Okay,

So I got most of my social points by leveling from 1 to 25 with a friend. We were very careful to keep our quests in sync so we could just do the planets together. And that was fine once.

But how do you get social points in general? The Esseles was worth quite a few, but the next few flashpoints weren't worth many at all (Maybe 1 or 2 conversations, with one dialog roll.) That's 8 points (max) for what could be an hour of gametime from group formation to completion. (And you miss out on points if some people don't have the flashpoint quest)

I've tried finding leveling groups with alts, and it has worked at times, but so often quests aren't in sync so we miss out on points because someone already completed a quest or doesn't have a preprequisite in the series.

So, say I want a high social rank, what's the best way? Any advice? Or do future flashpoints maybe have more conversation options than these?

Thanks!

I believe (not entirely sure) that if you solo Esseles you still get social points for the rolls.

Dont hold that against me though.

What you did 1-25 is exactly the point of the social points system. A friend and I have leveled together to 31 now, we're close to hitting social 4.

Essels/Black Talon is a good way to boost it, or to get it to rank 1 or 2 if your a solo quester. But solo questers will have a ridiculously hard time getting to the upper tiers of Social levels.

This is how its meant to be.

What you did 1-25 is exactly the point of the social points system. A friend and I have leveled together to 31 now, we're close to hitting social 4.

 

Essels/Black Talon is a good way to boost it, or to get it to rank 1 or 2 if your a solo quester. But solo questers will have a ridiculously hard time getting to the upper tiers of Social levels.

 

This is how its meant to be.

Oh, I agree, that's what is intended. But that takes a LOT of organization and work to keep the quests in sync. It means I can't play my main sometimes because my friend has to work, and vice versa.

I'd like my alts to also get social points, but that kind of organization with strangers is very hard. And one quest out of sync and you're kinda sunk.

I didn't know you could earn any sp solo. That's good to know.

You can't, I'm pretty sure you get no points when solo. I've never tried a flashpoint solo, but I would assume you can't there either.

Ok, just for completeness sake, I checked the first three flashpoints (for republic):

Number of conversation "rolls" per flashpoint:

Esseles: 44 (approx, depending on branching)

Hammer Station: 2

Athiss: 2

(Maybe add 2 or 3 for Hammer Station and Athiss for people who are on the quest for the first time.)

See what I mean? Being social for some levels really doesn't get you many social points. About how many rolls in the others?

Thanks!

Can you re-run the esseles quest? If so it seems like this would be the best way to "grind" some social points.

Its supposedly only be able to be run once a day isnt it? But somehow I can run it an unlimited number of times until I get so sick of it

/bump

Looks like grouping and doing quests is the best way to level.

What about the people at max level? Is there a quick way to grind this?

Social points- hard to come by?

No, my friend and I played since level 10. We are currently on Voss and both almost Social 5. Points are just fine.

I didn't know you could earn any sp solo. That's good to know.

You can't.

A friend and I have leveled together to 31 now, we're close to hitting social 4.

How? A friend and me have leveled together from 1 to 50, doing every single quest together and our social level is only 4, at 50. Yes we have done all quests on all planets. Only a few zones in Corellia we did not do because we hit 50 before that.

The main problem with social points is the way they're awarded. I've no idea why anyone thought giving them out based on dialogue choices alone would be a good idea, instad of awarding them for, you know, actually playing the game together and doing missions with a team.

So instead of basing them on dialogue checks, we should receive them for completing missions objectives in a team. That way, all those countless Heroics and FPs with next to no dialogue would actually contribute.

No, my friend and I played since level 10. We are currently on Voss and both almost Social 5. Points are just fine.

except there are social items on Alderaan that are rank 5 social required.

My friend and I leveled from 20-50 and I'm at social IV, and we've discussed taking an additional friend or two and just grinding black talon (Esseles equivalent) to increase our rank. You do run into the issues the OP mentioned, limiting playtime, coordination, etc., but if you can manage it, say simultaneously leveling an alt when your friend can't play, I imagine you'd get even greater points in a bigger group if schedules permit.. Maybe with a questing group of 3-4 attaining the higher tasks could be possible before dinging 50.

Otherwise, I've seen a few "party time" rank 10s, and I imagine the spent a lot of time grinding extensive dialogue FPs.

Firstly, people need to grasp what the word social means. You can't get social points by being anti social, so no soloing.

You gain social points by participating in group conversations. There are points where one of the part gets to choose a direction the conversation is going and at those points having two or more people in that conversation awards social points.

Now you don't get them immediately, because that would lead to escape farming from conversations to redo them for more social. You get them awarded at the turn in for a quest, the game remembers the total of points you added up during conversations on that particular quest, even if you disband before turn in.

If you win the social roll you speak, this gives you bonus points, it would also appear the more players in the group that share your response, the more points you get too.

For example:

Nobody in party agrees with you and you don't speak -3pts

Someone in party agrees with you and you don't speak -6 pts

Everyone in party agrees with you and you speak -8pts

I haven't studied this aspect too closely, I prefer not breaking everything down into numbers but thats the rough outline.

In short, group and accept quests together, then turn in quests together, if you share quests via the quest log button or you pick up quests solo then group you get NO social points for quest pick ups.

Social Points is the worst, most frustrating part of the game. Being social means to me: waiting around for your group to show up, dealing with jerks who join your group and ninja your gear, etc. I would rather solo.

I am lvl 13, I have been in a bunch of groups, finished quests with people in the same group as me and talk to the npc at the same time and I still have no social points. ZERO SOCIAL POINTS, after 3 full days of questing in groups.

This social point system is totally lame... REMOVE IT FROM THE GAME...

Social Points is the worst, most frustrating part of the game. Being social means to me: waiting around for your group to show up, dealing with jerks who join your group and ninja your gear, etc. I would rather solo.

 

I am lvl 13, I have been in a bunch of groups, finished quests with people in the same group as me and talk to the npc at the same time and I still have no social points. ZERO SOCIAL POINTS, after 3 full days of questing in groups.

 

This social point system is totally lame... REMOVE IT FROM THE GAME...

This ^

Though I'd rather not have them removed, but instead give some more options for gaining these points in ways that are actually "social", rather than talking to NPCs with another person in my group and pretending I did something social.

I brought it up in this thread.....

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=221506

P.s. solo players aren't automatically "anti-social". They just like to do PvE solo. They're just as much a part of the community as group players and should be treated as such.

finding 3 level 50 friends and run bt/esseles is the far easiest way to get sosial points at 50.

as far as I can remeber you get around 150-200 points per run and you can skip almost all the mobs.

party time social level 5 checking in. i got it through leveling from 10-50 with a buddy, give or take a few flashpoints. now that hardmode flashpoints give social points appropriately, it shouldn't be that hard given the end-game grind.

there really should be other ways to get the points though. for instance, the current mechanics don't even really promote social behavior anyway. most people spacebar through conversation options, and the "social immersion" is essentially non-existent. i, for one, am more social grouping with some buddies and camping some random area on some random planet for no reason at all, given the current game mechanics.

all I really say for fast fast social grinding... get 4 people, hit Esseles If you are higher level you can just hop on a speeder and fly through it without having to fight until the end.

tons of social points if you are hard up for them.... thats pretty much the cheapest easiest way to rack them up I can think of.

One of my characters has been grouped with others her entire existence. 1-10 on Hutta with a friend, and then 11+ with the other 2 friends that were leveling on Korriban. So, I have never done *anything* outside of a group, and since 11 I have been in a group of 4. She is level 27, and Social 3, nearing in on Social 4.

So...if I am level 27 with non-stop grouping, doing every quest and all FPs available when they become available, turning in all the quests together so that we never miss out on a single Social Point, EVER: why is my group of 4 not even Social 4 yet, when the level 25 social speeder requires SOCIAL 5?

No one would get Social 5 naturally by 25. They would have to do nothing but grind Black Talon/Esseles!

I honestly think BioWare misjudged the awarding of Social points, and thought people would be somehow getting more than they are getting, if that level 25 speeder requires Social 5.