As we continue the "play it before 7.0" theme, I'm going to talk about False Emperor, the second of the two flashpoints at the end of the Ilum story arc.
The Ilum flashpoints are long. As in, Suvia (Sith Inquisitor Assassin, level 75 with 306 gear and a companion at level 50 influence,) stealthed her way through, watched all cut scenes, made steady progress and had no deaths, and False Emperor took her more than 30 minutes. If you are actually fighting the mobs, count on being there for far longer. This flashpoint and Battle of Ilum the predecessors to Spirit of Vengeance: long, tedious and boring. It's mob after mob.
I only do this flashpoint now as part of the story on Viri's clones (my main) or stealthers. Quite frankly there are IMHO only probable five reasons you'd want to play this:
1. You haven't and want the achievement.
2. You really want the deco offered at the end (a large statue of a hooded man - could be the Emperor but also could be headcanoned as another Sith)
3. You want your main to do all the story content.
4. You are doing the HK-51 quest. There is a component in this flashpoint you need and cannot get anywhere else
5. You have a stealther who can skip most of the enemies and walk through
Have I scared you off? No? You need to do this for the story? Here we go.
Where do I pick this up? If you're doing the story quest that began with "Crystal Ball" (it was granted to you at the end of the class story) this flashpoint is the culmination. It will be granted automatically when you complete "Battle of Ilum" in the story AND the subsequent cut scene.
If you are doing this as a standalone, go to your activities tab -> solo -> scroll down to flashpoints and choose "The False Emperor."
The mobs are mobs. They're there. They are large in numbers and tedious. There isn't much I can tell you about them, so we'll concentrate on the bosses. Like Battle of Ilum and Directive 7, this has a lot of mini-bosses you cannot skip.
This flashpoint also has a lot of platforms. With one exception all the bosses and mini-bosses you will fight will be in areas where you can get yeeted over the edge, and so will most of the mobs. Mind your step.
Mini Boss #1: Tregg the Destroyer
You're on a very narrow bridge here, and Tregg's got a knockback. One part of the bridge (shown above) has walls on both sides. Try to stay in there so Tregg can't send you flying to your doom. Otherwise, no tricks.
Boss #1: Jindo Krey
Jindo Krey is a Mandalorian and he will get increasingly more damage as the fight goes on. As the screencap here shows, there's also a ship that looks like the bounty hunter's ship (IT ISN'T, AFAIK!) that will be firing missiles at you to complicate things. Run up to the console pictured in the second screencap and click it to temporarily send that ship away. Other than that: once again, you're on a platform with open sides so mind your step.
Mini-Boss(es) 2: Prototype B-16 and Prototype A-14
Eh. Droids. Just kill B and then A. That's how it usually shakes out for me. No major tricks. You're on a platform again.
Boss #2: HK-47
If you are doing the HK-51 quest, HK-47 will drop a part you need when you defeat him. He should have a yellow loot "ray." YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS FLASHPOINT ON VETERAN OR NiM TO GET THE PART! I can personally vouch that it drops from HK-47 in story mode.
HK-47 is not quite as lethal as he was when you faced him in The Foundry, if you did. He doesn't have the insta-kill or any panels to frantically click. He mostly stays in the center for this entire fight. Just stay out of his line of fire and keep moving around him. And guess what? You're on a platform! Surprise!
When HK-47's health gets low he will vanish and reappear to hit your character with a very long stun. This is his most formidable trick in this flashpoint.
Mini-Boss #4: Chondrus Berani
This is the only boss/mini-boss you will fight in this flashpoint who is NOT on a platform where you're in danger of falling over the edge. Enjoy it while it lasts. Chondrus does have a knockback but the most he can do here is throw you around the hallway
Final Boss: Darth Malgus
BUG: If the fight goes on too long, or you get too far away from Malgus, he has been known to reset. He will return to the bottom of the stairs and reset himself back to 100% HP. That's not fun. So make sure you stay close.
Malgus has a nasty knockback that will toss you right into the air shaft if you are unlucky. He also throws Inquisitor skills like Force Storm as well as single lightsaber skills. There are a few on-screen announcements about how you will have to face Malgus alone or whatever - just keep fighting.
The trick for this fight is to anchor yourselves on the stairs, with your back to the wall, so that Malgus cannot throw you anywhere. He will actively try to do that. He will also sometimes end up fighting your companion and the combat assistance droid at the bottom for the stairs, so taunt him or put your companion on passive to pull him back to you.
Remember: when Malgus is defeated the loot will not be on his person. It will be in this box that appears at the bottom of the stairs.
Make sure you click that little blue console at the bottom of the stairs to wrap things up. You're done! Yay! Press "exit area" and escape. If you are continuing the story arc, you will have a cut scene in the instanced area when you are back on the Ilum base.
I was reminded that doing the Ilum storyline as a stealth character is really such a different experience than going through with a character who has to fight all the mobs.
Yes, I know that’s the case all the time, but on Ilum it really sticks out because there’s such a huge difference. Especially since the flashpoints on Ilum are so long.
I timed it, and just walking/rocket boosting/Force speeding through the False Emperor on stealth, stopping to quickly dispatch all the bosses (you can’t stealth past them), took 18 minutes for Jenari from the time she began to the time she collected her loot and got out of the flashpoint at the end. Literally skipping almost all of it, just walking through the space station. That’s...quite a long walk.
It’s almost a shame that Malgus doesn’t do his “one of you has promised to join me” spiel if you solo False Emperor.
---
(The SW’s followers look at each other in the wake of Malgus’ announcement. BROONMARK makes a noise like an angry dishwasher; PIERCE starts to unsling his blaster rifle. QUINN is attempting to casually move behind the SW.)
VETTE: Guys, get real. Quinn would never join the New Empire.
(The others relax, though Pierce looks vaguely disappointed.)
Quinn: Thank -
Vette: I mean, political progressiveness? Equality for aliens? That is so not you.
Quinn: ...you.
There is nothing more amazing than this rare phenomenon I witnessed today... I've only seen it twice and always want to see it again... This was the second time I've seen it. It's a Beautiful Epic Fail. :3
A Tank or DPS leaping after the add that was just pushed off the ledge.
Beautiful
Epic
Fail
Teamwork at its finest.
Thankfully the spawn point was close otherwise I would've spent more time laughing in the group chat than the two messages I got off.
