Hello everyone!
Normally I am not very active on the forums, but I wanted to make a post with what I believe could be a HUGE advantage of the 7.0 combat styles. If you haven't heard about combat styles yet, I will give you a quick rundown of how I believe they will work (this is of course based on the high-level overview in the livestream, and could change). Let's say I had 4 characters today: a Powertech BH, a Sorcerer Inquisitor, a Gunslinger Smuggler, and a Sentinel Knight. With the arrival of 7.0, I now have an Imperial Tech Class (the PT), Imperial Force Class (the Sorc), a Republic Tech Class (the gunslinger), and a Republic Force Class (the Sentinel).
This means that my PT no longer just has 1 tank option and 2 DPS options for specs. It now has 1 tank option, 2 heal options, and 9 DPS options! For the force users, this means they would have 2 tank options, 1 heal option, and 9 DPS options.
So what are the possibilities then?
The main point I wanted to make in this post, is that we could see the implementation of new specs! There were many factors to consider in the past when it came to adding new specs. To name a few:
1. If the devs gave (for example) Powertechs/Vanguards a new spec. They just shorted the 14 other advanced classes. This could lead to player complaints, frustrations, etc.
2. Because of the points made in issue 1, the next option may be to create a new class entirely. I could see this being a major technical challenge for the dev team, and would likely make the game feel inconsistent without adding a full Chapter 1-3, Rishi special chapters, etc (which would be a MASSIVE undertaking the devs likely doesn't have the resources to spend for the payout it would give).
My thinking for the future of the game, is that combat styles opens up the door in a magnificent way for the dev team. They are no longer bound by the limitations of the story, which removes the problems with #2. The story you play will likely be determined when you create your character, but the way you play is completely up to you. So back to problem #1. By now bringing the 16 advanced classes down to 2 (where alignment determines if you use Republic/Imperial animations), the devs just made it possible to add only 2 specs at a time without shorting anyone! Perhaps, to balance things out as the devs like to do, we may see a new tank spec for the Tech users, and a new heal spec for the Force users. This would make it so both have 2 tank, 2 heal, and 9 DPS options.
If you read this far, let me know what you think! I know this post was quite long, but I think there is a high chance that combat styles are a pre-emptive move to create new specs for us to play.
Thank you,
Verathian