The expansive universe of Star Wars: The Old Republic is fraught with danger and mystery. To meet these obstacles head on, it is wise for you to have the best gear available. Sure, you can get some by slaying some of your foes or as a reward for completing a quest, but there is also another way to get gear – Commendations.
We all know the usual grind of MMORPG’s, you get a quest from some higher-up and then you set out on your adventure to slay your enemies. Upon your return, you have your choice of gear and some cash. Both are great, but sometimes you can earn better gear by not taking what is offered right away and that is where commendations come in…Commendations are an alternate form of currency is available in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Rather than just taking the mid-level gear offered by quest givers or from vendors, you can choose to get much better gear later by collecting these commendations, which sometimes fall off of higher level enemies or can be chosen as a quest reward. Each planet in SW: ToR has its own currency – Tatooine Commendation, Balmorra Commendation, etc.
Select the Commendation as a reward rather than the various gear choices.
In your inventory, you can click on the "Currency" tab to find out what type/how many commendations you have.
A lot of these items are not only much better than what you would normally get your hands on, they also have upgrade slots. These slots are divided into three categories – Amor, Enhancements and Mods. You can purchase these upgrades from “Mod Vendors” and there are even Commendation Mod Vendors which offer even better mods than those you would normally find.
Of course, there are also various lightsabers and weapons with these traits as well and can also be found at Equipment Commendation Vendors. Like your gear, you can upgrade your weapons with various mods to make sure they are always top-of-the-line.
These mods can be swapped out for new ones, letting you continue to upgrade your gear as you level.
You can upgrade your gear as you level, letting you keep a look you like. As long as you buy new mods, your gear can stay the same!
