OK to clarify some things... 1. Currently, I don't actually have a Shadow or Assassin past level 36-40 or so - because I decided to just go ahead and stick with Sage, since I wasn't having any trouble whatsoever with it. Plus, this was before all the changes to the talent trees. That's why I was asking for advice, since I like the concept of the class itself, and lore-wise I would say that Sage would fit better for the Consular Levels 1-50 missions, while Shadow could easily fit into Knights of the Fallen Empire's story better. 2. I'll see about creating a macro to get around the conversation barriers. Thanks for telling me that. 3. One of the problems with the old talent trees I remember was that your best abilities lied very deep in the trees, well after the game sharply curved the difficulty at around Tatooine or so. For instance I remember levelling my Guardian was a real pain prior to getting my healing companion Doc, then it was smooth sailing. Now that Plasma Brand is learned at level 10, I imagine it's much easier to level now than it used to be. 4. Finally, I was referring mainly to Elites and groups with at least one Strong in them (who's immune to the stun from Project/Shock). With normal mob packs my burst was generally more than enough.

I've been thinking about creating a Shadow with my free Instant 60 boost, since it fits in better with the Outlander's story than the Sage - and I was wondering if you had any advice on leveling as a Shadow/Assassin. I originally played this class around 2.3 or so (just after the changes to Combat Technique) and the first thing I noticed about it from Tatooine onwards was that it's soloability just didn't measure up to Sage/Sorcerer. Infiltration/Deception can tear through mobs... but can't take any hits, and has no healing. Kinetic/Darkness is basically a paper-bag-reinforced-with-cardboard tanking spec - even with Theran healing me my health drops like a rock compared to on my Guardian with Doc. Both the Consular and the Inquisitor get a student companion towards the end of their storylines who also uses a double-blade lightsaber, and the two of you make a good team - if you can stay alive for more than 5 seconds that is. The other problem is that any of your passive benefits from Stealth are nullified anytime you have to go through a conversation with a named adversary before fightng them. Force Cloak is almost worthless given how many mobs in this game apply a DoT of some sort. Mind Maze requires you to be almost within detection range (unless you have the boosted Stealth Level talent) unlike Force Lift which can be used at a distance to start a pull. Sages do not use melee offense so the removal of Tumult didn't hurt them AS badly, but it was definitely a nerf for Shadows. Pretty much, the best I was able to do is go Infiltration/Madness & use a Tanking companion and send him in first, so that he can hold mobs off of me and in place. I really like the concept of the AC in general, but, to be blunt, having to using Meditation after nearly every fight is no fun. I haven't tried Serenity/Hatred since at the time the original Balance/Madness tree was virtually useless, but I know that on my Sage I did the best soloing the SoR content as Balance (although it plays well with any companion), so is Serenity/Hatred the best option for levelling a Shadow/Assassin now as well? Or do you think the problem was at least partly gear-related along with the original talent tree progression?

I got the idea for this short story from the Shanghai Maglev Train (the world's fastest commercial train) and a dream I once had about an ETT (Evacuated Tube Transport) system on Manaan. You can read more about vacuum-tube trains and the roadblocks they face to getting built on Earth here: http://www.gizmag.com/terraspan-vacuum-tube-train-supersonic-ultra-fast/23267/ I decided that such a train would be very fitting for the Star Wars expanded universe (and possibly even canonically exists in some form). The Barsen'thor and his Padawan Nadia Grell have been summoned to Manaan by representative Shuuru. To get from the spaceport to his office in Ahto City, they must ride the galaxy's fastest commercial form of land-based transportation. ******** It was a bright and clear morning on Manaan outside of the spaceport. Moments ago, the Barsen’thor’s Corvette airship, which the Jedi Council had given him back when he was tasked with finding and healing the Jedi Master’s that had been infected with a plague created by Terrak Morrhage, had just landed in the private terminal of the spaceport, and he was now walking into the main terminal building, with his Padawan Nadia Grell eagerly following at his side. “This way, Nadia,” called the Barsen’thor, directing her towards a sign that read Ahto City Transrapid Shuttle. “We will have to take an evacuated tube shuttle system to Ahto City, where Shuuru’s office is located.” “’Evacuated tube shuttle’? Sorry Master, but I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Nadia said. “Many planets have varying forms of magnetically-powered transportation systems; for example Coronet City’s system of elevated trains which we rode on Corellia,” explained the Barsen’thor. “Inside a vacuum tunnel, those same vehicles are capable of reaching very high speeds - many thousands of kilometers per hour - due to the lack of any air resistance. However, the infrastructure itself is surprisingly expensive to build and maintain, so only a small number of planets have actually built it. Manaan’s Transrapid System is probably one of the most well known in the galaxy, because the main Intergalactic Spaceport had to be built relatively far away from Ahto City due to the oceanography of the planet and the resulting space limitations. The journey takes only seven and a half minutes.” “Wow! I can’t wait to see what it will be like. We’re really lucky you were able to convince Manaan to side with the Republic along with the rest of the Rift Alliance, aren’t we?” Nadia grinned. They reached the walkway leading to the boarding platform for the evacuated tube shuttle. “Passengers need to head through the screening gate ahead for the automatic ticket check,” a droid was announcing. “I am here on official business,” the Bar’senthor told the droid, showing his Jedi Master ID card. “Thank you, Master, have a safe journey. And may the Force be with you,” the droid answered as it scanned the QR code. A beep indicated that they were cleared to walk through the turnstile. They stepped into the station and waited in their designated boarding area along with about ten other aliens and humans. The track itself was entirely enclosed inside a tube that led out of the station to their right and off into a dark tunnel. A door was embedded at the edge of the platform to allow passengers access. Then all of a sudden, a fairly short, white, slender capsule pulled up to the door, and stopped in front of it. The two doors opened, the passengers inside unbuckled their seatbelts, and exited through the door. The Barsen’thor and Nadia followed the boarding passengers into the vehicle, sat down in a row next to each other, and fastened their seatbelts. When everyone had taken their seat and fastened their seatbelts, a series of warning beeps sounded. “Warning: Doors closing,” a voiceover announced. The doors slid closed, followed by the click of an airtight double-lock. “Here we go!” said Nadia. Then, the magnetic motors sparked into life, and the vehicle sped out of the station with surprising speed, before the view through the windows became dark. The robotic voice of a droid filled the train, speaking in the native Selkath tongue. But the Barsen’thor did not need to translate, as the same announcement was repeated shortly afterward in English. “Welcome to the Manaan Transrapid Shuttle. The destination is Ahto City station. The Manaan Transrapid Shuttle begins at Ahto City station in the west and ends at Manaan Intergalactic Spaceport in the east. The total length is 305 kilometers. Please remain seated with your seatbelt securely fastened during the vehicle operation. Thank you for your cooperation.” “We’ve already gone supersonic by now,” the Barsen’thor remarked a short while later. “It doesn’t even seem like it,” Nadia replied. “No, in part because the acceleration is just so seamlessly smooth, and on top of that, there’s no air for the vehicle to make sonic vibrations in. But you can see, look up at that board up front.” Sure enough, even though the view through the windows was black, a display board at the front of the cabin displayed the local time along with the current velocity of the vehicle: 08:46:32 1,689 km/h Even as they watched, pressed back in their seats by 0.8 Gs of force, the number rose at an astonishing rate. “Do you think the droid controlling this thing is online now?” Nadia asked, half-worriedly, half-jokingly. “One would hope so, considering it’s about to take us up to about Mach 3.5, I’d appreciate it if it were online,” answered the Bar’senthor. Nadia continued to watch as the number went from 2,400 to 2,800 in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, in an instant, a blue light filled the inside of the vehicle. The tube track they were riding through had just exited the underground tunnel leading to Manaan Spaceport, and they were now travelling a short distance beneath the oceans of Manaan. “Wow, look at how beautiful the ocean is,” Nadia remarked. “I wish we had something like this on Sarkhai.” “Well, you are the new governor. Perhaps one day you can propose to build such a system yourself,” the Barsen’thor said in his calm, yet encouraging voice. Nadia returned her gaze to the speed indicator up at the front of the capsule. 3,800 kilometers an hour…3,900… “Four thousand kilometers an hour! Wow!” she exclaimed breathlessly. As she said this, the sense of accelaration began to die down, and the number slowed its climbing accordingly, until… “Holding at forty-three hundred,” the Barsen’thor said. “About Mach 3.5, thereabouts,” he added. “That is pretty fast!” Nadia replied. They were silent for a little while, enjoying the journey. Then slowly, but increasingly firmly, the two of them were pressed forward against their seat belts as the vehicle began its long deceleration. Now they understood why the vehicle had seatbelts, and why they had been warned to keep them fastened. A couple minutes later, the view of the ocean through the windows disappeared, and the vehicle was once again speeding through a dark tunnel beneath the bedrock of Manaan. Just as the speedometer dipped below 2,200 kilometers per hour, the PA system crackled into life again with another announcement in Selkath dialect, followed shortly by its English translation. “Attention passengers: the vehicle will be arriving at Ahto City station shortly. For your safety, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Please remember to collect your belongings before leaving. Thank you.” A short while later, the capsule had entered the boarding station of Ahto City, still moving at a good 100 kilometers an hour as per the speed monitor. But the vehicle quickly and gently slowed right down and finally came to a stop at the end of the long vacuum tube connecting the station to the spaceport more than 300 kilometers away. With a click and hiss, the doors opened, and passengers began unbuckling their seatbelts, grabbing their suitcases, and one by one began to exit the cabin. “So how’d you like it, Nadia?” the Barsen’thor asked as they stepped out of the vehicle onto the boarding platform. Nadia didn’t answer. She was quite pale, even for her. “Are you alright?” asked the Barsen’thor. “Yes, I’m fine. I just feel a little faint after that, growing up on a relatively primitive planet and all,” Nadia said. “Come on, let’s go find Shuuru!” And the two of them set off towards whatever diplomatic mission awaited them…

I haven't leveled both to 60 but from what I've heard Guardian is the way to go right now because it's arguably the best Tank in the game, and even if you don't plan on Tanking you can still put out decent DPS as Vigilance spec. One of my mains is a Guardian, and leveling up is slow at first due to your initial low DPS output, but that has probably changed with the move of some key abilities (Plasma Brand, Overhead Slash) to lower levels, and in any case once you get your healing companion Doc you should have no problems with soloing. I rolled a Sentinel during the 12x experience period to see how it played in comparison, only to be somewhat underwhelmed by the whole thing. The culprit, from what I have heard, is the changes/nerfs it recently recieved, which wiped maybe 10% of the overall DPS from the class. Unfortunately, I never got to play a high-level Sentinel before its abilities were nerfed, streamlined, or whatever the case may be, which is probably why I decided to just stick with my Guardian. Apparently people had complained that Sentinels/Maurauders were too overpowered, and as a result, they got the short end of the stick with the overhaul of the discipline trees in 3.0. Sentinel still has some really awesome abilities and is a cool class in its own right, just not as good gameplay-wise as I had hoped it would be!

What the title says. I've heard a lot of people say JK has the most likeable companions in the game, and I completely disagree. I mean think about it: -Kira Carsen was a stereotypical teen girl, but stereotypical teen girls don't make great Jedi. -Doc was the healer companion for the Knight, and after playing through his companion quests, I'm now ready to dedicate his medical expertise to leveling Biochem. -In Sgt. Rusk's mind, the Republic is a bastion of military might, and his squadrons are the hand of justice. Unfortunately for him, the Jedi believe in peace and compassion. Carry on, Sergeant. -I found it quite strange that Lord Scourge retained most of his sociopathy. He clearly didn't belong with the Jedi Knight. The only JK companion I find to not be kind of annoying in some way is T7, and he's a droid. I found the Consular's companions to be a FAR more interesting bunch overall (though like I said many disagree with me).

What are some of your favorite quotes from this game? I haven't played every class yet, but here are some of mine: Player Character: "I just saved the GALAXY you idiot!" - Jedi Knight, after Lord Scourge criticizes you for saving one of your companions "Who built this place...the lowest bidder?!" (as the Maekeb earthquake shelter is collapsing) "I didn't know there was some kind of time limit on daring rescues." NPCs: "C'mon, you know how I feel about corpses in mah workspace..." -Tatooine ambassador guy "That is the expected response, Black Bisector. Why exhaust respiratory functions on it?" "And when Alderaan falls to the Empire and our people are sold into slavery? Who will judge me then?!" -King Boris Ulgo "Steal from your troops, spend your maintanence budget on ordering Alderaanian wine, but it doesn't matter, because some wandering Jedi will come along and save you." "This is a restricted area. There have been no security breaches for the past 111,325 days." I'm sure I'll think of more later.

And Tatooine has the Sand People, roving gangs of pirates, virtually no surface water, daytime highs upwards of 110F... But at least it's kind of a strategic outpost, like Yavin 4... Interested to see what reason the Republic and Empire will have for going to Yavin 4...besides fighting Revan in some way.

Maybe I need to keep more up-to-date with interviews and dev posts, but I don't remember hearing any confirmation that no new Strongholds would be added with 3.0. All I heard was that server load was currently an issue with Strongholds and that's the reason they have a four-per-Legacy cap. But since only four locations are available now, it's already been kind of implied that Bioware plans to release more in the future. Players will expect it. I guess we just don't know WHEN. But my point is, assuming that Bioware does decide to add more Strongholds in the future...IMHO of all the planets in the game currently they COULD choose, Yavin 4 would make a lot of sense for the reasons I listed, and if it turns out they end up releasing one around, let's say Summer 2015, I would probably be interested in saving up to buy it based on the teaser screenshots and the novelty. Admittedly, I wouldn't say no to Tython or Manaan either, but most of the other planets in this game I could quite happily give a miss. I mean would you really want to live on Quesh? Hoth? Taris? Didn't think so.

This has probably been asked before, if so I'm sorry, but I thought I'd share what I personally felt about the final Jedi Consular companion Nadia Grell. It seems most people either love her or hate her - personally I kind of feel both ways about her. If you are a Light Side Consular she is by FAR the easiest companion to gain affection with in dialogues, and I admit that it's almost impossible not to feel sorry for her in the cutscene where Just in general though, I kind of find her eager beaver attitude and her battle quotes annoying, and I completely agree that the romance with her as a male Consular is just so wrong, so creepy, so against everything the Consular stands for. At times I thought Nadia was on Ectasy, but then I realized she was created to be a foil to the Consular. And that is why I find her more suitable for leveling Diplomacy than as a battle companion. If Nadia had been sent to Tython for training by her father and had never met the Consular, I think she would've been deemed too dangerous and emotionally unstable to be allowed to become a Jedi. A Jedi Master can teach a Padawan how to use lightsabers and the Force, but he cannot give her self-control. Nadia's not the Cowardly Lion and the Barsenthor is not the Wizard of Oz. A shame really, since she is one of the sweetest and friendliest companions in the game...

Huh, maybe it has to do with getting used to the class, but I actually feel that my Telekinetics Sage performs a lot better solo questing now compared to back in 1.0. By Level 45 your damage output should be high enough to kill most non-Elites before they can hurt you too bad. I especially appreciated the decision to remove the RNG factor from the Telekinetics/Lightning procs.

I REALLY hope that Yavin 4 (endgame planet in Shadow of Revan) gets added as one eventually (even if it's not immediately released at 3.0's launch). That was a major planet in the original trilogy and I've always been a big fan of jungle-type settings (and unlike Tatooine, or most of the other 1-50 planets, the Republic and Empire would actually have a reason to build big strongholds there - to have a base of operations!). I wouldn't say no to Tython or Manaan either, but most of the other planets in the game so far I could quite happily give a miss. Just my opinion though, I think they could definitely cut back on the number of hooks and the number of people you can invite to a given Stronghold in exchange for adding some more planets...I mean this isn't Second Life.

It's been confirmed that Yavin 4 will be one of the new planets introduced in Shadow of Revan. So that got me thinking: I REALLY would like to see it become a Stronghold Location introduced with 3.0. If you think about it, it fits the bill perfectly for just about every major decision the dev team at Bioware will have to face: -Yavin 4 is a memorable world from the original trilogy movies, like Tatooine -It is a jungle-type world, which we haven't seen in-game much yet and would provide a different setting -To me it would make the most sense to put a large-scale, expensive Stronghold on an endgame planet (money sink for Level 60s, can quickly teleport between your Stronghold and the planet for quests and PvP, etc.) And most importantly, lorewise, unlike Tatooine, there would actually be a good reason for the Republic and Empire to build strongholds on Yavin 4 - to establish a foothold, just like the Rebel Alliance did in the original trilogy! Because after all, the word "stronghold" implies a power base or secret hideout for your character (depending on his or her class), and with the exception of Tatooine's Stronghold, the ones released so far are really just luxury apartment buildings. The impression I've gotten so far based on the differences between the current strongholds was that it was meant to start off simple so lower-level players could get a stronghold early on/get used to the system, and then the more spacious strongholds costing much more and requiring far more investment to get to 100%. In any case, I really liked Yavin 4 as a planet from past Star Wars media, and I would definitely save up my Credits/Cartel Coins to buy a Stronghold there if it's implemented, especially if it ends up being as large-scale as the Tatooine one.

One thing I noticed about the JK and JC stories - Both are regarded as extremely powerful in the story, even compared to other Jedi. But although the Consular technically has a far greater mastery of the Force to the point where he ...I felt that you could make a very strong case for the Knight being arguably the most powerful class in the game lorewise due to his immense skill in dueling combined with Force-enhanced toughness. I felt that the Knight's storyline felt far more Mary Sue-ish in that you're always the hero who saves worlds, proves to be nearly invincible in lightsaber duels, and eventually ends up being the Jedi who single-handedly brings the Empire and the Sith to their knees. Although I haven't played the Sith Warrior story. The non-Force sensitive classes, by contrast, seem to be depicted as skillful and intelligent but still just typical soldiers/mercenaries.

I'm betting Alderaan probably will make it in eventually. Personally I would really like to see Voss added as a location. The other planets don't really make a whole lot of sense as a home base, so beyond that it'll probably be a new planet in Chapter 5.

I was looking through the reports of how much it costs to purchase a Stronghold, and I'm guessing it's probably for gameplay reasons (i.e you can purchase a Coruscant/Dromund Kaas stronghold early in the game), but I was kind of surprised that Coruscant's Skyrise and Dromund Kass stronghold (5,000 credits) is significantly less expensive than Tatooine and Nar Shaddaa (I think something like 1.6 million credits). Lorewise, I would have thought it'd be the opposite. In the same way that housing in the Los Angeles area or in NYC proper is very expensive, I would think that only very rich people would be able to actually live on Coruscant (at least the skyrises and not the lower levels where all the criminal gangs are). The Galactic Core planets are described as being the most luxurious and heavily populated in the galaxy, whereas in the Outer Rim territories people tend to be much poorer and lawlessness reigns as well as tremendous anarchy and crime. Nevertheless, I think Tatooine's stronghold looks to be the most involved of all of them, between the docking bay, the terrain, and everything else - a quiet place for a Jedi to go and meditate as well, unlike the hectic Nar Shaddaa.