Able to Switch Classes?

[Highelf]

Last time I played was back in 2014. Starting it up again and I see you can now choose the main class AND the sub class while making a character. Does that mean a change to the story and beginning levels?

Can I switch at some point? For instance, as an Imperial Agent, start as a Sniper then switch to Operative?

Thanks.

[Katchii]

Last time I played was back in 2014. Starting it up again and I see you can now choose the main class AND the sub class while making a character. Does that mean a change to the story and beginning levels?

Can I switch at some point? For instance, as an Imperial Agent, start as a Sniper then switch to Operative?

Thanks.

There is no change to the story at all, you just don't pick your advanced class at 10 like before, you just start with the advanced class and associated skills and gear loadout. ie two handed weapon for saber staff users, dual weapons for dual wielders.

No, you cannot switch classes, ever.

[Highelf]

There is no change to the story at all, you just don't pick your advanced class at 10 like before, you just start with the advanced class and associated skills and gear loadout. ie two handed weapon for saber staff users, dual weapons for dual wielders.

No, you cannot switch classes, ever.

So I cannot switch from sniper to operative, even though i'm still an Imperial Agent?

[quras]

So I cannot switch from sniper to operative, even though i'm still an Imperial Agent?

Sadly no. You cannot and have never been able to switch advanced classes. I highly doubt we will ever be able to either.

[Highelf]

Sadly no. You cannot and have never been able to switch advanced classes. I highly doubt we will ever be able to either.

Wow I did not know that. I wanted to try both out. The Advanced classes seem like specs to me so I just never thought twice about it.

[quras]

Wow I did not know that. I wanted to try both out. The Advanced classes seem like specs to me so I just never thought twice about it.

It'd been asked for by swtor gamers for as long as I can remember. I do not believe there has ever been a reason why bioware will not add that ability from what I can remember but gamers have always asked for it but bioware is clearly resistant to adding it.

Kinda like the ability to save specs and layouts within an adv class when you just change specs. Another quality of life feature that would be really handy but not been implemented either.

[mickybrighteyes]

As I understand it's been a subject of debate because some people viewed the advanced classes as specs and others as 'classes'. The devs eventually made their stance more 'clear' by doing away with the first 10 levels as 'base class'.

[Highelf]

It'd been asked for by swtor gamers for as long as I can remember. I do not believe there has ever been a reason why bioware will not add that ability from what I can remember but gamers have always asked for it but bioware is clearly resistant to adding it.

Kinda like the ability to save specs and layouts within an adv class when you just change specs. Another quality of life feature that would be really handy but not been implemented either.

How do I change my Sniper spec, or even learn them in the first place for that matter?

[Edge-]

How do I change my Sniper spec, or even learn them in the first place for that matter?

It's not quite a traditional talent tree (if memory serves, been a while since I looked at it), but they have the tree broken into tiers and you get a handful of points each tier to pick a few optional passive buffs for your spec. Outside of that it's really just swapping which spec your sniper is, and I don't think you need to visit a trainer or anything for that.

Dunno if you have access to it right away, but you should by the time you're off the starting planet IIRC.

[Katchii]

How do I change my Sniper spec, or even learn them in the first place for that matter?

It's not quite a traditional talent tree (if memory serves, been a while since I looked at it), but they have the tree broken into tiers and you get a handful of points each tier to pick a few optional passive buffs for your spec. Outside of that it's really just swapping which spec your sniper is, and I don't think you need to visit a trainer or anything for that.

Dunno if you have access to it right away, but you should by the time you're off the starting planet IIRC.

When you first start playing your character you can choose which "spec" you want to be, which dictates some abilities you get from level 10 onward and provides passives that make you favor certain base abilities by incentivizing their usage through buffs, cool down resets, added synergies, etc.... After choosing, at pretty broad intervals you get a skill point to spend on the passives Edge was talking about which provide some really decent passive buffs to your abilities. Most are enhancements to your defensive cool downs, but some are for offense as well. To switch specs, or reset your skill points, you either have to pay for the character specific Legacy perk for field respeccing, which is pretty cheap (~250k IIRC) or go to the fleet in the Combat Training area and talk to the Skill Mentor. As a sub, using the Skill Mentor is free, I have no idea how much it costs for non-subs.

[Highelf]

When you first start playing your character you can choose which "spec" you want to be, which dictates some abilities you get from level 10 onward and provides passives that make you favor certain base abilities by incentivizing their usage through buffs, cool down resets, added synergies, etc.... After choosing, at pretty broad intervals you get a skill point to spend on the passives Edge was talking about which provide some really decent passive buffs to your abilities. Most are enhancements to your defensive cool downs, but some are for offense as well. To switch specs, or reset your skill points, you either have to pay for the character specific Legacy perk for field respeccing, which is pretty cheap (~250k IIRC) or go to the fleet in the Combat Training area and talk to the Skill Mentor. As a sub, using the Skill Mentor is free, I have no idea how much it costs for non-subs.

Thanks for info! I'm still disappointed that I can't switch between my Sniper advanced classes. Even if it was for a decent amount of credits or cartel coins.

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It's not quite a traditional talent tree (if memory serves, been a while since I looked at it), but they have the tree broken into tiers and you get a handful of points each tier to pick a few optional passive buffs for your spec. Outside of that it's really just swapping which spec your sniper is, and I don't think you need to visit a trainer or anything for that.

Dunno if you have access to it right away, but you should by the time you're off the starting planet IIRC.

Thanks for that, I checked and you're right. Didn't even know I could do that until about level 16 lol.

[Katchii]

Thanks for info! I'm still disappointed that I can't switch between my Sniper advanced classes. Even if it was for a decent amount of credits or cartel coins.

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Thanks for that, I checked and you're right. Didn't even know I could do that until about level 16 lol.

I understand the disappointment because they feasibly should be able to allow it. But it's never been a feature of this game for whatever reason, you've never been able to switch your advanced class once it's chosen.

[Edge-]

I understand the disappointment because they feasibly should be able to allow it. But it's never been a feature of this game for whatever reason, you've never been able to switch your advanced class once it's chosen.

Given all the technical issues/limitations of their early beta Hero Engine, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a purely technical roadblock. Fixable, but they've likely look at how much time it would take the engineers and the benefits they'd gain from it and concluded it's simply not worth the investment.

Would be nice though, I'd love that shit.

[Katchii]

Given all the technical issues/limitations of their early beta Hero Engine, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a purely technical roadblock. Fixable, but they've likely look at how much time it would take the engineers and the benefits they'd gain from it and concluded it's simply not worth the investment.

Would be nice though, I'd love that shit.

Oh for sure. I'd never play more than one character probably, likely sticking to my Bounty Hunter, with the ability for that class to be any of the three roles, Tank or DPS as a Powertech or DPS and Heals as a Mercenary.

Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors are the only ones who don't have a healing class.

I'd imagine they'd make a ton of money off this if they allowed it as a Cartel Market option, but then they already have the level boost for people who want to play another character with a different class so I'm not sure how much they'd make in relation to that.

[quras]

Given all the technical issues/limitations of their early beta Hero Engine, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a purely technical roadblock. Fixable, but they've likely look at how much time it would take the engineers and the benefits they'd gain from it and concluded it's simply not worth the investment.

Would be nice though, I'd love that shit.

I feel that is without a doubt the reason why we cannot change our advanced class. It's a limitation to the current engine combined with how hard and time consuming it would be to get it up and running of the hero engine which has had issues on a large number of things bioware tried to add.

bioware deeming it just not worth the time. It might have been a possibility back when the game was doing a bi better and bioware never got round to it but I'm not kidding in that gamers wanting to change advanced class has been asked for since the first days the game was released and it honestly seems it was never a possibility given how long its been asked for and nothing ever happened.

[Edge-]

Honestly, even back then I doubt they'd have been able to. The beta version they used seemed extremely janky and BW as a company overall has never really seemed to have a crop of talented engineers.

They made a stupid decision to go with the beta Hero Engine that's just repeatedly bit them in the ass time and time again as they run into one engineering problem after another. And given that they've never really had strong engineers, it's only compounded the problem : /

[Highelf]

Oh for sure. I'd never play more than one character probably, likely sticking to my Bounty Hunter, with the ability for that class to be any of the three roles, Tank or DPS as a Powertech or DPS and Heals as a Mercenary.

Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors are the only ones who don't have a healing class.

I'd imagine they'd make a ton of money off this if they allowed it as a Cartel Market option, but then they already have the level boost for people who want to play another character with a different class so I'm not sure how much they'd make in relation to that.

And on top of that, for me, I was wanting to do some RP with it as well. Ok this quest wants me to be one with the enemy and gain their trust. Switching to Operative with the ability to stealth sounds like the way to go instead of walking in with a sniper rifle on my back lol.

[zoefschildpad]

And on top of that, for me, I was wanting to do some RP with it as well. Ok this quest wants me to be one with the enemy and gain their trust. Switching to Operative with the ability to stealth sounds like the way to go instead of walking in with a sniper rifle on my back lol.

That doesn't make any sense for the story. Your character trained for a long time to be a sniper, and now suddenly you pay some money, forget all about how to use a sniper rifle and suddenly gain the ability to stealth.

It seems obvious to me that the design intent behind the advanced classes is that they are essentially the classes of the game. The only reason they share a base class is because making 8 class stories was already an unprecedented undertaking, making 16 would be insane. Other MMO's don't let you change classes either.

Also this lets you do all the stories without having to level the same class twice.

[mickybrighteyes]

That doesn't make any sense for the story. Your character trained for a long time to be a sniper, and now suddenly you pay some money, forget all about how to use a sniper rifle and suddenly gain the ability to stealth.

It seems obvious to me that the design intent behind the advanced classes is that they are essentially the classes of the game. The only reason they share a base class is because making 8 class stories was already an unprecedented undertaking, making 16 would be insane. Other MMO's don't let you change classes either.

Also this lets you do all the stories without having to level the same class twice.

that makes a bit of sense. When you take a moment and look at just how much went into the 1-50 class stories.

[Highelf]

That doesn't make any sense for the story. Your character trained for a long time to be a sniper, and now suddenly you pay some money, forget all about how to use a sniper rifle and suddenly gain the ability to stealth.

It seems obvious to me that the design intent behind the advanced classes is that they are essentially the classes of the game. The only reason they share a base class is because making 8 class stories was already an unprecedented undertaking, making 16 would be insane. Other MMO's don't let you change classes either.

Also this lets you do all the stories without having to level the same class twice.

I spent a lot of time becoming an Imperial Agent. I'm not forgetting how to use a sniper, just the job doesn't call for a marksman at this moment in time.