Smuggler Archive
Thread: Old beta tester coming into the game finally, need some advice
Smuggler 0.4.1.4 (going to master)
Pistoleer 0.1.2.2 (will go up as much as possible)
Scout 4.0.0.0 (terrain and mask scent)
Medic basic for Stimp B use (am Master medic now, was MCM)
Second account for Weaponsmith and Armorsmith plus Master artisan
Squiders, Radiant
Master artisan (for the stuff he can make, and resource gathering)
Weaponsmith 2.4.3.4 (going to master, but only grind at starports waiting for ships)
Armorsmith Basic (for making AUK's)
Scout 4.0.0.0 (terrain and mask scent)
Medic basic (for Stimp B use)
Violet Vette, Radiant
ex MCM, Slicer, Fence
RedpointGP wrote:
Hi guys, I go back to the beta's of SWG but wasn't happy with content upon release. I just bought the game today due to lightspeed coming out in a few months.
I would like to be a smuggler, have no freakin clue whats good and whats not. Would like to roleplay, no clue what servers are good for east coasters and smugglers.
I can only speak for two servers. Sunrunner seems to be a pretty balanced and vibrant server, some active PvP, some roleplayers, reasonable economy. Wanderhome seems to be more focused around PvP, so the economy is much more skewed to "the best" crafted items, anything less doesn't seem to sell well. Also, because PvP is more central there, it seems that the server population is shrinking faster than elsewhere (as people get fed up and quit).
Both are west cost (I think) and both are newer servers thus didn't suffer from some of the earliest dupe exploits as badly.
Right now I'm think of 2 possibilities;
Master Smuggler
Master Pistoleer
Master TKA
Popular PvP template, not bad in PvE as well. Money would come from missions mainly, with a sideline in slicing and spices if you so desire.
Or;
Master Smuggler
Master Weaponsmith
(for the slicing of weps?)
Theoretically good money - but breaking into the weaponsmith market at this point is very difficult. Unless you find someone to sponsor you and give you a hand you'll have to spend several months reading swgcraft.com for the best resources and stockpiling. As far as combat - you'll find that Smuggler skills on their own (without pistoleer) is pretty frustrating and slow.
Which is a good way to go? For money and for possible pvp / pve. Which is the longer grind etc.
-Jeff
There will be a smuggler revamp before JtL launches - so hopefully you're getting in at the right time. Welcome back and hope you enjoy the game
As a beta tester who waited until December to start playing for the same reasons you waited, I'll let you know what happened with me.
My intention was to be a master smuggler, master pistoler, and enough merchant to have a vendor with the planetary map. But then I realized that pistoleer just wasn't strong enough to do anything by itself. So, I started looking into TKA as a bunch of other people had done, and I decided to go that route. It's a pretty fun template, but you're still kind of weak in PvP because of high kinetic resist armors (70-80% is considered standard). With pistoleer skills in PvP, you're not going to be able to do enough damage to counteract good doctor buffs, sadly. But the combat balance is coming soon, and we will hopefully see a change in that.
You'll really shine in PvE. Asa triple master, I can make more than one million credits in two to three hours. Against the big game like krayt dragons, you're going to find that you'll be better put to use as a tank rather than using pistols, but, again, the combat balance will hoefully allow us to contribute more in these types of groups.
I also have a weaponsmith alt. It's tough trying to break into that business. Weaponsmithing is completely based on what resources you have, and, having collected for three months or so, I still don't have resources to make some advanced components. It's a total David & Goliath business, and David may not win. It's quite possible that you'll make a really good WS, but be prepared to take a lot of time and money gathering resources.
I highly recommend that,no matter which way you choose, get Pistol Techniques 4 in the pistoleer tree before grinding up the smuggler pistol lines. If you decide to go for the triple master, fill up pistoleer first. It'll help you immensely with the smuggler stuff, as smuggler gives no bonuses to pistol skills. If you decide to do the WS thing, you can drop the skills after you finish with smuggler.
If you decide to go WS, start harvesting stuff ASAP.
I have to agree with Trini on a lot of points but I went ahead and did the triple master combo. TK is an extremely fun class to play and you will do very very well in PvE. It is a profession that works extremely well with useful skills throughout the whole skill tree.
Pistoleer is indeed weak relative to many other combat classes. The combat balance should address some of that but pistoleer is not very strong offensively. However, there are some nice defenses in the tree. Unfortunately, the defenses don't really compensate for the lack of offense.
Until the combat balance, if you want to excel in PvP and still be a smuggler, you may consider some combo involving pistoleer and fencer. Dodge stacks and when combined with ranged and melee defense it will make you extremely hard to hit. The stun batons dish out incredible damage in PvP (especially if enhanced with an Acklay bone), and scatter hit still cuts through armor.