Update 2.0 Discussion

[Raiah]

Figured a thread like this would make sense. I'll just start us of with my initial thoughts from reading the PTS patchnotes.


We've got some interesting class changes.

• Alacrity has been reworked, sounds a bit more useful now but I'm still not convinced how useful in comparison to the rest of the stats.
• They're removing the crapy abilities every class had that could only be used against enemies that are strong or less and incapacitated (or something like that), never used them, thought they were stupid and kinda pointless, seems they agree .
• The new marauder/sentinel dual saber throw that is cast at a target up to 30m away and hits all targets in it's way sounds fun.
• Sundering strike doesn't stack anymore and have a cooldown? Odd...
• The new safe ability sounds nice, assuming that it's cast over an area around you. Patchnotes doesn't specify if it's self only or area, if it is self only it would be kind of stupid, effectively being a self-stun.
• New scoundrel ability sounds a bit odd, 12 meter roll forward, but could be a nice move for escapes or getting in range, specially seeing how it doesn't have a cooldown (but high energy cost) and works in stealth.
• Scoundrel energy regeneration moved from pugnacity to a passive ability, odd. Pugnacity has been redesigned to give upper hand rather than need it and will now boost alacrity for a while.
• Upper hand giggle is back! At least when you first get Upper hand.
• New vanguard ability sounds awesome!
• Nothing done about smash or stun-bubbles? Hmm... Interesting considering all the flak that has gotten.

Crewskills now have a cap of 450, not a big surprise. Let's hope it adds some nice new stuff.

Flashpoint, Operation and commendation reworking.
Now this is where things get real interesting, a load of somewhat unexpected changes.

• The individual planet commendations will go away in favour of "planetary commendations" that are the same across planets. Nice seeing how they couldn't be traded up or anything before.
• There is now a weekly cap for commendations. Hmm. Better be a fairly high one, especially for planetary commendations.
• New Basic, Elite and Ultimate commendations for lvl 51-50 content.
• Tionese Crystals converty to planetary commendations and no longer drops.

• Level 50 flashpoints, operations and daily areas will give Classic commendations which can be used to get campaign gear (or the same as blackhole commendations currently probably) from the classic gear vendor.
• New hardmodes for lvl 55, Athiss, Cademimu, Hammer Station and Mandalorian Raider. Nice to see those, can't help but notice Collicoid is still missing though which is a shame.
• Lvl 50 hardmodes will now drop Black Hole pieces.
• Eternity Vault and Karagga's Palace will drop Black Hole gear (hard and nightmare mode drops hazmat).
• Explosive Conflict is in group finder for lvls 50-54, the mission for it is now lvl 55 but available and 50. Hard and nightmare bosses drop hazmat pieces and unassambled dreadguard items. (Why not GF all the way to 55?)
• Terror from Beyond is in group finder for lvl 55. Mission is lvl 55 available at 50. Have been rebalanced for appropriate difficulty.
• Scum and Villainy, the new operation is for lvl 55, has 7 bosses and four difficulties.

Initially the gear drop changes sounded very strange, with some further thinking they make sense though. With 50 no longer being the max lvl not as much people will be around for those flashpoints and ops and being in that gear grind for as long as we're used to wouldn't make sense when you're leveling. Still, a shame that EV and KP will probably be a bit too simple at lvl 55.

And some thought's on the rest of the smaller changes, items, legacy, so on.

• Personal shield generaotrs will no be effective against all energy or kinetic attacks, rather than just direct weapon attack. That's nice.
• All set bonuses are now stored exclusively on Armouring mods instead of equipment shells. OK, nice, but seriously, why wasn't this done before?! Specially seeing how the items previous unaffected by these have pretty much been rendered obsolete or removed since better drop for the same content...
• Legacy expanded to include Legacy Achievements, wouldn't really care but achievements has also be improved, now granting titles, items or even cartel coins which is kind of neat.
• PvP based equipment for lvl 20 and 40 has been removed, makes sense with other changes.
• Bolster now based on item rating rather than character level. Recruit-level gear no longer available instead you'll be automatically bolstered to this level of item power if it isn't met. Kind of hoping that means they do something smart if I enter with say Black Hole gear and give me an appropriate lvl of expertise stat.
• There will be three PvP brackets, 10-29, 30-54 and lvl 55. Ranked will require 55 ('nice' way to get full-time PvPers to get the expansion)

[pata]

That will be big impact on class balance. I am not sure it will be better or worse.

Two very important thing, what will change a lot:
1.
Alacrity has been redesigned to be a more universally useful stat. Now Alacrity reduces the activation time of all abilities, including instant abilities. If such an ability is reduced below the global cooldown, the global cooldown is reduced as well. Alacrity now also increases resource regeneration for all classes by the same amount that it increases ability activation speed.
2.
Personal shield generators are now effective against all attacks that deal Energy and Kinetic Damage, rather than just direct weapon attacks.

[pata]

Players will now be separated into three level brackets for normal Warzone play: 10 – 29, 30 – 54, and level 55. Ranked Warzones now requires level 55.

I really do not understand that. What chance will have a level 30 against an elite war hero level 50 in the first few weeks? That will be massacre, if the bolster won't be implemented well.

[pata]

Nothing done about smash or stun-bubbles? Hmm... Interesting considering all the flak that has gotten.

It is not entirely true. They empowered them, because force armor will have no CD, so a DPS sgae will also able to amour up a full group fast and the critical damage bonus of focus sentinels and marauders will not affect only force attack and they will be apply stacks on you faster (less chance to cleanse it as a sage, what I did many times). I was really surprised. They did not nerf that specializations, they empowered them.

[Raiah]

Alacrity has been redesigned to be a more universally useful stat. Now Alacrity reduces the activation time of all abilities, including instant abilities. If such an ability is reduced below the global cooldown, the global cooldown is reduced as well. Alacrity now also increases resource regeneration for all classes by the same amount that it increases ability activation speed.

Yea, currently it only shorten casttime is it? It's better, but I'm not sure I'd trade critical or accuracy for it.

Players will now be separated into three level brackets for normal Warzone play: 10 – 29, 30 – 54, and level 55. Ranked Warzones now requires level 55.

I really do not understand that. What chance will have a level 30 against an elite war hero level 50 in the first few weeks? That will be massacre, if the bolster won't be implemented well.

Nah, that should be fine. If they implement it like they say they should have about the same chance I currently have, they are bolstered so that they have the equivalent of Recruit gear, they'll still have little chance against someone in War-hero but that isn't new. What I wonder is how they would solve for example someone going in to a warzone with a full set of black hole gear, would he be given some amount of expertise or would the bolster ignore that player as his item rating is higher than that of the current recruit set? Probably the later, kind of hoping for the former though.

It is not entirely true. They empowered them, because force armor will have no CD

Hmm, good point, didn't think of that.
There is another thing I didn't think about though. Stunbubbles and smash are both skill builds, they do say this, "all Class Skill Trees have been adjusted significantly, and all player Skill Points have been refunded. Individual skill changes are not listed in the specific Class sections below" which I kind of overlooked, it would be likely they fixed it then, right? I'm sure Dulfy or maybe more likely torhead should have the new skilltrees up soon.

[Raiah]

Dulfy has some previews of the new armour sets and weapons.

I must say, some of the new armour sets are pretty neat.
Every class seem to get two new models and these two models come in different colours for PvE and PvP (missing PvP colours for Republic).

As a whole they seem to be improving.

Starting with the Republic classes the Consular once again get kind of horrible stuff, the chest pieces, particularly the second one look like they could be good, but the helmets are simply horrible (do anyone think Jedi when looking at that?!) and naturally they both come with dress/bottoms bottoms because we don't have enough of those.

The knight sets are, well, not all too bad. The chest pieces again are pretty neat of the armour with Jedi tunic type that is popular in say the Clone Wars. Not sure what they were doing with the helmet on the first set and I'm not a big fan of the boots, they go far too high, but overall not too bad.

Smugglers I really like. I would like to cut the cape of the first one simply because capes look so bad in this game and I kind of hope they will at some point do a brown or black version of the second set but apart from that they are both really nice.

For troopers, it's nice but the helmets are once again kind of weird and doesn't really say Star Wars to me but that's an issue most high end trooper helmets have.

How about the Imperial side? Well, the inquisitor is better than Campaign set that's for certain (then again, that did look like the Diablo 3 Witchdoctor and nothing like something out of Star Wars so not a hard mark to reach). Not sure what they were thinking with the helmet in the first set but decent apart from that.

Warrior stuff is also pretty decent. Again, I'm not sure what they were thinking with the helmet of the first set or how they thought that "yes, white is a very fitting colour for the warrior PvP set, no colour says Sith like white". Second set is awesome thought possibly more fitting for a Bounty Hunter or Trooper than a Warrior...

Agent sets are all around great, not much else to say about those.

Bounty Hunter. What's going on with those shoulder pads and gloves in the first set?! Neat jetpack though. Second set has one freaky head piece, would possibly be better without the... sun shield? Grenade catcher? Laser to head redirector maybe? As a whole they are pretty good though.

As for weapons, not much to say. I think one of the blaster rifles must be a place holder. It isn't held correctly in the preview and looks more like a rocket/grenade launcher than a rifle. Also, lightsabers, now with twice the handles, or something...

[Raiah]

Oh, and for anyone interested in achievements, here you go.

[pata]

Raiash, you made a little disinformation.

You wrote:
Personal shield generaotrs will no be effective against all energy or kinetic attacks, rather than just direct weapon attack. That's nice

Patch note 2.0 is this:
Personal shield generators are now effective against all attacks that deal Energy and Kinetic Damage, rather than just direct weapon attacks.

So tanks will be stronger from 2.0 against AOE attacks as well.

[Raiah]

Opps, missed a W there

It should indeed be a nice tanking buff in 2.0. Honestly though I wasn't aware it only shielded the default attack, of course, I haven't played tank a lot.

[pata]

And it will be a not direct nerf to smashers.