Are the chapters all the same length?

[WHearth]

Just wondering if chapter 2 and chapter 3 take about as much playtime to complete as chapter 1. Chapter 1 was significantly longer than the prologue, so I was wondering if each successive chapter takes longer to complete.

[Euphrosyne]

Short answer: no. Chapter I is the longest chapter by pretty much any reckoning.

 

Long answer: no. Here's why.

 

The prologue is supposed to last from levels 1 to 16. (16)

Chapter I goes from 16 to 32. (16)

Chapter II goes from 32 to 40. (8)

Chapter III goes from 40 to 50. (10)

And Chapter IV goes from 50 to 55. (5)

There's some wiggle room at the two ends of Chapter II, but it's broadly how things tend to go.

 

In reality, of course, these chapters' lengths don't have that much to do with the levels. Levels 1 through 10 take most people a couple of hours of play on the starter world, an amount of time that might go toward a single level later in the game. As you get into the 20s, leveling starts to slow down a lot more.

 

There's another way to look at it.

 

The prologue takes place on the starter world and the capital world, plus one flashpoint.

Chapter I covers four planets, plus some minor quests in between, along with four flashpoints of medium length.

Chapter II covers two planets plus Quesh (which takes about as much time as the starter world, and less if you don't bother to do the planet quests), plus the Nar Shaddaa Bonus Series, plus two flashpoints of greater length.

Chapter III covers three planets, plus the Alderaan and Hoth Bonus Series, plus two flashpoints of medium length, and one of greater length.

There's a messy 'interlude' period with one short planet (Ilum), two flashpoints of greater length, then the assorted daily areas with their tiny fragments of story content (SeX, Belsavis Bonus Series, Black Hole), then the two rakghoul flashpoints (also of 'greater' length), plus the first three Operations if you want to get picky.

Then Chapter IV covers one planet (Makeb), two Operations, the CZ-198 daily area, and two hilariously short flashpoints.

 

Going by that alone, I'd say the prologue is the shortest chapter (1.5 planets, being generous), followed by Chapter IV (1 long endgame planet with small change), then Chapter II (2.5 planets), then Chapter III (3 planets and change), with Chapter I being the longest (4 planets). So no. It doesn't get longer from here. It gets significantly shorter.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Euphrosyne

[AlexDougherty]

I think on the whole chapter 1 is the longest, and chapter 3 is quite brief. Edited August 22, 2013 by AlexDougherty

[WHearth]

Thanks for the answers, especially your huge one, Euphrosyne. It's good to hear they get shorter....I was worried that they got longer and that with my limited playtime I was never going to finish