, selling 246 rating items is profitable, and Cybertech has a lot of them. Not all players are in T4 and therefore would buy mods. But given recent changes and speed up to ranking process, crafting mods might become less profitable.

 

Additional note, crafting mods require VMCs, so you will have to do the OPs or lower your profit margin by buying them off GTN.

 

Exactly my thoughts which is why I am baffled every time I see someone saying Cybertech is one of the best crew skills to have or “great for any class.” Even while leveling, who bothers crafting and swapping mods when you level so quickly in this game and out level gear so fast?

 

Synthweaving, Armormech and Armstech are so much better with crafting augments and kits or Biochem as everyone needs stims, medpacks and adrenals. Even Artifice has dyes which are also consumable.

 

In my experience Cybertech is by far the worst Crew Skill.

Couple of comments:

One significant mistake that too many crafters make is focusing on the best of the best one can craft; one does not have to craft a single 246 anything to secure major profit. On my CT I craft mostly 228 mods and enhancements, and due to quantity of sales my CT is often my second best crafter each period I record (usually once a week, sometimes two weeks).

that said, before the mergers VMC on The Harbinger were selling for as little as 150k each. isotopes were the more expensive material due to volume required (8 per piece).

Well, selling 246 rating items is profitable, and Cybertech has a lot of them.

This thread's title explicitely states : "Not talking about profit".

And there are you crafters again : Derailing EVERY thread into a talk about profits.

For the character's personal use, Biochem will benefit the char most, because the reusable stims, adrenals and medpacks basically become additional cooldowns.

If reusable grenades see a return, as was hinted at, then Cybertech will be a close second for PVP chars. Never underestimate the value of an extra AOE stun.

For the player's personal crafting (not neccesarily on the main char), without access to tons of exotic mats, Bio, Cyber, and Artifice are good choices. (Consumables for your other chars, dyes and color crystals, and the occasional stand-in Implant/Ear/Relic you can use until you get a better drop from command crates)

Next is Synthweaving which will provide all the crit /alacrity augments and augment kits you need, as well as some nice old-school gear, while sharing the mats with your artificer, followed by Armormech, which provides tanking augments and armors (duh) and shares mats with your cybertech.

That leaves Armstech on the last place. It makes accuracy augments, but offers little else. Most of the old modifiable weapons are no longer available for training on new chars, the new weapons are static ones that are quickly replaced by others, and barrels for alts are dime a dozen once you have a tech char at level 70.

That leaves Armstech on the last place. It makes accuracy augments, but offers little else. Most of the old modifiable weapons are no longer available for training on new chars, the new weapons are static ones that are quickly replaced by others, and barrels for alts are dime a dozen once you have a tech char at level 70.

I agree that armstech is probably the least desirable for personal use, but the other two augments are useful depending on what you do:

it can be argued that overkill (power) augments are good for healers and DPS classes. The builds that theorycrafters promote go so far beyond the diminishing returns for crit that swapping crit for power is viable for some builds because it smooths out the rates (DPS/HPS). I've done it on my sawbones smuggler/medicine operative. It does take some getting used to, but my (real encounter) EHPS has gone up since the switch (less overheal)

it can also be argued that the fortitude (endurance) augments are good for PvP...more health = longer life.

I have to agree that if you do not want to profit, Biochem - Bioanalysis - Diplomacy has the best value. I'm switching all my conquest alts to Biochem to save on medpacks and stims.

I've been thinking of doing something similar with my alts.

Basically having a couple alts have all the crafting specs, then replacing everyone else's crafting skill with a gathering one. Probably bio to feed the biochem.

I don't think Biochem is good option long term... New vendor at Odessen sells schematics for "improved" adrenals, medpac's, stims that are not consumed on use. So buy one and you're set for good. Your best bet is to craft something profitable...

You need Biochem to use the reusables, this makes Biochem the main long term choice for chars you play a lot, especially when you do content where adrenals actually make a difference or when you swap stims a lot to switch between PVP and PVE or dps and tank/heals.