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Friday Update: Advanced Classes Developer Blog

Georg Zoeller, Principal Lead Systems Designer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, authored a Developer Blog explaining Advanced Classes a bit more in depth and used the Smuggler as an example.



As you can see from the small set of skills mentioned above, players will be able to customize their personal Smuggler experience dramatically by distributing skill points across the three available skill-sets, defining their characters role as Smuggler as they see fit: Within the Scoundrel Advanced Class, a player preferring the traditional MMO healer role may spend the majority of their skill points training in the Sawbones skill-set with additional improvements to their core abilities from the Luck skill tree, or they could decide that a Stealth Healer role with points distributed between the Scrapper and Sawbones trees might be the role they want to play in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Back in December 2009, we speculated pretty close to what Zoeller describes in this article.

Comments

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  • cdstephens's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #51 cdstephens Posted 10/5/2010 12:43:59 AM
    Yay, both ACs get support.
  • Dejarik's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 190
    #47 Dejarik Posted 10/4/2010 12:16:31 PM
    The most striking thing in the piece for me is that they have 4 designers working on the 8 classes.

    Whilst he doesn't say it, I am hoping he means that 1 designer is working on each pair of approximate mirror classes.

    This wouldn't provide for universal 1 vs 1 equality but it's a lot better than other games where it is plain classes were designed in isolation of one another and developers have to nerf and buff to compensate.
  • Ashalenore's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #41 Ashalenore Posted 10/3/2010 2:43:29 AM
    It's going to be this way for pretty much each of the classes, there's nothing we really need to know about the other class AC's except maybe the names of the sub branches. All ACs are going to be divided into Support/CC or Damage. DarthHater was pretty sure that this was the way it would work, but it seemsthe rest of the SWTOR community didn't really understand. I'm glad Bioware was able to clarify on this.
  • HarryTruman's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #44 HarryTruman Posted 10/3/2010 8:28:15 AM
    I'm not sure this is entirely true, though. Look at the Consular: you have Support/CC on one AC and Damage/Stealth on the other. The "damage" AC has stealth abilities in it, which is kind of the opposite for the Smuggler, who has Stealth paired with Healing.
  • DarthSeeker's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #46 DarthSeeker Posted 10/3/2010 4:31:50 PM
    Point was I think, that its not really going to be "one AC is Damage and the other AC is Support". Some classes like the ones with healing abilities (SM, IA, JC and SI) have damage in BOTH AC's and healing in one.
  • cdstephens's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #52 cdstephens Posted 10/5/2010 12:45:08 AM
    Yeah, it's definitely not going to be split up Damage vs. Support. Terrible idea anywho.
  • Invader Mig's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #50 Invader Mig Posted 10/5/2010 12:23:47 AM
    I'm not sure how to you came to this conclusion. Scoundrel is support AC and Gunslinger is Damage AC. You have options on how you perform the role, but it's pretty clear cut by the AC's in the Smuggler class at least.
  • DarthSeeker's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #53 DarthSeeker Posted 10/5/2010 3:44:10 PM
    While it might hold true for a few classes it certainly doesn't for all. Just look at the JC and SI. Sure one AC has the support/healer stuff, but there is DPS stuff in both AC's. The Wizard/Sorcerer can be Support OR DPS. There is damage and support stuff -within- ACs but its not just held to "This ACs is only for support and the other AC is only for damage" ,not for every class at least.
  • shadowfyre's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 78
    #39 shadowfyre Posted 10/2/2010 11:39:51 PM
    Does choosing an advanced class actually do anything other then unlock trees? Like would there be much difference between a Luck Gunslinger and a Luck Scoundrel (other than the few points youd prob have to put in the other trees?)

    Like for Sith warriors they get 1saber heavy armomr then 2saber medium armor: are these skills gained in the trees? or upon choosing the AC?
  • Nasqueron's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #48 Nasqueron Posted 10/4/2010 1:56:44 PM
    Don't know if you've ever played Age of Conan, but there were class schools in it too, like each of the Priest classes shared a common priest talent tree along with their own two unique trees. The shared one was just general abilities like mana-regen / threat reduction and improvements that all the classes had, but it was only half as deep as the main talent trees. I imagine thats what it'll be like here.
  • RogueJedi86's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 3118
    #40 RogueJedi86 Posted 10/2/2010 11:54:17 PM
    Judging by SWTOR-Station's looking at skills on the class trainers and seeing only like a dozen abilities(including higher ranks), I'm guessing each AC will its own unique abilities off class trainers(maybe AC-specific trainers) in addition to skills they learn from their regular class trainer. It's all speculation, but it could mean more differences than just the access to varying talent trees.
  • KaidenSaul's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #32 KaidenSaul Posted 10/1/2010 11:56:52 PM
    I like the update date, I want to see more info for the Imperial Agent Now
  • Ashalenore's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #42 Ashalenore Posted 10/3/2010 2:45:58 AM
    The IA will have Heaing/Stealth on one side, Single Damage/Multi Damage on the other, and a Healing/Damage third branch (Luck). This should be predictable by now.
  • stoffi's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 192
    #35 stoffi Posted 10/2/2010 9:36:44 AM
    I concur, give me my Jack Bauer in space class NAO!!!
  • Jaramukhti's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 785
    #31 Jaramukhti Posted 10/1/2010 10:24:09 PM
    All I want is an [I Kill 'Slingers!] PvP achievement for killing 50 or 100 of these guys and I'm good.
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