Tips, tricks and knowledge from SWTOR Beta

With more people playing SWTOR beta and game testing now, we are seeing more info coming out about it. While these players are still bound to the NDA, it is to be expected that some general knowledge will come out about the game. The closer we get to December release, the more info will come out to the public.

On Reddit we are finding several posts started by users looking to share tips and tricks and other knowledge. Here is a snippet from one post, for example:

  • Vehicle training costs 40 000 credits and a vehicle costs 4 000. Have at least that much by the time you hit 25.
  • Companion weapons are upgradeable with mods, do not vendor them!
  • You can only have one crafting skill but can have 2 gathering (may require confirmation).
  • When in doubt, follow your class quests. More often than not your story quests will have you in a level appropriate hub. Complete all the quests in the area before moving on.
  • You will get heroic quests way before you should be doing them, check the suggested level and set it aside until you’re higher or in the area.
  • Never buy [Random] vendor items, it’s a pointless gamble.
  • Hold off on buying commendation items if you’re finishing up a planet, you can turn in those commendations for the next planet if you haven’t spent them. (2 commendations from your current planet will convert into 1 on the next)
  • Use any downtime to send your companions on missions. Turning in quests? Send them off on a short mission. Doing a flashpoint or heroic quest? Now’s the time to do the longer ones.
  • Don’t forget to gear up your companions! Before vendoring something or putting it on the AH see if one of your companions can make use of it.
  • Save your credits. Don’t go blowing your wad on vendor blues that will be replaced in a few hours, you’ll need that money down the road.
  • As soon as you can, buy some ship upgrades. They go a long way during space combat.
  • Slicing is a fantastic way to make money. You should take it to level with even if you don’t plan on keeping it at end game.
  • Implants are ridiculously uncommon at early levels (think the first quest reward was around level 20), potential money makers if you craft them early on.
  • Fully explore areas, find those datacrons. If you see a junk dealer then buy the key off them. It probably means there’s a datacron nearby that you can unlock. Others are gated with puzzles, for example one on Balmorra required 2 people to access. They each had to push a switch simultaneously. Be on the lookout.
  • World heroic bosses are very doable with numbers. If you see a group forming then get in it, don’t be intimidated thinking it’s a hardcore raid boss.
  • Feel free to contribute, think I’m tapped for now
  • Read the codex if you’re unsure how to make dialogue choices to please a companion. It will tell you their likes and dislikes.
  • Don’t forget to set your bind point somewhere useful. It can be a real time saver if you set it in the area you’re questing in.

These do not contain storyline spoilers but rather just tidbits of the game and what you can expect from it. These are great things to know if you are in beta or have pre-purchased the game and know you will be starting right away.

Lisa Clark

Lisa has been an avid gamer since she was old enough to hold her first controller and a game writer for more than a decade. A child of the Nintendo generation, she believes they just don’t make games like they used to but sometimes, they make them even better! While consoles will always be her first love, Lisa spends most of her gaming time on the PC these days- on MMOs and first-person shooters in particular.