This past week, in part due to the podcast, I’ve gotten to thinking about how I’m approaching my SWTOR playing time a little different than I have approached some of my previous gaming time. And I thought it was about time I posted a Friday Five. And thus, we have today’s five:
- I rolled my main on a PvP server.
I’ve always liked world PvP, but had never played on a player versus player server, having primarily focused on PvE end game for my last 6 years of MMO playing. I found it truly heightens your factioncentricity — and hones your senses to be able to spot the enemy before they spot you. - I started in on the PvP as soon as I was high enough level to queue.
Yes, this meant I ended up playing way more Huttball than I would have liked, but I figured if I was going to be playing on a PvP server, I might as well get some solid PvP practicing in. The fact that I lucked out and the first champion bag I turned in at 50 had a sweet headpiece in it was just icing on the cake. - I’ve already rolled alts on 3 servers.
Rather than waiting until I was burnt out completely on my main to roll an alt or explore another server, I pretty much started thinking about friends I wanted to alt around with starting on day one. And yes I am still open to playing more alts on more servers so leave me a note as to where else I need a baby sorcerer (full up on sages atm.) - I’m using my professions as a primary way to support my characters.
Yes, I have always been a professions overachiever, leveling them up at the speed of light regardless of the impact on my pocketbook. But I am actively using them to finance my characters so that I am not dependent upon dailies or PvP or space missions or other such activities to fund them. - I’ve crossed raiding off my agenda for now.
That’s right. You read that correctly. Between real life being too busy and it being a significant effort to find and keep a regular raid team going of fun folks who have the same POV on raiding and teamwork as me, this has gone into the “maybe later” bucket list. I absolutely LOVE raiding as a sorcerer, mind you, but I don’t have the bandwidth to keep after it — and keep it enjoyable– right now.
So what about you? What changes have you seen to your gaming style or activities since you started playing SWTOR?
Inquisitor's Roadhouse 
I hadn’t thought about how may gaming time has changed until now, but mine has too. I’ve always been very PVE focused and I still am, but I really am just taking my time, enjoying the ride and alting it up like crazy with my friends. I’m not on a gaming schedule. I play when I want and do the things I enjoy. No mindless grinding or farming of mats! 😀
Have the nice relaxed pace is nice, yes?
Paying attention to quest text is probably the biggest, because it’s never mattered before now.
Of course, that’s a big one because my characters actually have a personality and goals so I need to be able to respond appropriately for each character.
Taking it slow. I’ve never really rushed into end game to begin with because my characters kind of die when they can no longer grow in levels, but I do typically get a main up there pretty quick. My highest character right now is still in the low 40’s.
Group questing. Until SWTOR I was always big on doing my own thing, running solo, and staying queued for PvP. But lately I’ve done almost nothing but group questing with my wife and/or friends. I still do a fair amount of PvP and solo play, but the focus right now is definitely more on the group thing.
I love how SWTOR has made it more fun and advantageous (through social points) to quest with others. Too often, MMOs seem to disincent that oddly enough.
I love this post! I have changed a lot of my game play as well, and some of the changes you made match mine.
My husband and I wanted a PvE server coming from a PvP one, however we are participating in warzones. I have made alts as well to help avoid the burn out, raiding is out for us and we are perfectly ok with it. We are focusing on leveling slowly, the story, soloing things together at different levels, and just really anything else differently that we wish we had done before in other games. This is the first time I don’t really feel pushed to the end and I’m loving it.
Great post! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post and nice to see I’m not the only one using SWTOR as a catalyst to shake my gaming style up a bit!
I find that I’m doing things differently in SWTOR mostly because I can’t do them in WoW any longer (my only other MMO): exploring character creation, learning lore and developing storylines, exploring the map, admiring the scenery, standing around in a city and just watching. It’s all new in SWTOR, and it’s all fascinating. I never rushed leveling in WoW and always loved creating and playing new characters (it took over a year to get my first level 60, and that was a few weeks before BC launched), and I notice that I’m doing the same now. I have many alts, with different looks and personalities and priorities. My highest character, a reroll, is 39 while my guildies (a few WoW guildies who, along with me, switched from pub to imp a few weeks ago) are generally ahead of me. Nevertheless, I learned through WoW that this is how I enjoy myself, so I’m taking full advantage of it while I still can.
I am finding that a whole army of alts is fitting my limited time for playing at the moment. It’s interesting seeing just how long I can stretch out the rested XP on each one…
@Psynister The bit about group questing resonates.
That makes me almost want to try SWTOR again. I’ve gotten to be a HUGE grump socially and if you’re not going to be social in an MMO – what’s the point?
I think it’s great that you’re trying new things!
I haven’t gotten much of a chance to play around with PVP in SWTOR but it’s definitely something I want to try. That’s not very far out of my comfort zone, though, since I love running Battlegrounds in WoW! My gaming time is so limited that when I do get a chance to fire up SWTOR I think I probably just fall into old, familiar habits. But I decided I really wanted to identify with my little Sage from the get-go. While I always have my priest’s thoughts and personality in mind when I play her in WoW, with my Sage I get to see the result of those thoughts actually played out when I choose a conversation option.
Having my character’s personality and decisions directly affect my game play options and the outcomes of my NPC interactions is one of my favorite parts of playing SWTOR, definitely.
I have slowed down a lot to smell the roses. I watch every cinematic. The only ones I skip from time to time are the spaceship departures.
I can play an hour or two and feel satisfied. I don’t feel the need, nor can I raid. Much like you I just don’t have the bandwidth in my life.
I’m really taking my time through the stories and feeling each character develop as their own entity.
I raced to get my legacy/surname, but afterwards I was able to settle into the play flow that I made a promise I would hold to.
The guild is not really active, but as with WoW, I go out to left field doing my own thing, but will help when called upon. Being a Bounty Hunter mainly and being solo seems to go together very well.
All in all I’m enjoying the game.
So glad to hear you are having a great time in game!
I’ve seen that many of my guilds are pretty quiet, which had also been the case for my WoW guilds over the past year. It’s tough finding like minded folks to play with during the times one plans to be online. I hope that gets easier in the future!