SWTOR Flashpoints Beginner’s Tips

SWTOR Flashpoints Beginner’s Tips by Loxone

This is a quick list of things you need to know to start doing flashpoints in the game. Designed for people without much experience in instances or trying to draw from other games with more forgiving mechanics.

Lessons learned doing flashpoints with the same group up to and finishing the mandalorians at levels 21/22/23/23(companion):

You need to use all CC’s (crowd control) and you are given 60 second CC’s for a reason at various points during leveling depending on your class. Also CC the strongest mob(s) that is still capable of being CCed.

You cannot AoE elites or you will pull aggro from a JK tank, at least at lower levels they cannot keep threat on that many targets at once.

DPS needs to pick different normal targets and burn them down quickly then focus fire together on the elites in turn to efficiently take down targets.

Taunts will only get the attention of a mob(s) for 6 seconds and it will not generate any threat so it will break loose again if the tank can’t generate enough threat quickly enough. Save your taunts for when a target breaks for the healer and start generating threat so it will stick on the tank after taunt runs out. There is no reason to put taunt in your rotation for a mob that is already sticking on you.

The reason a JK/SW tank wants to leap into the next group right away is because they can only do white damage unless they have resources and they only get resources by attacking targets which means that once you finish off a group if you stop to heal up you are losing rage/focus and the tank will have a much harder time keeping threat on multiple targets on your next pull if you let it drop to 0 before engaging again. Discuss how the pacing is working for both tank and healer after the first couple of pulls and adjust for optimal efficiency.

On single target bosses the JK/SW tank cannot front load their damage for the reason above and therefore they need time to build up aggro before DPS starts wailing away. Other tanking classes are able to frontload as efficiently as most DPS but out of respect give them 3 seconds.

I’m far from an expert but I think if everyone is aware of all of the above points in a FP then it will go much more smoothly. There are probably several little things I have forgotten so if anyone has any other advice please feel free to add. Remember who the target audience is and also remember that my experience is based on the first 4 or 5 flashpoints.