300 movie poster taken from its Wikipedia page.
Yesterday I hit Command rank 300 on Shintar and I feel that this is something I should make a post about. At the same time, I'm not entirely sure there is really that much to say about it because it doesn't really change anything other than my Command rank's number not going up anymore. It doesn't unlock anything new, at least not for now - though we've been told that 5.2 will bring a new tier of gear with it which will start coming out of boxes from 300 onwards. It doesn't finish anything either - after opening more than a hundred tier 3 crates, I only have two pieces of 242 gear... you do the maths in terms of how many more of these I would actually need to open to get a full set (14 slots). I suppose I can be glad that after all the buffs and boosts to CXP, getting to this point only took me three months instead of the full year people were estimating based on the originally datamined CXP numbers?
I don't really have any tips for "how to grind CXP" either, since I don't play like that. I just logged in to do things I enjoy every evening: mostly operations and regular warzones with my guildies, with the odd flashpoint, uprising or GSF match thrown into the mix. (Min-maxers would usually have you grind certain story chapters over and over instead.) If a new crate appeared in my bag, I opened it and moved on - as implied above, 99% of the time I had no reason to be excited about its contents, but fortunately I don't rely on them for my gearing anymore. I guess I can say I'm happy that Bioware managed to turn Command rank into a system that is now safe to ignore if you raid or PvP, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement of their work...
The actual ding shot in veteran Firefrost with guildies.
I suppose now I can wonder about how to "prepare" for 5.2. Originally I was planning to re-focus my efforts on one of my alts once Shintar hit 300, but with the knowledge that a new tier is coming, the common advice seems to be to "save up" both any legacy-bound CXP packs as well as all your recently earned crates, so you can use/disintegrate them for a quick boost once 5.2 comes out. All I can think of whenever I see people say that is: "Jesus Christ, people, do you have unlimited bag space or something?" I can sort of see it for the packs as they are legacy-bound and can be sent to alts for storage if needed, but the crates themselves? It's not like disintegration gives that much anyway. I've reserved one cargo bay for CXP packs for now and we'll see how quickly it fills up.
Grats on rank 300!
ReplyDelete"I guess I can say I'm happy that Bioware managed to turn Command rank into a system that is now safe to ignore if you raid or PvP, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement of their work..."
That's exactly how I feel about it. Just imagine if all those dev hours that went into implementing and tweaking the GC system would've gone into creating actual content... /Sigh
Exactly! I'm so torn about it. On the one hand I don't want to rag on them too much because I do think they are moving in the right direction with it now... but this whole detour into doing things in a really bad way has just felt entirely unnecessary.
DeleteMy impression is that BW:A thought there were a lot less "active" raiders/PvPers than there turned out to be. GC is unambiguously a better system for the unwashed (unguilded) PuG masses; but doesn't do a thing for anyone who raids weekly in an organized guild except slow their gearing down and add a previously not-present RNG element. They're backing out a lot of that in 5.2; in typical BW:A "overshoot, undershoot, overshoot" fashion.
DeleteSince the announced changes, I'm torn between which aspect of advice to agree with for those who still need gear from them.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I'd argue that players who still need 242 things are better opening the crates rather then saving them, since it would reduce the amount of items needed to be purchased with Components, which are the most vital thing to save up at the moment.
On the other, I can see there being some merit to saving crates given that the drop-rate is affixed when you open them, meaning that any Tier III crates you earn now all have the highest chance to drop 242 gear possible when opened in 5.2. Not so much a disintegration bonus but a gear bonus, something which is perhaps negated by 242 gear dropping in HM Ops.
So in both regards there are multiple options open, and I really don't know which is the better route. Prior to these changes, I would have always recommended opening the crates if you still needed the gear, but now...
(Additionally, for whatever reason, the comment form seems to have broken on this post's desktop version for me. I think your blog is trying to tell me to shove off. :P)
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=9255584#edit9255584:
DeleteHey folks,
I got clarification on exactly how the changing drop rates will work based on questions we got in the thread.
If I have Crates before 5.2, will their drop rates adjust after the Update comes out?
They will not change with the Update.
After 5.2, is the drop rate determined when you get the Crate or when you open it?
The drop rate is determined when you acquire the Crate, what is in the Crate is determined when you open it. The Crate you got at Rank 30, will always have Rank 30 drop rates, but you can still change Discipline before opening it to adjust the contents appropriately.
In short, the system is built in a way that we want you to open the crates as you get them, there is no gameplay benefit to holding them.
Thanks everyone.
-eric
Saving crates only is worth it in that they are CXP reservoirs.
Good to see them clarify that, and I guess I'm not really surprised. Making it optimal to save up most of your crates in each tier before opening them would have been awkward.
DeleteOkay, so my original advice holds true. Better to open if you still need gear rather than save.
Delete