Discovering The Empire In Star Wars: The Old Republic

After three years of interminable waiting, we've finally had the opportunity to dig into BioWare’s upcoming Star Wars MMO. Even while we now get going on our final game release characters, weeks ago four Game Informer editors spent dozens of combined hours during the game's beta exploring different character classes populating the Sith Empire faction. We discovered a gigantic game whose scope and ambition are hard to overstate. Combining the traditions of World of Warcraft-style questing and cooperative multiplayer with the storytelling, character depth, and voice acting of other BioWare games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, The Old Republic is poised to reshape the MMO landscape. Every one of us who played the game found dramatically different experiences to be excited about; flip the pages to the character class you’re most excited about, or explore each journal for the full picture. And keep an eye out in the coming days and weeks as we continue our coverage of this long-awaited game.

[This feature originally appeared in Game Informer issue #224]

Bounty Hunter
By Tim Turi

Ever since I was a kid watching The Empire Strikes Back, I’ve wanted to be Boba Fett. Unfortunately, few worthwhile opportunities have cropped up that allow me to satiate my lust to become a ruthless bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. That’s why I passed up the glitz and glamor of the Sith’s ancient weapons and hokey religions when creating a new Empire-affiliated character in The Old Republic. Despite being on and off with World of Warcraft since launch, I don’t have as much MMO expertise as my fellow editors here – but that couldn’t stop me from strapping on a jet pack and following in the footsteps of Fett.

I decide to shake things up right out of the gate by creating a male Zabrak bounty hunter. After tinkering with a variety of horns, tattoo patterns, and skin tones, I am left with a beefy Darth Maul look-alike named Vladok who is sure to intimidate his marks.

My prologue quest begins by immediately sticking a hook in my mouth with a simple mission: become notorious. This task becomes more complicated when I learn I must gain sponsorship by a Hutt gang lord named Nem’ro so I can enter a bounty hunter contest. Having seen Return of the Jedi, I know dealing with Hutts is sticky business involving dubious loyalties and Rancor-baited trapdoors, usually in that order. I’m given my first assignment by a distressed mother – her husband has kidnapped their son in an effort to spare him from the Sith academy. The fully voiced conversations help me become invested in the intriguing task, and while I may have found the woman’s plight touching, the credits are why Vladok agrees to help.

To complete my journey I must trek across the gang war-torn city of Jiguuna on Hutta towards the spaceport. My first instinct is to jog past the warring factions like the nonpartisan mercenary I am, but as soon as my mouse cursor indicates hostiles, Vladok’s eyes turn as red as his skin. I have my savage attack routine down within minutes. I hit my foes from a distance with a rapid volley of blaster rounds, fire a missile to disperse the crowd, then move in for the close-quarters damage. My favorite bounty hunter ability is easily the rocket punch – a jet pack-propelled shoryuken that sends enemies flying like womp rats at the business end of a T-16’s laser cannon. The Old Republic’s hotkey-focused combat is simple and satisfying. Each move has a distinct visual effect on enemies, so you don’t have to waste time rereading ability descriptions to figure out how one blaster attack varies from another.

One of the things I was most impressed by while hunting down bounties and decimating legions of goons was that I never once ached for a lightsaber. Many might predict the undeniable coolness of the Jedi’s path will result in swarms of Skywalker-wannabes flooding The Old Republic at launch. However, the sheer might and diversity of Vladok’s abilities staved off any potential midichlorian envy.

I manage to cut off the father and son before their departing flight. The father reveals that he was a Sith cadet in the past, and that the merciless training facility on Korriban nearly killed him for not making the cut. He tells me he won’t risk his son dying like he almost did. Cowardice breeds cowardice, and Vladok can smell it. Playing off my sympathies, the husband seems confident I’ll take his side. No dice. Through a series of simple dialogue options, I decide then and there that Vladok is a bounty hunter who sticks to his employer’s contract no matter the moral cost. As the father’s lifeless form collapses next to his son, I feel a tinge of remorse, something I never thought an MMO would be able to deliver. I don’t have long to dwell on it though; Vladok and I have credits to collect and a slimy Hutt to deal with.

[Next up: The Imperial Agent]

Imperial Agent
By Phil Kollar

Here’s the story I’m used to following with my MMO characters: I’m a member of one of two opposing factions in a war-filled world, but I may as well forget about that larger conflict. Tons of people who I’ve never met require my help thinning out the local wildlife population, collecting minerals, and performing fetch quests. If I’m good enough to stick with it for a few hundred hours and have 10 or 20 friends who do so also, I may get the chance to go on end-game raids that will provide a brief glimpse of a greater story, but for now I had better be satisfied with the grind.

Based on playing through the first 15 levels as an Imperial Agent, I can say that if BioWare has done anything right with Star Wars: The Old Republic, it’s that the developer has created a story that is genuinely interesting and makes me feel like my character is an active part of this world.

My character, Agent Rerkek, begins his life on Hutta, the homeworld of the slimy slug-like crime lords made popular by Jabba the Hutt. At the point that I take over, Rerkek is already a well-established agent who is sent to Hutta by Keeper, the head of the Sith Empire’s intelligence division.

Agents are not combat powerhouses, and their class storyline reflects this. Rather than focus on killing legions of Republic scum, the agent exists to sow discord in other ways. In this case, I have been sent to Hutta because the Empire requires an alliance with Nem’ro the Hutt, who controls a great number of resources that will be useful in taking on the Republic. Unfortunately, Nem’ro is not ready to take sides in the brewing galactic conflict, so I need to use less straightforward means of swinging him to our side.

I arrive at Nem’ro’s palace and introduce myself. Whether talking to a less important side quest giver or in a more elaborate cutscene like this one, dialogue choices are handled via a Mass Effect-style wheel. Old Republic’s system doesn’t seem to identifiably place dark and light side choices on the same spot of the wheel every time the way Mass Effect does with paragon and renegade options, so I have to carefully look at each potential reply rather than quickly clicking.
BioWare has been quick to brag about Old Republic being the first fully voice-acted MMO. That is an impressive feat, but what’s more exciting is that the voice acting is high quality. My character has a smarmy tone that fits in perfectly with what I would imagine an above-it-all Imperial intelligence agent acting like. Nem’ro’s servants are appropriately intimidated by my disguise as feared intergalactic mercenary The Red Blade. Even the cold alien language of Nem’ro himself feels nuanced and true to the source material.

After running a few missions with Nem’ro, I find myself facing off against his right-hand man, Karrels Jarvis. Keeper informs me that one of Jarvis’ sons has been killed in a quarrel with a Sith lord. Jarvis is sure to turn against the Empire now, so he must be taken care of.
Upon confronting Jarvis, I’m given many dialogue choices: I can immediately kill him without asking questions, try to convince him to run away, or let him know that his second son is still alive, a fact he seems to be unaware of. I choose the second option, hoping to avoid bloodshed, but it doesn’t take. Jarvis attacks me, and I kill him.
As with many moments in Old Republic, this could have gone differently. Had I informed Jarvis about his son, it’s entirely possible – likely even – that he would have taken my advice and left the planet, only to show up again in my class storyline later down the road. Since I wasn’t so lucky, I plant evidence to pin Jarvis’ death on the Republic, thus finally ensuring that Nem’ro will make an alliance with my side.

As I head for the Imperial homeworld of Dromund Kaas, Keeper tells me that a Sith lord has taken an interest in my actions. The web of politics and intrigue spun around the agent class was already complex and twisted on Hutta, and it looks like it’s only going to get crazier as the Sith get involved.  I was skeptical that an MMO could keep me playing for the story, but after 15 levels of Old Republic, I’m a believer.

[Next up: The Sith Inquisitor]

Sith Inquisitor
By Matt Miller

I began my career as a Sith with some trepidation. I’m well known among my friends as the one who always chooses the “good guy” option in games with morality systems. Adopting the role of an insidious practitioner of dark side sorcery isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. That’s why I was thrilled at the flexibility of the new morality system in The Old Republic; no matter what class you play, or whether you work for the Republic or the Empire, the game encourages you to explore the full range of choices as the game progresses.

I start out as a newly recruited Force-user, pulled from the dregs of slavery because of my potential power and value to the Empire. Amid the ancient Sith tombs of Korriban, I spend my first days of play proving myself to a condescending Sith underling, a recruiter for a greater Sith lord in search of an apprentice.

In one mission, I am tasked with solving a mysterious murder at the Academy. In typical Sith fashion, a witness to the crime has been imprisoned and beaten for refusing to reveal what he has seen; the master of the apprentice who committed the murder will surely take vengeance on any witness who speaks up. I’m offered the choice to further torture the poor acolyte for information, or win his trust by assuring his protection from the pitiless murderer and his teacher. Both options deliver a satisfying conclusion, but by choosing the kinder path, my light side meter boosts up several points.

In another scenario, a captured Jedi has been brainwashed with false military secrets that will damage the Republic if acted upon. I’m told to befriend the Jedi to give him a believable escape, so he might in turn report back to his masters. After collecting the lightsaber and gear that the Jedi had hidden before being captured, his path to freedom is assured. However, by revealing it is all a setup, I sabotage the Sith plans to conquer several unsuspecting Republic colony worlds.
 
Near the end of my training on Korriban, I encounter the first of many interesting wrinkles in the morality system. I acquire my first companion – an ancient reptilian assassin named Khem Val. Once a servant to a mighty Sith lord, Khem Val celebrates the brutal power of the Sith, and he has no patience for any decisions I make that go contrary to that nature. He regularly disagrees with more pacifistic solutions to problems, but remains at my side nonetheless. Every character class has their own set of unique companions, and you’ll develop distinct relationships with each through conversation and character-focused quests. One of these companions can always be at your side during battle, and you can directly control their equipment loadout and skill usage during combat. It’s like a pet class in other MMOs, but made more complex and interesting through conversation and story development.

On the subject of companion characters, I’d be remiss to not mention The Old Republic’s fascinating approach to crafting and professions. The Crew Skills system lets you enjoy the benefits of crafting and gathering without the tedium of completing those tasks yourself. After selecting three of the 14 available skills to train in, I’m able to send companions on missions to further their rank. I choose Archaeology, and send Khem Val to a distant planet to investigate a new dig, in hopes that he might find some lightsaber crystals. Sure enough, after a brief absence of five minutes, my trusty associate arrives back from his journey with some yellow crystals I can use to replace my standard red saber blade.

My time in the beta left me hungry for more. During my 20-plus hours of play, I barely scratched the surface of the light side/dark side morality system and its interactions with my companions. I can’t wait to see how my character’s decisions will shape the galactic conflict as I ascend the power ladder.

[Next up: The Sith Warrior]

Sith Warrior
By Adam Biessener

If you’re anything like me, you approach MMOs like puzzles to be solved. Maximizing your damage output, questing speed, or crafting efficiency is a goal in and of itself. Good system and combat design gives players a lot of room for creativity in trying to streamline their performance, both in building your character properly and playing it to its highest potential. The Old Republic’s first 20 levels aren’t a jaw-dropping success in this regard – not that any MMO reveals its full complexity in such a short span – but I am reassured that the game is nothing approaching an abject failure either.

There isn’t much to do besides run up and start banging on guys with basic melee strikes to start with. Battles in TOR use the familiar targeting and skill-activation mechanics common to most MMORPGs. The difference between this and similarly designed games is that TOR’s combat is more fluid and mobile. Even while soloing, I rarely fight single monsters; most encounters are between me, my companion, and two to four enemies. Once I have a few levels and abilities under my belt, I often find myself bouncing between targets (sometimes literally, by giving gravity the finger with my awe-inspiring Force Charge ability), and even the most basic fights are explosive brawls filled with Force-powered heroics, devastating sniper blasts, missile barrages, and powerful grenades.

This variety in encounter shapes makes me regularly switch up tactics to perform at peak output. Unlike World of Warcraft, for instance, the optimal skill sequence varies quite a bit from fight to fight. A hulking jungle beast asks for a straightforward assault. A squad of Republic soldiers with medic support is probably easier to take out one at a time with focused strikes, letting my inherent toughness shrug off their weak blows while I grind the medic’s health down first. A deranged Sith apprentice and his possessed trooper minions might be best handled by vaulting in, smashing the apprentice in the face, then calling on the Force to send out incapacitating shockwaves with a dramatic ground pound.

All of this is largely academic with solo content. TOR is tuned to be about as easy as modern WoW, so I’m pretty sure I could take off all my armor, use only the most basic attack over and over, and still defeat just about everything. The addition of companions makes it that much easier; my Twi’lek smuggler lady does more damage than my tank-specced Sith himself. Thankfully, I’ve seen companions behave close to ideally on their own with no direct control, so it’s not like you’re stuck babysitting them all the time.

Group content is harder, as is typical for the genre. The group instances I tackled require players to mostly pay attention to what’s going on, though they’re not at all difficult if you have anything but complete newbies on your team. I dig spawning harder optional bosses by completing bonus objectives, and the self-contained stories are as well-written as the rest of the game. Group conversations are handled smartly: everyone chooses a response, and the winner of a 1-100 roll issues theirs and sets off any consequences branching from it – but everyone gets light side/dark side credit for what they individually choose.

Companions are automatically dismissed if they’d bring the number of players above four, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that completing these early group missions with two or three players and a couple companions was very doable. You still want a healer and a tank, and you’re better off with players filling those roles and companions taking damage slots, but I did beat a level-appropriate instance with a companion healing.

Tanking is very much in line with other MMORPGs. It’s easier to get a visual read on who the various enemies are targeting without using nameplates or other UI tricks, which is great, but on the whole the experience of going into defensive stance  (excuse me, “Soresu Form”) and using AoE ground pounds and Force screams to hold heal aggro while beating on the primary target and taunting any loose mobs is beyond familiar.

My whole journey from character creation to level 20 was familiar yet new, mostly in good ways. TOR’s mechanics are comfortable, but BioWare has successfully brought intriguing stories to an MMORPG. The Sith lord I serve, Darth Baras, is a fascinating character. I can’t wait to see where he sends me now that I have my own starship.