It’s time to scrounge up all those Grey Helix components. The event returns next week, for ONE WEEK ONLY.

I wonder what gear Xeno will drop?

/Cheers

Tanks are expected to know all content and push the group forward without hesitation. Great Tanks have to start somewhere, this is one of those places. Here we’ll examine the ins and outs of being a Professional Tank.

Last week I tossed out an Endurance stat of ‘Over 40k’ in the Professional Tank column. This was in reference to augmenting for Fortitude only. I received some quick feedback on optimal Tank Gearing stats. Apparently the ‘correct’ way to gear does not include stacking HP.

The player Keyboardninja, nice name btw, is some kind of math magician. The statistics and numbers behind min/maxing defensive attributes in SWTOR are solid. No long time MMO tank would argue with the reasons behind making sure your defensive capabilities correct.

There is one aspect of the ‘Tank’ class that I believe is lost in the ocean of statistics. Fortitude is SEXY.

As I said a huge health pool is sexy. Just like an impractical automobile is. In no way is a Ferrari, Porsche, Hummer, or Shelby Cobra a statistically correct choice to drive. I can guarantee you that if given the chance to drive one of those you would. Everyday.

The same feeling you get behind the wheel of an amazing symphony of steel, glass, and rubber is the same feeling you get playing as a Fortitude Augmented Tank. Is is correct? Absolutely not. Is is awesome? In every definition of the word.

In my screenshot above you can see the current stats of my Powertech Tank. Sitting at over 42,000 health is impressive. Does driving around a Tank like this in Hard Mode Operations even work? Yes it does.

In fact it’s a commanding presence when you enter the group and crush the HP of the other Tank. When gearing this way you’d better be able to back it up though.

The Defensive stat on gear works, as is. Tank gear has to work with out Augments. All Gear has to work with out Augments. If gear had to have a specific Augment it wouldn’t be an Augment, it would be a base stat on the gear.

Players can Min/Max what is right until they carry ∏ to infinity explaining why you should augment your gear a certain way. Before gear has any Augment duct tapped on, it has enough stats allocated to get the job done. Why then would I want to Augment an invisible statistic if I don’t have to?

Personally I don’t. I Augment for Fortitude. I stack my HP as high and ridiculous as possible, because I can. I’m in complete control of my Tank. I can survive things that others would melt in the face of. Not because of my HP, but because I’m an experienced Tank using every cool-down to it’s fullest.

Is Augmenting you gear with Fortitude smart? Technically no. Is eating a delicious bone in Ribeye smart? Technically no.

Are both of those things delicious and completely satisfying? Yes.

The Silverstrike Legacy can be found on The Bastion’s Vaiken Spacedock, in the company of his fellow Zergadins.

I have four level 55 toons. Two are healers, the others are DPS.

With the exception of my “main”, I leveled those almost entirely through PVP. Hell, I haven’t even finished my Imperial Agent storyline and he’s healing HM Scum & Villainy.

The point is that I have pretty good experience with healing PVP. But something happened this weekend that really made me realize I forgot how rubbish it is to be a lowbie PVP healer early in that toon’s progression.

Let me take this moment to introduce you to Nastyheals. He’s a commando healer who recently hit level 18. He’s wearing a couple legacy pieces of legacy gear but is otherwise woefully geared.

And while he enjoys healing PVP, he’s endlessly frustrated by the fact that he has several DPS abilities but really only two heals. That’s not a good look for him. Things get worse when he runs flashpoints. He just doesn’t have enough abilities to do well in the FPs at his level.

Why does Bioware hate lowbie healers so much? I created the toon during the double XP land rush of pre-2.0 and tried to power level him to 50. I ran out of time and interest once I saw my Sentinel was far closer.

So I want back to Nastyheals this past weekend and decided to spend some time with his heals. It was a sad display of spamming two heals mixed with my instant cast for keeping stacks up.

I’ve always wondered why I’m forced to train DPS skills if I’m taking the toon healer. How much would the DPSers of SWTOR lose their minds if they were forced to learn healing abilities before getting any useful DPS stuff?

Nastyheals had to endure Hammer Station and several PVP matches with only two different probes available to provide any support. You know how sad it is to heal that droid in HS when you don’t have a cleanse or enough heals to keep the tank up through the stacking laser attacks?

The interesting thing is that nobody complained when we wiped a couple of times or when the DPS commando in the group off healed. It’s as if they expected my heals to be lame.

The life of a lowbie healer is a frustrating one and I’m guessing it’s why so many people go DPS for leveling and PVP then go heals once they get closer to end game content. Me? I’m hardheaded about being a healer. So I’ll spam two heals like a champion in PVP until I get something useful and hope that my flashpoint mates don’t mind the occasional wipe on a droid.

___

I run a Sorc -Aztec – and Operative – Drnefarious – healer on The Harbinger server and am a member of Animosity, a hardcore raiding guild. Send me a mail or whisper if you’re on.

Players start or join a guild for many different reasons. Friends creating a guild together, an Elder Game player joins a progression guild or players band together for PvP. I’ve even seen one-player guilds just for the vault space. Whatever the reason, guilds can be the one thing that keeps a player coming back.

This morning I read a Guild Leadership focused blog with the title “Command Decisions”. Marjor Snarl’s posts are well thought out and parallel many of the same points I work on daily.

I disagree on his latest blog with his view of a Guild not being a ‘Business.’ In fact this is in direct opposition on how I run the SWTOR Zergadins. If I didn’t take a business man’s point of view to leading this group we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Google’s definition of Business:

busi·ness
/ˈbiznis/
Noun

1. A person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade.
2. An activity that someone is engaged in.

Synonyms
trade – affair – job – work – occupation – concern

“A business is designed to generate real-world income” – Major Snarl

Immediately Major Snarl throws this on the table, but not all organizations generate income.

“Your guild is not a business; it’s a volunteer organization, and your members–regardless of rank, including yourself–should be treated as such..” – Major Snarl

Have you ever worked for a volunteer organization? Take charities for example, all of the people there are donating their time to something they love and expect nothing in return. These charities still have Management that have to look at everything in a business sense. People need that direction or everything falls apart.

I take a business approach, acting as a leader to ensure the guild stays focused on its goals and overall guiding principles, and as a manager delegating responsibilities and organizing the daily comings and goings. This works for me and the result is a guild that achieves our goals, building some great long-term friendships along the way. In many regards, methods of daily operations are exactly like running a business.

I commonly see people operating in guilds that seem like a club, some let’s-see-what-happens entrepreneurial venture, and even elusively hushed behind closed doors. This may work for some people, but myself and everyone under me need that structure that the business ethics brings to the table.

“What happens in SWTOR if a member doesn’t consistently perform their duties?” – Major Snarl

Exactly what happens in a business.

• They are passed over for promotions.

• They aren’t given new responsibilities.

• They aren’t given recognition of accomplished goals.

• They aren’t included in new projects.

• They are eventually left behind as contributing members move forward.

I don’t need server firsts, I don’t need fancy titles, but I do need players that won’t hold the team back – eventually your other players will start resenting that one player and, believe it or not, that player will tear your team apart.

“Your guild members work with you, not for you, toward a common goal. Treat them as employees, push them too hard and they’ll leave to join another guild which might deal your guild a setback in both progression and vision. – Major Snarl”

The Major is correct. Your guild members work with you, and this is exactly how successful businesses excel. A manager can not succeed treating their team like bantha poo doo. What business uses the verbiage ‘employees’ today anyway? The people that make up a work-force in a business form a team. Just like in a guild.

You are not a boss. – Major Snarl

What is a boss anyway?

boss
/bôs/
Noun

1. A person in charge of a worker or organization.
2. A round knob, stud, or other protuberance, in particular.
3. A cow.

Verb
Give (someone) orders in a domineering manner: “bossing everyone around”.
Adjective
Excellent; outstanding.
Synonyms
noun. chief – master – head – manager
verb. direct – manage – govern – conduct – command – administer

According to that definition Major Snarl is correct. Who want’s to follow a cow anyway?

The person who has taken on the responsability of GM is a Leader and a Coach.

lead·er
/ˈlēdər/
Noun

1. The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.
2. A person followed by others.

Synonyms
chief – head – conductor – guide – director – captain

coach
/kōCH/
Noun

1. An athletic instructor or trainer.

Verb

1. Train or instruct (a team or player).

Synonyms
noun. trainer – carriage – car – bus – tutor
verb. train – teach – practise – educate – tutor

A successful business is lead by qualified coaches focused on a successful business plan. After reading the Major’s article, many times over, I believe that he actually leads his guild so much like a successful business he doesn’t even know it, because he’s doing what he loves.

When someone makes a living doing what the love, it’s not work anymore. Unfortunately the majority of us haven’t figured out how to make a living off of gaming (I’m working on it though). That’s why I truly believe that when a guild has excellent leadership, its just like a successful business because that’s how the best businesses in the world operate.

This Guild Guidance had a guest contributor, Panzer. He and I can be found on the Bastion’s Vaiken Space Dock, in the company of our fellow Zergadins.

Tanks are expected to know all content and push the group forward without hesitation. Great Tanks have to start somewhere, this is one of those places. Here we’ll examine the ins and outs of being a Professional Tank.

With my work scheduled skewed toward late nights I’ve found myself tanking in the early mornings. These late night runs have reinforced what it means to be a Professional Tank. Level 55 Hard Mode flash points aren’t anything if not Tanking trainers. Every trash pull could use a cooldown and every boss can wipe you if not tanked correctly. While the gimmicks are basic, an unprepared tank will find themselves face down on the decking in an instant.

If you are a fellow Veteran tank the following observations will be familiar. If you are a rookie tank pick up these pointers fast.

HM Athiss

Pull 60 enemies before you down the first boss, this will ensure you have enough kills to access the bonus boss quickly. Speaking of the Athiss trash, rotate your cooldowns on every pull. Regardless of your healer’s gear, the damage will catch even the best off guard eventually.

Tank the second boss, The Beast of Vodal Kresh, in the alcove behind him. If positioned correctly the boss’ toss mechanic will catch a wall instead of knocking you sideways. This also sets you up for a quick Add pick up.

Healers can cleanse the DoT attack by the Prophet. If they don’t, it could kill a low HP team member.

HM Mando Raiders

The Turrets will shred you. Pop cooldowns and keep your Med Pacs handy.

Line of Sight pull the Opposite Faction Group fight. I like using the pillar on the left side. This will bring all the enemies into a nice AoE pool for healing and damage. Use your stuns on them. CC’s don’t work.

Marvix’s turrets aren’t a huge problem if you follow a simple plan. Don’t attack Marvix until the turrets are destroyed.

HM Cademimu

When fighting officer Xander DO NOT STAND at the nose of either Police speeder. That’s where the trap will appear.

Captain Grymick’s adds can be trivialized with a simple strategy. Do not AoE damage the adds, and stack stacked up. If you single target burn Grymick only one set of Ugnaughts will drop down. If you let go one AoE attack another will drop down, so warn your team.

General Ortol’s magnetic shackle is bugged. Sometimes you can’t break a team member out. It’s annoying. Also if you have two melee dps it’s critical you stay spaced out. Good luck with that composition.

HM Hammer Station

Have I mentioned rotating cooldowns on Trash? Keep that up.

The Bonus Boss’ damage can be out ranged by Ranged DPS Classes.

Don’t get knocked off when fighting Battlelord Kreshan.

Tank Stats

With full 69 gear and MK-9 Augments set with Fortitude your tank will be well over 4k0k HP. This isn’t an excuse to stop being a Professional Tank. It’s an opportunity to pull off kills when rookie Flash Point members fumble. Coach them to get back up and get into the game.

The Silverstrike Legacy can be found on The Bastion’s Vaiken Spacedock, in the company of his fellow Zergadins.

I hoard raid footage. Prior to cleaning out my hard drive I found clips going back to the first Eternity Vault HM clear and some stuff from when we were running flashpoints every day for Columi drops.

A look through my files revealed raid videos of every operation in SWTOR and multiple files of just about every boss.

There were tons of wipes, several boss kills, and a long list of really good people who I’ve since lost contact with.

Why, though, did I have so many videos? I tend to record most of my raids for both boss kill videos and for a critical look at how I did, regardless of the end result.

I wrote last week about parsing and how it’s really not an indication of how good a healer you are. I mentioned the video thing and a guildie asked me about what I meant.

What I do is go back and look at the fights and see how fast my response times were to things such as, changes in phases, group members who needed heals, and calling out adjustments to strategies.

The only way for us to get better at healing is to break down the game tape and rip our performances to shreds.

My raid team cleared the first six bosses of Scum & Villainy HM last week. We almost had Styrak, the last boss, but wiped at about nine percent.

I’ve watched all the fights multiple times and concluded that there was so much more I could do for each boss.

I was too slow on the shield for Dash’roode and wasted a few Kolto Injections. I didn’t drop my Orbital Strike enough and just about forgot my Kolto Infusion on Titan 6. The Thrasher fight was super fun to heal but I routinely took a moment too long to top off the tank who was going up to deal with the adds.

I lost a tank on the droids of Olok The Shadow because I hesitated with my probes. I was routinely out of place on the Cartel Warlords fight but managed to recover quick enough for it not to matter.

We killed all those hard mode bosses in one night and I found several ways to improve my healing and tweak our strategies from watching the footage.

Then I dove deep into our Stryak wipes to see exactly where and why we failed.

It’s a humbling experience to actively look for your failures. I’m still upset about abandoning some of the core principles of operative healing.

That we killed the bosses makes the sting much easier to handle. But I’m trying to be perfect. This has to be what DPS players feel like when they mess up their rotation or waste a cooldown. Tanks probably feel the same shame when they burn a taunt or can’t hold agro.

We can all get better at our core mechanics by taking time out to look at the video of our raids and putting our heals under a microscope. Doing it that way, away from the group, lets  you be very honest and make changes without broadcasting it to the group.

We’re going back into S&V HM on Wednesday and I feel very good about our chances against Styrak. Hopefully the footage I obsessed over this past week will help me make some adjustments. Or I’ll just panic and forgot all the things again. Anybody else review raid footage?

——-
I run a Sorc -Aztec – and Operative – Drnefarious – healer on The Harbinger server and am a member of Animosity, a hardcore raiding guild. Send me a mail or whisper if you’re on.

Originally posted by Eric Musco(Source)

2.1 page update. Is this all? Nothing there for subscribers? |
05.07.2013, 07:44 AM

Hey everyone,

I wanted to specifically address the concern of “what is a subscriber getting in an all Cartel Market update?” Game Update 2.1 brings a whole lot of customization and convenience features to the game which have been requested for quite some time, such as character name changes etc. As we have stated in the past, we always design systems like this knowing that subscribers will be receiving Cartel Coins each month, and certainly more options for your monthly Cartel Coin grant can’t be a bad thing!

I think the core of some of your frustrations is that you feel like Game Update 2.1 is “eating up a slot” for our regular content cadence, and because of that, you won’t actually be receiving any new content in this “cycle.” I figure the best way to address that is to lay out a bit of a road map of what the next few weeks looks like! This will help especially if you are only looking at what you are getting within one “content cycle.” As I have done in the past, I need to make it clear that everything I am about to say is our current plan and that it is subject to change, but I want to give you as many details as I can! Here is our current plan:

• Game Update 2.1 will release on Tuesday, May 14th
• Game Update 2.2 will release on Tuesday, June 11th

If you are keeping track and we hit those dates, Game Update 2.2 will releasing 8 weeks and 2 days from the time we released Rise of the Hutt Cartel (so basically around our 8 week cadence that is often referenced). What that means is that even though I can’t yet tell you what is in Game Update 2.2, you are getting two Game Updates within that period. I will say this: Game Update 2.2 has no new Cartel Market features… Also, both of these Game Updates will come with the usual bug fixes, quality of life improvements, etc. which you have come to expect (reference the patch notes for more info).

I know many of you will reserve full judgment until you see what happens over the next few weeks. I hope getting a little bit more information on our timeline will help alleviate your concerns. I have stated before that our Cartel Market and content teams are two very different things internally, which is why we can have these two Game Updates release so close together. Hopefully that provides some insight into our plans!

TLDR – If you’re concerned that Game Update 2.1 is taking up space in our content cadence and only contains Cartel Market stuff, fear not, Game Update 2.2 is coming sooner than you would expect!

-eric

PS – The Gree Enclave wanted me to pass on that they will be returning soon…

I’ll miss the Dallas Cantina meet-up, but I’ll make the next southern US venue. Back to New Orleans anytime soon?

Players start or join a guild for many different reasons. Friends creating a guild together, an Elder Game player joins a progression guild or players band together for PvP. I’ve even seen one-player guilds just for the vault space. Whatever the reason, guilds can be the one thing that keeps a player coming back.

Lately the column I keep coming back to is Guild Guidance. This subject is on my mind more and more these days.

The guild and I have been run two days of 16 man OPS for this patch. We all take pride in our ability to execute the bigger and logistically more challenging OPS size. On that same note, it’s been a long time since I was just a Pug in another group. Both those facets of Operations were put to the test for me recently.

Keep reading for the reinforcing lessons learned.

Panzer will comment about “In my day we ran 40 man Raids! There were players afk for hours…” At that point I usually tune him out.

While I never had the honor(?) of participating in such an en devour, it’s crystal clear that the bigger your group the more player logistics come into play.

Two weeks ago our Tank’s computer imploded before Titan 6. We had to wait 15 minutes for the problems to be resolved. It was an eternity for me.

The pride when our 16 man runs are accomplished is awesome, but when there’s a hiccup it’s like fingernails on a chalk board. It’s rarely a player’s ability level that holds back a 16 man OPS. It usually the unforeseen logistics of so many players working to accomplish the same goal. Lag, FPS, Mayhem, Karaoke, “Everybody Panic” Callouts… you get the idea.

I had to cancel one of our 16 man runs this past weekend. Some of the guild received the message, some did not. Our newer members didn’t even realize we have regular 16 man Ops days, even though they were recruited during our regular 16 man Ops . I’ve moved toward an entire email list for the entire guild because of this.

With this many players, I don’t want to leave anyone behind. An entire guild email blast will show the team they are wanted and needed. I suggest the same for any MMO guild that runs group activities.

As stated earlier, it’s been a long time since I was “just a pug” in an OPS. It’s important to build and learn from this experience. It’s how the Zergadins were established on The Bastion Server.

With that in mind, I answered the General Chat call out of two Operations groups this week. The first group was a continuation and the second was a fresh run, both reinforced rock solid lessons for me.

Group ‘A’ was doomed from the get go. I agreed to tank it at 12:15 am. We walked into the Ops at 1:00 am, and there was no clear leader in the Mumble channel either. The group was about 50/50 guild/pug. In this type of OPS situation it is paramount that a pace and rhythm is defined for the group. If there is no clear direction, the group will go where they want. We wiped on trash and never downed a single boss. When I offered to help lead and started speaking I was asked to be muted! I had a good chuckle after that because long winded explanations are a norm for me.

Ops leadership is about helping the players reach the goal and having fun. Like in any successful business, the team leader’s goal is to assist the members in accomplishing the same goal. With no leadership the goals will be out of reach.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and saw the person you believed was the manager? Before they even visited your table. you knew it was them leading the team. If you are successful at leading your OPS team, players just know who has the reigns. In no way is this an excuse to be an asshole. It’s quite the opposite. You have to lead with confidence and cool. It’s not always easy, but it’s key.

Group ‘B’ was the exact opposite. Immediately in the Ventrillo channel there was direction and leadership. No one was being overbearing, but the information any Pug or Guildie would want was being given. This particular run was an attempt at HM TFB. It took about 15 minutes to pull the group together and we were off. The group one-shoted the first two encounters. Then we hit the guild tester, Operator IX.

It wasn’t taken down, but there was progress in the attempts. The group learned and got better because the leaders were committed to moving the group forward. That group of adventurers on The Bastion Server has a bright future ahead of them.

How’s your guild execution?

The Silverstrike Legacy can be found on The Bastion’s Vaiken Spacedock, in the company of his fellow Zergadins.

Do you enjoy writing SWTOR guides for your fellow guildmates or on the official forums? Are you always maximizing your GTN profits and coming up with new, awesome ideas for DPS rotations? If so, we want to hear from you!

Force Junkies is looking to add a few more enthusiastic, talented volunteer writers to our team. This time around we’re looking for specific columns to be written.

• Crew Skills and Credits

• Professional Tank

• Dealing Damage

• Warzone Combat Log

If you know your class like the back of your own hand and constantly lead Ops, you might be the Sith or Pub we’re looking for.

All that we ask is that you’re a true fan of the game and can show us that you know a thing or two about writing. You’re more than welcome to set your own schedule and write whenever your feel inspired..

If you have any questions or would like to apply to become a writer for Junkies Nation and Force Junkies, please feel free to contact Jason Dodge at dreagon@rerollz.net or Garrett Charkalis at garret@rerollz.com. Make sure to have a writing sample handy when you contact us!

/Salute

Silverstrike

Players start or join a guild for many different reasons. Friends creating a guild together, an Elder Game player joins a progression guild or players band together for PvP. I’ve even seen one-player guilds just for the vault space. Whatever the reason, guilds can be the one thing that keeps a player coming back.

As a member of an MMO guild, contributions to the community are a direct reflection on your value to the team. How, what and why you contribute to the group is seen by all members and distills into a single statement.

When you are not around do the members say:

“It would have been better if you were here.”

This is a undeniable indicator of your contributions.

I compare MMO guilds to business all the time. Members in an MMO guild can be compared directly to employees. Your product in the MMO guild is fun and improvement. Like in an any business if you aren’t contributing to production, which you are employed to do, your status on the team will be in question.

The contribution of fun and improvement can be measured by membership communication. Good humored hazing is a common theme in /gchat channels. Players will reveal your status in the group by simply talking about you. If you are not being made fun of in the guild ‘locker room’, it’s a good chance no one in the guild recognizes your contributions. An individual’s acceptance is loud and clear when silence is all you can hear.

As a leader it is vital you recognize when a member is not a positive contributor to the guild. When a leader determines that one of their members product is not up to standards a decision has to be made. Recognition of the problem too late can lead to a more difficult situation.

For a business to move forward all members of the team must contribute in a healthy way. If a player isn’t a producer of positive contribution, then the group will suffer. It’s cliche, but applicable, “You’re only as strong as your weakest link”.

/Salute

The Silverstrike Legacy can be found on The Bastion’s Vaiken Spacedock, in the company of his fellow Zergadins.