Just encountered some really bad/counterintuitive story writing....

[Zundflamme]

So I'm on Alderaan, playing as a Jedi Consular/Shadow for the first time. Just got to the point in the class quest where I have to go ask Astar Vox to join house Teral.

 

So I get there, and after telling him why I'm speaking to him, he says he doesn't just deal with anyone, only those with combat skills he deems 'worthy', and I must be extremely sure of myself to walk into a small camp of commandos.

 

Um, obviously, moron, I'm a *Jedi*. See the robes and saber? >_< But I play along. Fight war dogs? Fine.....*slash, slash*. Ok, we're, good, right?

 

"Well, naw, see, that wasn't really a challenge. What's next boys? Droids? DROIDS! How bout that Jedi?"

 

"How bout I cut your head off for reneging on the deal? I fight, you join. I fought. That's that." *slash*. Now the commandos try and fight me, cuz you know, just killing 3 war dogs and their leader clearly means they have a chance.

 

Get done with them, and I get a holocall from Teral.....who despite insisting I get this Vox ******e to join seems completely unperturbed that *I* didn't follow through, not even asking why. I expected I'd at least have a response along the lines of 'he isn't trustworthy, you wouldn't want him as your commander.' I go on the wiki, and I find out that this quest, at least up till this point, is completely on-rails, no difference no matter your choice. You'd end up fighting Vox's champions even if you didn't kill, him and THAT'S when he says 'oh ok, you're pretty strong, I'll join.'

 

....the ****? I mean I know the story is on rails and has to go in a certain direction, but to just blatantly ignore your own writing and to include a line that showcases, despite the reputation force-wielders have on the battlefield, how ridiculously ignorant and hypocritical some NPC's are written to be. "Oh, you Jedi have a reputation for being TOTAL ******ES...here let me test you by throwing some weak *** grunts your way and if you survive, I'll do what you want!"

 

I mean, sure, I've encountered some spots before where the dialogue has kinda made me go '....huh?' and obviously the 'test the player character' is a super common trope in a game like this....but this is just the worst I've seen out of my other 3 playthroughs in the force sensitive classes, both light and dark. -_-

 

I still have to go rescue this Lew snot from Ulgo so Organa and Teral can ally; I'm hoping the rest of this quest isn't written as horribly.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Zundflamme

[AFKGCWBOT]

I'm pretty sure he's little league in combat and wanted to see some awesome lightsaber combat since he's never been so far before.

[Jagaimee]

The consular's Act I is...a bit notorious for less-than-quality writing, especially if you go "off the rails," so to speak, and aren't 100% light side (and even then, it's a bit cringeworthy). It gets better in Act II and continues in Act III, though. The writing's more coherent, light or dark.

[aerockyul]

It reminds me of the countless times NPCs give you the same variation of the stupid line "This Sith/Jedi acts/sounds like we've never killed Sith/Jedi before"

 

I mean, if the game was actually HARDER and NPCs outside of operations could back up that bravado, it would be ok, but literally every NPC that tells you how pro they are at killing Sith/Jedi dies when you blow on them.

[t-darko]

It reminds me of the countless times NPCs give you the same variation of the stupid line "This Sith/Jedi acts/sounds like we've never killed Sith/Jedi before"

 

I mean, if the game was actually HARDER and NPCs outside of operations could back up that bravado, it would be ok, but literally every NPC that tells you how pro they are at killing Sith/Jedi dies when you blow on them.

 

You blow on them!!? I go for coffee and let the companion deal with it . . . Have been for the last, what is it? 2 years as the game went Millenia Child proofed, put an obstacle in their way and it's therapy for life . . . Christ, even the xp is on steroids so they actually believe they are beating the game by being max level after chapter II . . . Holy Mother of Jesus, they even made a whole PVE instance, since the PvP Flag system was unfair and too hard, nah; BaD writing isn't the biggest worry, there were a time were you not only needed to gear up yourself but your companion, there was a time where you couldn't complete the class stories in your starter gear . . .

Edited March 30, 2017 by t-darko

[RudbekAlliance]

Keep in mind, that what we know about Jedi and what people think in this particular point in the timeline aren't necessarily the same. Look at it from this point of view. The Jedi were blamed by a large portion of the populace for the Treaty of Coruscant. They left to Tython because the government on Coruscant put fixing the temple on hold, and they kind of stayed cloistered on Tython for a few years licking their wounds. The game takes place 10 or 11 years after this, which is 10 or 11 years with no major battles, no real stories of Jedi on the battlefield.

 

Also, the number of Jedi compared to the number of soldiers is relatively low, and even then, there's a healthy skepticism on the tall tale nature of Jedi powers that seems to be a consistent thread throughout star wars stories.

[kodrac]

You blow on them!!? I go for coffee and let the companion deal with it . . . Have been for the last, what is it? 2 years as the game went Millenia Child proofed, put an obstacle in their way and it's therapy for life . . . Christ, even the xp is on steroids so they actually believe they are beating the game by being max level after chapter II . . . Holy Mother of Jesus, they even made a whole PVE instance, since the PvP Flag system was unfair and too hard, nah; BaD writing isn't the biggest worry, there were a time were you not only needed to gear up yourself but your companion, there was a time where you couldn't complete the class stories in your starter gear . . .

 

I had to lol at this. It's funny because it's true.

[Zipacnaa]

I had to lol at this. It's funny because it's true.

 

It's true, yeah. However, that fact actually made me a little bit sad. Game used to have its challenging moments

[AscendingSky]

Yeah... none of the class stories are perfect, but I feel the Consular story is the weakest of the 8 by a significant margin. The issue you pointed out is one of the many plot holes/plot oddities that irk me and have kept me from completing the Consular story more than once.

 

That said, the Consular story is still better than the Keeping Up With The Valkorions storyline. At least you're the protagonist in it, and not a spectator. At least your choices can actually change results!

Edited March 30, 2017 by AscendingSky

[Zundflamme]

Yeah... none of the class stories are perfect, but I feel the Consular story is the weakest of the 8 by a significant margin. The issue you pointed out is one of the many plot holes/plot oddities that irk me and have kept me from completing the Consular story more than once.

 

That said, the Consular story is still better than the Keeping Up With The Valkorions storyline. At least you're the protagonist in it, and not a spectator. At least your choices can actually change results!

 

I ROFL'd at the "Keeping Up with the Valkorions" bit XD I'm reminded of a particular Supernatural episode......XD

 

As far as what everyone else is saying, yeah, I'm pretty much in agreement all around. I've only done the Force-wielding classes so far, but this is my first JC. While the JK story was a bit cringeworthy with how sappy everything/one is, the overall story was solid. But the JC....jeez if I didn't have OCD driving me to push through this to Act II (which I FINALLY hit, thank gods) I'd have likely given up as well, cuz Act I is the most repetitive of all the Jedi/Sith Act I plots, and while nothing else in that Act was as blatant as what I mentioned, it also had the most inconsistencies, like everyone was saying.

 

As far as nerfing the game, I came in after most of them, about 2 years ago....and this is my first time back in about 6 months and HOLY **** yeah...I mean I play this game more as a solo RPG that I can talk to people online while playing, so I'm not all about the super-difficulty and super intensive kitting out of your toon and companions....but ****'s just way too easy now, even for me. I'm frigging 10 levels above the planetary max by the time I leave Coruscant/DK, I'm just *blowing* through enemies, it's ridiculous...

[Jagaimee]

I

As far as nerfing the game, I came in after most of them, about 2 years ago....and this is my first time back in about 6 months and HOLY **** yeah...I mean I play this game more as a solo RPG that I can talk to people online while playing, so I'm not all about the super-difficulty and super intensive kitting out of your toon and companions....but ****'s just way too easy now, even for me. I'm frigging 10 levels above the planetary max by the time I leave Coruscant/DK, I'm just *blowing* through enemies, it's ridiculous...

 

There's an item you can buy (well, get - it costs nothing) on the fleet that cancels out the experience boost, if you're interested. http://dulfy.net/2015/04/21/swtor-epic-story-mission-bonus-remover-on-pts/

Some of that guide is slightly outdated, however - the module is bind to legacy now, and the module is on both the Republic and Imperial fleets. The rest of the information is still valid.