Archive
A Free-to-Play Player’s Guide to the Cartel Market
UPDATED: November 15th, 2012 for Patch 1.5
Welcome to the Fanatical Swordsman’s Free-to-Play Player’s Guide to the Cartel Market.
My goal with this article is to keep the general public up-to-date on the best purchases for Free-to-Play players to make. If you plan to never spend a dime on the game, then this is not the guide for you, as everything in this will have some real-world dollar amount attached to it. If you want to spend as little as possible, then this is the guide for you.
Subscribers considering going Free-to-Play should also read carefully, as I compare pricing to the standard 1-month rate of $14.99. Some of the package options when only playing one way (such as Operations only) save a bit of money from the subscription. Read more…
Crew Skills Guide
Welcome to the official Crew Skill guide of The Fanatical Swordsman. This constantly updated guide will be the compendium for our site on crafting in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
LAST UPDATED: 8/1/12 for 1.3.4
For those familiar with crafting in other games, Crew Skills in SWTOR are very similar to other games in some ways and different in others. Crafting is not done by the player directly, but by the player’s companions. Up to five companions may be sent out at a time (the maximum increases as you go: roughly, one during Prologue, two during Chapter 1, three during Chapter 2, four during Chapter 3, and five after completing Chapter 3).
There are three types of Crew Skills: Crafting, Gathering, and Mission. You may have three skills in total and only one Crafting skill at a time, but any combination of Gathering and Mission skills are allowed, though there are some definite advantages to pairing certain ones together.
Sentinel/Marauder Advanced Class Guide
Welcome to the Sentinel/Marauder Advanced Class Guide! This is the go-to compendium of knowledge for The Fanatical Swordsman on the Sentinel and Marauder advanced classes.
LAST UPDATE: Update 2.3
Note from Geldarion: The Sentinel is my 3rd level 50, but it is actually one of my favorite PvP playstyles I have encountered. For readability sake, since I am used to the Sentinel, I will use the term Sentinel occasionally as the overall descriptor of this class-type, especially for things that are true of both classes, such as discussions of general tactics. However, I will refer to the specializations by both their names, and I will show builds for both the Sentinel and the Marauder, and I will refer to skills in a manner as such: Jedi Knight skill name/Sith Warrior skill name.
Gunslinger/Sniper Advanced Class Guide
Welcome to the Gunslinger/Sniper Advanced Class Guide! This is the go-to compendium of knowledge for The Fanatical Swordsman on the Gunslinger and Sniper advanced classes.
LAST UPDATE: Updating to 3.0.1, please pardon our dust
Note from Geldarion: The Gunslinger is my main, and I find it an extremely fun playstyle, especially if you like ranged DPS. While difficult to play well in PvP, the Gunslinger/Sniper can be a potent force if played correctly. For readability sake, since it is my main, I will use the term Gunslinger as the overall descriptor of this class-type, especially for things that are true of both classes, such as discussions of general tactics. However, I will refer to the specializations by both their names, and I will show builds for both the Smuggler and the Agent, and I will refer to skills in a manner as such: Smuggler skill name/Agent skill name.
Beginner’s Guide: The Odd Man Out – Support Classes
Most of you now know about the MMO Trinity, which is Tank, Healer, and DPS classes (if you don’t click here, here, and here, respectively)
There is another type of class that has seen very wide use, and that is the class role of Support. Technically, Healers fall under the umbrella of “Support,” but I am going to talk about the classes that aren’t really Tanks, Healers, or DPS, but fall under a special sub-category all of their own.
Support classes are usually good for buffing, debuffing, utility skills like cures, off-healing, and power-healing. My ideal group in LOTRO for example has two Healers (one of which can be a Support class), one Tank, one other Support specifically for that purpose, and two DPS. For easier content, one healer can be swapped out for DPS. But what does a Support class actually bring to the table? Read more…