In pure me fashion, I end up playing (relatively) good guys in the Sith Empire.
The game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, and as previously mentioned, I've been playing since just before public launch. A handful of guildies from WoW were going to form up Imperial-side, but I wasn't sure I was going to play this game at first. I was busy trying to keep our WoW guild afloat, and failing. I wanted to be more dedicated to putting in the effort there, not spending time on another game. Even if it is Star Wars. And Bioware.
But it is Star Wars. And it is Bioware.
And friends who played in the beta were sold--so, a couple of days left in the early access launch, I signed up. I made a character on the server (damnit, I hate having to choose servers) that my WoW guildies were talking about--a Sith Inquisitor, a master of the darker, esoteric disciplines of the Dark Side.
Think lots of purplish lightning, robes with hoods. You know. Emperor Palpatine-y.
The game has a focus on story not seen in most MMORPGs. Okay, any MMOs I've seen so far. The story is personal for SWTOR. Each main character class has a specific background and storyline that lasts through all 50 levels in 4 story arcs, and keeps pace with the more generic content designed for all characters. As your class's story progresses, you gain access to a handful of companions that can fulfill various roles in combat, and have a range of personalities. They come with their own quests that unlock as they learn to like and trust your character more--which happens as you make decisions while questing with them (or by giving them nifty gifts). Oh! and you make decisions while questing that can align you more-or-less with the Light side or Dark side of the Force! Beware--evil makes you ugly.
The game content makes it obvious that it's a continuation of Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic games. If you played those, enjoy a look at the galaxy 300 years later.
But what is this Legacy subsystem I mentioned before?
Well, it's late, but it's here, at least in part. It's a rewards system, of sorts, for playing. After your first character finishes Chapter 1 (which includes the Prelude) at around level 30, you gain Legacy XP along with your character's normal XP. From them on, any character you play on that server also adds to the Legacy XP total. Legacy XP (finally) unlocks a bunch of features that are either free, or cost in-game currency (credits, or creds if you're cool). Got a character to level 50? Congrats--you can now make a character of that race for ANY class in the game, Imperial or Republic side. Is that level 50 character a human? Like mine? Then they give all your characters a bonus to the stat that makes their companion characters more effective. You can also buy a bunch of convenience items for your starships--mailboxes, repair droids, Trade Network kiosks, etc.... Your characters gain special emote commands and abilities depending on which of your other characters reach certain benchmarks in the game. Got a Sith Warrior to Chapter 2? You unlocked the /warrior emote for all characters that makes them roar and flex with the power of the Dark side--and your class-based buffing ability now automatically includes the Sith Warrior buff as well. Get your Sith Inquisitor to level 50, and now your characters can all summon a storm of Force Lightning once in a heroic moment.
So, this stuff makes character creation and play more flexible. Which is awesome if you want to go beyond the original restrictions to make an even more remarkable character.
See, I'm gushing about the game, and I haven't even mentioned how guilty I feel for not being more active in WoW in, like, paragraphs.
But, like WoW and other MMOs, sometimes something happens in the game world (galaxy), and suddenly there is new, special content to deal with the event! Bioware has been pretty good with introducing more content with updates, but this week the game world (galaxy!) was rocked by an outbreak of a mutant-zombie-esque plague, infecting and killing "tens of thousands," and giving players even more reason to be more active, with new daily quests, world bosses and rewards that include companion skins, pets and weapon color customizations.
Now, while temporary vaccines are available, some people have embraced (are down with) the sickness spreading throughout the game wor...the galaxy. Since dying to the plague gives you special currency to use for the event's rewards, people on both sides of the new galactic war are cooperating to infect and reinfect each other using PvP mechanics.
Who knew that such a devastating event could bring the galaxy to a new peace?
Anyway. I'm thoroughly invested in the game, now. My characters are, by and large, relatively good guys who happen to be a part of a nasty, evil empire--and I have some characters on another server to explore the Republic side of the story.
I don't care what you've heard. Get in there.
The game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, and as previously mentioned, I've been playing since just before public launch. A handful of guildies from WoW were going to form up Imperial-side, but I wasn't sure I was going to play this game at first. I was busy trying to keep our WoW guild afloat, and failing. I wanted to be more dedicated to putting in the effort there, not spending time on another game. Even if it is Star Wars. And Bioware.
But it is Star Wars. And it is Bioware.
And friends who played in the beta were sold--so, a couple of days left in the early access launch, I signed up. I made a character on the server (damnit, I hate having to choose servers) that my WoW guildies were talking about--a Sith Inquisitor, a master of the darker, esoteric disciplines of the Dark Side.
 |
| Palpatine-y! (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Think lots of purplish lightning, robes with hoods. You know. Emperor Palpatine-y.
The game has a focus on story not seen in most MMORPGs. Okay, any MMOs I've seen so far. The story is personal for SWTOR. Each main character class has a specific background and storyline that lasts through all 50 levels in 4 story arcs, and keeps pace with the more generic content designed for all characters. As your class's story progresses, you gain access to a handful of companions that can fulfill various roles in combat, and have a range of personalities. They come with their own quests that unlock as they learn to like and trust your character more--which happens as you make decisions while questing with them (or by giving them nifty gifts). Oh! and you make decisions while questing that can align you more-or-less with the Light side or Dark side of the Force! Beware--evil makes you ugly.
The game content makes it obvious that it's a continuation of Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic games. If you played those, enjoy a look at the galaxy 300 years later.
But what is this Legacy subsystem I mentioned before?
Well, it's late, but it's here, at least in part. It's a rewards system, of sorts, for playing. After your first character finishes Chapter 1 (which includes the Prelude) at around level 30, you gain Legacy XP along with your character's normal XP. From them on, any character you play on that server also adds to the Legacy XP total. Legacy XP (finally) unlocks a bunch of features that are either free, or cost in-game currency (credits, or creds if you're cool). Got a character to level 50? Congrats--you can now make a character of that race for ANY class in the game, Imperial or Republic side. Is that level 50 character a human? Like mine? Then they give all your characters a bonus to the stat that makes their companion characters more effective. You can also buy a bunch of convenience items for your starships--mailboxes, repair droids, Trade Network kiosks, etc.... Your characters gain special emote commands and abilities depending on which of your other characters reach certain benchmarks in the game. Got a Sith Warrior to Chapter 2? You unlocked the /warrior emote for all characters that makes them roar and flex with the power of the Dark side--and your class-based buffing ability now automatically includes the Sith Warrior buff as well. Get your Sith Inquisitor to level 50, and now your characters can all summon a storm of Force Lightning once in a heroic moment.
So, this stuff makes character creation and play more flexible. Which is awesome if you want to go beyond the original restrictions to make an even more remarkable character.
See, I'm gushing about the game, and I haven't even mentioned how guilty I feel for not being more active in WoW in, like, paragraphs.
But, like WoW and other MMOs, sometimes something happens in the game world (galaxy), and suddenly there is new, special content to deal with the event! Bioware has been pretty good with introducing more content with updates, but this week the game world (galaxy!) was rocked by an outbreak of a mutant-zombie-esque plague, infecting and killing "tens of thousands," and giving players even more reason to be more active, with new daily quests, world bosses and rewards that include companion skins, pets and weapon color customizations.
Now, while temporary vaccines are available, some people have embraced (are down with) the sickness spreading throughout the game wor...the galaxy. Since dying to the plague gives you special currency to use for the event's rewards, people on both sides of the new galactic war are cooperating to infect and reinfect each other using PvP mechanics.
Who knew that such a devastating event could bring the galaxy to a new peace?
Anyway. I'm thoroughly invested in the game, now. My characters are, by and large, relatively good guys who happen to be a part of a nasty, evil empire--and I have some characters on another server to explore the Republic side of the story.
I don't care what you've heard. Get in there.
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