Game Update 1.5 is up on the Public Test Server and with it came a new set of armoring for the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior. All pieces are available at the Campaign vendor on the fleets. For those that have been clamoring for Campaign armorings outside of the armor, this one’s for you! Hit the link below for the full-size version.
Choosing which class to play is a big decision when starting an MMORPG, but for Star Wars: The Old Republic it goes hand-in-hand with choosing your faction. The classes on both factions are essentially a reflection of one another, but their aesthetic and animation differences can be big determining factors for some players. For other players, it’s about the stories, the lightsaber, and the voices that make the difference. Here are a few reasons why playing the Republic faction might appeal to you.
MMOs are by definition dynamic creatures. There is no such thing as a perfectly balanced, perfectly functional game. That means sometime, somewhere there will be classes, abilities or encounters that need improvement. Right now in The Old Republic the popular choice for "needs improvement" is the Jedi Knight / Sith Warrior class. Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller took to the forums not long ago to share some details about changes coming to these classes to give them a helping hand, and further took the time to lay out his team's philosophy when dealing with class balancing.
We make our balancing decisions based on a combination of internal and external testing and metrics. We don't make decisions based on who is the loudest on the forums. Community feedback is valuable in bringing issues to our attention and even to highlight possible solutions, which means that well written, constructive posts are the most effective way to communicate your wishes and feedback to us, rather than petitions and calls to nerf specific classes.
For the full text of Georg's statement, read past the jump.
UPDATE: We recently added images showcasing the Republic faction's Operations gear. You will find these images on their respective class pages.
Three tiers of Level 50 PVE gear appeared in the 11/26 patch: Tionese, Columi, and Rakata. Darth Hater spent some time poking around in-game and analyzing client data to attempt to determine how one could acquire some of the highest item level gear sets. All items included two- and four-piece set bonuses that curiously displayed only when the item is equipped; these set bonuses were mainly buffs to existing abilities and not unique to a particular tier.
So far, set names remain consistent to combat role through item progression, and carry a unified look throughout so you don’t look mismatched or out of place. Armor set names were the same for both factions, and we do provide some low-res preview images of both the Imperial and Republic versions of the sets on each class pairing page. It is confirmed that the Republic versions of the armor sets look different, and keep in mind Imperial Agents use knives while Smugglers use shotguns.
We would like share what we found, and encourage comments if you believe anything is inaccurate or have any additions, as we’re happy to credit you for any legitimate finds.
Hey Folks,
The species/class combo list you're referencing is not accurate. If it does appear in the magazine, that's unfortunate.
My guess is that an enthusiastic member of the press wrote down everything he saw in the character creation screen which, as we've stated often, is nowhere near final. Occasionally we'll have species in odd classes or in all classes because of a bug or testing.
Hope that helps!
Daniel
Jedi Shadow (Roles: Close - Mid Range Damage Dealing, Tanking)
Sith Assassin (Roles: Close - Mid Range Damage Dealing, Tanking)
We're having a Saturday update; we got something going up tomorrow. I'm not going to spoil it but it is related to Taral V. I think people are going to like it; you're not going to have to work too hard to figure it out but it is something people have been asking for consistently for quite a long time.
No, it isn't a release date. But yeah, we're having an update tomorrow.
A correction to their notes regarding party chat.
Party chat is in fact available during multiplayer dialog (or any dialog), so you can coordinate with your group on what choices to pick. This is an MMO after all, so even during cutscenes and dialogs you will retain the ability to communicate in chat.
