You Can't Change Your Advanced Class!?!?!

[Pretexts]

People always get caught out with this sort of thing no matter how many warnings they get. And the grass is always greener on the other side...until you try out the other advanced class and find it was not as much to your liking.

 

Hopefully this thread will make players be more wary of expecting every choice to be reversible or of negligible impact.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Pretexts

[Otiveht]

Reading what the NPC's are telling you is to much to ask, i know.....

[Gformutorila]

Because of this I now have 2 toons of the same class. Both are Imperial Agent one is sniper the other will be Operative.

[Narusegawa]

Wasn't AC respeccing planned originally, only to get scrubbed due to massive forum QQ?

 

I thought AC respeccing was never planned on originally. From very early in game the developers stated they wanted people to feel a sense of consequence when making in game decisions. much like how originally you could lose your companions if you treated them poorly. The issue is that a lot of people confuse AC respecs with talent respecs.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Narusegawa

[MrFarnsworth]

My honest opinion is that they should simply remove the base classes. Pick your advanced class on creation and simply let things roll as they already do - but then there won't be any confusion. You rolled a Guardian, of course you can't respec Sentinel, you big silly.

 

The whole base class -> advanced class seems like designer fluff to me. It really serves no purpose in the game itself.

 

I think it's quite genius really, altho I share the OP's lament having rolled a sniper and looking longingly at the operative. But really it makes a lot of sense to do it the way they do. You're on an epic class quest from the get go and get to experience a bit of the way the class plays before you choose your true class.

 

So not only does it give you an idea of what you're getting into, it also makes it so they only needed 8 epic class story quests rather than 16

[VanorDM]

I think there should be a one time respec AC option, that expires once you hit lvl 15. That way people can make a change if after a lvl or 2 they find they don't like their choice.

 

But beyond that, no you shouldn't be able to do it.

[va_wanderer]

That's when I found out that YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE YOUR ADVANCED CLASS.

 

Actually, you found out in big letters when you had the choice, and in addition the NPC's even tell you as much. You make a choice, the choice is for life.

 

That you're complaining about something that was in the MMO equivalent of big neon letters is right up there with thinking you can jump off the edge of the railing of the Senate building and expect to be perfectly safe as you plunge to the bottom. Not quite a Darwin Award, but hey. Start over, levels 1-10 are a day of casual play.

[-Cybrax-]

In my opinion from the bounty hunter perspective the advanced class system is pretty pathetic. Basically I compare it to other MMOs where when you choose your talent spec you get around 5 specific spells. For instance in WoW if I chose to go ret on my paladin I would gain the crusader strike and some other basic ret spells. I as a level 50 powertech will never level another bounty hunter and feel like there are 2 talent trees I will never see (dmg and healing).

 

How does not allowing players to change advanced class add enjoyment factor to the game? We already are limited to 4 man parties which makes putting together a group more difficult for class balance. Allowing players to change their advanced class every 7 days would do nothing but add more fun to playing the game.

[VanorDM]

Basically I compare it to other MMOs

 

Here's your first mistake, this is not other MMO's.

 

where when you choose your talent spec you get around 5 specific spells

 

The difference in Bounty Hunter advance classes is way, way more then 5 spells.

 

Powertech BH is short ranged tank/dps. Merc is long ranged heal/dps.

 

So unless you want to claim that a Warrior and Priest are effectively the same class, then that should answer your other questions because that's what you're asking for here.

[va_wanderer]

Sniper and operative are NOT classes, they are specialisations. There are 4 classes in this game each with 2 specialisations and within these specialisations you can chose how to play that specialisation by using the 3 skill trees.

 

If the game stays as inflexible as it is now the shortage of tanks and healers will only increase. If there are not enough tanks and healers people will not enjoy the game and will leave. Having an option to DPS or heal or tank whatever is needed for the party depending on class will only increase game satisfaction.

 

Consider that players can respec themselves, allowing them to play multiple roles. Say, Commando. You can heal. You can DPS. Vanguard. You can tank. You can DPS.

 

Note that. Far as I can tell, every advanced class can pull a DPS or non-DPS option. I haven't seen anything that requires specifics- like a Commando healer or having a Jedi Knight- to finish a mission/flashpoint/operation. Just the classic tank/DPS/healer combo in varying amounts.

 

Sure, you can't do EVERYTHING with one character. FFXI is about the only one that managed that. But you shouldn't, and it's not hard at all leveling in this game. Two characters in fact would cover the trifecta of Tank/DPS/Heal for any given player.

 

Shortages happen because of the invariable fact of MMO's. Most everyone wants to be the one laying down the hurt, not taking it or curing it.

[MrSnowman]

Dark Age of Camelot had almost the same exact system, and I don't remember anyone ever having a problem then.

[Hal_Narcowitz]

Honestly, I think they should give you 1-2 "tokens" that allow you change Advanced Classes. More purchasable for like 500,000 credits or something.

 

It doesn't hurt anyone to allow a "mullagin" if people aren't happy with their AC's shortly after choosing them. Rerolling sucks, let's be totally honest.

 

Not sure why everyone is so eager to control how another person plays the game. Anytime you find yourself telling someone essentially "tough crap, deal with it" that should be a red flag to reconsider your position.

[-Cybrax-]

Here's your first mistake, this is not other MMO's.

 

 

 

The difference in Bounty Hunter advance classes is way, way more then 5 spells.

 

Powertech BH is short ranged tank/dps. Merc is long ranged heal/dps.

 

So unless you want to claim that a Warrior and Priest are effectively the same class, then that should answer your other questions because that's what you're asking for here.

 

Both merc and powertech use the same basic mechanic HEAT. To claim they are worlds apart and different is like saying an elemental shaman and an enhancement shaman should be different classes. What advantage do the players gain by not being able to change their advanced class, why in a story driven MMO with a casual focus would you force players to grind through the same story twice. Say a powertech does respec to DPS, they now have no CC ability, no threat drop and a bunch of worthless tanking skills not worth putting on their hotbars. This game feels very limited and inflexible and I do not see how this benefits the players.

[VanorDM]

Both merc and powertech use the same basic mechanic HEAT.

 

And both sage and shadow use force... Yet the two play completely differently.

 

To claim they are worlds apart and different is like saying an elemental shaman and an enhancement shaman should be different classes.

 

I honestly don't think you really understand how the classes and skill trees work in this game based on the couple comments you've made.

 

All of the Tank or Healer classes have both a Tank or Healing tree, or a DPS tree.

 

Either option gives the class the ability to preform that roll. If on my shadow I pick the DPS tree, I can DPS quite well. If I pick the Tank tree, I can tank quite well. I can switch between the two any time I want and have access to the Skill Mentor and respec my skills.

 

But once again, this is not the same thing as the difference between a sage and shadow, because the two classes do not play the same way.

 

Shadow = Melee Tank/DPS class

Sage = Ranged healer/DPS class

 

So are you going to tell me those two things are effectively the same... Even though they both came from the common Jedi Consular Basic Class.

Edited January 3, 2012 by VanorDM

[TheMaskedShadow]

You know, as mush as people defend why we *shouldn't* be able to change AC, it just boils down that it SUCKS anyway.

 

We do get warnings but honestly, at that point, we still have no idea of what the AC is really about since we haven't had a chance to test it before we make the final decision.

 

Saying that it's a melee DPS and a ranged DPS and or healer/tank is just not enough. We need to be able to experience it beforehand.

 

I, for one, do not see why it should really be locked that way. It has no impact on the class story.

Edited January 4, 2012 by TheMaskedShadow

[Evin]

And the last horse crosses the finish line.

 

You get your real class at lvl 10. That's just it.

 

 

Probably not the last horse though, sadly.

[Kringlorr]

The Republic and Imperial classes are mirrored. Just make a Republic/Imperial of the AC you didn't take. Each server has 8 character slots, you can try out each AC.

 

So if you take a Sith Assassin then do a Jedi Sage.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Kringlorr

[Elaithe]

I've been playing the Imperial Agent for a few days now. At level 10, after much consideration, I decided to go operative over sniper because it seemed like a cool class that snuck around and then stabbed people. However, after awhile I decided that operative was much too slow and had pitiful damage output, so I just thought to myself "well I tried out operative and didn't like it, I should probably go sniper". That's when I found out that YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE YOUR ADVANCED CLASS. Why wouldn't Bioware let players change their advanced class. At this point I was level 18 and if I wanted to go sniper I would have to repeat about 3 days of work. I have loved this game so far, but this is the first major issue that I have run into. I hate myself for saying this, but WoW did it better.

 

Ya your right dude, WoW totally let me reroll my priest to a mage when I got bored of priest.

[dracoda]

Ya your right dude, WoW totally let me reroll my priest to a mage when I got bored of priest.

 

Well, basically it kinda did yea. At least to the degree to which he is talking about.

 

How about this - for those that want the choice to mean something, why not a simple grace period. You can switch for 10 levels (plenty of time to experience both), after which you are stuck - so there is no end-game switching.

[Nizzemancer]

SWG let you change your class....of course it was one of the dumbest ideas ever, but still you could with no lvl penalty either.

 

And in SWG you could be Jedi one day, only to have lost all force affinity the next day and boom now you were a Bounty Hunter, then bam the next day for some reason you were a cantina dancer who couldn't fight their wayout of an outhouse even if the door was open.

 

Not the same game, at all...

 

And as for info...you can inspect all skill-trees, read the codexes and all that jazz before you make a decision. If you have to play it to know what you're in for in terms of general playstyle you should probably stick to hello kittys island adventure instead.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Nizzemancer

[Krusedullfaen]

My question is this: Why can't you?

 

The only real way of figuring out if an advanced class is right for you is to play it. What harm would there be in allowing players to change their AC at a cost?

[terferi]

omg nooo i cant change my class i want ez mode i have to have more than one char omg?? ***

[PaintOnASign]

You think Operative/Scoundrel has low DPS output?

 

Are you in for a rude awakening...

 

Anyway, you can get Lv10 in about ~3 hrs. Yes, yes, you will never get them back, but life goes on.

Edited January 4, 2012 by PaintOnASign

[Noth]

Both merc and powertech use the same basic mechanic HEAT. To claim they are worlds apart and different is like saying an elemental shaman and an enhancement shaman should be different classes. What advantage do the players gain by not being able to change their advanced class, why in a story driven MMO with a casual focus would you force players to grind through the same story twice. Say a powertech does respec to DPS, they now have no CC ability, no threat drop and a bunch of worthless tanking skills not worth putting on their hotbars. This game feels very limited and inflexible and I do not see how this benefits the players.

 

Leveling both a merc and a powertech they play vastly differently. One is very melee oriented wall of armor and the other is a walking artillery battery. that alone makes them very different. Further most games do not have classes completely unique from each other. WoW is the exception, not the rule.

[PaintOnASign]

Oh yeah, topic at hand:

 

If people could respecc their AC's, almost everyone could do every single role in the game with one character. The only exception are Gunslinger/Sniper's cant tank, and Sentinels/Maurader's cant heal.

Edited January 4, 2012 by PaintOnASign