SWTOR First Impressions
Okay. I'm not gonna lie. I love this game.
When I first heard that the sequel to the KOTOR games was going to be a MMO, I have to admit that I was pretty leery. I'd played World of Warcraft, had a great time, but had no desire to go back to the grind of a game like that. And while Bioware claimed that it was going to be a story driven MMO, I seriously had some doubts that they could pull it off. But they did. It's pretty amazing. And if you loved the KOTOR games, most likely you're going to love this one.
One of the things that I very much love about this game is that you can either solo it on your own and still get most of the story, or you can play with another person. With the group dialogue options, playing with someone else brings the game to a whole new level of fun as well as opening up the group dialogue options and getting to see what other people do. It's fantastically fun and you really can tell that this game is designed to be played in groups.
Also, I really appreciate that the SWTOR designers didn't change what worked with WoW. The interface, quest givers, color coding of loot, banks, trading, mounts, etc... are all the same which helps quite a bit with the learning curve. PVP battlegrounds are similar enough, which makes it easy to quickly get the hang of them.
Some story and class observations (excluding Imperial Agents and Jedi Consulars, as I haven't rolled any yet) so far even though I've only scratched the surface of this game:
Republic Trooper
Naveh, Republic Trooper Commando, Level 31 (Server: Sanctum of the Exulted)
Right now, Republic Troopers are my favorite class. It's the one I've leveled up the highest at the moment. Because Jennifer Hale is doing the voice acting for the f!RT, I was really worried that the story would be too much like Mass Effect and the Trooper too much like Commander Shepard. But while there are some similarities, the trooper story is a much more intimate and smaller scale storyline than the Mass Effect series. You get the feeling that your character is an important asskicker, but not the most important asskicker ever which is a refreshing change.
The story is very Band of Brothers, their opening home world (Ord Mantell) is my favorite starting zone, mostly because unlike Korriban, Tython and Nal Hutta there's a sense of urgency and immediacy on this war torn planet. The prologue story is great, and even though I've progressed to level 30 I still find it engaging and interesting. I like the companions you get as well (at least so far, I'm still missing two). This class, more than some of the others, seems to stand on it's own without playing with others rather well. I like it so much that I'll probably role a dirtbag m!Trooper and play it again.
As far as the mechanics go, they are a hell of a lot of fun to play. I'm playing a Commando ranged DPS/Healing hybrid, and I can heal most groups just fine while still tearing down mobs pretty quickly. Plus Commandos get big guns, which I have to admit I find pretty entertaining.
This is also the only class that I've gotten high enough to start the romance for. Which is with this guy:
Aric Jorgan, grumpy bastard, hard ass and f!Trooper Love Interest
Okay, I'll admit that at first I wasn't sure about Jorgan. He's the very first companion you get, he's quite the hardass, and he also looks kinda weird (he's a Cathar, in case you're wondering). But as the story arc has progressed I have say that I'm really impressed by what Bioware has done. The f!Trooper gets a love interest who 1) has an awesome voice, 2) doesn't have emotional baggage that needs to be fixed, 3) doesn't have a tragic past (that I've discovered yet anyway), 4) isn't boring and 5) acts like a goddamned adult. After all of the Dragon Age angsty pretty boys (all of whom I loved as characters, but wasn't so hot on them a romance options) it's really nice to see.
On top of that, once you get underneath the hardass and grumpy surface, you find out that he has a wickedly dry, sarcastic and dirty sense of humor. He sort of reminds me of Carth or Jacob actually, in that you really don't get to see the best and most entertaining part of his character until you do the romance. Which is a shame, really. Anyway A+ to whoever wrote this character.
Jedi Knight
Tanit, Saver of Kittens, Snuggler of bunnies, Jedi Guardian, Level 13 (Server: Sanctum of the Exulted)
Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. The Jedi stories, both the Knight and the Consular (much of which I've seen by playing with Mutive's Lucrecia) totally suck. They are typical and rather boring, and frankly half of the time I can't really remember what the hell Tanit is supposed to be doing. Granted, I've only just gotten past the starting prologue with Tanit and I'm not the biggest fan of the Jedi to begin with. So maybe it improves. Or maybe it's just not for me. I get the feeling that this class would be much more fun for someone who thought being a Jedi was the greatest thing ever.
However, the one thing that totally saves this toon and keeps me wanting to play this class is playing with Mutive's totally evil consular Lucrecia. She plays her Jedi hardcore darkside, I play mine so light that she farts rainbows and together when they group it equals complete hilarity and many snarky conversations like this, when Tanit got her lightsaber:
This is where the group dialogue feature totally shines. Depending on which of us wins the decision roll, we might be giving our help for free, or blackmailing people for extra credits. And I swear, mutive has a real knack for winning the decision rolls so what usually happens is Lucrecia does something unspeakably evil and then Tanit has to apologize/rationalize it. It's fantastic and makes a boring class not only playable, but extremely entertaining.
Sith Warrior
Briseis, Sith Warrior, Level 10, (Server: Lord Prevan)
The Sith Warrior story so far is marginally better than it's Jedi counterpart (Jedi Knight), but still sort of a Darth Maul fanboy/girl's wet dream, and not nearly as fun as another class. True, it is fun to run around and act like you're the baddest and meanest Sith ever. But considering that if you play a dude!SW, your love interest is the Twi'lek you get right away with the shock collar and can torture(Vette), it quickly ventures into squick - at least to me. I think it's not so gross if you play a woman, but still... I dunno. This one hasn't hooked me all that much yet. I'm thinking that unless I level this one up with a friend, she's gonna sit at level ten for a long, long time.
Sith Inquisitor
Nephele, Sith Inquisitor, Level 10, (Server: Lord Prevan)
This is pretty much the only force user storyline that I think is interesting enough to stand on it's own. I really liked the backstory (you're an ex-slave taken for force training), the voice acting is great, and your first companion is a crazy centuries old monster. The mechanics of this class too are really quite fun, as you can basically stand at a distance and fry people with force lightening. I have to admit that it never gets old.
Plus, from what I hear the f!SI love interest (Andronikus) is voiced by the guy who did Oghren for Dragon Age, which makes me totally curious enough to play this through until I meet him, since that has to be entertaining.
Imperial Bounty Hunter & Republic Smuggler
Zorae, Bounty Hunter, Level 5, (Server: Sanctum of the Exalted)
Pim, Republic Smuggler, Level 4, Server: Sanctum of the Exalted)
I haven't made it through the prologues of these classes yet (I just made the BH today so I can pester Kosiah), but I already like them more than most of the force using classes. Like the trooper, the story is much more interesting and personal than "Hey let's save the universe" (being a money grubber seems endlessly entertaining) the voice acting is good and the class mechanics are fun. Smugglers seem like they'd be a challenge to play because they're so squishy, but that's good because it's a different play style and it's fun to mix it up.
At any rate, I'm not sure how many of you are playing SWTOR, but if you're not, you should *cough*siujerkjai*cough. And if you are, I'm always up for a group with either a toon I have, or rolling a new one (as making new characters hasn't gotten old yet), so let me know where you are and if you want to play. You can send me a tell anytime. I'm usually on Naveh on Sanctum of the Exalted, although as you can see I bounce around a lot.
Also, show me some screenshots. I love seeing other people's characters and what they look like.
When I first heard that the sequel to the KOTOR games was going to be a MMO, I have to admit that I was pretty leery. I'd played World of Warcraft, had a great time, but had no desire to go back to the grind of a game like that. And while Bioware claimed that it was going to be a story driven MMO, I seriously had some doubts that they could pull it off. But they did. It's pretty amazing. And if you loved the KOTOR games, most likely you're going to love this one.
One of the things that I very much love about this game is that you can either solo it on your own and still get most of the story, or you can play with another person. With the group dialogue options, playing with someone else brings the game to a whole new level of fun as well as opening up the group dialogue options and getting to see what other people do. It's fantastically fun and you really can tell that this game is designed to be played in groups.
Also, I really appreciate that the SWTOR designers didn't change what worked with WoW. The interface, quest givers, color coding of loot, banks, trading, mounts, etc... are all the same which helps quite a bit with the learning curve. PVP battlegrounds are similar enough, which makes it easy to quickly get the hang of them.
Some story and class observations (excluding Imperial Agents and Jedi Consulars, as I haven't rolled any yet) so far even though I've only scratched the surface of this game:
Republic Trooper
Naveh, Republic Trooper Commando, Level 31 (Server: Sanctum of the Exulted)
Right now, Republic Troopers are my favorite class. It's the one I've leveled up the highest at the moment. Because Jennifer Hale is doing the voice acting for the f!RT, I was really worried that the story would be too much like Mass Effect and the Trooper too much like Commander Shepard. But while there are some similarities, the trooper story is a much more intimate and smaller scale storyline than the Mass Effect series. You get the feeling that your character is an important asskicker, but not the most important asskicker ever which is a refreshing change.
The story is very Band of Brothers, their opening home world (Ord Mantell) is my favorite starting zone, mostly because unlike Korriban, Tython and Nal Hutta there's a sense of urgency and immediacy on this war torn planet. The prologue story is great, and even though I've progressed to level 30 I still find it engaging and interesting. I like the companions you get as well (at least so far, I'm still missing two). This class, more than some of the others, seems to stand on it's own without playing with others rather well. I like it so much that I'll probably role a dirtbag m!Trooper and play it again.
As far as the mechanics go, they are a hell of a lot of fun to play. I'm playing a Commando ranged DPS/Healing hybrid, and I can heal most groups just fine while still tearing down mobs pretty quickly. Plus Commandos get big guns, which I have to admit I find pretty entertaining.
This is also the only class that I've gotten high enough to start the romance for. Which is with this guy:
Aric Jorgan, grumpy bastard, hard ass and f!Trooper Love Interest
Okay, I'll admit that at first I wasn't sure about Jorgan. He's the very first companion you get, he's quite the hardass, and he also looks kinda weird (he's a Cathar, in case you're wondering). But as the story arc has progressed I have say that I'm really impressed by what Bioware has done. The f!Trooper gets a love interest who 1) has an awesome voice, 2) doesn't have emotional baggage that needs to be fixed, 3) doesn't have a tragic past (that I've discovered yet anyway), 4) isn't boring and 5) acts like a goddamned adult. After all of the Dragon Age angsty pretty boys (all of whom I loved as characters, but wasn't so hot on them a romance options) it's really nice to see.
On top of that, once you get underneath the hardass and grumpy surface, you find out that he has a wickedly dry, sarcastic and dirty sense of humor. He sort of reminds me of Carth or Jacob actually, in that you really don't get to see the best and most entertaining part of his character until you do the romance. Which is a shame, really. Anyway A+ to whoever wrote this character.
Jedi Knight
Tanit, Saver of Kittens, Snuggler of bunnies, Jedi Guardian, Level 13 (Server: Sanctum of the Exulted)
Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. The Jedi stories, both the Knight and the Consular (much of which I've seen by playing with Mutive's Lucrecia) totally suck. They are typical and rather boring, and frankly half of the time I can't really remember what the hell Tanit is supposed to be doing. Granted, I've only just gotten past the starting prologue with Tanit and I'm not the biggest fan of the Jedi to begin with. So maybe it improves. Or maybe it's just not for me. I get the feeling that this class would be much more fun for someone who thought being a Jedi was the greatest thing ever.
However, the one thing that totally saves this toon and keeps me wanting to play this class is playing with Mutive's totally evil consular Lucrecia. She plays her Jedi hardcore darkside, I play mine so light that she farts rainbows and together when they group it equals complete hilarity and many snarky conversations like this, when Tanit got her lightsaber:
This is where the group dialogue feature totally shines. Depending on which of us wins the decision roll, we might be giving our help for free, or blackmailing people for extra credits. And I swear, mutive has a real knack for winning the decision rolls so what usually happens is Lucrecia does something unspeakably evil and then Tanit has to apologize/rationalize it. It's fantastic and makes a boring class not only playable, but extremely entertaining.
Sith Warrior
Briseis, Sith Warrior, Level 10, (Server: Lord Prevan)
The Sith Warrior story so far is marginally better than it's Jedi counterpart (Jedi Knight), but still sort of a Darth Maul fanboy/girl's wet dream, and not nearly as fun as another class. True, it is fun to run around and act like you're the baddest and meanest Sith ever. But considering that if you play a dude!SW, your love interest is the Twi'lek you get right away with the shock collar and can torture(Vette), it quickly ventures into squick - at least to me. I think it's not so gross if you play a woman, but still... I dunno. This one hasn't hooked me all that much yet. I'm thinking that unless I level this one up with a friend, she's gonna sit at level ten for a long, long time.
Sith Inquisitor
Nephele, Sith Inquisitor, Level 10, (Server: Lord Prevan)
This is pretty much the only force user storyline that I think is interesting enough to stand on it's own. I really liked the backstory (you're an ex-slave taken for force training), the voice acting is great, and your first companion is a crazy centuries old monster. The mechanics of this class too are really quite fun, as you can basically stand at a distance and fry people with force lightening. I have to admit that it never gets old.
Plus, from what I hear the f!SI love interest (Andronikus) is voiced by the guy who did Oghren for Dragon Age, which makes me totally curious enough to play this through until I meet him, since that has to be entertaining.
Imperial Bounty Hunter & Republic Smuggler
Zorae, Bounty Hunter, Level 5, (Server: Sanctum of the Exalted)
Pim, Republic Smuggler, Level 4, Server: Sanctum of the Exalted)
I haven't made it through the prologues of these classes yet (I just made the BH today so I can pester Kosiah), but I already like them more than most of the force using classes. Like the trooper, the story is much more interesting and personal than "Hey let's save the universe" (being a money grubber seems endlessly entertaining) the voice acting is good and the class mechanics are fun. Smugglers seem like they'd be a challenge to play because they're so squishy, but that's good because it's a different play style and it's fun to mix it up.
At any rate, I'm not sure how many of you are playing SWTOR, but if you're not, you should *cough*siujerkjai*cough. And if you are, I'm always up for a group with either a toon I have, or rolling a new one (as making new characters hasn't gotten old yet), so let me know where you are and if you want to play. You can send me a tell anytime. I'm usually on Naveh on Sanctum of the Exalted, although as you can see I bounce around a lot.
Also, show me some screenshots. I love seeing other people's characters and what they look like.