New Guy Melee Grind Guide: The Stardust Way

NOTE: There are 3 numbers to remember: 216,000Weapon xp , 1,225,000Weapon xp , and 415,000Combat xp

## Melee Grind Guide

Using this method, you should be able to attain an advanced profession mastery within 6 sets of missions (A set consists of 4 missions from a normal mission terminal). Advanced profession is something like Master Fencer. \*Note: This guide is geared to new players with minimal experience within the Stardust server. Note: Ranged info at the end. Tatooine is recommended.

Things you will need:

* A grouping droid
	+ Train the droid in stay and group
	+ Group with the droid and leave it safely within the city
	+ Your mission payout will not be split - you will get full payment
* Another Combat Template Toon:
	+ Ask in galaxy chat if you do not already have one handy
	+ You can stayed group with a buffing Entertainer
		- More people in the entertainer group the better
		- Your mission payouts will be split, you will receive your cut regardless of distance from others
		- Other players won't receive anything if they are out of range
* Faction NPC 'Pets'
	+ This would be the best option instead of grouping with another combat toon
		- If you only group with what you own, you keep the mission payouts

Theory behind the grind guide:

* Set up your action bar
	+ You will be using mainly Beserk and Attack
	+ You will of course need peace, sit, and burst run
* Get buffed up and remove your starter clothing and equip your starter armor
* Equip your weapon you want to level up
	+ If you are going Fencer (1hand) I would suggest using your Stone Knife to start
	+ If you are able to get crafted starter weapons, please use them at all cost
	+ If you are able to get a 1 sec speed VK for Unarmed, please use it as well
* Group with your grouping droid
	+ Do not group with your combat toon at this time
	+ Do not group with your Faction pet at this time
	+ Only group with your grouping droid to minimize death
* **Get 4 missions** in the same direction
	+ Get Womp Rats mission if at all possible, they give the best xp when starting out
	+ Get Rockmite missions if you cannot find 4 Womp Rat ones
	+ Only get Eopie missions if you cannot find any of the above
	+ Note: If you need quick credits, Eopie and Mynock missions
		- They practically do no damage and their lairs can be killed quite easily
* Ride out to the nearest waypoint
* Now for the Theory behind the guide
	+ If you are at your Womp Rat lair, do not attack the lair
		- Stay at least 20 meters from the lair to avoid accidentally striking it
		- Attack a Womp Rat, Enable your Berserk and click your Attack button
		- Keep Berserk up while you are hitting Womp Rats
		- Clear the Womp Rats around the lair
		- Do not keep Berserk up on the last Womp Rat
		- Peace and sit to regain health
		- Now, hit the lair until the Womp Rats spawn to defend their home
		- Enable Berserk and walk back 20 meters from the lair, hitting Womp Rats along the way
		- Clear the Womp Rats and Peace/Sit and repeat hitting the lair method until cleared
	+ If you are at your Rockmite or Eopie or Mynock lair, attack the lair
		- Enable Berserk and attack the creatures around the lair
			* No need to walk back 20 meters, just kill the creatures before hitting the lair
			* Keep your Berserk up at all times until the lair is cleared
	+ Do not bother with training until you get at least *216,000 xp* (91,000 xp to learn the Brawler Tree & 125,000 to attain Novice). Finish you mission set if you reach the required xp do not stop the mission set.
		- **This should take 2 mission sets (8 total terminal missions)** if you used Womp Rat missions, 3-4 sets if you took other than Womp Rat missions
		- **Note: Do not train if you plan on going Mastery in Brawler. Repeat this process for each tree, each tree requires 91,000 xp so plan accordingly**
	+ Train up and purchase a better weapon
		- If you used players to train you up, you should be able to purchase a better weapon
		- Do not bother with new armor at this time - your starter armor is just fine
	+ Change your toolbar
		- Add your weapon spin attack to the toolbar
		- Add your weapon lunge attack
		- Add Center of Being
		- Add Intimidate
		- Do not use Berserk
	+ You will now need to group with another combat toon or faction pets (faction pets are cheap and don't take your credits)
		- **Get 4 more missions**
			* This time, avoid Womp Rats
			* Pick Eopie,Ronto, and Bantha missions
			* Pick Dewback missions if you cannot get 4 of the above
		- Ride out to the mission
			* Note: Your spin attack has a passive radius of 16 meters, you will need to keep this in mind
			* Clear the creatures around the lair - keep from hitting too many creatures or the lair when using your spin attack
			* Keep your Center of Being up
			* Keep Intimidate on the creature you have targeted
			* Once the lair is cleared of creatures, attack the lair
				+ Once the creatures spawn to defend the lair, move back 20 meters keeping them within your frontal cone
				+ Kill creatures using spin attack
				+ Keep Center of Being up
				+ Peace and Sit once the spawns are cleared if needed
				+ Repeat the process until lair is cleared
			* Repeat until your set of missions is completed
				+ You should have *1,225,000 xp* or more after doing the 4 missions
				+ If you do not, you will need to do another set of missions
					- This would indicate that your group isn't granting you higher end missions
					- This would also add maybe 1-2 sets of mission to reach Mastery
					- Do not stop a set of missions once you do them
		- Train up the tree that grants you the improved spin attack
			* Teras Kasi xx4x
			* Fencer x4xx
			* Swordsman xx4x (This tree won't grand you a speed bonus - I suggest getting xx1x then going x41x for the needed speed bonus)
			* Pikeman 4xxx
		- Update your toolbar with the Improved Spin Attack
			* Add a Stand command to your toolbar
		- Stay grouped with your combat toon or faction pet
			* Get 4 missions
				+ You should see more Grizzled Dewbacks and Matriarch Banthas at this point - avoid Bull Banthas and Cannibal Dewbacks unless you need quick credits as they do not give a lot of xp
					- It is due to the fact you have a completed tree within the advanced profession
					- Pick Matriarch Bantha missions over Grizzled Dewbacks - Pick Mountain Squills if your weapon has decent stats
			* Ride out to the missions
				+ Attack the lair using your Improved Spin Attack
				+ Keep Center of Being up at all times
				+ Dewbacks will knock you down, click stand when they do
				+ Banthas will make you kneel (Posture down), click stand when they do
			* **You will need to do 2 sets of missions**
				+ The 2 sets of missions should have given you more than *2,450,000 xp*
			* Do Not Train until all xp is gathered
				+ Do not stop a mission set once you do them
				+ You will need to get enough combat xp as well
				+ You would have needed 3,891,000 total weapon xp to fill the weapon xp trees
				+ You will have needed 4,150,00 total weapon xp to reach enough combat xp to fill the combat xp tree (415,000 combat xp)
				+ If you do not have enough combat xp, do not train, do another mission until you have reached ***415,000 combat xp***)
			* Train

## Range Guide

Follow the melee guide for lair and xp guidance. That maximizes your level vs kill vs xp. Training each block individually will only slow down your progress - train as the guide dictates.

Keep this info in mind:

* Use Point Blank Area for your aoe attacks. You will need to walk backwards while doing so to keep the mobs in front of you due to the cone effect of point blank area.
* When getting your improved aoe attacks, you may need to walk backwards so the lair is out of range of your weapon
	+ A narrow frontal cone will require you to be observant of any mobs not taking damage outside of the cone. Adjust as needed.
* To maximize level vs kill vs xp you will need to grind towards the following trees:
	+ Pistols: XX4X with Fan Shot being your improved aoe
	+ Rifles: xx4x with Improved Startle Shot being your improved aoe
	+ Carbines: xx4x with Improved Suppression Fire of being your improved aoe