Star Wars: The Old Republic anticipation thread.

[Amaris]

Preferred Players are getting 4 Quickbars eventually. They're also supposed to be getting more slots for new characters, which sounds great for me. I want an Empire character. I have a Republic Trooper (Lv11) and a Jedi Shadow Defender (Lv17). I want a bad guy, too, dammit!

 

[CorporalClegg]

If you only roll one Imp, make it an Agent.

You'll thank me later.

 

[Reverend]

I'm toying with the idea of just buying the game off amazon. I mean it's pretty cheep and I assume it comes with a code that'll upgrade a F2P account to a subbed one for at least 30 days before dropping back to preferred, no?

 

[Amaris]

If you only roll one Imp, make it an Agent.

You'll thank me later.

That's the one I've been thinking about. It sounds all underhanded and dirty, which appeals to me and my Empire loving ways.

I just have to wait until they allow for the updates slots. I believe Preferred players will get 5 slots total. Right now it's 2 slots total.

 

[CorporalClegg]

I'm toying with the idea of just buying the game off amazon. I mean it's pretty cheep and I assume it comes with a code that'll upgrade a F2P account to a subbed one for at least 30 days before dropping back to preferred, no?

Why don't you just sub?

 

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Download it for free and pay 14.99 to sub. Why would you buy the box? To have the discs...which you will never need because it is available by download for free?

EDIT: For 4.99 plus shipping I guess you're actually getting a deal on the first month. Buy away!

 

[Drago-Kazov]

If you only roll one Imp, make it an Agent.

You'll thank me later.

That's the one I've been thinking about. It sounds all underhanded and dirty, which appeals to me and my Empire loving ways.

I just have to wait until they allow for the updates slots. I believe Preferred players will get 5 slots total. Right now it's 2 slots total.

It has the best plot.

 

[Reverend]

Download it for free and pay 14.99 to sub. Why would you buy the box? To have the discs...which you will never need because it is available by download for free?

EDIT: For 4.99 plus shipping I guess you're actually getting a deal on the first month. Buy away!

It's £7.99 and free shipping over here, but yeah, that's the gist of it.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Then you may not get a month sub. I've been burned by that before. Same situation: game went F2P and boxes were cheap. Got the thing home and the code was no longer valid.

I have no idea about SWTOR. You might want to ask on the forums before buying.

 

[Reverend]

Then you may not get a month sub. I've been burned by that before. Same situation: game went F2P and boxes were cheap. Got the thing home and the code was no longer valid.

I have no idea about SWTOR. You might want to ask on the forums before buying.

Don't worry, I won't. Like I said, I was only toying with the idea. Even then I'll probably wait until most of my characters are levelled up to the point where the UI restriction becomes chronic.

I did however have a look at the official FAQ & ToS and it does still say that the first month's sub is included in the price of the game. Still, I have yet to see it spelled out anywhere that a code from a bought physical copy will be honored as such, or if they're requiring people to buy the digital download version off Origin. If it's the latter, I'd just as soon not bother. Bad enough I need that PoS to run ME3, I don't want to support it any more than I already am.

 

[Amaris]

If you only roll one Imp, make it an Agent.

You'll thank me later.

That's the one I've been thinking about. It sounds all underhanded and dirty, which appeals to me and my Empire loving ways.

I just have to wait until they allow for the updates slots. I believe Preferred players will get 5 slots total. Right now it's 2 slots total.

It has the best plot.

It also looks like a hell of a lot of fun, and lots of chances to be evil.

EDIT:

I checked on the SWTOR site and it looks like an upcoming patch (though they're not sure when) they will expand the number of slots for Preferred players from 2 to 6, so YAY! It's at that point they will also make it possible to buy more slots, so that sounds great. It looks like not too long from now I'll be able to play that Imperial Agent.

 

[Drago-Kazov]

i wonder what kind of new classes will they ad in the long run.

Pilot class would be neat.

They originally wanted to make the Voss Mystics their own class, that would be cool too.

A Diplomat Class where you mostly just have to talk your way out would also be fun.

 

[Reverend]

^ I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for any significant new content. It's been out for 12 months now and from what I gather, there's been very little in that regard. Now that it's gone f2p all they're likely to do is drip-feed new items into the store until the last few subs get bored of PvP.

 

[Holdfast]

Well, I started playing.

Word of warning to anyone reading who hasn't started playing yet: the Express Install is an enormous download. Thankfully, I have a fibre connection but my best guess is that it was well over 20GB (I went away, came back 20 minutes later and it was still d/l'ing multiple massive chunks of data!). I assume the Custom Install lets you d/l less stuff right at the start of the game and then it downloads what you need as you go along, whereas Express downloads everthing at the start.

Anyway, as for the game itself, this is the first MMORPG I've ever played so I don't know how much of the following is specific to SWTOR or particular to the genre, but there were things I loved and things I hated.

Loved: the cinematics, the voice-acting, the characters, the general look & feel of being in the SW universe. I chose a female Sith Inquisitor. Funnily enough, I subconsciously customised her to look like an ex-girlfriend, something I only realised once I started playing (insert "well, she was a manipulative witch" joke here...). The sassy backchat, double-dealing and general amorality made playing Sith a lot of fun.

Hated: I only played about 5 hours, up to level 8 and still on the starting planet so admittedly these comments are based on very limited content. But... the actual gameplay feels very repetitive (FedEx type missions, and combat that's more of a math problem - what order do I click the number keys for most effective damage - than a fluid fighting style).

Plus, right-click to move with the mouse is very annoying. I understand why this mechanic is there (to free up the mouse cursor itself for clicking stuff & selecting skills when you can't remember the number), but it's easy to forget to right-click in combat and find yourself rotating the camera but not the character. Is there a sensible alternative keybinding that avoids this problem without creating other key combination problems?

Anyway, I'll certainly keep playing until about lvl 12-15, just to see if the format advances enough to be enjoyable. But frankly, at this stage I'd love to just do the very entertaining story/roleplaying bit (watching the storyline, selecting replies) without the repetitive gameplay in between.

Maybe it's just endemic to this type of game, and they're not for me. But I'll give it a bit more of a chance, and if I don't figure things out, I'll just see if I can find the full cinematics on YouTube and watch instead of play.

I do see why these games are popular though; I didn't really enjoy the combat, but the gradual story progression is addictive enough to make me want to hop back in and play more anyway.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I've started playing this shortly after it was released as FTP, and I'm loving it. It's very rich in atmosphere and I love the orchestral score while playing. The storytelling is definitely its strong point.

I'm a Level 24 Jedi Knight, having just gotten to the asteroid planet, and I have to say, I feel this game's actually pretty easy in terms of MMOs, and I've played many. When I beta-tested Aion, I felt that was a pretty hard game that would easily give you a smack down if you weren't prepared for what was ahead. This in comparison feels like a walk in the park.

The trick is to do all the quests on each planet that are available, including the bonus ones. I don't even find the bonus ones to be that bad as they're grouped along with their main quest, but they do give good xp when completed, especially if it's a bonus quest attached to an item to be dropped off at a dropbox. I even stuck around for the bonus questline on Taris, as I admit I'm an odd man out on this one, but I actually liked Taris quite a bit. There was a sense of discovery to it as you explored every different part to it. Nar Shadaa in comparison felt too much like Coruscant to me. If the pattern holds, I think I'll be liking the outdoor landscapes more than the metropolises.

That said though, I think I might be in need of some help to defeat the Sith on the asteroid planet. Name's Dranthon on Jedi Covenant.

As for moving around, I just use WASD.

 

[Reverend]

Plus, right-click to move with the mouse is very annoying. I understand why this mechanic is there (to free up the mouse cursor itself for clicking stuff & selecting skills when you can't remember the number), but it's easy to forget to right-click in combat and find yourself rotating the camera but not the character. Is there a sensible alternative keybinding that avoids this problem without creating other key combination problems?

Personally, I just use WASD to move. Honestly I only really use the mouse to interact with inventory, menu navigation, pop-ups and the like. Clicking on specific targets can be a bit tricky as it's very easy to loose the cursor when there's a lot going on, so I just cycle though them with TAB and use the first three or four number keys for my primary attacks.

 

[Holdfast]

^yep, I'm coming round to using the keys more, but they're still a pain for turning around quickly. Right-click mouse moving is so much faster for that. Just tricky to get used to.

I've now levelled to 10, and got my first companion. Combat is a LOT more fun once you get one; for the inquisitor, he tanks nicely, freeing me up to use my ranged force powers and you can start thinking about what to do instead. The class actually begins to make sense, and live up to its description. It's much more fun throwing lightning around from afar instead of having to do it up close & personal. I'm definitely going to choose Sorcerer, and large amounts of ranged damage, once I get the chance. I'm going to stick with this game for a bit longer.

Thanks for the advice/info re: all my questions earlier on.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Plus you get a chance to romance your companion at some point How can you not love that?

 

[Reverend]

^yep, I'm coming round to using the keys more, but they're still a pain for turning around quickly. Right-click mouse moving is so much faster for that. Just tricky to get used to.

I've now levelled to 10, and got my first companion. Combat is a LOT more fun once you get one; for the inquisitor, he tanks nicely, freeing me up to use my ranged force powers and you can start thinking about what to do instead. The class actually begins to make sense, and live up to its description. It's much more fun throwing lightning around from afar instead of having to do it up close & personal. I'm definitely going to choose Sorcerer, and large amounts of ranged damage, once I get the chance. I'm going to stick with this game for a bit longer.

Thanks for the advice/info re: all my questions earlier on.

A word of warning if you're going to spec for DPS: be prepared to struggle to find groups later on in the game. You'll find your services much more appreciated if you're a healer because there's always a shortage. It seems everyone and their aunt pick DPS.

For my Inquisitor (snarky female Zabrak btw) I picked Assassin because the stealth makes avoiding agro from random mobs so much easier. However, I've been speccing her as a tank with the Darkness tree, so it's a bit of an odd build.

As for levelling, yes, it's best if you do every bonus mission, Heroic and Flashpoint you can to stay ahead of the difficulty curve. The catch is that it can get VERY tedious, especially on the later planets like Alderaan, Tatooine etc. It really brings the narrative to a grinding halt. Right now I got so bored with it (plus I was struggling to find groups for that session) that I skipped over a bunch of Heroics on Alderaan, plus half the bonus questline on Nar Shadda just so that I can get on with the damn class story...problem is, even though I'm still (just) above the minimum level requirement, I can already feel the difficulty curve nipping at my heels. "Strong" enemies are way more trouble than they should be, while "Elites" & "Champions" and damn near impossible.

I'm not looking forward to going back to do the side-quest round up, just so I can level up enough to maintain parity. I'm the type of gamer that doesn't find grinding at all appealing.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Have you picked your advanced class Holdy? I assume if you like flinging lightning you'll choose sorcerer. In terms of simplicity, Sorcerer+Khem is the best solo combo in the game. You can basically "tank and spank" your way through the whole game with a lightning/heal hybrid. Questing takes a bit longer than other classes, but it's pretty fool-proof. You'll get other tank companions later, but you can just stick with Khem. He's easily the best tank companion in the game because of his skill set--and so much better then Qyzen which shows the whole "mirror balance" thing was thrown out the window with companions. The biggest discrepancy is probably with Elara and Mako. Mako is way more popular, but parsing has proven Elara puts out much better healing numbers. Anyway, I digress...

If you want something different, Assassins and the famed "Tankassin" is all-around the best solo class in the game. (Technically Shadows are a bit better simply because they get their healer companion so much sooner than Assassins, but that's a minor point.) Their utility makes questing a breeze, especially on the last planets, once you learn how to use it, but there's a lot more to learn. If this is your first MMORPG, I would probably just stick with a Sorc.

As far as questing, the object is basically just focus down one enemy (or mob) at a time and keep Khem healed. Essentially, what you want to do is pick a target and send Khem in first. His default attack bind is Cntrl+1. Then you just spam your lightning on the same guy until he's dead. Then move on to the next one in the pack. If Khem starts taking a lot of damage, heal him. As I said, this process is really, really slow, but it's extremely simple. To speed things up some, remember to always apply your DoTs (damage over time) in between lightning spams. Sorcs get two and the damage can really add up.

Sorcs also get an extremely powerful bubble around 16 or so. Keep this on both you and Khem at all times. In the MMO lexicon this is called "keep it on CD (cool down)," which obviously just means that you should cast it every time the cool down expires. Obviously, the exception here it can't be applied twice. So don't waste it if you both have it.

Now is a good time to mention your cool downs (and this goes for everyone else), you can change the appearance of the cool down timers. By default both the long cool down and the global cool down are the same. I like to make my long CDs dark (option 3) and leave the GCD the default highlight. Also, turn the timer on. I believe the CDs are in the UI part of the main preferences about half way down. I can't remember though. Unfortunately, this isn't a global setting so you have to change for all characters.

As Rev said, you'll find grouping a lot simpler and faster if you can heal. The nice thing about a hybrid build is with just 21 point in the healing tree (or even just 11), you can still heal 95% of the leveling content at least up to Belsavis--or level 45ish. It's more than enough to keep Khem healed even at level 50, and the extra points in the damage trees will make things go so much faster.

More more thing... As you progress further into the game and the packs start to become stronger, you'll want to use Whirlwind more and more. It's your main crowd control (CC) skill. There are two types: stun, which simply stuns a target for a short amount of time and mesmerize, which stuns a target for a long time (gets up to over a minute) but will break on any and all damage. It essentially takes a guy out of combat so you can focus on the guy next to him. One important note about this is eventually Khem will get his area taunt. It does damage, so you'll want to always remember to turn it off. It's also important to note it doesn't stay off the toggle turns it self back on if you change areas, instances or unsummon him. I've been burned by this myself several times.

And once you start grouping, and some says "CC" they mean Whirlwind and not your stun. (Shock, I think.) You should also get into the habit of marking your CC. If you right click on a target's portrait there will be an pull-down menu for markers. I use the lightning bolt when I'm on my sorc as it's kind of self-explanatory. When you first join the group just say something like "I'll mark CC," and people will get it. One thing though, if the tank wants to mark all CC, follow his/her lead. The good ones (and sometimes the bad ones) will always insist on it. Let them. When I'm taking, nothing grabs my goat more than when CCers don't follow my lead and then blame me for breaking.

As far as the running thing, the right-click thing is just a muscle memory issue. It's a standard for every MMO. And I have no doubt it will feel like old-hat within a week. In fact, I suggest you do what I do and use both mouse buttons! If you hold both mouse buttons you'll run forward. Most people find this to be awkward at first, but learning now will be beneficial later on. You can take it one step further and remove backwards from the keyboard. You don't need it. Ever. The only two movement buttons I have bound are L/R strafe. With those two buttons and the mouse, I can make any and every movement I would ever need. But I know a lot of people have to have all four directions for comfort's sake. So it is up to you; I'm just throwing it out there.

But since you are binding more, the first thing I would do is draw an imaginary line from 6 down through Y and H to N. Everything to the left of that is a potential, easy to reach bind. Add a cntrl modifier every menu/misc bind in that area. So your character sheet becomes cntrl+C for example, crew Skills cntrl+N, etc. I would also move WASD to EDSF to better center your hand. Interestingly enough, if you do this and add your mouse 3, mouse 4 and 5 buttons and throw J in for good measure, you'll have exactly 24 buttons to match your measly 2 bar's worth of skills.

One that's thing I'm going to throw out there is to change your target select. Every person I've suggested this to and have given it a fair shake has fallen in love with it. I've got every one in my guild doing it. That is, in stead of TAB use your mouse wheel to target select. It works best if your wheel has a ratchet, but even if it doesn't, with practice you can get it to work.

I just use next target (scroll up) and closest target (scroll down). I find previous target to be a bit redundant and not really necessary. Then just throw in a shift modifier for friendlies.