Originally Posted by
Biomega
First of all, NEVER EVER EVER purchase convenience or legacy unlocks with CC. It's an easy trap to fall into, but most of them can either be unlocked very easily by playing or simply for credit - and it's practically always more efficient to convert CC into credits by selling something like crates to other people.
I'm not sure about how the credit limits work for non-sub players. I believe if you've ever had a sub at any point, even if it's no longer active, you're now a "preferred player" and have different perks. Might be something to look into; but in all honesty, if you're even remotely interested in playing this game for more than a casual try, just subscribe. It's so, so much better an experience it's not even funny.
As for the must-haves... I think inventory slots are fine but overrated; you probably don't need all of them. I never bought any extras beyond what I get as a sub player, and it wasn't ever a problem. Vendors to unload your trash items are on every corner, and it's a one-click affair. Later on you salvage a lot of the gear you find anyway, and that's a built-in interface, too. So there really isn't a lot of inventory space taken up by stuff.
The legacy unlocks are probably the most useful. Quick travel options/cooldown reductions, faster access to mounts, all that. But you can very easily unlock those with credits as you go. The personal rocket boost is also incredibly useful.
Again the caveat for non-sub, but as a sub at least credits are actually far easier to get than it seems. I would recommend new players just run gathering Crew Skills like Slicing/Scavenging/Bioanalysis or Archaeology/Scavenging/Bioanalysis and sell EVERYTHING you get. Check the GTN to see what's currently selling for high amounts - often it's mid-level stuff around rank 7 to 10 that brings in the highest profit, though there tends to be a steady demand for max-rank stuff, too. It varies a bit. Run your missions for the high sellers, and you'll be drowning in credits. When I was still playing before 7.0 I easily made 200-300mil credits a week from nothing but running gathering missions on alt characters and selling them on the GTN. That's more than enough to buy most things to get you started, and then you can start saving for the big-ticket items like coveted lightsaber skins or mounts; or spend your CC buying those (ideally while on sale).