An Open Guide to Maximizing Your Trial
Contents
1. Who Is This Guide for?
1.1 How to Get in?
1.2 Selecting Your Server
1.3 Selecting Your Faction
1.4 Creating Your Character
1.5 Some Basics
2 What Can I Do with My Character?
2.1 Player Versus Environment Content
2.2 Player Versus Player Content
2.3 Twinking
2.4 Crew Skills
2.5 Datacrons
2.6 Titles
2.7 Companion Affection
2.8 Alignment
2.9 Social Points
2.10 Credits to Items Conversion
2.11 Filling Your Codex
3. Summary
4 Closing Words
4.1 What's the Big Deal Here?
4.2 Useful Links
4.3 Lastly
5 Missing Stuff from This Guide
1. Who is this Guide for?
Whether you are a player looking forward to testing Star Wars: The Old Republic to see if it's your cup of tea, a stingy person wanting to squeeze everything out of the game for free before finally buying it (me) or just a player looking for another free to play title (albeit a limited one) this guide maybe of use to you. As it is the nature of MMO-Champion, this guide contains references to World of Warcraft. Without further ado, let's go from the very beginning:
1.1 How to Get in?
Go to https://account.swtor.com/trial. There you register your new account, or use an existing account without any payment history (a beta account for example) for the free trial. A few simple steps and you are on your way. Next you are prompted to download a setup and you get to choose your installation location et cetera. After the launcher updates itself you will begin downloading the game in several parts of varying size, around 20 gigabytes in total. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection you should eventually be able to proceed to my next headline.
1.2 Selecting Your Server
There are 3 regions in the game: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. One of the first things you will notice in the Server selection screen is the great amount of "Locked" servers in the North American and European sides. They are not locked because of your trial status; in fact they are all being merged. Not the best impression a game that tries to look healthy can give to a new player, but think of the bright side: there will be plenty of folks in the open ones. For Americans there are 6 PVE, 3 PVP, 2 RP and 1 RP-PVP servers spread between East and West Coasts. In Europe there are 4 English, 4 German and 3 French servers, with at least one server archetype for each language (except RP-PVP). In Asia Pacific there are 3 servers in total: 1 PVE, 1 PVP and 1 RP. Whichever server you choose, chances are you won't be ending up in a dead server due to the rather low amount of them. Unfortunately I do not know what the faction balance for each server is, so if you want to be on the "winning side", you might just have to do some research of your own.
1.3 Selecting Your Faction
This will be the first thing you are asked after choosing your server. Want to join the bad guys or the good guys? That is literally the case here, rather than for example in World of Warcraft, where the Horde is much more "grey" than "evil". Totally up to you, but due to the game heavily utilizing role-playing elements, your choices can make it so that you are the one good guy among your evil faction, or you are the one bad guy among your good faction. As far as I know (and my knowledge on this is limited), there are no big differences between the factions in terms of balance and leveling progression. Pick your favorite or play both (like I do). The trial has no time limit so why not experience all that it has to offer?
1.4 Creating Your Character
As far as I know there is no specific limit on the amount of characters you can create across all servers. Within one server you can create 8 characters, which is also the amount of Advanced Classes on one faction (4 classes, 8 Advanced Classes, 20 Specializations). The Legacy system, which is not included in the trial, can however cause some problems to players planning to upgrade their game later on to the full version. It is currently not possible to gain all the benefits the game has to offer by playing on one server. If you plan to have every character on a single server in one faction, you can't unlock the other faction's class Legacy bonuses. If you spread them even (4 - 4), you can't have all Crew Skills (Professions) on either side. You also can't have a member of each Species on just one server as there are a total of 9 (10 if you separate the two Zabraks). The Legacy system does not currently support Cross-Realm functions, so either way some sacrifices have to be made. To experience all the major paths and choices in the game, I chose to have a Republic only server and an Empire only server, and have a different alignment for each advanced class within a class (1 Light Side Jedi Knight Guardian, 1 Dark Side Jedi Knight Sentinel, 1 Light Side Jedi Consular Sage...).
The Species choice is mostly cosmetical and the racial ability is just for fun, not for combat. I think in all his 15 levels and two planets full of quests my Zabrak Trooper mentioned once in one piece of dialogue that he was indeed a non human. Just like in World of Warcraft, your class and species choice is permanent. Only after you complete your first planet (around level 10) and arrive to the Fleet of your chosen faction do you choose your Advanced Class. This choice is also permanent. What isn't permanent though, is the Specialization (as in how you spend your skill points) that you make after choosing your Advanced Class. These are your 3 Talent trees that you will be stuck with for the rest of your character's life.
The Classes and specializations are mirrored because they are carbon copies and fill the same roles.
Classes:
Jedi Knight - Guardian - Defense Tank Immortal - Juggernaut - Sith Warrior
Guardian - Focus Damage Rage - Juggernaut
(Shared) - Vigilance Damage Vengeance - (Shared)
Sentinel - Watchman Damage Carnage - Marauder
Sentinel - Combat Damage Annihilation - Marauder
Jedi Consular - Sage - Seer Healer Corruption - Sorcerer - Sith Inquisitor
Sage - Telekinetic Damage Lightning - Sorcerer
(Shared) - Balance Damage Madness - (Shared)
Shadow - Kinetic Combat Tank Darkness - Assassin
Shadow - Infiltration Damage Deception - Assassin
Trooper - Vanguard - Shield Specialist Tank Shield Tech - Powertech - Bounty Hunter
Vanguard - Tactics Damage Advanced Prototype - Powertech
(Shared) - Assault Specialist Damage Firebug - (Shared)
Commando - Combat Medic Healer Bodyguard - Mercenary
Commando - Gunnery Damage Arsenal - Mercenary
Smuggler - Scoundrel - Sawbones Healer Medic - Operative - Imperial Agent
Scoundrel - Scrapper Damage Concealment - Operative
(Shared) - Dirty Fighting Damage Lethality - (Shared)
Gunslinger - Sharpshooter Damage Marksmanship - Sniper
Gunslinger - Saboteur Damage Engineering - Sniper
Species and Their Racial Abilities
Chiss - Salute (Prompts nearby allies to stand at attention.)
Cyborg - Scan Target (Scans target with a critical cybernetic eye.)
Human - Rally (Rallies nearby allies.)
Miraluka - Sense Force Alignment (Senses the target's alignment with the Force.)
Mirialan - Focusing Ritual (Undergo a focusing ritual to rest and recuperate spirit.)
Rattataki - Shadowbox (Perform a series of mock blows, blocks and counters, warming up for the fight to come.)
Sith - Punish (Punish your companion for his continued failures.)
Twi'lek - Parlor Dance (Perform a unique cultural dance.)
Zabrak (Republic) - Inspire Loyalty (Inspires loyalty from nearby allies.)
Zabrak (Empire) - Inspire Loyalty (Inspires loyalty from nearby allies.)
1.5 Some Basics
I figured that I should mention a few basic things, even though the focus of this guide is on the content. I will not touch the subjects of how you should play, what rotations should you use, which one is the best, how to beat a certain encounter or how to complete quests.
Statistics:
Primary:
Strength - Increases melee damage and critical hit chance with melee attacks. (Primary for Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior)
Endurance - Increases your health and health regeneration rate.
Aim - Increases ranged damage and critical hit chance with ranged attacks. (Primary for Trooper and Bounty Hunter)
Cunning - Increases the power of technological abilities, both defensive and offensive. (Primary for Smuggler and Imperial Agent)
Willpower - Increases the damage and healing of Force abilities, and critical hit chance of Force attacks. (Primary for Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor)
Presence - Increases the damage, healing and health of your Companions.
Expertise - Increases your damage and healing and reduces the damage done to you in Player Versus Player combat.
Secondary:
Absorption - Allows your shield to absorb more damage.
Accuracy Rating - Increases your chance to hit. Beyond hit cap reduces the parry, dodge and resistance of your enemy.
Alacrity - Reduces your casting time and decreases the length of your global cooldown.
Armor - Reduces the amount of damage from Kinetic and Energy attacks. Doesn't protect from Internal or Elemental damage.
Critical Rating - Increases your chance to critically hit.
Defense Rating - Increases your chance to parry and deflect.
Force Power - Increases the strength of Force Abilities, both defensive and offensive.
Power - Increases the strength of all abilities.
Shield - Increases the chance of your shield becoming active during an attack.
Surge - Increases your critical hit damage.
Tech Power - Increases the strength of Tech abilities, both offensive and healing.
Item quality:
Cheap Quality (Grey) Equals to vendor trash
Standard Quality (White) Low level Crafting Materials, Companion Gifts, Medpacs (potions) and the like. White gear should be vendored too.
Premium Quality (Green) You will mostly be wearing these if you don't participate in group quests and bosses. A fairly common world drop.
Prototype Quality (Blue) Typically drops during Heroic Quests, Flashpoints and Group Bosses. Can be found every now and then from normal mobs as well.
Custom Quality (Orange) Don't go screaming legendary when you see these (like you would in World of Warcraft). Meant to be modified to the fullest. I personally have only seen these given or drop for Chest and Weapon slots.
Artifact Quality (Purple) These are the epics you are looking for. The only surefire method to acquire these on the trial is the two World Bosses. Other than that these have a minimal drop chance from other mobs too. During my quests on multiple characters I have found about half a dozen of these total, mostly weapon modifications.
Legendary Quality (Deep Purple) A fairly non-existent quality category that is rumored to be the highest of them all (reminds me of World of Warcraft's Artifact quality, which was never actually available).
Legacy Quality (Light Yellow) Legacy items (think Heirlooms) are not available in the trial.
Mission Quality (Yellow) Quest items. They have a special tab of their own in your inventory and you won't have to pay them too much attention.
Companions:
You get your first companion at some point on your starting planet. One could say they work in combat like Hunter's pets but they really are much more. Some companions focus on making damage, some are healers and some are tanks. Your first companion is usually meant to fill a complimentary role from your standing point: if you are a squishy it tanks for you, if you are a heavy melee it does damage for you and so on. They have an equipment screen of their own and you can freely swap gear with you and them (keeping in mind armor class restrictions). Whenever green or better stuff drops be sure to check if it's an upgrade for your companions. Companions also participate in many dialogues, and earn or lose affection with you depending on your choices. Companions do all your crafting, most of your gathering and can even go to sell all grey items currently in inventory. While your companion is away it can not aid you on your travels.
Grouping:
The number of players in an ordinary group is 4. A balanced group should consist of a tank, a healer and two damage dealers. Since there are no 4-man Flashpoints (instance/dungeon) available in the trial, this knowledge may be of trivial use to you. Companions take one slot each, so a group of 4 players can not have any active companions with them, whereas a group of two players can have two companions. If a group has more than 4 players in it, it is called an Operations group. Keep in mind that trial accounts may not participate in /ops chat. An Operations group can not have any companions in it.
Zone instancing:
There exist two types of instancing in questing planets. First one is Zone wide: if you play on a high traffic server, the zone might contain hundreds of players at a time. To counter the negative effects of this, the zone is split into separate instances every time it reaches another 200 players. To check in which zone instance you currently are in, check your map and you will find a number attached to the area name (for example Tython (2)). This means you will not see any of the players currently in the other zone wide instance. If you find the other instance more desirable (your friend is there for example), you can use a shuttle feature that will transport you to the other instance. Changing instances in the middle of a quest may result in a reset of some of its conditions (27/30 droids killed turns into 0/30). The other type of instancing in the game is called Phasing, and it makes certain areas only available for certain classes and you enter them alone. This means that you will not see other players around you when you encounter your major story events. If you are grouped, other players may join you in your class phase and participate in the killing, but can only spectate your dialogues. The same kind of Phasing is also used for Heroic quests (not all) and you will only see your group once inside. Once you complete all the objectives and leave the Phased area of your class or group, you typically aren't allowed to enter it again.
2. What can I do with my character?
Your start off in one of these planets: Tython for Jedi Knights and Jedi Consulars, Ord Mantell for Troopers and Smugglers, Korriban for Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors and (Nal) Hutta for Bounty Hunters and Agents. After completing the quests on your starting planet you gain access to your faction's Fleet (Republic Fleet or Imperial Fleet) which is the main hub of the game (the place with most people hanging around, think Stormwind and Orgrimmar). In addition you get to do the quests on your faction's capital world, Coruscant for the Republic and Dromund Kaas for the Empire. After completing your class story in Coruscant or Dromund Kaas, you are given your ship. However as you board your personal ship you may even watch a cinematic of you flying away in your new hunk of metal, but alas, the game smoothly kicks you out of the door and there you are, back in the spaceport with a plea to buy the full game. Was that it? Are you done now with the trial now? The very reason for me to write this guide is to tell you: No, you are not done here. There is still plenty to be achieved before using your credit card or uninstalling. However, one of the big WARNINGS of this guide is for you to not progress up to this point and then start reading what else is there. I personally suggest that you complete your starting planet, and then turn to this guide for inspiration. You lose access to certain parts of the game around the time you first board your ship!
2.1 Player Versus Environment Content:
(WARNING! You lose access to the two starting planets of your faction by the time you board your personal ship at level ~15! Either pause the questline before that point, or be sure you have no further business to attend to on the starting worlds!)
Besides the non-repeatable story arch of quests there exists a lot of other things one can occupy his/her time with. For those interested in Player Versus Environment content there are a multitude of Heroic quests (completable once every 24 hours, but are meant for group play), Group Bosses of varying strength ranging from soloable to a World Boss that may require an Operations group ("raid") to be tackled down depending on people's levels, and a single Flashpoint (instance/dungeon). It's a shame that if one decides to go full twink mode on his/her level 15 character, he/she can't use it in an actual 4-man Flashpoint called Hammer Station, which would have been level appropriate even (you do receive the quest for it too).
You can only complete Heroic quests of your starting planet and the capital world, so no Tython for Troopers or (Nal) Hutta for Sith Warriors for example (exception: Bounty Hunters and Imperial Agents can complete "Armed and Dangerous" on Korriban). At least on the Republic side all the Heroic quests except the 4-mans can be soloed at level 15 and the rest can be two-manned. They give varying amounts of credits per run and you have a chance for nice blue and purple drops. You can also pick a Republic Commendation as a reward if you still need them. Most profitable soloable Heroic for me has been Republic's Most Wanted with around 2300 credits per run, which is the total after picking up the reward and selling all the drops (no trading in trial so vendor all non-upgrades). The soloing abilities may vary between Classes but Companions can balance things out by performing the role of a tank, a damage dealer or a healer. If you prefer group play over solo play, you will find that the general chat is full of folks looking for group for these very quests (at least on the servers I tested).
The Group Bosses are usually located in the vicinity of a Heroic area, but only those labeled as "Part of a Heroic quest" in the chart below are completable only once a day. Most bosses have a respawn timer of around 5 minutes but there are exceptions. Almost all bosses are "tank & spank" with a few of them throwing some bad stuff on the ground you are encouraged to move out of. Loot from Group Bosses is usually blue. Some drop greens and some are rumored to enter a stance during which they won't drop any blue gear if killed repeatedly. I won't be including loot tables for any bosses or Flashpoints, as in most Internet databases multiple items from the actual loot table are missing.
The Republic World Boss, SD-0, is a tank & spank with a few extra abilities that may require a large number of players to be killed depending on people's levels. Anything beyond 4 characters is called an Operations group and can not contain Companions. You will have some problems communicating with the group though. Firstly you can not whisper a player in general chat if that player hasn't added you to their Friends list or has not whispered you first. Secondly you can not speak at all in /ops chat. About the only way for you to take part in the killing is to read the general chat and see if there is a group being formed and then head to the boss and ask for an invite in /say. You should use /say while in an Operations group too. Unlike any other way to gear your character, I believe this is the only encounter that drops guaranteed purples, and the item for Implant slot is very desirable. You may have quite a few people rolling against you, though.
The Flashpoint available for Republic player is called The Esseles, and you first encounter it after you leave your starting planet and are heading to the capital world. It is presented to you as an alternative ship you can use to reach Coruscant, only this one will be attacked and may take over an hour to complete depending on your speed. It is meant for two players with two companions assisting them, but is fully soloable at level 15. Again mostly tank & spanks with added in move out of bad stuff content. Upgrades aside, fully maximizing your trial character will require you to run this flashpoint many times. This is one of the only repeatable ways to earn alignment points (Light or Dark), which are earned during two separate dialogue choices during a full run (total 400 points per run). Other than that it is a good source of Social points if grouped (around 100), credits (around 3500 per solo run for me) and a few Coruscant Commendations. As far as I know the bonus objectives only grant experience and thus you might want to skip them when you are experience capped.
Besides drops, PvE offers another method of gearing up: Commendations. You can get up to three kinds of PvE Commendations on the trial: 2 from both of your faction's starting planets and 1 from your Capital planet. An example case: Jedi Knight starts from Tython, and can spend Tython Commendations for level ~10 gear from quests and drops. The gear available has the right statistics for a Jedi. The same Jedi Knight can also go to Ord Mantell and collect Ord Mantell commendations as drops (can drop from any mob but is a pretty rare drop overall) but not from quests. The gear available on Ord Mantell is not a match for a Jedi Knight statistics wise. When our Jedi Knight travels to Coruscant, he can earn Coruscant Commendations from both quests and as drops. These gear will be a statistical match for a Jedi Knight, and also some of the highest available. At this point any gear available for starting planet commendations has become obsolete. If you plan to gear your character to its maximum potential, you should only focus on Coruscant Commendations for gear upgrades (for yourself and your Companions), Modifications and a blue item roll box called "Rudimentary Prototype Storage Box". I do not know what is the cap for commendations.
Player Versus Environment Content: (Not finished)
Code:
Republic:
Tython:
[HEROIC 2+] The Chamber of Speech Level 7 ~1100 per solo run
Group Boss: Tythonian Lore Guardian Level 7 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 4045
Group Boss: Fleshraider Conquest Droid Level 9 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 14265
Ord Mantell:
[HEROIC 2+] Cutting Off the Head Level 5 (See below)
[HEROIC 2+] Buying Loyalty Level 7 (See below)
[HEROIC 2+] Destroy the Beacons Level 7 All 3 together around ~1400
Group Boss: Savrip Champion Level 8 Respawn Timer ~2 minutes Health: 4755
Coruscant:
[HEROIC 2+] Republic's Most Wanted Level 10 ~2300 per solo run
[HEROIC 2+] The Face Merchants Level 11 ~1200 per solo run
[HEROIC 4] Trouble in Deed Level 15
[HEROIC 4] Enemies of the Republic Level 15
Group Boss: Burnout Level 11 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 10200
Group Boss: Gutshot Level 11 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 10200
Group Boss: Black Sun Boomer Droid Level 12-13 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 11850
Group Boss: Sith Infiltrator Level 16 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 23935
Group Boss: Thalo Terrix Level 16 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 23935
Group Boss: Dark Sith Anev Xydes Level 17 Respawn Timer 10+ minutes Health: 16665 (Possibly 30 minute Respawn Timer)
World Boss: SD-0 Level 18 Respawn Timer 2-4 hours Health: 191863 Enrage Timer 8 minutes
Flashpoints:
[Group 2] The Esseles Level 9-13 Bosses: 5 ~3500 per solo run
Code:
Empire:
Korriban
[Heroic 2] Armed and Dangerous Level 8 ~1000 per solo run
[Heroic 2+] The Hate Machine Level 8 ~600 per solo run
Group Boss: Fallen Jedi Vald Inosp Level 8 Respawn Timer Unknown Health: Unknown
(Nal) Hutta:
[Heroic 2+] Hostage Situation Level 5 ~600 per solo run
[Heroic 2+] Hostage Situation Cleanup Level 6 ~500 per solo run
[Heroic 2+] The Man with the Steel VoiceLevel 6 ~300 per solo run
[Heroic 2+] Factory Recall Level 7 ~800 per solo run
Group Boss: M-78 "The Harvester Level 5-6 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 3590
Group Boss: Baranj the Starseeker Level 5-6 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 2995
Group Boss: B3-4T Disposal Droid Level 6 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 3565
Group Boss: Evocii Mastermind Level 6 Part of a Heroic quest Health: 3210
Group Boss: Putrid Chemilizard Level 7 Respawn Timer ~5 minutes Health: 3810
Dromund Kaas:
[Heroic 2+] Personal Challenge Level 11
[Heroic 2+] Saving Face Level 12
[Heroic 4] Hadra's Defeat Level 13
[Heroic 2+] Shadow Spawn Level 15
[Heroic 4] Friends of Old Level 15
The First Level 18 Respawn Timer Unknown Health: 230235 Enrages at 20%
Flashpoints:
The Black Talon Level 9-13 Bosses: 5
2.2 Player Versus Player Content:
Star Wars: The Old Republic only has two brackets for PvP, 10-49 and 50, which results into pretty fast queues. Upon entering a Warzone all lower level characters receive a buff that brings them somewhat on the line with the higher levels. The major difference between a lower and a higher level character is the lack of higher level skills for the lower one. As a level 15 I felt I was able to crank up some kills (have had my butt handed to me too though) and I wasn't even the lowest level player in the Warzone. Thanks to the buff scaling I was surprisingly the character with most health on my semi-twinked Jedi Knight. It most definitely is possible to twink up your level 15 and do some heavy PvPing if that suits your play style. One unfortunate thing is that you can't communicate on /ops chat, so you can't really effectively call incoming enemy attacks or plea for help. You can use /say in your immediate vicinity. Which classes and specs are the best for PvP? I leave that up to you to decide because I don't want to get into balancing arguments (which one is overpowered and which one is underpowered), or just find another guide. Open world PvP unfortunately can't happen on the first planets or in the Fleet.
Participating in Warzones earns you credits, Valor rank, Warzone Commendations and experience (if you're still under the cap). There is a daily quest called "United We Stand" for the Republic and "Zero Tolerance" for the Empire that requires you to participate in two Warzones if you lose or only one if you win. As a reward you get to choose between level 10, 20, 30 and 40 boxes that contain random green gear and stimulants. This is the only way to gear through PvPing, since all the gear available with Warzone Commendations require at least level 20. Unfortunately for PvP players, this makes PvE a far more reliable way to gear your character. If you choose a higher level box so that you can have equipment in advance when you buy the full game, you can not open the box until that level and the box itself sells for 0 Credits.
There are 4 Warzones available, and here is a quick rundown on them without getting into too much detail:
Alderaan Civil War
Arathi Basin in a Star Wars setting. You fight over 3 spots on the map and the faction controlling most of them at a given time loses points slower. The visuals are a nice extra: your points represent a large space ship on the sky that blows up after all the points are lost, because what you control are actually turrets firing at the ships.
The Voidstar
Sort of like Strand of the Ancients without vehicles. It is a two-round deal, you attack and you defend. There are doors blocking the way to the end which must be blown up, and whichever faction reaches the goal faster on their attacking turn is the winner.
Huttball
Comparable to a capture the flag, but this one has only one "flag" (a ball) in the middle. To score points you must deliver it across the line near the enemy base. The winner is the first team to reach 6 points or whichever is in the lead when time runs out.
Novare Coast
Another Arathi Basin. Three bases to fight over. Not much else to it.
As a money maker PvP is decent as you get around 2000 Credits per win and around 1000 credits per loss. It is arguably more fun too than running the same Heroic quests each day, and those you can complete only once a day per character anyway. As far as I know there is no limit to how many matches you can play per day. Warzone Commendations cap currently at 2000, so you won't be able to stack an infinite amount of those. Valor Rank gives you access to gear in the full version of the game, but in the trial you have to settle for a single title, Skirmisher. Valor Rank only goes up to your own level, until level 50 when the cap is increased to 100.
Rank Points Needed
1 0
2 1000
3 1100
4 1200
5 1300
6 1400
7 1500
8 1530
9 1540
10 1730 Skirmisher
11 1970
12 2200
13 2440
14 2680
15 2920
16 3150
17 3390
18 3630
19 3870
20 4100 Duelist
21 4340
22 4580
23 4820
24 5050
25 5290
26 5530
27 5770
28 6000
29 6240
30 6480 Gladiator
31 6720
32 6960
33 7190
34 7430
35 7670
36 7910
37 8010
38 8120
39 8230
40 8340 Centurion
41 8450
42 8550
43 8660
44 8770
45 8880
46 8990
47 9090
48 9200
49 9310
50 9420 Champion
51 9530
52 13685
53 17840
54 21995
55 26150
56 30305
57 34460
58 38615
59 42770
60 46925 Battlemaster
61 51080
62 51610
63 52140
64 52670
65 53200
66 53730
67 54260
68 54790
69 55320
70 55850 War Hero
71 56380
72 61830
73 67280
74 72730
75 78180
76 83630
77 89080
78 94530
79 99980
80 105430 Conqueror
81 110880
82 122138
83 133396
84 144654
85 155912
86 167170
87 178428
88 189686
89 200944
90 212202 Warlord
91 223460
92 229960
93 236460
94 242960
95 -
96 -
97 -
98 -
99 -
100 - Elite Warlord
2.3 Twinking
Twinks usually refer to characters that are below the level cap, but are geared to maximize their power. Thanks to scaling and various other mechanics, in many games twinks can become tremendously powerful, being able to beat other non-twinked characters several levels above them. The aim usually is to gain advantage in player versus player situations. This philosophy suits fairly well for the Old Republic as at level 15 there are no difficult PvE content left to be geared towards (unless you wish to solo 4-man Heroic quests). Twinking really is a big enough subject to have it's very on guide, with all the specializations being present and all "best in slot" gear listed. To avoid such a massive time sink, I have decided not to include such lists on this guide. Instead I will list sources from where good gear can be obtained and a little something about each equipment slot. Remember that twinking your Companions will not give you any advantage in PvP. To fully maximize a character, you should get all the upgrades from all the Crafting skills by unlearning the previous one as you learn the following. Biochem is arguably the most useful Crew skill to have after you have picked the gear upgrades, since it produces the best consumables available.
Sources you should keep in mind when gearing your character:
-Your Faction's Flashpoint (mostly blues but a little low level for a level 15).
-Capital Commendation gear from Vendors (blues for Legs slot, blue rank 5 Modifications for weapons and chest and Level 14 Blue item roll "Rudimentary Prototype Storage Box").
-Specialty Goods Vendor (blues for Feet and Hands).
-Crew Skills (some have blue recipes and you can also unlearn your current Crafting skill to get upgrades from another one).
-PvP Daily quest reward box (contains mostly greens and stimulants).
-Drops and rewards from Heroic quests (I have had multiple purple drops).
-Group Bosses (mostly blue loot)
-World Boss loot (purple loot but lots of competition).
-Random world drops (I have gotten purple drops like this one: [Prototype] Strategist Vest (Medium Armor Chest 206 Armor, +23 Strength, +23 Endurance).
Equipment Slots:
Head - I have only gotten a couple of these as quest rewards and they've been green.
Chest - I've received decent blue ones from Heroic quests.
Hands - Specialty Goods Vendor sells Level 15 blue hand gear for a few thousand credits.
Waist - Level 13 blue belts are crafted by Armormeching and Synthweaving.
Legs - Capital Commendations get you a pair of level 13 blue pants.
Feet - Specialty Goods vendor sells level 9 blue boots. Level 11 gear drops from Flashpoints.
Ear - Imperials get a blue one out of one of their Heroic quests. Republic players have to rely on world drops.
Implant - I have only gotten these out of the Republic World boss, and it was a purple Strength/Endurance one.
Implant - Same as above.
Wrists - Green ones everywhere, but I don't know many surefire sources to get blue ones.
Relic - Trial characters only get one of these, and it will be a M2-W3 (+18 Strength, +8 Endurance). Tough luck for non-melees.
Relic - Not possible to obtain a second one.
Main Hand - I don't know reliable sources for high quality weapons.
Offhand - Level 11 one drops from a Flashpoint.
Modifications - Capital Commendation Modifications Vendor
Consumables:
Medpacs:
Code:
Name Effect Level Cost in Credits
Basic Medpac Heals 250 to 300 Level 1 100
Minor Medpac Heals 350 to 425 Level 1 200
Common Medpac Heals 525 to 625 Level 8 250
General Medpac Heals 799 to 850 Level 12 300
Compact Medpac Heals 825 to 1000 Level 8 (crafted with Biochem)
Tech Surgeon Med Unit Heals 700 to 850 Level 8 (crafted with Biochem)
Stimulants:
There are Basic (Level 1) and Minor (Level 8) Stimulants available for Presence, Endurance, Strength, Aim, Willpower and Cunning. Basic increases the given statistic by 8 for an hour (cost 150) and Minor for 16 for an hour (cost 500). For Presence there also exists an alternative called Spiced Nerf Milk that gives the 16 buff for 30 minutes (cost 100). Only one Stimulant can be active at a time.
You can twink your personal starship a little bit too by buying 3 upgrades for the total price of 1500 credits.
Grade 1 Ship Armor
Grade 1 Beam Charger
Grade 1 Beam Generator
2.4 Crew Skills
Crew Skills are the Professions of this game. They are put into three categories: Crafting, Gathering and Mission Skills. One character can learn 3 Crew Skills, but may only learn one Crafting Skill (but can unlearn the current one to learn another). The other two Skills can be any mix of Gathering and Mission Skills, or you can have even three of them. Crafting skills are used to craft items (duh), Gathering Skills are used to gather Materials for the Crafting Skills and Mission Skills are used to find higher quality materials, Schematics, Alignment points, Companion Gifts and Lockboxes (contain credits). In the trial you won't be able to level a Crafting Skill without its' respective Gathering Skill, and blue items usually require a higher level crafting material from Mission Skills. Crew Skills are capped at Skill level 400, but the trial only goes up to 40. Below I have listed all the blue items you will be able to craft from the Schematics that the Crew Skill Trainer offers. I am unsure if there are any Schematics to be found that would be blue quality or above (so far I have found one for orange boots). Many of the blue items are close to be the best items for their slots, so do not underestimate Crew Skills as a source for upgrades.
Crew Skills work by sending your Companions off to Crafting, Gathering or doing Missions. At a time you can only send two companions to work on your skills (up to character level 24; then 3 up to level 40, 4 up to 47 and finally 5 up to 50) but this restriction really only affects Jedi Knights (they get 3 Companions by the time trial ends). When you send your Companion on to a mission, they can not aid you during your travels until they return. Crafting Materials can also be collected from the ground while doing quests.
Here is a quick rundown on every Crew Skill:
Crafting
Armormech - Crafts Non-Force Armor
Armstech - Crafts Weapons and Modifications
Artifice - Crafts Lightsabers Modifications and Offhands
Biochem - Crafts Consumables and Implants (no Implants for trial skill level)
Cybertech - Crafts Droid Parts and Non Force Armor Modifications
Synthweaving - Crafts Armor for Force Users
Gathering
Archaeology - Materials for Artifice and Synthweaving
Bioanalysis - Materials for Biochem
Scavenging - Materials for Armormech, Armstech and Cybertech
Slicing - Various Materials mostly related to Cybertech and Lockboxes
Mission (In addition each one produces Companion Gifts)
Diplomacy - Materials for Light Armor and Alignment Points
Investigation - Materials for Medium Armor and Schematics for all Crafting Skills
Treasure Hunting - Materials for Weapons and Cybertech and Lockboxes
Underworld Trading - Materials for Heavy Armor, Biochem and Cybertech
This chart tells you which Crew Skills go well with each other:
Code:
Crafting Gathering Mission
Armormech Scavenging Underworld Trading
Armstech Scavenging Investigation
Artifice Archaeology Treasure Hunting
Biochem Bioanalysis Diplomacy
Cybertech Scavenging, Slicing -
Synthweaving Archaeology Underworld Trading
Choosing which Crew Skill to pick does matter. Each companion has a different bonus when it comes to Crew Skills, so some classes have a bigger advantage when using certain Crew Skills. As the trial only offers the first 40 skill levels, the difference might be trivial, but especially if you plan to upgrade to a full game you should consider which Crew Skills to pick for which classes.
Here is one guide's opinion on which Crew Skill should you pick on which character (Link http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=530/):
Jedi Knight - Artifice, Synthweaving, Biochem, Cybertech
Jedi Consular - Artifice, Synthweaving, Biochem, Cybertech
Trooper - Armormech, Armstech, Biochem, Cybertech
Smuggler - Armormech, Armstech, Biochem, Cybertech
Sith Warrior - Artifice, Synthweaving, Biochem, Cybertech
Sith Inquisitor - Artifice, Synthweaving, Biochem, Cybertech
Bounty Hunter - Armormech, Armstech, Biochem, Cybertech
Imperial Agent - Armormech, Armstech, Biochem, Cybertech
Available Crew Skill Recipes:
Armormech
-Ballistic Shield Belt (Heavy Armor Waist: 151 Armor, +18 Aim, +8 Endurance) Level 13
-Heavy Power Belt (Heavy Armor Waist: 151 Armor, +15 Aim, +10 Endurance) Level 13
-Battle Mesh Belt (Medium Armor Waist: 110 Armor, +8 Endurance, +18 Cunning) Level 13
-Tech Combat Belt (Medium Armor Waist: 110 Armor, +10 Endurance, +15 Cunning) Level 13
-Augmentation Kit MK-1
-Green Aim Heavy Armor, Green Cunning Medium Armor
Armstech
-Green Assault Cannons, Green Blaster Barrels, Green Blaster Pistols, Green Blaster Rifles, Green Sniper Rifles, Green Melee Main Hands and Green Knives
-Augmentation Kit MK-1
Artifice
-Yellow Critical Crystal (+3 Critical Rating) Level 7
-Yellow Fortitude Crystal (+3 Endurance) Level 7
-Green Offhands, Green Color Crystals, Green Lightsaber Hilts and a Green Lightsaber Enhancement
Biochem
-Battle Absorb Adrenal (400 Armor for 15 seconds) Level 8
-Battle Efficacy Adrenal (90 Alacrity for 15 seconds) Level 8
-Battle Triage Adrenal (90 Force Power and Tech Power for 15 seconds and reduces all damage dealt by 20%) Level 8
-Battle Attack Adrenal (90 Power for 15 seconds and reduces all healing done by 20%) Level 8
-Battle Critical Adrenal (90 Critical Rating for 15 seconds) Level 8
-Battle Force Adrenal (90 Surge for 15 seconds) Level 8
-Battle Tech Adrenal (90 Accuracy for 15 seconds) Level 8
-Team Surgeon Med Unit (Restores 700 to 850 Health to you and your Companion) Level 8
-Compact Medpac (Restores 825 to 1000 health) Level 8
-Battle Command Stim (22 Presence for 60 minutes)
-Battle Fortitude Stim (16 Endurance and 6 Defense for 60 minutes)
-Battle Might Stim (16 Strength and 6 Power for 60 minutes)
-Battle Reflex Stim (16 Aim and 6 Power for 60 minutes)
-Battle Resolve Stim (16 Willpower and 6 Power for 60 minutes)
-Battle Skill Stim (16 Cunning and 6 Power for 60 minutes)
Cybertech
-AA-16 Motor (Droid Armor Motor: 127 Armor, +10 Aim, +20 Endurance) Level 12
-AA-17 Core (Droid Armor Core: 241 Armor, +11 Aim, +23 Endurance) Level 14
-AA-17 Parts (Droid Armor Parts: 127 Armor, +10 Aim, +12 Endurance) Level 12
-TG-55 Core (Droid Armor Core: 165 Armor, +12 Aim, +13 Endurance) Level 8
-TG-55 Parts (Droid Armor Parts: 103 Armor, +8 Aim, +10 Endurance) Level 9
-Augmentation Kit MK-1
-Green Armor Modifications, Green Droid equipment and Green Weapon Modifications
Synthweaving
-Synth Assault Belt (Heavy Armor Waist: 151 Armor, +18 Strength, +8 Endurance) Level 13
-Fiber Weave Waistcord (Medium Armor Waist: 110 Armor, +18 Strength, +8 Endurance) Level 13
-Synth Defense Waistwrap (Light Armor Waist: 74 Armor, +14 Endurance, +11 Willpower) Level 13
-Overkill Heavy Thermal Belt (Heavy Armor Waist: 111 Armor, +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +3 Power) Level 9
-Redoubt Heavy Thermal Belt (Heavy Armor Waist: 111 Armor, +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +3 Defense Rating) Level 9
-Augmentation Kit MK-1
-Green Strength Heavy Armor, Green Strength Medium Armor, Green Willpower Light Armor
There also exists a thing called "Reverse Engineering". I'm ashamed to admit I haven't grasped the concept, so here are few quotes that might help you out: "You should be able to reverse engineer anything that your profession can make" and "you can learn improved versions of items learned from your trainer and from schematics acquired via other means. It currently seems as if you cannot learn new schematics from world dropped or quest items." I'm going to leave this up to you to decipher.
A guide for Reverse Engineering: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=45866
2.5 Datacrons
(WARNING! You lose access to the two starting planets of your faction by the time you board your personal ship at level ~15! Either pause the questline before that point, or be sure you have no further business to attend to on the starting worlds!)
Datacrons are what I would call a fun way to get people to explore the world. Most of them provide only a small but permanent statistics bonus (for example +2 Endurance) and some give you different color Matrix shards. There are a few to be found on each planet: 3 in all starting planets and 5 in both capital worlds to be exact. They are usually hidden behind something so they are not directly visible from where players usually roam, or alternatively they are in plain sight, but the problem is how to get to them. The eight statistical bonuses that you can get will probably not "make it or break it" in Warzones, but in addition you get to assemble a Relic from the 3 Matrix shards which too provides a nice number of statistics. The Relic is different depending on which colors are used, but since you will be limited to using Red, Blue and Yellow shards, the result will always be the same: Matrix Cube M2-W3 (+18 Strength, +8 Endurance). Relics can be assembled at special assembly Phases: Jedi Temple Ruins on Coruscant for Republic players and Sith Temple on Dromund Kaas for Imperials.
If you don't want to spend some extra time finding them, here is a list that will spoil the locations for you:
[B]Republic[/B]
Tython:
(X:-32, Y:-100)
(X:-643, Y:-70)
(X:-90, Y:920)
Ord Mantell:
(X:779, Y:132)
(X:-656, Y:-550)
(X:-977, Y:206)
Coruscant:
(X: 2318, Y:1050)
(X:-3626, Y:150)
(X:1021, Y:3967)
(X:949, Y:4540)
(X:-3088, Y:3031)
[B]Empire[/B]
Korriban:
(X:153, Y:81)
(X:529, Y:65)
(X:-55, Y:379)
(Nal) Hutta:
(X:-95, Y:860)
(X:650, Y:-120)
(X:-13, Y:323)
Dromund Kaas:
(X:855, Y:642)
(X:581, Y:798)
(X:-1219, Y:-48)
(X:-793, Y:1450)
(X:-187, Y:1738)
For further instructions use this site: http://swtor.wikia.com/wiki/Datacron_Locations
2.6 Titles
(WARNING! You lose access to the two starting planets of your faction by the time you board your personal ship at level ~15! Either pause the questline before that point, or be sure you have no further business to attend to on the starting worlds!)
You earn two Class-specific titles during your quests in your starting planet (exceptions: Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent). You also earn a title from completing a certain Heroic quest on your starting planet (the one from Korriban has been removed). Completing your Flashpoint gives you one and you get another from completing a certain questline in your Capital world. In addition there are titles for gaining Valor ranks, social ranks and Alignment ranks but they are covered in their respective topics.
Republic
Classes:
Jedi Knight: Padawan, Knight of the Republic
Jedi Consular: Padawan, Jedi
Trooper: Sergeant, Lieutenant
Smuggler: Captain, The Outlaw
Planets:
Ord Mantell: The Mantellian
Tython: The Keeper of Truth
Coruscant: Black Bisector
Flashpoint:
The Esseles: The Uncompromising
Empire
Classes:
Sith Warrior: Acolyte, Apprentice
Sith Inquisitor: Apprentice
Bounty Hunter: Hired Gun
Imperial Agent: Agent
Planets:
Korriban: Imperial Scholar (Removed from the game.)
(Nal) Hutta: The Heartless
Dromund Kaas: The Revanite
Flashpoint:
The Black Talon: The Merciless
2.7 Companion Affection
Affection level with your companions provides for additional depth to your role-playing experience. Not really essential, but all the more fun. You get to hear your companion's back story all the while making him/her/it love or hate you. If you're lucky you can even marry one of them (!), though I'm pretty sure it isn't possible in the trial. While I think it is possible to rise their affection all the way to maximum using companion gifts on the trial, at some point most of them will stop opening up new dialogues because you're supposed to encounter something first in some higher level planet or do their companion quests (also likely higher level). There is plenty to be heard on the trial too though, and you can raise all the affection levels high prematurely so that you can easily continue with them after you buy the game. For this reason you can even stack hundreds of extra companion gifts for the companions that will be available to you after buying the game. However it's going to cost you a decent amount of credits, I'm afraid, but I'm personally of the opinion that companion gifts are the best thing you can spend your credits on the trial anyway.
Here is a list of all the companions and their preferred item types. If a Gift type is in brackets it means it belongs to that category when the companion is romanced. In brackets is also which gender you need to be in order to pursue a romance. Numbers 1 to 3 refer to how much your companion likes them, 1 being the highest. If a number is missing, it means there are no Gifts that raise the affection for that amount.
[B]Republic[/B]
[B]Jedi Knight[/B]
T7-01 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Cultural Artifact, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear[/COLOR]
Kira Carsen (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. (Luxury)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Technology, (Courting), (Underworld Goods)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Trophy, Courting, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
C2-N2 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR]
Doc (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. (Courting), (Luxury)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Courting, Luxury[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear, Technology, Cultural Artifact, Trophy, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Sergeant Rusk [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Military Gear[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Technology, Imperial Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR]
Lord Scourge [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Trophy[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology, Imperial Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear, Republic Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Underworld Goods
[/COLOR]
[B]Jedi Consular[/B]
Qyzen Fess [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Technology, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
C2-N2 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR]
Tharan Cedrax (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Luxury[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Cultural Artifact, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Zenith [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Imperial Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Lieutenant Felix Iresso (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Trophy, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Luxury[/COLOR]
Nadia Grell (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] 3. [COLOR="#8B4513"]Courting, Luxury, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
[B]Trooper[/B]
Aric Jorgan (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Technology, Republic Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR]
C2-N2 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR]
Elara Dorne (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Technology, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia[/COLOR]
M1-4X [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear, Courting, Luxury, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR]
Tanno Vik [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Technology[/COLOR]
Yuun [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia[/COLOR]
[B]Smuggler[/B]
Corso Riggs (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear, (Courting), (Republic Memorabilia), (Trophy)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Luxury, Technology, Republic Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR]
C2-N2 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR]
Bowdaar [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Luxury, Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon, Trophy[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Courting, Technology, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Risha (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. (Luxury), (Underworld Goods)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Cultural Artifact, Underworld Goods, (Technology)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Weapon, Military Gear, Technology, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia, (Courting)[/COLOR]
Akaavi Spar (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear, Trophy, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Technology, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Guss Tuno [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Republic Memorabilia, Imperial Memorabilia, Cultural Artifact, Trophy[/COLOR]
[B]Empire[/B]
[B]Sith Warrior[/B]
Vette (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Underworld Goods, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Cultural Artifact, (Luxury)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury, Republic Memorabilia, Technology, Weapon[/COLOR]
2V-R8 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury[/COLOR]
Malavi Quinn (Female) [COLOR="#008000"]2. Imperial Memorabilia, Military Gear, Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Technology, Trophy[/COLOR]
Jaesa Willsaam (Dark) (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon, (Luxury)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Trophy[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Military Gear[/COLOR]
Jaesa Willsaam (Light) (Male) [COLOR="#008000"]2. Cultural Artifact, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Military Gear, Trophy, Weapon[/COLOR]
Lieutenant Pierce (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Military Gear, Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Republic Memorabilia, Technology, Trophy, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Broonmark [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Trophy, Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Republic Memorabilia, Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Imperial Memorabilia, Military Gear[/COLOR]
[B]Sith Inquisitor[/B]
Khem Val [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Technology, Trophy[/COLOR]
2V-R8 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury[/COLOR]
Andronikus Revel (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon, (Luxury), (Military Gear), (Underworld Goods)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear, Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, (Courting), (Trophy)[/COLOR]
Ashara Zavros (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. (Courting), (Republic Memorabilia)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. (Cultural Artifact), (Military Gear), (Weapon)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Military Gear, Republic Memorabilia, (Imperial Memorabilia), (Luxury), (Technology)[/COLOR]
Talos Drellik [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury, Republic Memorabilia[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Technology[/COLOR]
Xalek [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Military Gear, Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Trophy, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
[B]Bounty Hunter[/B]
Mako (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Luxury, Trophy, Weapon[/COLOR]
2V-R8 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury[/COLOR]
Gault [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Luxury[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Technology, Weapon[/COLOR]
Torian Cadera (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Trophy[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear, Weapon, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Technology, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Blizz [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology, Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Cultural Artifact, Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury, Military Gear, Republic Memorabilia, Trophy, Weapon[/COLOR]
Skadge [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Underworld Goods, Weapon [/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]3. Luxury, Military Gear, Trophy[/COLOR]
[B]Imperial Agent[/B]
Kaliyo Djannis (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Weapon, (Luxury)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Underworld Goods[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Military Gear, Technology[/COLOR]
2V-R8 [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Luxury[/COLOR]
Vector Hyllis (Female) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Cultural Artifact[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Imperial Memorabilia, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Luxury, Trophy, Weapon[/COLOR]
Doctor Lokin [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Luxury, Military Gear[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Imperial Memorabilia, Republic Memorabilia, Underworld Goods[/COLOR]
Ensign Raina Temple (Male) [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Imperial Memorabilia, (Courting)[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Military Gear[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Courting, Luxury, Republic Memorabilia, Weapon[/COLOR]
Scorpio [COLOR="#FF0000"]1. Technology[/COLOR] [COLOR="#008000"]2. Weapon[/COLOR] [COLOR="#8B4513"]3. Cultural Artifact, Military Gear, Trophy[/COLOR]
Companion Gifts are sold by Companion Gift vendors and are also found using Mission Crew Skills. There are 5 ranks of Companion gifts. The first two ranks are sold in green quality by vendors for 200 and 600 credits each. There also exists blue and purple quality Gifts for each rank (and white ones too which I left out from the chart). Here is how much affection they add depending on your current affection level. Each Companion starts at affection level 0 and is capped when it reaches 10000.
Numbers (1 - 2 - 3) correspond to the previous chart:
Code:
Green Rank 1 Gift Green Rank 2 Gift Green Rank 3 Gift Green Rank 4 Gift Green Rank 5 Gift
0-1999 96 - 54 - 24 105 - 59 - 26 124 - 70 - 31 144 - 81 - 36 144 - 81 - 36
2000-3999 48 - 27 - 12 96 - 54 - 24 105 - 59 - 26 124 - 70 - 31 144 - 81 - 36
4000-5999 19 - 10 - 4 48 - 27 - 12 96 - 54 - 24 105 - 59 - 26 124 - 70 - 31
6000-7999 0 - 0 - 0 19 - 10 - 4 48 - 27 - 12 96 - 54 - 24 105 - 59 - 26
8000-9999 0 - 0 - 0 0 - 0 - 0 19 - 10 - 4 48 - 27 - 12 96 - 54 - 24
Blue Rank 1 Gift Blue Rank 2 Gift Blue Rank 3 Gift Blue Rank 4 Gift Blue Rank 5 Gift
0-1999 160 - 90 - 40 176 - 99 - 44 208 - 117 - 52 240 - 135 - 60 240 - 135 - 60
2000-3999 80 - 45 - 20 160 - 90 - 40 176 - 99 - 44 208 - 117 - 52 240 - 135 - 60
4000-5999 32 - 18 - 8 80 - 45 - 20 160 - 90 - 40 176 - 99 - 44 208 - 117 - 52
6000-7999 0 - 0 - 0 32 - 18 - 8 80 - 45 - 20 160 - 90 - 40 176 - 99 - 44
8000-9999 0 - 0 - 0 0 - 0 - 0 32 - 18 - 8 80 - 45 - 20 160 - 90 - 40
Purple Rank 1 Gift Purple Rank 2 Gift Purple Rank 3 Gift Purple Rank 4 Gift Purple Rank 5 Gift
0-1999 384 - 216 - 96 422 - 237 - 105 499 - 280 - 124 576 - 324 - 144 576 - 324 - 144
2000-3999 192 - 108 - 48 384 - 216 - 96 422 - 237 - 105 499 - 280 - 124 576 - 324 - 144
4000-5999 76 - 43 - 19 192 - 108 - 48 384 - 216 - 96 422 - 237 - 105 499 - 280 - 124
6000-7999 0 - 0 - 0 76 - 43 - 19 192 - 108 - 48 384 - 216 - 96 422 - 237 - 105
8000-9999 0 - 0 - 0 0 - 0 - 0 76 - 43 - 19 192 - 108 - 48 384 - 216 - 96
Like the chart above suggests, you can use green rank 1 gifts up to 5999 affection. That will cost you 33400 credits if you use their highest preferred gifts (0-2016 is 21 gifts, 2016-4032 is 42 gifts and 4032-6008 is 104 gifts, so 167 gifts X 200 credits each). Affection levels 6000-7999 need at least rank 2 gifts, which then cost 63000 credits using their highest preferred gifts (6008-8003 is 105 gifts X 600 credits). Remaining 8000-10000 must be reached through other methods such as Mission Crew Skills that reward you with random companion gifts. This part can be extremely tedious to complete in the trial. Happy courting!
2.8 Alignment
Often in your dialogues you come across situations that call for either a civil and helpful response, or a brutal and cold one. These are the situations where you earn your alignment points, be it Light or Dark. You can be a full Dark Side guy and play Republic or a full Light Side guy and play Empire, it is not tied to either faction. Currently the game doesn't offer many bonuses to those who prefer neutrality, but many a gear piece requires you to be of certain alignment rank. Playing through all the trial quests can get you to around rank 2 of Light or Dark Side, which really is enough for your level. Further ranks are only needed for higher level gear, which is out of the question in the trial anyway. If you so wish though, you can keep repeating the first Flashpoint for extra alignment points and I believe you can get it all the way up to rank 5. Other sources for Alignment points are Diplomacy Crew Skill and the repeatable starting world Heroics "The Chamber of Speech", "Buying Loyalty" and "The Man with the Steel Voice", each only available to those who start from their respective planets (none for those who start on Korriban).
There used to exist a title for every gained alignment rank, but most of them have been removed from the game since. Here they are just for curiosity's sake:
Light side
Code:
Rank I (Respectable removed from the game.)
Rank II (Upstanding removed from the game.)
Rank III Honorable
Rank IV (Pure removed from the game.)
Rank V The Pure (Benevolent removed from the game.)
Dark side
Code:
Rank I (Vicious removed from the game.)
Rank II (Sinister removed from the game.)
Rank III Destructive
Rank IV (Loathsome removed from the game.)
Rank V The Loathsome (Malevolent removed from the game.)
Visual Effects:
Code:
Dark Side Rank I Yellow eyes
Dark Side Rank II Dark veins around mouth and eyes
Dark Side Rank IV Red eyes
2.9 Social Points
Social Points are earned through playing in a group. Whether you're running a Flashpoint or doing Coruscant story quests you get them while participating in shared dialogues. In a two person group you get 4 points for winning a roll (you say the line out loud) and 2 for rolling at all. In a three person group the numbers are 6 and 3 and in a four person group 8 and 4. Operations groups don't earn you points, neither PvE nor PvP. As your Social Rank rises, you gain access to various non combat consumables, usable items, gear and titles. These are meant to be "fun" and aesthetic only. Keep in mind that a trial account may not gain access to all of these, but can still earn the points in advance (presumably all the way to rank 10).
There used to exist a title for every gained social rank, but most of them have been removed from the game since. Here they are just for curiosity's sake:
Code:
Social Rank I 10 (Friendly removed from the game.)
Social Rank II 750 (Outgoing removed from the game.)
Social Rank III 1550 (Coordinator removed from the game.)
Social Rank IV 2450 (Party Time moved from rank 4 to 5)
Social Rank V 3400 Party Time (Guide removed from the game.)
Social Rank VI 4350 (Chatterbox removed from the game.)
Social Rank VII 5400 (Extrovert removed from the game.)
Social Rank VIII 6550 (Charismatic removed from the game.)
Social Rank IX 7750 (Leader removed from the game.)
Social Rank X 9000 Big Time
Link to a picture that shows all the social gear (at the time the picture was made anyway): http://i.imgur.com/NK8Ei.jpg
2.10 Credits to Items Conversion
This topic is for those of us that want to maximize our characters before buying the full game. As there exists a Credit cap of 20 000 for each character, raw money is easily capped and you may want to have more stocked up for the full game. This can be circumvented by buying extra items for the purpose of selling them once the cap is lifted. All items that I have checked have sold for 10% of the original vendor price. Now we could buy an item with a price as close to 20 000 Credits as possible, but that would only mean a maximum of 2000 Credits back per slot. Instead you should buy something that stacks high and is expensive. Stimulants are stackable only up to 10, so even though some of them cost up to 3500 a piece, that is a maximum return of 3500 Credits per slot. The most money I've gotten per slot is from Rank 2 Companion Gifts. They cost only 600 a piece but stack up to 99, which equates to 5940 per slot. Not awesomely high, but that times 30 slots (the most you will have in the trial) is 178 200 Credits in items per character. Even though this may sound lucrative, consider again that you need to farm ten times the amount of Credits in order to stock them (1 782 000). Sure the game time is free for you to farm, but some things may be better in moderation.
Another viewpoint to this topic is to know/predict which items sell for good money in the Galactic Trade Network (the Auction House). Unfortunately unlike in the World of Warcraft trial, you can not even view the Galactic Trade Network on the trial here. You need other sources such as friends or the Internet to tell which items available to you make the most money. Even though I previously suggested that you would only get the guaranteed 10% from vendoring the Companion Gifts, you really could sell them to people too for say -20% of the original price, making one 99 stack worth ~50 000 Credits. You could call this an additional risk, but a risk that could bring your trial wealth to over a million Credits per character.
It is also possible to stack Commendations, buy gear and sell it for Credits. You have 4 types of Commendations to work with (3 PvE and 1 PvP), but I'm unsure how much wealth you could store this way. I also do not know how far the PvE commendations stack.
2.11 Filling Your Codex (Not finished)
This was another pastime I could think of, but is admittedly on the unnecessary side of things. You can find your Codex on one of the tabs of your quest log. They are pretty fun to read as they bring in new lore. You acquire Codex entries in a few ways such as by interacting with Lore objects and killing certain creatures. I confess that I am not going to spend any extra time researching on this topic, and am just going to list whatever I have found by just questing. Feel free to list any missing entries you have encountered on your trial. I didn't see the point of listing either Crew Skills or Game Rules, or any entries that have a class name in brackets (only that class may get the entry). Obviously some of these are faction exclusive, but again, I will leave it at that.
[B]Bestiary[/B]
-Akk Dogg
-Chemilizard
-Cthon
-Gapilian Grazer
-Guid
-Horranth
-Jurgoran
-K'lor'slug
-Manka Cat
-Razoronn
-Salky Hound
-Savrip
-Shyrack
-Sleen
-Tuk'ata
-Tythonian War Droid
-Uxibeast
-Vine Cat
[B]Locations[/B]
-Drelliad Village
-Fa'athra's Palace
-Fort Garnik
-Grathan Estate
-Hutta Swamps
-Jedi Temple
-Jedi Temple Ruins
-Jiguuna
-Kaas City
-Kalikori Village
-Mannett Point
-Nem'ro's Palace
-Old Galactic Market
-Oradam Village
-Revanite Compound
-Ruins of Kaleth
-Rust Yards
-Savrip Island
-Senate Tower
-Separatist Stronghold
-Talloran Village
-The Chamber of Speech
-The Citadel
-The Dark Temple
-The Forge
-The Gnarls
-The Mandalorian Enclave
-The Old Muckworks
-The Sith Sanctum
-The Unfinished Colossus
-The Wilds
-The Wilds (Yes, there are two with the same name.)
-The Works
-Tomb of Ajunta Pall
-Tomb of Marka Ragnos
-Tomb of Naga Sadow
-Tomb of Tulak Hord
-Tython Ridge
-Valley of the Dark Lords
[B]Lore[/B]
-Carbonite Freezing
-Evocii Exile
-Evocii History
-Holocron
-Legacy of Tulak Hord
-Monument of Lord Ergast
-Republic Government
-Reconstruction of Coruscant
-Ruled by Corruption
-Sith Weapons
-Sithspawn
-Split by Rebellion
-The Red Engine
-The Sacking of Coruscant
-Treaty of Coruscant
-Underworld Influences
[B]Organizations[/B]
-Black Sun
-Bog People
-Czerka Corporation
-Grathan Forces
-Migrant Merchant's Guild
-Rebelling Slaves
-Renegade Evocii
-Republic Military Ranks
-Separatist Movement
-Strategic Information Service
-The Dark Council
-The Justicars
-Tomb Raiders
-Twi'lek Pilgrims
[B]Persons of Note[/B]
-Fa'athra the Hutt
-Grand Moff Kilran
-Nem'ro the Hutt
-Satele Shan
[B]Planets[/B]
-Alderaan
-Coruscant
-Dromund Kaas
-Hutta
-Korriban
-Ord Mantell
-Tatooine (I'm not sure if it's a bug that my Imperial Agent has this)
-Tython
[B]Ships[/B]
-Harrower-class Dreadnaught
-Wanderer-class Transport
[B]Species[/B]
-Abyssin
-Cathar
-Dashade
-Evocii
-Flesh Raiders
-Gand
-Gree
-Hutt
-Nautolan
-Rodian
-Sith Pureblood
-Ugnaught
-Zabrak
3. Summary:
What you can do:
+Play any amount of characters across open servers, 8 per server.
+Collect 11 Datacrons.
+Gain Light Side / Dark Side.
+Gain social points.
+Gain Valor ranks up to 15.
+Gain Companion affection.
+Gain Various Titles
+Collect Codex Entries
+Twink your character at level 15.
+Stock up on Tython/Ord Mantell/Korriban/Hutta Commendations.
+Stock up on Coruscant/Dromund Kaas Commendations.
+Stock up to 2000 Warzone Commendations.
+Stock up on Companion Gifts.
+Stock up on Crafting Materials.
+Stock up on expensive items for reselling.
Restrictions:
-Maximum level 15 (~1 experience below level 16).
-Can't have more than 20 000 credits at a time per character.
-Can't level Crew Skills past skill level 40.
-Can't purchase additional space to inventory (maximum is the default 30 slots).
-Can't use Cargo Hold.
-Can't use Trade.
-Can't use Galactic Trade Network.
-Can't send Mail.
-Can't speak in yell, /general (1), /pvp (2), /trade (3) or /ops chat.
-Can't whisper to people who have not added you to their Friends list, but you can reply if they whisper first.
-Can't use "Who" function.
-Can't use Legacy system.
-Can't enter your ship.
-Can't enter Planets past the Capital world.
-Can't enter Hammer Station or any Flashpoint above its level.
-Can't create a Guild.
4. Closing Words
4.1 What's the big deal here... Why restrict yourself to the trial when you can just buy the game?
Yes... You can indeed just buy the game, get to level 50 and play happily ever after. Why would anyone choose not to? Well, there are at least two groups of people that don't agree with that: the poor and the stingy. The poor might just not be able to afford the purchase of the game, and the subsequent monthly subscription. While I can totally see their side of things, I personally belong to the second group, the stingy ones. This trial has, at the very least, a month's full of content to be tackled through with my 16 characters. Leveling all of them to level 15, collecting all the available Datacrons, leveling all Crew Skills to 40 and stocking up on crafting materials, capping affection on their active companions and stocking up on other companion gifts, stocking up on expensive items for reselling once the 20 000 credit cap is lifted in the full version... You can easily make that 2 or 3 months depending on your gaming schedule and especially if you choose to stock up on Valor rank and Warzone Commendations. For me there is no question will I want to complete all that while already paying subscription or while the game is still free. I also understand that the rich people out there might be laughing at the mere $14.99/£8.99/€12.99 a month and how it can cause such a hassle, and I am happy not paying that. Yet.
4.2 Useful links
The Official site: http://www.swtor.com/
The Old Republic + WoWHead = http://www.torhead.com/
A good community site: http://www.darthhater.com/
An aspiring Wikia for the game's cause: http://swtor.wikia.com/
And another one: http://www.wikiswtor.com/SWTOR_Wiki
And finally for lore, good old Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/
4.3 Lastly
The Free trial offer started on July 10th 2012, and the contents of this guide stand true as of 29th of July. Suggestions, criticism, corrections, questions and any other comments are not only welcome, but encouraged. Comparisons to World of Warcraft's Starter Edition are allowed, but no bashing for either direction please! Also as a non native English speaker I am always eager to improve my language skills, so grammar soldiers fire away.
5. Missing Stuff from This Guide: (Hopefully edited in the near future)
-Information for the rare group boss in Korriban
-List of group bosses in Dromund Kaas
-No soloing experience on the Empire side
-Not completed the Black Talon
-Not killed the Empire World Boss
-Reverse Engineering
Version 0.9 - Posted on 31.7.2012 (Posted it once, nothing happened. Posted it twice and hopefully did not end up double posting.)
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Originally Posted by Odegon
So I was searching for a way to gear even more and I found this. OP, can you PM me with your skype, mate? If it doesn't bother you I want to ask you some questions. 
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