Friendly class debate / Info Gathering

[Nonamelefttotake]

Ok so I just got back to playing after a year or so break (only played like a month before I had to stop) and I really want to make a force using toon but not sure what to focus on. So with that said Im curious to what people think (Force users only plz no BH smug op ect) has the best story line and visually capturing abilities out of the 4 force using classes (ACs also if you want). Obviously there is no BEST class since one person can play a really decent class but suck or a class known more for being crap but someone can beat any other class in dps or what have you. With the posts please add why you believe the class is (in your opinion) the best in as much detail as you can Go nuts

[DarthDymond]

Story-wise, I can speak to the pros and cons of three of the force user classes, at least based on how I played them (I'll try to be vague enough to not spoil anything outright, the spoiler tags are just because each discussion is long):

 

Sith Inquisitor:

 

A lot of people on the forum have said that the Inquisitor's story is really weak, particularly complaining that you never really feel like an Emperor Palpatine-level mastermind, but instead feel like an errand boy/girl throughout the story. I did not find that to be the case on my play-through, mainly because I always took dialogue choices where my character was the one putting together the pieces of the latest puzzle, giving the orders, and giving grand speeches, as opposed to the dialogue choices that amounted to "well then, what do you think I should do next?". I found that made a world of difference.

 

The story itself really is about a rise to power, and it's at its best when focusing on how you're building a power base by gaining allies and supporters (the Moff Pyron quests and the Nar Shaddaa class story quests are my favorite for these), and in this regard I think it's a class where the planetary quest arcs actually complement your class story very well - effectively replacing a certain Sith Lord on Tatooine, your interactions with the natives on Voss, gaining the respect of a Dark Council member on Corellia, etc.

 

There's the right amount of betrayal and setbacks, although the betrayals you can probably see coming a mile away (but then again, you're a Sith, you should be expecting betrayal at every turn). The resolution of the first betrayal is actually one of my favorite plot points in the game.

 

The Inquisitor's story is at its weakest when it comes to your quest for personal power (i.e. Force power). It has an interesting new concept to allow you to get more powerful, but it gets waaaaay too bogged down in it for several planet's worth of class quests - stretching out over two Acts what should have been one Act's worth of plot.

 

The plot's other biggest fault is that they never properly develop your on-going enemy for the second half of the game as a character. He never really rises above "generic bad-guy/rival", which is a shame and a wasted opportunity.

 

I played my Inquisitor as neutral, with a good mix of Light Side and Dark Side choices based on which would better advance my personal agenda and benefit the Empire as a whole. This ended up working out really well in terms making the Inquisitor feel like a mastermind, and in the relationship your character can develop with your sole female companion. If you play Dark Side, however, you do get the opportunity to play a delightfully deranged psychopath, and there's something to be said for someone who enjoys their work (*Shock Him*).

 

 

Sith Warrior:

 

The Warrior is all about becoming a feared and seemingly unstoppable enforcer, akin to Darth Vader, but it also has plenty of opportunity to be scheming and devious, so you're not stuck as the "dumb muscle", which was my biggest concern going in.

 

I have no idea how a Light Side Warrior plays out, but a Dark Side play-through is a lot of fun. Some of the dialogue options are priceless (from snidely goading your Sith Master to outright terrifying multiple groups of enemies). The story lends itself well to playing as a character who draws on his/her rage to become a force to be reckoned with.

 

Unlike the Inquisitor, your main enemy as a Warrior ends up being pretty well developed, which makes the ongoing fight against them much more satisfying as a whole. The plot as a whole moves along at a pretty good clip without getting bogged down in any one segment for too long. Be warned though, as scheming and devious as you may end up playing your character, he's still pretty much an enforcer, so expect the vast, vast majority of your missions to be "this guy needs to stop breathing, go take care of that for me."

 

One frequent complaint about the Warrior is that your most prominent companions fall squarely into love-it-or-hate-it territory, I don't mind the snarky comments from the first companion at all, but a lot of people can't stand her. I agree with a lot people that the second companion is extremely bland and uninteresting (although i can respect that this seems to have been by design), and while the way you gain your third companion is great, I can't argue with people who say she ends up being a caricature more than a character. Basically, when people have suggested adding in the ability to kill off companions, its the Warrior's entourage who are usually front and center on the "please let me kill ____!" list.

 

 

Jedi Knight:

 

This is the quintessential "Hero's Journey" character, a la Luke Skywalker. Playing the Jedi Knight gives you a chance to play a rising hero fighting to save the Galaxy from a great evil. And if you play Light Side its a pretty solid experience in that regard. I've only seen some of the Dark Side choices, but it seems like they give you the choice to be more of a "crush the Empire at any cost" sort of character than an "I will save the people of the Galaxy" hero.

 

It's been frequently said that if you wanted to play Knights of the Old Republic 3, then you should play through the Jedi Knight story, because that's pretty much the experience you'll get. I've also heard it called the "most Star Wars-y" class story, again probably because its an iconic hero's tale.

 

I haven't completed the class quest for the Knight yet, but from what i have seen (up to level 35ish) the pacing is good and the story is well-told, with interesting characters, both allies and enemies. The first three companions you gain (which are the only one's I've gotten to) are all fun and interesting as well.

 

The only downside I've seen is that relative to the Inquisitor and the Warrior (and definitely relative to the Smuggler or Bounty Hunter), the Knight seems a little... bland as a character himself (at least as a male, Light Side play-through). He kind of falls into the classic trap of being a blank slate that the player can project onto, which in turn makes him a bit less interesting than the characters around him.

 

 

You also asked about what class is the most "visually" interesting class. I'd say it's the Sith Sorcerer, thanks to Overload, Force Storm, Force Lightning, and the immensely satisfying Thundering Blast, the only downside being that 99% of his/her attacks are based around force lightning, and s/he never uses a lightsaber after you pick your Advanced Class. Sith Warriors and Jedi Knights can also both look pretty bada** at times thanks to Force Leap (probably the best-looking combat opener in the game) and a fairly satisfying variety of lightsaber attacks. I will say that Jedi Sages get a lot of flak (deservedly so IMHO) for basically shooting pebbles at their opponents most of the time.

 

You should also be thinking about what kind of play-style you enjoy most:

*Standing back and dishing out a ton of damage to whole groups of enemies? - Lightning Spec'd Sith Sorcerer is probably your guy (again, some of Jedi Sage's attacks look pretty weaksauce).

*Getting in close and personal and soaking up a ton of damage? - Go with a tank spec'd Sith Juggernaut or Jedi Guardian.

*Being able to sneak around unseen and pounce on your unsuspecting enemies to deal massive damage? - DPS spec'd Sith Assassin or Jedi Shadow.

etc., etc., etc.

[Pirana]

I'll be particularly biased here because I play both tanks and the game can always use more. So with that, the Shadow and Inquisitor story lines rock! Not really. It's all subjective though.

 

If I had to choose one from the force users, I would go with Inquisitor. They are quite colorful with their lightning animations.

 

Guardians and their mirror class I really don't see as force users, if anything. a batter waiting for a ninety mile per hour fast ball down the middle. Of course, that's hyperbole, they do have some force user skills, I just have hard time taking them serious when they're looking to knock one out of the park.

 

Overall, Dymond gave a very good description of the three. I honestly don't remember the Shadow/Sage story line other than it was boring. And when I leveled my healer through the same story line, space bar was good to have. Again, subjective.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Pirana

[Nonamelefttotake]

Lol well the sith warrior does have that animation of "swinging at a pitch with a baseball bat" with more than one ability the jedi knight has a LOT better visiual motion on their attacks (From what ive noticed so far. Only leveled to like level 14 on both). And yeah I think if they added more force abilities to the warrior classes they would be a lot more enjoyable or more light saber attacks (if you chose too not a necessary part of any set rotation) on a sage / sorc.