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#2 Tier 1 3 Changes Coming in 5.2

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 03.03.2017 09:15AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryenke View Post
The elimination of Premium from the crates would have been a welcome change for me, but the deal breaker is the unspecified RNG drop rates and no duplicate mitigation. My personal drop rate resulted in was one usable upgrade (I don't count clicky relics as anything except trash for instance) per 30 or so crates. At command level 240 ish (I think, it's been a while since I bothered) I still didn't have a 5.x set bonus and had 6 slots still unfilled and had tons of duplicates like 6 relics of the same type, 3 or 4 chests, 2 gloves, 3 or 4 ear pieces, and only one set piece drop that was higher than Tier 1.

Without some duplicate mitigation and/or some idea what the drop rates *actually* are (medium-low, Medium-high and Medium mean nothing), I have no desire to pay for a grind up to Tier 4, (and would have had no time to do so on alts).

So, good luck, I'll check back in with 6.0 maybe.
Although we aren't going to expose exact drop rates, I think I can add a little clarity to the relative drop rates listed above. To your point, with these new rates you will have a much better chance of getting a set bonus quality item (Artifact and Legendary) than you would one without (Prototype). Basically, at the top of a tier, majority of your items will be of a set bonus bearing quality. That is in contrast to today where at all levels, Premium and Prototype are the most likely items you will get.

-eric
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#2 Tier 4 Gear in Game Update 5.2

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 03.03.2017 08:55AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by leehambly View Post
So, I'm guessing that the tier 3 crates earnt before 5.2, even after cxp level 300 will still be tier 3 and wont suddenly change into tier 4 when 5.2 comes out... ie: should we save them till 5.2 or keep opening them?

*snip*
Your guess is correct! Continue to open any crates that you earn until that time.

-eric
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Tier 4 Gear in Game Update 5.2

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 03.03.2017 08:14AM
Hey folks,

In Game Update 5.2, we will be introducing a new tier of gear to Galactic Command. Tier 4 works a bit differently than other tiers and so we want to provide you with insight about why we’re implementing it. Additionally, we know our social post raised a few concerns and so we want to tackle those first.

Why add 100 more Command Ranks?
The 100 new levels were simply a logical next step for adding Tier 4 gear. However, since it’s already possible to rank up at Command Level 300 indefinitely we decided to take your feedback and keep the current cap. So, starting in 5.2, Command Crates dropped at Level 300 will contain Tier 4 gear (going forward Tier 3 will stop being provided at Rank 299).

Why a new Tier of gear?
We have two main goals in mind for the addition of Tier 4: The first is to act as a benefit for players who put in the time and effort to level up to Command Rank 300. The second goal is giving the most skilled PvE players in SWTOR a worthwhile reward for their coordination and gameplay mastery while also introducing gear drops needed for taking on Tyth in Veteran Mode and other Master Mode Operation bosses. PvP players will also be able to purchase Tier 4 gear for Unassembled Components as they do for other Tiers today.

Now let’s talk about what sets Tier 4 apart from previous gear upgrades. Perhaps the best way to start is to read up on how Command Crates are changing in 5.2.

Tier 4’s biggest difference from previous Tiers is every gear drop from a Command Crate will be Prototype (Blue) Artifact (Purple), or Legendary (Gold); there are no Premium (green) items. Additionally, Prototype quality items in this Tier all have set bonuses. This means every piece of gear coming from a Command Crate in Tier 4 will have a set bonus (where applicable) and be of Prototype or better quality. It’s also important to note every piece of gear in Tier 4 is better than gear from previous tiers, including Tier 3 Legendaries. As Legendary Tier 4 items are best-in-slot, they will remain fairly rare from Command Crates.

Tier 4 is primarily for our most hardcore players who have maxed out their Command Rank and are working on getting best-in-slot gear for their character. Now, with Galactic Command, every player has an opportunity to get a complete set of the best gear offered in SWTOR.

Does this mean Tier 5 and/or more Command Ranks are coming in the future?
We certainly have explored the idea of adding more Command Ranks (as you know) and Tier 5 has been actively discussed as well. While we do have plans for new items in the future, these may or may not come with additional Ranks or through a new Tier level. Once we determine the appropriate delivery mechanism, we’ll let you know, but more than likely that’ll be much later in the year!

Let us know your thoughts, thanks everyone.

-eric
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Tier 1 3 Changes Coming in 5.2

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 03.03.2017 08:15AM
Hey folks,

Coming with Game Update 5.2 we are making substantial changes to how Command Crates work, specifically focusing on drop rates for gear. Perhaps the single-most repeated comment about Command Crates is they do not feel rewarding due to the random nature of the contents of the crates. To resolve most of these issues, we’ve added ways for both PvP and PvE players to target specific gear slots and obtain those items directly.

For players looking to gear up through Galactic Command working through a Tier can feel like a grind since your rewards don’t change. You can get that same Premium belt at Command Rank 70 that you got at Rank 1, which is frustrating when you are trying to complete your class set.

Starting with Game Update 5.2, drop rates of better quality items (Legendary and Artifact) will get higher as you gain Command Ranks in a given Tier, while lower quality items’ (Premium and Prototype) drop rates will go down. What this means is you are encouraged to continue increasing your Command Rank as your drop rates of more desired items get higher as your Rank increases.

Let’s look at a Tier 2 and 3 example. Right now this is an approximation of gear drops for the entire Tier:
  • Premium (green): High drop rate
  • Prototype (blue): Medium drop rate
  • Artifact (purple): Low drop rate
  • Legendary (yellow): Very low drop rate
After 5.2, gear drops get much better as you progress through the Tier. Let’s say you were getting close to the top of your Tier, this is what your drop rates will look like:
  • Premium: No longer drop
  • Prototype: Medium-low drop rate
  • Artifact: Medium-high drop rate
  • Legendary: Medium drop rate
As you can see from the above example, after 5.2 you will be able to get higher quality gear for your characters more consistently as you progress through each Tier. This will also help in addressing concerns about the inability to get set bonus gear from Command Crates (in addition to the Operations drop changes we are making at the same time). Keep in mind, these drop rate changes apply to Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Tier 4 works a little differently and is discussed in more detail in this thread.

These are the improvements we are making to Command Crates in Game Update 5.2. Let us know what you think.

-eric
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Changes to Operation Drops in 5.2

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 03.03.2017 08:16AM
Hey folks,

If you haven’t read it yet, we recommend you head over to the “Tier 4 in Game Update 5.2” thread and learn about the new Tier of gear coming next Update. Along with the new Tier of gear, we are making quite a few changes to what gear drops in Operations. For endgame PvE players we know there is a desire to gear primarily through Operations.

The first change we are making is specific Unassembled Gear Pieces will now drop on each Operation boss in the game (except Golden Fury and Colossal Monolith). This means when you kill a boss in an Operation, you will know exactly what is going to drop and you can plan to run specific Operations if you are seeking a specific slot. Click the spoiler tag(s) at the bottom of the post for a full list of what drops where.

The second change is bosses will no longer have a random chance to drop Unassembled Gear Pieces. Each boss in an 8-player Operation will drop 1 piece and the last boss will drop 2; this number is doubled to 2 and 4 respectively in 16-player. Previously with Game Update 5.1, each boss except for the last boss only had a chance of dropping gear pieces.

The third change is with the introduction of a new Tier (Tier 4), we needed to ensure Operation players had a way to acquire this gear directly. This is especially true since Tier 4 will help substantially in being able to clear Veteran Mode Tyth along with future Gods from the Machine bosses, and all other Master Mode bosses. Here is a basic breakdown of where the gear will drop:

For existing Operations (Tier 1 will no longer drop in Operations)
  • Tier 2 Legendary Gear - Story Mode
  • Tier 3 Legendary Gear – Veteran Mode
  • Tier 4 Prototype and Artifact Gear – Master Mode (Non-final bosses)
  • Tier 4 Legendary Gear – Master Mode (Final bosses)
For Gods from the Machine Operations:
  • Tier 3 – Story Mode
  • Tier 4 – Veteran Mode

As you can see there a lot of changes with Operation gear drops in 5.2! Let us know your thoughts on these changes.

-eric

Below is a list of each Operation and what drops from each boss – note that this work is still in-progress and details may change before the release of Update 5.2:
Spoiler


Here is a list of each gear slot and what bosses drop it:
Spoiler
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#3 Missing GC Superior Boost with patch 5.1.2?

Originally Posted by TaitWatson ( Original Post ) | 02.03.2017 04:05PM
Hey folks!

In what will likely be my last forum post, I wanted to let you know that we are starting grants for replacement boosts. Instead of a single three-hour boost, you will receive two two-hour boosts. The grants will be running over the next few hours, and everyone should have their replacements by morning.

So long, everyone!

-Tait
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Questions Regarding Tier 4 and Changes In GC

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 01.03.2017 04:49PM
All great questions! I will make sure they are either answered in the posts themselves, or shortly after in response. If I miss any just let me know.

As a reminder, the goal is to have the posts up by end of week! Keep the questions coming in the interim.

-eric
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#2 Missing GC Superior Boost with patch 5.1.2?

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 01.03.2017 11:16AM
Quote: Originally Posted by Ibokagain View Post
Thank you for the response Tait. 2 Questions for you.

1. Do we need to create an in game ticket for this and list our toons that were impacted?
2. Time frame for when we can expect our "new" boost(s)?
  1. Nope! We know who you are.
  2. We are looking to have it happen today, but worst case by end of week. We'll post updates on timing as we have them!
-eric
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After Patch, DvL Event Armor Missing from Legacy Bank

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 01.03.2017 09:30AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by arunav View Post
Please close this thread.

As others have noted above, the 7 armor pieces were simply placed in the first open slots of the Legacy Bank after the patch. I always kept the set in bay 6, and didn't see the armor pieces spread out in the first 3 bays due to all the other things kept in them.

I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Instead of closing the thread I am going to quote you for visibility! To confirm two things:
  • If you had the armor in a Cargo Hold / Legacy Storage it is possible that it moved, but it will still be in that same storage.
  • If you had mods in your armor, you should also find them in the same storage container as the armor. If you had the armor equipped the mods will have moved to your inventory.
Thanks everyone.

-eric
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When is the best time to open the crates?

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 01.03.2017 09:05AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by psandak View Post
There is no "right time" to open a crate, open them when you get them.

There is a "right/best time" for is using command XP tokens (the drops you get from defeating Ops bosses): when you side of the force wins, because you get a CXP boost when your side wins.
Quoting for accuracy (and the note about CXP is something everyone may not realize).

-eric
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Iokath or Manaan Stronghold?

Originally Posted by EricMusco ( Original Post ) | 01.03.2017 09:04AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arkanthos View Post
Hi Eric

I there be talk about a New Stronghold? Maybe?
Adding a new Strongholds is something we talk about often as something we would love to do (just a question of if and when). I laugh because our internal conversations sound just like this thread, we all argue about our favorite places where we would love to have a Stronghold.

Keep the ideas coming.

-eric
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