Blasters, Beggars & Credits: The Item Modification System And Role-Players

Some players do it for glory. Some do it for infamy. Some like to accumulate the most points, or explore the far reaches of the worlds they inhabit. This, however, is not a column for those people. This is a column for those people who, quietly or not, enjoy making money so that their digital avatar can sleep on large piles of cash.

While I am not one to base server choice solely off where I can think I can make the most money, there is (perhaps) an angle on the recent mod announcements that people are not necessarily connecting.

Now, this regards two relatively important announcements about crafting from PAX. These may be more or less known to most people, but official confirmation is always welcome. The first point, from James Ohlen:

“The thing about moddable gear is you can mod it with mods that are at the highest level. So you can, for example, take 10th level Jedi Knight robes that look like what Obi Wan was wearing on Tatooine.”

That’s really important, for role-players. There will be quite a few people who want to retain the iconic Jedi look – the plain brown cloak and simple undergarments look – and the modification pieces will allow them to do that. Think jewelcrafting in WoW – same concept, really, except that the stats are completely dictated by the implanted items. One of the sources (hopefully the primary source), until raiding, are the crafters, and indeed, even after as the crafters who raid will gain access to make those. This leads into the second quote, also from Ohlen:

“Crafters can build Operation-level gear with operations mats.”

This is my hat. There are many like it but this one is mine (for 25 levels).

To wit, you can mod your level 10 standard Jedi robes with the best possible operation mods made by a crafter who has access to both raiding and the materials from raiding. This is a cash bonanza, if you are that crafter. Given the admittedly easy entry into the raid game, and the natural desire in this game for alternative characters, alt farming raids to gather mats to craft the best mods and materials will surely be present.

And here’s the thing: raiders are going to want the raid gear. They’re going to want to look like the amazing raiders they are – if you’re wearing a piece of armor that no one else can get because they can’t raid it, then you’re going to look amazing and unique.

"...no, really, I can't live without this mask. So, 200,000 credits for that mod? I guess - I mean, my life depends on it."

Role-players are going to be different from raiders. They’re going to enjoy a more relaxed pace, but also a more relaxed look. They aren’t always going to value a unique piece of raid armor, they’re going to value looking like how they think a character should look. By all reports there are a ton of armor looks in the game – if they are mostly modable, to the same extent that raid gear is (or to have equivalent stats), role-players will absolutely go for that. Even better are the role-players looking to break into raiding who want to mod their level 10 Jedi robes with the operations mods – they don’t have access to the drops if they are just starting out, which means (and I’m speculating, here) they will be forced to buy them – either non-bound versions, if they exist, from drops, or the crafted versions.

When talking about my ideas for writing this, one of my friends said, “Yeah, but aren’t the populations of role-players significantly lower than others?” This is true in other games, but it will not necessarily be true in Star Wars (and certainly not true on RP servers). SW:TOR will attract a significant amount of people who are playing for story and their own story-driven reasons, and less by the ‘Server First’ mentality of MMO players. Which isn’t to say there aren’t going to be those alpha folks too, because there will be plenty – and perhaps more if the raid game is compelling enough.

Also, the models of crafted pieces will play a part as well – if you can craft a really great looking piece at a mid-level, there might be intense amounts of profit in it. No longer would you be bound to crafting 1 or 2 pieces as the absolute best – your restraint will be based on aesthetic (or lack thereof) appeal.

"Yes, I got my robes on Hoth. What of it? They're warm, but airy."

All in all, I predict that role-players might shell out more money for the mods to retain their role-playing gear and retain its viability in the end-game. That focus change from the pieces of gear to the items in it is a nice touch for crafters (feel free to debate the merits of a raiding end-game where the fight won’t always be over the gear pieces themselves). It definitely puts crafting in a higher priority, and it absolutely increases appeal for role-players to use the systems.

Beggar’s Tip: Role-players aren’t the only ones who go for stylized looks. PvPers enjoy humorous-looking garb, so any actual pieces you can make that look silly (bikinis, “Emperor’s new clothes”-style items, pirate hats, etc) will sell well to that crowd – and the would include the PvP mods. Keep an eye out for those items, those sell well and can have high profit margins, especially if your competition is low.