Bounty Hunting
Firstly, TOR. Queues are no longer a real problem and I’m having great fun with the game. So far I only have one character (Mercenary) and I’m at level 23. I’m not in any great rush to level, absorbing as much as I can from each part of the game.
A particular aspect of the game I’m enjoying so far is crafting. I’ve decided to keep my crafting level just above my char level and I’ll aim to continue this throughout my journey to lvl50. It’s hugely enjoyable. I’m crafting (Armormech) items that I can wear immediately and are mostly better than anything that drops from similar level Flashpoints. Not only that, I’m helping to equip my fellow guildies which is very rewarding. As an appearance junky I’m still suffering as it looks like the more interesting looking armour starts to happen in the mid to late 20s.
So far my TOR experiences have been mainly PvE. As a long time WAR player that may sound like a complaint but it’s not. The PvE is really great. The main storyline is interesting enough and I’ve intentionally tried the corresponding Flashpoint for my level many times (so far I’ve done Black Talon, Hammer Station and Athiss). Each one has been really fun. There are also many Heroic quests to work through too.
Regarding PvP, so far I’d have to say I’m underwhelmed. I was under the impression that PvP was bolted on to the game so this isn’t a major shock. It’s been mainly Warfronts (scenarios) so far. My problems are threefold:
- They are too laggy (admittedly this could potentially be a problem my end - but I’m increasingly suspecting not so)
- The same Warfront (Huttball) pops far too often
- Most importantly, it’s really not very fun to go up against level 40+ players. This fact alone has made me queue for Warfronts sparingly. I thought only Ilum was supposed to be the “end game” PvP. With the way they’ve not tiered the Warzones this also applies here. I suspect I won’t seriously spend much time in them until my lvl30s (which is a shame).
Overall, the game is really interesting and I can’t see myself getting bored for a good while. I guess once I reach “end game” I’ll really get an idea of the game’s longevity. How the open world PvP works in Ilum will probably be very important to me. By not rushing through to this point I’m hoping that if there are issues, they will be addressed by the time I arrive.
Onto WAR. What’s left of our guild is currently merging with INQUISITORS. Story, Mami, Ory and Sirg are a good bunch who we’ve been allied with for some time. I couldn’t think of a better guild for us to join forces with. Executed in WAR will go into hibernation. I’ll be returning to WAR at some point (especially if the PvP in TOR doesn’t improve as I level) but it remains to be seen whether that means Executed will come out of hibernation. I have to admit that I rather like the idea of teaming up with the INQUISITORS guys myself. We shall see.
Patch 1.4.5 still isn’t on the PTS to my knowledge. I observe the introduction of Fortresses/Relics with great interest, albeit from afar. Mikfez posted an article about James Casey’s recent appearance. His feelings on this seem to match my own perfectly. Rather than repeating what he’s said I’ll simply link to his blog hehe.
Happy New Year, T.
