Pistoleer Archive
Thread: The Pistoleer Grinding Guide v1.1
Page 1 of 3
LordMaxx
Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:36 am
#1
Originally by RandonB
For some, the game isn't so much about the journey as it is about the destination. Others are on a fast track to the best possible template, and thirst only for the PvP action at the end. Still others don't feel that they are playing wisely unless they are playing efficiently. Whatever the reason, many players choose to power through professions as quickly as possible. To that end, my fellow Pistoleers and I have painstakingly compiled a variety of tips and pointers. You won't find lengthly essays and descriptions here, only what you need to achieve your goals. After all, isn't that the point?
This is very much a work in progress. This guide will be updated from time to time as more information becomes available. In addition, you may well find it worth your while to read through the posts that follow. This guide assumes basic combat proficiency on the part of the player (you've had SWG out of the box for more than a week, even if you have no pistol skills). For basic combat advice, head to the Game Guides forum.
"All I've got with me is a Survival Knife and a CDEF Pistol. I don't mind a grind, but SOE'd better issue some hardware."
Lucky you, Weaponsmiths are all masters these days. Powering through the Marksman levels isn't half as hard as it used to be. That CDEF is fine for awhile, but it won't be long before substantial upgrades are opened up to you. You'll probably have to drop by the Bazaar to find a weapon you are certified to use, as Weaponsmith vendors seldom stock newbie weapons. Keep an eye out for the DH-17 Pistol (beware, there is also a DH-17 Carbine). As soon as you can, the DL-44 Metal is a suberb newbie weapon.
Proceed to kill the riff raff that spawns outside most major cities. Gubburs, Thugs, various butterfly things, whatever. They respawn quickly and die even faster, earning you the most efficient experience possible. This should get you through Pistols 1 and 2. Next proceed to get missions to earn some cash. When you have enough to get buffed, get ubese armor, and get a ticket to rori or dantooine you can start taking on some mid level mobs. This should be good enough to get you to Novice Pistoleer, and earn you more decent credits for when you need to supply yourself with more advanced equipment/food/spice.
"The unplanned organism is a question asked by nature and answered by death. You are a different kind of question, with a different kind of answer."
Great, now you're a Novice Pistoleer. Better start planning what tree to go up first. You've got 3 choices, really. The 4th line you spend Combat Experience on whenever you can, as soon as you can.
It isn't really a question - your first priority is to get Fan Shot in the Techniques line. It's in the 4th box, so you might have a hard time waiting that long to spend your Pistol Experience, but it's worth it. Fan Shot is a high-DPS area effect special. It fires in a cone starting at your position, branching out at about 20º.
Next, get some basic Accuracy. 2 boxes from Marksmanship should suffice before you start climbing the Grips line for some Dodge. After all, the more you hit, the faster you kill. Things are going to get rough if you don't invest in some accuracy now.
"You droids may have copper wiring to re-route your fear of pain, but I've got nerves of steel."
No matter how confident you are in your own abilities, it's a simple fact that a set of buffs and a suit of armor will make this grind go infinitely faster. It's a little sad, given that we were told prior to release that not everyone would be wearing armor, but for the time being, it's the best way to play.
If you can't afford a suit of Composite, a suit of Kinetic-layered Ubese will do nicely. If you are dirt poor, get some Chitin off of the Bazaar. Get some 3-hour buffs from your local Master Doctor (frequently found at major Starports such as Coronet and Theed) and head to your grinding location of choice. Your experience bar will thank you, and the rate at which you complete missions will turn the price tag into a profit.
"What are you, some sort of assasin?"
"When necessary."
What to kill? There are a great many opinions on this matter.
Low levels
Guf Drolgs on Talus
Levia Squalls and Tortons on Rori
Mid Levels (you will most likely need mid grade armor and buffs for these MOBS)
Grouping on Dathomir, killing just about anything
Quenkers, Huurtons and Pickets on Dantooine (beware, Savage Quenkers have an acid ranged attack and more HAM)
A variety of things on Yavin IV, such as Mamiens or Mawgaxes. Crystal Snakes are great, but sometimes poison.
Snorbals on Lok (though you can't get missions for them)
Crimson Blurrgs on Endor
High Levels (You better have armor and buffs for these guys)
Giant Baz Nitches and Gaping Spiders on Dathomir
Voritors on Dantooine
Gurks on Lok
"I just spent an hour taking down this rancor and all I got was a lousy 2000 xp, what gives? I thought I could get the entire marksman pistol line!"
XP Caps:
There are 2 kinds of XP caps and just because you can go after the big things, doesn’t mean you should. Some of you may have the cash to run out there now get advanced composite, get buffed, canape and all and be able to attack anything without fear of getting a scratch. That’s good and all, but it wont help for you to go take down a krayt just yet.
The first xp cap is an actual cap to the amount of xp you can actually get and hold. That is usually 2x the amount of xp needed for your next level. So if you currently have Pistols 2 in marksman and Pistols 3 takes 15,000 xp, you will cap your xp at 30,000 meaning if you have 30,000 pistol xp you will not gain any more even if you do kill a rancor.
The second type of xp cap is a scaling of XP for creature/your current level. You have a difficulty level associated with the weapon you are currently holding. And that is based on the amount of skill in that weapon. Whereas a Marksman with pistol 3 might be a challenge level 10, a Master Pistoleer could be a challenge level 60. How does this affect how much xp you get per kill? Well the amount of xp a creature gives will be scaled down significantly if the attacker is a lower level. If you a marksman pistol 2 take a few hours and take down a Krayt Dragon you may end up with the same xp as if you took a few minutes to take down a savage quenker. The moral of the story is, don’t go for the uber boss mob just because you can. Find creatures that give a healthy amount of xp that don’t take forever to take down. You should spend most of your leveling time from Pistol 3-most of pistoleer leveling on Dantooine with several of the mid level mobs there.
3 Final tips:
If you lay prone at around 60 meters, you can fire a bleed (Health Shot 1 or 2), /peace, stand up, and run out of range (to around 100m). When the first tick of damage occurs, the single target you bleeded will engage and run toward you, but his buddies won't. This is the preferred method of splitting up social creatures who aid one another in combat.
If you group with a low level pet (anything that cons blue or green to you) and leave him in the city, you can kill things on your own and gain an experience bonus. This is because experience payouts are based on the average skill level of your group.
Obviously, a real pet to help in the tanking department would be highly advantageous. Picking up a little Creature Handler or befriending one to group with goes a long way toward making this easier. Someday, maybe we'll have worthwhile combat droids.
"We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be order again. A new age..."
Okay, so Pistoleer has some problems and the fixes could take awhile. But there is some further advancement you can take to alleviate your struggle. You might try Smuggler or Bounty Hunter. If you pick up Novice Commando, you can get the Launcher Pistol and use it with Pistoleer specials to devastating effect. For some real template help, . Click Here.
And of course, read below for additional tips that Pistoleers have added. Some of them will be edited into this post.
For some, the game isn't so much about the journey as it is about the destination. Others are on a fast track to the best possible template, and thirst only for the PvP action at the end. Still others don't feel that they are playing wisely unless they are playing efficiently. Whatever the reason, many players choose to power through professions as quickly as possible. To that end, my fellow Pistoleers and I have painstakingly compiled a variety of tips and pointers. You won't find lengthly essays and descriptions here, only what you need to achieve your goals. After all, isn't that the point?
This is very much a work in progress. This guide will be updated from time to time as more information becomes available. In addition, you may well find it worth your while to read through the posts that follow. This guide assumes basic combat proficiency on the part of the player (you've had SWG out of the box for more than a week, even if you have no pistol skills). For basic combat advice, head to the Game Guides forum.
"All I've got with me is a Survival Knife and a CDEF Pistol. I don't mind a grind, but SOE'd better issue some hardware."
Lucky you, Weaponsmiths are all masters these days. Powering through the Marksman levels isn't half as hard as it used to be. That CDEF is fine for awhile, but it won't be long before substantial upgrades are opened up to you. You'll probably have to drop by the Bazaar to find a weapon you are certified to use, as Weaponsmith vendors seldom stock newbie weapons. Keep an eye out for the DH-17 Pistol (beware, there is also a DH-17 Carbine). As soon as you can, the DL-44 Metal is a suberb newbie weapon.
Proceed to kill the riff raff that spawns outside most major cities. Gubburs, Thugs, various butterfly things, whatever. They respawn quickly and die even faster, earning you the most efficient experience possible. This should get you through Pistols 1 and 2. Next proceed to get missions to earn some cash. When you have enough to get buffed, get ubese armor, and get a ticket to rori or dantooine you can start taking on some mid level mobs. This should be good enough to get you to Novice Pistoleer, and earn you more decent credits for when you need to supply yourself with more advanced equipment/food/spice.
"The unplanned organism is a question asked by nature and answered by death. You are a different kind of question, with a different kind of answer."
Great, now you're a Novice Pistoleer. Better start planning what tree to go up first. You've got 3 choices, really. The 4th line you spend Combat Experience on whenever you can, as soon as you can.
It isn't really a question - your first priority is to get Fan Shot in the Techniques line. It's in the 4th box, so you might have a hard time waiting that long to spend your Pistol Experience, but it's worth it. Fan Shot is a high-DPS area effect special. It fires in a cone starting at your position, branching out at about 20º.
Next, get some basic Accuracy. 2 boxes from Marksmanship should suffice before you start climbing the Grips line for some Dodge. After all, the more you hit, the faster you kill. Things are going to get rough if you don't invest in some accuracy now.
"You droids may have copper wiring to re-route your fear of pain, but I've got nerves of steel."
No matter how confident you are in your own abilities, it's a simple fact that a set of buffs and a suit of armor will make this grind go infinitely faster. It's a little sad, given that we were told prior to release that not everyone would be wearing armor, but for the time being, it's the best way to play.
If you can't afford a suit of Composite, a suit of Kinetic-layered Ubese will do nicely. If you are dirt poor, get some Chitin off of the Bazaar. Get some 3-hour buffs from your local Master Doctor (frequently found at major Starports such as Coronet and Theed) and head to your grinding location of choice. Your experience bar will thank you, and the rate at which you complete missions will turn the price tag into a profit.
"What are you, some sort of assasin?"
"When necessary."
What to kill? There are a great many opinions on this matter.
Low levels
Guf Drolgs on Talus
Levia Squalls and Tortons on Rori
Mid Levels (you will most likely need mid grade armor and buffs for these MOBS)
Grouping on Dathomir, killing just about anything
Quenkers, Huurtons and Pickets on Dantooine (beware, Savage Quenkers have an acid ranged attack and more HAM)
A variety of things on Yavin IV, such as Mamiens or Mawgaxes. Crystal Snakes are great, but sometimes poison.
Snorbals on Lok (though you can't get missions for them)
Crimson Blurrgs on Endor
High Levels (You better have armor and buffs for these guys)
Giant Baz Nitches and Gaping Spiders on Dathomir
Voritors on Dantooine
Gurks on Lok
"I just spent an hour taking down this rancor and all I got was a lousy 2000 xp, what gives? I thought I could get the entire marksman pistol line!"
XP Caps:
There are 2 kinds of XP caps and just because you can go after the big things, doesn’t mean you should. Some of you may have the cash to run out there now get advanced composite, get buffed, canape and all and be able to attack anything without fear of getting a scratch. That’s good and all, but it wont help for you to go take down a krayt just yet.
The first xp cap is an actual cap to the amount of xp you can actually get and hold. That is usually 2x the amount of xp needed for your next level. So if you currently have Pistols 2 in marksman and Pistols 3 takes 15,000 xp, you will cap your xp at 30,000 meaning if you have 30,000 pistol xp you will not gain any more even if you do kill a rancor.
The second type of xp cap is a scaling of XP for creature/your current level. You have a difficulty level associated with the weapon you are currently holding. And that is based on the amount of skill in that weapon. Whereas a Marksman with pistol 3 might be a challenge level 10, a Master Pistoleer could be a challenge level 60. How does this affect how much xp you get per kill? Well the amount of xp a creature gives will be scaled down significantly if the attacker is a lower level. If you a marksman pistol 2 take a few hours and take down a Krayt Dragon you may end up with the same xp as if you took a few minutes to take down a savage quenker. The moral of the story is, don’t go for the uber boss mob just because you can. Find creatures that give a healthy amount of xp that don’t take forever to take down. You should spend most of your leveling time from Pistol 3-most of pistoleer leveling on Dantooine with several of the mid level mobs there.
3 Final tips:
If you lay prone at around 60 meters, you can fire a bleed (Health Shot 1 or 2), /peace, stand up, and run out of range (to around 100m). When the first tick of damage occurs, the single target you bleeded will engage and run toward you, but his buddies won't. This is the preferred method of splitting up social creatures who aid one another in combat.
If you group with a low level pet (anything that cons blue or green to you) and leave him in the city, you can kill things on your own and gain an experience bonus. This is because experience payouts are based on the average skill level of your group.
Obviously, a real pet to help in the tanking department would be highly advantageous. Picking up a little Creature Handler or befriending one to group with goes a long way toward making this easier. Someday, maybe we'll have worthwhile combat droids.
"We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be order again. A new age..."
Okay, so Pistoleer has some problems and the fixes could take awhile. But there is some further advancement you can take to alleviate your struggle. You might try Smuggler or Bounty Hunter. If you pick up Novice Commando, you can get the Launcher Pistol and use it with Pistoleer specials to devastating effect. For some real template help, . Click Here.
And of course, read below for additional tips that Pistoleers have added. Some of them will be edited into this post.
LordMaxx
Thu Oct 14, 2004 10:37 am
#5
Link-BOX wrote:I can solo Kryats? nice
Well, if you get like a 2000 mind poison pistol sure!
just using it for hyperbole
BronzeFalcon
Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:18 pm
#7
I like Soft Tacos!!!!
Oh yeah great guide man, one question though; Is it really possible to kill some of the tougher mobs in Chitan Armor? That would be uber nice if so, i could save a big bag of cash that way. The list of good mobs to kill helps quite a bit, With my past characters I've just killed gurks in a comp suit that took me weeks to save for. It is nice to know there are other options for a noobish character right out of the gen screen.
Oh.... I hope they get rid of the REQUIREMENT of wearing armor in the Combat Revamp. Some of those Bio cloths are nice and would be a welcome break from constantly looking at the character you took pains to look so nice in the gen screendisguised infull armor and helm.
Over all Grt post man
LordMaxx
Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:10 am
#9
BronzeFalcon wrote:I like Soft Tacos!!!!Oh yeah great guide man, one question though; Is it really possible to kill some of the tougher mobs in Chitan Armor? That would be uber nice if so, i could save a big bag of cash that way. The list of good mobs to kill helps quite a bit, With my past characters I've just killed gurks in a comp suit that took me weeks to save for. It is nice to know there are other options for a noobish character right out of the gen screen.Oh.... I hope they get rid of the REQUIREMENT of wearing armor in the Combat Revamp. Some of those Bio cloths are nice and would be a welcome break from constantly looking at the character you took pains to look so nice in the gen screendisguised infull armor and helm.Over all Grt post man
Armor will always be a part of this game...but if you cant afford composite, Ubese is a nice choice...I have 75% kinetic ubese and 64% imperial shields against energy and Im usually pretty well off...
Mostly I fight PVE so kinetic is the only real protection you usually need....
Uthyr
Mon Dec 13, 2004 3:14 pm
#11
bhog wrote:
I am a soft shell taco
Pleased to meet you. I'm a can of spam.
bhog
Mon Dec 13, 2004 3:51 pm
#13
I was just wondering... I know you get pistol bonuses ( damage and speed ) for getting a branch in BH
and also commando i think. Is there any other bonuses you can get by taking on new professions?
and also commando i think. Is there any other bonuses you can get by taking on new professions?
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