I like the Discipline system. So far it's been nothing but an improvement over the Skill Trees I once had to deal with. Thus, my suggestion has less to do with a fundemental reworking of the system than trying ti answer a single question that popped into my head. Why on Earth do we have so many Damage Disciplines? There are currently three Tanking Disciplines, three Healing Disciplines, and eighteen Damage Disciplines. That is a serious imbalance. And I'm sure there's a good reason for the way it's set up. But for the sake of argument... Each class has three Disciplines. One for Tanking, one for Healing, and one for DPSing. This allows for an increased variety of Tanking and Healing methods, while drastically cutting down on the overlap between the Damage Disciplines. For example, a Jedi Knight or Sith Warrior would heal the same way they tank or damage, by getting up close and personal with the enemy, and using the conflict to fuel their abilities. Imperial Agents and Smugglers would tank through the use of feints and misdirection and distractions to keep an enemy's attention where they want it. Of course ths is just a concept. But I still think DPS has become so abundant in SWTOR that it's value is lessened in the Group and PVP sections of the game. Plus, I like the idea of Jedi Knight healers who restore others with inspiring speeches and Imperial Agent tanks with micro-droid swarms to increase their force fields.

Had two periods where my Server Lag spiked pretty hard today. It rapidly flickered between the Red X and three bars, when my connection has been pretty steady throughout most of the year. Gonna give it a few hours. See if it's better.

PVP is a occasionally fun event for me as well. Sometimes I seem to hit a group of relatively equal skill, but most often this has not been the case. It might be a difference of character level, higher grade equipment, or just an insane degree of personal skill on the player's part...but, yeah, I don't win too often. My personal advice is to stick to one character until you hit your level cap. Do all of the Planetary Missions, including the Bonus Series, and you'll find yourself advancing at a fairly swift pace. You can also do other Missions if they aren't repeatable. So skip the Daily, Weekly, and Heroic missions until the second or third playthrough. Once you do hit level 60, you'll have plenty of Credits and Planetary Commendations, a fully trained Crafting Skill to benefit yourself and your other characters, and all of your abilities will be at their maximum rankings. At which point your time with PVP will be a great deal easier. You'll also get to play some of the best stories in the MMO genre in my humble opinion. I hope this helped, even a bit. And welcome to the community.

I play the Warzones for the experience and the rewards. But I also understand how frustrating it is both when players drop out and when you're stuck in a match that sees you beaten to a bloody pulp by the other side over and over and over again. Neither is fun. Besides, spending the time waiting and playing and then getting nothing for that effort by leaving early is a punishment in itself. :3

Here's one for smarter folks then I. As a companion's Affection goes higher, they gain a general bonus to all Missions and Crafting efforts, but I wanted to double check this. Does the bonus gained from Affection stack or replace the base bonuses Companions start with?