Why would you ever want to be republic?

[Lightmaguz]

There are 16 AC's from the 8 classes.

 

But, there are only 8 accounts per server.

 

So you have to choose wisely want you want to play.

 

If you want to play only Sith that is fine, and you can play all 8 AC on that side. However if you are interested on a different perspective of either Sith or Republic, but also interested on similar but different mechanics for a class with two AC's, you can play a SW juggernaut for a sith story and Juggernaut mechanics, but then play Republic side for a different story for the marauder/sentinel mechanics for both melee classes.

 

For those who want to play an AC from the same class, you will experience more story by playing the different AC for the different faction.

 

 

Why in the blazes of hell would you play two sith warriors? Play a juggernaut and a Sentinel, you'll have basically the same gameplay and pretty different storylines.

 

 

Because the Reps are the heroes, they have the Jedi, ****** white Troopers, Han Solo. What else do you need? The mirrors are basically the same, people complain too much.

[Stenrik]

Meh. I'm a totally evil person in real life so when I get on here I like to play a good guy as a change of pace.

 

I'm always curious when people claim to be "totally evil" in real life.

 

• Do you just think evil thoughts and not act on them? Like "I wonder what it would feel like if I stabbed that cashier?"
  
• Do you practice some kind of religion associated with evil?
  
• Have you broken laws? Are they greed crimes like stealing/pirating, or legitimately evil crimes like human/animal abuse?
  
• Or do you just like the "evil" aesthetic/lifestyle, such as what clothes you wear and music you listen to... but wouldn't actually hurt someone if you were given the chance?
  

 

Sorry, I just have a hard time pegging most as actually "evil" people. I will consider them a poser if they can't back it up.

 

It seems most people are somewhat selfish. Depending on how they were raised, they could view this selfishness as evil, or just being human. Regardless, I find hardcore darkside hard to get into, because it's just not natural for 99+% of the population to want to kill for no reason, or kill out of minor impatience. Sure you can roleplay it, but can you really "get into it"?

 

This is coming from someone of neutral alignment, whose dark side decisions are usually out of greed (like taking bribes), but not evil for evil's sake.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Stenrik

[Symbiose]

I leveled toons to 20 on both sides and chose republic based on how much I enjoyed the story/gameplay and how mature the chat seemed. On my server at least the republic chat seemed like it had a lot less trolling etc. Still a few on republic side but my ignore list is only 8 ppl long..can't imagine how many I would have had to ignore on empire side. Not trying to hate, just a personal preference

[Romick]

Because I hate Huttball.

[Katreyn]

Originally wanted to play Republic. All my friends = Empire.

 

Jumped ship to Empire, go to 50 on Empire. Hated it the whole time. No reason. :/ They are just as "evil" as the Republic, Republic just seems to hide it better.

 

I enjoy my Consular, A LOT more then my Inquisitor. I liked the story better, animations, some of the gear, racial choices, etc (Yes I like puffs of air more then lightning, I do not know why; fits my "healer" attitude better?). I liked the self-sacrifice bit of the consular story, just my cup of tea in a RPG character.

 

Trying to get at least one friend to play a bit with me on Jedi Knight or something (he really wanted to play a trooper, but no idea why he wont :/). And all he does is complain about how Juggernaught has like better, more brutal looking animations, cooler companions, etc.

 

I can't force anyone to play what they don't want. But I can't say that either side is inherently different then the other. Same general quests, different overall story. Both sit in a big grey area in terms of good/evil. Almost identical classes, only huge difference, trooper vs. bounty hunter. But its generally the same thing.

 

Being light side on Imperial though, I felt like I was beating a dead horse, cause it didn't change anything. Example, lets plant bombs on these bodies! Wait, LIGHT SIDE CHOICE, lets only make them blow up SOMETIMES. /facepalm

 

In the end, its all preference I guess.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Katreyn

[Darth_Vala]

To experience the story from the other perspective? To do Flashpoints that are only available to Republic side.

 

I for one have planned to run IMP assassin and BH (merc)

Republic: JK, Smug.

[Anagnostis]

Let me ask you this, can you be a ******, flirtatious upstart Smuggler as the Empire? Nope

[MorpheousXO]

I dunno about this Light Side Bounty Hunter stuff. I mean, is leaving someone to die trapped in a holding cell REALLY more light side than letting them out to fight them in a duel? On the empire it's less Light Side more Not Quite As Dark Side than the other choice... as least usually.

[Walkiry]

Quite frankly, I'm not likely to play much Republic side anymore. Got to 50 with my Jedi Knight after holding my breath and bulldozing away to get the last quests done, ability delays and non-working instants included, and went Imperial.

 

Why? The Republic is dead.

 

No, not in the sense of "not enough players" that is often mentioned in the forum. No, the in-game, in-universe Republic, as presented by Bioware in this time period is dead. Kaput. Finita. Muerta. All that is left is a dessicated husk, and through your adventures you come to realize that you're serving with the jackals who are fighting for the last scraps of the carcass, trying to feed themselves and starve everyone else.

 

There's nothing but petty politicking, backstabbing, hand-greasing and profiteering by any and all means necessary, up to and including things that would make the Emperor blush with envy. You realize this when you set foot in Coruscant, and is only reinforced when, through your travels, you notice that anywhere you go the Republic never offers adequate support to anyone, anywhere, ever. Probably because the politicians are too busy lining their pockets with human trafficking, selling secrets, people, or even planets to the Empire, or just plain being douchebags.

 

Gonna have to put a rather large spoiler chunk here:

 

 

 

Alderaan? Yep, you guessed it, politicking and backstabbing and only that, ever, everywhere, all the time. And everyone takes it in stride, it's freaking business as usual! Everyone backstabs, everyone is for sale, everyone is corrupt.

 

Taris? A reconstruction effort worthy of McGyver, consisting of a few people with pea shooters and a few rolls of duct tape. Calling it an "effort" is rather generous. Going to the loo after a week of constipation is an effort. This doesn't even compare, and not in a good way.

 

Of course, that's nothing compared to Hoth, where the woefully unprepared kids of the Republic Army (who lack guts, conviction, or possibly even a freaking reason to fight for the Republic in the first place) prove themselves to be completely useless. It's hard to believe whatever you're chasing in the godforsaken planet is so bloody important when you see how seriously the Republic takes it in the first place, something that repeats itself time and again as you find the Republic army to be less of an army than a bunch of drunken Gungans on a Saturday Night binge.

 

But even that is nothing compared to Belsavis, where you find out what exactly the Republic has been up to in their "planet prison." I mean, we're the good guys here and we've got a whole bunch of people trapped in there forever because they were BORN in the planet prison.

 

Let me repeat that. PEOPLE MADE PRISONERS FOR LIFE BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN IN THE PRISON. AND THAT'S NOT ALL OF IT!

 

ON THE REPUBLIC SIDE.

 

Don't worry, we're from the Republic, and we're here to help!

 

Small wonder that the Voss don't seem to be able to choose sides between the Republic and the Empire. My advice to them would have been to get armed to the teeth and never let any ship ever land on their planet, no matter which side they represent.

 

And it all comes together when you get your butt to Corellia. One of the core worlds, pillar of the Republic, yadda yadda. All through the quest line you are shown the narrow minded pettiness of everyone involved as you choose sides time after time without being given the third "burn both sides to the ground" choice. The supposedly super-important planet that drives the war effort for the Republic gets so completely taken over that you have to personally clear of enemies a chunk of land big enough for a shuttle to land, you find out why the Republic army is in shambles (something to do with, literally, trillions of credits embezzled by one of the weapon makers there), and all because, big-***********-surprise, the "powers that be" of the planet have sold it to the Empire.

 

Again.

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. I want to grab a flamethrower and burn the Senate building to the ground.

 

During a special session of the Senate.

 

With all doors barred.

 

And windows too, just in case.

 

In the aftermath of Corellia, Twi'lek whassherface says something to the effect of "if this is what happens in one of our core planets of the Republic, who knows what other planets may be on the brink of something similar".

 

Who knows? I do! All of them!

 

Can I have a sports question next?

 

 

 

And that's just generalities, there's so many more quests that will have you shaking your head it's unbelievable.

 

So yes, it's the darkest hour of the Republic, the Empire is gaining ground, united we stand! Or not, rather it's every man for himself, and do some grabbin' while the grabbin' is good. I suppose it's the inevitable outcome of decades of moral deconstructivism, where good vs. bad is not cool or hip because it's sooooo been done before. The current crop of writers we've been graced with in this game don't simply refuse to have a good vs. bad scenario, I honestly believe they're incapable of creating an inspiring good side at all.

 

So you're left with, on the one side, the Empire with the big bad guy trying to take over the Galaxy, and on the other side a motley crowd of tin pot dictators and profiteers who, under the guise of legitimacy, give the Emperor a run for his money, if not in territory conquered, at least in scumbagness. And no matter how much Bioware love their dark and dark grey morality... thing, it's pretty damn hard to care much when all you're presented with is plain *********** evil and you have to pick your poison.

 

Once you reach that point, you may as well do what every actor offered the role of the bad guy in a B-series movie with poor production and terrible script does, and that's to Unleash the Hog and play it like a Large Ham, go overboard in your quest for UNLIMITED POWEEEERRRRRR, and in general have a grand ol' time as you romp through the movie set. Because once the world fails to get you involved, that's all it is, a set for you to follow a script that's not so great to begin with.

 

And if I'm going to do that, I may as well choose the side that lets me smite fools when they annoy me or tell Mandalore to go eff himself if I feel like it, instead of the side that treats me like a complete idiot and berates my idiocy for following the only path laid out for me.

 

Why play the Republic indeed? The sooner the Empire takes over, the better. At least that way it'll be more obvious there's a despot in charge, and there's more of a chance that the general population will rise and free themselves. And if the Republic falls, so much the better.

 

Bunch of hypocrites, all of them; and will continue to be as long as Bioware keeps writing them I'm afraid.

 

In the meantime, I have scenery to chew and lightning to shoot from my fingers.

[pjskull]

I think that one of the things that people have to get used to is the the "Republic" of this era is not the good guys of Episode 4-6...

 

This is more like the end of the Roman Empire... Bloated, fat, inefficient, with "provinces" (planets) in open rebellion, an army that is not longer powerful anymore, corruption, bribery, malfeasance. Sure, technically, the Republic isn't "Imperial", but it clearly is a sick man, corrupt and a carcass that is being chewed on...

 

Not the good guys, just not the evil guys either...

[Aerevan]

Aaah. Walkiry, this is so spot on... Republic writing is startling from the beginning, especially when playing Jedi. Basically, being a Jedi is being so good, you would offer your body for r'ape, just to keep the peace. And the dialogue goes on and on like that every single time. The fact that you're a good person that abstains from emotions doesn't mean you're a complete naive 4 year old that get's tricked by a 87 year old dirty man that tries to trick you with candy into having ... whatever 87 year old dirty men try to have.

[ferroz]

Actually shock and project are not mirror skills but the class itself is a mirror class. While shock is close to instant project has a casting time.

No, project is instant cast, it just has a delay after being cast until it deals damage.

 

It can be dodged between the time it is cast and the time it deals damage (leaving a rock sitting in the air).

[UA_Wookie]

I obviously have never tried republic and have been playing empire from to get go, but just looking at the classes, republic sounds underpowered and weak If you ask me,

Can anyone reinforce the republic ? I've never played them what's it like ?

 

I like mage type characters. I dislike lightning. Hellooooo, Republic!

[FooBard]

but just looking at the classes, republic sounds underpowered and weak If you ask me,

Oh really?

 

I soloed a 200k champion last night with my shadow and Tharan. Not much weak about us.

[Krazed]

I play both sides. Sometimes I want to be evil but others I need a break from the dark deeds.

[Walkiry]

Aaah. Walkiry, this is so spot on... Republic writing is startling from the beginning, especially when playing Jedi. Basically, being a Jedi is being so good, you would offer your body for r'ape, just to keep the peace. And the dialogue goes on and on like that every single time. The fact that you're a good person that abstains from emotions doesn't mean you're a complete naive 4 year old that get's tricked by a 87 year old dirty man that tries to trick you with candy into having ... whatever 87 year old dirty men try to have.

 

That's a good way of putting it! My solution has been to pretend my characters are high on Spice whenever they're doing something massively idiotic, but I still want to nuke the Senate building from orbit.

 

Ah, to find a time machine and go back to the Sacking of Coruscant, to make sure it was done properly...

[Stonedsoul]

Quite frankly, I'm not likely to play much Republic side anymore. Got to 50 with my Jedi Knight after holding my breath and bulldozing away to get the last quests done, ability delays and non-working instants included, and went Imperial.

 

Why? The Republic is dead.

 

No, not in the sense of "not enough players" that is often mentioned in the forum. No, the in-game, in-universe Republic, as presented by Bioware in this time period is dead. Kaput. Finita. Muerta. All that is left is a dessicated husk, and through your adventures you come to realize that you're serving with the jackals who are fighting for the last scraps of the carcass, trying to feed themselves and starve everyone else.

 

There's nothing but petty politicking, backstabbing, hand-greasing and profiteering by any and all means necessary, up to and including things that would make the Emperor blush with envy. You realize this when you set foot in Coruscant, and is only reinforced when, through your travels, you notice that anywhere you go the Republic never offers adequate support to anyone, anywhere, ever. Probably because the politicians are too busy lining their pockets with human trafficking, selling secrets, people, or even planets to the Empire, or just plain being douchebags.

 

Gonna have to put a rather large spoiler chunk here:

 

 

 

Alderaan? Yep, you guessed it, politicking and backstabbing and only that, ever, everywhere, all the time. And everyone takes it in stride, it's freaking business as usual! Everyone backstabs, everyone is for sale, everyone is corrupt.

 

Taris? A reconstruction effort worthy of McGyver, consisting of a few people with pea shooters and a few rolls of duct tape. Calling it an "effort" is rather generous. Going to the loo after a week of constipation is an effort. This doesn't even compare, and not in a good way.

 

Of course, that's nothing compared to Hoth, where the woefully unprepared kids of the Republic Army (who lack guts, conviction, or possibly even a freaking reason to fight for the Republic in the first place) prove themselves to be completely useless. It's hard to believe whatever you're chasing in the godforsaken planet is so bloody important when you see how seriously the Republic takes it in the first place, something that repeats itself time and again as you find the Republic army to be less of an army than a bunch of drunken Gungans on a Saturday Night binge.

 

But even that is nothing compared to Belsavis, where you find out what exactly the Republic has been up to in their "planet prison." I mean, we're the good guys here and we've got a whole bunch of people trapped in there forever because they were BORN in the planet prison.

 

Let me repeat that. PEOPLE MADE PRISONERS FOR LIFE BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN IN THE PRISON. AND THAT'S NOT ALL OF IT!

 

ON THE REPUBLIC SIDE.

 

Don't worry, we're from the Republic, and we're here to help!

 

Small wonder that the Voss don't seem to be able to choose sides between the Republic and the Empire. My advice to them would have been to get armed to the teeth and never let any ship ever land on their planet, no matter which side they represent.

 

And it all comes together when you get your butt to Corellia. One of the core worlds, pillar of the Republic, yadda yadda. All through the quest line you are shown the narrow minded pettiness of everyone involved as you choose sides time after time without being given the third "burn both sides to the ground" choice. The supposedly super-important planet that drives the war effort for the Republic gets so completely taken over that you have to personally clear of enemies a chunk of land big enough for a shuttle to land, you find out why the Republic army is in shambles (something to do with, literally, trillions of credits embezzled by one of the weapon makers there), and all because, big-***********-surprise, the "powers that be" of the planet have sold it to the Empire.

 

Again.

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. I want to grab a flamethrower and burn the Senate building to the ground.

 

During a special session of the Senate.

 

With all doors barred.

 

And windows too, just in case.

 

In the aftermath of Corellia, Twi'lek whassherface says something to the effect of "if this is what happens in one of our core planets of the Republic, who knows what other planets may be on the brink of something similar".

 

Who knows? I do! All of them!

 

Can I have a sports question next?

 

 

 

And that's just generalities, there's so many more quests that will have you shaking your head it's unbelievable.

 

So yes, it's the darkest hour of the Republic, the Empire is gaining ground, united we stand! Or not, rather it's every man for himself, and do some grabbin' while the grabbin' is good. I suppose it's the inevitable outcome of decades of moral deconstructivism, where good vs. bad is not cool or hip because it's sooooo been done before. The current crop of writers we've been graced with in this game don't simply refuse to have a good vs. bad scenario, I honestly believe they're incapable of creating an inspiring good side at all.

 

So you're left with, on the one side, the Empire with the big bad guy trying to take over the Galaxy, and on the other side a motley crowd of tin pot dictators and profiteers who, under the guise of legitimacy, give the Emperor a run for his money, if not in territory conquered, at least in scumbagness. And no matter how much Bioware love their dark and dark grey morality... thing, it's pretty damn hard to care much when all you're presented with is plain *********** evil and you have to pick your poison.

 

Once you reach that point, you may as well do what every actor offered the role of the bad guy in a B-series movie with poor production and terrible script does, and that's to Unleash the Hog and play it like a Large Ham, go overboard in your quest for UNLIMITED POWEEEERRRRRR, and in general have a grand ol' time as you romp through the movie set. Because once the world fails to get you involved, that's all it is, a set for you to follow a script that's not so great to begin with.

 

And if I'm going to do that, I may as well choose the side that lets me smite fools when they annoy me or tell Mandalore to go eff himself if I feel like it, instead of the side that treats me like a complete idiot and berates my idiocy for following the only path laid out for me.

 

Why play the Republic indeed? The sooner the Empire takes over, the better. At least that way it'll be more obvious there's a despot in charge, and there's more of a chance that the general population will rise and free themselves. And if the Republic falls, so much the better.

 

Bunch of hypocrites, all of them; and will continue to be as long as Bioware keeps writing them I'm afraid.

 

In the meantime, I have scenery to chew and lightning to shoot from my fingers.

Welcome to real life? Or do you really believe that our democracies are any less rotten?

 

That being said, the Trooper storyline is pretty much the exact opposite of everything you described... Granted I played Dark Side (which on trooper equates to being a hardcore military hardass who will do or sacrifice anything to complete the mission), but my view of the Republic was that we are a bunch of weaklings held together by common interest (in not being enslaved rofl).

 

Its a bit like real life, once again: you have the rotten greedy politicians/nobles/rich folks, always bickering for more power. And then you have the people, just tryin to have as good a life as they can have. You can choose to hate one, or to help another, but they are two facets of a same coin.

 

In the game this translates to this: Is the pettyness of our political class enough to outweight the need of our people?

 

A bit like I wish I could have said to the Havoc traitors: "So.... you thought the Empire would be better?!?"

Edited February 11, 2012 by Stonedsoul

[Bowlan]

My only gripe with the Republic side, the story lines are too...what's the word? Cheesy I guess. They seem a bit too self righteous and a bit too, "Don't worry ma'am! I'll save your cat from that tree!"

[MrTijger]

 

In the game this translates to this: Is the pettyness of our political class enough to outweight the need of our people?

 

A bit like I wish I could have said to the Havoc traitors: "So.... you thought the Empire would be better?!?"

 

I also note that the Jedi classes do not close their eyes to it, if you so choose you can try to right wrongs. Inherently the Republic is pretty decent, the problem is that people are not always motivated by the greater good. No surprise there.

 

The Jedi are pretty much the conscience of the Republic, so yeah, I play exclusively Republic because at the end of the day I rather enjoy being on the side of the proverbial angels rather than walking around as Darth Emo.

[Stonedsoul]

My only gripe with the Republic side, the story lines are too...what's the word? Cheesy I guess. They seem a bit too self righteous and a bit too, "Don't worry ma'am! I'll save your cat from that tree!"

 

Granted I have only played Trooper on republic side (I switched to play the underdog), but unless you actually choose to, there is nothing "save your cat from that tree" about the storyline rofl! More like "**** your cat ma'am, I have a gosh darned war to win! Ask me again and I'll shoot you!".

 

EDIT: OMG MrTijger, now imma have to reroll again just so I can have a toon named Darth Emo hahahahahah

Edited February 11, 2012 by Stonedsoul

[gurugeorge]

It's quite good actually, there are some interesting moral balances in both factions' storylines. You can play Empire as basically a decent person obeying the Empire out of patriotism, but not falling in with the really nasty things the Sith do, etc. You can play the Republic as someone whose actions are totally self-serving, but also happen to serve the Republic cause at the same time.

 

Or you can play straight blue meanie, or straight goody-two-shoes.

 

Or something inbetween - either conflicted, or attempting to remain neutral.

 

Plenty of food for thought in some missions too. Some decisions you make sort of haunt you (in a small way ) after you've made them, or niggle at your conscience, or whatever. Some decisions give rise to philosophical thought.

 

There's not as much depth like this as in some of BW's previous single-player games, but there's a hell of a lot more than in most MMO quests (not to say you can't find interesting choices in other MMO quests, there's just less emphasis on them, less of them, whereas here it's like every third quest has some miniature moral challenge).

[jimmybob]

Who would play Empire more than once?

 

The Republic leveling experience is far from perfect, but the Empire... DAMN.

 

It's like, the level design and leveling teams worked on the Republic experience, then, quit and moved onto other things, and gave the job of creating the Sith experience to the C team. Not even the B team, they had better things to do.

 

I mean, Imperial Taris & Belsavis... Nuff said. Nuf said.

[MrTijger]

Granted I have only played Trooper on republic side (I switched to play the underdog), but unless you actually choose to, there is nothing "save your cat from that tree" about the storyline rofl! More like "**** your cat ma'am, I have a gosh darned war to win! Ask me again and I'll shoot you!".

 

EDIT: OMG MrTijger, now imma have to reroll again just so I can have a toon named Darth Emo hahahahahah

 

Hey, go for it! You get the outfit for free!

[shirtandtie]

I obviously have never tried republic and have been playing empire from to get go, but just looking at the classes, republic sounds underpowered and weak If you ask me,

Can anyone reinforce the republic ? I've never played them what's it like ?

 

I'll give you my reasons. I play the Republic for the following:

1. Trooper Class.

First time in a MMO that my character has been an enlisted soldier. I am usually the "hero" who helps a military force or something of the like. Ive never been in the actual organization and given a squad and rank. While the SWTOR experience is inaccurate to actual military protocol it gets the general feeling down pretty well in my opinion.

2. Choices and Conflicts

Its surprisingly good. My character is dedicated to the Republic but constantly runs into corrupt officials in the senate and even in his own military (and im not just talking about the old Havoc squad). He also has to deal with politics and bureaucracy which involves compromising ideals in order to do some kind of "greater good".

The Republic is far from being the "good guys".

3. Personally i like being a bad "good guy" than a bad "bad guy".

 

I'll stop here but before i do i would like to add that there is a lot i would like to change about the Republic which others have mentioned. For example our "faction leader" seems to be Satele Shan who is the leader of the Jedi Council but to me (a trooper) she is just another jedi. I would prefer to have the Chancellor of the Senate as leader but i do not think i have ever seen him. Another thingi would like improved is the overall style/aesthetics of the Republic, namely the space station.

[Stonedsoul]

Well technically, Jedis were the generals of the Republic's Armies, so it makes sens to have the leader of the jedi council as the leader of the army. Chancellors briefing troopers would be a bit like Obama in camo briefing soldiers: happens only for TV.