Faction/Class input for new/returning player.

[Halstinavos]

Hi, I got an e-mail for 250% xp, free month, free 65 character, all that nonsense. I have never played this game to the end game and I figured I would give it a shot, since I will only have to level 5 levels and leveling is not my favorite thing to do.

I am not looking for anyone to tell me end game is bad and so on, I want to give it a shot for myself, but I would like a little input on people's opinions of factions and classes.

Basically, what are you playing and how is your experience with the game as that role. Both PVP and PVE. Thanks!

[quras]

I am playing a sage healer (the equivalent to a corruption sorcerer if you go empire)

• They are great healers. Similar to a Disc Priest in wow from what I remember.
• DPS is not currently parsing anywhere near the top but they do OK.
• Currently playing on Republic side but I do have a sorc as well to hit empire side if I ever needed to. If you get on a populated server you shouldn't have much issue on either side. Go with that you like.
• Great healer for PVP and PVE. I've had no problem running either as a healer. DPS on the other hand is not great so that makes DPSing in PVP even worse in my eyes. DPsing in PVE is OK except on the hardest content. Harder for this class to make some DPS checks at times.

Given how things are setup at end game now with galactic command and CXP, I have not put any time into my other alts like I used to. I'd have to give you older information and thats probably not what you're looking for.

FYI, depending on what you have and have not done in swtor, leveling classes in swtor is it's strongest point. The class stories (1-50 IIRC) are good across the board for the most part. So don't knock leveling in swtor to much.

[Halstinavos]

I am playing a sage healer (the equivalent to a corruption sorcerer if you go empire)

• They are great healers. Similar to a Disc Priest in wow from what I remember.
• DPS is not currently parsing anywhere near the top but they do OK.
• Currently playing on Republic side but I do have a sorc as well to hit empire side if I ever needed to. If you get on a populated server you shouldn't have much issue on either side. Go with that you like.
• Great healer for PVP and PVE. I've had no problem running either as a healer. DPS on the other hand is not great so that makes DPSing in PVP even worse in my eyes. DPsing in PVE is OK except on the hardest content. Harder for this class to make some DPS checks at times.

Given how things are setup at end game now with galactic command and CXP, I have not put any time into my other alts like I used to. I'd have to give you older information and thats probably not what you're looking for.

FYI, depending on what you have and have not done in swtor, leveling classes in swtor is it's strongest point. The class stories (1-50 IIRC) are good across the board for the most part. So don't knock leveling in swtor to much.

This is a very well constructed post and exactly the kind of information I'm looking for.

[Katchii]

This is a very well constructed post and exactly the kind of information I'm looking for.

Do you prefer Damage? Healing? Tanking?

I personally, in this game anyway, prefer melee DPS, specifically Rage Juggernaut (same as Focus Guardian, with the Sith aesthetic and IMO a much better voice actor). There's is no down time between pulls with a healing companion, and with a talent you can choose that resets the cooldown of Saber Toss and Force Charge when combat ends you can literally throw yourself into combat constantly.

It's honestly one of the most satisfying melee combat classes in an MMO I've ever played. The playstyle is very bursty so combat goes quickly on trash packs with a few survival cooldowns when things get dicey...which is honestly rare if your gear is up to date and you're prioritizing the right enemies/ threats and interrupting when you should be. Bursty makes them OK in PvP and the mobility due to the cooldown reset is also good. I don't play PvP very much but when I do I don't feel like I'm at a disadvantage and I'm having fun.

[Halstinavos]

Do you prefer Damage? Healing? Tanking?

I usually enjoy tanking or melee dps. I have been testing out a Guardian and it does seem pretty fun. I also made a gunslinger and it is pretty interesting/unique with duck and cover style of play, although I feel like that may at some point become less interesting and more annoying.

[Katchii]

I usually enjoy tanking or melee dps. I have been testing out a Guardian and it does seem pretty fun. I also made a gunslinger and it is pretty interesting/unique with duck and cover style of play, although I feel like that may at some point become less interesting and more annoying.

If you like being a turret caster, they're fine. I personally just don't like that playstyle in this game when a melee alternative is to stab and slash people with a freaking lightsaber.

[Eythorian]

I can highly recommend a Jedi Consular, specifically Shadow. Works like a WoW Rogue basically and its great for skipping mobs - go exploring without too much hazzle of clearing everything you pull :P

[Edge-]

I can highly recommend a Jedi Consular, specifically Shadow. Works like a WoW Rogue basically and its great for skipping mobs - go exploring without too much hazzle of clearing everything you pull :P

Can confirm this, stealthing through story missions makes it super fast/easy.

It also kinda hilariously breaks the story at a lot of times, with your character talking about the battle the fought to get into a place despite the fact that you literally stealthed passed all the mobs. It's that type of shit that makes me laugh at the story in this game, and holy hell is it rife with this kind of stuff : P

[Berengil]

@Edge

As you know, I've been popping into threads on various games here lately for something to play when I get tired of WoW. I'm thinking of going back to ToR.

I say "back" because I played it from release for a couple of weeks. I just wasn't "feeling it" , and the lack of a random queue system for group quests and dungeons was a big turnoff for me.

Questions

How does ToR now compare to Tor when it was roughly a month old?

Is there now a LFG/LFR system similar to WoW's? I heard they finally did that.

I heard that the F2P restrictions are quite onerous. Is that so?

If yes to the above question, what are the benefits of a sub?

If I sub, I was thinking of doing so by means of the 60day sub cards; several stores near me sell them. Are they the same as a regular monthly sub in terms of benefits?


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Not trying to hijack the OP's thread; I thought as a potentially returning player myself this would be a good place to post these questions.

Jedi consular shadow sounds interesting.

[Edge-]

1) Really couldn't give you a clear answer. Some aspects of the game have improved a lot, others haven't. Some are improved in one expansions content, and bad again in the next. Overall I'd still say it's better than it was at launch, but for far different reasons.

2) LFG for 4 man content, yes. No raid finder, as far as I know of, and you can't raid without a sub at all (they removed weekly passes)

3) Yes, they're awful. You even have limited action bars unless you pay/subscribe. It's ludicrous, but the game is at least playable.

4) Getting the actual game experience as it's intended, it unlocks all the restrictions and gives full access to the whole game.

5) Yep, they should be. IMO only pick up a 30 day card for now and see how it goes. At the very least, you'll unlock all the expansion content permanently.

[Eythorian]

As a side note, from a performance perspective, the game runs much smoother then it did at launch. Is currently having fun and even PvP'ing a bit since it doesn't slow down to a slideshow. But the engine is still terrible optimized and it shows in certain areas where you go from having 100+ FPS to a stuttering 10-25 show.

[Coffeh]

Random question just looking for verification. I assume you still can't change your advanced class. Correct?

[Nuba]

I just quit swtor some time ago to take a break, in all seriousness, here are a few important points about the game:
1 - leveling storyline is incredibly well written, since you're a returning player you probably already know this. If you play swtor too much and like to have many alts, coming back to wow becomes a nightmare because wow leveling experience doesnt get even close to swtor.
2 - swtor endgame content, however, is super lacking. this pushes people into doing PvP, so go to a high populated server, probably Harbringer.
3 - Leveling is very easy as well, don't worry about playing on the server you already have characters on as leveling and gearing at max level is very very very quick.
4 - despite the very well drawn graphics, the game engine is very old and limited, you'll lag on contents higher than 8man unless you're running on a 6th or 7th gen i7. My gtx1060 "lags" on Warzones.
5 - despite all QQ, the game story is still the best thing. IMO the way you play this game is sub for 2 months, play all story on multiple toons, then unsub for 6 months and come back later.

[Super Kami Dende]

I've played Sith Jugg and Jedi Guardian since Launch. Same Abilities both ways. Light-Side Juggernaut is my favourite Storyline in game. Their Tank specs are Solid and their DPS specs are top notch.

If you have an SSD install your game on it. Many people complain about load times but my game loads in between 5-17secs on initial load, and 3-5secs between planets on an SSD.

[Davemetalhead]

Random question just looking for verification. I assume you still can't change your advanced class. Correct?

Correct - you also now start with your advanced class, you pick it at character creation.

[WoWGoneBad]

If you like being a turret caster, they're fine. I personally just don't like that playstyle in this game when a melee alternative is to stab and slash people with a freaking lightsaber.

I play a Virulence Sniper(Empire Gunslinger) and I hardly spend time in cover. I mean I do use it for one of the Talents Stroke of Genius and Suppressive fire, but other than that I am run n gun. All the main shooting abilities that we use can now be done out of cover(because it got less interesting and annoying lol). But they still do need it from time to time depending on the ability used. And they are DEADLY to boot. Suppresive Fire is HUGE damage on packs.

OP, I am a blaster master personally, but loved playing my Marauder(Empire Knight). Fast swift efficient. But if you are wanting to play a blaster class Smugglers are the way to go. Commandos are a real blast for me but the Smuggler story is way more fun

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1)
5) Yep, they should be. IMO only pick up a 30 day card for now and see how it goes. At the very least, you'll unlock all the expansion content permanently.

For an extra 10 bucks he can get the 5500 game pack. I did this once and used the coins to unlock all the BS tey locked me behind in F2P.

But it also needs to be said, that once he reaches 70 there is no point to playing the game if you are not subbed. Galactic Command is locked behind the sub. Same with Ops. They do have LFG for Ops now but unless a sub as you said no point to it since F2Pdont get it.

[Katchii]

I play a Virulence Sniper(Empire Gunslinger) and I hardly spend time in cover. I mean I do use it for one of the Talents Stroke of Genius and Suppressive fire, but other than that I am run n gun. All the main shooting abilities that we use can now be done out of cover(because it got less interesting and annoying lol). But they still do need it from time to time depending on the ability used. And they are DEADLY to boot. Suppresive Fire is HUGE damage on packs.

OP, I am a blaster master personally, but loved playing my Marauder(Empire Knight). Fast swift efficient. But if you are wanting to play a blaster class Smugglers are the way to go. Commandos are a real blast for me but the Smuggler story is way more fun

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For an extra 10 bucks he can get the 5500 game pack. I did this once and used the coins to unlock all the BS tey locked me behind in F2P.

But it also needs to be said, that once he reaches 70 there is no point to playing the game if you are not subbed. Galactic Command is locked behind the sub. Same with Ops. They do have LFG for Ops now but unless a sub as you said no point to it since F2Pdont get it.

I hadn't realized that the Gunslinger and/or Sniper had a playstyle option that allowed them to not use the cover mechanic frequently that was always my turn-off for that class. I love the Operative though. I know Scoundrel is the same thing but the aesthetic and feel just isn't the same.

Just to also clarify though, if the OP plays through the KotFE and KotET expansions they'll hit 70 WAY before they finish that so it would be worth finishing up that story and not just stopping once they hit 70.

[Gereorth666]

I usually enjoy tanking or melee dps. I have been testing out a Guardian and it does seem pretty fun. I also made a gunslinger and it is pretty interesting/unique with duck and cover style of play, although I feel like that may at some point become less interesting and more annoying.

I'll share my experience considering melee DPS and tank classes. Every base class (Sith Warrior, Bounty Hunter, Imperial Agent, etc) has a shared spec over the two Advanced Classes.

Sith Juggernaut/Jedi Guardian:
- I'll start off with the tanking aspect, as I've done that the most as a Juggernaut (it plays the same as a Guardian ofcourse, except the names and visuals of the abilities are different). So the Juggernaut tank is a very basic warrior-like Tank. It has great defenses, high single target damage and somewhat good mobility. AOE tanking could be somewhat annoying. As you only have one 'big' AOE spender with a CD, one normal AOE spender and one cleave attack. You do have a defensive ability called "Saber Reflect" which is pretty useful at the start of a pull, as it redirects all the damage back to the attackers, which is a great way of building up aggro. Mobility wise it's pretty decent, you have your Charge ability, Intercede (which is a friendly leap that defends the ally) and Mad Dash which is a 20 meter forwards dash. So overal for tanking, it's great and gameplay wise your standard tank, but for AOE tanking it requires something to get used to and a bit of skill.
- DPS wise I've mostly played as Vengeance. So I won't be able to tell you much about Rage, although I've played it on the equivalent class Guardian. Vengeance is the DOT-based spec of the two. On a boss fight, if you manage the rotation well enough, you won't even have to use the basic attack to fund yourself with resources. Which is really fun to do and makes you feel more powerful.
For the Rage spec, what on Guardian is called Focus, I can only share my experience for up to level 50. From what I can remember and played it's a lot more mobile and meant as a "get in and get your kill". Not as much setting up and more about raw power and staying on your enemy. Which could make this suitable for PvP.

Sith Marauder/Jedi Sentinel
As for the Marauder I've spent most of time playing this class as Carnage. Carnage is all based on fast and pure damage attacks. Carnage is also great for single target bursting damage and also amazing for when you have to switch targets, as you don't have to set up on the enemy. It's easy to play, learn and master.
Annihilation is the DOT-based spec for the class. I found this spec to be the best for leveling, as you heal yourself for 15% of your bleed damage. Berserk also makes it so that that everytime your Bleeds deal damage, you and your group get healed for 1% of their max health.
The final spec is Fury. This used to be called Rage as well, but they changed it somewhat recently. It's very samiliar to how Rage plays on a Juggernaut, except you get the Berserk ability in as well. For this spec Berserk makes you instantly generate 4 rage and 8 additional rage over the next few seconds.
Something that is shared among all the specs, is building up stacks of Fury. Once you reach 30 stacks you can spend it on Berserk, which you should always do, or Predation (which is shared among your party members) which increases speed and defenses for 10 seconds.

Sith Assassin/Jedi Shadow
- DPS wise my main experience is from playing Deception. There is nothing much to say about it, single target burst stealth class. Great mobility, great single target DPS but poor AOE damage.
For the Hatred spec it's all different. This is a dot-based spec which also has amazing self-healing and great AOE damage. Don't have much experience on it, but if you like to play a stealth class that DoT's and self-heals, this should be your pick.
- Tank wise I've done a few Operations on Story, so don't take this as the best information on it. I find this to be an interesting take on tanking, as you're a light armor stealther. Although you shouldn't be scared by the fact you're a light armor class, as the defensives are great. As an Assassin you make use of some melee range abilities and some of mid-range (10 meter). And you also have an ability to pull an enemy target towards you.

Powertech/Vanguard
- DPS wise this class isn't in the best position at this moment. But it's very fun to play, as you can play a lot at mid-range, meaning you're able to stay away from melee attacks. You have a charge, pull and an ability to increase your movement speed and make you immune to roots, snares and slows. I've played most of the time as Advanced Prototype. This is mostly pure raw damage, except for 1 bleed which you only have to apply once and stays on through your attacks. What you're doing most of the time is building up to unleash a big attack. The burst damage is great, but the overal single target and AOE damage is average. Few seasons ago it was a great spec to play in ranked PvP, which I did. I wasn't doing amazing as I didn't play that well, but I managed to get above average.
The other DPS spec is Pyrotech. This is all build around dotting your targets up with flames. The AOE damage on this is a lot better, but the single target damage is slightly worse and the burst is good.
- Tanking as a Powertech feels just right. Heavy armor, lots of gadgets, almost feels like a walking fortress. Mobility as a Powertech tank is pretty good, considering you have a charge, pull and an ability to increase movement speed. Most of your attacks 10 meters range which makes it quite easy to get threat on several targets. Which shouldn't be any problem at all, as I feel like AOE tanking as a Powertech is it's strongest feature. You have 4 baseline AOE attacks and 2 attacks that deal cleave damage, and one of them up to 7 targets. Defensive abilities are somewhat limited and not the greatest. You only have two; Energy Shield and Kolto Overload. Energy Shield increase your damage reduction by 25% for 15 seconds. Kolto Overload rapidly heals you when you're below 35% and after 35% it heals you for 2% each second (this is only for the tanks, for the DPS specs it only heals up untill 35%).

Operative/Scoundrel
This is another stealth class. What is interesting about this class, is that it's also a healer. Meaning as a DPS you do have acces to 2 healing abilities. I could be wrong, but I'd say this class is the most mobile, thanks to the roll ability it has.
The Concealment spec is mostly based on pure damage and slowing, rooting and stunning your target. It's fun in PvP, but does require some skill to actualy be good at it. AOE isn't the greatest though.
Lethality is the second spec, and this is mostly a DoT-based spec with some buffs on the AOE damage.


I hope this is somewhat helpful to you to make a decision on what you're going to play in SWTOR. I may not be the best player, but I do have some experience with most of the classes as I've been playing since the beta. Good luck!