Hey there, Makeb!

You may be asking why I'm spending time on Makeb when we only just got a new expansion and it's all about Rishi and Yavin 4. Well, there were several reasons for me to give Makeb some love this week.

First off, I quite like to try alternate levelling paths on alts, both for variety and to see how content from the previous level cap holds up as levelling content for the next expansion.

Secondly, my experience levelling my main made it quite evident that just questing on Rishi and Yavin 4 isn't actually enough to level all the way from 55 to 60. As my Sage had also already completed the Forged Alliances arc pre-3.0, I wanted to look for alternate sources of XP right away instead of finding myself struggling at 58. As she had never completed Makeb, it was an obvious candidate for a bonus round.

And finally, I just wanted to give Makeb another chance. I remember feeling incredibly burnt out on it very quickly after Rise of the Hutt Cartel's launch, but looking at it objectively, I only actually completed the story twice on Republic side. It was definitely time for a fresh look.

All in all, it was more enjoyable than I remembered. I think it helped a lot that I didn't feel like I "should" be doing Makeb anymore. It's easier to enjoy questing there when you're simply there because you feel like it, not because you have that nagging feeling in the back of your head that you "should" complete Makeb because the game treats it as chapter four of your class story. (I'm not sure if other people had this problem, but I did.)

I also discovered a few small touches that I hadn't really noticed before. I've previously criticised Makeb for feeling too samey on different classes, but I was pleasantly surprised for example when my Sage meditated on a broken console (see above screenshot) instead of simply smacking it, like my trooper and smuggler had done. So there are some differences there.

I'd also forgotten that while companions don't comment during conversations on Makeb, they do have some quips to share as you make your way around the various mesas and progress through the main storyline. My Sage had Lieutenant Iresso with her throughout the whole thing and some of his comments (which were obviously new to me) actually made me chuckle.

So all in all, it wasn't that bad. For the curious, I finished the main story at 57, after having been fully rested throughout. I did all the associated bonuses but skipped the side missions, and I also mixed things up with a couple of PvP matches.

The Cartel Mining Mesa is still an awful place though.