Hi.

Okay, now I've been trying to get my head around how gear works in this game. I understand the following are item types:

Cheap

Standard

Premium

Prototype

Artifact

Legendary

Custom

The following are the different item modification types:

Armoring

Mod

Enhancement

Hilt/Barrel (Weapons)

Color Crystal (Weapons)

Augments

Firstly, Cheap, Standard, Premium and Prototype items are not supposed to be moddable; Custom items can be fully modified. However, I have been able to fully modify Artifact items. What is the difference if we can modify both Custom and Artifact gear?

Secondly, how do augments work? I understand that you can only get them by crit-crafting gear. Now, what types of gear can be augmented? Only Custom? Can existing Custom gear be augmented?

Doesn't all the other Custom gear become obsolete if only a few Custom items can be augmented? For instance, I have been using the Custom Lightsaber I created at Level 10. Now, there are Custom Lightsabers available on the GTN which have augment slots. Are these the best lightsabers one can get in the game? Since they have another slot and can be fully modded it seems not buying these if you have the credits would be foolish. Shouldn't the final goal be to get augmented gear with the best mods available?

Would love some thoughts on this stuff. Don't hesitate on pointing out where I might be wrong. I have made quite some assumptions. Thank You

Firstly, Cheap, Standard, Premium and Prototype items are not supposed to be moddable; Custom items can be fully modified. However, I have been able to fully modify Artifact items. What is the difference if we can modify both Custom and Artifact gear?

Artifact usually comes decked out with full purple mods. Beyond that, no difference.

Secondly, how do augments work? I understand that you can only get them by crit-crafting gear. Now, what types of gear can be augmented? Only Custom? Can existing Custom gear be augmented?

Only crit crafted, doesn't have to be custom. You can get a crit craft of pretty much any item in the game, even green, even custom.

Doesn't all the other Custom gear become obsolete if only a few Custom items can be augmented? For instance, I have been using the Custom Lightsaber I created at Level 10. Now, there are Custom Lightsabers available on the GTN which have augment slots. Are these the best lightsabers one can get in the game? Since they have another slot and can be fully modded it seems not buying these if you have the credits would be foolish. Shouldn't the final goal be to get augmented gear with the best mods available?

If there was an infinite number of crit crafted armor? Sure. Getting crit crafted armor doesn't just require credits, though, it also has to be, well, crit crafted. There is only so much supply at any given moment, and besides that, not everyone will buy a custom piece just because it is crit crafted. People with the credits will want not only an augment slot, but the look they want. Some powergamers will go for function over form, but many people are much pickier than that.

I believe you can only mod Custom and Legendary items (could be wrong) but no, there is no difference between modded items regardless of colour.

As for augments anything can be augmented so long as it has an augment slot (crit crafting as you said) and yes in theory fully modifiable items with augments are better (cause you have one more slot to boost the stats)

Hi.

 

Okay, now I've been trying to get my head around how gear works in this game. I understand the following are item types:

 

Cheap

Standard

Premium

Prototype

Artifact

Legendary

Custom

 

The following are the different item modification types:

 

Armoring

Mod

Enhancement

Hilt/Barrel (Weapons)

Color Crystal (Weapons)

Augments

 

Firstly, Cheap, Standard, Premium and Prototype items are not supposed to be moddable; Custom items can be fully modified. However, I have been able to fully modify Artifact items. What is the difference if we can modify both Custom and Artifact gear?

 

Secondly, how do augments work? I understand that you can only get them by crit-crafting gear. Now, what types of gear can be augmented? Only Custom? Can existing Custom gear be augmented?

 

Doesn't all the other Custom gear become obsolete if only a few Custom items can be augmented? For instance, I have been using the Custom Lightsaber I created at Level 10. Now, there are Custom Lightsabers available on the GTN which have augment slots. Are these the best lightsabers one can get in the game? Since they have another slot and can be fully modded it seems not buying these if you have the credits would be foolish. Shouldn't the final goal be to get augmented gear with the best mods available?

 

Would love some thoughts on this stuff. Don't hesitate on pointing out where I might be wrong. I have made quite some assumptions. Thank You

Small history lesson.

In beta, all items were fully modable like the Orange gear currently is. Near the end of beta Bioware made some drastic changes and started locking in mods until they finally ended up with only Orange gear (new class of gear) being fully modable.

They are starting to reverse this so the colour variations mean less. If an item is fully modable just know that the colour is only an indication of how powerful the preset mods were.

Right now in game you can still find a few green items they forgot to change that are fully modable.

Is there any legendary gear in the game?

Unless it got changed in a recent patch, BHs can get a 'legendary' pistol.

You might also want to read the Reengineering sticky.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=45866

Among other things, it explains what the prefixes on the items mean.

Each green piece of equipment can yield three blue schematics. Each blue schematic can yield 5 purple schematics, so there are 18 different combinations of stats available. Crit crafting any one will yield an extra augment slot. *One schamtic is not in game. For example an Overkill (power) item can be reengineered and will retain power and gain accuracy and will become Hawkeye.

-Critcal (Critical)

----Fervor(Accuracy)

----Supremecy(Alacrity)

----Leadership(Presense)

----Endowment(Surge)

----Tempest(Shield)

-Overkill(Power)

----Hawkeye(Accuracy)

----Vehemence(Alacrity)

----Commander(Presense)

----Expert(Surge)

----Rampart(Shield)

-Redoubt(Defense)

----Exactitude(Accuracy)

----Not In Game*(Alacrity)

----General(Presense)

----Anti-Armor(Surge)

----Veracity(Shield)

Here is a nice picture of the process (it's pre1.2 but the only real change is the suffixes will all say Augmented now instead of the various names):

http://www.lonestranger.net/swtor/re/SWTOR_RE_GUIDE.png

If there was an infinite number of crit crafted armor? Sure. Getting crit crafted armor doesn't just require credits, though, it also has to be, well, crit crafted. There is only so much supply at any given moment, and besides that, not everyone will buy a custom piece just because it is crit crafted. People with the credits will want not only an augment slot, but the look they want. Some powergamers will go for function over form, but many people are much pickier than that.

Yes, but what is the point of having different types? Once a character gets to max level, the only viable gear is going to be Custom or the best Artifacts available.

Yes, but what is the point of having different types? Once a character gets to max level, the only viable gear is going to be Custom or the best Artifacts available.

Depends on you definition of "viable." I might be a lvl 50 crafter that doesn't care to find "the best" because I'm just gathering resources. I don't need "the best." Also, you might get a drop that is better than the orange gear you have because you can't find / afford the best mods. You might wear that, instead of orange gear, until something better is available. Then there is the matching set bonus...

Yes, but what is the point of having different types? Once a character gets to max level, the only viable gear is going to be Custom or the best Artifacts available.

That's the nature of the game. There is always something that is best, and it's not going to be a green at level 50. Right now, absolute best in slot is a custom piece that has been crit-crafted to have an Augment slot. In the future, you'll be able to add Augment slots to existing pieces, which will create much more opportunity for BiS gear. Which is pretty much what we want so that there are a wide range of options for people in terms of endgame aesthetics.

That's the nature of the game. There is always something that is best, and it's not going to be a green at level 50. Right now, absolute best in slot is a custom piece that has been crit-crafted to have an Augment slot. In the future, you'll be able to add Augment slots to existing pieces, which will create much more opportunity for BiS gear. Which is pretty much what we want so that there are a wide range of options for people in terms of endgame aesthetics.

Ah, that looks reasonable. Did not know they were planning on implementing that.