Hope this helps. If I've missed anything let me know

Edit - In addition to the above this is a video showing what it is like to fight in duels or wz's when you only have 1000 expertise against someone with 2018 expertise.

Also go see IcyKills thread on the subject too which has a lot of info about the subject.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=795518

FAQ

Q: What about augments?

A: You can have 186 augments and it will not affect the bolster system.

Q: Do I not equip PvP gear then?

A: Yes you do once you have them, the guide is for when you hit 60 and do not have PvP gear yet. Once you start to get exhumed gear you can replace the PvE gear.

Q: Do I still put 41exp crystals in my weapons?

A: Only when you have the PvP weapons. If you only have PvE weapons then use 41 power crystals.

"It's the strangest system I've ever known" - truth!

Nice video.

I am not a PvP’er. I level and play PvP. I won’t queue regs without 2018 expertise. My goal now is a set of Exhumed upon reaching level 60.

I think one thing that would have tremendously improved the situation is the second equipment screen on a toon. So, you don’t have to drag 14 pieces and re-equip on load, or have to sit on the Fleet.

This having to sit on the Fleet, I think is the key to the problem. Most folks who PvP casually would like to, you know, milk Yavin while waiting on a pop. I did Rishi-Yavin in 158/162 and I had to pay attention compared to a set of 172 or 186. Now, it’s 168/174, it’s much better.

But I would LOVE to have an insta-switch between the two sets of gear. I am HOPING that would be a part of the Outfit Designer!

I am not a PvP’er. I level and play PvP. I won’t queue regs without 2018 expertise. My goal now is a set of Exhumed upon reaching level 60.

 

I think one thing that would have tremendously improved the situation is the second equipment screen on a toon. So, you don’t have to drag 14 pieces and re-equip on load, or have to sit on the Fleet.

 

This having to sit on the Fleet, I think is the key to the problem. Most folks who PvP casually would like to, you know, milk Yavin while waiting on a pop. I did Rishi-Yavin in 158/162 and I had to pay attention compared to a set of 172 or 186. Now, it’s 168/174, it’s much better.

 

But I would LOVE to have an insta-switch between the two sets of gear. I am HOPING that would be a part of the Outfit Designer!

Yea I fully agree mate. I thinks its ridiculous they have not included the option to quick change gear because in reality you could have 4 sets of 14 gear. A DPS and healer or tank gear for PvP and the same again for PVE so that you can switch specs when you want a change. Just a simple macro to save gear to certain key binds would be ideal imo.

Hope this helps. If I've missed anything let me know

 

Great video... It's a Pretty good sum up of my post on gearing and why People need 2018 expertise for pvp

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=795518

I will add your video to my thread

One thing you might add or do another vid is to explain to pre 55s how to get 2018 expertise... Lots of them don't know that this is as simple as having all of your slots filled... Including relics... This can be done from LVL 21

With the weapons / off hand at 55-60... If all your other items are 162... Then you can have 162 hilt, 148 mod, 148 enhancement... That gives you the maximum stats before you reach the bolster critical point and it starts to reduce expertise

I would not use 148 gear in other slots... It will reduce your over all stats... Better to wear either 156-162 armor and adjust the weapons as I mentioned... Even using 152 ear/implants is better than equiping 148 gear

Lastly, people need to remember not to mix into armor/weapon shells any pvp items and pve ones together... This effectively tells the system you already have a full pvp shell and it will not bolster... I am coming across a lot of people using expertise crystals in PVE weapons...especially people pre 60... This is a big no, no... Bio really need to make all expertise crystals only available at LVL 60

As you replace your gear with pvp items you won't have to worry about expertise reducing if you have maxed 2018 expertise in PVE gear at the start

Too everyone... The more people who know how Bolster works the better... Please tell you team mates and guildies if they don't know... It still amazes me when I go into a match with supposed pvp guild people, who do not know how this works... Spread the word

Great video... It's a Pretty good sum up of my post on gearing and why People need 2018 expertise for pvp

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=795518

I will add your video to my thread

Thanks man really appreciate it. I will add your thread to the description of my video.

I am also bringing PvP videos on Sorcerer's, Juggernauts and Bounty Hunters to start with so if anyone would like to see those please subscribe to my channel I would really appreciate it.

http://www.youtube.com/stemully123

Thanks

Thanks for this. I recently started a Sith Assassin (how may people just stopped reading. FOTM, I know, I know) to take advantage of the double XP weekend, and got her through to level 47 by doing endless Kuat Drive Yard Runs. I made sure I had something, anything, in every available gear slot, but aside from that I was leveling too quickly to constantly keep my gear up to date, and it did me just fine in PVP.

When I hit level 55, a guildie of mine sent me a full set of 172 hilts, armorings, mods, and enhancement, and I'd had a pair of 186 relics in my legacy storage for a while, and slapped it all on. I immediately got LESS effective in PVP, and couldn't figure out why until I experimented with the 162 stuff you get for the Shadow of Revan prologue. I wish I had seen this video before I wasted hours getting facerolled in my quality PVE gear.

Thanks for this. I recently started a Sith Assassin (how may people just stopped reading. FOTM, I know, I know) to take advantage of the double XP weekend, and got her through to level 47 by doing endless Kuat Drive Yard Runs. I made sure I had something, anything, in every available gear slot, but aside from that I was leveling too quickly to constantly keep my gear up to date, and it did me just fine in PVP.

 

When I hit level 55, a guildie of mine sent me a full set of 172 hilts, armorings, mods, and enhancement, and I'd had a pair of 186 relics in my legacy storage for a while, and slapped it all on. I immediately got LESS effective in PVP, and couldn't figure out why until I experimented with the 162 stuff you get for the Shadow of Revan prologue. I wish I had seen this video before I wasted hours getting facerolled in my quality PVE gear.

Your welcome mate, and it really doesnt matter if your jumping on to the FOTM train. Its your game, you play it as you wish pal.

Is there anything else people would like to know? If its worth making a video out of then I will arrange it and put it on my channel.

A demonstration between what having 1000 expertise does vs 2018 expertise

Today we had a PT in Hutt Ball who had all 192+ gear on and 1000 expertise... When I tried to be explain the expertise stats he said I didn't know what I was talking about, that expertise isn't important... /sigh

He proceeded to death match all game... When he received the ball he died in about 5 secs... And that was with 2 good healers and myself off healing him... Because all he did all match was death match... He had reasonably good dps on the scoreboard... So as far as he was concerned he was a star... What he failed to notice was that we lost because he death matched all game kept dying with the ball quickly

After the match I offered to go to Outlaws den with him... With him in his highend PVE gear and me in my ranked pvp gear to show him how much of a difference expertise makes... He got abusive and then put me on ignore... Just can't help some people 😞

Anyway, if you were to make a video of 2 people of equal skill and class having a dual... One with 2018 expertise and another with 1000... Just to show how much more damage they can do and how much more damage they can mitigate

The best part of Bolster is...they included it for the players too stupid/lazy/ignorant to wear the Recruit armor they could get for FREE off a vendor who was literally right next to the PvP terminals...but then they made it so that if you wore the obvious gear anyone would, your clearly better stated PvE gear, you'd actually do WORSE than if you wore crap gear.

Bolster is so stupidly over complex that it almost has to be Bioware trolling us.

A demonstration between what having 1000 expertise does vs 2018 expertise

Thats a good idea mate, I will see what I can do. As mentioned above I will have to check if Outlaw's Den bolsters you although I don't think it does. Il have a look tonight. Getting the opposite team to agree to a stand still as well as my team who are not in the guild is damn near an impossibility so that wont work.

The only thing I can think of right now is just equipping enough pvp gear to give 1k expertise. I dont see how that is any different but I may be wrong.

Anyways get your backsides subscribed and wait for the video. I will try and get one up in the next couple of weeks about this subject.

Icykill, this is a fantastic idea.

What I would suggest, if you guys could, is to pick the two players (preferably of the same class) who have a set of 186 gear and a set of ranked gear. They could duel the first time one in ranked, one in 186.

Then they swap gear, and duel again.

The parse record added to it for both duels would finish up that experiment.

This should provide a firsthand demo of how low expertise turns a player into food.

Do you get expertise bolstered in Outlaw's Den? If not, the only ways to demonstrate that would be to ask someone in a wz wearing all PVE on the other team to agree to side-deathmatching to demonstrate the point (which would be hard to have both teams agree to) or duel in the fleet near the bolsterizer (which you can't do unless they changed dueling rules on-fleet)

You are right, you don't get bolstered... But if you could get someone you know who PVP's to put on PVE gear to demonstrate the point or go to Makeb which bolsters gear

You could go to training area on Ziost Shadow with another person, hit the bolster pylon, and duel.

I don't believe you can dual there... I know you couldn't before... But they may have changed it

Icykill, this is a fantastic idea.

 

What I would suggest, if you guys could, is to pick the two players (preferably of the same class) who have a set of 186 gear and a set of ranked gear. They could duel the first time one in ranked, one in 186.

 

Then they swap gear, and duel again.

 

The parse record added to it for both duels would finish up that experiment.

 

This should provide a firsthand demo of how low expertise turns a player into food.

That's exactly the idea... Even better would be if the person wearing PVE gear had the highest pve gear rating... This would be an even bigger eye opener

I have gone to Yavin in my ranked gear, flagged as pvp and been jumped by multiple people in high PVE gear.. Only to kill them and then be accused of cheating... All because people don't understand expertise... They just expect because they have the highest LVL gear they should be invincible