I'm new to the game and relatively new to mmo's so bear with the noobie. Basically i chose a pvp server but am still unaware of how it works. My q's are where does player killing take place e.g only in these warzones or in certain areas of the game . Do I have to be a certain level before I can take part and do I need special equipment. Can someone with more than 10 brain cells please explain :S

Playing on a PvP server means that you can engage in PvP-combat anwhere outside 'safe zones'. This sort of implies that you are on a planet which is accessible to both factions. The first ones are Nar Shaddaa and Tatooine afaik.

Then there are warzones (or WZ). You can queue up for them starting at level 10 by clicking on the small faction symbol next to your minimap. Provided that there are enough players signing on you will be transported to special 'combat areas' where you will have to achieve preset missions in order to win the engagement. I'd like to refer you to the PvP-forum here. Prior knowledge of specific WZs is helpful und very, very welcome.

Edited May 18, 2012 by ThrillInstructor

I'm new to the game and relatively new to mmo's so bear with the noobie. Basically i chose a pvp server but am still unaware of how it works. My q's are where does player killing take place e.g only in these warzones or in certain areas of the game . Do I have to be a certain level before I can take part and do I need special equipment. Can someone with more than 10 brain cells please explain :S

 

Alrighty, to break it down

 

1.Pvp server-- While you are technically fair game (i.e. flagged) whenever you are out questing in the open world, the reality of this game's design is that while leveling there is very little overlap, meaning you probably aren't going to stumble across this form of player-killer action barring specifically going out and seeking it which is not going to be all that often.

 

This leads us to the primary source of pvp

 

2.Warzones-- These are broken into two brackets the first is the level 50 "endgame" pvp bracket. The first leveling bracket is opened up come level 10 and consists of the entire level range from 10 through 49. The way this can be done is through a "bolster" mechanic that inflate everyone to statistically similar levels (depending on gear 90% of those in this bracket will run between about 11K and 13k health a relatively small variance all things being equal).

 

3.Equipment-- For the 10-49 bracket no, special equipment is not required (and until your 40's there is no actual true pvp equipment to be had, and the pvp stat there is minimal enough to be negligible). You do want to make sure you are relatively well geared for you respective level. If you go in there at level 30 with level 15-20 greens for example you'll be left way behind by the bolster mechanic. I use my health pool on characters in this bracket for a guideline, basically making sure I am always above 12k health but ideally more in the 12500-13500 range.

 

3a.Equipment--There is a pvp specific stat called expertise, improving damage and healing done while reducing damage taken in a pvp area. In the 10-49 bracket you can purchase higher level (40+) weapons from the pvp vendor that have trace amounts of expertise on their enhancements. If you were really willing you could purchase several to rip out the enhancements and drop into orange armor getting you to approach 100 expertise, but by and large the benefit is not worth the hassle, especially since once you hit level 40 you will be far more likely to be saving ranked warzone commendations up for 50 instead.

 

 

Heads up-- This is pretty much a good stopping point for the tldr crowd.

 

 

 

In the 50's bracket however expertise is the first and last word on pvp. You are going to be essentially worthless with less then 500, and still very ineffective until you get over 800ish (I ignore the full rakata potential here because this assumes someone fairly new to 50). This can be achieved in two ways--

 

The first is that I highly recommend saving at least the 2000 regular warzone commendations needed to cap out that number. Ideally you will have also starting accruing some ranked warzone commendations as well (exhanged for regular comms at a 3:1 ratio once you hit valor rank 40).

 

If you can save up enough ranked warzone commendations for at least one item then you can buy the Battlemaster item and rip its mods out, plug them into an orange (ideally augmentable) item of a different slot then trade in the BM shell for its war hero upgrade.

 

If you are a dual wielder (marauder, sentinel, gunslinger, mercenary) this can be especially beneficialif you can cap out your ranked commendations too since you can end up with a war hero mainhand and battlemaster offhand essentially, meaning that while you will be squishy in starter gear your firepower will at least be on-par.

 

And about that squishy-ness?

 

By and large you really are going to need to buy a significant portion of the recruit set. In full it costs about 300k credits, and if you use the above battlemaster/war hero method you'll actually spend more extracting mods then you save getting two less items. Why all this work for something that you can replace at a rate of essentially 1-2 pieces per day?

 

As stated, your capacity to function in a warzone is below nil in level 50 greens and blues, and taking the time to attempt the less effective level 49/50 AH purples would end up likely costing you more then 300k anyway. Instead of scrapping for 2-3 medals per warzone (or farming defender-node medals praying no one comes your way) you are able to perform at a relatively effective level that will bring you commendations much faster leading to that BM set coming it as much as half the time.

 

 

Other fun warzone tips that are helpful to newcomers--

 

1.In any defensive situation call incoming before you are in trouble, if you see someone running call out "inc 2 west" for example. I also add to this that if the numbers are equal (1v1, 2v2) still call incoming because you never know when someone will pop out of stealth or the enemy will simply outdo you and win the even-numbered fight.

 

 

2.Eyes on the prize-- Don't let yourself get pulled off a node you are defending, in huttball work to either hold mid/advance the ball/take out the ballcarrier and his support, don't get so wrapped up in the fight in front of you that a second person can step in and complete the objective right next to you.

 

3.If you are undergeared/underpowered/or just inexperienced keep with the pack-- If you are the one person that goes to hold a side node in Alderaan for example and you are undergeared or inexperienced then a sudden stealther can pop out, kill you,and take the node before any response is possible. Better to keep yourself with the group where you can observe how things go and gain valuable experience while potentially being able to get something done during times where someone besides you is getting focused.

 

4.Prioritize-- While stopping a capper/bomb planter is obviously first priority, that aside look for healers and go after them. If you are undergeared you may not kill them without help, but you can at least harass them into being too busy dealing with you to actually serve to help the rest of the group.

 

5.Everything not damage-- Whether you are in starter gear or full war hero one thing doesn't change-- your non damage abilities. An interrupt will always interrupt the same, a stun will always be 4 seconds (cc breaker aside), a friendly pull will always pull, etc. In a crowd being aware of making good use of these will considerably help you feel effective in spite of a gear inequity.

 

6.Know your resolve bar-- While this is most a huttball factor it has value in all areas. Knowing when to use resolve building abilities extremely critical so that when it becomes the most important to use one it is still available. This includes huttball carriers so they can be stunned in a firepit or right before they're likely to pass or be knocked back off the platforms, sentinels or marauders right before they pop the 99% damage reduction to get the killing blow (or during to neutralize its impact), healers as their health gets low (so they can hopefully be bursted before they can recover).

paul_preib's post sums things up nicely.

 

I would recommend telling us the server you are on and your toon names. Then we can chat with you in game and answer questions as they arise.

 

I also recommend joining a guild that has a voice chat server (teamspeak and ventrilo are popular). It is even easier to for us to answer questions in voice chat.

Preibs answer is one of the best allround answers i've seen recently. Nothing much to add.

 

But, when joining Warzones my advice is always just typing 'hi' in the chat window to get people ready and aware of the importance on communication. Great communication with strategy is a major factor in winning. Also check your map from time to time (mainly Civil War and Novare) to see where your teammates are.

Preibs answer is one of the best allround answers i've seen recently. Nothing much to add.

 

But, when joining Warzones my advice is always just typing 'hi' in the chat window to get people ready and aware of the importance on communication. Great communication with strategy is a major factor in winning. Also check your map from time to time (mainly Civil War and Novare) to see where your teammates are.

 

On that "check your map from time to time" thing I'd like to add in also to take note of who is guarding the node where the action isn't (usually northern nodes in Novare, Side ones in Alderaan, could be either door in voidstar)-- This way you can know to occasionally glance at their health bars. If you see their health going down you know to hoof it over there even if they aren't aware enough to call incoming.

read the sticky threads in the PvP forum.. "Sticky" threads are threads appear at the top of each page. Forum moderators "sticky" particularly useful discussions.

 

Look for non-whining threads in the PvP forum that discuss how to play and read these. e.g. this thread: what you should be doing in warzone.

Edited May 18, 2012 by funkiestj

Greetings everyone!

 

We just wanted to give a big thank you for all the helpful posts and constructive replies to this thread!

 

Have a great day!

Thanks for all the helpful posts folks

Hi, can someone point me to the REAL basics?

 

I have read a half-dozen guides about warzone commendations, ranked warzone commendations, battlemaster, rakata, etc, and I still don't think I've got a handle on it. Everyone seems to assume the missing bits, such as the very basics of medals, valor, commendations, etc. Starting with a glossary of terms first, then explain each concept separately, then explain the path to progress. Has someone done this well?

 

Maybe I need a "Gearing for dummies" post.

Just FYI, the earliest planet where you will encounter opposite faction players in the open world is Tatooine. There are some shared areas on Nar Shaddaa, but they are level 30 areas. The regular level 20-24 areas on NS are faction-specific, except for The Promenade, but that's a safe area, so no PvP there.

Hi, can someone point me to the REAL basics?

 

I have read a half-dozen guides about warzone commendations, ranked warzone commendations, battlemaster, rakata, etc, and I still don't think I've got a handle on it

Maybe I need a "Gearing for dummies" post.

 

I will start with some of it and hope others will pick up where I leave.

 

Valor level: A measure of how much "PVP cred" you have. Earned after completing Warzones and is tied to how many medals and objectives you achieved. Further increased by getting MVP-votes (Most Valued Player)

 

Commendations: You get commendations for participating in Warzones and achieving some objectives and/or getting medals. Winning the WZ gains you a lot more than losing it. These are the basic PVP-currency and can be used to purchase PP items at the PVP-vendors.

 

Ranked commendations (can be gotten after Valor level 40): These are "elite commendations", and can be earned by completing the PVP-daily, PVP-weekly and exchanged to (1:3 rate with ordinary commendations) from one of the PVP-vendors. They are used for purchasing the coveted end-game "War Hero"-PVP item set.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Veniras

I have previously played on a PVE server and have just rolled a character on a PVP server. It is now a level 16 Jedi shadow and currently on Coruscant.

 

I see people running around, some flagged for PVP and some not. I just wondered if there is a level where you become permanently flagged, i.e. when you get to Taris, or whether it is your choice at all levels to be flagged or not.

 

What is the point of being flagged for PVP on Coruscant etc, can republic players duel with you without warning or do they still have to challenge you to a duel same as PVE planet? The majority of the players are not flagged for PVP which I find curious as its a PVP server.

Hi, can someone point me to the REAL basics?

 

I have read a half-dozen guides about warzone commendations, ranked warzone commendations, battlemaster, rakata, etc, and I still don't think I've got a handle on it. Everyone seems to assume the missing bits, such as the very basics of medals, valor, commendations, etc. Starting with a glossary of terms first, then explain each concept separately, then explain the path to progress. Has someone done this well?

 

Maybe I need a "Gearing for dummies" post.

 

 

Alrighty to break down this aspect of it we'll start with what these items are and how to go about getting them (as well as why they matter to you)

 

 

 

Warzone Commendations-- Just as you can barter for goods with planet-specific commendations you barter for pvp related goods with warzone commendations. The difference here however is that these operate on a much higher scale.. While items will cost between two (mods/enhancements) and 14 (armor/weapons) because you will likely see about 20-30 commendations per planet the scale for warzone commendations is in the scale of 100's.

 

These are gained in warzones, obtained at the end of a match based upon two factors-- if you won or lost (winning is obviously worth the most) and how many medals you earned during that warzone. The average win will net you 100-140 commendations while the averages loss 60-80. The maximum number you can have is 2000.

 

 

Medals-- These are used to gauge your contributions to a warzone, and thus dictate how many commendations you earn. These are the result of a wide variety of achievements such as netting a killing blow, doing 75k damage or healing, getting kill credit (don't the actual killing blow) for 10 enemies, etc. Newest to the game are medals based on attack or defense points, which I'll discuss a bit in their own section as work a bit differently. Generally speaking your goal (besides working towards the win obviously) will be to reach the level of eight medals.

 

 

Attack/Defense-- These are medals for hitting certain levels of attacker or defender points. These points are gained by contributing to warzone objectives in a manner that may not necessarily show up on the stat sheet, such as planting a bomb on a door in voidstar or passing/scoring the ball in huttball. Defensive points are gained by maintaining a presence at a node your team holds (voidstar door, alderaan turret, novare coast bunker)-- and will slowly accrue even if there is no combat going on at that node, this is a means to provide some reward to the individual who willingly took the less glamorous job of watching over a node that sees very little activity.

 

 

Battlemaster-- This generally speaks to the second tier of warzone gear. In pvp there are three gear levels, the first is a recruit set that you can purchase for credits (roughly 300k), the second is obtained by exchanging in your warzone commendations (with items costs ranging from roughly 600 to 1500). Ideally you will have saved the previously spoke of 2000 warzone commendations while leveling, this allows you to purchase multiple small battlemaster items (say earpiece, belt, and bracer) or one big piece (usually weapon) right when you hit 50.

 

War Hero-- The third tier of pvp gear this uses ranked commendations which are exchanged for regular warzone commendations at a rate of 3 warzone per 1 ranked. These cost a significant amount compared to battlemaster, ranging from roughly 1400 to 3400 ranked commendations (4,200 to 10200 warzone commendations).

 

Daily-- Many people will reference the daily, in pvp this comes in two forms. Before level 50 it is a simple complete 2 warzones or win a single warzone. This gives you a chest (your choice level 10, 20, 30, or 40) that will hold some combination of warzone medpacks and adrenals and a random green quality item.

 

At 50 this is upped to credit for 6 warzones (you get single credit for losses, double for wins-- so you can complete it potentially in three wins). This yields 99 regular warzone commendations and 99 ranked. This is especially handy since you can have a jump start on ranked commendations while still grinding out your battlemaster set.

 

 

Rakata-- While not included in normal pvp faq's I'll throw it here since you asked. There are two contexts for this, the first can reference top-end biochem related consumables (long-term stim buffs, short term adrenals, and medpacks). The more common reference would be the third tier of raid gear (though some pieces can be acquired from crafting or daily commendations). Prior to the 1.2 patch there was some value in a mixed arrangement of mostly battlemaster gear with some rakata pieces mixed in. After 1.2 however the increased value of expertise means that this method is far less effective and you are much better staying with essentially all pvp gear.

 

Expertise-- While described in my initial post I figure the glossary-esque context hear makes it worth repeating. This is the stat that is used to differentiate pvp versus pve (player versus environment, also known as raid gear). The stat both increases your damage and healing done to other players and decreases your damage taken by other players. Ideally you will be attempting to keep yourself at around 1100 expertise though for the pvp starter I would say go for at least 800 to be effective.

 

 

Valor-- An older pvp metric that has mostly gone out of use. It is gained by killing player in open-world encounters or given to you at the end of warzones. Valor ranks before 50 are capped at your level (so level 34 for example can only reach rank 34). The only important aspect of valor now is that a valor rank of 40 is required to begin exchanging warzone commendations for ranked ones. This is rather easily obtained as it is not until you get over rank 50 that ranks start gaining at a slower pace.

 

Traditionally your pvp path to success comes in this basic form

 

Levels 20-30- Start to Run warzones to learn the flow of them in a more forgiving environment

 

Levels 30-40-- Start spending those commendations that you should be pretty much capped at on items like the level 40 set (it is the same as bartered for with planetary comms from the same level bracket)

 

Levels 40-49-- Start Saving up your commendations to ensure you are capped at level 50, Once capped start obtaining ranked commendations.

 

Freshly 50-- Exchange any commendations you have for battlemaster gear (if you gained enough upgrade it all the way to a war hero piece). Whatever slots are left over purchase recruit gear to fill.

 

Early 50-- Start running warzones to build your battlemaster set.

 

Later 50-- Once you have your battlemaster set build start grinding commendations for your war hero set. Bear in mind this is where it turns to marathon status. That first piece should come fast from having saved ranked marks from dailies or sub 50 exchanging, after that it'll be a touch of a slog, just remain patient.

 

 

Alternately you can be an altoholic like me and reach the point of 1-2 war hero pieces, then start it all over again on an another character.

Wow, thanks!

 

Things are much clearer now. Some things I was confused on before:

 

* I didn't know how medals related to valor, XP, warzone commendations

 

* I didn't know what valor was good for

 

* I didn't know PVP gear was: level 1, recruit ... level 2, battle master ... level 3, war hero

 

I'm still unclear on PVE/raid gear, but that's another topic!

 

Anyway, thanks again.

I have previously played on a PVE server and have just rolled a character on a PVP server. It is now a level 16 Jedi shadow and currently on Coruscant.

 

I see people running around, some flagged for PVP and some not. I just wondered if there is a level where you become permanently flagged, i.e. when you get to Taris, or whether it is your choice at all levels to be flagged or not.

 

What is the point of being flagged for PVP on Coruscant etc, can republic players duel with you without warning or do they still have to challenge you to a duel same as PVE planet? The majority of the players are not flagged for PVP which I find curious as its a PVP server.

 

PVP flags work quite differently on PVP servers, You are automatically flagged for PVP whenever you enter an area that there is the potential for combat with the other faction i.e. Warzones (probably why people have flags up on Courucant), or anywhere outside of your factions bases or other 'safe zones' on shared planets i.e. from about Tattooine onwards

 

Having an active flag not mean that your own faction can attack you you still need to agree to a duel for this to happen or be in the Outlaws Den on Tattooine, but that's a whole other ball game

 

Your PVP flag is automatically disabled after your character spends 5 minutes in a 'safe zone' and doesn't engage in any PVP activity but will instantly turn on again once exiting the 'safe' zone'

I'm still unclear on PVE/raid gear, but that's another topic!

 

The progression goes like so:

 

1. Finish your class quest and start doing dailies on Belsavis, Ilum and Corellia. The missions award Daily commendations, and the heroics award level 49 purple mods/enhancements. Daily commendations can be used to purchase armorings, hilts and barrels for your orange custom gear for 8 comms each. You can also save up 120 commendations to buy really good Rakata (see below) earpieces and implants.

 

2. Once you have most or all of your orange gear nicely modded, you are ready to start doing some Hardmode Flashpoints and maybe even story mode Eternity Vault. These award pve loot and commendations, which goes in the following progression:

Tionese --> Columi --> Rakata --> Campaign/Blackhole

 

Harder flashpoints and operations award better gear, and harder bosses within that content award better gear.

 

In the Supplies area of the fleet there is a Daily Mission Terminal as well, which will give daily/weekly missions for completing pve content, and these missions award a good number of pve commendations.

The progression goes like so: ...

 

Thanks, I've been wondering the same.

I heard there was an open world pvp area on tatooine, how does that work? and approximately where is it?

I heard there was an open world pvp area on tatooine, how does that work? and approximately where is it?

 

The Outlaws Den is indeed open world pvp, the difference between this any anywhere else however is that it truly is "Open" in the context that even your own faction can attack you-- you are free for all flagged instead of being just simply pvp flagged.

 

This is why it is often used for tournaments ( three versus three, two versus two, etc.) that can be held and operated without any faction issues.

 

 

The only exception to this is that your own guildmates aren't hostile to you.

 

 

As far as finding it depending on your faction it is south of Outpost Salara and east-northeast of Outpost Zaroshe.

 

 

Just as an aside-- I'd like to encourage anyone with pvp questions to keep 'em coming in this thread by the time all is said and done we might be able to make this thing into a decent (if a bit longwinded) FAQ

Edited May 25, 2012 by paul_preib