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SWTOR: So you want to play an Imperial Agent
Espionage! Subterfuge! Classy accents! Such is the life of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Imperial Agent. If a career full of clandestine operations and lots of assassination sounds like a good time to you, then the Agent is your class. Agents can fill one of two roles: ranged DPS and healing/melee DPS hybrid. Whether you prefer to keep your friends alive, shank an unsuspecting opponent, or put a blaster round in someone's head from a mile away, the Agent's got something for you. Did I mention the sexy accent? Mmm.
SWTOR: Grouping up for flashpoints
We are all familiar with dungeons in most MMOs -- they're areas that usually require more than one party member to complete, and they're often (though not always) instanced off from the rest of the game. In the early games like Ultima Online and EverQuest, it would literally take an army of people to get to the bottom of most dungeons. Since those days, the definition of a dungeon has really expanded far beyond the idea of a cave or underground fortress, and the mechanics of dungeons have changed as well. Dungeons in many games no longer require a huge group of people to complete them, but your success or failure greatly depends on whom you bring with you. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare has expanded the definition of dungeon to the point that that word no longer makes any sense. BioWare devs call SWTOR dungeons flashpoints. Starting at level 10, both the Imperial and Republic factions begin their journey through flashpoints. These hour-long instances tell one-off stories and give you, the player, a greater understanding of what is happening in the greater galaxy. During these adventures, you play a role in the stories of the galaxy's most famous figures. Grand Master Satele Shan, Darth Malgus, and maybe even a person or two from past games all make a appearance in these stories. At the same time, these instances require strategy. Beyond the break, I will outline the first three flashpoints: the Black Talon, the Esseles, and Bringing Down the Hammer. Also, pay attention to the tips -- they may just make your first runthrough a little easier.
SWTOR: When do I get...?
BioWare has created an enormous world with Star Wars: The Old Republic. Over and over again, developers explained that this is absolutely™ the biggest single project BioWare has ever undertaken. This also means that it is the most complex, and not everything you want to know about the game is easy to find. Every week for the last three years, the community team at BioWare has released tidbits of information, and sometimes when the information trickles out over that span of time, it's hard to keep track of it all. Therefore, the crew here at Massively decided it would be a good idea to compile some of the more common questions that have been asked about SWTOR, all in a single place. Catch all the questions and answers after the break, and if you have any other (serious) questions, feel free to ask them in the comments -- we will do our best to get them answered for you!
Massively's guide to SWTOR's launch and beyond
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, we first heard mention of a new Star Wars MMO set in the popular Knights of the Old Republic era. Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare named it, and we've waited patiently impatiently through months years of hope and hype, fanboys and haters, and at least eight million articles about the fourth pillar of story. This week, The Old Republic is the new hotness, and the Massively staffers are right there with you, champing at the bit to get in the head start already! But what if you're not an expert on Star Wars lore or TOR's gameplay? What if you don't know the first thing about purple lightsabers, astromechs, and the Kessel Run? What if you can't decide which class to play? When do you get a starship? Can you really romance your companions? How do flashpoints work? And why are there no bathrooms on Coruscant?! Relax, young Padawan. Put your blast-shield down and let Massively be your guide... literally. We've rounded up a massive collection of helpful introductory guides for each of the eight classes, along with overviews of gameplay mechanics like companions, starships, flashpoints, warzones, and crafting. We've also curated the most illuminating lore essays from our regular SWTOR column, Hyperspace Beacon, in addition to our extensive hands-on previews from the last few years. Take your first step into a larger world...
SWTOR: Advance your classes
Although the idea of advanced classes in MMOs is not new, the developers at BioWare have combined the holy-trinity combat roles into something unique as you level up your Star Wars: The Old Republic character. Traditionally, you choose your group combat role right at the beginning of the game. If you play a Monk, you're a healer; if you play a Warrior, you're a tank; and if you play a Mage, you're DPS. In SWTOR, your class primarily determines your story. Your combat role is only a minor consideration. For instance, when a Bounty Hunter picks an advanced class at level 10, he may choose to be a Powertech, which grants him either tanking or DPS abilities, or he may choose to play a Mercenary, which grants him DPS or healing abilities. Every class works this way: After you finish the starter world quests you are shipped off to the Imperial or Republic fleet. If you are level 10 (and most people should be), you will automatically be granted a quest to speak to a special trainer who asks you which of two advanced classes you'd like to take. Choose wisely; currently, you cannot unchoose or change course. To help you in this all-important decision, I tried out each advanced class. None of them is terrible, but there are unique nuances to each.
SWTOR: Ten things you need to know about companions
For those of you who have never played a BioWare RPG before (or any single-player RPG, really), the concept of "companions" may initially strike you as strange. After all, in MMOs we're so used to jaunting off into the wilderness solo without some semi-intelligent NPC tagging along for the ride, so for a game to inform us that we not only will have them but will have to use them all the time may feel odd. If so, we're guessing you've never been into pet classes, either. Companions are one of the long-standing features of BioWare RPGs; they're both useful fighters who help keep you alive and persistent beings whom you get to know, develop relationships with, and affect in significant ways. In the past, BioWare companions have often been cited as the most memorable parts of the studio's games, from Baldur's Gate II's Minsc to Mass Effect 2's Mordin (to name two of my all-time favorites). Yet in MMOs, companion NPCs aren't that common, and if you're feeling a little bewildered at the thought of having one at your side at all times in Star Wars: The Old Republic, then we're here to lay out for you 10 reasons why companions are as useful as all get out -- and why you're going to love them like crazy before too long.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Bounty Hunter
So you're thinking of being a Star Wars: The Old Republic Bounty Hunter, are you? It's a fine choice of profession. Challenging work, definitely. Requires a lot of travel, a quick draw, and a willingness to take on impossible odds. Some Hunters might see themselves as the avenging hand of the law, some just want to get paid, and some of them genuinely care about the Sith cause. But at the end of the day, every Bounty Hunter lives according to the same code: Find the mark and get paid for the job. Of course, the in-game Bounty Hunter has all the tools needed to make that happen. With a plethora of tricks in his suit of armor, Hunters can do everything -- provide field medical support, keep targets occupied long enough for others to take them down, or even just waste everything with a plethora of missiles. There are a lot of options available to players who go down the route of the Bounty Hunter, and it doesn't hurt that the entire class oozes with style and intrigue from the start.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Sith Warrior
No class embodies the Sith philosophy so completely as the Sith Warrior. Inquisitors hide and scheme, but Warriors let their passion run rampant. It's not that they lack in subtlety, merely that they are capable of channeling their passion into destructive force so effortlessly that careful manipulation is often unnecessary. In the army of the Sith Empire, they are the lords and the commanders, the highest aspirations of those with Force sensitivity, and the natural-born masters of nearly everyone else. Sith Warriors are correspondingly limited in their options on the field. They can tear apart armies or hold said armies off single-handed, but they certainly can't help patch the wounds of their comrades. But the whole class philosophy is built around the best defense being a strong offense, and the plethora of Force abilities and agile lightsaber strikes in the Warrior's arsenal give you several options while you're breaking everything that stands before you. It's a talent that comes in handy as you progress through the class questline, a story of expectations, betrayal, and the survival instincts necessary for someone to be a true Sith.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Sith Inquisitor
OK, enough of these goody-goody Jedi, all right? It's time to come to the Dark Side of Star Wars: The Old Republic, where the Sith Inquisitor reigns supreme. The Inquisitor fills a variety of roles within the ranks of the Empire, from healing to ranged DPS to melee DPS to tanking. There's an option for any playstyle, which makes the Inquisitor a great character for the indecisive among us. Also, you get Force Lightning, so that's pretty cool. On your journey as a Sith Inquisitor, you begin as a slave who has recently discovered his (or her) Force-sensitivity. As you arrive at the Sith Academy on the red planet of Korriban, you're faced with a simple choice: Become Sith -- or die.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Smuggler
If someone were to ask Star Wars fans which of the characters had the most personality, most likely they would answer Han Solo. In the Expanded Universe, and most notably in the Star Wars video games, smugglers always mirror this dashing rogue of a character archetype established by none other than Harrison Ford. If that's why you're wanting to play the Smuggler class in Star Wars: The Old Republic, then you're in luck because you'll get exactly what you're hoping for. The SWTOR Smuggler starts out on the world of Ord Mantell, a fringe planet on the brink of civil war. Of course, being a Smuggler, he breaks through the planetary blockade to deliver his shipment of weapons to gangsters on the ground. After that, things get really interesting...
SWTOR: So you want to play a Jedi Consular
Peace. Serenity. Harmony. These are some of the touchstones of the Jedi order, and they are the values that the Consular embodies. Where the Jedi Knight is meant to be the military and defensive might of the Jedi Order, the Consular is instead a teacher, a defender, and a scholar of the mysteries of the Force. If a Knight can be seen as a paladin, then the Consular is the gentle monk, teaching others and seeking out new mysteries for spiritual purposes. Of course, the war against the Sith Empire means that there is no opportunity for these scholars to remain passive, but the Jedi Consular does not act with rash and overt motion. Instead, Consulars remain subtle, either slipping through the shadows or calling upon the raw might of the Force. In battle, they may specialize in a variety of roles, but all Consulars take a more cerebral approach. For them, the war is not their truest focus -- what matters is learning and understanding. This war will end, and afterwards, the Consular will teach those who remain what has been forgotten in the ravages of battle.
SWTOR: Starship operator's guide
Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of an actual, factual, interstellar starship! Or you soon will be, assuming that you're planning to play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Starships have captured the imaginations of Star Wars fans for over three decades now, as the Millennium Falcon, Luke's X-Wing, Boba Fett's Slave-1, and Knights of the Old Republic's Ebon Hawk have become geek cultural icons. It's not Star Wars without the stars, after all, which is why BioWare will be handing you the keys to your very own starship as part of your SWTOR journey. But what does that entail? There's a lot of confusion and misinformation swirling about starships, which is unfortunate. SWTOR's starships are part player housing, part combat vehicle, and part story platform, and that combination lacks an easy analogue in other MMOs. That's why you've got this handy holocron with all of the starship "must knows" to aid your initial voyage to the stars! Coordinates for the jump are plotted. Punch it, reader!
SWTOR: Warzones whack-a-mole
You cannot make a Star Wars game without some sort of galactic conflict. Subscribers to Star Wars: The Old Republic can play out this interplanetary war in appropriately named instances called warzones. Out of the box, BioWare's MMO includes three of these epic conflicts. The planetary government of Alderaan draws both major factions into its own internal conflict in the civil war warzone. Nar Shaddaa host the seediest death-games the galaxy has ever heard of. Huttball is the prime example of these deadly sports. And the technology of the Voidstar is up for grabs by either the Empire or the Republic, but the question is "who will get there first?" At level 10, you can begin your PvP adventure by queuing up for these battles solo or with a group of four. But as any war general will tell you, the more you know about the battle you're about to enter, the more likely it is that you will win. Past the break, you'll find a rundown of each warzone and a bit of strategic advice before you jump into battle.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Trooper
Whether you're attracted to Star Wars: The Old Republic's Trooper class because of the iconic Stormtrooper/Clone Wars trooper look, the ability to dish out massive damage without any pamby-namby "Force" crutches, or the chance to hop on board a sci-fi military saga, you're in for a treat. While it may lack the grace of the Jedi, the sophistication of the Imperial Agent, and the swagger of the Smuggler, the Trooper gets it done with heavy armor, heavy firepower, and heavy quips. The Trooper a strong contender for just about any role in the game except for melee combat (and even there it has a few moves). It can heal, deal ranged damage, and tank alike, so I'm not surprised to hear that there are all-Trooper guilds forming up for the game. If you like having wide-open possibilities for your character's future roles, the Trooper is the way to go. The Trooper begins his journey on the war-torn world of Ord Mantell (alongside the Smugglers), where he's been recently recruited by the elite Havoc squad to tackle the toughest missions out there. You may not feel elite at the beginning, with light armor, an aged blaster rifle, and only a small handful of skills backing you up, but trust me -- by the end of your journey on Ord Mantell, you'll be ready to rock with the big boys.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Jedi Knight
If it's true that gamers would rather play Luke Skywalker than Uncle Owen, then the Jedi Knight is the class to put that claim to the test in Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Knight is the Republic side's melee specialist and classic tank-mage, who supplements her melee attacks with taunts, buffs, and Force powers. She operates on the front lines of the war against the Sith, protecting her allies and representing the Jedi Order across the galaxy. Also, lightsabers. Two of them.
Hyperspace Beacon: Crafting preview
BioWare calls the Star Wars: The Old Republic's crafting system Crew Skills. It's labeled quite appropriately because the majority of the work is performed by the companion characters and not the player himself. If you venture over to the official website, the developers have put together a brief outline of all the Crew Skills and a short video describing them. Every MMO with crafting has had two basic steps and SWTOR is certainly no exception. However, our space-opera MMO adds to standard gathering and crafting steps a third element: missions. But that's not the only thing different. When I asked Live Producer Blaine Christine about crafting over a year ago, it had not been announced yet, but he did say, "I think it's a different take on crafting than what people will be expecting. It's not the standard implementation. It's going to be a treat." He was definitely correct about it not being the standard implementation, but how about that "treat" part? During the last couple of weeks, BioWare allowed me to explore a little bit of Crew Skills system on the beta server without devs over my shoulder like at conventions or press junkets. After the jump, I'd like to explore each piece of Crew Skills and compare it to other crafting systems in other MMOs. I suggest that if you're not interested in spoilers you stop reading now because I'm about to spill everything about this unique game mechanic.
