Darth Hater

The 1.2 update to Star Wars: The Old Republic included functionality that is sure to make the theorycrafters and hard core raiders happy. The game client can generate an external combat log that records the details of all events involving the player. The log is written in plain text and can be opened and viewed with any standard text editor. After the jump we take a look at what exactly the log captures, how to read it, and what kind of useful information can be learned by analyzing logs.

Configuration

The combat log generation is turned off by default. It can be turned on through the in-game options. Open the options menu and go to Preferences -> Combat Logging and tick the checkbox labeled "Enable combat logging to file." The file path where the log will be written is not configurable. The default path is C:\Users\[UserName]\Documents\Star Wars - The Old Republic\CombatLogs. The file name of the log is of format combat_YYYY-MM-DD_hh_mm_ss_xxxxxxx.txt.

It is worth noting that enabling combat logging can have an impact on game performance. The log writes a large amount of data to the hard drive very quickly. If you see performance degradation after enabling combat logging, your system may not be able to handle the additional processing. Also, the size of the combat log can grow very large in a short amount of time. Remember to regularly clear out old logs in order to maintain free space on your drive.

Actors and Targets

An important thing to realize about the current implementation of combat logs is that the events recorded are limited to those involving the player doing the logging. This means that it is impossible to get a true overall view of a group fight with just a single player’s log.

BioWare has taken this approach to protect players from being judged by other players based upon numbers in a log. Another player will not be able to judge your damage or healing performance unless you explicitly share your log with them. The downside of this approach is that for tightly knit groups who want to be able to share fight details and view their fights as a single joint event, this creates an obstacle and additional complications to try and share and figure out what is going on.

Each event found in the log indicates the player or NPC who is performing an action. Some events also include a target player or NPC receiving the action. Only events where the player themself is either the actor or the target will be captured in that player’s log. In other words, if you performed an action that affected another player (including yourself) or an NPC, it will be recorded in the log. If another player or NPC performed an action that affected you, it will be recorded in the log. Any actions that happen around you, but do not directly affect you, will not be recorded in the log.

Companions are associated with their owner. Actions performed by the companion or events that affect the companion will be captured in their owner’s log.

Actions and Events

Almost every combat related action a player takes is recorded in the log. This includes buffs, heals, attacks, channeled effects, entering and exiting combat, and deaths. Things like chat dialogue, social emotes, quest progress and loot obtained are not recorded in the log.

When an action has a value associated with it (such as damage taken or healing done), those numbers are also recorded in the log.

Log Event Values and Syntax

Players are identified with an @ symbol before their name. This makes it very easy to differentiate players from NPCs.

Critical attacks and heals have an asterisk displayed next to the numerical amount.

Companions are attached to their owners with a colon separator.

Examples

Each seperate event is recorded as an individual line in the log. The syntax of the format has lots of brackets and parantheses, which makes it easier for developers working on parsing programs, but is painful to the naked eye. The format is generally as follows:

[Timestamp] [Actor] [Target] [Ability {AbilityID}] [Apply/RemoveEffect {Apply/RemoveEffectID} : EffectType {EffectTypeID} ] (Amount DamageType {DamageTypeID}) <Amount>

As previously noted, an "at" sign (@) preceding the name of the Actor or Target indicates they are a player. An asterisk (*) next to the Amount signfies a critical hit or heal.

A few examples from an actual log will help demonstrate how to read the syntax. The first sample is a simple example of some out of combat healing by my Operative.

[15:16:43.026] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[15:16:43.026] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Spend {836045448945473}: energy {836045448938503}] (15)
[15:16:43.026] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (1245*)
[15:16:46.138] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Medical Engineering {2280052108558336}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Tactical Advantage {2280052108558601}] ()
[15:16:46.139] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (1245*)
[15:16:49.301] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (748)
[15:16:52.083] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (748)
[15:16:56.733] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (748)
[15:16:58.126] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (748)
[15:17:01.139] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Heal {836045448945500}] (748)
[15:17:01.140] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Kolto Probe {1014415440740352}] ()

This series of lines shows me casting the Kolto Probe ability on myself. Let's break it down by line:

Line 1 - Applies the effect "Kolto Probe." The Actor is Jaspor, a player. The Target is Jaspor, a player.
Line 2 - Subtracts 15 energy from Jaspor, the cost of Kolto Probe.
Line 3 - The first "tick" of Kolto Probe, applies a heal of 1245. This tick is a critical heal, incidated by the asterisk next to the 1245.
Line 4 - My Medical Engineering ability procs, applying a stack of Tactical Advantage.
Lines 5 through 10 - Additional ticks of Kolto Probe. The first tick in the series again crits, healing for 1245. The subsequent ticks are normal and heal for 748 each.
Line 11 - The time on Kolto Probe has ended and the effect is removed.

Let's take a look at what some actual combat looks like. This is a simple fight where my Jedi Knight and companion (Kira Carsen) take on 3 NPCs - a Sand People Terrorizer, a Sand People Amubusher, and a Sand People Raider Rill.

[22:09:43.748] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: EnterCombat {836045448945489}] ()
[22:09:43.790] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Force Leap {812105301229568}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:43.790] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Sprint {810670782152704}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Sprint {810670782152704}] ()
[22:09:43.791] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Force Leap {812105301229568}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Immobilized {812105301229840}] ()
[22:09:43.792] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Restore {836045448945476}: focus point {836045448938496}] (3)
[22:09:44.391] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Defensive Forms {1705003232264192}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Centering {1705003232264451}] ()
[22:09:44.476] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Force Leap {812105301229568}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (289 energy {836045448940874}) <289>
[22:09:44.892] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Charge {2071041820065792}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:44.892] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Charge {2071041820065792}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Immobilized {2071041820066048}] ()
[22:09:45.129] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor] [Electric Jolt {811727344107520}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (239 energy {836045448940874}) <239>
[22:09:45.507] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:45.507] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Unshakable {812139660968471}] ()
[22:09:45.508] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Stunned {812139660968281}] ()
[22:09:45.790] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Force Leap {812105301229568}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Immobilized {812105301229840}] ()
[22:09:45.826] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Charge {2071041820065792}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (318 energy {836045448940874}) <318>
[22:09:45.904] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (458 energy {836045448940874}) <458>
[22:09:45.904] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -miss {836045448945502}) <1>
[22:09:46.220] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (421 energy {836045448940874}) <421>
[22:09:46.221] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -miss {836045448945502}) <1>
[22:09:46.409] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Run Through {2071080474771456}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:46.410] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Run Through {2071080474771456}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Bleeding (Physical) {2071080474771712}] ()
[22:09:46.410] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Bleeding (Physical) {2071080474771712}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (96 internal {836045448940876}) <96>
[22:09:46.449] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Ranged Attack {813449625993216}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -deflect {836045448945508}) <1>
[22:09:46.472] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Ranged Attack {813449625993216}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (78 energy {836045448940874}) <78>
[22:09:46.912] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Charge {2071041820065792}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Immobilized {2071041820066048}] ()
[22:09:46.925] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Ranged Attack {813449625993216}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (68 energy {836045448940874}) <68>
[22:09:47.314] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Melee Attack {813578475012096}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (107 kinetic {836045448940873}) <107>
[22:09:47.550] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Stunned {812139660968281}] ()
[22:09:47.552] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Unshakable {812139660968471}] ()
[22:09:47.553] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Master Strike {812139660967936}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityCancel {836045448945481}] ()
[22:09:47.554] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:47.554] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Spend {836045448945473}: focus point {836045448938496}] (3)
[22:09:47.554] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Centering {2528580391141376}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Centering {2528580391141376}] ()
[22:09:47.792] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Melee Attack {813578475012096}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -parry {836045448945503}) <1>
[22:09:47.989] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Power Strikes {2071720424898560}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:48.287] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Stunned (Physical) {812178315673891}] ()
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (507 kinetic {836045448940873}) <507>
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [] [Event {836045448945472}: Death {836045448945493}] ()
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: GainXp {836045448945491}] (202)
[22:09:48.293] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (509 kinetic {836045448940873}) <509>
[22:09:48.383] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Power Strikes {2071720424898560}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (443* energy {836045448940874}) <443>
[22:09:48.711] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Power Strikes {2071720424898560}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (300 energy {836045448940874}) <300>
[22:09:48.748] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Ranged Attack {813449625993216}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (117 energy {836045448940874}) <117>
[22:09:49.279] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Ranged Attack {813449625993216}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (99 energy {836045448940874}) <99>
[22:09:49.493] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Bleeding (Physical) {2071080474771712}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (106 internal {836045448940876}) <106>
[22:09:50.200] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Strike {947362411315200}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:50.202] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Strike {947362411315200}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (119* energy {836045448940874}) <119>
[22:09:50.203] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Restore {836045448945476}: focus point {836045448938496}] (1)
[22:09:50.203] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Restore {836045448945476}: focus point {836045448938496}] (1)
[22:09:50.294] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Stunned (Physical) {812178315673891}] ()
[22:09:50.583] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Strike {947362411315200}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -miss {836045448945502}) <1>
[22:09:50.899] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Run Through {2071080474771456}] [RemoveEffect {836045448945478}: Bleeding (Physical) {2071080474771712}] ()
[22:09:50.900] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Power Strikes {2071720424898560}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (599 energy {836045448940874}) <599>
[22:09:50.900] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [] [Event {836045448945472}: Death {836045448945493}] ()
[22:09:51.238] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Strike {947362411315200}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (79 energy {836045448940874}) <79>
[22:09:51.337] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Defensive Forms {1705003232264192}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Centering {1705003232264451}] ()
[22:09:51.337] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Bore {970503695106048}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Armor Reduced (Physical) {970503695106306}] ()
[22:09:51.643] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Maul {2022405610405888}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (182 kinetic {836045448940873}) <182>
[22:09:52.243] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Zealous Strike {996200484438016}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:52.244] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Restore {836045448945476}: focus point {836045448938496}] (6)
[22:09:52.638] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Power Slash {2071020345229312}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:52.707] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Zealous Strike {996200484438016}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (116 energy {836045448940874}) <116>
[22:09:52.855] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Zealous Strike {996200484438016}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (60* energy {836045448940874}) <60>
[22:09:53.163] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Melee Attack {813578475012096}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (113 kinetic {836045448940873}) <113>
[22:09:53.405] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Power Slash {2071020345229312}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (378 energy {836045448940874}) <378>
[22:09:53.429] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Strike {947362411315200}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (74 energy {836045448940874}) <74>
[22:09:53.690] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Melee Attack {813578475012096}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -parry {836045448945503}) <1>
[22:09:54.217] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: ExitCombat {836045448945490}] ()
[22:09:54.230] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Slash {947001634062336}] [Event {836045448945472}: AbilityActivate {836045448945479}] ()
[22:09:54.230] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Spend {836045448945473}: focus point {836045448938496}] (3)
[22:09:54.230] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Centering {2528580391141376}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Centering {2528580391141376}] ()
[22:09:54.231] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [Sprint {810670782152704}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Sprint {810670782152704}] ()
[22:09:54.233] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Slash {947001634062336}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -miss {836045448945502})
[22:09:54.424] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Zealous Strike {996200484438016}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (121 energy {836045448940874}) <121>
[22:09:54.519] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Melee Attack {813625719652352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (189* energy {836045448940874}) <189>
[22:09:54.746] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Melee Attack {813625719652352}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (118 energy {836045448940874}) <118>
[22:09:54.882] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Slash {947001634062336}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (488 energy {836045448940874}) <488>
[22:09:54.883] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [] [Event {836045448945472}: Death {836045448945493}] ()
[22:09:54.883] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: GainXp {836045448945491}] (202)

This short 11 second fight generated 79 lines in the combat log. Manually analyzing this fight line by line would take some time, so let's focus on a few key events.

[22:09:43.748] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: EnterCombat {836045448945489}] ()

The EnterCombat event starts the fight. This essentially puts the player into a "combat" state and no longer allows them to use "out of combat only" abilities. This event is also useful for determining the start of each separate fight when looking through a log with multiple fights.

[22:09:54.217] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: ExitCombat {836045448945490}] ()

The ExitCombat event is the flip side. It indicates when the fight has ended and the user returns to "out of combat" state.

[22:09:50.900] [@Jaspor:Kira Carsen {349412769398784}] [Sand People Ambusher {792911092383744}:127000232908] [Power Strikes {2071720424898560}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (599 energy {836045448940874}) <599>

This is an example of my companion (Kira Carsen) hitting the Sand People Ambusher with her Power Strikes ability for 599 energy damage. Pretty straightforward, just an example of the format for a companion action with the @PlayerName:CompanionName syntax.

[22:09:47.792] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Melee Attack {813578475012096}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (0 -parry {836045448945503}) <1>

It's worth noting that misses and defensive avoidances are logged as well. The line above is an example of the Sand People Raider Rill attacking me with its basic Melee Attack, but I parried the attack and took zero damage.

[22:09:51.337] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Bore {970503695106048}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Armor Reduced (Physical) {970503695106306}] ()
[22:09:51.643] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [@Jaspor] [Maul {2022405610405888}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (182 kinetic {836045448940873}) <182>

These two lines show the Sand People Raider Rill applying an Armor Reduce effect on me using its Bore ability and a direct damage Maul attack hitting for 182 kinetic damage.

[22:09:48.287] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Stunned (Physical) {812178315673891}] ()
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (507 kinetic {836045448940873}) <507>
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Terrorizer {398229367685120}:127000233117] [] [Event {836045448945472}: Death {836045448945493}] ()
[22:09:48.292] [@Jaspor] [@Jaspor] [] [Event {836045448945472}: GainXp {836045448945491}] (202)
[22:09:48.293] [@Jaspor] [Sand People Raider Rill {2198271636275200}:127000186056] [Force Sweep {812178315673600}] [ApplyEffect {836045448945477}: Damage {836045448945501}] (509 kinetic {836045448940873}) <509>

And lastly, this series of lines shows the result of my Force Sweep AOE attack. The ability applies a stun to the Sand People Raider Rill and deals damage to both the Rill and the Terrorizer. The damage to the Terrorizer kills it, as indicated by the Death event. The GainXp even shows that I earned 202 experience points for the kill.

Throughout this fight, there are multiple effects applied and removed, energy costs subtracted and restorations added back, and more. Every single detail that happened during the fight is recorded for analysis. While it can be overwhelming to look at with the naked eye, it provides the kind of detailed information that theorycrafters dream about.

The log activity gets even more intense in a group environment with multiple players interacting with one another and even more NPCs involved. Thankfully, there are several websites and tools out there created by members of the the SWTOR community that will automatically parse through the log data and give more easily readable output. Some of those tools are listed below.

Analysis

Combat logs and the parses associated with them have often been used by progression guilds to help maximize their performance. The information contained in the logs can be analyzed to reveal the most effective abilities, specs, and rotations. On the flip side, they can also demonstrate which abilities and tactics are the least effective.

Not only do players have to realize what works best for filling their own role as a tank, healer, or DPS, but they need to understand boss mechanics to overcome Operation challenges. These mechanics can often be complicated and hard to fully understand in the chaos of a live battle. By taking a look at the combat log after the fight, certain subtleties of the encounter may be revealed.

As more challenging end game content becomes available in SWTOR, combat logs could play an important role for the cutting edge progression guilds to get the edge they need to win the race to conquer the newest Operations. BioWare has said that their upcoming revamped Nightmare modes will provide a bigger challenge for players. If this turns out to be true, competitive guilds could find themselves looking very closely at the combat logs to determine what they can improve in order to win.

Parsing Sites

There are several websites out there that will allow you to upload your combat log file and parse out the information into meaningful data. While all the sites include the same basic concept of displaying what happened in your log, each site offers different views and advanced options. To get a feel for which site best suits you, try uploading the same log to each of the sites and playing around with the features.

• TOR Parse - Detailed breakdown of all fights. Includes group views for fights, class indications, bar graphs, and an “awards” section showing who had the highest numbers in important categories.
• Ask Mr. Robot - Includes merging multiple logs together, detailed stat breakdowns, and public rankings.
• Frying Time - Slick looking pie chart breakdown of abilities to go with a timeline line graph and numerical breakdown. Straightforward and to the point.
• MOX Raid Meter - A real time raid meter, this parser will give you updated information as you’re playing. It requires the download and installation of an executable.
• ACT SWTOR Addon - The Advanced Combat Tracker is a tool that was created to work with logs from a variety of MMOs. This addon for ACT allows the tool to handle the SWTOR combat logs.
• TOR Tools - Stat breakdowns, pie charts, and different data views.
• TOR Assistant - In addition to combat log parsing, this tool provides several other tools useful for Operations. Requires the download and installation of an executable.

Summary

The combat log feature is something many SWTOR players were hoping for at release and something that is common to most MMOs. While it wasn’t available at launch, BioWare did an excellent job of implementing it with the 1.2 game update. It has been somewhat overlooked by the community, probably because even the hardest end game content up to this point has not required the kind of detailed theorycrafting and analysis that combat log parsing allows. If future content turns out to be as challenging as BioWare is implying it may be, we could see a renewed interest and focus on combat logs and all the discussion that comes with them.