Common Data Crystals - How To Spend Them

Common Data Crystals - How to Spend Them - SWTOR

Important: Once Knights of the Eternal Throne (KotET) is launched at the end of November 2016, Common Data Crystals, along with other crystals and commendations will be exchanged for credits. Spend them while you can.

In 2015, SWTOR made the change from the old currency of ‘commendations’ to a system of crystals: Common Data Crystals, Glowing Data Crystals and Radiant Data Crystals. The latest tier of crafting allows you to create 208 Rating Purple-Grade Armour and Modifications. You can also make 212’s and 220’s with the right reverse engineering. This can lead you to question: what can you spend common data crystals on? Here is the ‘shortened’ answer!

  • 208 Rating Purple Gear and Mods
  • Moddable Shields, Generators and Force Focuses
  • Companion Gifts
  • Alliance Crates
  • Green Mods up to 190 Rating

I’ve noticed people wanting a decent answer to this question when they land on my site, so I’ll try to be as thorough as possible!

208 Rating Purple Gear and Mods

If you don’t have Armormech or Synthweaving crafting skill then you can’t make whole pieces of armour on your own. Thankfully, if you save your common data crystals up, then you can purchase 208 Moddable gear from vendors in various parts of the Galaxy.

Where are the Common Data Crystals Vendors?

  • Update: I forgot to add that Starter planets have Common Data Crystal Vendors usually selling good gear for around 8 Crystals for the appropriate classes. So these are found on: Tython, Korriban, Hutta and Ord Mantell. Although since Level Sync you usually leave the starter planet well over Level 10. So I’d advise saving them up to spend on better gear and/or mods on Fleet.
  • Republic and Imperial Fleet
  • Rishi
  • Yavin IV
  • At the Ziost Orbital Station (a combination of Ziost Holographic Disks and Common Data Crystals, if I’ve remembered that right)
  • In your Alliance Base on Odessen in various ‘departments’
  • Makeb: you can buy a speeder from the market area on Makeb.

Should you choose do the Shadow of Revan storyline before embarking on Knights of the Fallen Empire, then you receive 297 Common Data Crystals upon completing Forged Alliances. You receive them once you land on Rishi). As individual armour components cost 80-120 Common Data Crystals (and shields/focuses/generators I think are 150), hoarding up to the maximum 1000 data crystals can get you pretty much a full set of 208 gear.

208 Rating Earpieces are also purchasable.

Moddable Shields, Generators and Force Focuses

If you’re a lower level, instead of paying out a ton of credits buying moddable shields/generators/focuses, you can purchase them for 6 Common Data Crystals from the ‘Adaptive Armour Vendor’ on Fleet. They come with low-level mods, but you can gear this up to your level.

Companion Gifts

With the dawn of Fallen Empire the number of companions (or Allies) has exploded. And some gamers have said if you want to solo a Star Fortress, having companion influence of 25 or more can help your success on these missions. Outside of KotFE Chapters, you can’t improve their influence through conversations (e.g. on H2+ Missions), so companion gifts are the way forward.

You receive gifts from the Commander’s Share of Alliance Crates. But you can also purchase extra gifts from the vendor on Odessan and on Fleet to boost your preferred companions’ influence level. Remember better influence affects combat performance but also crafting results (and an increased percentage chance of a critical ‘hit’ on crafting or gathering missions), so it’s a worthwhile investment.

Cost: 30 Crystals each.

Alliance Crates

The hard slog towards a full Alliance (Influence level 20 with all Alliance Specialists) can be alleviated by using your common data crystals to buy Alliance Crates from the Vendor on Odessan. You gain companion gifts and data crystals (common, glowing and radiant) when you hit an even number of influence. So it really pays to use your common data crystals to buy crates for the Alliance Specialist who is nearest to the next multiple of 2.

Pro Tip: Alliance Crates are bound to your legacy, so you can mail them to other characters within the same legacy to help build their alliance. No data crystals should go to waste!

Cost: 50 Crystals each.

We Need a Crystal Exchange Vendor, BioWare!

I occasionally play Lord of the Rings Online and in that game they have a ‘currency exchange’ vendor. This allows you to use a ‘foreign currency exchange’ mechanism to convert one currency into another. SWTOR needs an equivalent so that we can exchange common data crystals for glowing crystals, or even Radiants. An example method might be

  • Swap 25 Common Data Crystals for 10 Glowing Crystals
  • Swap 40 Common Data Crystals for 10 Radiant Crystals

That way you still have to work hard to get the higher level currency, but your excess one could be put to could use. Just an idea!

TL;DR How to Spend Your Common Data Crystals

You can only bank up 1000 Common Data Crystals. When you get near (around the 800 mark), every time you earn more of them, you get a warning that you’re nearing your limit. So instead of getting annoyed at this persistent prompt, spend them.

There are a few options to make sure you won’t lose out. From improved gear, to earpieces, to companion gifts. And by purchasing crates you can use your crystals on one character to benefit another character.

Do you have any other ideas on how to spend your common data crystals? Add them to the comments and I may add your suggestion into the post!


About the Author

Fibro Jedi
Fibro Jedi

I have been playing MMOs for about ten years and began writing guides to The Lord of the Rings Online in 2017. I've only been creating content about Final Fantasy XIV since 2022, but I am glad for the mix. My current games include LOTRO, FFXIV and the occasional Palia session too.

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