Star Wars The Old Republic

[Mr Light]

So, obviously I'm two years too late on this one but I just finally caved in to try my first MMORPG. Naturally I went with Star Wars. Because it was Star Wars. And it was free.

I've played it for several hours now, and I think I've been tempted enough to actually try the paid version. I'm concerned about my card being charged after I try to cancel but someone suggested using a pre-paid Visa card which sounds like a good idea.

I really, really loved KOTR so it's really cool that this is basically a third KOTR game.

Is anyone still playing this game?

How many planets are in the game? How long am I going to be stuck on Tython?

How long does the game take to play through? How long before Revan shows up?

Has the story "finished" at this point? I know there's expansion stuff, but is the primary story done?

 

[SPCTRE]

You shouldn't be concerned about your CC. The account management is handled very professionally (this is EA that we're talking about). They're not a popular company (haha), but they will not ever charge you once you have cancelled.

As someone who has played WoW in a very, very hardcore way for a couple of years, SWTOR simply didn't do it for me. It's done very competently and is extremely polished, but is just another MMORPG with a bit of KOTOR sprinkled in to it. I'm done with MMOs and it didn't do enough to scratch my KOTOR itch (KOTOR 1 & 2 are among my favorite games of all time), so, I'm out.

 

[Skywalker]

I enjoy it, and every few months or so I jump back into it for a few weeks before eventually getting bored again. Each class actually having a real story and each character having a genuine personality really helps maintain my interest, whereas with most other MMOs I can never really stay interested for very long. That said, I wish they had simply done a single player KotOR 3 instead.

 

[Reverend]

Is anyone still playing this game?

Last I checked the servers are still fairly active.

How many planets are in the game?

Total? Hard to say if you count all the Heroics and Ops, but for the main body of the game there's sixteen, plus another four or five for endgame content & the Hutt Cartel expansion.

You won't see them all in a single playthough though since the starting planets and capitals are class and faction specific.

How long am I going to be stuck on Tython?

Until about level 10 when you get your lightsaber.

How long does the game take to play through?

It's an MMO, so for as long as you can without getting bored.
If you mean to play one character up to Lv 55...it can take a while.

How long before Revan shows up?

Quite a while. Don't get your hopes up though, it's a brief appearance.

Has the story "finished" at this point? I know there's expansion stuff, but is the primary story done?

The story is different for each class. Most are left fairly open ended. If you mean the larger galactic story then no, the Republic-Sith Empire conflict is ongoing.

 

[Mr Light]

I'm already at Level 7.

I got a droid follower in this one cave, and that was awesome, but then I immediately lost him and he's being repaired by an NPC. When do I get him back? Do I get a follower for the rest of the game?

So there isn't an "ending" after two years of being out? There isn't a final boss battle that ends the main story?

 

[SPCTRE]

It's an MMORPG. It will "end" as soon as it is no longer economically viable for EA to maintain the game servers.

 

[JRS]

I played SWTOR for sometime but honestly my computer was not up to running it the most smoothly, so when I got tired of lag I stopped. I will upgrade my system, so I hope to play it again soon.

The storylines are good and I must say that the cutscenes are great, maybe the best I have ever soon on an MMORPG. The combat is fun, too. So I am looking forward of going back to it.

 

[Reverend]

I'm already at Level 7.

I got a droid follower in this one cave, and that was awesome, but then I immediately lost him and he's being repaired by an NPC. When do I get him back? Do I get a follower for the rest of the game?

So there isn't an "ending" after two years of being out? There isn't a final boss battle that ends the main story?

You'll get him back pretty soon, don't worry. Like most Bioware games, you'll acquire a number of party members as you progress.

the Knight's class story does end with a "final" battle or sorts with a primary antagonist defeated, but it's by no means the end of the story. Remember, this is an MMO, perpetual conflict is kind of necessary for this gaming model to work.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I played it for awhile until I became bottlenecked. There's a point with all characters, different for each class-type, where there's a sharp increase in the difficulty curve with the boss battles. Those likely require partnering up to complete them. I had tried out both Jedi and Smuggler, and the Jedi (Knight I think?) was pretty much average and by the numbers as far as SW goes, but I really liked the Smuggler story.

I'd be willing to get into it again if it means playing with a partner.

 

[Amaris]

Yep, same here. Once I reached the bottleneck, it became far less interesting to play because there was more frustration than fun due to the steep advancement curve. Plus, as a Preferred status member (paid for items with cash, but not a subscriber), the restrictions were rather irritating. To me, STO is still the best model when it comes to Free to Play. Plus, I'm not a fan of the culture itself. If you're not a subscriber, you can't even post on the message board, and that's because you'll just mess up their pristine environment, you uncultured, unrefined plebeian. Seriously, you'd think non-subscribers were carrying the plague, when reading that board.

 

[Whizzer]

Still playing SWTOR, have been subbed since the game started.
Played sometimes more, sometimes less.
Revan is still around, new teaser linky
Raids and Planetary Guild Conquests are still keeping me busy these days.
My favourite class stories where the Sith Inquisitor and the Agent, but they are all pretty well done for an MMO.

 

[Mr Light]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about MMORPGs...

where does the working with other people part come in? how do you connect to other people? what do you do together? Can I play the entire game alone if need be?

 

[Briquettes]

Edit^^ Group finder and chat, mostly. SWTOR doesn't have good grouping and socialization systems, IMO. You can do all class/planet quests and some heroics solo, but heroic 4s, flashpoints, and operations need a group.

SWTOR is a really fun game when leveling up your first character. After a while the novelty of the voice acting and Bioware-ness wears off and it just gets boring and repetitive, even by MMO standards. And as mentioned earlier the free-to-play model is absurdly restrictive.

 

[Mr Light]

Welp, I ponied up $30 for a one time two month subscription.

I'm now a Level 10 Jedi Knight with a lightsaber and I just left Tython!

 

[EnriqueH]

I'm so bummed they never really came out with KOTOR 3.

I only have an old-ass MAC laptop for a computer these days, and I'm pretty sure it couldn't handle The Old Republic.

 

[Mr Light]

OK so I got to the Coruscant space station and became instantly overwhelmed with information and options. There's dozens of different vendors and game modes and shit and I have no clue what to make of any of this. Is any of this necessary to play the main story?

And one of my missions was to buy something from a merchant but it says I needed "One Social Point" in order to buy it. What does that mean?

 

[Reverend]

OK so I got to the Coruscant space station and became instantly overwhelmed with information and options. There's dozens of different vendors and game modes and shit and I have no clue what to make of any of this. Is any of this necessary to play the main story?

And one of my missions was to buy something from a merchant but it says I needed "One Social Point" in order to buy it. What does that mean?

You get social points by grouping up and participating in conversations. It really doesn't mean anything besides allowing you to buy some items that require you to be a certain social level. Levelling up social past level 2 is a massive grind and the items are nothing special so most people don't seem to bother. Basically the whole ssytem is a relic of pre-F2P.
But if you really want the xp from that mission don't worry, you'll see the first Flashpoint (The Esseles) on your way to the shuttle to Coruscant.

The PvP game modes are mostly to keep endgame players entertained, buy they're also an alternate way to level up. No direct connection to the main game, so you won't miss anything by ignoring them.

While you're on the fleet the most important thing to do is to choose your class specialisation since once you pick it, you're stuck with it. Short version for a Knight: if you want to tank, go Guardian, if you want to be pure DPS it's Sentinel.
It's worth noting that a LOT of people go DPS so it's generally easier to find a group if you're a tank or a healer as they're in much higher demand.

 

[Mr Light]

I went with Guardian. I figured since I'm completely ignorant of how to play the game I better just run up and hack away at people

 

[Owain Taggart]

I found that the Space Station can largely be ignored, especially once you get your own ship. You'll only ever use it as a hub in the early part of the game when you don't have your own transportation. But when you do use it, taking a peak at the map should let you know where you should be going.

 

[Whizzer]

There is a lot of interesting and important stuff on the fleet, but you can ignore most of it if you play your first char and intend to solo a lot.
Grap your 3 crewskills, I suggest biochem as a crafting skill to create cheap medpacks.
Get moddable gear and check out the commendation vendor on each planet you get to, see what level you need to grap stuff and spend your commendations there.
The hilt of your lightsaber + the armouring of your focus are the most important pieces for a DPS Guardian, upgrade those first.
Implants and earpieces are harder to get, unless you want to spend money on the auctionhouse.
Oh, and dont be discouraged by dying. Think about what went wrong, check your gear, see if you bought all your class skills and try again.