Despite what all the keybinding proponents say (and actually I'm one of them), clicking seems far less a disadvantage in this game then then I've noticed in other games. I've found it's made me rather keybind lazy as I can get away with clicking far more. The main reason for using keybinds is so that you can use skills quickly while moving, turning you character or rotating the camera. If you are not having to move it is no faster using a skill rotation with keybinds then clicking unless you have covered your mouse mat with glue. If you want to get serious in pvp then you really do have to get your key binds down as you will be at a distinct reaction time disadvantage especially for melee heavy classes where you need to be constantly moving. For ranged classes this is far less of a problem as the autofacing in this game really cuts down on the movement you need to do. However even with ranged classes there will be times where you need to move, rotate your camera and fire off a skill all at the same time and without keybinds this is impossible. In pve this is much less of an issue and you will be able to get away with clicking most of the time without any delay. So until you want to start getting serious about pvp you really don't need to worry about keybinds. Saying that however if you know that you will want to start pvping at some point, start introducing keybinds gradually as you lvl up because they will feel clunky and awkward at first and do require practice to get used to. I've experimented with different ways of using keybinds in a lot of games and I've found your choice of hardware can really have a strong impact on your effectiveness with keybinds. I've found an ideal balance to be a mouse with a few extra buttons and a game pad. Some people really like the Razer Naga (http://www.bmcdigital.co.uk/images/db/4d9097750fac9.jpg), but I would recommend a mouse with less buttons that are larger (I personally find the Naga buttons too small and too close together making it really easy to miss click). Now what will really improve your game-play is a gamepad for the left hand. You have two main options here: The Belkin n52te http://www.belkin.com/images/product/F8GFPC200/STD1_F8GFPC200.jpg and the Logitech G13 http://static.trustedreviews.com/94%7c1e833e%7c99e5_10416-img8791s.jpg. Now these are truly wonderful devices have the distinct advantage of being able to bind the standard WASD movement keys to one thumbstick just like a console controller freeing up the rest of your left hand fingers to work keybinds and your mouse for turning your character and rotating the camera. I use these in every single game I play on the pc to great effect. As to which one to go for, that's a bit of a tricky question. I've used both extensively and while I love the extra functions of the G13 (can save multiple profiles to every game), I have to admit it has some ergonomics issues. Too many keys and the thumbstick surface is too small and fiddly. Some of the keys are awkward to reach while using the thumb of the stick meaning I rarely use more then half . The Belkin is cheaper and will be far more comfortable to use, but you can only save 3 profiles total and lacks a few other features of the G13. Even using a gamepad it will take a bit of practice to get a feel for it, but it's a much more comfortable option to using keybinds on a standard keyboard. Having to use multiple keys for movement and sometimes switching to mouse movement because you need the WASD fingers to hit a keybind has never stopped feeling clumsy and awkward so I would really recommend a game pad.

A fair point, but we don't actually know what these options will be and when they will come; could be next major patch, could be a year down the line. The only hint we have had as to the rewards are extra character creation options, which while nice will be of no interest to a huge portion of the players that will have no inclination to make new alts. I would be willing to wager a large sum of cash that these options or new abilities will be purely cosmetic only as any real advantages would make all existing characters obsolete and forcing everyone to start again would probably kill the game. So again cosmetic rewards are only of interest to a certain niche of players.

So it seems to me the bonus objectives during quests are completely worthless when you hit lvl 50 and it's a waste of time to complete them. Well except for the 3 stage bonus objectives that usually net you extra cash and tokens, but these are much rarer. Now you do get a bit of extra legacy exp, but until we actually have the legacy system and can judge the actual value of the rewards provided, all we are doing is gaining pretend levels. These bonus objectives even exist on Illum where everyone is lvl 50 anyway and the extra exp reward has no meaning. The solution is rather simple; extra cash instead of exp rewards at lvl 50.

Yeah something seems up... Have lvl'd BH and Sorcerer to 50 and am now at lvl 44 with Marauder. Have been playing all pretty much identically in terms of quests, pvp and space missions; with BH and Marauder have been consistently 3-4 lvls above my progressed to content while with Sorcerer have always been right on lvl. A bit weird, but not really an issue, you'll still hit 50 well before Illum. Only disparity that annoyed me was the lack of dark/light side choices for Sorcerer. With BH I maxed out well before 50, about 150 points away with Marauder and only just starting Belsavis. But with Sorcerer am still 500ish short at Illum. This is with skipping most flashpoints and not having diplomacy.

Am currently trying to find a 3rd Green matrix shard Empire side, got the one from Balmora and Belsavis, but can't locate a 3rd. Any ideas?

This is phrased badly, what it means is that your quest log is full and you need to drop or complete a mission to have a quest log slot free.

Yeah...not exactly Romeo and Juliet was it. I vaguely recall the girl being a bit surely and the guy a bit whinny, but neither of them really behaving like their love and relationship were being threatened.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength." We all know this right? Of course we do, but let me ask you this....where is the passion? I've finished the Inquisitor storyline and am about half way through the Warrior storyline and I have yet to encounter any passion at all. What on earth is going on with these deadpan and bland Sith? Not once have I even heard my characters raise their voices...not ONCE. The closest thing I've seen to anger is a bit of a frown and a monotone "It will be a pleasure killing you". Will it be a pleasure? Because from the tone of their voice they could be talking about doing the washing up. I've seen more excitement out of Spock then any of the Sith. I mean the Sith are all about raw unbridled emotion so why does none of this come through in any of the dialogue and cut scenes? This was really hammered home to me during the Warrior quest where you fight Jaesa's master and get her as a companion. This was the first time I've seen any emotion in the game and it was from a freaking Jedi! And even then it was weak. Cast your mind back and compare it to Anakin's "fall" scenes......the guy was an emotional mess. Then there is Jaesa's herself. You've been tormenting her throughout the game, have murdered her friends and parents and the best she can come up with is a bit of a nag....... As for her fall to the dark side (if you went that way); she goes from paragon of virtue to "Do you know what, I quite fancy a bit of cold blooded murder" in about 30 seconds, but again in a totally stoic way with no emotion. It was easier to tempt her into murdering her master and mentor then it would be tempting a fat boy with a free burger. All I can say is; terrible terrible voice acting...shame on you Bioware. I'm angry that you have squandered the opportunity for a powerful and engaging scene (or better yet series of scenes) of Jaesa's fall to the dark side and I know you will not be changing it, but in the future could we get some voice actors that can actually act rather then drone off lines from a script.... I know it can be challenging to portray emotion with fairly simplistic cartoon faces, but I'm not asking for oscar winning performances, just something better then monotone and deadpan delivery.

I've noticed shield rating on equipment does not seem to register on Xalek at all (ie shield chance doesn't stays at 25%). Does anyone know whether this is a bug or as designed?

Playing as Marksmanship spec to lvl 30 made me drop this class in disgust purely because of the cover mechanic. In PVE, entering cover feel more like something I HAVE to do to just turn my class on rather then something that gives me a benefit. Yes there are some defensive bonuses, but they feel weak. It just feels like an extra chore and seriously grates when you want to be running around from group to group while questing. As for PVP, well that kind of immobility is seriously bad news. Locking yourself down like that is suicide.

Damage meters can and are miss used in all sorts of ways. There are many valid examples of this already stated in this thread and I won't bother repeating them. But fundamentally damage meters (and by this I mean combat log information not just pure damage numbers) are tools for providing information and metrics. If you are against the use of damage meters then you are a proponent of ignorance, which is never the better option. Why would you not want to know how your character is performing? A natural extension of this kind of reasoning would be to remove floating damage text and even health bars and descriptive numbers of ability tool tips. The you really wouldn't have any idea of how effective your character is. Is that really what you want? By definition, rejecting information and the ability to analyse it is stupidity. Damage meters/ recount are a tool, and like any tool they can be used to empower you and it is up to the user to make sure they are used responsibly. If you are rejected from a group because you aren't doing twice the necessary dps, laugh and move on. The guy who kicked you is an idiot and will carry on being an idiot with or without damage meters. If you get kicked because you aren't doing the minimum dps, well then sorry, but that's your fault and it's your responsibility to gear better and/or learn how to play better on less challenging content.

I'm finding that it lets me use missiles unless it's for the big targets like shield generators etc. Now this would not be too much of an issue if they didn't take so long to lock on. However I'm actually finding it way more difficult to complete the missions like the capital ship assault with proton torpedoes equipped because of this. Before I could destroy all the shield generators easily with a few missiles, but with proton torpedoes equipped, half the time I can't get them to lock on in time and fail the mission.

They are quite fun, but only for the first few goes. They get very tedious very, very quickly. Every time you play a mission you can expect the exact same results. The rote repetition destroys any fun to be had all too quickly. Now as to why this is a major issue; well I suspect it takes a fair bit of work to produce every new mission making it a rather poor use of man power and resources. The valuable commodity of development time could really be put to better use.

Don't know if this has come up before (somewhat hard to know without a forum search function), but on the game map I'm getting two separate sets of co-ordinates that don't match up by a long shot. I'm referring to the Player and Cursor co-ordinates. If I open the map and place the cursor over the position of my player on the map, the two set's of co-ordinates do not match up at all. Anyone else getting this?

Eh? I wasn't trolling, it was a simple question.... I haven't seen a 3rd blue matrix shard on any of the guides including the beta ones that's all. Also, for the Aim datacron on Nar Shadaa Empire side, has anyone actually managed to get it since launch? I've stood around in the described spot for a good 20 mins and haven't seen the floating kiosk.