1.2 Hard Mode loot. Why raid when you can just run dailies?

Not that this hasn't been stated again and again, but the raiders will have the top gear literally months before the soloers. By that time a new patch will be out, with a new set of top of the line gear and a new set of QQers.

The problem is, in order to be a successful raider, you need to commit a ton of time to it.

And in order to have the gear necessary to progress, it is a long grind hampster wheel.

What about the guy that only gets to play on the weekends? He can't make raids during the week. He is a good player, but falls behind on the gear curve far too fast because of his time constraints - and effectivley gets eliminated from progression.

That's why in my mind - trophies and titles should be the main focus for raid acheivements. It allows casual, good players the ability to advance at their own pace, without being left behind on the gear curve needed to compete, simply because they don't have 20 hours a weeek to devote to defeating the same encounters over and over and over.

What skill? I was a hardcore raider in WoW for years, back when less than 10% of the "raiders" were clearing all content before the next expansion.

SWTOR? The current OPs, even on hardmode, hardly take that kind of gear/skill superiority. I have limited play time, did almost no flashpoints, and only 3 complete "Raids" once I reached 50 (I dropped out of one so a regular could come in.)

Two of the three raids were hardmodes, one was mostly alts except me. We completed them all. SWTOR is a casual game, including the raiding. It is fun, but requiring any special "elite" skills? I think not. There is absolutely no reason there shouldn't be multiple paths to the same gear. Raid/Quest/Solo/PvP whatever you find fun. But if your only reason for playing is to stand around in Fleet with your "Elite" gear trying to make people you don't even know feel bad/envious whatever, then you have serious issues and need help.

Kind of reminds me of some Horde folks on my WoW server that spend endless hours farming for rare mounts then spend hour after hour sitting on them in Org (seem to be there every time I log on). They do evoke a response from me, but it isn't envy, it is pity

It is a game, play it to have fun and try not to be mean spirited.

I am going to stop you right there because you completely wrong and overly dramatic here. No being a Successful raider does not need you to commit a ton of time to it. I can tell you do not know what raiding is like, maybe you do but maybe you do but you are not good at it. Raiding does not take a Ton of time, my guild is now 9/10 and has only progressively raided for a total of 15 hours to get to this point. Right now we raid progressively (when not spending time raiding normal modes to help out new 50s gear up and learn the raids) 2 days a week 2 1/2 hours at a pop. Yea we have not downed Nightmare modes, do you know why? Because 2 extra pieces of Rakata is not worth having to learn what we need to do in Nightmare modes from Hardmodes, if we were too learn the fights we would want better gear not the same gear just more of it.

Anyways NO you are WRONG raiding right now does not nor will it ever take a ton of time to be good at. Even with the new Hardmode and Nightmare modes, yes it will be hard a first however guess what the content will still be downed by people who raid 5 hours a week like us. Never Again will raids be like Vanilla WoW or EQ1 where you needed to spend 4 or 5 days a weeks 8 hours at a pop just to down the content. FYI it has not required that time commitment since 2006. FYI even if you dont down the boss in the first month nerfs will come and you will down it.

You are wrong and overly dramatic about what it takes to raid. No raid gear should be given to people who down the content. Not solo weekly's, dailies or bought off the GTN.

Why don't we just remove the binding system? That way we can all do whatever we want and just buy whatever makes us feel good about ourselves off the GTN!

I got a better idea. Lets raid Hogger. WAIT *Edit With level 1s

Yep, that's it right there. The gear grind is never ending, and never satisfying. better to raid for the experience, and pleasure of raiding. Making it all about the gear just leads to constant disappointment.

...and why not? Honestly, I don't think that's a bad idea.

It's about time an MMO, drooped the gear binding system.

So, what your entire post basically says is that you do not devote a great deal of time into Ops. You can invest the bare minimum of time into Ops and still come away with enough gear to justify your minimal investment. To increase the challenge and time invested would be a waste as the gains are outweighed by the horrific cost of "having to learn what we need to do in Nightmare modes." Running Ops does not take a ton of time invested to become good at.

Hmmm... Let me sum up, you invest the minimum to gain the maximum.

And yet, you still have an issue with (carfeul Gavin, incoming facts, you may want to duck and cover as per usual) players receiving a meager 6 BH comms from running every daily for a week. That is an inordinate time investment as compared to your aformentioned experience.

So... We have a great invesment of time for a meager reward.

Curious that "logic" would dictate that your scenario is, indeed, the one that is horrendously balanced. I mean, it's only logical that someone willing to invest more time and effort should get the best rewards. Right? You do punctuate so many of your retorts with a call to logic. Just sayin...

Also, realize not everyone who runs Ops feels the same on this subject as you. I am perfectly fine with getting gear through my guild running Ops on a schedule, just as I am fine with someone who chooses not to do so getting it from a dedicated schedule of dailies.

This is not an argument of "raid gear for raiders." This is not raid gear, this is merely PvE gear. If you want to get yours faster by running Ops, feel free - just don't impede someone who chooses to attain it their own way at their own pace. Play your game, let them play theirs. You need to seriously adjust your outlook on things if someone else's digital toon wearing the same digital armor as you causes such a fervor.

So clearly raiding is the ez-mode way of getting solo gear and you shouldn't be able to get the solo gear by doing it. Solo gear is earned by soloing not by raiding.

(Yes, as long as you keep calling the gear "raid gear" I will keep calling it "solo gear")

If you make any group of players,whether they are soloers/raiders/or roleplayers into a have not group,they will become dissatisfied customers and will no longer purchase the product.Raider's can get titles,special items,or even get gear at a faster pace.No amount of incentive will make someone raid who does not wish to.Allowing any group to become superior through their style of play while not allowing others to aquire equal gear through their particular style of play leads to harrasment,bullying,and belittlement of others accomplishments.Raiders will be hated,casuals will be look down on,and roleplayers will find the game less enjoyable because of all the distracting drama in chat and forums.