Topics: Getting Started, Sources for Supplies, all about the Skills, Advanced Crafting

Update 4.0 changed the Crafting System a lot. Read about these changes in the developer blog. This guide is for the new system with changed recommendations and leveling.

Getting Started

Once you finish Chapter One you can learn Crew Skills. The trainers are on the Fleet in the Strongholds & Crew Skills corner on the main level. Each character can learn max. 3 skills*. Crew Skills are divided into Gathering Skills, Mission Skills and Crafting Skills. Materials for crafting items are obtained through the other two skill types. Usually min. 3 Crew Skills (one of each type) are needed. Most Crew Skills are performed by your companions. Therefore it is useful to have a high Influence Rank with them in order to speed up missions and get a higher critical chance. Read more about Influence in Dulfy's guide. The more companions you have the more you can send on missions**.
* Subscribers get all 3 slots for free. F2P-Players can learn 1 skill per character. Preferred players get 2 crew skill slots per character. F2P and Preferred can buy crew skill slots with CC or on the GTN or divide their skills between different characters of a legacy.
** F2P and Preferred players can only send 3 companions at a time on missions.

Sources for Supplies

Usually Gathering Skills supply you character with the needed matrials. But there are alternative ways.
Harvesting Nodes also exist as Stronghold decorations which yield materials. They are rewards for conquests (appart from the free Grade 1 decorations). These special nodes can be harvested by all charcters of your Legacy.
Jawa Scrap Peddlers will sell you Premium, Prototype and Artifact crafting materials for corresponding scrap parts. They can be found in the Cartel Bazaar on the Fleet or bought as Stronghold Decorations from the Personell Agent.
Crew Skill Trade Vendors sell crafting supplements (standard quality crafting materials). You can find them on the fleet and on many planets. The same materials are also sold by your Advanced Field Repair Droid (unlock through Legacy window).
Silas Fleetfire, the Smuggled Supplies Vendor on Odessen, sells Exotic Isotope Stabilizer for 25 Glowing Data Crystals.
The GTN is very important for crafting. Not only can you buy mats there, but also missions which yield better results. Of course you can buy Harvesting Nodes and Jawas there, too.

Gathering Skills

Coruscant/Dromund Kaas and higher planets have Harvesting Nodes which yield crafting materials for characters with a Gathering Skill. The nodes for your skill are visible on your map. You can harvest them even when all your companions are busy. From Gathering Missions companions bring back crafting materials, even the standard quality ones. Missions with better yields can be found by slicers and bought on the GTN. In some Flashpoints Gathering Skills are usefull for e.g. shortcuts. To see a complete list visit SWTOR Strategies. Superfluous mats can be sold on the GTN for profit.

Archeology
Useful for the following Flashpoints: Athiss, Mando Raiders, Hammer Station, Cademimu, Colicoid Wargames, Red Reaper
Yields:

• Power Crystals
  
• Artifact Fragments
  
• Color Crystals
  
• standard quality crafting materials
  

Bioanalysis
You can harvest some killed monsters/animals after fights. Useful for the following Flashpoints: Athiss, Mando Raiders, Hammer Station
Yields:

• Biochemical Samples
  
• Biochemical Compounds
  
• standard quality crafting materials
  

Scavenging
You can harvest some killed droids after fights. Useful for the following Flashpoints: Athiss, Mando Raiders, Hammer Station, Cademimu, Colicoid Wargames, Red Reaper
Yields:

• Scavenged Metals
  
• Scavenged Compounds
  
• standard quality crafting materials
  

Slicing
This is the most important Crew Skill. Sliced Tech Parts are needed to craft Artifact quality items, augments and Conquest/Stronghold items. It's also the only skill to yield credits directly. Useful for the following Flashpoints: Athiss, Mando Raiders, Hammer Station, Cademimu, Colicoid Wargames
Yields:

• Credits
  
• Sliced Tech Parts
  
• Cybertech Schematics
  
• Missions for all Gathering/Mission Skills
  

Mission Skills

These skills are performed by your companions. They need a long time and a lot of money to level up. Missions with better yields can be found by slicers and bought on the GTN. All Mission Skills yield Companion Gifts.

Diplomacy
This Skill makes it easy to maintain a neutral alignment for RP pourposes.
Yields:

• Medical Supplies
  
• Dark Side/Light Side points
  
• Companion Gifts
  

Investigation
Yields:

• Researched Compounds
  
• Companion Gifts
  

Treasure Hunting
Yields:

• Gemstones
  
• Lockboxes containing items
  
• Companion Gifts
  

Underworld Trading
Yields:

• Underworld Metals
  
• Luxury Fabrics
  
• Companion Gifts
  

Crafting Skills

Buy Prototype schematics from your trainer to craft items. To learn the Artifact version of these items you can Reverse Engineer them. You will get back some of the used mats this way.

Armormech
Useful for: Smuggler/Agent and Trooper/Bounty Hunter, especially Vanguard/Powertech Tanks and Prefab Crafter
Crafts:

• Resistive Armorings (Endurance)
  
• Augments: Mastery, Shield, Absorb
  
• Armor: Medium, Heavy

Recommended Skills

• Scavenging
  
• Underworld Trading
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Augments, Stronghold schematics)
  

Armstech
Useful for: Smuggler/Agent and Trooper/Bounty Hunter, especially Scoundel and Agent
Crafts:

• Barrels
  
• Augments: Mastery, Shield, Absorb
  
• Shotgun (Scattergun), Vibroblade
  
• Weapons: Blaster Pistol, Blaster Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Assault Cannon, Electrostaff, Techblade, Techstaff

Recommended Skills

• Scavenging
  
• Investigation
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Augments, Stronghold schematics)
  

Artifice
Useful for: all classes, especially Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior and Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor and Prefab Crafter
For reputation dye schematics a high standing with the Voss, the Imperial Guard on Belsavis/Republic Fifth Assault Battalion (Section X), the Makeb Imperial Forces/Citizens of Makeb and the Ordnance Acquisition Corps/The Adjudicators (CZ-198) is recommended.
Crafts:

• Hilts
  
• Color Crystals
  
• Relics
  
• Offhands: Generator, Focus, Shield
  
• Dyes
  
• Weapons: Lightsaber, Doublebladed Lightsaber

Recommended Skills

• Archeology
  
• Treasure Hunting
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Stronghold schematics)
  

Biochem
Useful for: all classes, especially Tanks and PvP
Crafts:

• Implants
  
• Medpacs
  
• Stims
  
• Adrenals

Recommended Skills

• Bioanalysis
  
• Diplomacy
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Stronghold schematics)
  

Cybertech
Useful for: all classes
Crafts:

• Mods
  
• Enhancements
  
• Earpieces
  
• Grenades
  
• Starship items

Recommended Skills

• Scavenging
  
• Underworld Trading
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Stronghold schematics)
  

Synthweaving
Useful for: Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior, Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor and Prefab Crafter
Crafts:

• Versatile Armorings (Mastery)
  
• Augments: Critical, Alacrity, Defense
  
• Armor: Light, Medium, Heavy

Recommended Skills

• Archeology
  
• Underworld Trading
  
• Slicing (for Artifact grade items, Stronghold schematics)
  

Advanced Crafting

Crew Skills not only allow you to create your own gear. You can help your guild get more Conquest points and craft special items (Prefabs/Dark Projects) you can trade for decoration. To participate in Conquest events all normal Gathering Skills and their corresponding Crafting Skills are useful. All Crafting Skills can craft one of the following Prefabs: Industrial and Synthetic. To craft Universal Prefabs you need at least 2 different Prefab Crafting Skills and Underworld Trading. TOR Decorating has a full list of items you can get for Prefabs.

In order to craft endgame gear (lvl 64-65) all Crafting Skills need 3 new exotic crafting materials. Exotic Isotope Stabilizer, Dark Matter Catalyst and Strategic Resouce Matrix. The latter are only needed for Artifact grade items. Dark Projects need the Exotic Isotope Stabilizer too. Exotic Isotope Stabilizer can be bought from a vendor on Odessen or found in Hardmode Flashpoints, Dark Matter Catalyst in Operations and the Strategic Resouce Matrix is rewarded for the completion of your personal conquest goal.

You learn the schematics for these high level items either by Reverse Engineering Modifications acquired from Operations gear or Reverse Engineering gear acquired from your respective Trainer. This gear has a guaranteed Reverse Engineer chance. The highest craftable endgame gear is equivalent to Hard Mode Operations gear.