Welcome to SWTOR Mechanics 103. Previously we discussed Attributes with SWTOR Mechanics 101: Attributes and Game Mechanics with SWTOR Mechanics 102: Game Mechanics. But what about Crew Skills? Crafting has been an integral part of many MMO’s over the years, but BioWare’s take on the familiar is definitely a departure from the classic mold. Click to the “jump” for your new “laws of reality”.
Crafting Skills
While you may have up to 3 Crew Skills, only one of them may be a Crafting Skill. Crafting is performed by your Companions, not you.
Armormech
Crafts: Heavy and Medium Armor for Smugglers/Agents and Troopers/Bounty Hunters.
Supporting Skills: Scavenging & Underworld Trading
Armstech
Crafts: Assault Cannon, Blaster Rifle, Blaster Pistol, Scattergun, Techstaff, Techblade, Vibroknife, Vibrosword, Electrostaff, Sniper Rifle, and Barrels.
Supporting Skills: Investigation & Scavenging
Artifice
Crafts: Color Crystal, Hilt, Non-weapon off hand items (shield generators, focus, etc…), Enhancement, Relic, Lightsaber, and Double-Bladed Lightsaber.
Supporting Skills: Archeology & Treasure Hunting
Biochem
Crafts: Implants, Medpacs, Stims, and Adrenals.
Supporting Skills: Bioanalysis & Diplomacy
Cybertech
Crafts: Armoring, Mods, Droid Armor (droid armor slots), Ear (armor slot), Ship Parts (ship armor slots), Grenades, and Speeders.
Supporting Skills: Scavenging & Underworld Trading
Synthweaving
Crafts: Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor for Jedi Knights/Consulars and Sith Warriors/Inquisitors.
Supporting Skills: Archeology & Underworld Trading
Gathering Skills
Gathering skills allow you to harvest materials used for crafting out in the world at no cost in addition to companion missions. These usually yield white and green quality materials.
Archeology
Supports: Artifice & Synthweaving
Bioanalysis
Supports: Biochem
Scavenging
Supports: Armortech, Armstech, & Cybertech
Slicing
Supports: Nothing
Provides: Augments, Lockboxes, Mission Discoveries, & Cybertech Schematics
Mission Skills
Mission skills only provide rewards by doing companion missions. These usually yield blue quality materials.
Diplomacy
Supports: Biochem
Provides: Lightside/Darkside Points & Companion Gifts
Investigation
Supports: Armstech
Provides: Prototype Schematics (all Crafting Skills) & Companion Gifts
Treasure Hunting
Supports: Artifice
Provides: Lockboxes, Relics, & Companion Gifts
Underworld Trading
Supports: Armortech, Cybertech, & Synthweaving
Provides: Custom Schematics (Orange Customizable Gear Schematics) & Companion Gifts
Reverse Engineering
Reverse Engineering (RE) is the process of deconstructing an item that you can make with your crafting skill into a variable amount of base components used to create the item in the first place. This also grants a chance to learn an improved schematic of the item you just RE’d.
Color Coding
- Premium = Green
- Prototype = Blue
- Artifact = Purple
Standard Reverse Engineering
When Re’ing a Green item you can learn the Blue recipe for the same item. When Re’ing a Blue item you can learn the Purple recipe for the same item. Each new schematic offers and improved version of the previous schematic.
Progression Reverse Engineering
When Re’ing a Green item you can learn the Blue recipe for the same item. When this happens you get one of three prefixes added to the item’s name randomly:
- Redoubt (adds Defense)
- Critical (adds Critical)
- Overkill (adds Power)
When Re’ing a Blue item you can learn the Purple recipe for the same item. When this happens you keep the prefix from the RE’d item and then get one of four or five prefixes added to the item’s name randomly:
Redoubt (adds Defense)
- General (adds Presence)
- Veracity (adds Shield)
- Anti-Armor (adds Surge)
- Exactitude (adds Accuracy)
- *Name Unknown* (adds Alacrity)
Critical (adds Critical)
- Leadership (adds Presence)
- Tempest (adds Shield)
- Endowment (adds Surge)
- Fervor (adds Accuracy)
- Supremacy (adds Alacrity)
Overkill (adds Power)
- Commander (adds Presence)
- Rampart (adds Shield)
- Expert (adds Surge)
- Hawkeye (adds Accuracy)
- Vehemence (adds Alacrity)
Companions
In SWTOR your companions are an integral part of Crew Skills. They craft items for you and can be sent on missions in order to gather resources to make things. In addition to that, Companions usually have a bonus to specific Crew Skills making them better with specific skills.
- Efficiency reduces the total time required to complete crafting and missions.
- Critical increases the chances of getting a crit when crafting or doing missions.
- Critting on missions can generate variable bonus rewards, higher quality rewards, etc…
- Critting on crafting generates an augment slot for items or duplicates for consumables. There are some items that gain no benefit from crits.
- Companions complete missions/crafting 1% faster for every 750 affection.
- Companions with higher affection also receive a bonus to crit (value not confirmed).
- You can have 1 companion crafting or doing missions once you have one.
- You may have 1 additional companion crafting or doing missions as levels 15, 25, 40, and 48 for a total of 5 companions working at one time max.
- You can have one companion with you out in the world while having other companions crafting or doing missions at the same time.
Q&A
When do you get Crew Skills?
Once you reach the Republic/Imperial Fleet. There are no Crew Skill trainers on the 1st (or starter) planets. Once you complete your quest lines to the point where you can go to the Fleet (which is usually around level 10) you can train them. Note that it is possible to go to the Fleet earlier if you so wish.
How do you gather components?
Mission and Gathering Skills allow you to send your Companions out to gather components for you. These “missions” do not impact you at all outside of making that specific Companion unavailable until they are finished, which can last anywhere from a few minutes up to just under 3 hours. In addition to that it will always cost you credits to send them out, whether they succeed or fail. Failure can still result in a skill increase, but will not grant anything beyond that.
How do you craft items?
You can give your companions a queue list of up to 5 items to make at a time. They will automatically access whatever components you have on you or in your cargo hold, and all crafted items are put directly into your bags.
What should you take?
You can either go with 1 Crafting and 2 Gathering/Mission skills or you can choose 3 Gathering/Mission skills. The thing to remember here is that each crafting skill has exactly one gathering skill and one mission skill to provide components for crafting items. The one “aberrant” skill is Slicing which does not provide components for crafting at all. In the end it really comes down to what you’re looking to gain from your Crew Skills.
Custom Gear
The way in which your improve existing Custom items (orange) is by adding “Mods” to them. Orange Items will have slots where you can add an Armoring, Enhancement, Mod, Hilt, Barrel, etc…in order to improve the item. Due to this it is possible to keep a custom item with a specific appearance that you like and continually upgrade it over time.
Summation & Discussion
Covering every mechanic in game can be a daunting task. So if there is a specific mechanic that you have questions about, or one that has not yet been covered, please leave a comment so that I can answer your questions.
This concludes the basics on game mechanics, but there is more to come on the mechanics of the game. If you have questions or comments please leave them below so they can be answered.
