or maybe even an assassin with a new weapon type "Dual short sabers" (AKA daggers) Wouldn't THAT be cool!!!! in fact this one wouldn't even need a new weapon type. just a new single saber model with a much shorter blade.

First off let me say that I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that the combat styles in 7.0 was a big step in the right direction! They are a big step in providing the players with a lot more options in how they choose to play this game, and in my opinion that is never a bad thing! That being said there is one more BIG change I would love to see happen. That is to remove the weapon type restrictions on what type of weapon gets used with each combat style. That would be a HUGE step in providing players with even more gameplay freedom. I would love to be able to use the Jedi guardian/Sith Warrior combat style but do so with a Saberstaff equipped. I would love to be able to have the freedom to choose whatever combat style skillset I want while also being able to choose what weapon type I would like to use with it. Weather that is single blade/blaster, dual blade/blaster, or two handed weapons like Saberstaff/Blaster riffles. THAT ladies and gentleman would be true gameplay freedom in my book. I realize that in itself is not such a simple ask. you cant simply remove the weapon type restrictions on combat styles and call it good. Because those styles were originally designed to operate with specific weapon types in mind. So they would probably need to create alternate animations for some of those skills when they are used with different weapon types than they were originally designed for. So yea I get that what I would like to see happen isnt an easy ask, but it is certainly not impossible to do.

I was really hyped for this new combat system until I recently tried it on the test server. And you guys are right! This looks great on paper, but does NOT work very well in practice. I thought the whole point of having a Primary/Secondary combat style was so that you could swap back and forth easily on-the-fly. But sadly that is NOT the case. Any time you swap PRI/SEC styles your ENTIRE hotbar gets totally scrambled. This needs to be fixed so that once you set your hotbars up they are saved that way and they stay that way, so that a simple PRI/SEC style swap on any given loadout is fast an painless. Having to completely rework your entire hotbar every time you swap styles is extremally tedious and time consuming. And having to use up a loadout slot simply to save a hotbar setup is ridiculous. The other thing that bothers me, is that once your pick your Primary and Secondary styles, those are the two that character is stuck with. You cant currently change them. You can change the style disciplines but not the entire style itself. I thought that was the whole point of the loadout system, so that you could have different combat style combinations saved to each loadout. At least that is the way they advertised it. this is how I think this should work. Players need the ability to Change their Primary and Secondary Combat styles (Possibly as a purchased legacy unlock) Each loadout slot saves a different Primary and Secondary Combat Style combination. Within each loadout, the UI needs to save the hotbar setup for both the Primary and Secondary Styles once they are set by the player.

the combat proficiency screen is locked out for at least two reasons that I know of: 1. the UI is as of yet unfinished for it 2. they want us testing pre-set cookie cutter builds at this time, so they have disabled that screen to prevent people from altering the build preset.

Yea and If we wait till 6 months down the road to voice our opinions on the changes, when they have locked in what they want us to play without said feedback from us. By then it will be to late to change coarse, clearly you are the one who does not understand how game development works. We need to make it loud and clear early that is is NOT what we want, so that they have plenty of time to go back to the drawing board and rethink it and find a better way to do it.

I originally posted this as a reply to another thread but this really needs to be seen and understood by the Devs, because they are walking a very precarious line with these new changes. I consider myself an extremely casual player. I play this game for a month or two , but I subscribe when I do. Then let it rest for 6 months of more at a time. I rotate games I play regularly, I have ADHD so need different things to do in different games. Nothing in any of the MMOs I have ever play has ever kept my attention for very long, except for the exception storytelling that Bioware can pull off which always brings me back. I spend money in cash shops in different games on a whim because I see something shiny and new. So I can say without a doubt that I AM the target audience for just about any Free-To-Play game, and I can tell you strait up that even their "target audience" with these changes are going to be extremely pissed off, because I know I am! I watched as another Star Wars game destroyed itself doing this exact same thing. Ability/class pruning, and dumbing down the game to the point that the games entire identity was no longer the amazing sandbox of choices, but a small set of cookie cutter class that lacked both form and function. That game was Star Wars Galaxies, and the changes I speak of were the first "Combat Upgrade". Which totally negated and alienated more than half of that games population. That game had players who did nothing but craft, or dance and play music in cantina, but the combat upgrade took all that away and made anything player crafter totally useless because items no longer had to be repaired or replaced. Looted gear became the go-to and was 100x better than anything a player could make. This made the entire crafting side of the game entirely pointless. They lost hundreds of thousands of subs when that happened. And when that didn't work out as planed, they went even further down the rabbit hole and dumped the New Game Experience on a game population that screamed for the devs to take a step back and return to the drawing board. The NGE was the killing stroke for that game, players were jumping a sinking ship at this point and there was no saving it. The Devs here are walking that exact same perilous path, and I am begging them to take a step back and rethink what they are doing here, before I have to watch history repeat itself, and watch another amazing Star Wars game destroy itself.

I consider myself an extremely casual player. I play this game for a month or two , but I subscribe when I do. Then let it rest for 6 months of more at a time. I rotate games I play regularly, I have ADHD so need different things to do in different games. Nothing in any of the MMOs I have ever play has ever kept my attention for very long. I spend money in cash shops in different games on a whim because I see something shiny and new. So I can tell you strait up that even their "target audience" with these changes are going to be extremely pissed off, because I know I am! I watched as another Star Wars game destroyed itself doing this exact same thing. Ability/class pruning, and dumbing down the game to the point that the games entire identity was no longer the amazing sandbox of choices, but a small set of cookie cutter class that lacked both form and function. That game was Star Wars Galaxies, and the changes I speak of were the first "Combat Upgrade". Which totally negated and alienated more than half of that games population. That game had players who did nothing but craft, or dance and play music in cantina, but the combat upgrade took all that away and made anything player crafter totally useless because items no longer had to be repaired or replaced. Looted gear became the go-to and was 100x better than anything a player could make. This made the entire crafting side of the game entirely pointless. They lost hundreds of thousands of subs when that happened. And when that didn't work out as planed, they dumped the New Game Experience on a game population that screamed for the devs to take a step back and return to the drawing board. The NGE was the killing stroke for that game, players were jumping a sinking ship at this point and there was no saving it. The Devs here are walking that exact same perilous path, and I am begging them to take a step back and rethink what they are doing here, before I have to watch history repeat itself, and watch another amazing Star Wars game destroy itself. Heck even my forum signature here is a reference to SWG, because I loved that game, that was my character name and the server I played on....which is something I miss dearly.

So far this patch is a HUGE dumpster fire, Companions getting 1 shot by standard/weak mobs (aka trash mobs) because they have less than 30k health, trash mobs are hitting like a MAC truck...possibly bypassing armor somehow maybe? and the basic Jedi class skills like an interrupt and a CC breaker are missing from these cookie cutter builds entirely making combat, even with trash mobs, next to impossible, and excruciatingly frustrating. And that is putting it mildly. As of right now, this PTS build is trash and not worth even attempting to test until they fix a few things.

Hate to say it but your probably right. If they haven't brought it up by now its more than likely not gonna happen this week. Maybe next week if we are lucky. I will hold out hope till about 5pm Austin time though.

I think some of you guys are kind of missing the point here, What my main points were, Do we share skills of the base class and combat style? meaning access to both?, or is skill use strictly based on combat style? and more importantly, the removal of weapon type restrictions on skills. A few of you guys are venturing into territory that would have us picking and choosing what skills we want from all 8 available combat styles. THAT gentlemen would indeed unbalance and break the game.

Thank you kindly!!!!!!

Which is exactly what I already said, hence the nature of the post asking for an updated timeframe.

According to the Live stream, they said they were going to have it back up and running yesterday 7/5, but it is as of yet still not up and running. I know they also said this was a "planned" schedule and we all know things change. I know there are tons of people just like me salivating over an opportunity to really see what these class/combat changes are all about and figure out exactly what we can/cant do with them. so any update on a timeframe would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I get that they are unlocking all of the advance classes based on Force/Tech side of things, but what does that actually mean in gameplay terms? For example, say I decide to go with a Jedi Knight but pick the Sith Assassin combat style. Does that mean from a gameplay standpoint, that I am now simply a Sith assassin playing the Jedi Knight story, with all of the Skills and abilities of that advance class (now combat style) and forgo having access to basic Jedi Knight class skills, or do we get access to both? One other gameplay freedom crucial point for me personally! Many of the advanced class skills currently have "Weapon type" restrictions on their usage. Meaning, for example as above, my Sith Assassin has several skills that currently require you to have a Double bladed lightsaber/double bladed vibro weapon equipped in order to use those skills. Are these restrictions going to remain in place, or will they be removed so that you can have full access to a combat styles skills regardless of what type of weapon is equipped? As a further example I have always wanted to play the Commando advanced class using just a standard blaster riffle and not with a blaster cannon, because I just don't like the look of cannons but I enjoy the commando advance class mechanics and skills. With current skill restrictions requiring a baster cannon being equipped on some of the key class skills you cant play the commando that way unless you forgo using those skills which require specific weapon types. If they want to give us true gameplay freedom separated from story then these "weapon type" restrictions on skills need to be removed so that you can play the class/style of character you enjoy while also being able to have a bit more freedom to choose other weapon types.

I keep getting this error when I load up the patcher "This application has encountered an unspecified error. Please try this patch again." anyone else having this issue? and if so is there a know work around?