I don't get why you guys have these things locked up so tightly that they're impossible to obtain unless you run operations. There should at least be something sold for basic, elite and ultimate comms (and not at the insane prices you sold them for w/ the Czerka vendors either on CZ-198)

Not everybody likes to run operations, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to gear up their characters if they're willing to put in the time and effort to do daily/weekly missions or run flashpoints which are considerably less of a pain to deal with.

I've never been bothered by this. Not much anyway.

Can't you just buy another (offhand or even armor) item, rip the mods out and stick them into your mainhand? That way you just need a suitable hilt/barrel off the GTN.

It takes some credits but such is the fate of those of us not running OPs or just unlucky with loot.

Since launch I've laid my hands on a mainhand weapon (-token) drop a grand total of 4 times across all my characters, never stopped me from getting my weapon up to speed for long.

You can get one crafted (192 current highest) if your aversion to ops is so great. But all the non-ops content should be cleared easily with a low grade MH. I can't remember if any of the storyline things (FA, Oricon, SoR) give you a MH though past Makeb's intro.

You get a 178 MH for SoR. Also, 186 is craftable and much cheaper if OP is lacking funds. Correct me if I'm wrong but you can get one from Ziost Vendor as well? I know 190 MH drop off of the Ziost WB. No one ever rolls on them and they are about as good as the 192s.

You can get one crafted (192 current highest) if your aversion to ops is so great. But all the non-ops content should be cleared easily with a low grade MH. I can't remember if any of the storyline things (FA, Oricon, SoR) give you a MH though past Makeb's intro.

You can craft 192s? Where do the schematics for those come from?

You can craft 192s? Where do the schematics for those come from?

From the long and painful process of procuring a bunch of mainhand tokens, ripping the barrels and REing them... Sometimes your lucky and it takes 1-2, sometimes it takes 5-10 tries...

From the long and painful process of procuring a bunch of mainhand tokens, ripping the barrels and REing them... Sometimes your lucky and it takes 1-2, sometimes it takes 5-10 tries...

Yep.

And it took me 12 for the resolve hilt :c

But one each for Aim and Cunning lol

From the long and painful process of procuring a bunch of mainhand tokens, ripping the barrels and REing them... Sometimes your lucky and it takes 1-2, sometimes it takes 5-10 tries...

and the high cost of purchasing the uber rare mat off the GTN or attempting HM ops and winning the mat there.

OP:

If you are not running hardest in game content, you don't need BIS gear. simple as that. if you just do dailies/flashpoints 186 will be more than sufficient. If you REALLY want the 192 feel free to craft it or run SM ToS and win it from the 7 or 15 other people in there.

OR you can pug the new Ziost op boss in HM and get the 204MH (good luck with that!)

but, no, BIS gear is meant to be earned and offer a challenge, which is what keeps people playing. Make it easier and everyone gets bored.

Life isn't easy, life isn't free, life isn't a gimmie you need to earn it, don't earn it, you don't get it/deserve it. Harsh lesson I wish more people would learn.

Not everybody likes to run operations, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to gear up their characters if they're willing to put in the time and effort to do daily/weekly missions or run flashpoints which are considerably less of a pain to deal with.

The gear you are able to obtain apart from ops is perfectly suitable for the content you are doing. If you don't plan to do ops, you don't need the gear that drops from them.

If you're not running ops you dont need ops gear.

I agree with this, but for the OP I think it's really more of a want than anything else. People don't need a lot of things.

I think the folks giving the knee jerk reaction of the typical raider telling the non raider that they don't need ops gear to run non ops content are completely missing the OP's point. It's not about getting the bis gear, it's about being able to upgrade the MH beyond leveling quest rewards AT ALL without being forced to run ops or buy from a crafter. There are essentially two levels of content that an earnable MH is missing from (unless I'm mistaken). Daily comm purchasable and flashpoints both seem to be missing them, and have for quite some time.

In my experience, most games have swords/guns/slingshots/angry poodles that drop from smaller group content as well as from multi group content. Not so here.

OP can correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't get why you guys have these things locked up so tightly that they're impossible to obtain unless you run operations. There should at least be something sold for basic, elite and ultimate comms (and not at the insane prices you sold them for w/ the Czerka vendors either on CZ-198)

 

Not everybody likes to run operations, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to gear up their characters if they're willing to put in the time and effort to do daily/weekly missions or run flashpoints which are considerably less of a pain to deal with.

But I thought that was kinda the point. If you want the best gear, you have to run the hardest content. I see armor, mounts, weapons, etc all the time I'd like to have. But I know the only way to get those things is by doing OP's, ranked WZ's, & HM FP's....things I don't do. Personally....I think that's the way it should be. If you want the best stuff....earn it by running the hardest content.

I think the folks giving the knee jerk reaction of the typical raider telling the non raider that they don't need ops gear to run non ops content are completely missing the OP's point. It's not about getting the bis gear, it's about being able to upgrade the MH beyond leveling quest rewards without being forced to run ops or buy from a crafter. There are essentially two levels of content that an earnable MH is missing from (unless I'm mistaken). Daily comm purchasable and flashpoints both seem to be missing them, and have for quite some time.

 

OP can correct me if I'm wrong.

It's missing by design. The mainhand is the biggest upgrade you can get for a character, so it's the hardest to get. He can easily upgrade his saber above leveling rewards without doing operations, which other people have pointed out. But if he wants the best he has to do the content.

I think the folks giving the knee jerk reaction of the typical raider telling the non raider that they don't need ops gear to run non ops content are completely missing the OP's point. It's not about getting the bis gear, it's about being able to upgrade the MH beyond leveling quest rewards without being forced to run ops or buy from a crafter. There are essentially two levels of content that an earnable MH is missing from (unless I'm mistaken). Daily comm purchasable and flashpoints both seem to be missing them, and have for quite some time.

 

OP can correct me if I'm wrong.

The reason they are missing afaik is to give a reason for crafting. With only occasion ops running I routinely hit my weekly caps on currency. If I could simply buy the stuff what purpose would there be to craft the mods?

Also while it comes off as elitist the "typical" raider comment has a point, though they don't express it well. The content is designed at each "level" with a perceived difficulty in mind. One of the main things that determines the difficulty in obviously dps. If you make high damage weapons too easy to get then you throw the difficulty curve off. Said difficulty is one of the "checks" used to slow progression and thus extend the life of the content. Now I totally get that to get above 192 atm it requires OPS or the Ziost World Boss BUT this has been and always will be the way with a game that has gear based progression.

There is an easy way to get the weapons though. Have the barrels or hits crafted, then scavenge the mod and enhancement from other armor pieces. Right now the weapon on my main has a 192 barrel and 190 mod and enhance from the Ziost gear. When I replace one of my 192 pieces with 196 I will swap out the 190's with 192s.

It's missing by design. The mainhand is the biggest upgrade you can get for a character, so it's the hardest to get. He can easily upgrade his saber above leveling rewards without doing operations, which other people have pointed out. But if he wants the best he has to do the content.

You missed my point too, and I suspect, the OP's. It's not about wanting the BEST. It's about wanting better than leveling content AT ALL. There's no reason to exclude the MH from daily quest reward purchased gear or HM FP gear. That is typically available in those forms in most games and makes little sense to exclude here.

INot everybody likes to run operations, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to gear up their characters if they're willing to put in the time and effort to do daily/weekly missions or run flashpoints which are considerably less of a pain to deal with.

Well clearly it does mean that since Bioware is not allowing it

The gear rewarded is set up to reflect the kind of solo content that follows to ensure future content is doable without being too easy. If Bioware starts giving out top gear for solo content farming, future solo/story content will either become:

A) Too easy for those who farmed gear, who will then whine about the game being too easy

or

B) Too hard for those who did not farm gear, who will then whine about the game being too hard/elitist.

You missed my point too, and I suspect, the OP's. It's not about wanting the BEST. It's about wanting better than leveling content AT ALL. There's no reason to exclude the MH from daily quest reward purchased gear or HM FP gear. That is typically available in those forms in most games and makes little sense to exclude here.

I already addressed that in the post you just quoted.

That is typically available in those forms in most games and makes little sense to exclude here.

In most games those drops are the only available way to upgrade your weapon, though. SWTOR is relatively unique in the way it allows you to cannibalize a piece of gear to incorporate components in another piece of gear. (Re-engineering also fixes the oversight a lot of other games have where crafting tends to become obsolete as a means of gearing after a patch cycle or two)

So from that perspective it does make sense to exclude them here as there are alternatives to running OPs available.

If you absolutely have to have a way to improve your mainhand through weeklies above the weapons you acquire as you play through SoR consider this:

[Weekly] Gearing up

1) Acquire enough funds to purchase a suitable barrel/hilt from a crafter

2a) Acquire enough commendations to purchase a piece of equipment with suitable stats from a vendor

2b) Strip mods from the piece of equipment

-OR-

2) Acquire enough funds to buy suitable mods from a crafter

3) Assemble your new weapon

And yes, I'm completely ignoring the point that you don't want to interact with crafters at all. It's either that or running Ops (or PvP I guess? I'm not really up to date on that front).

As someone who has terrible luck with weapon drops in MMOs I prefer the way this game allows me to bypass the issue.

From the long and painful process of procuring a bunch of mainhand tokens, ripping the barrels and REing them... Sometimes your lucky and it takes 1-2, sometimes it takes 5-10 tries...

You can do the same with the Offhand Barrels also, and it does not craft into a OH only locked barrel.

OR you can pug the new Ziost op boss in HM and get the 204MH (good luck with that!)

Requires full 192 and SM achievement.

Not easy when even my 49k Marauder is considered undergeared for HMFPs.

If you're not running ops you dont need ops gear.

But facerolling mobs in daily areas is so much fun!

Please send all my characters 204 MHs pronto.

That is all.

But facerolling mobs in daily areas is so much fun!

There are no mobs on Ziost, only Zuul.

There are no mobs on Ziost, only Zuul.

#spoiler alert