Well... I'm not finding a lot to disagree with here. Sadly, the most notable thing for me was combat. (keeping in mind, I'm generally a story-interested player) I'd give it a 1/10, because it exists. But it's bad. It's worse than DA2. It's easier on a mobile character, ranged, of course. BH had a much easier time than my assassin would, if I run her through it, which I probably will not. (I've done BH & Sentinel so far - I'll probably do the Inquisitor because that should be nicely fast.) The problem is, there's nothing about the combat I enjoy at all. It's just an annoying delay to get to the next part of the story. Game developers - please come up with something besides stuns, knock backs & slows. They're not fun, they're not challenging - they're just annoying. (If I could, by quick thinking or use of an ability, avoid them - that would be ok. But that's not how your game works, so...) Stealth characters should get to use that stealth mechanic. (I also hate seeing my eyeballs from the back of my head in stealth mode, btw...) Just - do something else. The popping out mobs-thing is also - I don't know - weird. I'd much rather have a harder fight where I can use my abilities, where I have to move & plan & react. Not this. MMO combat in general needs some reconsideration. Not just party combat, working together, etc, but solo fights. It isn't even a top priority for me, but it keeps *me* from playing. Combat matters. About Kaliyo, it was a microcosm of my agent's original relationship with her. "Oh, she's neat looking! Witty, too... -1, -1, -1, snark... Can I kill her now?" Somehow, they've made her facial expressions (esp the smile/smirk) oddly repellent. (I guess a smirk is never all that adorable, but hers is downright creepy.) So I can't complain because she is consistent with my original perception, down to the, "Oh, hi, Kaliyo! Nice to see you! -1,-1, snark... So do we get to kill our companions now? No? WHY NOT?" Also, since when did Kaliyo build Scorpio? I do not think we need to follow Lucas down the path of retconning SW history. It's not great that I space barred through the cutscenes on the second go around. Still don't care about the kids. I don't find Lana or Koth or Theron particularly great or annoying. Koth feels cliched, like Corso with a bigger ego. Theron - he has a nice voice? Well.... whenever Lana tells me to 'breathe,' I do want her dead, too. But otherwise, she's pretty neutral - which can mean 'painfully bland & uninteresting.' (I also hate when she says some mob put up a good fight, after I pegged it twice without any strategic ability whatsoever.) At least, she's not a teen protege as older female companions too often were, but still - never tell me to breathe! I find I care more about getting the old companions back. At least Skadge had a definable personality. New companions - what's the most 'meh?' 5? They get a 5. HK - very funny, very fast. 10/10, if you don't count the, 'That's it?' part. The hype & almost total lack of content or interaction with him brings it back down to a 5/10. Blizz - 9/10, and one off because of the Old Days Interaction screen. If I can't hear my character interacting with Blizz, or see my characters react to him, that's at least a point off. But extra points for the gang. I really did enjoy it, & found I enjoyed the game itself (as I had originally) once I get out of the new content & back to old areas. (maybe because old fights weren't 'ambush/slow/ambush/wait/ambush/slow/knockback!' I would find worrisome the reaction that actual play isn't fun, (imo,of course) The story just seems 'super bad guy,' and 'ultimate bad guy that I guess I'm supposed to question in badness? I guess?' I refuse to play my consular after the 'stab in back' thing. That was so out of character, the consular is just dead to me now. (or left in the past) That my smuggler can shoot in the back & take out an ultimate enemy (even a presumably willing one) just - completely negates, say, my Jedi Knight's past. Out of character & out of logic. And there are bugs. My Jedi Knight appears to use my Inquisitor's Emperor Zap to disable things. That's - unique. And after doing so, stays in 'zap position.' I had to reload (log out & back in) to make several NPCs appear, esp in Blizz's story. I had to log out to *get* Blizz's story. I'm getting lag, where I never got it before, on worlds with 3 people. Stuff like that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Most of all, my problem remains as it was since the ending of the original game. SWTOR had good to great class stories. After that, it's been homogenized & now those classes are virtually meaningless, story-wise. I understand they indicated this direction long ago, but it is the #1 reason I may log on for new stuff, then play a few hours, then find my subscription has lapsed 6 months later. This game never had ground breaking combat, nor particularly unique group play. But it did have some great stories & a character you developed. That's just - gone. (for me) I pick the one whose voice I like best, or worse, the one whose fight style gets me through fastest. (I'd say mercenary & Inquisitor, Sentinel was fine, too) I like a story - but this one doesn't even match the tone of the first trailers. When you have a game relating to a current movie, one of the biggest movies of all time, this is an odd, odd misstep. Overall, 2/10 - and that 2 is bounced up by Blizz. It's not enough to keep me playing, but at least I got my jawa back before leaving the game. I came back for the 'Blizz/HK,' and I doubt very much anything upcoming will have further appeal. Oh, well.

I'm not sure we're getting the level of 'choice' the advance hype promised. I'd love to have a choice here - about which companions to pursue, who to recruit, even who I might like to kill. But instead, it's just a linear progression, apparently. And right now, the expansion is painfully linear, anyway.

Companions seem over powered, but so far, what I've felt most is that mobs are WAY under powered, & most of all, have WAY too little health. I can't get out 3 abilities alone, nvm having a companion with me. I set mine to tank because they do less damage than when even healing, but it's a problem. I want to enjoy combat. Right now, it feels like I kill some annoying random mob, then move on to the next cut scene. And about the mobs, all the stuns & force chokes & knock backs - I'm sick of them. There's not much I can do, reactively, there's no way to avoid it. It's an over-used, obnoxious mechanic. Either let us avoid/dodge, or knock it off. Beyond that, the spacing is an irritation. Oh yay - a bunch of troopers, spread out, and I can hop between them. No rounding up, no strategy. Just hop here, hop there. The combat is reminding me of DA2, and that is NOT a good thing.

II think pvp should be a beautifully done option, like instances & group content. But gating our pve companions behind it? Just a jerk move, honestly. If you want to create a new companion only obtainable by pvp or raids, go for it. But this is not ok.

You do realize, don't you, that this game isn't a job? We don't actually have to do it. I haven't signed away my time in blood. And I'm not asking them to 'fix it.' I'm asking for clarity, so I can choose to waste my spare time on something more to my liking. The combat in this game is not my favorite. It's probably among my least favorite. The worlds & graphics aren't interesting to me, either. But I did like the story, most of the time, & the characters. I've already seen that it's 'pick one of your characters, doesn't matter which one,' but I thought that might be enough for me, with one play through. (this expansion kills alts - I got them to 65, and there's no way I'd go on with more than 2, at most, because *the story is the same.*) But if I have to take part in something I actively despise, I'd prefer to know that up front. I *guess* we do? I've seen people state both definitively, and the dev answer of 'maybe?' wasn't exactly inspiring. I'm not sure why you'd think others should be dragged through a part of the game that you like. That's just weird. I'm not in love with this expansion so far. I don't love it enough to grind my way through pvp bgs - and I'm less likely to do so under pressure. It's a point of clarity, & decision-making.

I shouldn't be confused after this, but I am. We do have to do Qyzen, as I understand it. But to progress onward, to access currently available companions, is there any reason to do Pierce & 4X if you don't care about getting them? (I do not) If that's the way it is, that you have to unlock each along the way, that's ok. I wish it were more clear, but ok. If I have to pvp, forget it. But the problem I have, on a deeper level, is that I hoped we'd be able to pick and choose future companions. I hoped I'd be able to say, "Oh, I'd always thought Vette would be great with the Smuggler - let's go get her." Instead, it seems like we have to fill up a stable of companions whether we want them or not, or at least, fiddle around to get their quest (and perhaps refuse them) so that we can move on. Not wild about that aspect, partly because I'm not feeling the 'choice' in this expansion so far. My characters all go through the same steps, say virtually the same things, with the same results. I'll winnow down to who I like best, & complete the story on that one, but that's a far cry from playing each class to see the story. I assumed this would be a problem for me, & it is.

If future companions are seriously gated behind Pierce/4X, I'd like to know it up front. If they're not telling because they fear players will quit - well... if you have to ask...

I do feel like MMOs have failed to achieve a balance between game play, combat, story, end game options & the social aspect. Some are good at putting you into groups, like FFXIV. Some are good at stories (SWTOR) - GW2 had a good idea, ongoing story, but I really lost interest in the story about half way through (finished on all classes, I should add, but I did stop playing quite awhile ago) Or they're too end game focused, like WoW, and stick there by way of making it almost too easy. Setting - LOTRO, though that one is feeling old & worn now. (but I haven't been back since the server merges) I'm really not sure what balance would work, since we all want different things. I solve it personally by playing other games and balancing between games. In SWTOR, I played all the way through Ziost on one character, my BH. (She has Blizz - or DID - so she gets to go first always) But I lost interest after that one special class bit you got on Riishi. I think I got all mine to that point, then stopped them. (mercifully, they're all at 60, so they can all just hop into this expansion without enduring that) I despised Makeb, though it was prettier than most, because - well, maybe someone else out there liked it, but if so, I haven't heard it! I want the story #1 in this game - it's what they do best. However, right now, combat is horrifying. I can't get out 3 abilities before something's dead, & the mechanics are just super-annoying. Knockbacks, stuns, spread out enemies that you deal with one by one or with a ranged aoe. I honestly hate it now. They really need to fix combat up a bit. Maybe it's the OP companions, but the fights themselves are boring, unimportant & remind me of DA2 (the combat of which was terrible) Voicing - I am loving all my characters, so far. I feel like the acting has been very good, for my PCs especially. The SW feels more like herself, than in the past post-end sections - I'm grateful for that. The companions - well, there's one I adored from the first second, & that's HK... So, HKs fate... Lana is neither here nor there. I'm glad she's not a blushing padawan, but I don't find her interesting. Koth - he feels like a lesser Corso, I guess. And both of them annoy me greatly as I progress. When she says each fight was a challenge, I want to harm her, especially if it was a mob I *never got to hit.* (I have her as a healer & sometimes tank, so she won't kill as fast, but that isn't working very well, obviously.) She & Koth are too generic, and because I'm going through the same conversations on all my alts, it's getting tedious. I miss the more individual companions. And thank God, I don't care about Pierce, because I never appreciated SW's pvp, & I'm not going to start now. So the story, imo, is hampered somewhat by the repetitiveness for each alt's journey (Oh, my smuggler said something slightly different! Or maybe just a different tone! -that's not enough) The new companions are hampered by blandness & generic 'romance option-ness.' I don't care about that at all, & very few of my companions did a romance, anyway. (feels forced to me) But when they DO get a great, fun character like HK - well, that didn't go as I expected. Or hoped. About romances, it's less obnoxiously in your face than in the recent patches. I hated the 'flirt with theron or lana' or say 'meh, who cares.' Now at least the 'I'm not remotely interested' part is better. I don't want to feel like this game is nothing but Dating Sims. But ya, MMOs just aren't quite 'there,' and I'm not sure they ever could be. If they pick their path & do it well, that's probably the best they can do. I thought SW was going with the 'story, character' path, and I hope they are, but I'm not feeling the full commitment I'd expected. But in any MMO, you need SOME combat, some enjoyment of the actual fights. That's a real problem for me, right now.

I'm getting the dark sensation that I'm going to have to get them all before Blizz opens up, & then, I'm going to be very annoyed. I despise PvP.

I'm pretty sure I was able to do this yesterday, but today, on my Assassin, I've been unable to switch specs at all. Is there something going on? Ok, nvm - for some reason, going to my homestead opened it up again.

Story focused game, continuing chapters, vs raiding. Yes. That is exactly what I wanted, actually. Raiding is the most irritating time I've spent.

Wait - the *one* character I actually want to get back... isn't there? UGH! I'd forgotten my BH was married, but I had *not* forgotten my jawa! He'd better be back soon - and I want him available on my others, too.

Yup! I misunderstood this, too. I must have missed one of the dates - grrrrr.

There's a difference between 'grouping' and 'raiding.' I cannot begin to say how much I hated raiding. It was like a 3 hour drive through bad traffic in hot weather, where you have to keep stopping to let someone find a bathroom. But I do think people like small groups, even small instances. I would have liked duo/trio instances, or flexible numbers. I think a lot of people play with someone, friend/family, and like doing quests together, so the 'choice wheel' may be missed. I'll miss that. But raiding - no. I feel like it wastes an MMOs resources, encourages a weird elitist mindset (where people who don't want to endure the boring drive are 'scrubs,' whose opinion is thus invalidated.) It focuses a game on a gear grind rather than story or other involving content. While I like challenges & mostly, getting to play my classes without a '2 hit & it's dead, next!' feeling, as far as they can get away from big group stuff, the better. I'd put more energy into PvP, personally - it doesn't require a 3 hour/3 day a wk commitment, for one thing, & gives you a lot more freedom. There's the mega-guild allure, which in my view is an absolute nightmare, but they're the ones that set the meta builds, which people then must follow. See, I wouldn't be sorry to see THAT gone, personally.

I would say it hasn't been worth it to have one on each side since Makeb. Makeb had some differences, but even that story felt the same. (I felt like an idiot on Republic side, & better but irritated by mechanics on Imperial) But after Makeb, there's almost nothing at all. So much so that I forget which side I'm on. A tiny difference on Yavin? I guess - that's pretty forgettable, too. If I can get myself to just pick one I like (voice actor-wise - the agent, probably) then maybe it will be interesting. But they've shown no reason to play all classes, which has been pretty much my reason to keep at it, until now.

As it sounds now (which I realize can change, or be clarified differently) I can see playing my Agent. She doesn't have a LI, she has no companions I adore. (Vector is my favorite, but I didn't do the romance.) Other than that, I don't know. The Smuggler has maintained his personality better than the others since Makeb (and it wasn't easy, since they all say basically the same thing.) The JK seems to have more of the story aimed at him, but he's not as lovable as the Smuggler somehow. So I'd be picking 2 of the same class, in essence. (both sniper/gs) I felt like my Inquisitor and SW really lost personality from Makeb on (which is tragic with the inquisitor - I made 2 of those, male & female, because they were so good.) I didn't dislike Lana or Theron, and while they were ok, they made MY characters feel generic. I also felt that the constant flirt options got in the way of some actual story that wasn't aimed at 'Awkward kiss, fade to black!' (most totally out of character, especially for those who had gone through a long, fairly developed romance. Granted, I found a lot of those not great, & didn't do many of them, but if you did, it would seem to me just - where did THAT come from?) Now, I do think this expansion might be very good. The problem is, it may be just as good for a new L60 as for any of the others - better, because I won't be furious not to have Blizz, or saddened by the lack of some love interest. (I have to admit... I really didn't care much about those. I forget Torian exists. The Quinn 'twist' ruined THAT one, plus my SW has just lost something of her personality since the class story part ended. My male consular was good with Nadia, and if I were male irl, I'd probably care about that one most. (I thought Elara was funny, but the Trooper was so far from me irl that I probably wouldn't get emotional about its loss, & he'd be the last one I'd play forward.) I kept my JK & Smuggler single since their prospective wives annoyed me so much. I guess they're safe. It is weird that the 5 new companions are shared between all classes. What's the point of classes now? Just grouping roles? Will my inquisitor get to do anything markedly different from the JK, for instance? Because since Makeb on, there's no evidence of it.

I think the 5 generic companions is also a potential issue, especially since there was talk about recruiting, say, a Smuggler's companion on your Inquisitor. The problem I have with the most recent content, though it was much better than Makeb, & certainly better looking than the previous planets (if weirdly small), is that it all felt the same. I brought all mine to the mini class story, and after that, it was pure drudgery. (meaning, I got 3 to Ziost, a few to Yavin, & really lost interest after) So if this is just one run-through, with an ongoing Guild Wars like story, ok, but that's not what I was hoping for, certainly. (Plus, the GW2 story got what I'd call really bad after about L40, as I recall, into the same 'By the end, your unique character says the same things as every other character, and the story became about one of the most annoying NPCs of all time, then into an even worse arc, I thought..." Not the best model. It might really appeal to new players. Maybe that's what they're aiming for? But if you have a team you built up, got attached to, and all that, the new ones might not be so appealing. If you like, "Oh, look! Someone new to flirt with!" it might be appealing, but that gets really old (for me) fast. (I thought it was stupid & weird that you can flirt with the new ones, nvm your husband/wife standing there, as if, "Hey! I got married! Achievement unlocked! Next!" That's not what I'd call immersive. Unless you're that sort, then - well, have at it, I guess.) I don't need to know the entire content of the expansion, but they have given some weird mixed signals, intentional or not. It's not like we have to pre-order, but for me, it's an issue of, "Do I feel like playing or not? Do I keep my subscription or not?" I realize this may be a reason *not* to reveal more... I also realize there's nothing to be done about it now. Unlike other MMOS, I don't think this is necessarily aimed at current players so much as prospective ones. So I actually - don't know why I'm bothering to write about it. Except I was really looking forward to it, & the problems are shaping up to be fairly significant. (Your character goes from one of 8 stories, to 1 of 1, with a DS/LS choice, which I've never found compelling anyway. I'd already found post-Makeb rather NON-replayable since most of my characters seem to have lost personality. (some of my favorites - Inquisitor/SW/BH - they all seem strangely flat, & the Consular doesn't seem like himself anymore.) So maybe it's a good enough story to pick one & play through, but - eh. I am not feeling inspired.

I'll be surprised if any of the old companions come back *as* companions. I was excited about it - I can't say I am anymore.

I think a lot of people will be pretty annoyed if the romance companion isn't still an option. I won't, but I'm not attached to mine. But I'm afraid we're most likely to see Blizz as a quest giver, & that's about it. But I hope you're right. I do like those 3 better than the LIs, but I'm sure others feel more strongly about having *that* taken away.

I didn't like the sound of it, either. It sounds like we're not getting any of our old companions back, at least until after these opening chapters launch. (To me, this brings up the possibility of several new romance-for-all companions, & I'm a bit sick of the flirt/flirt/eh-whatever options I've had in SoR.) What about paid characters? Treek, obviously. If you buy her now, isn't that something of a waste? Shouldn't they tell us that much, at least? I'd be pretty annoyed. I made a bounty hunter *solely* for Blizz - I don't care if I ever see Lana or Theron again. But I'd been wondering - why are we getting a new HK, when many of us have one already, if not that the old one won't be available anymore? (and why I went through that stunning tedium, when his story wasn't that funny...) I like that they're going story-focused, absolutely. I'm completely done with the old MMO format. I don't care about raids, and I prefer small groups, but this seems like grouping will be pretty pointless from here on out. I'll miss cut scenes where we roll to speak. The trouble is, we already have companions - and some of them, I really do like. (I'm not attached to any LI, truthfully, but I'd hate to see them all go.) And what about our own characters? I have one (and 2 for some) of every class. But since Makeb, I truly feel only my male Smuggler has kept any semblance of his old personality. The Jedi Knight (male) has been a little more likable. But for the rest, they feel flat and 'blah.' The tiny class story on Rishi was great for some (agent, JK) but blah for others. (bh, trooper) Without that, without the actual personality you've developed, what's the point of playing this more than once? I don't do Dark Side - I found it silly *and* depressing - so that limits that. (from what I've read so far, it looks like more of that - "I'm Lawful Good! I'm Chaotic Evil! For some reason!" (I'd be chaotic neutral, I'm sure, but we don't really get that choice.) I don't know - the more I read, the more skeptical I become. And losing my old companions in favor of Lana/Theron types would not be compelling. (I found them fine, but rather dull, probably because of the constant flirt/flirt/eh-whatever options)

I am so sick of the stun mechanic! It's over used in, I think, EVERY MMO, & the Revan fight is the worst. Not hard, but so annoying. Why do they all do this? This one is more annoying in that if you use your 'get out of stun free' ability, he promptly does it to you again, so you're stuck there, lying on your back, while nothing really happens. Just - irritating! It feels like a developer cut & paste ability, carried over from every MMO ever. (If there's one that hasn't over-utilized this mechanic, I'd like to hear about it!)

I'm not a guy, & I explained my reasons. I wanted a heroic role, not a 'whatever' one.

I liked Kaliyo at first. And I assumed that if you're a DS agent, she's fine. But, first, you have her WAY too long without another option. She disapproves, mildly, of everything you choose. It's like having a whiny, nagging friend who frowns at you all the time. She has this sarcastic demeanor that is briefly funny, say, in a sitcom, but as a work partner, would get old fast. The agent really does have the worst companions. I'd replace all of them, given the choice. I liked Vector, but honestly, I wanted this heroic moment when I saved him from bugdom. It's nice that we respect his happy-to-be-a-bug wishes, but it wasn't satisfying. (I remade my agent, because it just felt flat & vaguely depressing to have her married.) I wanted her to get to be the heroic saviour, and instead, she's this placating wife figure. He was a pleasant character (fine as a friend) but while other characters are trotting around saving and rescuing, I felt like she was shoved into a 'yes, dear' role. It's quite a contrast to the male JK's relationship with Kira. (who gets to sort of betray you, like Quinn, but unlike Quinn, it's all ok 'cause she's MCed! Grrrrr....)

I always forget my LS Jaesa. She's another part of the Quinn story that fails rather badly. "I'm so lucky you never noticed!" just doesn't work alongside, "I'm sensing stuff all over the galaxy, Master!" But she doesn't have a super annoying voice like some other female companions, so I don't mind her particularly, either.

That's the beauty of Skadge (every part of me just died a wee bit, but I will press on!) - He adores me. I have maxed approval with him, & he still grumbles. I just admire his integrity. ...Torian has a nice voice, & a good face, but he has Bieber hair. I wish I could go back and give him to Mako.