I need to break this awful truth to you so please don’t flame me for being the messenger… Most guides out there are just rehashed junk. But I’ve seen some really good ones out there and they are rare. I would like to introduce you to a guy called ‘T Dub’. He is really a pro when it comes to writing game guides and it is backed by credibility (he has released highly endorsed guides like Farmville Secrets and lots more in the World of Warcraft series). I have to be totally honest with you… I was extremely skeptical when I first started seeing Star Wars: The Old Republic guides popping up all over the net.

After getting my butt handed back to me in a PvP battle, I decided that it is high time to learn how to win. With some spare cash in my credit card, I banked it in just to find out the truth. I read a few lines of T Dub’s stuff and I can honestly say that this guy really knows what he is talking about. Just one of the tips in his walkthrough saved me hours in game time and the rewards were great! I soon discovered the top players will never share with you their secrets. It’s almost like a SWTOR elite club and it’s hard to get in. People don’t know all the map and the pros take advantage of these secret spots to get the best items! But after reading the guide, it was as though the light shined upon me and I can find the way now. My recommendation is that you take a look at this right away because what you don’t know will kill you and what you do know will save you lots of time and heartache.

But T Dub is different… Star Wars: The Old Republic Secrets Are A Collection Of Class Guides That Will Blow Your Mind… Because there’s so much you can learn from it! Initially, I thought the idea was really audacious. Because who on earth can ever come up with a guide book on each and every class out there?

Think about it – 4 main classes PER SIDE with 2 sub classes for each main class… it’s a total of a whopping 16! But he has gone all out in this latest release. You will learn how to master your class. You will learn everything from PvP, Leveling, race choices, building your crew – everything you can think of.

I’ve learned that there are many ways to tackle operations and to complete them within a few hours without ‘dying’ and coming back over and over again. I’ve also learned how to optimize my skills to make sure I won’t have to waste my points on all the wrong stuff. It’s a whole education that is worth your time because understanding how the game works will definitely save you on a lot of heartache.

But, the speed with which they beat us and the ability they showed to separate us and deliver direct, targeted hits to each class as though they knew exactly what we were each about to do was surprising. I couldn’t keep up because they knew where we were going and when.

So, after we lost, I asked how they got so good. Duelling, they told me. They spent between 5 and 10 hours a week duelling each other and various other classes in Undercity, learning how to take on their opponents in surprising and incredibly effective new ways.

How to Use Duels to Your Advantage

Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time studying duelling and how it can help you in PvP. You’ve probably been told more than a few times that duelling is a good way to practice for any form of PvP, but have you actually done it? Probably not.

But, think about what duelling does for you. It allows you to quickly and easily generate powerful combos that work against specific shot rotations, memorize and respond to emotes that your opponents will use when casting, manage your CC better against trap heavy classes and learn how to interrupt some abilities and just absorb others.

It will take time to engrain those situations and strategies deeply within your mind, but you’ll need them to be in there if you ever want to stand a chance of staying alive until the match is over. So, here’s what I recommend.

Get a group of friends together (your arena or BG team) and go to a popular duelling spot for your faction. Now, commit to completing at least 5 duels every night before you do anything else. I don’t care if there’s new content on the servers – get out there and duel because without this highly valuable tool, you’ll never stand a chance of getting the experience and quick reflexes you need to succeed in any form of PvP.

1. Be Willing to Change Position

If you think you’re a great flag carrier in WG or Twin Peaks, but your team thinks otherwise, don’t be a jerk about it. Maybe you are the best, but arguing and throwing a fit about being moved isn’t going to give you your preferred spot. It will likely just annoy your teammates and get you kicked from future matches. Not only that, but rotating through different positions in a BG will help you to better understand what you can do.

2. Choose a Leader and Stick with Them

Every BG team should have a single leader who is responsible for calling plays. Every sports team has a coach and a captain – people who are better at seeing the entire field and making calls that a single player may not be able to do. It may seem like one person is “better” than you, but that’s not necessarily the case. It just means they have the skills needed to make good calls on the field and keep everyone safe and sound until the end of the match. This is tougher in PUGs, but it’s still good for one of the players out there to step up and take control, even if it’s you.

3. Practice!

Get out there and run those BGs over and over again. Some of the older BGs like AB and AV have been run by some players hundreds of times. That means they are much more skilled and familiar with the strategies used by opponents. Only practice will ever help you start to catch up to them.

Battlegrounds are like carefully run games of chess. You need to react fast for sure, but also correctly. Don’t just assume you’ll be able to overcome your opponent every step of the way without having a good chunk of solid strategy on your side. So, if you’re interested in being the next big guru in PvP, get out there and start learning.

Is It Any Good?

Of course, the big question isn’t what the guide is, but whether it is any good. It’s useless if the thing doesn’t actually help anyone get anything done. Luckily, PvP Ownage is a solid guide that covers everything you could possibly need to know about PvP from start to finish.

To get started, you’ll learn how to setup a team, find people who you like to play with and then choose the right class. You will then learn everything needed to excel with that class in PvP, including your spec, talents, abilities and shot rotations in 1v1 situations. You’ll then learn about arena play and how to break down each arena matchup, followed by dozens upon dozens of strategies for the BGs and outdoor PvP areas of the game.

The Bottom Line

PvP Ownage is a great addition to a strong tradition of successful PvP guides. If you’re anything like me and will take any chance to gain an edge in this business, you should check out PvP Ownage today. You’ll find yourself prepped for just about anything that might come your way – whether in organized end-game PvP or through regular encounters on a PvP server.

You can check out more details about Terrance’s guide here.

Full Disclosure: I am an affiliate for this product and receive a commission for sales made.

Know Your CC and their Breaks

One of the first things you need to do is learn all of your crowd control abilities. Every class and spec in the game has something they can use in these instances, even if it is not ideal. Of course, you may not always need to use. Sometimes, it just doesn’t come up, but most of the time, even tanks and heavy melee DPS will use a lot of effects, even if they are just slows to keep their opponents in line. Another reason this is so good is because by learning all the CC abilities, you can recognize when a major threat presents itself against you in your opponent.

Be Unpredictable

Let’s say you memorize the best CC rotations for your Ice Mage. That’s all fine and good, but if your opponent knows the same rotations, they know how to respond to your moves. Instead of falling into that trap, be willing to throw off your normal rotation and be unpredictable. If they expect an Ice Block and you throw a Frost bolt instead, they won’t be ready for it. Now, don’t weaken yourself in combat – if you need to bubble or get back, do it, but don’t rely too heavily on CC when you could throw your opponent off.

Save Your Cooldowns

If you have a powerful cooldown, don’t blow it when it’s not needed. This goes for Druids big time who have a number of roots and snares that can be used to disengage and heal during combat. If you use them up too early, though, but then need to heal, you’ll be in deep water.

If you play the game correctly and are smart about how you develop your strategies in real time (never panic!) you’ll be well setup for the final few moments of a close match, when good CC almost always makes the difference between the winners and losers.

However, in the fickle world of video game entertainment, there are no permanent alliances. Look at Nintendo and Square. Look at Nintendo and Sony. Look at Microsoft and Rare. Look at Microsoft and Bungie Soft.

They may be Xbox 360 exclusives today, but it’s only a matter of time before these 5 titles will appear on the Sony Play Station 3. The sooner the better, say PS3 owners.

1. Dead Rising. Capcom’s “other” zombie hit was one of the first titles for Microsoft’s then fledgling video game machine. Reviews about the game were mixed. Some called it innovative, while others called it repetitive. Some described it as a technological marvel, while others claimed that it was all icing. Some applauded the game for being fun, while others are complaining that they didn’t get the “scares” that they expected. Regardless of the reception about Dead Rising, the fact is, it’s not an exclusive “exclusive.” It has since been ported to the Nintendo Wii, and industry experts are predicting that it’s just a matter of time before Dead Rising rises on the Play Station 3. Also, Capcom is currently keeping mum on the question of what system the announced Dead Rising 2 will be appearing on, something which many people believe is a clear sign that the franchise is headed to the Play Station 3.

2. Mass Effect. People are of the mistaken impression that Microsoft owns the rights to the Mass Effect franchise. The intellectual property belongs to Bioware, which currently has an exclusive developer’s contract with Microsoft. When this contract expires, Bioware can bring its property wherever it pleases – and the Play Station 3 may be the new home of this controversial space-faring, lesbian-loving, sci-fi RPG.

3. Star Ocean: The Last Hope. It is not common for seemingly exclusive RPGs to jump shift to another console. Most Japanese developers only agree to a “timed exclusive” clause, anyway. Such is the case with Eternal Sonata and Tales of Vesperia which were first released on the Xbox 360 but eventually found their way to the Play Station 3, with added content to boot. Tri-Ace’s newest masterpiece, as published by Square-Enix, may follow suit, as Sony’s line of consoles are the traditional homes of jRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games).

4. Blue Dragon. The dream team that comprises Mistwalker are said to be disappointed with the performance of their very first game for the Xbox 360, and the very first jRPG for the said system. Microsoft’s console only has a limited base in Japan, and this contributed to the poor sales experienced by Blue Dragon. One the timed exclusive agreement with Microsoft expires, people predict that Mistwalker will bring their franchise to the Sony Play Station 3. But first, they must publish one game under such an agreement – Blue Dragon 2.

5. Ninja Gaiden II. This is a given. One of the highest rated action platformers today will appear on the Sony Play Station 3, eventually. After all, an improved version of its predecessor, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, made the jump a year after debuting on the Xbox 360.

PS3 owners. Patience.

Your turn will come.

That is, until now.

With this generation of portable video gaming consoles, the Nintendo DS is facing stiff and unwavering competition from the Sony Playstation Portable, or PSP for brevity. The battle isn’t really neck-to-neck, but the Sony PSP is winning in certain regions in the world, something that Nintendo never had to endure with its previous handhelds. Surely, the Nintendo DS must realize that the Sony PSP wouldn’t just vanish in the night like the defeated Sega Game Gear.

The question in many people’s minds – particularly those who are planning to buy a portable gaming system for themselves – is this: which among the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP is the better investment?

Let’s answer this important question by breaking it down into 4 important sub-questions that will ultimately tell us the handheld that will define this generation of portable gaming.

1. Which console is more powerful? This is a “no contest,” really. The Sony PSP is designed for power, with two 333MHz processors rendering game play and fantastic graphics. The screen of PSP alone is built for widescreen gaming. And its games consume more digital space than Nintendo DS titles. A Nintendo DS game is usually less than 100MB. A Sony PSP game ranges from 300MB to 1.5GB. WINNER: Sony PSP.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>2. Which console has more games? Many experts say that software creates hardware and not the other way around. What would you do with a highly powerful handheld if you won’t have any games to play with it, right? When it comes to depth of gaming library, the Nintendo DS is the runaway winner. Its releases outnumber the releases of its competitor by a ratio of almost 4:1. There are many development companies focusing only on developing games for the Nintendo DS. WINNER: Nintendo DS.

3. Which console has more multimedia functions? It’s true that there are so many gadgets these days that perform a specialized function. Ipods play music.

PDAs allow mobile browsing and data mining. Digital cameras take pictures and videos. Cellular phones serve as personal organizers aside from being communication devices. However, the trend these days is for a gadget to at least attempt to become a Swiss knife of sorts for the technology-crazy market.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>Handhelds are no different. The more functions they serve, the better they will appear for potential buyers. The Nintendo DS play limited audio and video files. The Sony PSP can play many audio formats and an accepted MP4 file type for videos. The Sony PSP can also surf the web, store a variety of data, act as a TV (with the aid of a TV tuner), and serve as a remote controller for the Playstation 3, even if the console is in another continent. WINNER: Sony PSP.

4. Which console has more exclusives? No doubt, not a single company can compete with Nintendo. The Nintendo DS is the home of original properties like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon , Donkey Kong, Kirby, Animal Crossing and many more. These are the biggest selling points of the system. WINNER: Nintendo DS.

So we’re tied, 2-2. Which system is better: the Nintendo DS or the Sony PSP? It really depends on what you expect from the handheld machine. If you’re going for functionality and raw power, then choose the Sony PSP. But if you’re looking for a memorable, an exciting, and most importantly, a varied gaming experience, then the Nintendo DS is a better choice.

Let’s face it, these gaming consoles don’t come cheap. And in the face of a global recession, we will want the best value for our money. So, which console will be worth our hard earned cash? The Xbox360 or the PS3?

Alas, the answer to that question depends on 5 key points that every avid gamer is concerned about.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>1. Which console has a deeper game library? Games define game machines, not the other way around. Quality, of course, is more important than quantity, but a console that has 100 games has better chances of getting more quality games than a console which has 50 games. When it comes to the depth of the game library, the Xbox360 is the runaway winner. Having been released a year before the PS3, the Xbox360 has managed to amass quite a number of exclusive titles. WINNER: Xbox360.

2. Which console offers a better online experience? Basically, this is a battle between Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. The difference between them is like night and day. Xbox Live provides a smooth, optimized multiplayer experience. The Playstation Network is laggy. Xbox Live hosts more demos and freebies than its counterpart. Though the Playstation Network has released a Second Life-like social networking, avatar-based game called Home, the Xbox Live has secured partnerships with a slew of digital distributors that will stream content for Xbox360 owners. WINNER: Xbox360.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>3. Which console is more reliable? The PS3 is known as a very durable machine. There are even rumors that the Japanese engineers who test drove the PS3 had it play continuously inside a sauna bath… and the unit fared very, very well. The Xbox360 is plagues by numerous (way too numerous) reports of error codes involving 3 red lights – infamously known as 3RL – which indicate general hardware failure that will render the console unplayable. Though Microsoft has tried to remedy the situation by extending the Xbox 360’s warranty to an unprecedented 3 years, the PS3 is the current console that provides interrupted gaming enjoyment. If you want to play with confidence about your console, go for the PS3. WINNER: Playstation 3.

4. Which console is more affordable? As of this writing, the Xbox360 Arcade package costs $199, and the basic package costs $299. The Playstation 3 80GB costs $399 and Sony refuses to implement a price drop, claiming that they already lose $307 for every unit sold since production of the PS3 is quite expensive. WINNER: Xbox360.

Based on the four areas of concern discussed above, the Xbox360 is the clear cut winner.

But the more important question is: is the Xbox360 the clear cut winner for you as well?