Advanced Class Breakdown: Sith Warrior

Next up in our advanced class breakdown in the mirror of the Jedi Knight Class, the Sith Warrior class. All four Republic classes have a mirror Sith class that each have the same play style and same type of options ... but with a darker feel!

This is a smart move by BioWare as it will bring a yin yang balance to the two factions. Balance is crucial in any game and besides, there must be balance in the Force!

So our Sith Warrior class page has now been updated with all the advanced class information (also presented to you below). Read up because if you intend to play SWTOR you'll need to understand the advanced class options available to you and other players. 

Once you turn to the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny ...

Sith Warrior
Warriors channel anger and hatred to become brutal combatants.

Advanced Class:Juggernaut

Sith who train in the stalwart arts of the Juggernaut boast unrivaled stamina in battle. Through diligence and clarity, the Juggernaut shapes the Force to his will to become nearly invulnerable. Damage that would destroy others is shrugged off, and futility fills the Juggernaut's foes with doubt and despair. Protecting their allies and punishing their adversaries, they charge into the thick of any fray, and take the brunt of the assault and are even able to drain the energy of their enemies to further strengthen their resolve.

Tree: Vengeance (DPS)
The Juggernaut stops at nothing to crush enemies, obliterating them with heavy hits.

 Shatter 
Instant Cooldown: 9 secs Range: 4m
Channels the Force into your Lightsaber and crushes your target under its weight, dealing 569 internal damage to a target afflicted by Sundering Assault, with a further 1476 internal damage over 12 seconds.

Unstoppable

Passive

Force Charge has a 100% chance to grant Unstoppable, reducing all damage taken by 20% and granting immunity to physics and movement impairing effects for 4 seconds.

Tree: Immortal (Tank)
Uses the power of the Force to increase the Warrior's survivability in battle

Invincible

Instant Cooldown: 3 mins

Reduces the damage the Warrior suffers from all sources by 60% for 9 seconds.

Revenge

Passive

While in Soresu Form, parrying, deflecting, shielding, or resisting an attack has a 50% chance to grant Revenge, reducing the rage cost of your next Force Scream or Smash by 1. Lasts 10 seconds and stacks up to 3 times.

Tree: Rage (shared)
Allows the Warrior greater control of the Force and further mastery of the Shii-Cho form.

Obliterate
Instant Cooldown: 15 secs Range: 15m
Jumps to a target, impaling it for 307-363 weapon damage. Strikes with both weapons if dual wielding.

Shockwave

Passive

Each tick of Force Choke and Force Crush grants you Shockwave, increasing the damage your next Smash deals by 25%. Stacks up to 4 times.

Advanced Class: Marauder

Wielding two sabers and unmatched aggression, Sith trained as Marauders slice through enemy ranks, dealing death with merciless efficiency. Able to intuit precisely how to attack in order to maximize every strike, their adversaries become victims in the blink of an eye. Whether annihilating a squad of Republic troops or cutting down a single Jedi, the Marauder sees and exploits every weakness to exact the greatest toll. Never hesitating, never faltering, there is no swifter bringer of pain and damage in the galaxy.

Tree: Annihilation (Sustained Damage and Survival )
Mastering the aggressive Juyo form, the Annihilation Marauder destroys enemies from within.

Annihilate

Instan Cooldown: 12 secs Range: 4m

Strikes the target with both Lightsabers for 547-633 weapon damage. Each use of this ability grants Annihilator for 15 seconds, lowering the cooldown of your next Annihilate by 1.5 seconds.  Stacks up to three times. Requires two Lightsabers.

Inescapable Torment

Passive

Choked targets take 30% more damage from your next 5 bleed effects. Lasts 15 seconds.

Tree: Carnage (Burst DPS)
Focuses on acrobatic Lightsaber techniques that strike quickly and lethally.

Ataru Form

Instant Cooldown: 1.5 secs

Enter an acrobatic Lightsaber form, increasing accuracy by 3%. In addition, your successful melee attacks have a 20% chance to trigger a second force strike that deals 148 energy damage. This effect cannot occur more than once every 1.5 seconds.

Gore

Passive

Impale now attacks with both Lightsabers when dual wielding.

Tree: Rage (shared)
Allows the Warrior greater control of the Force and further mastery of the Shii-Cho form.

Obliterate
Instant Cooldown: 15 secs Range: 15m
Jumps to a target, impaling it for 307-363 weapon damage. Strikes with both weapons if dual wielding.

Shockwave

Passive

Each tick of Force Choke and Force Crush grants you Shockwave, increasing the damage your next Smash deals by 25%. Stacks up to 4 times.

Advanced Class Breakdown: Jedi Knight

To give gamers a better understanding of how classes in SWTOR work, we will be breaking down the information for each individual class, into their advanced classes. Over time we'll separate the class pages even further into individual pages about specific specializations (Jedi Knight: Guardian; Jedi Knight: Sentinel; etc).

As you probably already know, there are eight main classes in SWTOR. For each of these eight there will be 2 advanced classes. At around level ten you will get the option to choose your destiny. Each character will have three trees of skills that they can build up. Two of these trees are unique to each advanced class. One of the trees is shared by the other advanced class of that class. Confused? An example would be that the class of Jedi Knight has two advanced classes: Jedi Knight: Guardian and Jedi Knight: Sentinel. Both of these advanced classes have the same tree of Focus. They each then have another two that are unique.

What this means for the gamer is that if you choose Jedi Guardian, you don't necessarily need to be a tank. If you spec into the Vigilance tree you'll be able to wield a lot of damage.

To make it clear, advanced classes are not just individual skill trees, like marksmen or beastmaster for hunters in WoW, they are classes of their own with their own unique options.



At this stage, no information about being able to change your advanced class after you've chosen it has been released, so it's possible that it's a life-of-the game character decision, much like the initial class decision. Bioware have, however, hinted that players may be able to change their talent tree specs (for example, from Vigilance to Defense). This would allow players to level in Vigilence and then swap to Defense for raiding or flash points at higher levels.

The shared tree in the advanced classes gives players the ability to customize their character even further to suit their play style.

First up lets look at Jedi Knight and its advanced classes trees and options. The new information is in this post but a complete class guide on the Jedi Knight class can be found on our Jedi Knight Class Page.

Keep in mind that any information available now could change by the time the game is released. This information has been collected from SWTOR.com and other official information.

Jedi Knight

Through training, the Knight turns combat into an art.

Advanced Class: Guardian 

A wall between the good people of the Republic and their enemies, the Guardian stands firm in the face of overwhelming odds and dares opponents to attack.

Class Role:  Tank, Damage
Weapon:      Lightsaber
Armor:          Heavy



Tree: Vigilance (DPS)
Provides greater skill in single-blade offense and the ability to take enemies down quickly.

Force Scarring
Passive: Sundering Strike lowers the target's internal and external resists bu 10% on its first application

Shien Form
Instant
Cooldown: 1.5 secs Enter an offensive Lightsaber form, increasing all damage dealt by 6%. All attacks which cost focus will refund 1 focus when used. In addition, taking damage generates 1 focus, but this effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

Tree: Defense (Tank)
Allows the Guardian to more effectively withstand enemy attacks and protect allies.

Endure:
 Instant, Cooldown: 3 mins
Temporarily increases your maximum health by 30% for 15 seconds. When the effect ends, the health is lost.

Force Leap
Passive: Force Leap now stuns targets for 2 seconds.

Tree: Focus (shared)
Specializes in advanced Force techniques and the Shii-Cho lightsaber form.

Force Exhaustion 
Instant, Cooldown: 21 secs, Range: 15m
Progressively slows the target from 60% to 10% movement speed over 5 seconds and deals 180 kinetic damage each second. At the end of the duration the target is crushed, and takes an additional 553 kinetic damage.

Zephyr

Passive

Reduces the cooldown of all Force abilities while in Shii-Cho Form by 3 seconds.

Advanced Class: Sentinel

Control and focus are the hallmarks of the Sentinel. Through years of training the Sentinel learns the art of using two Lightsabers simultaneously to create an intricate web of damage that is almost impossible to evade.

Class Role:   Damage

Weapon:      2 Lightsabers
Armor:          Medium

Tree: Watchman (Sustained Damage and Survival )
The Sentinel masters the Juyo Lightsaber form, making him more dangerous as a fight goes on.

Overload Lightsaber 

Instant Cooldown: 12 secs

Charges your Lightsabers with deadly energy for 15 seconds, causing your next 3 successful melee attacks to make the target burn for 491 elemental damage over 6 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times. This effect cannot occur more than once every 1.5 seconds.

Merciless Zeal

Passive

Critical hits with burn effects heal you for 2% of your maximum health.

Tree: Combat (Burst Damage)
Allows the Sentinel to master the Ataru Lightsaber form to rapidly dispatch enemies.

Blade Rush
Instant, Range: 4m 
Strikes the target with both weapons for 647-729 weapon damage and automatically triggers an Ataru Form strike. For 6 seconds after using Blade Rush, your Ataru Form has an extra 30% chance to be triggered. Requires two Lightsabers.

Opportune Attack

Passive

Your Ataru Form hits have a 100% chance to make your next focus spender deal 10% more damage.

Tree: Focus (shared) 
Specializes in advanced Force techniques and the Shii-Cho lightsaber form.

Force Exhaustion 
Instant, Cooldown: 21 secs, Range: 15m
Progressively slows the target from 60% to 10% movement speed over 5 seconds and deals 180 kinetic damage each second. At the end of the duration the target is crushed, and takes an additional 553 kinetic damage.

Zephyr

Passive

Reduces the cooldown of all Force abilities while in Shii-Cho Form by 3 seconds.

 

Darth Hater Q&A

SWTOR Face: In your words, how would you describe your site? Do you have a particular focus or interest?

Darth Hater: Darth Hater is the top fan site for covering all things Star Wars: The Old Republic

SWTOR Face: Darth Hater is the top fan site for covering all things Star Wars: The Old Republic...

SWTOR Face: When did you start blogging about SWTOR?
Darth Hater: Darth Hater founded in July 2009


SWTOR Face: What, if any, MMOs have you played?
Darth Hater: Ultima Online, Everquest, World of Warcraft, Global Agenda, All Points Bulletin, Warhammer, Rift, Aion, Lord of The Rings Online... really, if it is a MMO, one of us gave it a try at one time or another.

SWTOR Face: Are you attracted to SWTOR because of the gaming experience, Star Wars, or both?
Darth Hater: Both.

SWTOR Face: Republic or Empire?
Darth Hater: Empire.

SWTOR Face: What excites you most about SWTOR?
Darth Hater:  Blizz.

Global Agenda Game Guide and Review Video

In my quest to fill the void of interesting content in gaming I found Global Agenda, a FREE MMO that has all the impact I love about FPS games and throws it into a MMO environment. I didn't expect a lot when I downloaded it, but was I wrong?! Hi-Rez Studios has done an 'Unreal' job with this game and it's worth checking out!!

Download your free copy here.

In this video I cover:

• the basic game description
• a character creation tour
• questing tour
• a full dungeon instance (speed up for your convenience)
• a full raid (also sped up)
• PVP
• hints, recommendations
• information about how the game runs on different hardware

If you're like me and you're just waiting for a the end of year rush of new games, and you haven't tried Global Agenda yet, check out this video and see if it ticks some of your gaming boxes.

   

Diablo III Black Soulstone Cinematic

One cool thing that came out of Blizzcon this morning and that's the Diablo III Black Soulstone Cinematic. I've been impressed by all of Blizzard's cinematics going right back to Diablo I. Even if you're not a fan of the game, this is an impressive video.

Video description: As Deckard Cain's niece, Leah, struggles to make sense of her uncle's mysterious and disturbing notations, she bears witness to a dark vision. Azmodan, Lord of Sin, towers over the fragile young woman, swearing his armies of the burning Hells shall pour forth into Sanctuary, ravishing the world and all hope of resistance.

Blizzard Getting Desperate By Offering Free Diablo III?

Yesterday at Blizzon, Blizzard announced that all annual subscribers to World of Warcraft will get a FREE copy of their up and coming Diablo III. Not only that, they'll also get a free ingame mount and guaranteed access to the expansion beta.

This is a surprising move by Blizzard. Why would you give away copies of a game that many WoW players would be willing to pay full price for, without a second thought!? I personally don't know any WoW players that are not interested in Diablo III. Is this a sign of panic by Blizzard and a desperate act to keep their subscription numbers up to impress their investors? That' the only logical explanation that I can see for this bold move. Even I might have been tempted to take up this offer if I wasn't so interested in the Collector's Edition of Diablo III.

I have no intention of spending any real time in WoW in the foreseeable future. I'm not saying that it's not a great game, because it is; it's just that I believe I've got the most out of the game already, after three years of playing it. A lot of players, myself included, are looking forward to new games like Bioware's SWTOR. Blizzard may be thinking that if their customer base has a yearly subscription, there's a better chance of them logging in and giving it another go in six months time.

Fan Sites Breaking NDAs

I have noticed over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of NDA information leaked onto the net. This is depressing for us fan sites who are trying to do the right thing by Bioware.

The team at Bioware have a strategy in place that they believe is in the best interests for the future of SWTOR and as a fan of their game, I want to fully support their decisions about when to post stuff and what information to release.

So although we have been asked by our readers several times to post leaked information, we will not be doing that and breaking the NDA. Please keep in mind that some of the details about the game that have been released, in breach of the NDA, are from the beta and may not even be accurate for the public release of the game.

We will also remove any sites breaking NDA's from our blog feed.

Diablo III Collector's Edition Unboxing

I'm a big fan of collector editions and the Diablo III Collector's Edition is a must have just for the music and art. Next to John Williams, Russell Brower has produced some of the most compelling ingame music I have ever heard. The sound of that Spanish guitar is absolutely amazing.

Although a little bit small, the 4GB USB key that also comes with the edition is a nice touch. It would have been a smarter idea to put Diablo III on there as well as Diablo II.

The ingame pets will be the reason why some people fork out the extra cash for this Collector's Edition, but digital gifts in games don't do it for me. As soon as it's available I will be ordering my copy because of the music.

What's the tasty extra in Collector's Editions that makes you cough up extra money?

Here's all the official goodies ...

Diablo III Collector's Edition:

A fallen star burns across the sky, signaling the rebirth of a long-forgotten evil, and calling mortal heroes to arms once more. This limited edition collector’s set commemorates your return to the darkened world of Sanctuary. Inside, you’ll find a treasure trove of rare and legendary items to aid you in your apocalyptic battles at the End of Days.

DIABLO III SOUNDTRACK

Experience twenty four original pieces from the Diablo III soundtrack on CD and deepen your music collection with a sound as timeless as the Eternal Conflict itself

Mists of Pandaria Raids & Dungeons Info and FAQ's

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Shado-pan Monastery
Located in Kun-Lai Summit
Mountain retreat of the mysterious Shado-pan Clan
The Shado-pan protect Pandaria from hidden evil
The Sha have escaped! (Shado pan keep Sha caged in the monastery, but it's escaped and you're trying to help figure this out)
A great idea for layout..Changes into something more epic!
Like to do outdoor dungeons because there are so many indoor already. They jump at opportunity to make outdoor.

Scholomance
Level 90 Heroic
New layout with familiar rooms (shuffle rooms around to make a remix out of it)
Easier to navigate
Concentrate on the coolness (of Scholo and take away everything that didn't quite make the cut)

Scarlet Monastery
Level 80 Heroic
Too much awesome for one dungeon (Remixed and keep all the coolest rooms)
Split Monastery in two!
Graveyard + Cathedral
Armory + Library
Update all boss mechanics

Challenge Modes
For players looking for a greater challenge
Timed dungeons runs to earn medals. The concept of Zul'Aman timed runs and similar things is now turned into a brand new game mode!
It will work only on Pandaria dungeons at the beginning.
It will work with the Dungeon Finder tool.
Gear will be normalized, everyone is going to have the exact same item level on their gear. This is a skill based exercise and your gear doesn't matter.
Rewards will be very awesome looking gear for Transmogrification purposes (no stats). You will also get valor points since the new goal is to let you progress your characters no matter what you do.
Leaderboards will be available, you will be able to compare your performances with your guildies or even your entire realm!

Raids
The raids are going to feature the Mogu and the Mantids
All the new raids will work in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.

STAR WARS: The Old Republic - Collector's Edition Unboxing

This week BioWare have given us an unboxing video of the Collector's Edition of STAR WARS: The Old Republic.

The Stap Vehicle looks real cool and it might also save me some credits when I am able to get a mount in game. Mounts are always a credit sink hole!

The other thing I'm real excited about is the official game soundtrack. I'm a big fan of Star Wars music and the thought of some new pieces set to this universe sends tingles up my spine!

In WoW I had a lot of friends get hacked at one time or an other and as soon as I could I got a security key. Protecting my account is on the top of my list of things to do and getting this security key will put my mind at ease. Sorry to all the hackers out there; I know they will be pissed at BioWare shipping this with the Collector's Edition.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Preview

Shrouded in fog since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of indigenous races and exotic creatures -- including the noble and enigmatic pandaren. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world's salvation... or will the battle to control this new land push the Horde and the Alliance over the brink of war and into total annihilation?

• Increased level cap of 90
• First neutral race the pandaren.

1. Pandaren Racials
2. Bouncy: reduces fall damage by half.
3. Inner peace: double rested XP.
4. Gourmand: +15 to cooking.
5. Epicurean: double stats to food buffs.

• All-new monk class
• New continent "Pandaria"
• The new expansion will not have a main villain, it will focus on the Horde vs Alliance war.

 

Today's round up of SWTOR News:

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com
Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!!

RPGFan posts about SWTOR beta. He didn't have time for ...
With all the news on SWTOR out today it pisses me of when I see things like this:

DWTOR beta—the birth of a Jedi knight on: Arstechnica
"There is no auto-attack here; you must always choose to attack."

Hands On: The Old Republic on rock paper shotgun

Of course, it’s a BioWare game in an MMO.

The Old Republic: Jedi Knight Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The game begins with your flight to Tython, the planet

The Old Republic: Jedi Consular Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The main story foundations are built while giving you area-specific problems to solve.

The Old Republic: The Smuggler Impressions on MMORPG:
For my part in our Star Wars: The Old Republic bonanza today, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing The Smuggler.

Full Beta Preview: The Gal with the Gun on MMORPG:
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the Trooper’s basic play style for a moment.

In space, no one can hear you gank. on IGN
PVP
Two massive ships hover over a snowy valley. Between them, in a parallel line on the ground, are three turret installations.

The Old Republic's Trooper is a Monster on IGN:
Depending on which advanced class you pick, more options are opened up. At level 10 you can branch your class one of two ways

The Old Republic: Companions and Crafting on IGN
Crafting in BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is an interesting process.

SWTOR BETA. A certain point of view ...
Wow. Just got done reading some SWTOR limited Beta reviews and I cannot believe how bad they are. Why in God’s name would you get a review written but someone who hates that type of gameplay!

All the Big SWTOR News Out Today

Today's round up of SWTOR News:

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com
Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!!

RPGFan posts about SWTOR beta. He didn't have time for ...
With all the news on SWTOR out today it pisses me of when I see things like this:

DWTOR beta—the birth of a Jedi knight on: Arstechnica
"There is no auto-attack here; you must always choose to attack."

Hands On: The Old Republic on rock paper shotgun

Of course, it’s a BioWare game in an MMO.

The Old Republic: Jedi Knight Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The game begins with your flight to Tython, the planet

The Old Republic: Jedi Consular Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The main story foundations are built while giving you area-specific problems to solve. 

The Old Republic: The Smuggler Impressions on MMORPG:
For my part in our Star Wars: The Old Republic bonanza today, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing The Smuggler.

Full Beta Preview: The Gal with the Gun on MMORPG:
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the Trooper’s basic play style for a moment.

In space, no one can hear you gank. on IGN
PVP
Two massive ships hover over a snowy valley. Between them, in a parallel line on the ground, are three turret installations.

The Old Republic's Trooper is a Monster on IGN:
Depending on which advanced class you pick, more options are opened up. At level 10 you can branch your class one of two ways

The Old Republic: Companions and Crafting on IGN
Crafting in BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is an interesting process.

SWTOR BETA. A certain point of view ...
Wow. Just got done reading some SWTOR limited Beta reviews and I cannot believe how bad they are. Why in God’s name would you get a review written but someone who hates that type of gameplay!

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com

Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!! 

"Right from the get-go the game makes it clear that you are the next big thing since sliced space bread. From the opening crawler and all through the class story, the line “strong in the force” will be used to describe you constantly. It’s a wonder how I managed to stick to the lightside with everyone telling my how great and powerful I was (repeating “Don’t get cocky kid.” in your head helps.). If that doesn’t check your ego, the sight of your first weapon will, the all powerful training sabre or in my opinion wiffle bat."

Combat

The Jedi Knight is a melee specialist, whether wielding one lightsabre as a guardian, or two as the sentinel. These advanced classes are unlocked upon reaching level ten and visiting your local Jedi Master. While both are primarily melee combatants there are a few defining characteristics.

Jedi Guardian Defining Points:
Wears Heavy Armor (High Survivability)
Single Sabre User
Excellent Tank
Jedi Sentinel Defining Points:

Wears Medium Armor
Dual Lightsaber’s
Melee Damage Dealer

No matter the choice of advanced class the Jedi Knight’s primary resource is Focus. This Focus is built up by using certain attacks/abilities and is used to power other more powerful attacks.

A sample of focus building abilities include:

Strike: Your basic lightsabre attack. Strikes with both lightsabres if dual wielding.

Force Leap: Jump to the target inflicting mainhand weapon damage. Also interrupts and immobilizes the target.

Zealous Strike (Sentinel): An advanced strike that hits the target multiple times with both sabres.

Sundering Strike (Guardian): Inflicts minor damage and reduces enemy armor. Can be stacked

This is a good read go read it now!

RPGFan posts about SWTOR beta. He didn't have time for ...

With all the news on SWTOR out today it pisses me of when I see things like this:

"The game does offer two specializations per class, which makes the simple picture I outlined above already somewhat murky. I figure that more options are always a good thing so this is a point in the game's favor, but I was unable to log enough time to actually play these specializations myself. Also, many of these things are still being tweaked for balance anyway, so my own experience may not match what we'll see on release."

The whole thing makes its clear RPGFan doesn't know what he is saying ... we all know that to get to specializations only takes about 3 to 4 hours. This write up is full of incorrect guesses. 

DWTOR beta—the birth of a Jedi knight on: Arstechnica

"There is no auto-attack here; you must always choose to attack."

As you rank up your skills through a trainer and you eventually get a real light saber, your movements become swifter and surer, and the attacks' choreographies are longer. When I chose to become a Jedi sentinel (a damage-dealer) track versus the tank-focused guardian), I gained a second light saber to dual-wield, and at lower levels my character retained the skill in her main hand while holding the second light saber lamely in the other, save for when she awkwardly used her sole dual-wield attack. It's a small but welcome detail, showing that Jedi Knights aren't born knowing perfect technique.

All this happens as the Jedi completes quests given by the various NPCs scattered around her starting planet, Tython, and later the planet Coruscant. Without giving too much away, I found the Jedi knight track to be less action-oriented than many of the other classes, which is appropriate since the other Jedi you encounter say things like, "there is no emotion; there is peace." The Trooper class story, for instance, starts off faster, but the Jedi knight's story has a great payoff toward the end of your time on Tython. Read on 

Hands On: The Old Republic on rock paper shotgun

Of course, it’s a BioWare game in an MMO. Which never stops feeling like a bear trying to wear a centipede costume. Undeniably WOW-like in its approach to structure, the more I play of TOR, the more I feel like I’m embroiled in the developers’ struggle to squeeze their sort of game into someone else’s mould. And to a decent extent, it’s working.

BioWare let me into the beta for the last couple of weeks, with free reign to play with the four Republic classes, Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler and Trooper, right up until each of them finds a spaceship. Well, it’s an enormous game, and I’m the sort that even when previewing on a beta, can’t just skip a sidequest. That woman will die! That corrupt politician will get away with it! So obviously I picked Jedi Knight, because I’m not insane, and have pretty much focused on that. Read on

The Old Republic: Jedi Knight Beta Impressions on MMORPG:

The game begins with your flight to Tython, the planet where the Jedi have taken up since the attack on Coruscant. I don’t want to give away any spoilers about the story for players, so I will focus on themes of the Jedi Knight and how the class feels as a whole. We’ll go through three major areas for the Jedi: combat, dark and light side choices, and equipment/look. I’ll try to touch on as much as I can without giving away the story.

First let us look at the Jedi Knight’s combat. Being a young padawan when you start the game you do not have a lightsaber right away. You have access to a bunch of different training blades however each with different power levels. They all work fine for accomplishing your goals early on. The Jedi combat consists of many different sword fighting abilities which you can link together for maximum damage. The class is fully built on close combat and has to get in close to fight it out. There are some tricks along the way which make this much easier. Read on

The exploits of Mandaloriangirl Q&A

Site name: The exploits of Mandaloriangirl
URL: http://mandaloriangirl.wordpress.com/
Name: Mandalorian girl
Started: October 2010

SWTOR Face: In your words, how would you describe your site? Do you have a particular focus or interest?

Mandalorian girl: My site is a fan-fiction blog focused on the Old Republic Era. My current tale chronicles a Mandalorian girl and her companions as they travel the galaxy in search of a Sith Apprentice and the pieces of an ancient artifact. The story is told from the Mandalorian girl's point of view.

SWTOR Face: When did you start blogging (about any topic)?

Mandalorian girl: Actually, this is my first blog. I never really thought that I had much to blog about, but then it hit me that a blog would be the perfect place to tell a Star Wars story. I started with the idea that no one would want to read it and that it would simply be a way for me to pass the time; be creative, but as I started to gain readers, it made me want to keep writing. I began to think, “Hey, blogging isn't so bad!”



SWTOR Face: When did you start writing Star Wars fan fiction?

Mandalorian girl: I have always loved Star Wars and there has always been ideas floating around in my mind, but technically, this is the first one that I have ever written down.

SWTOR Face: What, if any, MMOs have you played?

Mandalorian girl: None. I have mostly been a console gamer, so SWTOR will be my first MMO.

SWTOR Face: What was your first Star Wars experience?

Mandalorian girl: Star Wars has always been a part of my life. I was born in the late seventies and so I grew up watching the original movies and playing with the toys. I Had Luke Skywalker posters on my wall, so it is hard to say what my first experience was. I can't remember a time when it wasn't there.

SWTOR Face: Why Mandalorian?

Mandalorian girl: My first experience with Mandalorians was Boba Fett. I simply fell in love with his confidence, his look, his armor and his weapons. By the time I had come across Canderous Ordo from KOTOR and then the stories created by Karen Traviss, I was totally hooked! I researched everything I could find about them. I loved their culture, their strong sense of family, their strength and their “Never say die” attitude. Once I had discovered Mandalorians, my heart was lost.

SWTOR Face: What excites you the most about the stories from the SWTOR time frame?

Mandalorian girl: I love the rawness of it. The stories are rich and full of battles. There is so much room in that time period to play around with. The Jedi and Sith seemed to be more robust and edgy. They used the Force as it was meant to be used. It is like the wild west of Star Wars.

SWTOR Face: How do you keep track of elements from the Star Wars Galaxy for your writing (characters, species, locations of planets, events in the timeline etc)?

Mandalorian girl: Lots of research. I read the books and search the web. I write down everything and keep timelines/logs on things I find. Even though my stories are not cannon, I want to keep the feel of it as cannon as possible. I try to keep facts and timelines of Star Wars history as closely as I can. I don't want a mixed up story. I want my character to be a legitimate part of Star Wars. This story is my way of being part of the Star Wars Universe and so I do my best to make it a believable aspect of the time period.

SWTOR Face: Have you ever thought of writing a background story for a player character?

Mandalorian girl: I haven't had a chance to do that yet, but I always like to know the characters that I create for things, so I may decide to give whatever character/characters I play in the upcoming MMO a little bit of a history.

SWTOR Face: What are your long term plans for your writing? Where do you see your blog heading?

Mandalorian girl: I plan to keep this story going for a long time to come. My characters will continue until their mission comes to an end and then, who knows? I certainly plan on continuing to blog. There will always be another Star Wars story to tell. I have played around with stories in my head, for some of my current main character's descendents, so we will see where the story takes me.

The Old Republic: Jedi Consular Beta Impressions on MMORPG:

The main story foundations are built while giving you area-specific problems to solve. So instead of random NPC quests almost all the quests you get advance the story in some way. You will run a bunch of quests which don't seem to tie in with the main story but at points the Jedi Masters will reference the outcome of those seemingly unrelated quests.

I had moments where I had to make hard decisions and live with my choices. I was able to run one of the heroic instances with three other players. When the group spoke to the mission NPCs, everyone spoke with the NPCs. When I say everyone I mean various players would appear and ask a question to advance the mission dialog. There was a social system for this decision making process but I was not able to determine how it worked (ED: It’s based on a dice roll). However the game maintained that movie feel where a group of people were working to solve a problem.

Overall this game does something not many MMOs do and that is make you feel you are the hero of the game.

Read on

The Old Republic: The Smuggler Impressions on MMORPG:

For my part in our Star Wars: The Old Republic bonanza today, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing The Smuggler. There are some pretty strict rules for this partial NDA lift for press outlets: we can only talk about the Republic side, we can’t talk about anything beyond first getting our ship (around level 15 or 16), and we can’t post screens or video of our own. All the exclusions aside, there’s still a whole lot of game crammed into the first 15 levels or so of any player’s life in SWTOR. Mike covered most of the ins and outs of the entire game (and what we’re allowed to talk about) in his overarching impressions earlier. I’ll try to give you a briefer, but still informative look at the life of a Smuggler in the early days of SWTOR. Read on