Beta Thoughts

[Desrosiers]

So played in the beta last weekend and thought I would post a few quick thoughts. Managed to get a lvl 19 jedi guardian and completed the story arc to Taris. Played most of the early game with Sean Manjoney and his jedi consular. This was my experience in the beta so of course things I find objectionable may change.

1. My jedi guardian sucked whole-sale ass as a tank. I was unable to keep aggro from Sean when he was healing, early stages the only way to control aggro is through DPS and even with some pretty sexy gear that wasnt all that successful. Look to me for off tanking/DPS. Do the daily warzone quest for PVP rep and then leave, PVP is where Guardians go to die, our main anti-range abililty (a super jump) is completely nullified by the agents portable shield. Also ranged have auto target meaning they can circle strafe your goofy glow-stick wielding ass into submission all the while you desperately keep trying to keep your target in your front. If the target doesnt stay in front of you, then game over man... game over.

Side Note - PVP is supposed to be for all levels, with lower levels getting stat parity to the higher levels to make it all even. This is unabridged mega-fail. Just because a level 11 has the same stats as a level 22 does not make them equal. The 22 has more perks, better gear and more abilities to call on, and the PVP seems open to a huge range of levels, from 11 to 40+.

2. Sound. The music was incredible throughout the whole experience. I love music so this was huge for me and really helped to set the atmosphere. The voice acting was great, although it seemed better during the 6 levels of sith I tried (maybe because of the American lust for british accents?).

3. Kill Foozle. Questing was handled better than any other MMO I have played. Kill quests seem natural and progressive (i.e. Kill 10 bandits/kill 5 bandit leaders/kill bandit boss) all while doing the main quest you were on. There is very little uneccessary killing and no need to run back and turn in before getting the next stage. In only one case did I actually have to strive to complete a kill quest and that was for killing 45 Black Sun fellows, which felt like alot considering the 20 I had just pummeled. The story and decision making part of questing really sucks you in, even if many of the decisions are merely cosmetic (after all who would choose NOT to do the quest and get XP and rewards?) or irrelevant (DS choices for a LS toon) it still makes you feel like a part of the story. The guardian story was very fun with lots of combat and serious Sith smacking and high adventure.

4. The Final Frontier. I loved space combat! Full out loved it, I would take it home have sex with it and make it coffee in the morning. I found it the perfect complement to the actual game, it's fast, addictive and worthwhile. Bored with grinding, tired of grouping, need to recover from a PVP molestation? Give space combat a whirl, although I recommend upgrading your ship first. I didnt and had a hell of a time completing the first three missions. You get rewarded with tokens, which I used to buy a random loot box and got some nice green gear.

5. Sexy, Purple Pleasure Droid - Thankfully Bioware did give the guardians a great tanking mechanic at around level 10. The ability to summon T7. This little droid actually tanked Esseles for Sean and I. Yeah, companions ARE that good. I enjoyed gearing mine up, especially since you can use your own hand-me-downs. Bound apparently means you and your companions. Speaking of companions, they are the games crafting service. I personally ramped up slicing to 150 and was getting some decent money from the loot boxes. Worked a little of artifice and archeology as well but didnt get beyond making a few saber hilts and color crystals.

So anyways after having tasted SWTOR I am very enthusiastic. The game played very well for me on near max settings with no crashes and little lag (except for pvp). I have wanted to play the Guardian since I heard about this game, the iconic General Kenobi, but honestly if not for that fact I would quickly switch to another class. Too bad you suckas is stuck with my gimp ass now! Hope this was helpful, any specific questions let me know. I played Smuggler to lvl 8 and Inquisitor to lvl 6 as well.

Etienne, Black-Bisector

[Martok]

Nice write up. Don't be too down on the jedi guardian. Many people have found the same issues with threat and aggro management. Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior are up for a revamp before release. I got my Juggernaut up to 22 and had similar issues. I did speak to some level 50 Juggernaut Immortal (tank spec) and they did mention the class was a late bloomer.

After the Juggernaut, I rolled a Bounty Hunter (got to level 25). You can't compare the two classes. The BH was hands down an easier and more fun class to play. I could tell though that as I hit level 20, the BH seemed to be less of a powerhouse.