Character Stars*** versus Gear- Please explain?

Javel1na

I am on a 2 week old shard, and I am at level 50. I have read many comments that suggest each character should be maxed (stars and gear), rather than doing a group of characters, but I do not understand one part of this logic-

Since the gear can only be raised to a limit dependent on your level (for instance I cannot get purple gear yet on most characters because I cannot complete one gear set until I am at a higher level such as level 53), I am wondering just how much better it is, let's say using GS as an example, with him to be at seven stars, and a Kylo at 4 stars, both at the same limited gear set-

as opposed to raising Kylo to 5 or six stars and letting GS stay at 5 or 6 while I am farming the Arena node for Kylo?

How much better is GS at 7* than 6*, when he is stuck at the gear level limit based on my general level of 50 to 53? Is he better than the increase in value I would get to Kylo going to 5 or 6 * from 4?

I run both in Arena, and I want to continue to do so. mainly I am trying to understand what exact value is the starring compared to gearing. Does it slightly raise everything, or is it more about armor or health (in actual practice, not just statistics)?

MoBlaq

I think the best way to explain the difference is that

Stars = Primary Stats (Str, Agil, Intel). The Stars increase the STR, AGI, and INT gains per Level of Training which effects many stats of a character. There is a ratio of how many points you get per level and the higher the stars, the higher the ratio.
Gear = Secondary Stats, but also can increase primary stats as well. It is the sole place where you get speed, physical damage, special damage, crit rating, etc.

sid

This website is good for looking at specific stats at different gears, stars, and levels.
https://swgohdb.com/

This website will show you what specific gear is needed at each level and the benefits that each piece of gear offers.
http://www.star-wars-galaxy.com/characters

Up until gear 7-8, it's generally faster to grind gear to advance a character. One can go from G1 to G6 in a day. It usually takes longer to get stars.
After G7-8, then one needs 20-50 pieces for one gear item, then progress slows to a grind.

Mittens

I think you are getting a little confused on the wording. Generally it's best to focus on gearing and starring a few characters at a time, especially at hire levels when it takes forever to gear someone. It's better to have those few characters geared, than have 20 that have little impact on anything. Basically, don't spread yourself thin.

sid

@Javel1na It's also important to understand how stars and gear and levels affect the playability of the character. For example, Royal Guard is a better tank in Arena with more stars and levels which will increase HP. In the lvl 72 gear challenge, Royal Guard has better potency at G8 to apply his stun. If someone uses RG only for the gear challenge, then they don't necessarily need more stars. When resources are scarce, it's important to understand why a character may or may not need to be advanced.