SWTOR: Pro Tips

[Captain Untouchable]

Normally when it comes to computer games and MMOs, I assume that I'm a total noob and know absolutely nothing. However, after a conversation with a buddy who plays the game, it turns out that I've stumbled across a few bits and pieces that are potentially useful / helpful / etc.

I figured it might be useful for us to have a thread to post up random "Oh hey, I discovered this" type things relating to the game in general, or to the particular class you've been playing... just on the off-chance that no one else on Fans has come across it as yet. :)

[Captain Untouchable]

Anything you can do while moving, you can also do while falling.

Not so good for Jedi/Sith, since the majority of your abilities either require you to stand next to something and whack it with a Lightsaber, or to stand still while you cast. For Agent/Smugglers and Hunter/Troopers however, it can be pretty useful. If you're dropping down from a ledge, you can manage to snap off your free/spam attack, or shoot/throw a grenade/rocket before you hit the ground. It also makes you feel like a badass when you do it.


If you use it a lot, bind it to a letter. Your brain will find it faster.

Especially if you're a touch-typer. Having your "throw grenade" ability on your numbered action bar is all well and good - it's a great way of seeing at a glance what stuff has cooled down. But if it's in, say, slot 5, you have to teach your brain that it is there. If you then move it, you have to re-train your brain to know where it is.

However, if you throw in a secondary key binding - for example, the G key - then your brain will remember that G throws grenades. If you usually touch type, you can find the G key without looking. That can make it a lot easier to use abilities when you're in the thick of it with PVP.


Two key bindings are better than one.

Further to the above, it's sometimes helpful to bind an ability to somewhere totally different on your keyboard. If you're used to using the numpad to walk around, it can be useful to bind some of your possible-while-moving attacks or targetting abilities to the keys in the immediate vacinity. If you have more than just the standard left/right click buttons on your mouse, that can be a good place to bind instant attacks, particularly if you like to click on your next target rather than cycling with tab.

Oh, and you can walk forward by holding down the right mouse button, and pressing the left. I know it's a feature in a lot of games, but I only realised it was possible in SWTOR by pure accident. Because I have Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 buttons, my Jedi Consular can have his lightsaber attacks bound there, so that I can both run about and slash things with one hand, while the other concentrates on the number keys.

Or puts pizza in my mouth. More often the latter. ^_^;


You don't have to completely kill a bad guy in one go.

I dunno about anyone else, but my natural instinct is to target a bad guy, kill it, and then target the next one. However, if you knock it down to nearly dead and then move on to the next and do the same, you can take out the whole group with an area attack. So, if it takes two attacks to nearly kill, and three to kill outright, you could take out a group of three mobs in seven attacks (two each, plus the area one) rather than nine (three each).


If you move your mouse while targetting an enemy, it sometimes offers you alternative cover locations.

Though only as a Smuggler or Agent, obviously. It's one of those things that you discover when you accidentally nudge the mouse when the green cover silhouette shows up. It doesn't usually make a huge difference, but sometimes the first cover option will only put you in range of two targets, while one further to the left will put you in range of three.


You can cancel a conversation with ESC, and then start it again.

I have no idea if any light side / dark side points you aquire count or not (if they do, it might be an exploit to artificially boost your score), but it can be good if you're presented with two options of the same alignment: you can try one out and see how many you get, cancel, and then try the other.

I personally pick the option that suits my character, but if might be useful if you're at 900 light and you need 1000 to get Light I and use your awesome new lightsaber - "cheating" to get the +100 option might be quicker than finding another convo to get a second +50.

Also, it's useful if you're a clutz and accidentally pick an option that you didn't mean to. ^_^;


You run forward faster than you run backwards.

That may seem like a dumb observation, but it's worth bearing in mind as an Agent or Smuggler. When you come out of cover and try to retreat, you will move slower if you're jogging backwards than your enemy will running towards you. If you turn around and face the way you're going, you'll move at roughly the same speed.

Another good technique for "advancing in a rearwards direction" is to use an ability with stun or knockback. If you've aggro'd a mob, it will most definately run after you if you don't go too far away, but knocking it on it's ass with a grenade will buy you enough time to get a bit further away, which gives you a little more time to shoot at it before you have to get up and move again.


As soon as you get your ship, buy the Level 1 mods.

The very first space mission is relatively easy with an unmodded ship, but getting the Level 1 upgrade will - among other things - give you shields and a ton more missiles. That will make all the other missions a bazillion times easier.


If you pass over a viable target with the right mouse button clicked (while flying your ship), it will select it.

You know that Republic Destroyer where all the turrets are in groups of three? If you hold the right mouse button down, you can sweep across all three and target them all: you don't have to individually right-click each one.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm making use of most of these already, but keep em coming!


You don't have to completely kill a bad guy in one go.

I dunno about anyone else, but my natural instinct is to target a bad guy, kill it, and then target the next one. However, if you knock it down to nearly dead and then move on to the next and do the same, you can take out the whole group with an area attack. So, if it takes two attacks to nearly kill, and three to kill outright, you could take out a group of three mobs in seven attacks (two each, plus the area one) rather than nine (three each).

This especially. I tend to open with an AOE, then whittle each mob down a little either with attacks or DOTs, then finish with an AOE. It's very satisfying to see a whole group fall down at the same time, especially when you use Chain Lightning to fry em all >D


You can cancel a conversation with ESC, and then start it again.

I was also wondering whether or not you could get force points twice, by re-running a conversation... I haven't tried it yet. I might have a go next time it comes around. I have a feeling though that as that kind of choice normally comes near the end of a conversation, it either won't let you run the conversation again or you won't be credited with any additional points; you'll just see the alternate response from your companion/the NPC you're talking to.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm making use of most of these already, but keep em coming!


You don't have to completely kill a bad guy in one go.

I dunno about anyone else, but my natural instinct is to target a bad guy, kill it, and then target the next one. However, if you knock it down to nearly dead and then move on to the next and do the same, you can take out the whole group with an area attack. So, if it takes two attacks to nearly kill, and three to kill outright, you could take out a group of three mobs in seven attacks (two each, plus the area one) rather than nine (three each).

I tend to go with the "Grenade - boom!" approach, and then giggle manically. :D


This especially. I tend to open with an AOE, then whittle each mob down a little either with attacks or DOTs, then finish with an AOE. It's very satisfying to see a whole group fall down at the same time, especially when you use Chain Lightning to fry em all >D

[quote]You can cancel a conversation with ESC, and then start it again.

I was also wondering whether or not you could get force points twice, by re-running a conversation... I haven't tried it yet. I might have a go next time it comes around. I have a feeling though that as that kind of choice normally comes near the end of a conversation, it either won't let you run the conversation again or you won't be credited with any additional points; you'll just see the alternate response from your companion/the NPC you're talking to.

Affection gain with companions certainly seems to log at the end of a conversation, so I would guess that Force alignment works a similar way. I'm still going to try and cheat though, damn it. :shakefist

[Dasquian Belargic]

Corso Riggs is so much easier to please than Khem Val. The only thing he doesn't seem to approve of is either being malicious or... flirting? Something you want to tell me, Corso?

[Captain Untouchable]

Flirting is a weird one. Kaliyo Djannis hates is when you flirt with other women... unless said flirting shows a complete lack of respect for said woman. For example, if you hit on your handler at Imperial Intelligence, she gets pissy. If you flirt with the uppity Imperial woman who told you to get out because you're a scummy alien, she's happy.

Even in computer games, women are impossible to comprehend. :grumble


Step-by-step guide to SWTOR awesomeness:

1. Create a female Trooper.
2. Pick all badass conversation options.
3. When asked things like "How can you be so callous?", mutter under your breath: "Because I'm Commander Shepard, bitch."
4. Feel epic. :smokin

[Dasquian Belargic]

If I didn't know that the trooper story followed the same planet progression as the smuggler, I'd be rolling that class next. As it is, I'll probably try out the Imperial Agent or Jedi Knight next, just to avoid playing through the same planets twice in a row! I only wish I could avoid Taris entirely.

[Captain Untouchable]

Despite being on the same planet, the story is totally different. In fact, it might be worth replaying Ord Mantell now so you can appreciate the full effect of the difference.

Personally, I think Ord Mantell is the best starter world. It's brilliantly replayable (I've done it five times now, three in a row, and not got bored), and just sort of... works.

[Morgan Evanar]

I love the Imperial Agent storyline. It's my favorite so far. Everything is very backstabby.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm enjoying the Imperial Agent storyline too. In fact, really like the way that the non-Force story arcs seem to be working out. The Agent, Bounty Hunter and Trooper have a really good balance of an episodic set of adventures on each planet, tied together with a story arc that carries you from planet to planet.

And the fact that Ord Mantell and Coruscant are all about the Smuggler getting her ship back is just plain awesome. :lol

It'll be interesting to see what motivations carry her beyond Coruscant, and to the specific worlds in the game. Some planets seem like pretty obvious destinations for a Smuggler, but I'm curious to see how the story justifies me flying out to Hoth.

[Cor Leonis]

Protip: Commandos make surprisingly good healers.

Even if you don't take any skills from the Combat Medic tree whatsoever, as my hour or two playing healer in PVP today seems to indicate.

I've focused on Gunnery (which is a mix of tank and DPS), but I still get a few of the healing abilities anyway, as well as skills from the gunnery tree that boost my heals given and recieved. I also get "Combat Support Cell" as one of my three ammo types: this accumulates a charge every time I use my "free" (no ammo cost) attack, and that charge boosts both my damage and my healing. I can also target an ally with said free attack, to heal them the same number of health points as my tech score.

Looking at it from the other perspective, even if you do specialise as a Combat Medic you still get a lot of the tank/DPS stuff. You also get abilities that reduce the energy cost of your stuns, and some boosts to your personal shield that makes you immune to interruption for the duration - which would be pretty damn useful for some of the Commando's AOE and DPS abilities. You can also activate either an Armor Piercing Cell or an Incendiary Cell; the first (not surprisingly) ignores a chunk of the target's armour, while the latter dumps a DOT effect when certain attacks are used. And of course there's the fact that you're in heavy armour: none of the other healer builds get that.

I know a few people have been toying with trying out a healer, and have been considering either an Inquisitor/Consular or Agent/Smuggler. While you may not be quite as super-effective as those magic-wielding, dart-shooting nancy boys, you might find that a jack-of-all-trades Trooper gives you a better/more fun all-round experience.

[Karl Valten]

It's kinda cool as all the advanced classes with healing specs are able to main-heal.

All of the advanced classes with tank specs can also be main-tank.


Exactly the route I'm going with my Assassin. I've tanked several flashpoints with him. I can get to an armor level higher than juggernaughts and on par with bounty hunters.

In addition the deflections and shield absorptions help out a lot.

Granted if something lays some solid hits on me or negates the shield, it'll hurt a lot more (low health), but the Sith Assassin is definitely capable of being a main tank.


Bioware I believe has stated as much as well. It's their goal to give a lot of options like that.

[Dasquian Belargic]

As a Sorcerer spec'd for DPS, I regularly end up becoming the healer when grouping. It makes finding a group a lot easier, when you don't have to fight for one of the two DPS spots.

[Cor Leonis]

It's kinda cool as all the advanced classes with healing specs are able to main-heal.

All of the advanced classes with tank specs can also be main-tank.

More than that though, even your healing spec'd Commando can still be the main-tank.

Aside from a couple of abilities (Grav Round and Demolition Round versus Kolto Bomb, Trauma Probe and Bacta Infusion), the only difference is in what abilities get bonuses. The Combat Medic gets a reduction in the energy cost of their knockback and stun abilities, and some bits that boost their healing and health/energy regeneration. The Gunner gets a reduction in the energy cost of their damage-dealing abilities, and some bits that boost their damage reduction or the damage dealt by certain abilities as part of a combo.

Both can tank equally well, just with different tactics. The Combat Medic may not do quite as much damage as the Gunner, but they can hold the enemy at bay and heal themselves while wittling down the target's health. By contrast, the Gunner just ploughs through in the hope that they'll deal more damage than they take, and that the target will fall over before they do.

One is perhaps a "more suitable" tank, but if you were going through a four-man Flashpoint with a Smuggler, two Consulars and a Combat Medic, the Commando would be able to handle it without needing to wait around for a Jedi Knight to show up.

I love the whole fluffy, overlapping vagueness of the class roles. It means that your Troopers and Agents get to be "soldiers first; specialist second", and it means that even if your Jedi is more of a Yoda than an Obi Wan, they can still bust out some somersaults on the wrinkly hooded dude if they need to.

[Captain Untouchable]

Confused by what gifts to give your companion?

A website called TORhead (http://www.torhead.com) has come to the rescue. Their site is still being built as people play the game and contribute, but one of the very useful tools they have is a little Companions (http://www.torhead.com/companions) section.

This lists the five companions that each class gets (so if you're trying to avoid spoiling yourself by seeing the list, let me know and I'll give you a direct link to the companions you already have!); and on said companion's page it reproduces their Codex entry, as well as a table that shows you (by number of stars) how much they like a particular item, on a scale of three stars to no stars. It's surprisingly useful!