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Reverse Engineering 101
In SWG there are two kinds of Reverse Engineering (RE), they are ground RE and space RE. This section of the forum and this guide covers only ground RE.
Only Domestic, Engineer, and Munition Traders can do ground RE:
Domestic Trader --- for clothes
Munition Trader --- for armor
Trader Engineer --- for weapons
Only Structure Traders can do space RE.
Equipment
Reverse Engineering Tool --- this tool is used for all tasks in ground RE, it works for armor, clothes, and weapon enhancers. Its efficiency range is 0 to 10.00. All traders can craft this tool, also Structure Traders even though they cannot use it.
Socket Retrofitting Tool --- this tool can free up an occupied socket, an action that destroys the attachment; however, it does not exist any tool to get back attachments. The schematic for this retrofitting tool is obtained via an expertise option, but it is seldom used, if ever.
Skills and Abilities
There are three most important items to remember, select the Attachment Upgrade expertise, and improve on the RE Chance skill and the Luck attribute; crafting stations, city specializations, or any other kind of ability, buff, or skill does not have any proved effect. Other tasks related to RE benefit from other buffs, for example assembly for sockets.
RE Chance is more important than Luck; a master trader has 100 points and can obtain 10 more from the Deconstruction Technique expertise and thence it is a must-have expertise. Maximum is 159 points; see Appendix A for details.
Luck is obtained from modded suits, entertainer and smuggler buffs, eatables, stims, etc; see Appendix B for sources. It is debated when Luck vs. cost goes crazy but consensus is that Luck around 500 is enough for basic tasks, and 750 or higher works for HQ; the more the better on a deminishing scale of return.
Attachment Upgrade is a most important expertise, without it a trader cannot create multi-stat enhancements; this is a must-have expertise.
Sockets are added at random to an item in the crafting process but +160 Assembly "guarantees" a socket.
Notice: the type of Assembly must match the type of item: Artisan Assembly for Artisan items, Tailor Assembly for Tailor items, etc. Also, crafted jewelry never get sockets.
Concepts and Basic Overview
The basic items are: power bit, modifier bit, "skill enhancing attachment" (SEA), and "power-up" (PUP); and the basic terms include: "power bit order", "power conversion ratio", "basic modifier", and "exotic modifier".
Power bit --- this item is RE:d from a statted item. Max strengt is 35.
A statted item is an item with one or several stats and it is either looted, or it is crafted and a SEA with one or several stats is added to it. An item which is, or can be, bio-linked cannot be RE:d, not even by its owner.
RE a looted item and the resulting power is based on the best of its stats plus a bonus which is determined by the item's combat level (CL), by the trader's RE Chance and Luck, and by the dice roll.
RE a crafted item and the resulting power is at most +1 point per turn; a less skilled RE-trader struggles with the more 0-turns.
Order --- a power bit is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd order, which allows for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd modifier at the final SEA:
1st order can be replaced by any other order, but...
2nd order requires a 2nd order, and...
3rd order requires a 3rd order bit.
For a PUP anything is OK.
Modifier bit --- this item is RE:d from two looted junk items of different kinds. The number of possible combinations is several thousands because more than 120 different junk items exist. Known combinations are reported by players like you and me to: The JunkYard.
Power Conversion Ratio is a property of all modifier bits and is an integer between 1 and 18, the fix value is set by the modifier type. The value of the power bit is divided by this ratio, see below.
Basic Modifiers: Agility, Constitution, Stamina, Block Value, Camouflage, Luck, Precision, and Strength; these have Power Conversion Ratio = 1.
Exotic Modifiers: all non-basic modifiers; they have Power Conversion Ratio up to 18.
Skill Enhancing Attachment (SEA) and Power-UP (PUP) are the final products from RE. To create these items one modifier bit and one power bit are put into the RE tool. To create a multi-stat SEA also another SEA is added to the tool, see below.
PUP --- this item has just one modifier but several charges and each charge lasts for 30 minutes. A PUP is temporarily attached to a breast-plate, shirt, or weapon and it does not need a socket.
The strength of a PUP is based on this formula: Code: PUP = round_down( 2 * Power_Bit / Modifier_Ratio * RE_Chance / 100 * X ) X varies around 1.0 but it is unclear exactly how X is defined. Either way, X is definitely there somehow and it is strongly governed by Luck and the dice roll.
A simpler and less accurate formula reads: Code: PUP = 3 * Power_bit / Modifier_Ratio
Notice:
-- A PUP cannot take any kind of Experimentation modifier.
-- For a short period it was possible to create +15 PUPs, however, now it seems as max is +11.
SEA --- this item can have max 3 modifiers; it is not possible to stack the same kind of modifier in one SEA.
The strength of a modifier at a SEA is determined by the following formula and it is set when the SEA is created Code: MOD = round_down( Power_Bit / Modifier_Ratio )
Notice: SEA with exotic modifiers
This type of SEA is possible to attach just to shirts, breastplates, and at any weapon. These are called Shirt, Breastplate, and Weapon SEA respectively. An important limitation is read in "Multi-Stat SEA".
Wanted Power: when dividing power by ratio any decimals are discarded, hence it is a waste to use a too strong power bit. This is a list of wanted power versus conversion ratio: Code: 35 - 1, 5 and 7
34 - 2 and 17
33 - 3 and 11
32 - 4, 8 and 16
30 - 6, 10 and 15
28 - 14
27 - 9
26 - 13
24 - 12
Examples:
Power bit: Assume you have a looted vest with Luck +17; its CL, your RE Chance and Luck, plus fortune affect the RE process so the resulting power bit comes out weaker, equally strong, or stronger, most often 1st order but sometimes 2nd order. Assume the vest resulted in a 1st order power bit with power 19.
Modifier bit: RE two looted junk items, for example Medical Console and Circuit which always results in a modifier bit with Reverse Engineering Chance. The conversion ratio is 10 for RE Chance.
SEA: Now use the power bit with strength 19 and the RE Chance modifier bit to create a SEA; this results in a SEA with RE Chance +1. The reason is that 19/10=1.9 which is rounded down to 1, decimals are discarded.
PUP: Assume your trader has RE Chance 110 and now rather use the power bit and the modifier to create a PUP.
2 * 35 / 10 * 110 / 100 * ~1.0 = 7.7 => 7.
Compare that with a trader who has 157 RE Chance, that yields a PUP with RE Chance +10 or perhaps +11 if you have high enough Luck and fortune that perhaps yields X > 1.00091. And a trader who has 159 RE Chance must rather be extremely unfortunate to face a 10.
Summation of Basics: - Buff your RE Chance and Luck
- RE 1 statted item for a power bit
- RE 2 junk items for a modifier bit
- Use the power bit and the modifier bit to create a SEA or PUP
Remember, this is an example, usually a "boosted" power bit is used together with the modifier bit...
Boost a Power Bit
When you RE a looted item it normally gains some points of power, but it is still far from 30 or 35. With an iterative process (several repetitive steps) the power bit is slowly boosted upwards; how many iterations it takes is determined by your RE Chance, Luck, and fortune.
Prerequisites: The iterative process consumes a large amount of crafted items that must have sockets; suggested items are casual shoes, BH belt, and decorative knifes (I use "belt" in the examples). Furthermore, it consumes a large amount of basic modifier bits (non-exotic). Once you are prepared the iteration begins:
- Maximize your RE Chance and Luck
- Create the first SEA as described previously: 1 power bit + 1 modifier bit
- Add the SEA to a belt
- RE the belt to get back a power bit, hopefully a stronger one
- Create another SEA with the power bit and a modifier
- Repeat from 3) until the wanted power is obtained
- Create the final SEA/PUP but with the wanted modifier
Remember that "wanted power" is determined by the conversion ratio of the wanted modifier, as is described above.
Misfortune in step 4 sometimes yields a weaker power bit, enforcing yet more iterations. However, if you face too many mishaps the risk is that RE Chance or Luck is insufficient.
Multi-Stat SEA
The Attachment Upgrade expertise is essential to be able to create multi-stat SEAs.
Limitation: If one or more exotic modifiers should go into the final SEA, one of them must be added in the first step, as the first modifier. This creates a shirt, breast-plate, or weapon attachment.
Prerequisites: This method consumes 3 power bits with the wanted powers (created as described above), 3 wanted modifier bits, one item with 2 stats, one item with 3+ stats, and a few casual modifiers and belts.
- Create a first SEA; use the first power bit and the wanted modifier (remember the limitation about exotics)
- Create a 2-statted SEA...
- If the second power bit already is 2nd order, go directly to step d --- otherwise, use it to create a temporary SEA with a casual modifier
- Add it to a belt
- RE the belt together with a 2-statted item to make a 2nd order power bit with retained power
- Create a SEA using this 2nd order power bit + a wanted modifier + the first SEA
- Create a 3-statted SEA...
- Use the third power bit to create a temporary SEA with a casual modifier
- Add it to a belt
- RE the belt together with a +3-statted item to make a 3rd order power bit with retained power
- Create a SEA using this 3rd order power bit + a wanted modifier + the 2-statted SEA
Any strength works for the multi-statted loot because the power comes from the power bit.
Misc & FAQ
- Spec-Ops Duster takes Shirt Attachment but Armor PUP
- Jedi Robe takes Breastplate Attachment but Weapon PUP
- PSG takes Armor Attachment
- Wearable slots from head to toe: headwear, shoulder armor left+right, bicep armor left+right, gloves, shirt, breastplate, bandolier, belt, pants, and footwear (12 pieces)
- Jewelry: necklace, bracelets left+right, and rings left+right
- Inherent modifier: breastplates and weapons can be crafted with an inherent modifier, a socket, but no trader experimentation skills --- this inherent modifier is reduced to just 40% of the original power
Does the Socket Retrofitting Tool remove inherent modifiers crafted into items?
No, the tool removes only modifiers from the attached SEA, not modifiers crafted into the item.
APPENDIX A: RE Chance Sources
Code: + 100 Trader CL 90
+ 10 RE Expertise
+ 11 Breastplate PUP
+ 11 Shirt PUP
+ 11 Weapon PUP
+ 5 Cybernetic Deconstruction Arm
+ 3 Shirt SEA
+ 4 Breastplate SEA (incl. inherent modifier)
+ 4 Weapon SEA (incl. inherent modifier)
= 159 RE Chance
APPENDIX B: Luck Sources
Code: + 90 Trader CL 90 (more for the races Bothan, Mon Calamari and Twi'lek)
+ 40 Charmed Artifact
+ 50 Smuggler "Off the Books" Buff
+ 100 Smuggler GCW Banner
+ 100 Buy a kiss in booth next to Meatlump King (sometimes a -100 Luck kiss, see below)
+ 110 Cybernetic Deconstruction Arm
+ 125 Regular Jewelry (5 items with +25 each), or ...
+ 150 Denelian Fizz Pudding
+ 150 Heroism Jewelry (5 items * 30)
+ 150 Entertainer buff
+ 200 Shard Of Retaliation
+ 200 Chu-Gon Dar cube stims: Styptic Powder v3 + Willpower Boost Stim v3
+ 455 Wearables + weapon (13 items with +35 SEA on each)
(+ 50 Smuggler Spice (pre-NGE))
= way, way more than 1200 Notice that the Cybernetic Deconstruction Arm will take away the Bicep and the Shoulder armor items, but net balance is still positive.
Meatlump King, see post by Phonelesscord.
APPENDIX C: RE Chance Modifier Bit Combinations:
Code: Medical Console + Circuit
Medical Console + Droid Memory ModuleChance
Medical Console + Untuned Circuit
Used Notebook + Differential Regulator
Used Notebook + Electronics Module
Feralmonkey's RE Guide
Grreeta's RE Guide
The JunkYard
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