crew skill questions from the thanksgiving beta

[gualdhar]

So I played a Consular during the Thanksgiving beta, and I went with Artifice/Archaeology/Diplomacy for my crew skill choices. I used diplomacy for a bit, and realized it gave me nothing for materials for new Artifice stuff, and that anything above Green quality items required Treasure Hunting items. So I went with that. It was alright (though a treasure hunter consular is a little weird) but now I hear Slicing is overpowered in the denaro department. So a couple questions that someone in the more recent beta version could hopefully answer me:

1) Is the current version like the one in the thanksgiving beta beta, where for any given crafting crew skill there will be one and only one gathering/mission crew skill combination that support it?

2) Is Slicing (or any other crew skill) useful in generating pure cash? Treasure hunting had some ok money and loot from lockbox missions, but it rarely made up for the cost of the mission. Diplomacy was completely useless for me (either companion gifts, which seem to come from any mission crew skill, or stuff for Biochem). Anything I should be aware of?

3) Along the lines of the previous two, how useless would I feel if I skipped one of the "needed" support crew skills for a different one? Like I said, diplomacy didn't work well for Artifice even though I wanted to from a semi-RP standpoint.

4) When I took up artifice, it seemed like there were some gaps in the recipes. Some colors of color crystals weren't available for a given tier, willpower shields were almost non-existent compared to Strength ones, etc. Are these filled in?

I'm sure I'll think of some others, but these will be good for now.

[quras]

So I played a Consular during the Thanksgiving beta, and I went with Artifice/Archaeology/Diplomacy for my crew skill choices. I used diplomacy for a bit, and realized it gave me nothing for materials for new Artifice stuff, and that anything above Green quality items required Treasure Hunting items. So I went with that. It was alright (though a treasure hunter consular is a little weird) but now I hear Slicing is overpowered in the denaro department. So a couple questions that someone in the more recent beta version could hopefully answer me:

1) Is the current version like the one in the thanksgiving beta beta, where for any given crafting crew skill there will be one and only one gathering/mission crew skill combination that support it?

It may not be exactly but I bet it's going to be close with some minor changes. The reason I say that is cause the build we used from Thanksgiving beta weekend will be patched to use at launch. No need to uninstall and then reinstall again. So other than changes I bet it's stays fairly close with minor changes. No massive changes.

2) Is Slicing (or any other crew skill) useful in generating pure cash? Treasure hunting had some ok money and loot from lockbox missions, but it rarely made up for the cost of the mission. Diplomacy was completely useless for me (either companion gifts, which seem to come from any mission crew skill, or stuff for Biochem). Anything I should be aware of?

I went Artifice/Archaeology/Slicing. I didn't level any of it too much but it was not cause it wasn't interesting, cause it was. However, I didn't see slicing as OP. Sure it was a direct cash professions but not OP. I was not just rolling in the cash and didn't get anything interesting from it but come cash. At around level 22 or so (thats the highest I got) I was still saving for the mount with 3 levels to go. Granted there was no selling to make cash as slicing was direct cash in the lock-boxes but I definitely didn't see it as OP.

3) Along the lines of the previous two, how useless would I feel if I skipped one of the "needed" support crew skills for a different one? Like I said, diplomacy didn't work well for Artifice even though I wanted to from a semi-RP standpoint.

If you stick with Artifice/Archaeology then you need treasure hunting for the mats that are a little rare to get. I didn't try Diplomacy.

4) When I took up artifice, it seemed like there were some gaps in the recipes. Some colors of color crystals weren't available for a given tier, willpower shields were almost non-existent compared to Strength ones, etc. Are these filled in?

I'm sure I'll think of some others, but these will be good for now.

I saw some of the same problem and not sure if thats been looked into or not. I know there was a recent game download that had some crafting changes but how specific I don't know.

[Geekzilla]

1) Is the current version like the one in the thanksgiving beta beta, where for any given crafting crew skill there will be one and only one gathering/mission crew skill combination that support it?

No. There will be one gathering skill, but up to three mission skills, from what I saw. For armor, you have a different mission skill for light, medium, and heavy, for example.

2) Is Slicing (or any other crew skill) useful in generating pure cash? Treasure hunting had some ok money and loot from lockbox missions, but it rarely made up for the cost of the mission. Diplomacy was completely useless for me (either companion gifts, which seem to come from any mission crew skill, or stuff for Biochem). Anything I should be aware of?

Slicing got toned down between the two beta test weekends, and all the missions had their prices adjusted after the second. I haven't seen which way the adjustment went, however.

[Osskssa]

When you first meet the trainers you get codex entries for them...in the codex is suggest the best skills to go with it to make it the most efficient...you can reverse engineer items to unlock new recipes and get back some mats.

[Rowen]

2) Is Slicing (or any other crew skill) useful in generating pure cash? Treasure hunting had some ok money and loot from lockbox missions, but it rarely made up for the cost of the mission. Diplomacy was completely useless for me (either companion gifts, which seem to come from any mission crew skill, or stuff for Biochem). Anything I should be aware of?

I took slicing, bioanalysis and scavenging, planning on peeling monsters and selling the mats, even if just at the vendor. Slicing missions gave mods and lockboxes with cash: the amount of cash in the boxes were highly variable, sometimes less than the mission cost and sometimes it was a jackpot of triple of it. It averaged a nice amount of money, more than enough to buy all skills and expand inventory. Slicing nodes in the field also grants lockboxes with cash. I can't compare the amount of money you get with slicing now to what you got in previous builds, but it's a nice amount.

Slicing mission results also, rarely, came with special crew missions added to the normal lockbox or mod. These were items that could be traded and when used provided a new crew mission that took longer than usual and brought extra rewards. I have not seen this mentioned elsewhere.

[Lusitan]

So I played a Consular during the Thanksgiving beta, and I went with Artifice/Archaeology/Diplomacy for my crew skill choices. I used diplomacy for a bit, and realized it gave me nothing for materials for new Artifice stuff, and that anything above Green quality items required Treasure Hunting items. So I went with that. It was alright (though a treasure hunter consular is a little weird) but now I hear Slicing is overpowered in the denaro department. So a couple questions that someone in the more recent beta version could hopefully answer me:

1) Is the current version like the one in the thanksgiving beta beta, where for any given crafting crew skill there will be one and only one gathering/mission crew skill combination that support it?

2) Is Slicing (or any other crew skill) useful in generating pure cash? Treasure hunting had some ok money and loot from lockbox missions, but it rarely made up for the cost of the mission. Diplomacy was completely useless for me (either companion gifts, which seem to come from any mission crew skill, or stuff for Biochem). Anything I should be aware of?

3) Along the lines of the previous two, how useless would I feel if I skipped one of the "needed" support crew skills for a different one? Like I said, diplomacy didn't work well for Artifice even though I wanted to from a semi-RP standpoint.

4) When I took up artifice, it seemed like there were some gaps in the recipes. Some colors of color crystals weren't available for a given tier, willpower shields were almost non-existent compared to Strength ones, etc. Are these filled in?

I'm sure I'll think of some others, but these will be good for now.

My advice for you is next time you try the Crew Skills you read their Codex Entries, it says what goes with what.

but just in case, you dont know what im talking about




also if you looking to use crew skills as form of making credits, you can pick up the 3 gathering skills - Archeology, scavenging and Bioanalysis.

Slicing is useless now

[iggie]

My advice for you is next time you try the Crew Skills you read their Codex Entries, it says what goes with what.

but just in case, you dont know what im talking about




also if you looking to use crew skills as form of making credits, you can pick up the 3 gathering skills - Archeology, scavenging and Bioanalysis.

Slicing is useless now

How is it useless? I thought it still provided some benefit to cybertech? I WAS planning on going Cyber/Scav/Slicing

[Xeones]

How is it useless? I thought it still provided some benefit to cybertech? I WAS planning on going Cyber/Scav/Slicing

Slicing provides no material to craft with. It gives credits, mods, and the occasional recipe. With cybertech you will still need the mats from underworld trading to make advanced stuff. To be self suffcient as a cybertech you would need scavenging and underworld trading. With slicing you'll need to hit up the AH or make friends.

[gualdhar]

So it looks like I'll go with Treasure Hunting afterall, and just try to do more lockbox quests. Hopefully the rewards will make them worth the mission cost now.

[Lusitan]

i posted this on my guilds forums, to help people choose what they will go for

Armormech
Creates armor aimed at +AIM and +CUNNING players (so Trooper/Bounty Hunter and Agent/Smuggler)
(head, chest, bracer, gloves, belt, legs, boots Slots)

Armstech
Creates blaster pistols, blaster rifles, sniper rifles, assault cannons and shotguns. (ranged weapons)
Creates modifications associated with the above Barrels
Creates vibroblades and electrostaves. (melee Weapons)

Artifice
Creates lightsaber Hilts and crystals, enhancements, force users Generators and Off-hands.
Creates Relics (2 slots) (WoW Trinkets style)
Creates own Lightsaber at max level

Biochem
Creates serums (like flasks), medipacks (health potions) and stims (attribute potions) - specific Biochemists self-use are the reusable stims and adrenals (dont disapear after use).
Creates implants (2 slot)

Cybertech
Creates grenades, armoring, mods and miscellaneous gadgets.
Creates Earpieces (1 Slot)
Creates BoP mount
Creates Droids Core and Motor armor

Synthweaving
Creates armor aimed at +STRENGTH and +WILLPOWER players (so Knights/Warriors and Consulars/Inquisitors)
(head, chest, bracer, gloves, belt, legs, boots Slots)

[gualdhar]

Oh something else I forgot about: I remember getting a critical (or whatever its called) on a force generator and getting one with an "augmentation" slot in it. It didn't fit the enhancement mod I had on me, and I didn't have any others that seemed like a decent fit. Anyone know if/who makes them, and what kind of bonuses they give?

[Deleted]

Is this right? Its vastly simplified from the old version, and shows slicing is useful for... nothing? *confused*

before cybertech required 4 different skills

old pic:

[torftw]

Is this right? Its vastly simplified from the old version, and shows slicing is useful for... nothing? *confused*

before cybertech required 4 different skills

Yeah that is right, it changed a bit from the old picture.

What people have to remember is that slicing is a GATHERING skill, not a mission skill. Your nodes in the world pick up money instead of mats. The codex in the newest version said it provides schematics for cybertech but I wasn't able to play long enough over the weekend to see any missions for it.

The question we really don't know how to answer correctly is this: Is the immediate rewards given from slicing nodes big enough compared to selling raw materials on the gtn (auction house)? Or at the very least does it make enough so that buying those rare mats you would get from treasure hunting be worth it?
Personally, I would say go with slicing while leveling. Finding free money on the ground is nice, and you don't really need to craft anything super fancy as you are leveling. Once you hit max level I suggest dropping it for whatever mission skill gives you your rare materials. You will be able to level it super fast with 5 companions and you probably will not be out finding nodes as much as when you were leveling.

[Rawrsong]

On slicing missionskills you can get some really nice augments and I got cybertech schematic to make a upgrade for ships.