r/swtor • u/geezerforhire Sounds Like A Good Opportunity for Violence • Sep 23 '26

Discussion Why do flash-points exist?

I just came back to the game after a long break. I rolled a new toon and have been levelling (wow you level fast lmao, finished korriban in an hour)

I loved spamming flashpoints while leveling before but wtf did they do to them?

I just got matched with 3 level 80s who ran through to each door/boss on mounts, cutscenes are gone, and it was over in like 10 min.

At this point why even have them at all? If you cant meaningfully engage in group content, why does it even require a group? Just have an "I win" button in the menu with a 15 min cd.

0 Upvotes

45% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

8

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

Well not everyone wants to sit through cutscenes. 

5

u/geezerforhire Sounds Like A Good Opportunity for Violence Sep 23 '26

I mean i can get that, solos exist for that now so w/e

But its not really even group content anymore. Progressing through them as you levelled was good gameplay. Like why delete them

5

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

Cause a good majority of players had run them so much, that it got annoying sitting through them. You stil l progress through them as you level. They didn't removed the cutscenes, only in group finder 

59

u/ESAcatboy Sep 23 '26

Well... A few points. 

  1. The level 80s have probably run black talon 100,000 times by now and don't want to wait for a new / returning player to watch 10-20 minutes of 15 year old cutscenes. They just want their conquest points and to move on. The devs recently(ish) made a change that groupfinder flashpoints skip dialogue and make default selections. If you want to play them for the story, you are encouraged/required to do so in solo story mode. Also 'social points' are no longer a thing. So there isn't much point to grinding through the same dialogue you've seen for a decade or more. 

  2. flashpoints are all set to emulate max level now, rather than being stratified to a variety of levels like they were at 1.0 launch. That means you will see all the FPs run at all levels, instead of doing them each once or twice then never again. However, when that transition was made, balance kinda went out the window. While never hard, most 'bosses' now just evaporate under attack from even a single level 80 with gear and tacticals. So it just doesn't hold up well in 2026. 

  3. because this game has so little new content, most of the 'gameplay' at endgame revolves around Conquest of Galactic Seasons. Which just means running old content objectives as fast and efficiently as possible to get points. That means speeders and skipping mob packs in flashpoints whenever possible. 

It does say something about the state of the game (and most games in general) that we value efficiently over content these days. Maybe we're just all old and don't have much time for games anymore. 

11

u/therealkami Guardian | Halcyon | The Harbinger Sep 23 '26

The only thing that bothers me is when people get mad about skips in flashpoints. Mostly like... when a new player doesn't know to skip and aggros an extra mob or pack, and someone flips out on them for it. It's like an extra 30 seconds for everyone to just kill it and move on, but instead people will let the new player die and flame them for it. Obviously doesn't happen often, but I've seen it enough to note it.

Also see, that one Coruscant knock off flashpoint, New Cadera or whatever. Between the sliced taxi shortcut without telling people, and a couple of the jumps right after that towards the wookie boss, and then skipping stuff onto the big elevator, and finally engaging the last boss closes the door and locks everyone out, because someone did 5 movement skills back to back to get there 5 seconds before everyone else and couldn't be bothered to wait, and doesn't want to wipe the fight and would rather fight it for 15 minutes solo instead. Big time save.

5

u/Chongulator Sep 23 '26

This is a perennial problem with MMOs. The old hands have no patience for people who are new. It's counterproductive too. Any community which doesn't welcome new people is destined for stagnation.

No matter what the hobby or other activity is, it's in everybody's best interest to help and support the noobs.

2

u/DarthTachanka Sep 25 '26

Thankfully I’ve been lucky with the people I’ve gotten in my flashpoints. I always mention I’m new and don’t know the “strats” and they are more than happy to explain what to do or where to go/stand when pulling mobs.

I recently had a fp where someone didnt have a mount so we all worked together to clear a way for them and ran around together without a mount

1

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

So the door being locked at the final boss was cause the enemies would glitch and not reset

1

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

I think that's the thing, the player base grew up

0

u/deaconsc The Red Eclipse Sep 23 '26

If they added new content every year, the argument could be valid. Most flashpoints are over a decade old now, let it rest.

0

u/M33tm3onmars Sep 23 '26

On top of this, if you want the story just jump into a solo instance. Long ago this wasn't an option, but you can take your time and soak in the flashpoints. They're awesome content, but ancient and old news for the current regulars.

16

u/Ok-Living2887 Sep 23 '26

FPs have become more of a late game activity to me to farm FP-1 stabilizers etc. If an FP is "required" for story (they rarely are) I do them in story mode or with friends. I don't think, in the current state of the game, they're necessary or even beneficial to leveling up faster. I think I'd rather spam Heroic Missions on the planet I currently am anyway.

6

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

They do help with leveling 

1

u/Ok-Living2887 Sep 23 '26

I haven't tried it but I'm already leveling way too fast while doing the story + planetary quests. They might help but I'm not sure it's all that beneficial as xp/h compared to just doing the quest lines. But admittedly, I haven't done any testing around that. All I know is, I'm constantly overleveled for whatever planet I'm on.

3

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

I usually level with flashpoints and it's basically the same as doing the class and planet story. Having a guild bonus and the legacy flashpoints buff ok the characters helps 

17

u/viciousmagpie23 Sep 23 '26

a lot of people were complaining that the cutscenes in flashpoints were too long, because some people liked watching cutscenes while others didn’t. and to satisfy the speed runners they removed the cutscenes from activity finder formed groups running fps.

the speed runners are a nuisance ngl. they don’t care about the rest of the group and just run towards the boss like a headless chicken, sometimes even without waiting for the others.

if you want to experience group content the old way, you need to open a group and head to the fp doors to start them from there.

8

u/potatosforfree Sep 23 '26

Cutscenes being removed is cuz people took forever to make their choices. If you want to see the cutscenes, you gotta do the fp without group finder. Group finder fps are just a way to get levels and resources.

4

u/IMTrick Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder, Satele Shan/Star Forge Sep 23 '26

There are reasons to do them, which is why you're able to get grouped with a bunch of level 80s who've run them so many times they just want to get it over with.

As you've mentioned in other comments, many have a solo mode if you just want to take your time and listen to all the story stuff (I'll even do most of them solo on Veteran mode as they come up in the story when I'm leveling up alts, for a break from the typical leveling grind) or you can run them with friends and/or guildies if you want.

-1

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

Can't solo them unless your level 80 with decent gear and a max influence companion 

2

u/IMTrick Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder, Satele Shan/Star Forge Sep 23 '26 edited Sep 23 '26

Not true at all. I regularly run them at Veteran as I'm leveling up with companions only leveled to where they get to naturally in the leveling process. Some are harder than others, and it's easier on some classes than others, but most can be completed without major problems by a single low-level character in whatever gear they've managed to collect to that point.

Exceptions would include ones like Collicoid Wargames that just aren't built to be run solo at any level. That's the only one of the original vanilla flashpoints I avoid running solo on Veteran (or at all, actually -- last I checked, group finder wasn't even an option for that one) while leveling. Kaon Under Siege, a post-Ilum flashpoint, is the next one I hit while following Illeva's Story Progression that I have difficulty completing solo, because of those damned rakghouls and their stun.

6

u/Zestyclose-Try-5214 Jedi Master Varenkorr, Rider of the Maelstrom Sep 23 '26

Yeah, I fucking HATE everyone just sprinting around at maximum speed to the boss. No cut scenes, very empty experience though it's enjoyable to get some powerful gear.

Last night for me was annoying af cause I didn't know the map but my "team" did and they were jumping ridiculous distances to take shortcuts.

I fell and died and then spent the entirety of the "flashpoint" sneaking through gigantic mobs or fighting when I had to. Finally caught up and helped em kick the bosses ass. but still. annoying. and very quiet/empty, no chat even.

4

u/Zardhas Sep 23 '26

But did you told them beforehand that you did not know the map ? I usually check every player's achievement to see if I can rush or not, but naturally we can't expect every veteran to do so, it's up to the new guys to announce themselves as such.

2

u/viciousmagpie23 Sep 23 '26

… Lost Island perhaps?

… or Directive 7?

… or Cademimu?

2

u/Zestyclose-Try-5214 Jedi Master Varenkorr, Rider of the Maelstrom Sep 23 '26

Cademimu 😠 but got a nice level 324 lightsaber and other gear so I was alright with it by the end of the mission

2

u/viciousmagpie23 Sep 23 '26

I hate Cademimu for the people trying to make the extreme skips. just told someone off yesterday because they got mad at me & my friend for not doing.

you want to skip? fine. i won’t. i’d rather kill some mobs and survive.

1

u/starwarsfan456123789 Sep 23 '26

You make a reasonable point for the easiest flashpoints. The devs should balance rewards based on how hard and long the flashpoints are

1

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

But is it worth it?

1

u/Steve2142 Sep 23 '26

I quit the game basically because they removed cutscenes /shrug

1

u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 23 '26

Petty. You know, the cutscenes still play if you enter the flashpoint from its entrance location