Hi everybody, I've been looking at the Drommand Kaas strongholds and really thinking about getting/starting one there as it reflects that character very well. One issue though that seems to be all through this forum subject "How to furnish it if everything is Not Available?" Even the most basic furnishings (Tables. Chairs, Banners, Rugs, Plants, and guards for the Imperial theme are not available or not in any way that would get more then 1 in an entire weekend. This is crazy why would anybody pay that amount only to have an empty abandoned lonely place? Ofcourse the more Trophy like items should be gained through achievements, completing missions, and special functions and better one after epic wins but even the most *Basic Items being not at all available, listed in packs I still cant find in the Market, or the crazy chance anybody would purchase 35 recent packs in the hope one will chance cube a silly chair they like and would have paid for several outright if available.

Some decorations have explicit utility, so you can pay for the basic included room (5000 credits for DK, which is *nothing*) and decorate it with:

• Mailbox
  
• GTN Kiosk
  
• Cargo Hold
  
• Legacy Cargo Hold
  
• Modification Station
  
• Appearance Designer Station (why not?)
  
• Feluccia Stato (?name) who is a *vendor* and can repair your gear
  

Then you'll have a single place you can easily go when you want some combination of those things, and when you want to take a break for a moment. And you can go there from anywhere, even while you are grouped with someone for a Heroic Mission on Dromund Kaas.(1)

 

(1) This is not hypothetical. I was the someone that the stronghold-visitor was grouped with.

 

And for 5000 credits plus the cost of those decorations (which are all easily available, even if some of them have to be bought on the CM, with, say, your monthly Cartel Coins) is *nothing*. Sure, you can now unlock some of those things on a per-character basis, but have you seen how much that costs?

 

I would advise getting Coruscant as well as Dromund Kaas, since you'll recover the extra credit cost by avoiding the cross-faction visit fee for just five visits by a Republic character. Yes, you have to get second copies of all the decorations, but the vendor one (and the mailbox, I think) come free with every character who does the level 15 buy-and-visit a stronghold quest from the hologram on Fleet. (or on the capital worlds)

Ye, I've seen the mailbox, GTN station and others in the Misc. section of the Market which also has the stronghold bundles even though not everything on the Ad picture is listed in that particular Bundle. I believe atleast some of those also have a limited number of the basic items essential . I've read BW needs money. opening the Market would be a profitable way to alleviate that and add new S.H.'s also. Maybe a vendor(s) in each fleet for the older "Not Available" market items or a vendor that sales only basic furnishings. I have the ones out now in my first S.H. that have a few but not nearly enough to start. Open The Market BH.

The vendor I mentioned (and I spelled her first name quite badly wrong) sells a selection of "Basic" chairs, tables, beds, rugs, and so on. There are vendors on the Fleet who sell other things, some for Cartel Market Certificates (and therefore not much use for new players) and others for various sizes of Data Crystals. The "hologram" stronghold quest also rewards you three big droid vendors who take crafted Prefab items as payment for decorations. These droids also exist on the Fleet.

 

Decorations drop (rarely) from a variety of other places in the game, and there are some available for e.g. Bounty Contracts (so just wait for Bounty Contract week, normally around the middle of the month) and other reputation objects / vendors (Yavin, Rishi, those kind of places.

I enjoy collecting decorations and decorating the strongholds. I don't care if others see it or not, I enjoy it.

 

Anytime i randomly invite people to my stronghold they are in aww at all that I have collected in my time of playing.

 

I have hundreds of millions in decor, and really what else are you going to spend your money on? Kylo Rens emo saber? No

Edited July 25, 2016 by DirtyDiggler

Thanks, when I get a solid plan on how to obtain the basics I'll think more on that Stronghold purchase. The Imp/Sith Banners, Imp troopers and honor guards are essential for the Empire theme Same as the tables chairs rugs and so on. The more Trophy like items I'll collect as the game goes on. Thanks again

Once you get into Conquest with your guild, fully decorated strongholds (all five of them) give a 25% bonus to the conquest points you receive, up to a max of 125%.

 

Also it's fun to collect decorations, I've spent hundreds of millions on them and have just below 380k prestige.

I thought the same way as you. I put off getting the stronghold cause I thought meh I'm not going to go thru that much trouble to decorate it. Now I wish I had done it sooner. I only have the cheap one (coruscant), but having a vendor mailbox, legacy storage, cargo storage. and GTN all in the same room is such an upgrade to quality of life it is amazing. I also crafted the storage and gtn additions, so they didn't cost much at all.

 

The other huge benefit is travel time, like a previous poster mentioned you can go to your stronghold from anywhere. Then you can leave to back where you came from or to the fleet or your starship. I think even to your home planet. I haven't left a planet through the spaceport since I got it. it is so much quicker to travel to my stronghold and then to my ship or the fleet. the convenience is unbelievable. I highly recommend getting at least the cheap stronghold to everyone.

I saved up and splurged on a stronghold on Nar Shadda. I like the space Las Vegas view from the windows and am gradually unlocking rooms as funds in credits allow. I do have a basic set up of bank/mail access for now and have been stockpiling all the decorations I pick up to eventually start placing things when I have the entire place unlocked. For me, it's going to be an alternative to going to fleet as well as a 'good lord I've done a lot in this game' showplace.

 

At the rate I'm going, by the time I've got every room unlocked on Nar Shadda and every decoration up, I might have to buy another just to finish putting all my stuff out on display.

Hi everybody, I've been looking at the Drommand Kaas strongholds and really thinking about getting/starting one there as it reflects that character very well. One issue though that seems to be all through this forum subject "How to furnish it if everything is Not Available?" Even the most basic furnishings (Tables. Chairs, Banners, Rugs, Plants, and guards for the Imperial theme are not available or not in any way that would get more then 1 in an entire weekend. This is crazy why would anybody pay that amount only to have an empty abandoned lonely place? Ofcourse the more Trophy like items should be gained through achievements, completing missions, and special functions and better one after epic wins but even the most *Basic Items being not at all available, listed in packs I still cant find in the Market, or the crazy chance anybody would purchase 35 recent packs in the hope one will chance cube a silly chair they like and would have paid for several outright if available.

 

This is a quality of life issue I hope to see Bioware attempt to address. The availability and cost for the basic entry items is to high given the costs for Universal Mk-1, 2 and 3. You should focus efforts of crafting around building about 20 industrial and synthetic MK-1, 2, 3. Then get 10 of the additional MK-1, 2, 3. That will give you roughly 120 quality crafted decorations to place in the stronghold. 30 mk-1, 2, 3 universals, 30 industrial mk-1, 2, 3 and 30 synthetic mk-1, 2, 3.

 

It's well under the 350 items but will give you a really strong foundation.

 

Also push Bioware to return the 100% drop on HM flashpoint decorations for the bonus boss. These are very good to run and would help this issue.

 

Industrial MK-1 get you basic imperial chairs, merchant tables and some crates.

Industrial MK-2 will be you favorites. Diagnostic console, ammunition canistes, bomb shells, munitions storage crates and weapon racks.

Industrial MK-3 ship computer, computer station, diagnotis console medical, power station console

 

Synthetic mk-1, cantina stools, hospital beds, senators desk

Synthetic mk-2 researchers desk, highback padded chair, chipped burial urn

Synthetic mk-3 get your alderaanian throne market canopy, senators lounger (looks great under imperial banner)

 

Universal Mk-1, Luxurious Rug (Great), Networked Security Monitor, Executive Shrub, Full gate, Small cafe table

Universal mk-2, Vendor Statll, starship booth

Universal mk-3 Luxury bed, adstract painting, science station

 

All those without a single reputation vendor, which has some amazing things depending on what you get to.

 

Seed of Rage, Sith Mantle Piece, Info Screen Dromund Kaas, Executive desk, Abstract painting, Ancient Voss Sarcophagus,

 

Then you have the utilities, item modification stattion, legacy stronghold (MUST HAVE), mailbox, appearance modification station, Cargo bay, GTN Kiosk and wall, guild bank.

 

You focus on the crafting and you'll have yourself a fine stronghold. Its just takes way to long and requires crafting alts with some manner of a level companion around 20 or higher to craft. As a note on crew skills buy level 2 gifts and give them to the companion until level 20. Its cheap.

 

As a note Drumond Kaas will NOT take a starship. Don't buy one if that is your only stronghold!

This is a quality of life issue I hope to see Bioware attempt to address. The availability and cost for the basic entry items is to high

Huh? A couple of thousand credits seems like a lot for a rug or a small chair, but it certainly isn't completely outrageous.

given the costs for Universal Mk-1, 2 and 3.

Ah, OK. No, those aren't "basic entry items". The basic entry items are available FOR CREDITS from the vendor you get as a mission reward when you do the holostatue quest. The one you can have a maximum of four of, so you can put one in each of your five strongholds.

 

Um. Er. What did I just say? OK, the one you can have four of that was enough when you could only have four active strongholds but now you can have five strongholds and they haven't increased the limit.

 

Anyway, the prefab vendors sell higher-tier decorations. You cite a lot of examples, and all of them are fancy stuff.

As a note Drumond Kaas will NOT take a starship. Don't buy one if that is your only stronghold!

Indeed, the Dromund Kaas balcony (Coruscant is the same) has only a "Centerpiece" hook. A starship hook is the equivalent of a 3x3 grid of centerpieces. For that, you need Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine, or Yavin 4. (On Nar Shaddaa, it is on a plaform *below* you when you arrive. Stand by the edge near the parked taxi-speeder at the entrance, face away from the main part of the stronghold, out into the world, then look down.)

Huh? A couple of thousand credits seems like a lot for a rug or a small chair, but it certainly isn't completely outrageous.

 

Ah, OK. No, those aren't "basic entry items". The basic entry items are available FOR CREDITS from the vendor you get as a mission reward when you do the holostatue quest. The one you can have a maximum of four of, so you can put one in each of your five strongholds.

 

Um. Er. What did I just say? OK, the one you can have four of that was enough when you could only have four active strongholds but now you can have five strongholds and they haven't increased the limit.

 

Anyway, the prefab vendors sell higher-tier decorations. You cite a lot of examples, and all of them are fancy stuff.

 

Indeed, the Dromund Kaas balcony (Coruscant is the same) has only a "Centerpiece" hook. A starship hook is the equivalent of a 3x3 grid of centerpieces. For that, you need Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine, or Yavin 4. (On Nar Shaddaa, it is on a plaform *below* you when you arrive. Stand by the edge near the parked taxi-speeder at the entrance, face away from the main part of the stronghold, out into the world, then look down.)

 

Prefab vendor items are low tier for synthetic and industrial. Medium tier for universal since you typically have to have 2 characters to make universals. Dark Projects are high tier.

 

Vendored items for credits are zero tier. Vendered items for commendations are tier 1-2 since they require you to do things.

 

The limit on the female decor vendor is 4 instances of her per stronghold. She works like companions who can be in multiple strongholds.

Prefab vendor items are low tier for synthetic and industrial. Medium tier for universal since you typically have to have 2 characters to make universals. Dark Projects are high tier.

 

Vendored items for credits are zero tier. Vendered items for commendations are tier 1-2 since they require you to do things.

 

The limit on the female decor vendor is 4 instances of her per stronghold. She works like companions who can be in multiple strongholds.

What I meant about the credits items is that *they* are "basic entry" items. Anything you buy for prefabs is a tier or more above "basic entry". Heck the credits items even *call* themselves "basic"...

 

I *know* how prefab construction works, by the way. It's annoying having to faff about with the different types of prefab.

The limit on the female decor vendor is 4 instances of her per stronghold. She works like companions who can be in multiple strongholds.

I verified yesterday: what you say here isn't true. You are allowed to have four, total. Not four per stronghold. I have one copy placed in each of the original four strongholds, and in all of them, she is marked "0/4". On Yavin, I can't place her at all.

As for guardsman and wall banners and such, PvP can earn you those. The daily (1 or 2 games a day) will net you one guard a day with comms left over.

As for guardsman and wall banners and such, PvP can earn you those. The daily (1 or 2 games a day) will net you one guard a day with comms left over.

 

This is what I use my comms for one all my non primary pvp chars. It's pretty cool to have so many guardsmen at the entrances to rooms and such.

Buy all 5 like me. You get a 125% conquest point bonus and you can farm Strategic matrix crafting items and jawa scrap to resell for a good chunk of change. Especially when a conquest week has a Heroic x3 on Hoth, Nar Shadaa, Balmora, or Tatooine, you can farm points on all of your alts and make a decent 3 million a week with 10 alts.

Same with crafting week. So ya what i do, 4/5 are meat trees for the 100% SH's and my Yavin 4 is fully decorated with some yavin flora for fillers for that 100% completed.

If you aren't doing any kind of conquest activity, then most of the key utility items, you can get for your ship-- and the best thing is, those purchases are one-time, legacy-wide, instead of character perks. You might need cartel coins, however, since they're more expensive than the cost of a Coruscant and/or Dromund Kaas apartment.

 

Considering that most of the apartment rooms are locked and inaccessible until additional payment is made for each room (and those costs add up fast), then again, if you're not doing conquest, just drop the key utility decorations in the first room-- mailbox, cargo hold, legacy cargo hold, and Felusia. You can add a guild bank, GTN kiosk, item modification station, and appearance modification station to complete the "one room for everything" function.

 

If you have the CC's to spare, however, and don't want a SH, you can get the guild bank, legacy cargo hold, mailbox, vendor droid, GTN station, and item modification station for your ship. The only thing that would be missing is the appearance modification station.

 

The main purpose for a SH is to increase conquest point gain. If you're not doing conquest, you can simply drop the utility decorations into the first room and make use of its exit door that can drop you into the fleet, or the planet the SH is located on. If you're a subscriber, it can also drop you into your ship and the last place you visited. Or, again, you can unlock most of those utility features legacy wide for your player ships.

Edited August 26, 2016 by HollyUSEC