Jedi Guardian Feedback

[jkarateking]

Honestly, right now i'm thinking about cancelling my subscription to the game at the end of this month. I don't want to continue paying for this game when in a few months you are planning an update that includes this much dumbing down, and this much changing the classes that they don't feel like they used to and like they should.

 

Swtor is not a complicated game; there are not too many abilities for people to understand, and this seems like you are trying to fix what isn't broken. The Jedi Guardian does not feel like the Jedi Guardian I have been playing in previous versions of the game; so many of the abilities are missing and it feels well to dumbed down.

 

And from reading all these forum replies and posts, most people share this view. I really don't see how you thought this was a good idea at all.

[duranterich]

Background: My first character was a Sentinel about 2-3 years ago. I still main that character, and played all specs of Guardian (mostly Defense). I've been a sub ever since and have played more than I'd like to admit during lockdown. Thank you for being my sanity. I understand feedback is important software devs, so here I am.

 

My comments about ability pruning will echo most of this thread thus far, I'm not a fan. However, this is PTS, I will save my comments and judgement for further builds

 

Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.

Really difficult to say based on what we are given. Since we only have live to compare too, no. I've never felt overwhelmed by abilities, in fact, more would have been okay. Tanking made me feel like a Guardian, misplacement of some abilities makes me feel less so

 

Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?

I understand that interrupts, CC break, and potentially even Saber throw aren't part of a typical "rotation", other than that I'd say nothing is "missing" out of our rotations. I'm not counting the CC abilities in that.

 

What are your initial thoughts with the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?

Less effective from what the PTS is giving me.

 

How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?

Since I primarily played DPS geared Tank as a guardian in PVP, I am not enjoying this current PTS build. I feel this current toolset we are given to protect my team is lackluster.

 

TL : DR

P.S: I think the team should have waited a bit longer. I feel like this current state is missing so much that would allow tester's to give any type of constructive feedback

Edited July 9, 2021 by duranterich

[VampRayLa]

I never post, but I feel I have to ensure that one more voice is heard - and I have a lot to say.

 

From everything I have read, this is just a small part of 'the new norm' so, im going to write this as if this is the new norm. (As is it is not that i am not missing abilities, I have to chose between them - at most i am missing abilities i can chose from - in the end, I will not get them all back.)

 

Background: all classes, around half the specs///all pve play (story to master/nim), pvp (unranked mostly and love open world)

 

1. Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian?

At level 75? No. Maybe at 30? Its a shell of an End Game open word, multi-playstyle class.

 

2. Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?

Is something missing, yes, almost half of the abilities. First, I hate the word rotation. Rotations are for the unimaginative and parse bros. I am missing abilities that I use for any content.

 

3. What are your initial thoughts with the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?

I guess if it were a dummy, it would do fine. Being that the game is not hitting dummies, but rather open world, operations with mobs/adds, pve, and pvp - not a lot. I dont know when I need what I need until I need it. Imagine being in open world and some merc shows up and I know I can outrun them, but I dont have blade blitz cuase I chose saber reflect. Now, image being in open world and I get attacked by a Jugg, but I have blade blitz when I could really use saber reflect. Too bad I didnt know ahead of time! Now imaging having to change specs even more than you do now? All for one ability. I cant wait to try limited abilities in ops..."sorry, I forgot I had saber reflect instead of blade blitz, that why I died to lightning field". (I really thought these changes were going to limit the need of alts, instead I feel like I would make even more now....)

 

4. How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?

I am not enjoying playing the class as it is on the PTS. Half of my abilities are missing. I do not play rotation only- for I do not stand on my ship and hit a dummy target all day.

 

5. Personal feedback

This is left me disappointed and empty. Tried different specs and different loadouts. I was expecting to get more play freedom and at this moment I feel I will be getting less.

 

This is not discounting that this is a round 1 on the PTS, even the abilities have the lower level names, but at this moment I see this as a way things are going. The difference between build a and b on vigilance was I either got blade blitz or saber reflect. I should not have to choose between those as a vigilance. Yet I was left with a guard....

 

I am not a Guardian/Jugg main, I mostly use it for pvp, but I can just imagine what will happen to my sent/mara (my main). I am already upset about my sent/mara and I dont even know what she will be left with. I can understand an ability here and there for whatever reason (droid cc anyone?), but to upheave a whole class like this? And the cherry is that this is also going to happen to ALL the classes? I win fights because I know ALL of my abilities. This really just strips the fun and uniqueness of play style from it.

 

A class is not defined by its rotation. A rotation may make a good player, but knowing all the abilities makes a GREAT player. They are not extra. They are not bloat. They are useful in multiple situations. Some maybe more for pvp than pve, but I use ALL of my abilities, in just about every play style. Especially in open world. (Force Status and Awe are not the same, they are different. One is not extra to the other.) And, no, I do not feel like I should have to change load outs going from pvp to pve... especially being an open world pvper. (not saying this is not an ability or two that could maybe go or use rework, but to gut a third? of them....make me chose between two that I used to have?)

 

Im tying to not be negative, or have this be a gut reaction, but this does not feel right. The removal of these abilities may not mean anything to the ppl who dont care, but they mean everything to the ppl who do (and use them).

[Marcus_Cade]

Initial thought (I will edit & add as I go) - It is not going to be easy to compare this to "normal" with such a small selection of abilities (I fully understand why we only have these at start). I think this first selection will be better served at later dates, when comparing what has become available then.

 

 

ps - Running is currently faster than using a speeder. My face hurts from laughing at how long a lap of the station just took. (Thanks 😁)

Edited July 9, 2021 by Marcus_Cade

[Alssaran]

I only spend so much time on the PTS and looking at the changes, so I'm going on first impressions here. This might change down the line, but here's my opinion as a long-time player who's Republic main is a Guardian.

 

Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.

 

Well, yes, kind of? It's hard to describe. It does feel like a Jedi Guardian in that it is a closed quarter, one-bladed offensive class with melee abilities. However, it feels like a slightly gutted version of that. I admit that this might be just me feeling strange about all the (currently missing) abilities, but it feels entirely different. I can't say it's good different or bad different. It just feels...weird.

 

Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?

 

It's weird not having Saber Throw as an opener before I jump in. Considering this, I feel this choice between two passives and saber throw isn't really a choice and will result in 90%+ of people just going for saber throw, anyhow. I get the idea behind the changes, but maybe just make one or two more abilities baseline.

 

Then there's also the interrupt and CC breaker. I feel like there's currently about a quarter of things missing that I need for situational awareness.

 

If you have feedback on the different disciplines and ability paths, please note your feedback accordingly so we can track it.

 

Here's one suggestion that I have said on a streaming live chat earlier: I believe the choice between Enure, Saber Reflect and Blade Blitz is too restrictive. I can kind of get behind the idea of trying to reduce the survivability and layered DCD in PvP scenarios - there are tons of abilities that have multiple effects and which make PvP a bit nebulous. However, I think you're biting off more than you can chew.

 

Here's an example: I think this would feel much less jarring if Enure was still a baseline ability and the choice was only between Saber Reflect and Blade Blitz. A baseline survival ability here is baseline, but then you choose between a 5 sec. reflect or a CC/movement-impairment breaker.

 

At this point I feel like you're cutting a bit too much. I understand trying to modernize the game, but you still need to remember to keep some baseline strengths and weaknesses in each combat style without overly relying on the switching mechanic.

 

At present it just feels...weird. There's not too much to test on because we need the other classes to test class balance and more PvE testing to see how full loadouts and their choices perform, especially if you re-tune PvE and PvP. I think the general direction is solid, but you're pruning a bit too much. Hence why playing the class right now doesn't feel bad, but it's not thrilling either.

Edited July 9, 2021 by Alssaran

[BaronBS]

What this thread really demonstrates is just how unclear the devs have been about their vision and plan.

 

Hence, people can't even agree whether the Combat Styles is gonna let my PT wield a rifle or just let my BH larp as a gunslinger (this is what it is imo), nor what precisely is being tested and requested of testers on the PTS (is this just a sampling of Guardian abilities sans core Knight ones as an attempt to remove such noise from the feedback? If so, the responses so far might suggest that you cannot so easily disentangle base and AC classes in terms of mechanics and identity?).

 

Anyways, I humbly suggest the devs just spell things out clearly for everyone before this turns viral ala the New World cash shop debacle.

[Marcus_Cade]

For this PTS phase, you will only be able to choose static builds we have chosen for you. Future phases will allow you to more freely choose various abilities and passives as you level.

 

Taken from How to access the Jedi Guardian on PTS

[Marcus_Cade]

What this thread really demonstrates is just how unclear the devs have been about their vision and plan.

 

Hence, people can't even agree whether the Combat Styles is gonna let my PT wield a rifle or just let my BH larp as a gunslinger (this is what it is imo), nor what precisely is being tested and requested of testers on the PTS (is this just a sampling of Guardian abilities sans core Knight ones as an attempt to remove such noise from the feedback? If so, the responses so far might suggest that you cannot so easily disentangle base and AC classes in terms of mechanics and identity?).

 

Anyways, I humbly suggest the devs just spell things out clearly for everyone before this turns viral ala the New World cash shop debacle.

 

Tech can only do tech & force can only do force, according to the live stream. There's a really good breakdown by Swtorista on YouTube.

[LJ_Gibbs]

Taken from How to access the Jedi Guardian on PTS

 

Then they need to explain just a tiny bit why all these new class ability choices are a thing. Why do the classes need new ability choices at certain levels. Don't give us the condescending "This is super high level" (ie it's too big brained for you to understand the macrodetails)

[Clebao]

I feel that the purpose is to differentiate the advanced classes more which I think is fine (my opinion). The defense guardian preset with the saber reflect works best IMO. Edited July 10, 2021 by Clebao

[Elracor]

I feel that the purpose is to differentiate the advanced classes more which I think is fine (my opinion). The defense guardian preset with the saber reflect works best IMO.

 

Which is really the issue here. Either we'll see a "generally best" preset of choices that 99% of players will be picking, or we'll see players use specific loadouts for specific fights and thus potentially swapping loadouts many times every day.. I'm not sure which is worst.

 

At least with the current system you're dealing with the choice during the fight - which defensive cooldown will you be using right now to best deal with the situation, while knowing you'll have a couple minutes where the other cooldowns will have to do the job. With this new system, you'll just be using the cooldown you have.

Edited July 10, 2021 by Elracor

[Merkalto]

Aside from the missing abilities (root breaker, interrupt, freezing force (lol), etc.) I like the idea of being able to choose DCDs over passives and vice versa. I don't main and Guardian class, but I play enough of it to know how each spec works, and the ability count and rotation I created felt pretty natural from a casual standpoint.

 

However, I do not know how to feel about locking damaging/filler abilities behind the same "mods" system, especially if that will be the case for classes that have few little filler abilities at max level (Serenity Shadow, Tactics Vanguard, etc.). I understand reducing the overall abilities or swapping in-between them will help out new/returning players who might get overwhelmed at all of the abilities that certain classes may have, however as I've read from the others in this thread, its pretty jarring to have certain abilities become mutually exclusive with each other and have that system not clearly explained in-game. (This is a PTS, so obviously I'm not expecting anything to be explained in-game with detail, and I'm sure the new combat proficiency tab whenever its opened up again will remedy that). Regardless, I trust that the team will careful with locking certain filler abilities that flow smoothly with rotations in 6.X.

 

As for the questions:

• Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.
  PTS Guardian does feel like a Jedi Guardian, just not the Guardian we are used to:
  Vigilance Guardian is very similar to how it functions in 6.X, which feels like a "I'm going to bombrush these mobs and defeat them with my crazy Force and Melee abilities" spec.
  Focus Guardian has always felt a bit too bloated to me, as its rotation tends to now flow as smoothly (or deal nearly enough damage) especially compared to its sister spec Concentration Sentinel. This spec has never really felt like a Jedi Guardian, and more of a "I'm just a normal Jedi Knight" spec. I did enjoy the spec feeling a bit more tanky overall compared to 6.X with the Zealous Leap absorb shield and DR bonus, which helped to make my toon feel like more of a Hybrid Defense Guardian.
  Defense Guardian without Blade Blitz and Saber Reflect hurts a lot, but this isn't the first time this spec has been without those two abilities. Compared to 6.X being less mobile as a tank isn't great, however you still feel like a Tank.
  
  
• Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?
  The lack of Dispatch for Focus and Defense removes a decent amount of "Killing Power" those spec had. While Vigilance Guardian is still mopping the floor with enemies, Focus doesn't seem to match in power even with autocrit bursts. Defense Guardian DCDs were mentioned above, but they're not essential to a standard rotation.
  
• What are your initial thoughts with the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?
  I answered this one in the above question to an extent, however DPS Guardian still kills trash mobs fast and gets the job done. Focus is on the weaker side, Vigilance is pretty solid. Defense Guardian is a tank, and a;ll tanks will not perform as well as the DPS specs when it comes to trash mobbing.
  
• How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?
  The added passives that we can pick from are really interesting and I like them a lot! Especially the Blade Storm cone AOE passive that we can pick up with the Vigilance and Focus "B" spec. I enjoy the DCD "mods" system, I do not enjoy filler abilities being potentially locked behind the same system. (I miss using Saber Throw at the start of each fight, it feels iconic to the Guardian class).
   
  I'm sure I will enjoy the more of the specs as I get to know them better and as the options are opened up more to us in the coming months.
  
• If you have feedback on the different disciplines and ability paths, please note your feedback accordingly so we can track it.
  Alright I'll do a TLDR:
  1) Please be careful with locking filler/damaging abilities behind the "mods" system. While decreasing ability bloat is a good thing for the most part, having enough abilities to cycle through during a fight keeps fights interesting and keeps rotations flowing smoothly.
   
  2) The new passives via the "mods" system are fun and I'm hoping most if not all of the new passives follow this format. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the new passives as they are rolled out!
   
  3) Maybe... just maybe give Defense Guardian a little bit more mobility to compensate for how harshly the "mods" system hurts this spec.
   
  Otherwise no, I have nothing else to share currently, I hope as the "mods" system is developed more it becomes better and better! Thank you for showcasing what the team has put together, we all appreciate it (even if we all don't show it sometimes ).
  

[Savej]

So... we gain the ability to gain 5 levels and lose a couple quickbars worth of abilities with no warning, no explanation? Do you really want to know how I feel about that? It's hard to test because not much is bolstered and pvp didn't pop when I q'd. Edited July 10, 2021 by Savej

[CrazyScruffy]

Please answer the following questions:

[*]Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.

First toon was a guardian and still play as 1. I personally feel like it does feel like a guardian. Also i understand that this is a very limited scope of the upcoming changes, i look forward to testing it more

 

[*]Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?

Yes there are abilities missing however i still found it easy to pick it up and play as normal

 

[*]What are your initial thoughts on the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?

went and did all of onderon solo and had zero issues. sure the comp was useless but besides that it was pretty easy

 

[*]How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?

Its a guardian, pretty hard not to enjoy it

 

[*]If you have feedback on the different disciplines and ability paths, please note your feedback accordingly so we can track it.

Vigiliance - Option A

 

 

 

I won't be dramatic like everyone else and act like the sky is falling. Yes, there is going to be changes (and if people pay attention they would notice that year 10 and 7.0 ads have basically sold it as a reboot of the game) but it's hard to judge how good the changes will be. As with most change there will be some benefits and drawbacks. the only 100% thing is not everyone is going to be happy. I'm gonna be patient and see how the pts opens up a bit more for testing with way more freedom. All in all i'm pretty happy with the changes

Edited July 10, 2021 by CrazyScruffy

[Elracor]

So... we gain the ability to gain 5 levels and lose a couple quickbars worth of abilities with no warning, no explanation? Do you really want to know how I feel about that? It's hard to test because not much is bolstered and pvp didn't pop when I q'd.

 

Testing PvP wouldn't help much either way as you'd be playing against an overweight of Guardians. Even if any other classes are present, you'll be fighting classes that haven't been "nerfed" yet.

[MaximusRex]

• Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.
   
  My Main is Immortal Juggernaut. I chose Guardian A. This didn't feel like a tank. On my Warrior I can use my abilities in a selective rotation to proc additional defensive and utilitarian skills to make me feel more durable and effective. I didn't feel like I got to control what I was doing, or at least current tooltips aren't obvious as to how you control procs that are controllable on live. Also feel more like a generic melee than a powerful force user with force abilities missing like saber throw, or too many/long CD on other force abilities.
   
   
  
• Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?
   
  Focus/Rage generation was terrible, I have been playing since pre-launch and I felt like I didn't know what button to press, and spent way too much time using the basic attack. There is no obvious flow to how combat should be working.
   
   
  
• What are your initial thoughts with the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?
   
  Threat was terrible, my companion was killed while I was trying to AOE tank. Lack of good affordable AOE wasn't helping.
  
   
  
• How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?
   
  I didn't find it enjoyable at all, spamming basic attack trying to get Focus and waiting for CD on the few abilities I have, or using all of what little Focus I had on them only to be back to spamming the basic attack wasn't enjoyable to me. On live I almost never need to use the basic attack and I can rotate through my abilities pretty seamlessly rarely being restricted to wait for rage and CDs to end.
   
   
  
• If you have feedback on the different disciplines and ability paths, please note your feedback accordingly so we can track it.
  
  I am concerned too much is being stripped out and too much control is being taken from players. If I wanted to play dice I'd do so.
   
  

[Death-Hammer]

I feel like you just butchered the class. It wasn't fun to play. Too many missing abilities. Drastically weaker. There are no words for my level of disappointment. If this change means losing 2/3 of our abilities, then I don't know how much longer I'll be playing.

[MaximusRex]

Just a quibble on your point regarding saber throw.

 

Saber throw, the whole concept is launching an offensive by tossing your lightsaber.

 

The whole concept of a Jedi guardian is one who defends, hence the more tanky ideas.

 

I would argue that saber throw belongs more for a Jedi Sentinel than a Jedi Guardian.

 

Tanks pull and Saber throw is a great way to do it. I would argue that you don't know what you are talking about.

[CrazyOldMystic]

To the devs this is as bad if not worse then the time you took away full auto from powetechs and vanguards. Saber throw is a inconic sith/Jedi ability. I dont know if this was intentional or if this is because only some things are being shared, but if this is what your planning on doing to all classes. Do me a small favor stay away from the trooper. Ive already lost too many abilities on my commando and vanguard, and I dont want to lose anymore. Those that main a guardian or warrior are not going to be happy about this at all.

 

The opinion of one player.

 

As far as how the abilities felt, I can not comment on that, I main troopers and troopers. I do not have the exparince in the current guardian or warrior to be making a judgement on that end.

[Pyoter]

Does this feel like a Jedi Guardian? Please explain why or why not.

This feels like a weak Jedi Guardian. A Jedi Guardian Lite. 50% less calories/flavor of a Jedi Guardian.

I went with Defense B and then swapped to Vigilance A. Neither felt quite fleshed out yet, though I can't define why. Defense felt a little more Guardian-y than Vigilance, though oddly Vigilance was a smoother play experience. This may sound strange, but I didn't get the sense that I was doing much more than waving a sword around. Without the light saber SFX, it almost feels somewhat tank generic for Guardian, Vigilance was a bit more rough and tumble Clone Wars-esque Jedi, but both felt a bit too squishy.

 

Is there anything that feels missing or out of place in the combat rotation?

I could not determine a good combat rotation on either spec and just tried to muddle through with smashing abilities as they cooled down.

Not having a ranged pull was severely lacking for the Defense/Tank spec, and I feel like my damage mitigation was not stellar though that may be a 'me' issue.

For Vigilance, it felt like I was missing a crowd control method for some reason? I kept getting overwhelmed.

 

What are your initial thoughts with the effectiveness of the Jedi Guardian against enemies?

Below Average. The Defense damage output is designed to be terrible in favor of survivability, but I found myself dying repeatedly anyway. It may help if someone in the group could heal (or my companion could stay alive).

For Vigilance, the action came faster but damage output still felt poor. Again, may have been me.

 

How are you enjoying or not enjoying this class?

I'm not enjoying the class. On the DPS spec the damage mitigation feels too low. On the Tank spec the damage output feels too low. On both the survivability feels too low! I'm a constant corpse; they haven't quite gotten to the Goldilocks place yet to me.

 

 

General Feedback

I suspect I'm...well not unique, but uncommon, as I played the game through Hutt Cartel and only just returned to it, so I don't really know the current Guardian play style all that well. I can't comment on how DIFFERENT it may be vs. what's on live. But looking at your new leveling/ability roadmap from the other post, this feels like the old skill trees in a different format. Rather than selecting a talent tree branch, we're picking actual abilities or passives. Based on the livestream I don't think that was your intent, but there it is, and that feels like a step backwards. The concept you pitched on the livestream seems exciting but not at this level of expense for a viable role experience with this degree of ability prune.

 

On a related matter, I realize you're racing a clock for release, but it seems to me that this may have set off more alarm bells than you were intending. Throwing everyone in at 75 with only the top-level concept available may be the wrong way to test this new play experience. If you want to verify these temp playsets and the new 5-level cadences are viable, I'd suggest having people start from the ground up at level 1 and experiencing the new flow organically. Giving us the full toolbox at cap is well-intentioned and certainly a way to determine endgame issues. But I suspect for frequent players it's a reminder of what's <not> available, and it doesn't let anyone get used to utilizing what exists as they go because it will always feel like something's missing.

[commanderwar]

 

I don't feel like that is apparent in the test center right now. Perhaps because it was a little too rushed.

 

The concept is going to fall flat because the abilities have not been tuned and you do have to keep in mind that the people who are testing are likely going to be hardcore PVP and raiders. They are the ones who are going to Care the most about the rotations and be the most picky that those rotations are going to be changed and that they will have to learn something new.

 

So you better make it worth their while to learn something new otherwise you're going to hear it and are already hearing it.

 

I guess having played this, the point of my post is I can see the potential here. But there is a very long way to go and I don't know that the development team did themselves any favors in terms of getting valuable feedback with what they put out on test center currently; to me this is a parent because everyone is complaining in saying not to change anything.

 

I do think changes are needed to keep up with more modern MMOs, and simplification of the abilities to a point I think is long overdue, but I also think that if you're trying to make that argument with what's on test center, you're going to fail 100 times out of 100.

 

The last piece of advice I can give is that the development team is on the right track but this go round was poorly executed.

 

 

I agree and I think the problem is that the pts was rushed, they said it is the restrictive phase in terms of abilities but still. I do believe that this change was needed, I do think there are too many abilities, but yeah I think they should of waited to put it on the pts until it was complete and balancing had been done. So I do think I will wait until the restrictive phase is over, and the balancing to give feedback and pass judgment.

Edited July 10, 2021 by commanderwar

[DsevenO]

Apparently Bioware's version of "choice" means less choice. A sith warrior where I have to *choose* saber throw? Is that a joke? Does this feel like a sith warrior/jedi knight? Hell no. It feels like a dumbed down generic class with far less combat efficacy. We're going to be an even bigger joke in ranked pvp as a dps class. If this goes live I'm out for good. If you want to simplify the game, take out many of the useless abilities that you added with Onslaught and remove the ridiculously overpriced and totally unnecessary amplifier system.

 

Enjoy the game while you can people. It's being gutted and turned into a game for simpletons.

Edited July 10, 2021 by DsevenO

[HarryIsbell]

yeah no this sucks, its just less abilities, we dont want less, I want more, and I know I shouldnt

[HamadKyron]

Yeah, I already said a bit earlier, but I mean this is silly. Most of my time nowadays is spent NiM raiding since that's the hardest content left to do. Nobody in the community that I know has ever asked for FEWER abilities, LESS choices, and so on. This just feels really shortsighted, and I don't even know if I'm gonna want to keep tanking NiM Ops if they remove half of my skills. Currently, I use EVERY single ability on my bar in one way or another. Yes, even Freezing Force (I like the speed boost utility). Removing all my options just removes a good portion of the fun out of things.

[phalczen]

Ok admittedly I have not gotten on PTS.

 

But, I don’t get this. I thought our meaningful choices were supposed to be about the set bonus, utilities, and tactical items that we chose, along with of course the discipline. I thought combat styles was going to be a mechanism for essentially swapping advanced classes to give players more freedom in how they complete encounters, to pair with the choices they make in the story.

 

This system makes it seem as if every five levels you are essentially choosing not only an ability but effectively a utility or tactical item, and doesn’t seem to look anything like potentially swappable “advanced classes.” This seems less like an under the hood updating of advanced classes to decouple them from the story base classes and more like a fundamental re-write of everything.

 

Some classes suffer from ability bloat more than others, to be sure, and some classes don’t have every box filled on their toolbars. But I never got the sense this was a game breaking issue throughout 6.x.

 

I just don’t understand, and with a busy week of work ahead it doesn’t look like I’ll have a ton of time to find out.