Darth Hater

Overall fair opinion piece Vox, well stated and reasoned.  I have felt pretty good about the class balance/changes deployed in RoTHC as well.  True, in pvp, pyro-specced PT/Vanguards got hit with the ol' nerfbat, but other ACs that had been neglected in pvp (comm/mercs) have been made strong.  Those "stuck" with a PT/Vanguard ought to simply reroll into the other AC and they'll find that they'll do quite well.  Sorcs/Sages and Snipers/'Slingers are the strongest atm with operatives doing well also.  PvP is solid right now but one should consider rerolling to get the maximum goodness of this tier. 

Fortunately, PT/Vanguards are perfectly viable in PvE (I've been doing solid numbers in advanced proto there).

I've been happy with the new op S&V, even though it's tuned a bit to loosely.  Hopefully NiMs of both TFB and S&V come out soon and prove to be challenging!  Overall good work with this new content Bioware......This game would have had an infinitely better launch if the game had been this polished then.

He must be trolling you Neko, don't worry about it.

Besides which, I hear, Makeb looks waaay different than Corellia, so if you're worried about some kind of duplication, you can rest easy.  Also, I've heard that it's very densely populated, so the "feel" of the planet is much different as well.

You're wrong.  Since ftp hit it's popping harder than ever.  But keep telling yourself that whilst rocking pet battles in WoW....it'll make you feel better.

Why don't you run through their class stories with them?  I see no forced split up as you're allowed in their class instances.  You guys would simply complete all your class stories on a given planet and then move on to the next. 

I like what they're planning to do with the leveling through Makeb.  I'll run one character of each faction through the unique quest lines and world arcs of Makeb while leveling my other alts through 50-55 in WZs.  This way I'll see all the new content while also doing plenty of PvP, which I enjoy a bunch. 

As for Ilum, the limitations of the hero engine, as stated below, makes me think that open world PvP (at least on a massive scale) will never happen.  This is conceivably fine, it'll just require some creative thinking on the devs part.  Taking a glass is half full approach, I think this weakness (in the large scale rendering capability of the hero engine) might really bring on some great compensatory ideas in the future, as sometimes the best innovations are born through necessity.

Beyond Makeb, yes, the inclusion of additional individual class stories would be real nice sometime in the future.  Right now, I'll be happy to deal with these inexpensive, factionally unique planet arc type "expansions" until the time comes when bioware is in a better position to fund them.  Hopefully subs, resubs, and ftp bring in enough revenue for this to occur sooner rather than later. 

Oh yes, and also work on creating a vastly improved achievement system bioware, with dates and everything.  Timed runs through existing ops and flashpoints would be a bonus also (beyond the ones they have currently, such as the 2 hour completion of NiM EC).   

Well I'm having fun leveling alts exclusively through WZs and class quests, but at least you're considering coming back in a year or two.  Something I can't say for myself about either wow or gw2.

The Bastion.  And yes, with ftp there are about 40% clickers per wz.  What makes this fine is that more often than not these kids are represented fairly evenly on each team, which allows me and my 2-4 peep pre-made to win often without it being a *total* roflstomp.  For endgame, Rated WZs are good but people will often queue as sacrificial lambs for the ranked comms. Admittedly arenas in wow offer consistently higher competition, though wow in general feels too familiar and stale and class balance worse than swtor.  Would you really rather level up with space missions?  I've flown a total of 3 and I've played swtor since launch.  I guess because alt leveling through class quests and WZs is fun, I actually roll alts willingly-----something I've never done in other MMOs (only for sake of pve progression did I max lvl another toon in wow).

Keeping context/perspective correct through swtor's meanderings is important.  Swtor has it's faults to be sure, but atm the 1-49 pvp bracket is great.  So good in fact I'd happily play it with no experience, credit, or equipment gain.  I'm happily leveling alts atm (through wzs and class quests) and, while I have both wow and gw2, I find myself not playing either of them.  So while swtor may be flawed, it happens to be the best mmo on the market. 

P.S.- Don't feel sorry for SWTOR, they're doing well since ftp hit.  This game will be around for along time.    

Totally gamingfossil!  Also this would add to the link-ables that could be posted in general chat as "anal (insert ability here)"......I miss that from the days hanging out in Orgrimmar.