I missed this at first, but there is a THIRD vendor, off to the side that will accept fragments in exchange for gifts. This is different from the one that accepts Common Data Crystals in exchange for gifts.

AND THE REALLY GREAT NEWS!

There is a 1:1 exchange rate of fragments to gifts. It used to be 8 fragments = 1 gift.

I'm so freaking glad I ran so many Treasure Hunting Missions over the last 2 weeks! Holy crap! I guessed right!?!?

BAMF!

I missed this at first, but there is a THIRD vendor, off to the side that will accept fragments in exchange for gifts. This is different from the one that accepts Common Data Crystals in exchange for gifts.

 

AND THE REALLY GREAT NEWS!

 

There is a 1:1 exchange rate of fragments to gifts. It used to be 8 fragments = 1 gift.

 

I'm so freaking glad I ran so many Treasure Hunting Missions over the last 2 weeks! Holy crap! I guessed right!?!?

 

BAMF!

Lol sweet, I have a few stacks of those saved up in addition to all my gifts. Better get in quick before they change it lol.

One question though - does the gift type still affect the amount of influence? e.g. some comps prefer certain gifts? This was what generaly made the rakata grenade popular I believe as it had most companions that got max influence from it?

Mmmm few hundred rakata grenades at 60K+ each last I checked. 12 million for those alone heh.

One question though - does the gift type still affect the amount of influence? e.g. some comps prefer certain gifts? This was what generaly made the rakata grenade popular I believe as it had most companions that got max influence from it?

As near as I can tell, each companion has the same relative affection gains as before.

I did only check one companion (M1-4X), but he had a large affection gain on Republic Memorabilia, with the tooltip stating moderate-to-no influence gain on the rest.

Unique Rakata Grenades briefly hit 100k each on Shadowlands, but they've since dropped down to 80K. Last time I checked pre 4.0 they were sitting at 60K. So if there's going to be a gift boom, it hasn't really happened yet.

I suppose it's possible that there's just an excess of inventory at the moment, and once people consume the gifts things will change? It certainly takes an epic-metric-crap-ton of gifts to get even halfway to max on a single companion -- but I wonder how many people will be put off by the idea of grinding to 250,000 and just not bother.

 

Mmmm few hundred rakata grenades at 60K+ each last I checked. 12 million for those alone heh.

I would not count your grenades before they pop. My companion with 10,000 affection now has 10,000 influence and had only 240,000 points to go. I gave her a top notch purple gift and got 400 influence points for it. That, counting on my fingers and toes, leaves only 599 more gifts to get to 250,000.

I am not sure how many people are going to pay 60K a pop for 600 items to max out one companions affection.

Better get them up for sale before people catch on.

PS - I squirlled away a full cargo hold of stacks of companion gifts in anticipation of the expansion. They are probably worth doo dah now and the full cargo hold of stacks will be needed to gin up a few of my companions.

I would not count your grenades before they pop. My companion with 10,000 affection now has 10,000 influence and had only 240,000 points to go. I gave her a top notch purple gift and got 400 influence points for it. That, counting on my fingers and toes, leaves only 599 more gifts to get to 250,000.

Yup. Plus it gets worse, the further you go:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=842465

Just because I'm intensely curious (and more than a little crazy ) I'm going to take M1-4X all the way to 250,000 tonight and keep track of the point breaks and such. Plus I'm wondering what his final stat boosts are going to end up at.

Yup. Plus it gets worse, the further you go:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=842465

 

Just because I'm intensely curious (and more than a little crazy ) I'm going to take M1-4X all the way to 250,000 tonight and keep track of the point breaks and such. Plus I'm wondering what his final stat boosts are going to end up at.

When you think about it, it is so expensive to take a companion to full max that at most you will end up with a few over all of your characters. That will greatly restrict the companions you will use since all others will be severly gimped compared to the maxed out one.

My wife who felt that she would be playing this game forever is now talking about when (not if) we unsub.

That will greatly restrict the companions you will use since all others will be severly gimped compared to the maxed out one.

Well, I think it would be important to see just how powerful a maxxed out companion ends up being.

When I brought Forex to 60,000 influence, his damage as a tank was almost double Elara's as a dps.

It really makes me wonder what his stats are going to look like at 250,000. At that point, maybe he'll become the PC and I'll become the Companion ()

Unfortunately, the Combat Training Dummy on the fleet is level 65 and the Bolsterizer doesn't work on companions, so I cannot do a proper parse. I'll hit 65 soon enough, will do a test, and report findings.

I just did the H2 Lights Out, which is a mission from the Belsavis' dailies on the empire. Talos, with 2 approved answers gave 520 influence (with rank 3 character perk ). I wonder if this could be a not so insane alternative to craptons of gifts and millions spent, specially when the diminishing returns start hitting.

Anyways, yeah, seems like a mind numbing grind to get them to 250k. But in terms of combat effectiveness, I don't think it's not even remotely needed to do your questing with them (full influence I mean ) I soloed the H2 and I don't even got below 90% with Talos healing me.

Maybe I grind one companion's influence for each of my crafters and that's it.

Maybe I grind one companion's influence for each of my crafters and that's it.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

If the grade 42+ mod market actually becomes a thing, having a comp with a big +crit chance would be pretty great. It looks like each "rank" gives +0.5% crit chance. So a fully-maxxed-out comp would give +25% crit chance.

..But in terms of combat effectiveness, I don't think it's not even remotely needed to do your questing with them (full influence I mean ) I soloed the H2 and I don't even got below 90% with Talos healing me.

 

.

That is an interesting point. I went to 63 on my freebe with the run of the mill companions that were given as part of the story with no influence at all. My gear was the orginal that came with the freebe, so perhaps combat is so dumbed down (seems like that although I have a few chapters left) that it does not matter.

I would not count your grenades before they pop. My companion with 10,000 affection now has 10,000 influence and had only 240,000 points to go. I gave her a top notch purple gift and got 400 influence points for it. That, counting on my fingers and toes, leaves only 599 more gifts to get to 250,000.

 

I am not sure how many people are going to pay 60K a pop for 600 items to max out one companions affection.

 

Better get them up for sale before people catch on.

 

PS - I squirlled away a full cargo hold of stacks of companion gifts in anticipation of the expansion. They are probably worth doo dah now and the full cargo hold of stacks will be needed to gin up a few of my companions.

I agree that many people won't but there are super rich players in this game ( we are amongst them no doubt ) with really nothing to spend their credits on now ( especially with conquest change ) so why not max gifts to get your comp as strong as possible for soloing content and for whatever the crazy crit rate might end up as ... 100% maybe?

Basically I am fairly confident on this increase demand well beyond what it was before, even if people don't want to go for cap they'll increase it somewhat where as before no one could go beyond the 10K cap.

I just did the H2 Lights Out, which is a mission from the Belsavis' dailies on the empire. Talos, with 2 approved answers gave 520 influence (with rank 3 character perk ). I wonder if this could be a not so insane alternative to craptons of gifts and millions spent, specially when the diminishing returns start hitting.

 

Anyways, yeah, seems like a mind numbing grind to get them to 250k. But in terms of combat effectiveness, I don't think it's not even remotely needed to do your questing with them (full influence I mean ) I soloed the H2 and I don't even got below 90% with Talos healing me.

 

Maybe I grind one companion's influence for each of my crafters and that's it.

I don't think they intend for us to just go ZOOOOM and hit 250K like we did with 10K though and that's why it is so crazily high.

It's most likely designed as a gradual point we reach towards through gifts, doing content, the story and future content.

I still believe based on what Khevar is saying though that the benefits of gifts are massive right now even if you have no intention of going to 250K, look what 60K gets. FAR better than pre 4.0 in all regards.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

 

If the grade 42+ mod market actually becomes a thing, having a comp with a big +crit chance would be pretty great. It looks like each "rank" gives +0.5% crit chance. So a fully-maxxed-out comp would give +25% crit chance.

Cool so not 100% lol

It really makes me wonder what his stats are going to look like at 250,000. At that point, maybe he'll become the PC and I'll become the Companion ()

Whoah, you out-dpsed your companions before 3.0? IIRC, my companions were pissed when the GSISUS droid topped them.

Whoah, you out-dpsed your companions before 3.0? IIRC, my companions were pissed when the GSISUS droid topped them.

I know, right? I keep hearing the Veg-O-Matic commercial in my head when running with the GSI droid

I went to 50 influence with Jaesa Dark Side. It took over 500 purple grade 5 weapon gifts to get there.

What I am now noticing is that Treasue Hunting is no longer granting gift fragments for the gift missions. Can somebody else confirm this. I lined up 5 toons and sent 30 comps on TH gift missions at all grades and didn't receive one gift fragment. I had about 1k purple fragments banked before 4.0 so I can trade a lot for the 1:1 trade. I guess the no more gift fragments was the trade off or they are very rare.

What I am now noticing is that Treasue Hunting is no longer granting gift fragments for the gift missions. Can somebody else confirm this.

Correct.

From the patch notes:

Gift Fragments can now be used to purchase Gifts at the Companion Gift Vendor on either Fleet. These Fragments are no longer available from Missions

Thank You for posting that.

Now I won't have to go nuts doing lower level missions in hopes of getting some.