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Dec 4, 04:14 AM: SWTOR - Crew Skills
Crafting skills
Regardless of how you get the required materials, the Crafting skills enable creation of armors, weapons, implants and many other items and equipment. Your companions will be able to craft items even in your absence as all you have to do is send the orders no matter where you are. The player can specialize in only one Crafting skill, which will be shared by all of his companions. Furthermore, you can assign up to five companions to craft simultaneously. All the crafting skills will benefit from Reverse Engineering, the process of disassembling items to get raw materials with a certain chance to discover schematics for an enhanced version of the dismantled item. There are 6 Crew Skills within the Crafting Skills tree, as follows: Armormech, Armstech, Artifice, Biochem, Cybertech and Synthweaving.
Armormech
Description: With Armormech you can create armor for your character from hard metals and electronic shielding. Characters and companions that have this skill will also be capable of reverse engineering their crafted armors and have a chance of discovering new ways to enhance armor creation. Armormech is using materials provided through Scavenging (gathering skill), Investigation (mission skill) and Underworld Trading (mission skill).
Armstech
Description: The Armstech skill is required for crafting blasters and blaster rifles (such as the Assault Cannon, Blaster Pistol, Blaster Rifle and Sniper Rifle) and weapon upgrades (Barrels, Scopes and Triggers). Just like for the Armormech profession, the Armstech skill also allows reverse engineering to be performed on crafted blasters and possibily find out new ways to improve the creation of blasters. Armstech uses resources mostly acquired through the Scavenging gathering skill and the Treasure Hunting mission skill.
Artifice
Description: Artifice enables the construction of Jedi and Sith artifacts, focusing on creating modifications for Lightsabers, underlays and overlays of armors, focii, wrist items and feet items, namely: Circuitry, Emitter Matrix, Focus Crystal, Focus Lens, Gadget, Harness, Overlay, Underlay and Resonance Crystal. There is a great variety of Lightsaber modifications designed to enhance the attributes of a Force-user in combat, such as color crystals (also affect the color of the Lightsaber), power crystals, hilts, emitter matrices, and focus lens. Through reverse engineering of Artifice-crafted items you will have a chance of discovering new ways to improve creation of armors. Artifice based crafting requires materials gained through the Archaeology gathering skill.
Biochem
Description: With Biochem you can develop attribute-enhancing chemical serums and medical and biological implants. The Biochem skill enables the creation of medpacs (used for healing), stimulants (injections) to enhance physical performance and biological implants that can boost fighting skills. The Biochem products can also go through a reverse engineering process with a certain chance of discovering new ways to improve implant creation. The Biochem skill is using materials obtained with the Bioanalysis gathering skill.
Cybertech
Description: The Cybertech skill allows producing parts and upgrades for Droids and high-tech armors for non-Force classes such as earpieces, implants, wrist-guards, and boots as well as modifications for some items: Harnesses, Overlays, Underlays, Circuitry, Gadgets and Generators. Reverse engineering is available for the Cybertech skill as well and the resources needed for Cybertech crafting come from the Scavenging and Slicing gathering skills but also from the Treasure Hunting, and Underworld Trading mission skills.
Synthweaving
Description: Synthweaving represents the knowledge of creating lighter armors (similar with tailoring and leatherworking from other MMO games to a certain extent) for light-armor wearing classes (most likely Sith Inquisitors and Jedi Consulars). Some of the resources required for Synthweaving like premade solutions, suspensions and composites can be purchased from vendors. Other necessary materials can be acquired through the Archaeology gathering skill but also from Diplomacy, Investigation and Underworld Trading mission skills. Just like in all the rest of the crafting skills, the items resulted from Synthweaving can be reverse engineered.
Gathering skills
Gathering skills stand at the base of the economy in SWTOR. With these skills, you and your crew can find and gather raw materials, access secured computer systems and discover valuable artifacts while travelling from one planet to another. You can sell the found materials and information on the open market or use the discovered resources to craft useful items. There are 4 skills within the Gathering Skills tree, as follows: Archaeology, Bioanalysis, Scavenging and Slicing.
Archaeology
Description: Archaeology allows searching for imbued items such as Lightsaber crystals and ancient artifacts. In other words, this skill provides the ability to mine nodes of artifacts (usually crystals). The gathered crystals can be used in Artifice and Synthweaving crafting skills.
Bioanalysis
Description: Bioanalysis is used for extracting biological materials, such as cell fibers, bacterial strains, toxic extracts and medicinal fluids from creatures and plants. The resulted products can be used in the Biochem crafting skill to produce serums, med packs and biological implants.
Scavenging
Description: Scavenging is required to salvage usable parts and materials from old and damaged technology. The recovered resources are used in Armormech, Armstech and Cybertech crafting skills.
Slicing
Description: Slicing is the SWTOR definition for hacking. This skill allows one to access secure computer systems and lockboxes such as electronic safes, data stations, security mainframes and biometric footlockers and acquire important information and rare schematics. The data retrieved through Slicing actually consists of various recipes used to create droid upgrades and high-tech armor through the Cybertech crafting skill (and possibly for other crafting skills as well).
Mission skills
Mission skills enable a player and his companions to engage in different types of missions such as negotiations, acquiring important information and tracking down valuable items or trading goods on the black market. Each companion has bonuses for two skills so it’s most likely you will assign missions based on that. The resulted rewards and benefits can come under many forms starting from crafting materials, gems and lockboxes up to Companion gifts and Light side or Dark side points. Just like for the other skills, companions will carry out missions in their own time and will return with the rewards when they are done. Since Mission skills have no limitations per player you can fill up the three skill slots with Mission skills.
Diplomacy
Description: Diplomacy missions consist of arranging and handling negotiations. Certain missions can enable you to earn light armor crafting materials or gifts for your companions used to raise their level of affection but also can contribute to your Light side/Dark side points.
Investigation
Description: Investigation will enable you and your companions to analyze classified data and follow clues to reveal valuable secrets. Successful Investigation missions can earn you prototype schematics for all the crafting skills, medium armor crafting materials and Companion gifts.
Treasure Hunting
Description: Treasure Hunting missions consist of following a series of clues to locate and retrieve valuable items. Treasure Hunting can bring a large variety of rewards, such as rare gems, lockboxes and Companion gifts. When sending your companions on a Treasure Hunting mission they can also acquire gift fragments of Premium, Prototype or Artifact quality that can be traded at the Curator on Nar Shaddaa for Companion gifts of corresponding quality.
Underworld Trading
Description: The Underworld Trading skill provides the competence of trading goods and services on the galactic black market. Successful missions carried out by the player or his companion can yield valuable spices used for building prototypes and relic implants, heavy body armor crafting resources and Companion gifts.
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Dec 1, 02:45 PM: SWTOR
Primary Stats
Aim gives 0.2 ranged damage
Strength gives 0.2 melee damage
Cunning gives 0.2 tech damage
Will power gives 0.2 force damage
Secondary Stats
Presence – boots companion health, damage and healing
Power – adds melee, force and tech damage
Force/Tech Power – Found on weapons, works like Power but does not provide melee/ranged damage
Accuracy – Gives +hit and gives armor/spell pen over 100%
Crit – gives melee, force and tech crit
Surge – increased critical damage
Armor – reduces physical and kinetic damage (all Tech and Force powers unless listed otherwise are Kinetic)
Defense – increases Parry/Deflect (deflect is just ranged parry)
Shield – increases chance to be shielded on attack
Absorption – increases the % of damage shaved off shielded attacks
Alacrity – Cast/channel Haste
Expertise – PvP stat. Increases damage and healing done, reduces damage taken.
Bioware just announced that they will patch the current Beta build (Thanksgiving version) to Early Access/Live. What this means is that you will no longer need to re-download the game at launch/early access, instead, you just need to patch it.
The first vehicle you can buy with 8000 credits at lvl 25. It gives 90% speed.
The Old Republic.net info site.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The story of this game takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith and Darth Revan’s former apprentice, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. Malak’s aggression has left the Jedi scattered and vulnerable; many Jedi Knights have fallen in battle and others have sworn allegiance to Malak and Revan.
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Sep 10, 12:05 PM: Strip-Monopoly
I picked this up from my friend Jay’s Facebook feed.
A SEXY game of strip-Monopoly almost saw one stark-naked player sent directly to JAIL.
Gary Williamson’s jealous girlfriend Leah McDonnell came to blows with pal Micha Robinson because he couldn’t keep his eyes off her Community Chest.
The trio were playing a cheeky version of the famous property trading board game which involved removing items of clothing rather than paying rent, a court heard.
After a lengthy round, Williamson, 22, playing as the boot, McDonnell, 20, the battleship, and Robinson, 20, the racing car, all ended up totally nude.
Unusual
Magistrates heard the racing car made a play for the boot, which enraged the battleship and ended in a scuffle.
Police were called and Williamson was arrested on suspicion of assaulting both girls.
He claimed he was simply trying to separate them — and yesterday, the charges against him were dropped.
Ian Dacre, prosecuting at Blackpool Magistrates Court, said: “The charges arose from a somewhat unusual game of Monopoly.
“They players had been drinking and they all ended up stark naked.
“One of the young women the took exception to the behaviour of the other.
“An argument started and one of the girls said she was headbutted by the defendant and the other said she had her hair pulled by him.”
District Judge Jeff Brailsford was told neither of the girls had come to court to give evidence.
The prosecutor said: “It may well be that their decision not to attend comes from being embarrassed by what happened.”
Judge Brailsford dismissed the charges, saying: “I have taken the view that the two girls may not wish to attend taking into account what is said to have gone on.”
Robert Castle, defending, said :“My case would have been that my client’s girlfriend was annoyed by the other girl’s advances towards him and that all he did was to try and keep them apart.”
Outside court Williamson said: “I am glad it’s not hanging over me. I won’t be playing strip-Monopoly ever again.”
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Mar 11, 01:51 PM: Raid Tip: Rain of Fire (AOE Damage)
A little known fact is that if you are taking damage from an AOE*, like Rain of Fire, if you physically move out of the area being affected by the spell you stop taking damage almost immediately. As illustrated above our little raider turns his frown upside-down just by moving out of the rain of fire.
*AOE or Area of Effect: Many spells instead of targeting an individual target an area and do damage to everyone in that area regardless of how many people are in that area. So if 5 people are in the AOE 5 people will all take damage.
Alternate/Blizzard instructions
fire = bad
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Dec 5, 02:25 AM: Games
Sorry for the lag of updates but if you miss me that much you should just call! I had a nice turkey day, we played games after dinner. We played a little mad gab then opened a brand new Scategories game. My Dad used the wrong list for one round but still did pretty well with the answers. In my free time I’ve been playing a bunch of the little browser games on facebook. Look me up to see what I’m playing.
I’ll try to post more before the holidays. The boots in my last post are on sale! (hint hint hint)
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Sep 24, 07:13 AM: Pitt Burger the Paladin
I have been working on a history for my Warcraft character Pitt. It has a long way to go but I wanted to post some of what I already have. Details about the first and second wars still need to be fleshed out and I have not started the third war or any of the recent history. This is probably less than half the story. Your feedback is welcome.
Pitt Burger is a mountain dwarf born in Ironforge about 40 years before the first war. He is the head of Dom Ursus, one of the oldest houses of Ironforge. Dom Ursus loosely means “House of the Bear”, sometimes also called the Father Bear Clan. Dom Ursus is a clan of merchants not warriors. Most of the family fortune has been made in the gathering and sale of raw materials especially ore, stone, and leather but they have also produced some of the finest crafts men of dwarf legend.
Like most dwarves Pitt is driven to create but in the field, especially at war, this can be very hard to do. He loves to cook and cooking provides a short term outlet for his creative inspirations as well as the practical applications. But he’s also frustrated by how quickly meals are finished and their impact rarely last past the next one. Although he has taken up many hobbies and earned a large personal fortune none of it compares to making a mark on metal for all eternity. The day Pitt is no longer able to strike his hammer to the anvil will most likely be the day he passes from this world.
Pitt really enjoys smithing and will work tirelessly for hours on end. He never intended to fight for a living, he has never seen the “sport” in combat, and had always intended to be a craftsman and take over as head of his clan from his father. Pitt was still an apprentice blacksmith when the first war broke out. Dwarves believe that you learn a craft from the most basic elements up. For blacksmith this means you first learn to mine and smelt the ore before you can learn to shape the metal. Although Most of his time was had spent mining in the Dun Morogh and Loch Modan areas he had already become quite skilled at shaping metal and had a natural talent for armor construction.
His young wife was killed in the first weeks of the first war. When word reached Pitt he enlisted immediately. Because war broke out they never actually had a wedding ceremony. She worked in a traveling carnival, this is how they met. Her carnival came to Loch Modan every spring. The first year he noticed her they never even spoke but each day Pitt would go to watch her work. The second year Pitt mustered his (drunken) courage and introduced himself. On the third year he asked for her hand in marriage and presented her with a plain mithril band he had crafted. They would have been married on their fourth meeting if not for the Horde. Because he will never love another as he did her he considers them to be “married” from the moment they met.
In the second war he was separated from the rest of the dwarves and Ironforge. Pitt was stationed at the Stonewrought Dam when the second war began. He did battle with the first waves of Horde in the Valley of the Kings. Outnumbered, the dwarves sealed the South Gate Pass and ordered the remained troops to the North gate Pass. Pitt deliberately stayed in the battle rather than seek the safety of Ironforge. Pitt knew the mountain would soon be sealed and the Dwarves would be cut off from the rest of the Alliance. Ignoring his orders Pitt made his way back to the Dam with a few others. Eventually the Dam fell as well and in the final moments of the battle Pitt was knocked back over the edge of the Dam and fell into the wetlands. His paladin abilities saved him from the fall. He made his way to the then deserted Grim Batol. Once recovered and reenergized he continued to move north and eventually arrived at Aerie Peak
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Sep 1, 01:43 PM: Raiding 101: Tank Line
This is my latest post from the Silvermoon Guardian website. I post 2 kinds of these “instructional” post on the guild site. Most are “Raid Tips” which are satirical overly simple instructions like my back up post. The other are “Raiding 101”, these are relatively serious, although I try to keep some humor, and are things that a new raider might not know.
Common to all raids is the idea that no one moves ahead of the tanks. Please observe the image above.
- The arrow is indicating the direction the raid is headed.
- The skull and X are the Main tank (skull) and the off tank (X) as those are usually how their targets are marked.
- The red zone is off limits, you should never be in the red.
- The yellow zone is a caution zone, you should not be in the yellow unless you have a good reason i.e. you are the 3rd tank, 4th tank, etc., you are a hunter that has been assigned a mis-direct, melee DPS.
- The green zone is where you are supposed to be, period.
This is as simple as I can think to make it. You might ask…
“What if there is only one tank?” That doesn’t really change anything, in the diagram ignore the X, slide skull down about 3 squares, and keep your ass in the green!
“Are there any exception to this rule?” Short answer, NO! Long version, yes there might be but you need to ask your raid leader. If you have not asked you raid leader on the night of the raid in question, even if you have been given an exception before, you should stay out of the red until your raid leader says otherwise.
