PvP in Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy

I started playing this game a little after it's release although around June I had to leave for school and just resubbed a few weeks ago. I'm a lvl 50 Warlord Jedi Sentinel (subscriber), a big fan of SWTOR and an avid pvper and have to say I am disappointed as to where PvP is at this point. I'm not here to put anyone down or tell them they're right or wrong, just to give some constructive criticism about the pvp update from the perspective of a long time competitive pvper and also to touch on a few hot topics. The bracket changes and bolstering are good things, but are very minor in comparison to the real issues. I'm just going to list a few things that I think are important and should have been addressed with 2.0 and that need to be addressed soon!

First I would like to point out that Cross Server Ranked Warzones should be the main priority right now! We have been in Pre-Season for obviously way too long! I remember before I left for school we were excitedly awaiting the arrival of ranked warzones that were supposed to be released in whatever patch was coming out at that time. 1-2 days before the patch was released BW stated that ranked warzones were not ready to be released. They apologized and said that ranked warzones would still be coming out and would be a main priority. Well almost a year later the new expansion is here and still no Ranked Warzones. Are ranked warzones still going to be implemented? Is there any time frame as to when?

Second I would like to address the PvP gear both old and new. Besides having fun and being able to say that you're good the main motivator to PvP is to acquire the best looking and most powerful gear to stomp out the competition! The last installment of PvP gear (WH) had to be the worst looking gear I have ever seen! Having to grind out that gear sucked, because we didn't want to wear it. I also think that the new PvP armor sets coming out in 2.0 are A LOT better looking so good job on that, but they still could use some improvements. I will save my list of armor set improvements both PvE and PvP for another more appropriate thread if I can find one.

What I do not like is how the Conqueror and Firebrand armor sets are identical just with a different color scheme. I don't know why you do that, I know its been done on previous gear, but it comes off as lazy. We should have three completely different looking armor sets, since armor is such a big motivator to PvP and PvP is a big motivator to play the game I don't think the rewards for doing so are something to be slacked on, if thats the case.

I completely agree with valuing skill over stats, but not with making gear and stats less important and heres why. Players who work hard and play as a team will eventually one way or another EARN the good armor. Sure some of them might get beat a ton, but they will win some too! Once they EARN their armor they become EQUALS with the other players who have been smashing them on their grind up and THEN it becomes purely based on skill. Why sacrafice one when in the end you get both? Players who put in the work deserve to have an advantage over the players who don't. At least for the amount of time it takes the undergeared player to level up. As long as they don't give up they will get the gear as well. It is a lot easier to earn PvP armor since the server mergers and transfers.

Overall, the PvP update for 2.0 is weak and if it wasn't for the "two" new sets of PvP gear that are coming out there would be nothing to be excited for. Bracket and bolstering adjustments seems like content that you would expect to be released in a patch and the bigger more important issues that you would expect to see released with a expansion were not. Besides Ranked Warzones and gear issues I would like to see 2 new hutball maps in the future.

As for the complaints about having too many stuns sure I think there is a little too much, but it doesnt stop me from having a good time pvping.
Not sure exactly what everyone's problem is with the dps trooper, but I was just in a WZ with one that dropped a little over 600k which is some of the best DMG I've seen in a while. If they can do that much DMG why would they not be used for Ranked Warzones?
As for balancing classes every class has there strengths and weaknesses. Thats how it should stay.

My main issue is the bracket setup. There is no reason why 50-54's should be pvping with 10-49's at all. It'll make pvp unplayabale for probably a month or so after 2.0 drops, then it'll go back to normal but that is still a long time. It should be 10-49, 50-54 and then 55. 50's will utterly DEMOLISH lower levels without the proper gear.

heck no. Resolve is a highly unbalanced attribute. By the time a sorc can have a full resolve bar they are virtually always dead and back at the spawn point. Whereas a longer resolve bar for a tank totally over powers that role.

How is the new bolster system going to address the issues with current level 50 characters in expertise gear who will now be matched against players from levels 30-49 that have little to no expertise gear. If the bolster system does not bring everyone up to an equal expertise level just boosting the normal stats of these players will not do anything. It will be just like it was during launch when there was no brackets.

Both teams have the same number of stuns and stunbreakers. If your team is getting "stunlocked until death," the other team should be too, right? Except they aren't. Why do you think that is? It is because they are skilled and you are not.

Because you will be bolstered to 55.
Don't you think that a fully aug'd 50 is less than or equal to a fully blue geared 55?
I do.

It'll be fine. The only problem I see is queue times.

Nope, both teams are pretty much just stunning each other over and over again. It's really really lame. I watch people spending the majority of their time either walking like they are moving in extreme slow motion because of roots and snares or they just sit there and get killed while they are stunned. Then they turn around and do the exact same thing.

LAME. WAR ZONES ARE UNPLAYABLE WITH STUNS AS THE WAY THEY ARE. REMOVE THEM. THEY ARE UNNECESSARY.

You already have:

1.) Roots
2.) Snares
3.) Interrupts
4.) Knockbacks
5.) Stealth

Nobody wants stuns. And I mean nobody wants them in War Zones.

And NOBODY thinks you're some big bad Internet tough guy for supporting them. Trying to make the game overly complicated or "difficult" might be the fashionable thing to do with the rest of the angry little trolls but nobody in real life cares. We just want to go and enjoy the game and have fun.

It's pathetic that THIS is what they give us for "PvP content" in a freaking expansion.

No warzones, no new open world PvP areas, No new maps for existing warzones (I'm looking at you, Huttball).

A bolster system that's meaningless for the folks who pvp regularly (and as such, are generally geared at a 'war hero' level)

I still have an issue with this whole "flat" idea. They say they want to create a system based on character skill, soooo why not have a bracket system by levels of 5, 10, 20, whatever, that allows players to use their "skill" to obtain the best gear they can for their level through pve or pvp that grants them a higher chance of defeating opponents based on stats differences. This gives players who may not be good at rotation priority to become stronger or more resistant, while others may be stronger in attack rotation priority but lack gear. Also, the whole level 10-49 or whatever it is now, yeah... thats totally working cause a level 10 has the same amount of attacks as a level 49... its a completely unfair advantage when a low level chararacter goes in and is matched up against say a 49, who has much more defensive and offensive abilities. They can just pop cooldowns and practically be invincible against the lower player. Sorry but SWTOR's pvp is really what's bringing it down. The PVE system is quite awesome but if the game doesnt have both, its gonna lose a lot of fans no matter how many new warzones they introduce.

This need to be repeated:

Because the 30 is going to be Bolstered to 54, with the equivalent (more or less) of gear between Recruit and War Hero. Will the Aug'ed 50 have better gear? Yes. Will it be a joke? No. Because the 50's Aug'ed gear is getting bolstered to 54, too.

Repeat: Both the 30 and the 50 are getting Bolstered to 54. The 30 will have a decent amount of Expertise. It will be less of a disparity than what we see now with fresh 50's wearing Recruit gear.