Yesterday we got a dev tracker reply from Jason Attard, Senior Game Balance Designer, courtesy of Allison Berryman. It was regarding modifications in endgame loot and how stats are distributed:

Originally posted by AllisonBerryman (Source)

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I talked to Jason Attard (Senior Game Balance Designer) and he was able to shed some light on modifications in endgame items and how stats are distributed.

Our goal is that a highly-skilled player can complete content without needing to swap mods on their gear, but spending the time and credits necessary to optimize the mods should still make a noticeable difference.

When we generate mods for endgame gear, we generate all the mod variants at a given item level and then run a process that combines the mods with endgame shell items to create the items needed for an Operation. This process helps us ensure that the stats are useful for Advanced Classes and roles, but it doesn’t generate gear that is completely optimal for every spec. We always manually check the results and tweak items where necessary.

We have had some problems in the past with gear that stacks a single rating too much and with incorrect armorings being assigned to some items (high Endurance gear should go to tanking items, Aim/Cunning/Strength/Willpower should go into DPS and healing items), and we’re continuing to refine the processes we use to make more useful gear. In future tiers, you’ll see many issues with mod allocation corrected!

The last bit is especially interesting, and may explain some of the current stat ratios we’re seeing on our Operation loot tables.

During Gamescom on Tuesday, EA revealed that next month, we’ll be seeing a new Operation called Terror from Beyond, which takes place on Belsavis. We also discovered that Ancient Hypergates, the new Warzone in development, will be released sometime at a later date, but before fall’s F2P launch.

Since that announcement, many players have wondered how these new content releases will affect the current gear ladder. Will we see another tier of Operation gear? What about an additional PvP tier? David Hunt, SWTOR’s Systems Designer, addressed these gear-related concerns thanks to Allison Berryman, who has been diligently seeking answers to many questions the community has had since BioWare’s recent community refocus.

Originally posted by AllisonBerryman (Source)

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I talked to David Hunt (Systems Designer), and he shed some light upcoming gear. He said that (for PvE), Terror from Beyond’s Hard Mode will include a new set of gear that is a sub-tier of the larger tier that started with Campaign gear. It will also have non-slot restricted armornings. Nightmare Explosive Conflict will speed up the acquisition of the new set and provides new challenges for Operation groups.

For PvP, new mainhand and offhand items will become available from the PvP vendors when Terror from Beyond is released. These will be included so PvP players don’t feel the need to get the hilts and barrels from PvE items to get the highest weapon damage in some cases. The rest of the set will release when Ancient Hypergates becomes available. We also have plans to release a new Recruit MK-2 set.

This is good info, and it’s also nice to see some hints about Nightmare Explosive Conflict in there, too.

Also, this is a good start to BioWare’s goal of interacting more often with the community. These are exactly the types of responses players are looking for on the forums.

If you were wondering about all the new changes coming in 1.3 regarding augment slots, flashpoint itemization, loot tables and more, Bioware has taken some time to share with you the whys and whats of what is coming.

Augment Slots:

Prior to Game Update 1.3, it was only possible to create an Augmented item through a critical crafting success. Augmented items have an additional mod slot, conveniently called an augment. Some of the most valuable items in the game right now are orange shells that have been crafted with an augment slot unlocked, because they have exceptional stat potential with their full complement of mod slots. While these items are cool, they are indicative of a systemic inequity between different types of items. That’s where Augment Tables come in.

Flashpoint Itemization:

To accompany the release of Group Finder, Game Update 1.3 includes a moderate update to the loot distribution in endgame Flashpoints. This is a partial re-itemization, so it utilizes primarily existing gear. The loot contents of almost all the endgame Flashpoint bosses have changed, with a few exceptions. While it may change on an individual case, here’s an overview of how the loot drops work now. Since this is an overview, it doesn’t include lots of the supplemental drops like tokens, rare items and schematics:

Read the rest of the entry on the official homepage.

Sometimes the Devs say things that are easily missed.  Here are a few things you should probably know.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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You exit combat in PvP 8 seconds after the last hostile action. DOTs do not refresh this status.

Ever felt like it was taking an eternity to get out of combat? 8 seconds doesn’t equal an eternity it turns out. I timed it myself a few times and this held up. But feel free to test this if you don’t buy it.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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Currently, Armorings of level 61 or above (new in 1.2) have the set bonus on the armoring. Items of level 58 or below (existed before 1.2) have the set bonus on the item, not the armoring.

With all of the crafting and itemization changes coming in it is very important to understand that moving all of your set gear modifications into a custom set at 1.2 release will make you lose your set bonus.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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As mentioned at the Guild Summit, we are working on a system that makes Social Gear adapt to the armor class of the wearer. However, that system will not be in 1.2. but in a subsequent patch.

Some players were under the impression that this was coming with the 1.2 release; however, it won’t be out until a later date.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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On Windows 7, it’d be here:  C:UsersYOURNAMEAppDataLocalSWTORpublictestsettingsGUIProfiles

If you’ve loaded up the PTR to check out 1.2 then you may have already customized your UI. If you’ve done so this is the folder where it will be saved so you can import to Live when 1.2 releases.

Twitter: @SkeletonJack_
Twitch TV: /skeleton_jack

Patch 1.2 is just around the corner and the PvP’ers out there need to know what they’re getting into.  As a heads up, Champion and Centurion gear will no longer be acquirable in game.  So if you have any duplicate tokens still in the bank make sure to use them before the patch goes live.

Want to know how to get War Hero gear?  Curious about the changes to Valor requirements?  Want to know about the new set being added?  Click Continue Reading.

The Heroes of MMO’s are not NPC’s.  They are the players.  

I’m talking about the the top 10 world ranked DPS on a boss fight, the players who live stream end game PvE and PvP content, have the best in slot gear standing in town, and the top ranked guilds in the entire world.  These are the “Heroes” of MMO’s.  And MMO Developer Teams don’t seem to realize this anymore.

The indelible fact, unmeasured by any metric that BioWare uses, is that these “Heroes” are a significant part of what inspires players to keep playing their game.  And as SWTOR is currently directed towards the casual market, they are missing out on an under utilized tool.

What to know what these tools are that are already in place?  Want to know how BioWare could cater to both the hardcore and the casuals at the same time?  You know you do.  Click on “Continue Reading”.

Originally posted by EmmanuelLusinchi (Source)

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The current situation with end game gear and item modifications isn’t final and, in fact, many community members like yourself have correctly guessed at what our plans to correct the current design are.

Since this is a fairly important issue to many players, let me disclose more details about what is currently in the work regarding purple items and mods:

- All partially moddable purple items will be made fully moddable again, allowing the removal of the armoring, hilt and barrel.

- The set bonus of end gear purples (PVP and PVE) will be transferable to custom items.

- Some item modifications will be restricted to a certain item type. For example, some item modifications will only fit on helmets, while other will only fit on chests, etc.

As usual, the caveats about unfinished work apply, but this should give you and the community a very good idea of our intentions. We are serious about making custom gear an entirely valid alternative to end game gear and we support the players’ ability to customize their appearance all the way to (and including) end game.

This is excellent new as it opens up gear choices and looks for players. SWTOR is very visual and a distinct look for many individuals is a very important thing.