KOTFE Story and Companions

[Pietrastor]

There's tons of critical questions here that need fast answer, not in 4 months.

 

GSF - companions are tied to the entire system

Affection - does Bioware realize what kind of a money sink it's was with some of the characters? HK-51 and Ashara in particular? If the affection is reset on the companions that can return to the team then LOL

Presence/stats legacy bonuses - again, does BW remember about it?

Gear - should we just strip our companions naked before starting the expansion or all the gear we grinded for them is gonna disappear lol? I'm definitely planning to read every spoiler I can to find out which companions will never return so I can sell their gear to vendor or keep for new/replacement companion. Ain't no one got time to grind all of it again

 

I have 8 characters and at least for me it was already a huge task to max affection of all of their companions, gear them and finish their stories (reminder: we're talking 42! companions). Not really looking forward to do it again so I will use guides and cut corners around the system as much as possible.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Pietrastor

[branmakmuffin]

There's tons of critical questions here that need fast answer, not in 4 months.

Because ...?

 

Since we are all in the same boat, it doesn't matter how long they take to dole out the info.

[Pietrastor]

Because ...?

 

Since we are all in the same boat, it doesn't matter how long they take to dole out the info.

Because there are achievements, buffs, bonuses, stories and potential millions sunk on "maxing" your companions in every area. People may wanna know if they should get 1000 kills achiv on Scorpio or finish her story now before they start the expansion just to find out she's gone forever. Or they blow 2 million/cartel coins on expensive HK gifts and a week later he gets removed from the party permanently. Edited June 18, 2015 by Pietrastor

[branmakmuffin]

Because there are achievements, buffs, bonuses, stories and potential millions sunk on "maxing" your companions in every area.

Again, we are all affected the same way. I have max affection on quite a few companions. I craft and do missions a lot. I'm going to deal with it. If I can deal with it, you can, too.

 

People may wanna know if they should get 1000 kills achiv on Scorpio or finish her story now before they start the expansion just to find out she's gone forever. Or they blow 2 million/cartel coins on expensive HK gifts and a week later he gets removed from the party permanently.

Oh, well. You pays yer money and you takes yer chances. MMOs change.

Edited June 18, 2015 by branmakmuffin

[Scorpiova]

Because there are achievements, buffs, bonuses, stories and potential millions sunk on "maxing" your companions in every area. People may wanna know if they should get 1000 kills achiv on Scorpio now before they start the expansion just to find out she's gone forever. Or they blow 2 million/cartel coins on expensive HK gifts and a week later he gets removed from the party permanently.

 

I know they have not answered specifically about some of the things you have mention, but they are not going to take a companion away permanently. They aren't stupid, and they have already confirmed you can recruit old companions. You can still return to old worlds and content from before the expansions, so it's easy to assume that your achievements and affection levels will remain intact. Maybe they will add a few levels to the affection bars to make it worth continuing to invest in that character. Some things are easy to assume.

 

EDIT: And if you want someone new to adventure with, recruit someone from a different class line, that is also already confirmed.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Scorpiova

[Pietrastor]

I know they have not answered specifically about some of the things you have mention, but they are not going to take a companion away permanently. They aren't stupid, and they have already confirmed you can recruit old companions. You can still return to old worlds and content from before the expansions, so it's easy to assume that your achievements and affection levels will remain intact. Maybe they will add a few levels to the affection bars to make it worth continuing to invest in that character. Some things are easy to assume.

 

EDIT: And if you want someone new to adventure with, recruit someone from a different class line, that is also already confirmed.

That's the thing. I'm doubting heavily they will bring back all 42 of them, on top of 5+ new companions.

[tmwfte]

Because there are achievements, buffs, bonuses, stories and potential millions sunk on "maxing" your companions in every area. People may wanna know if they should get 1000 kills achiv on Scorpio or finish her story now before they start the expansion just to find out she's gone forever. Or they blow 2 million/cartel coins on expensive HK gifts and a week later he gets removed from the party permanently.

 

Of course they're going to scrap every achievement you've done before, everything you've bought from the cartel market, all your crew skills, every vehicle/pet/ability that you've unlocked, the companions that you've bought, and more for the expansion!

 

You start off FE with nothing but a non-adaptive permabound level 1 loincloth, a rock, and the log speeder.

[Infernixx]

I'm just going on the assumption that some achievements are going to be undo-able after October and getting them done now.

[branmakmuffin]

Of course they're going to scrap every achievement you've done before, everything you've bought from the cartel market, all your crew skills, every vehicle/pet/ability that you've unlocked, the companions that you've bought, and more for the expansion!

 

You start off FE with nothing but a non-adaptive permabound level 1 loincloth, a rock, and the log speeder.

This post rates multiple thumbs-up.

[Glzmo]

Hey folks!

 

Seeing all of the discussion around our Knights of the Fallen Empire announcement has been awesome! It means a lot to the writing team to see how much y’all care about the details of the story and characters of SWTOR, and all of the insightful questions and debates that flow from that. I’m here to hopefully shed a bit of light on a few of the most common questions I’ve seen.

 

Up front, I think the best answer I can give to any story question is that it’s always best to wait and see how the story itself will answer it. I personally just hate giving out spoilers, so I won’t be doing that here. I promise, the main storyline of KOTFE is all about the things y’all have been asking, and October is going to be here very soon. In the meantime, though, let’s see if we can’t at least clarify a couple of things now:

• The Outlander: your character’s past will be a key part of their identity as the Outlander moving forward. The choices you’ve made, romances you’ve pursued, your class, etc are all a part of who your character is, and those decisions will be honored in KOTFE; often in unexpected ways. How that works for characters who are created at level 60 is something we’ll dive into in the future, but we will not be setting a “canon” version of any class or world storyline. Your choices matter – that’s at the heart of our storytelling philosophy at BioWare.
  
• Companions: there’s a ton of stuff going on with companions in this release, and we’re not ready to dive into most of it just yet. What I can say is that past companions will return in the story, sometimes as very critical parts of the overall story shared by all Outlanders. Which classes can recruit which characters, who can be romanced, who can you kill and who might betray you? You’ll have to play and see Finally, I’ve seen a lot of people referencing the KOTFE page’s character list as a list of companions – not everyone on that list will become a companion, and not every companion in the story is included in that list.
  
• Valkorion: who is this guy? What happened to that other Emperor? Aren’t they both actually Jadus, who’s secretly Kephess, who’s actually a mutated clone of Kai Zykken created by Fez Burba for the Star Cabal’s secret war against the Shroud? OK, so I actually haven’t seen that theory, but IT’S ALL TRUE TELL EVERYONE BEFORE IT’S TOO LA----
  

 

[Charles had to take a few days off to relax, but he’ll be back in time to answer more questions at our Community Cantina event at San Diego Comic Con next month! - Musco]

Some questions that have come up while discussing things with guildmates as well as other friends in and outside the game:

 

1. Will you still have access to all your old companions while outside the new story when you've already started it (old content, roleplay, etc.)?

 

2. Also, will companions still come in classes like Tank, Healer and DPS or will we finally be able to give them the role we want/need?

If not, will there be any Jedi Healer companions (with a lightsaber)?

 

4. What about Treek and HK-51? Do they remain available no matter what? They are expensive, after all.

 

5. Will players that started/finished the new story arc be able to (role-)play and interact with players that do not own the expansion?

 

6. Since Republic and Empire players will now "work together", will we finally get the long-promised chat update where /emote, /yell, possibly /whisper, /tell and custom chat channels will work for both factions as well as being able to add opposing faction members to your friend list?

 

7. Will there finally be optional chat bubbles for player communication in /say, /yell and /emote chat as promised over three and a half years ago?

[Scorpiova]

Some questions that have come up while discussing things with guildmates as well as other friends in and outside the game:

 

1. Will you still have access to all your old companions while outside the new story when you've already started it (old content, roleplay, etc.)?

 

2. Also, will companions still come in classes like Tank, Healer and DPS or will we finally be able to give them the role we want/need?

If not, will there be any Jedi Healer companions (with a lightsaber)?

 

4. What about Treek and HK-51? Do they remain available no matter what? They are expensive, after all.

 

5. Will players that started/finished the new story arc be able to (role-)play and interact with players that do not own the expansion?

 

6. Since Republic and Empire players will now "work together", will we finally get the long-promised chat update where /emote, /yell, possibly /whisper, /tell and custom chat channels will work for both factions as well as being able to add opposing faction members to your friend list?

 

7. Will there finally be optional chat bubbles for player communication in /say, /yell and /emote chat as promised over three and a half years ago?

 

Number 5 is already answered in a sense. They already confirmed that you can return to old planets so I would assume you can roleplay/chat with people who do not own the expansion.

 

Hypothetically if Lana does in fact become a companion, she was a healer in a certain battle, so perhaps she will be a saber weilding healer.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Scorpiova

[Infernixx]

I can't believe that people are still insisting on chat bubbles after being told for 3 years that it's not going to happen.

[CrazyOldMystic]

I can't believe that people are still insisting on chat bubbles after being told for 3 years that it's not going to happen.

 

Compared to other games this game is in the dark ages. For all the bad rep swg had, you could atleast find a friend anywhere in the galaxy, mail guild mates as a whole, and have chat bubbles. Yes swtor does not have any of those features. So if people want to keep pushing to get the game out of the dark ages, I say let them.

 

I am glad I am not the only one who wants to eradicate Quinn off the face of the galaxy. As for Jaesa Willsaam she is one scary, insane, and crazy dark side user. Hence why she is one of my favorite companions. Redemption nah keep her the way she is. I still remember laughing during the cut scene as she explain how she might have killed someone, after sleeping with them and wasn't sure. Maybe next time she should not party so hard. Just my point of view.

[branmakmuffin]

Compared to other games this game is in the dark ages. For all the bad rep swg had, you could atleast find a friend anywhere in the galaxy, mail guild mates as a whole, and have chat bubbles. Yes swtor does not have any of those features. So if people want to keep pushing to get the game out of the dark ages, I say let them

Watching others spit into the wind is always good for a laugh.

[Infernixx]

Compared to other games this game is in the dark ages. For all the bad rep swg had, you could atleast find a friend anywhere in the galaxy, mail guild mates as a whole, and have chat bubbles. Yes swtor does not have any of those features. So if people want to keep pushing to get the game out of the dark ages, I say let them.

 

I am glad I am not the only one who wants to eradicate Quinn off the face of the galaxy. As for Jaesa Willsaam she is one scary, insane, and crazy dark side user. Hence why she is one of my favorite companions. Redemption nah keep her the way she is. I still remember laughing during the cut scene as she explain how she might have killed someone, after sleeping with them and wasn't sure. Maybe next time she should not party so hard. Just my point of view.

 

If SWG was as great as people seem to believe that it was, it'd still be going strong.

[branmakmuffin]

If SWG was as great as people seem to believe that it was, it'd still be going strong.

Everyone knows that gigantic Bioware and gargantuan LucasArts conspired to pull the rug out from under that indie game maker Sony Online Entertainment.

[Oyranos]

I have a slight fear that crafting will be impacted mostly out of it. 5 new companions, plus companions from other classes. How many we will end up with?! That is also answers some other people questions about our personal ships...

 

they will make them bigger! lol

 

In the other hand, I fear that many crafting things, will become once per day or once per week.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Oyranos

[Max_Killjoy]

Of course they're going to scrap every achievement you've done before, everything you've bought from the cartel market, all your crew skills, every vehicle/pet/ability that you've unlocked, the companions that you've bought, and more for the expansion!

 

You start off FE with nothing but a non-adaptive permabound level 1 loincloth, a rock, and the log speeder.

 

Arguing against a blatantly ridiculous and juvenile exaggeration of someone else's statement might make you feel like you've won, but all it actually does is make you look silly.

[CloudCastle]

That's the thing. I'm doubting heavily they will bring back all 42 of them, on top of 5+ new companions.

 

Why not though? Why risk angering the players, which undoubtedly this would do? I could be wrong, but every time I start thinking about this, I come back to the same conclusion...that forcing people to abandon companions would be a very unpopular thing to do. Crafting, affection, customizations, heck even just sentimentality - there is simply too much tied to companions to rewrite the whole system and throw it out the window.

 

I suspect what will happen is:

 

a) We will get the option to have all old companions back, plus some new ones. There doesn't need to be a limit on how many you have really, does there? Just how many can send out for crafting.

 

b) They will pick an arbitrary limit and require you to choose a companion(s) to give up in order to take on a new one.

Edited June 19, 2015 by CloudCastle

[Wolfninjajedi]

Why not though? Why risk angering the players, which undoubtedly this would do? I could be wrong, but every time I start thinking about this, I come back to the same conclusion...that forcing people to abandon companions would be a very unpopular thing to do. Crafting, affection, customizations, heck even just sentimentality - there is simply too much tied to companions to rewrite the whole system and throw it out the window.

 

I suspect what will happen is:

 

a) We will get the option to have all old companions back, plus some new ones. There doesn't need to be a limit on how many you have really, does there? Just how many can send out for crafting.

 

b) They will pick an arbitrary limit and require you to choose a companion(s) to give up in order to take on a new one.

 

The 2nd one sounds more plausible and fitting, aswell as giving people choices. Also enabling alts to have a variety of different companions.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Wolfninjajedi

[XiamaraSimi]

b) They will pick an arbitrary limit and require you to choose a companion(s) to give up in order to take on a new one.

 

-Starts planning a party of Quinn, Vector, Blizz, Scourge, Guss, Vette and Kaliyo-

 

Id gladly replace Vette and Kaliyo with Theron and Marr because that would be my pie in the sky dream team ^_~

 

Yes i know i cant have Marr, and Theron wasnt listed as an available companion, but a girl can dream though ^_^

 

◆◆Edit◆◆ Forgot Guss oops... Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Edited June 19, 2015 by XiamaraSimi

[Scorpiova]

-Starts planning a party of Quinn, Vector, Blizz, Scourge, Guss, Vette and Kaliyo-

 

Id gladly replace Vette and Kaliyo with Theron and Marr because that would be my pie in the sky dream team ^_~

 

Yes i know i cant have Marr, and Theron wasnt listed as an available companion, but a girl can dream though ^_^

 

◆◆Edit◆◆ Forgot Guss oops... Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

They did state that ALL new companions were not listed on the character list. So don;t give up the dream

Edited June 19, 2015 by Scorpiova

[tmwfte]

Arguing against a blatantly ridiculous and juvenile exaggeration of someone else's statement might make you feel like you've won, but all it actually does is make you look silly.

 

We're on the internet, nobody wins. Especially the people who resort to insults.

 

You'd also do well to read the questions about what the user was worried about losing. Because they were worried about losing achievements, unlocks, paid for companions, etc.

[Max_Killjoy]

E: Nevermind, clearly not worth bothering. Edited June 19, 2015 by Max_Killjoy

[branmakmuffin]

E: Nevermind, clearly not worth bothering.

You just did.