Artifice - the Art of Being Filthy Rich?

[AstralFire]

So consider the following tidbits of data:

• • It is a known fact that as of a beta build which was current on 8/15/11, the Artifice skill constructed lightsaber modifications, armor overlays and underlays, focii, and feet and wrist items for Force users.
  
• • It is a known fact that as of PAX, the developers intend to make every piece of armor and weaponry with a cosmetic effect in the game fully moddable; these pieces of equipment will come 'built in' to better gear, but if you're willing to put in the effort, you can keep your starter gear from level 1 to 50 and it'll be just as statistically good as anything else.
• • Modifications cannot be removed.
• • Artifice is proving very popular on every preliminary polling, including our own roster.
• • You may only have one craft skill.

All of these pieces of data assembled present us with a picture that though Artifice may be popular, it might also be the single biggest craft skill in the game. Excessively so, in comparison, as no other skill I could find in the 8/15 build actually built armor modifications.

This leaves me wondering two things:

• • What are the odds the other craft skills go through a final overhaul so more of them can make armor mods? I'm thinking particularly Synthweaving and Armormech.
• • What would you do for a klondike bar?

I actually had a serious second question but I forgot it... so yeah.  Food for thought, don't think this can actually be answered right now.

[Ragnarok]

So consider the following tidbits of data:
• It is a known fact that as of PAX, the developers intend to make every piece of armor and weaponry with a cosmetic effect in the game fully moddable; these pieces of equipment will come 'built in' to better gear, but if you're willing to put in the effort, you can keep your starter gear from level 1 to 50 and it'll be just as statistically good as anything else.

Dedicated crafters will be able to create the best equipment in the game because it will have a 5th mod slot.

• What are the odds the other craft skills go through a final overhaul so more of them can make armor mods? I'm thinking particularly Synthweaving and Armormech.

Remember that Artifice is only for force users. Synthweavers will be needed to make mods for non-force users.

[AstralFire]

I saw no mention of making armor mods in the other crew skill descriptions before.  Was that an oversight? Talking about the one from alter.

[Paitryn]

arms tech makes mods for blasters, cybertech makes mods as well as boots....

not everything is going to fall into artifice. and unless they fix armor or gear in the next build or two, nothing will be fully moddable save for a few items here and there.

crafting wise you have to realize that it will be a very VERY expensive piece. and not all of your craftable pieces will have all 4 slots. crafters will need to RE a lot of their own stuff to get the schematics needed to make the gear with all 5 mod slots. plus we dont know if RE'd quest items give those schematics as well, leaving a very select few crafters playing the MMO altogether with the ability to craft certain items.

as for making large amounts of cash, Slicing by current build is the most payout for the least amount of effort granting credits without the need to sell to a player to get them.

[AstralFire]

Well, their internal builds have always been well ahead of any of the beta builds, and that's certainly what they were suggesting at PAX. (Re: Full moddability.)

And I was just speaking about armor, not weapon mods. I'll double-check cybertech in a bit, right now I'm working on another overhaul to the guide.

Slicing sounds good to me, especially because I wanted to do Slicing and maybe Investigation for RP. I just need to figure out a good third skill - undecided between Archaeology, a Craft Skill, or what. If I do a craft skill, I want it to be a craft skill that I can use myself.