Star Wars: TOR Unveils "Advanced Class System"

[John Funk]

Star Wars: TOR Unveils "Advanced Class System"

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, do you want to be a Sith Warrior more like the agile Darth Maul, or more like the armored Vader? SW: TOR's Advanced Class system lets players take their pick.

One of the stranger things about SW: TOR - especially for long-time MMOG fans - is that the two factions only had four classes apiece, which felt slightly lacking. Every player who chooses to side with a given faction only gets four options? Most modern MMOGs have twice that!

Now, a post on the SW: TOR site [http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20100514_002] detailing the Advanced Class system helps BioWare's direction make a bit more sense. Essentially, every one of the game's classes has two sub-classes that a player will unlock after a certain point, that lets them further choose how to specialize their character. Both Advanced Classes retain the feel of the original class, but with their own take on the matter:

"For example, all Smugglers are lucky, opportunistic swindlers. But, do you want to be the kind of Smuggler that sneaks into the middle of a firefight and quickly blasts away at an opponent from point-blank range? Or do you want to be the kind that keeps to the outskirts of the battle, strategically picking your targets from a distance?"

Another example, reports Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-wars-the-old-republic-pre-e3-hands-on], is the Sith Warrior's choice to become a Marauder - a fast, damage-dealing class a la Darth Maul - or a Juggernaut, a slower, more strategic archetype with heavy armor like Darth Vader. Each Advanced Class has two ability trees, with a third ability tree shared by both - so every given class has five or so skill trees (though you'll only be able to use three).

It's similar to the branching archetypes seen in EverQuest II [http://www.amazon.com/Aion-Tower-Eternity-Steelbook-Pc/dp/B000VL4J9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1276716104&sr=1-1] (among others), but it's good to see that SW: TOR is giving players more options in building their characters. Also, now we know what the Sith "tank" class is - smart money says that the Republic will get an equivalent as a subclass of either the Imperial Trooper or Jedi Knight archetypes.

The Old Republic is scheduled for 2011.

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[Acidwell]

This just keeps getting better and better.
I wonder what the Sarlacc Enforcers skill branch would have been. Tank or Healer?

 

[Lost In The Void]

Yes, I love the Darth Maul type of Sith so this makes me extremely happy

 

[Flying Dagger]

Any more info on what the other classes are? for jedi and bounty hunter?

 

[Brotherofwill]

Another example, reports Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-wars-the-old-republic-pre-e3-hands-on], is the Sith Warrior's choice to become a Marauder - a fast, damage-dealing class a la Darth Maul - or a Juggernaut, a slower, more strategic archetype with heavy armor like Darth Vader. Each Advanced Class has two ability trees, with a third ability tree shared by both - so every given class has five or so skill trees (though you'll only be able to use three).

Isn't that essentialy what happens in every single RPG ever created? I mean, yeah pick Warrior and then slowly evolve into what warrior you want to be. Pick Strength or Constitution. Sounds hardly surprising. 4 per faction sounds way too little. Doesn't matter if there'll be 2 types of wariors running around, they'll still be warriors.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Any more info on what the other classes are? for jedi and bounty hunter?

I imagine for Jedi Knight it would be a magic(force powers) or melee sort of choice.

 

[AWDMANOUT]

Ahhh!! I don't know! All? AHHH! When does it come out??? AHHH.

Edit: Me freaking out ^

 

[John Funk]

Another example, reports Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-wars-the-old-republic-pre-e3-hands-on], is the Sith Warrior's choice to become a Marauder - a fast, damage-dealing class a la Darth Maul - or a Juggernaut, a slower, more strategic archetype with heavy armor like Darth Vader. Each Advanced Class has two ability trees, with a third ability tree shared by both - so every given class has five or so skill trees (though you'll only be able to use three).

Isn't that essentialy what happens in every single RPG ever created? I mean, yeah pick Warrior and then slowly evolve into what warrior you want to be. Pick Strength or Constitution. Sounds hardly surprising. 4 per faction sounds way too little. Doesn't matter if there'll be 2 types of wariors running around, they'll still be warriors.

No, it's literally two different types of warrior as I understand it. Imagine if, with WoW, you got the choice between Protection/Fury/Arms early on, but it was a permanent choice. Prot warriors got different ability choices and two additional talent trees than Fury warriors.

 

[Therumancer]

Sounds pretty cool, sadly 2011 is a long ways away.

The only extremely minor disappointment here was that I was kind of hoping that somehow Star Wars would get away from the game play archetypes from other games. The tank-sounding Sith makes it seem like they aren't going to though.

Also I can't help but wonder at the idea of a "heavily armored Sith Archetype". The only Sith I seem to remember using that much obvious armor were actually using it for life support reasons due to injuries (this seemed to even be the case in the Bioware games), not so they could be man-tanks.

Still, it will be cool if somehow they set it up so somehow you can tank at a distance with the trooper or whatever as opposed to having to be right up there in the enemy's face. It doesn't seem likely though because it would amount to having to have totally differant sets of boss mechanics for each faction.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

This keeps getting more interesting.

If there's anyone who can beat Blizzard at their own game it's Bioware. Can't wait to get out there with my Bounty Hunter.

 

[Kiefer13]

The Old Republic just keeps sounding better and better. I'm honestly excited, and I usually try not to get excited about upcoming games in advance. In this case though, I can't help it.

 

[Brotherofwill]

No, it's literally two different types of warrior as I understand it. Imagine if, with WoW, you got the choice between Protection/Fury/Arms early on, but it was a permanent choice. Prot warriors got different ability choices and two additional talent trees than Fury warriors.

Well, yeah I thought so. It still doesn't change the fact that they essentially take one class and split it up. Most games just don't make that distinction. I guess this'll make it easier for newcomers not to wrongly level their character, but I doubt it'll give the game a much greater variety. It just kind of makes classes more focused and gives less room to screw around with. I'm just talking out of assumption here, I could be totally wrong, and these classes end up being much more distinct than they seem. For me no matter if it's a tank or damage character, I still see it as a warrior.

 

[Irridium]

Sweetness.

This may be the first MMO I actually end up enjoying.

 

[Flying Dagger]

Any more info on what the other classes are? for jedi and bounty hunter?

I imagine for Jedi Knight it would be a magic(force powers) or melee sort of choice.

Sort of Yoda/Windu choice?
(Yes I completely disregard the scenes in which yoda uses a lightsaber. However awesome they may be)
But that still leaves the bounty hunter... Maybe traps vs guns?

 

[CoverYourHead]

I'd be excited if it were coming out for macs, but it would seem that BioWare has decided not to.

*Waits for the inevitable Mac-hate*

 

[Danpascooch]

SWEET! God, the more I hear about ToR the better it gets!

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Clearly they didn't pay THAT much attention to the actual films... since when was Han Solo sneaky? Isn't he the proto-smuggler?

 

[Loonerinoes]

No, it's literally two different types of warrior as I understand it. Imagine if, with WoW, you got the choice between Protection/Fury/Arms early on, but it was a permanent choice. Prot warriors got different ability choices and two additional talent trees than Fury warriors.

Well, yeah I thought so. It still doesn't change the fact that they essentially take one class and split it up. Most games just don't make that distinction. I guess this'll make it easier for newcomers not to wrongly level their character, but I doubt it'll give the game a much greater variety. It just kind of makes classes more focused and gives less room to screw around with. I'm just talking out of assumption here, I could be totally wrong, and these classes end up being much more distinct than they seem. For me no matter if it's a tank or damage character, I still see it as a warrior.

Their approach in this case is not that much unlike what they did with Dragon Age: Origins really. Start off with the basic classes on your side with a lower, more general selection, that doesn't cause the players hours upon hours of worrying over which of the bazillion classes will be the most hax at endgame with what build. And only then later on (as the game evolves) you decide what path of specialization you want to take based on what you'd like from the game a bit more specifically and what role you'd want to play in it.

There are really only two things that concern me at this point: a) that their descriptions of the different specs will be solid enough so that no player will be able to say later on "I was being lied to" and will have only themselves to blame. And b) (and this really is the cruncher) how to balance this plenthora of different class spec choices (8 classes x 2 = 16 different approaches to the game) in the endgame.

Regardless...we'll see how it progresses. I for one am still intrigued.

 

[Prophetic Heresy]

Clearly they didn't pay THAT much attention to the actual films... since when was Han Solo sneaky? Isn't he the proto-smuggler?

Han wasn't sneaky, but he never stood around to fight on his enemy's terms. If he was outgunned; he fled. If he saw an opportunity; he took it. You're right, he's not sneaking, but he's not walking around in the open either.

I can't wait to see how the Republic Trooper's advanced classes turn out. I don't have a lightsaber or force powers, but I do have a gun and you're sure as hell not getting through me without a fight.

 

[Mr. Grey]

The only thing I don't understand is how do you improve upon a Bounty Hunter... I'm scratching my head at that one. I mean anyone could become one, sure... but usually they're still called Bounty Hunters after they become something good or great.

Maybe Mercenaries might work... but these days the two are regarded as the same too often. Which makes sense considering the definition of a Mercenary. Still, I want to know what do they have in mind for those ones. Every other one is pretty darned easy to come up with an Advanced Class, but Bounty Hunter sounds like something that should be an Advanced Class.

But considering that's the only thing I can nitpick... damn... Bioware really has something here. Well done. Not just give me lifetime so I can always play it...