I am very excited about the upcoming Expansion, but I was wondering if there is a discussion of a possibility of producing Forged Alliance Story Arc in a solo version some time after the release (as there obviously will be a lot of things to fix and fin-tune!), so a solo player could eventually play through the story and meet the characters that seem to be an important part of the expansion.

 

EDIT: And no rewards/drops of any special significance, obviously

 

Thank you!

Edited October 6, 2014 by DomiSotto

Two players, together with companions, can do the flashpoints just fine nowadays. Is it truly that hard to find another player you can rely and trust upon to complete them? Just one player?

if they don't scale the fp difficulty i think at new level cap they will be fairly solable

No thanks. This is an MMO, and as much as I love solo content, I'd like it if group content stayed group content.

 

Besides, you can already solo them if you're in good gear.

Duuuude, you literally just need to limit your tactical flashpoint choices and wait for the extremely quick queue to pop. So what if others see you interacting with Lana, she's all yours in your story instances :')

Well, it is a story. I like playing a story solo. With a companion. I am just asking that eventually story (only the STORY!) portion of the game can be played in a story solo mode. It's just 4 Flashpoints. If they could reduce Makeb crowds, I am sure they could reduce the mobs in those FPs, and drop the HPs and the insta-kills off the bosses. I do not ask for it to happen on Day 1. Just some time down the road when everyone has played their toons to 60 and their HM versions, and stuff. I just want to play the whole story beginning to end on a toon straight off Makeb.

Duuuude, you literally just need to limit your tactical flashpoint choices and wait for the extremely quick queue to pop. So what if others see you interacting with Lana, she's all yours in your story instances :')

 

1) The stress of being in a Flashpoint kills all the enjoyment

2) You can't stop and continue another day

3) You do not have companion along

4) You have to fight for responses (and you don't even get a decent social standing for completing an FP).

5) At worst, a person who won the roll can direct your actions the way you do not want it to go at all

6) You never know what other people want, and normally they rush through, and you just tag along behind, so you do not really do the content.

Edited October 6, 2014 by DomiSotto

Well, it is a story. I like playing a story solo. With a companion. I am just asking that eventually story (only the STORY!) portion of the game can be played in a story solo mode.

That would be awesome. Story and group play just don't go well together...and I'm here for the story.

Two players, together with companions, can do the flashpoints just fine nowadays. Is it truly that hard to find another player you can rely and trust upon to complete them? Just one player?

Sadly this doesn't hold in all cases. A while back I tried to do the Manaan flashpoint with my brother. I was a healer scoundrel, he was a vanguard tank. My gear was probably around 162 at the time, and my brother's a bit lower. I had my Risha geared with 140 mods, with a few higher pieces. My brother's Aric was substantially lower, probably around 112. We got as far as the second boss, but hit a wall there. After 10 minutes of fighting the boss wasn't even halfway, since most of our time was spent fighting adds and not the boss. We decided to abort the attempt and call in a friend for additional DPS.

 

I wouldn't mind having solo versions of the flashpoints without the rewards for those that just want to see the story at their own pace.

Good point about the rewards, I edited the first post, so it is obvious.

Sadly this doesn't hold in all cases. A while back I tried to do the Manaan flashpoint with my brother. I was a healer scoundrel, he was a vanguard tank. My gear was probably around 162 at the time, and my brother's a bit lower. I had my Risha geared with 140 mods, with a few higher pieces. My brother's Aric was substantially lower, probably around 112. We got as far as the second boss, but hit a wall there. After 10 minutes of fighting the boss wasn't even halfway, since most of our time was spent fighting adds and not the boss. We decided to abort the attempt and call in a friend for additional DPS.

 

I wouldn't mind having solo versions of the flashpoints without the rewards for those that just want to see the story at their own pace.

 

That was too low. A minimum level, gear-wise, is to be expected.

 

In this case, the minimum is AR 148 but above is both expected and preferable.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Darth_Wicked

Actually I can understand what she means, I had someone pick a dark side option that was references later outside the flashpoint even if my character would never do that.

But if you normally do not play group content. The best a Solo player can hope for is crafting 156's. 162 level is pointless once you get 156. For the 168 tier of gear you have to enter HM Flashpoints and Czerka Heroics for the Ultimate (or elite, or whatever; not classic, lol) comms. Meaning Group content. A LOT of it. Twice as much to gear self and companion.

 

On levels 0-50 the game does not require the gear grind to see the story content.

 

All I ask for is internal consistency in the vehicle for the story delivery (and at a later date). If the story portion of the expansion is balanced to be played solo in 156 gear, I only want that the intro to that story was treated the same way.

 

If Forged Alliances FPs did not appear to be crucial for understanding the Expansion I would never say a word about it. I am all for people getting what they want.

Edited October 6, 2014 by DomiSotto

That was too low. A minimum level, gear-wise, is to be expected.

 

In this case, the minimum is AR 148 but above is both expected and preferable.

Yes, and the player characters were a healer and a tank, which is the worst possible combination for damage output. I could have respecced to DPS fairly easily, although with my healer gear my accuracy would have been low. My brother would have needed to change in equipment to do decent damage.

 

My point was that it requires substantial effort to gear up to the level where you can two-man tactical flashpoints. More than a story-oriented player may be willing to spend. Assuming you can get enough comms for two pieces of gear per week (which may be a bit unreasonable for someone who probably doesn't do ops), it will take three months to completely gear up yourself and one companion.

I support the OP in this, I'd like to see it for the story value. I don't even need prizes or rewards or what not. Just want to experience it.

Yes, and the player characters were a healer and a tank, which is the worst possible combination for damage output. I could have respecced to DPS fairly easily, although with my healer gear my accuracy would have been low. My brother would have needed to change in equipment to do decent damage.

 

My point was that it requires substantial effort to gear up to the level where you can two-man tactical flashpoints. More than a story-oriented player may be willing to spend. Assuming you can get enough comms for two pieces of gear per week (which may be a bit unreasonable for someone who probably doesn't do ops), it will take three months to completely gear up yourself and one companion.

 

That is untrue.

 

You can do Oricon just fine and get a 156 AR armor set for you. You can also buy mods and armor pieces from the GTN to equip your companions. Same with earpieces and implants.

But if you normally do not play group content. The best a Solo player can hope for is crafting 156's. 162 level is pointless once you get 156. For the 168 tier of gear you have to enter HM Flashpoints and Czerka Heroics for the Ultimate (or elite, or whatever; not classic, lol) comms. Meaning Group content. A LOT of it. Twice as much to gear self and companion.

I think your information may be a bit out of date. 168 gear is bought with elite comms, which are obtained from doing tactical flashpoints through GF or various weeklies in daily areas. Ultimates get you 180 gear. Still, getting comms via solo play is extremely slow.

 

Buying or crafting 156 gear costs, by my estimate, around 60-80k per piece. A character plus companion need a total of 24 pieces (excluding relics, good luck with those), so that's to the tune of two million credits. Not entirely unreasonable for someone who kept that goal in mind from the start, but takes a while to gather for someone who didn't.

Oh boy do I wish for something like this to happen...

 

Sadly every serious attempt to get some normal responses on such a request usually seems to get swamped with folks screaming how we dare to ask for solo content in an MMO...

and here lies the problem in putting storyline content in group activites.

You can do Oricon just fine and get a 156 AR armor set for you. You can also buy mods and armor pieces from the GTN to equip your companions. Same with earpieces and implants.

Oricon give five pieces with fairly rubbish stats. See my post above for an estimate of the costs of acquiring gear through GTN.

 

156 gear also might not be enough. Two DPS characters, with DPS companions (maybe one could be changed to healer) and good enough skills to manage both themselves and their companions might do it. But I very much doubt I could have done it with my brother by just companion gear upgrades. DPS companions aren't that awesome.

Oricon give five pieces with fairly rubbish stats. See my post above for an estimate of the costs of acquiring gear through GTN.

 

That gear is not rubbish. It's more than enough for Tactical Flashpoints.

 

The minimum for those is 148 AR. Oricon rewards you with gear which is 156 AR.

 

156 gear also might not be enough. Two DPS characters, with DPS companions (maybe one could be changed to healer) and good enough skills to manage both themselves and their companions might do it. But I very much doubt I could have done it with my brother by just companion gear upgrades. DPS companions aren't that awesome.

 

You could use healing companions, in addition to the courtesy med stations. Bosses don't enrage during Tacticals and healer companions don't break CC.

I think your information may be a bit out of date. 168 gear is bought with elite comms, which are obtained from doing tactical flashpoints through GF or various weeklies in daily areas. Ultimates get you 180 gear. Still, getting comms via solo play is extremely slow.

 

I am just mixing up the names of the comms. Still, doing Flashpoints involves grouping, Tactical or not, and Weeklies always include a Heroic or two, on any planet I have been so far. If you do not do a Heroic, you do not get Weekly drop, and that means your comms accumulate in a geological time scale.

 

I found that a 156 cost about 25-30 thou to craft per piece between Berrylius/Maytag and 9 Mats, if you have Artificer, and Cyberteck to 450. That's how I geared my L55 char - Black Hole for credits at about 70 thou per day revenue generation to buy Beryllius and Augments 28 + Unranked PvP for Brutalizer relics. Day after day, week after week.

As for soloing Oricon for 156 gear.. Well my all 156's, fully augmented char (and swapping to min/maxed 158's) and companion in 140-156 (not augmented, Treek) just got through nerfed Makeb, and I got killed every time I did not notice that a group had 2 golds. Seeing that Oricon is harder than Makeb, I do respect those who would go there to grind 156 set in 140 or 148 gear. I really do. I would not be able to do it, I am certain of that on a DPS. Edited October 6, 2014 by DomiSotto

I love BioWARE even more! I did not know it was possible Thank you million times!!!! Edited October 6, 2014 by DomiSotto