So after a leaving the first main quest area, I encountered a few questions that there just wasn’t an easy way to figure out as a new player. Having figured some of those out, I’d like to post them with some helpful information:

Should I go light or dark side?
So far as I can tell, they offer the same benefits in terms of available gear. So in that respect, no major difference. So far I haven’t come across any other benefits specific to one side.

I have noticed, however, that if you do not pick strictly dark or light decisions, you may not have the necessary tier to purchase the gear at the level it becomes available. What do I mean by necessary tier? If you mouse over the sliding scale that determines whether you are light or dark, you will notice that it says “XXXX till next tier.” In order for you to achieve the next rank you must earn that many points to whichever side you are pursuing. The benefit of going strictly light or dark: you can purchase a pair of blue gloves at level 10 from your vendor. As you level more gear will be purchasable as you achieve higher tiers.

TLDR: Pick a side and stick to it if you want access to gear quickly.

Where is the modification unit once you leave the first quest zone?
This seems like a small thing, but I spent FOREVER looking for this stupid machine in the primary Republic city. So when you rep that wep and need to mod it, the machine seems to be located near profession trainers in the primary cities.

******UPDATE******* It is no longer necessary to find a modification unit. ALL MODS can be done anywhere, just follow the directions at the bottom of modable units.

Once I pick an advanced class, can I respec?
Once you have selected an advanced class, you are stuck with the three trees that come with it. The points you spend in those trees as you level can be reset for credits. You CANNOT changeyour advanced class, only the manner in which you delegate points. So for example, you are a Jedi Consular and you chose the Shadow Class. Within that class you have three skill trees in which you can be a tank or dps. If you chose dps but decide later on that you wanna tank, you can reset your points and spend them accordingly.

TLDR: Yes.

What do I do if my party members are in a different zone?

So you’re in a group and everyone else is in Dromand Kass 3 and you’re just in Dromand Kass. How does one fix this? Simple, right click one of your party members’ portraits and select the option to shuttle. This will take you to their instanced version of the zone (AKA #3 or whatever it may be in your case).

Okay, I know that isn’t much but I will try and update this with more helpful info as I progress through the game. If you have a question for any of us here, post it in a comment and we will try and answer it as quickly as possible. I hope this helped.

~Jegang