Full Reverse! My Experience with Reverse Engineering

Chewie, how many times do I have to say it? Lock in the damn auxiliary power! Here we are being pulled towards the largest space station in the history of the galaxy and certain doom and you're rubbernecking in the copilot's chair!

Jeez.

It's like Bowdaar 2.0 in here.

Anyways, I want to talk about all of the reverse engineering I've been doing. All told, I've reverse engineered a grand total of 0 items. Zero. Zilch. Not a single one.

You would think this would make me wholly unqualified to talk about reverse engineering, but let me explain.

I don't reverse engineer because I don't think it will be profitable. For me to start reverse engineering an item, it would have to meet the following criteria:

1A. Coveted Premium (Green) Item: That is, if there is demand for the item slot, there will be increased demand for the better versions of said item. For instance, remember the level 15 Cybertech earpieces I love to talk about? Players buy those because they have no earpiece at all. Therefore, they're more likely to shell out a few extra credits for a prototype (blue) or even an artifact (purple) item.

OR

1B. Level Cap Item: There is no twinking in SWTOR,  so players are generally only concerned with getting the "best" gear at level cap. Easier to sell a player on a +5 stat boost when they know they will be keeping it for at least a while.

2. High Net Profit: The schematics granted through reverse engineering are coupled with higher materials costs. For instance, a green level ~15 mod might require two basic Underworld Metals at ~50 credits each, where the purple equivalent uses purple metals at 500+ credits each...when you can find them. It's difficult to pass a 1000% increase in materials costs onto your buyers and maintain profit margin, especially if the benefits are slim. So the question I ask myself is, Can I reliably find the mats I need to craft this?

It's hard enough finding a craftable item that meets those criteria (I do want to try level cap mods/armorings/etc. and will report on it if I do), but then there are other factors dissuading me from reverse engineering.

First, the opportunity cost is prohibitively high. Like, equal to 10 premium and 20 prototype items (a total guess based on a bunch of different guesses from around the net) for just a single artifact schematic. Making up for that drain in resources will take time.

Then, there is an element of randomness that can result in totally useless schematics. No Smuggler worth his spice is going to fork over extra credits for a +defense blue! Or worse, a +shield purple! And NOBODY is going to want level cap +presence purples, considering that stat is completely useless in endgame. This multiplies your opportunity cost. (Note: Mods, Barrels, etc. only gain existing stats rather than gain random ones, making them infinitely more predictable.)

Now, I understand that on high population servers, reverse engineering can open the door to untapped markets. But is it worth it?

So, have any of you forayed into the world of reverse engineering with success? Any selfless souls doing it for the good of their guild? Am I totally wrong on this? Let's hear it!

I've Made a Lot of Special Modifications Myself: Selling SWTOR Starship Parts

A Smuggler is only as good as his ship.

If you tried to lend the Republic a hand and run a couple of space ops for them upon finally retrieving your light freighter, you may have been in for a rude awakening. That Mike Tyson-faced thief Skavak stripped your ship! You have no beam generators, no armoring, no missile magazine! You're a sitting duck.

Ed Helms wears it better, you jerk.

At this point, you may have purchased a number of baseline parts from the local vendor. Or maybe you just said "forget it" and moved on to Taris. Or perhaps you checked the black mark--err, the GTN for parts.

For the savvy Smuggler, one thing is clear: there is a definite demand here. Every player gets a ship. Every player needs parts, 10 of them to be exact. Now, how can we take advantage of this?

Crafting, of course! Cybertechs can learn to craft grade 2 ship parts through schematics found via slicing. If you don't have a slicer, no worries. These are some of the first schematics a slicer will find, so you can usually find them on the GTN for a few hundred credits. Look for Grade 2 Beam Generator, Grade 2 Shield Regenerator, and Grade 2 Energy Shield to start.

Let's take a look at these items. They're blue, to start, which makes them appealing. In terms of stats, these are vastly superior to the Grade 1 items available via vendor. They are also comparable and in some cases surpass the green Grade 3 vendor items. For example, the crafted Grade 2 Beam Generator offers a 6 blasters/second firing speed and a boost to shields, while the Grade 3 vendor Beam Generator gives you only the firing rate increase.

So the crafted items are pretty good! And because players won't have to replace them until Grade 4 (also crafted!), they can afford to pay a premium for them. You should have success charging up to, and perhaps beyond, what the vendor charges for Grade 3 upgrades (between 2500 and 4500 credits).

This can be immensely profitable. Let's have a look at the mats for the Grade 2 Beam Generator:

4x Mullinine (roughly 100 credits each to acquire)
6x Plastoid (~25/per)
4x Conductive Flux (10/per)
8x Bronzoid (25/per)

So it generally costs me about 800 credits to craft one of these puppies. You can make thousands of credits on each spaceship upgrade. Try keeping one of each type of upgrade on the GTN at all times.

Because of the seemingly hefty materials cost and the fact that not all Cybertechs have these patterns, you will enjoy reduced competition when selling the finished products. Hope all of you are able to make a few credits this way!

And be sure to craft a set of upgrades for yourself. Stay one step ahead of those darned customs officials.

Tell Jabba I've Got the Money: Scavenging for Credits

If this blog is going to prove worthwhile in any capacity, I've got to jump right into the "goods".

I've had a lot of early credit making success in SWTOR with my Smuggler-oriented crew skill triangle of Underworld Trading, Scavenging, and Cybertech. Here's the deal: I'll pass along some of my patented tips if (IF) you promise to follow, comment, or at least check back here every once in a while.

Let's get to it.

Everybody is leveling like mad right now, and that includes crew skills. The average player (read: the majority of players) identifies the quickest path to leveling their crew skills. Whichever schematic takes the fewest resources is what s/he'll use to level. In the case of cybertech crafting, this means armorings and mods. These items get vendored because better Mods and Armorings are readily available via commendation vendors and because you can't possibly sell through 15 green Skill Armoring 7's on the GTN. No matter to most players, they'll happily take a 200 credit loss for a skill up.

But for the stingy Smuggler out there, this is unacceptable.

Now, I'm always skeptical of any instructions that include some number of "easy steps," but hear me out, because I've got three easy steps for you to follow:

1. Measure Demand: What do players want? MMOs are famous for gear progression nuts (myself included), and SWTOR is no exception. Character progression yields more empty gear slots, including ship upgrade slots, new droid companion gear slots, and more. As a crafter, your bread and butter will be supplying all of those Jedi with the items they crave.

Here is an early example of a great Cybertech crafting opportunity. Earpiece-slot items do not drop until after Coruscant, when players are nearly level 20 or higher. However, Cybertechs can craft earpieces for all four classes that only require the wearer to be level 15. This early boost in stats, filling an otherwise empty slot, is appealing.

Still, because earpieces take two more Laminoids (~50 credits) and two Conductive Fluxes (20 credits) compared to the Armorings at that level, most Cybertechs skip them. See what you can do on your server's GTN by posting one of each type at ~1000 credits profit each.

2. Identify Gaps in Supply: Of course, you won't make a killing on level 15 earpieces on every server. Somebody may have beaten you to the punch. But whether it's a crafting a different item or posting at different times of the day, there are always gaps to be exploited.

One of the very best ways to find gaps in supply is by obtaining unique schematics. Most crafters won't invest in low-level schematics on their journeys to the crew skill cap, so that profit can be yours for the taking. You will at least enjoy reduced competition and perhaps greater margins.

3. Swipe Cheap Mats: Every credit saved is a credit earned. Don't just send your companions out on missions willy-nilly. Take some notes on their returns and try to come up with an average cost for every kind of raw material. Then, you will not only know which trade missions are most rewarding, but how much you would be willing to spend for mats on the GTN.

One habit many crew skill levelers have is dumping leftover mats on the GTN after they have finished a crafting tier. Don't be afraid to invest in a large stock of cheap mats, you'll make it up in the long run. (Quick protip: It took me a week to realize your companions will craft using items in your "Cargo Hold" bank. Free up some inventory and dump your mats in there!)

Advertising on trade or general chat can also net you some cheap mats, so don't be shy and give that a whirl.

Now, I haven't yet assembled the army of alts I would like to have, so I don't have specific advice for many of the crafting professions yet. That will change with time, as I plan to address all of the crew skills with regularity.

Be sure to check back often as I delve deeper into the universe of credit making in Star Wars: The Old Republic!