My main is, unfortunately, a Cybertech practitioner and so heavily invested in the craft that I'm not willing to drop it (nor should I be driven to the point of being forced to). I am leveling an alt who is now 400 Bichem and did so for the expressed purpose of supplying my main with a constant stream of stims, adrenals and medpacks. Unfortunately, despite being rich by most players' standards and being online about 30 hours a week, I am unable to supply my main character with these items at a sustainable rate. The cost to effectively raid and pvp while using these items is so significant that I don't see any choice other than to respec to Biochem, throwing away the millions of credits and hours of investment I have put into Cybertech.

The argument that I have seen for allowing the use of these reusable stims and adrenals is that players CAN have the same thing with consumables if they are willing to pay for it. Well considering the rate at which biochem users are able to take advantage of their reusables, it is impossible for a non-biochem player to collect enough materials to keep up with that distinct advantage in both pve and pvp that those biochem players have. I could buy every mission and every scrap of radioactive paste on the GTN and use every opportunity to send my crew out to hopefully crit on a diplomatic mssion ad not even come close to meeting the demand needed to accomplish what these other players can with their reusables.

So, BioWare, is this the way it has to be? That Biochem players simply get to maintain a permanent DRAMATIC pvp and pve advantage? Is that te message you wantto send? If not, the non-reusables need to be dramaticly altered in how much material is needed to craft.

Please advise.

What makes it so hard now? I have 400 smart cells sitting in the bank that is enough to make plenty adrenals and stims that persist through death. I just give them out to my guildies or even pug members in hardmodes.

To make the stims and adrenals that are as good as the reusables, you need the artifact level component. I'm guessing that you don't have 400 radioactive paste just sitting around. Again, the problem is that to use these things at the level of a biochem player it isn't sustainable with gathered and purchased mats. Per day, you might be able to get 8 total radioactive paste alone from standard missions and then maybe another 8 from the missions you get from slicers. That will make you 4 total items, which isn't enough to sustain anyone for an extended length of time.

The point is that the reusables weren't supposed to give such a huge competitive advantage to biochem players over pretty much everyone else, an advantage that cannot be matched using consumables, even if one puts a lot of effort into doing so. They either need to really nerf the cooldowns or make the consumables require less materials.

To make the stims and adrenals that are as good as the reusables, you need the artifact level component. I'm guessing that you don't have 400 radioactive paste just sitting around. Again, the problem is that to use these things at the level of a biochem player it isn't sustainable with gathered and purchased mats. Per day, you might be able to get 8 total radioactive paste alone from standard missions and then maybe another 8 from the missions you get from slicers. That will make you 4 total items, which isn't enough to sustain anyone for an extended length of time.

 

The point is that the reusables weren't supposed to give such a huge competitive advantage to biochem players over pretty much everyone else, an advantage that cannot be matched using consumables, even if one puts a lot of effort into doing so. They either need to really nerf the cooldowns or make the consumables require less materials.

You do not need the artifact grade component to make stims on same grade as re-useables... Artifact grade components craft artifact grade items, and all the artifact grade consumables are re-usables that are either BoP or require a certain level of Biochem to use. You never have to farm the artifact grade component for the blue grade stims/adrenals/medpacks.

I'm glad I was not heavily invested in Cybertech as I was unable to proc any high level armoring, not to mention they're all rendered obsolete anyways when you can get higher level through doing dailies and I've not yet ever seen a Level 55 artifact Armoring schematic drop from an Operation. Another thing that bugged the heck out of me is the lack of tanking Mods. I can't make any tanking Mods for my companions or friends. Schematics simply don't exist.

Agreed with the parts about reusables being much better than what other professions offer as exclusives. I would not mind if they allowed the level 48 Hyper-Battle Adrenals/Stims/Medpacks to be BoE and not require Biochem to use. Let us Biochems retain the Rakata grade stims/adrenals/medpacks as our exclusives.

Another problem is, outside of Biochem, most of the other crafting professions do not require keeping the professional to use the BoP items they make. Items such as the mounts I made while I was Cybertech I can still use (I just don't find the grenades useful and never bothered to craft them). Similarly with the artifact relics from Artifice and T1/T2 level armors from Armortech and Synthweaving, they can actually craft the stuff and dump the profession for Biochem.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure if your companion is maxed affection they only take 20-30 mins each time you send them out & have alot higher chance of bringing back the purple mats, my mate has 4 companions maxed & sends them out all together & gets 1-3 of them bring back the epic items

Hope this helps alittle

You do not need the artifact grade component to make stims on same grade as re-useables... Artifact grade components craft artifact grade items, and all the artifact grade consumables are re-usables that are either BoP or require a certain level of Biochem to use. You never have to farm the artifact grade component for the blue grade stims/adrenals/medpacks.

 

Agreed with the parts about reusables being much better than what other professions offer as exclusives. I would not mind if they allowed the level 48 Hyper-Battle Adrenals/Stims/Medpacks to be BoE and not require Biochem to use. Let us Biochems retain the Rakata grade stims/adrenals/medpacks as our exclusives.

Ok. I stand corrected. It just further cements my point that it isn't possible to farm the mats needed to compete with biochem.Biochem has too much of an advantage over the other crafts and even if you are willing to do as the devs suggest and seek out the consumables, you still can't compete.

Stupid system. It makes me want to uninstall the game, today.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure if your companion is maxed affection they only take 20-30 mins each time you send them out & have alot higher chance of bringing back the purple mats, my mate has 4 companions maxed & sends them out all together & gets 1-3 of them bring back the epic items

 

Hope this helps alittle

The epic parts aren't needed anyways to make the non-reusables so that is a non-issue. Issue still stands that no other profession require this kind of effort from another professional as Biochem does from a non-Biochem. I just don't want to see all the schematics we see drop in the raid go to waste b/c everyone in raid has switched to Biochem.

Ok. I stand corrected. It just further cements my point that it isn't possible to farm the mats needed to compete with biochem.Biochem has too much of an advantage over the other crafts and even if you are willing to do as the devs suggest and seek out the consumables, you still can't compete.

 

 

Stupid system. It makes me want to uninstall the game, today.

What schematics do you have in Cybertech that is refraining you from dropping it?

1. Armoring: you can make, at best, level 49 epic grade armoring. This is rendered obsolete by the fact that you can get same armoring for your class via doing daily quests in Belsavis and get them at 1 a day rate. You can also get level 50 epic grade armoring for all classes from the Mission Vendor that requires a mere 8 Daily Commendations. You can get as many as 25 (I think 27 now with new patch adding 2 for last space mission) per day.

2. Mods: can get 1 day also through a Heroic 2 daily quest in Belsavis that can be solo'ed.

3. Earpiece: Tier 3 grade can be bought for 120 Daily Commendations

4. Grenades: 5 min cooldown, imo only useful for PvE, don't think this is keeping anyone from dropping Cybertech.

5. Mounts, Ship upgrades, Droid Parts: don't think anyone is crying over losing these, and outside of mounts everything can be bought from GTN.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure if your companion is maxed affection they only take 20-30 mins each time you send them out & have alot higher chance of bringing back the purple mats, my mate has 4 companions maxed & sends them out all together & gets 1-3 of them bring back the epic items

 

Hope this helps alittle

Even though it is a moot point, you are incorrect. The only reliable way to get artifact mats is to do the crew missions that are obtained through slicing. And if you say your "mate" gets a 25-75% crit rate, even with maxed affection, he is either lying or the luckiest player in the game, as there an't enough abundant or bountiful missions in the queue to accommodate that.

Nope. No help.

Not a huge high end crafter fan, like the OP I do it to supply my raiding habit. If players sell beneath the vendor ceiling then I buy from players, if not, then I either make my own on my Biochem char or get what I need from Vendors. I feel the vendors should be used to provide a ceiling on goods so that prices do not get out of control. But even that seems abit...murky to the 'capitalist pig dog' in me. But I am sure in the fact that I would not like to see the vendor stuff lowered further nor would I like for the components to be made any cheaper or easier to get than they already are.

To the OP, if your going to raid and PVP to the point that your consuming so much and doing so on multiple chars, your just gonna have to prioritize somethings and make it work. If that means you have to go Biochem on your main then so be it.

However if this is another request to improve other crafts so that they are making competitive money then thats another subject altogether.

What schematics do you have in Cybertech that is refraining you from dropping it?

1. Armoring: you can make, at best, level 49 epic grade armoring. This is rendered obsolete by the fact that you can get same armoring for your class via doing daily quests in Belsavis and get them at 1 a day rate. You can also get level 50 epic grade armoring for all classes from the Mission Vendor that requires a mere 8 Daily Commendations. You can get as many as 25 (I think 27 now with new patch adding 2 for last space mission) per day.

2. Mods: can get 1 day also through a Heroic 2 daily quest in Belsavis that can be solo'ed.

3. Earpiece: Tier 3 grade can be bought for 120 Daily Commendations

4. Grenades: 5 min cooldown, imo only useful for PvE, don't think this is keeping anyone from dropping Cybertech.

5. Mounts, Ship upgrades, Droid Parts: don't think anyone is crying over losing these, and outside of mounts everything can be bought from GTN.

I have pretty much every schematic in the game. I have spent a lot of time and effort to get them. So, it isn't really that I have a definable reason to stay Cybertech other than the fact that I have spent tons of time and effort to build it. That and the idea that I could drop it, level Biochem only to see Bioware nerf Biochem and buff the other professions. And also, I do make a TON of money, but to be honest that means very little in this game.

I am also operating on principle to some degree. I am resistant to it only because I HATE the idea that I have to switch.

Not a huge high end crafter fan, like the OP I do it to supply my raiding habit. If players sell beneath the vendor ceiling then I buy from players, if not, then I either make my own on my Biochem char or get what I need from Vendors. I feel the vendors should be used to provide a ceiling on goods so that prices do not get out of control. But even that seems abit...murky to the 'capitalist pig dog' in me. But I am sure in the fact that I would not like to see the vendor stuff lowered further nor would I like for the components to be made any cheaper or easier to get than they already are.

 

To the OP, if your going to raid and PVP to the point that your consuming so much and doing so on multiple chars, your just gonna have to prioritize somethings and make it work. If that means you have to go Biochem on your main then so be it.

 

However if this is another request to improve other crafts so that they are making competitive money then thats another subject altogether.

I don't think money has anything to do with the OP's complaints, it's simply looking for reasons to keep any other profession over switching to Biochem. There simply is nothing to replace what Biochems have exclusively through any means the game offers, whereas every other profession's exclusives can be obtained or bested by what you can get through Operations.