Not signed.

 

Bolster as it stands, with exploitable aspects to it, doesn't work right and needs fixing. But as a concept - players in PvP are comparable regardless of gear, while grinding PvP gear gives you a small advantage - it's better than what we had before 2.0.

 

It would be needed for 55 pvp because it's not just about equalising levels, it's that warzones aren't dependent on gear. Without it, you get gear grinders destroying newcomers and warzones decided purely upon the gear of the players. Get the recruit - or god forbid PvE-geared - player on your team and it's probably a write-off before it begins.

 

Ranked I'm less set on. Without it in ranked you'll have established teams creaming newbs just with gear (rather than experience, teamwork and talent), but maybe people want to exclude others from ranked based on a gear barrier. After all, the ranked scene hardly needs more people playing it.

 

N.B. There may have been some sarcasm in the final sentence, it's there to make you think.

 

if you want to pvp as a pve player, you should HAVE to use pvp gear and vice versa, bolstering defeats that porpuse and completly destroys what expertise is for.

Edited April 28, 2013 by xxIncubixx

remove it completely from the game and forget it even exists and if anybody at eaware mentions it again fire him/her on the spot.

/signed

 

Remove from lvl 55 PvP.

remove it completely from the game and forget it even exists and if anybody at eaware mentions it again fire him/her on the spot.

 

 

/signed as well.

agree with above poster 100%.

 

Bolster is broken. Pleas have been made to remove it from the game.. You bioware, have done nothing to rectify this. I am now unsubscribed and plan on leaving this game for good unless a fix is implemented soon.

Edited April 28, 2013 by slimboi

Bolster isn't going to be removed. BW likes it because it allows F2P people to test out PvP. Which gives BW a better chance to convert said F2Pers into subscribers.

 

The best solution is to massively simplify Bolster. Right now it is too complex and trying to do too many things. Which leads to loopholes. Instead simply check each item slot. if the equipped item has less expertise than the corresponding Partisan item, convert the stats into the Partisan item with a -2 End modifier. If the item has the same expertise as the Partisan item, then use the item's stats. Simple. Non-exploitable.

Guess Bioware will lose in the long run because the loyal players who have been here the longest, like me, will leave if they continue to allow this crap to happen. In fact, if they don't remove bolster, I don't plan on coming back to this game ever. PVP was actually enjoyable until 2.0 hit. Now, its all about making a lvl 30 twink in lowbies, or exploting if you are in 55 pvp.

/signed

 

1. Bring back recruit

 

2. Remove bolster

Bolster isn't going to be removed. BW likes it because it allows F2P people to test out PvP. Which gives BW a better chance to convert said F2Pers into subscribers.

 

The best solution is to massively simplify Bolster. Right now it is too complex and trying to do too many things. Which leads to loopholes. Instead simply check each item slot. if the equipped item has less expertise than the corresponding Partisan item, convert the stats into the Partisan item with a -2 End modifier. If the item has the same expertise as the Partisan item, then use the item's stats. Simple. Non-exploitable.

 

I agree that the concept of simplifying it may have merit. I think something like this may be a good, solid idea:

 

Give each PvP item in the game an internal tag to identify it as a PvP item. Have a single, basic "entry level" item for each slot - think of it like a recruit gear piece. When a player is in a warzone, the system checks each item to see if it has a PvP tag. If so, it does nothing. If not, it replaces that item with that one, single "recruit gear" piece. Don't worry about bolstering differently depending on item level or otherwise.

 

That being said, this still leaves the one problem of PvE hilts and barrels. Currently, PvP hilts and barrels are actually bolstered up so that they outperform Arkanian and Underworld ones in warzones. Without that bolster, the PvE ones are better, even after taking expertise into account.

Bolster isn't going to be removed. BW likes it because it allows F2P people to test out PvP.

Wants F2P'ers to try out warzones

 

Puts a 5 games/week cap on F2P

 

Does not compute.

/signed

 

Remove bolster and add recruit gear (with less of a gear gap from Partisan -- i.e. similar to the difference between BM and WH)

I am for removal of bolster. It was a good idea in theory, didn't work in practice, need to pull the plug on it. Edited April 28, 2013 by Jack_Deth

Definitely signed!

 

Bolster is a great way to equalise level difference in 10-54 but it has no place in 55.

 

Just add a vendor that hands out an unlimited amount of free pvp gear that is just a fraction worse than partisan but with the same expertise and call it a day.

 

Oh, and that free gear could even come with pre-installed empty aug slots because that was one big reason recruits got creamed pre 2.0. Spending cash on putting on augslot in gear you may only have for a few hours is seldom done, and in 2.0 that means you may have 450 lesser main stat and 3k less HP.

In my opinion the best way to fix bolster is:

 

1.) Expertise should ONLY be given as a set amount in sub 55 wz's.

 

2.) No bolster in 55 wz's. (grind the gear... It's easy)

 

3.) Bring recruit gear back at a higher expertise/stat ratio (comparable to be competitive in55's)

 

 

BW made their system too complex... Like another poster said. K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid.

 

I honestly think bw can't even understand their own system. That's why they are blundering about like a blind man when trying to fix this cluster f*

 

Bolster = FUBAR

Edited April 28, 2013 by LanceCorporalDan

/signed

 

Bolster has no place in top level PvP. It's a tool to bring lowbie players to an even playing field BEFORE they're at max level - not to bring non-pvp'ers up to pvp level at max level - you'll never get it "right", so just ditch it.

 

Criminy, just eliminate expertise altogether. So what if ppl grind gear in PvP and then can use it in Ops - or vice versa. If the gear were all the same, then there'd be no complaints from either side and no uneven gear gaps to make up for. Just make the gear grind take a similar amount of time, and nobody feels jipped.

Bolster shouldn't exist in ranked.

 

Bolster shouldn't exist on level 55 in its current state.

 

/signed

 

 

This is a game where character progression through gear is one of the core aspects, and that should be preserved.

 

However, the concept of bolster is good, but the current implementation isn't. It is good for level 10 - 54 where it evens out the playing field, but it's purpose on level 55 should be different. Bolster should only (for me at least) replace the need of recruit gear and make the newly dinged characters semi-viable, until they've gotten their Partisan gear. Currently, bolster does more than that.

 

Suggestion

A suggestion for the level 55 bolster would be to keep the expertise cap at 2018, which is equal to full pvp gear (14 slots,) and make bolster do the following:

 

 

• Every armoring, hilt, barrel, mod and enhancement below 63 (current Partisan gear) should be affected by bolster.
  
• Every armoring, hilt, barrel, mod and enhancement at or above 63 shouldn't be affected by bolster.
  
• Every color crystal shouldn't be affected by bolster.
  
• Every augment shouldn't be affected by bolster.
  
• Every earpiece, implant and relic with a level requirement below 55 should be affected by bolster.
  
• Every earpiece, implant and relic with a level requirement of 55 shouldn't be affected by bolster.
  
• Every piece of gear that doesn't have modification options (except earpieces, implants and relics) should be affected by bolster.
  

 

Bolster

The items/mods that are affected by bolster (see above) should have their stat values buffed to the same value as the War Hero gear currently have, except for expertise.

 

Bolster should add 40 expertise to every affected armoring, hilt, barrel, mod and enhancement. Green/blue gear without mods should be granted the same amount of expertise as a modable item of the same type would. Earpieces, implants and relics (except the relics that already have expertise) should be bolstered with 80 expertise.

 

That's about 1400 expertise in total, excluding color crystals. The current War Hero stats are also relatively close to Partisan, at least close enough for this purpose.

 

When the next tier of gear is released, bolster gives the stat value of the current Elite War Hero gear (closer to the Conqueror gear) with the same expertise values as above, and so on.

 

 

TL;DR

Bolsters only purpose is to replace the need of recruit gear and make newly dinged characters semi-viable until they get their Partisan gear.

 

All gear below Partisan (63 modifications) are affected by bolster and everything above isn't affected by bolster.

 

Bolster makes the item/mod equal to current War Hero in terms of stat value and adds a small amount of expertise to every item (about 1400 in total).

Signed. Was never needed. Criers crutch.

 

No skill= you lose

crap gear = you lose

 

There can be no incentive for pvp gear if gear doesn't matter.

 

Pvp is unpleasant now and I haven't played in 5 days. I have no intrest in non-pvp activites.

/sign

me I hate the dam bolster, what is the facking point of lvl 55 pvp gear with expertise if its given with a bolster

Edited April 28, 2013 by NUPHOENIX

rabble, rabble, rabble

 

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/4947427072/h79978A62/

 

/signed

The best pvp gear is about two tiers below the best pve gear when used in pve.

 

The best pve gear should be about two tiers below the best pvp gear when used in pvp.

 

Bolster should take every mod, armoring, hilt, barrel or whatever and map it to two tiers below (based on item level alone). If the item maps below the entry level pvp gear, make it equal to the entry level pvp gear.

 

Don't try to preserve any stats on the pve gear at all. Just take the item level and replace it with the mapped item. Sure that'll mean the pve gear will all get mapped to the same secondary stat and will be far from optimal, but that's close enough to make the gear usable and scale reasonably well with tiers.

/signed

 

Remove bolster and put it back on PTS.

 

Also, hand out a buncha free ranked and wz comms as a thanks for us beta testing their new system with our real money.

Lol, so many butthurt people because they can't pick on the easy targets anymore. Taking it out of rateds is fine, but for normal pvp, just learn how to be good and stop whining.

Lol, so many butthurt people because they can't pick on the easy targets anymore. Taking it out of rateds is fine, but for normal pvp, just learn how to be good and stop whining.

 

fail troll. 0/10. Go play somewhere else.

Edited April 28, 2013 by slimboi

/signed

 

It needs to be removed from 55 pvp completely.

Lol, so many butthurt people because they can't pick on the easy targets anymore. Taking it out of rateds is fine, but for normal pvp, just learn how to be good and stop whining.

 

Its not about easy targets, still get plenty of those. We have nothing to work towards that acctually improves our performance.

 

As someone said above, 0/10 go play somewhere else.

/signed

 

Good idea on paper, beyond poor implementation. No one does pvp in my guild anymore, this includes me.

I was really excited for a fresh start on the pvp as well for 2.0 then the normal thing happened. Bioware didn't listen to the people on PTS and went live with a gaint pile of fail.