Do we really need more combat styles after 7.0?

[Zorii_Bliss]

There seems to be much eagerness expressed by many here that decoupling story from what weapons and powers a character wields opens up the prospect for new combat styles. So which styles are "missing" from SWTOR and why'd they make a difference?

[BroBroNelly]

Off the top of my head? A vibroblade-wielding tech class, a truly ranged blaster rifle class that doesn't get penalized, and (this is the most unlikely but a guy can dream) a force class that has some blaster abilities (think Luke throughout the OT).

[LordCamTheGreat]

Same as the above post.

 

Vibroblade wielding tech combat style

 

Electrostaff wielding tech combat style

 

Blaster pistol and lightsaber combat style

 

Half tech half force combat styles would be really really cool - especially when/if the force/tech boundary for combat styles gets removed in the far future. Undercover force sensitive operative, smugger with a ridiculous amount of (force) luck, SIS jedi etc.

 

I'd say blaster and melee but we kinda have that with operative, scoundrel, vanguard and powertech.

[Zorii_Bliss]

Off the top of my head? A vibroblade-wielding tech class, a truly ranged blaster rifle class that doesn't get penalized, and (this is the most unlikely but a guy can dream) a force class that has some blaster abilities (think Luke throughout the OT).

 

Gun mis-representations aside we have Sniper, whose penalties for using a blaster rifle make sense even if full-auto on a sniper rifle doesn't. Arguments about physics and thermodynamics of blasters vs slug-throwers aside.

 

Well if Guardian is losing Saber Throw then perhaps they'll give them a pot-shot ability with a side-arm?

But that would mean 2 weapon slots and an off-hand... in which case let's have dual wield / single wield combos like 2 pistols and a long-gun, 2 sabers/blades and a sidearm/long-gun, more realistic rifle+sniper carry...

[SithKoriandr]

Lightsaber and Blaster combo is what I would be looking forward too. One with a good mix of saber and force ability and a blaster shot would be nice rotation.

[Alithia]

I like tech-based vibroblade class that is different from assas.

[Alithia]

... and maybe a true pet class? Creatures and droids. Have two battledroids doing your DPS. (Hello WoW BM hunter)

[SteveTheCynic]

In game-mechanical terms, a tech-user blade style would use a "Techblade" (as used by e.g. Tanno Vik) because SWTOR Vibroswords are Force weapons, but yes, a tech-user blade style would be interesting.

[Tsillah]

Not a new combat style as such but a rework of the sage and sorc combat styles to finally wield a force staff instead of wielding a lightsaber they never really use. Lightsaber combat is completely wasted on that class. I'd like to see them wielding a force staff with animations for skills being cast via the force staff. See the staff as an amplifier or channel to cast skills. Not all skills, just some of them.

[Darth-Obvious]

In game-mechanical terms, a tech-user blade style would use a "Techblade" (as used by e.g. Tanno Vik) because SWTOR Vibroswords are Force weapons, but yes, a tech-user blade style would be interesting.

 

True and a Techblade Combat Style would probably be the easiest to add given they could recycle many animations and abilities from Knights/Warriors.

 

The only issue currently being that there aren't a ton of techblades in the game to offer any kind of weapon variety for said style however it's something they can slowly add more of with each update leading up to an eventual techblade style.

 

In other words if they know they're probably going to do a techblade combat style at some point they should start adding at least one new techblade art asset any time they update the game with new items.

 

Not a new combat style as such but a rework of the sage and sorc combat styles to finally wield a force staff instead of wielding a lightsaber they never really use. Lightsaber combat is completely wasted on that class. I'd like to see them wielding a force staff with animations for skills being cast via the force staff. See the staff as an amplifier or channel to cast skills. Not all skills, just some of them.

 

I've seen a number of people suggest this and Bioware has talked about it in the past but what it basically boils down to is that people who are playing force classes want to or expect to have or wield lightsabers regardless if they really do anything.

 

It's also unlikely that Bioware would replace lightsabers like that when so many people who play Sorc/Sage have bought CM lightsabers and don't necessarily play other force classes. I think there's too much money wrapped up in Sorc/Sages having lightsabers past, present and future for them to replace them.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Darth-Obvious

[Tsillah]

I've seen a number of people suggest this and Bioware has talked about it in the past but what it basically boils down to is that people who are playing force classes want to or expect to have or wield lightsabers regardless if they really do anything.

 

It's also unlikely that Bioware would replace lightsabers like that when so many people who play Sorc/Sage have bought CM lightsabers and don't necessarily play other force classes. I think there's too much money wrapped up in Sorc/Sages having lightsabers past, present and future for them to replace them.

Well, I didn't say take lightsabers away but if it's too difficult to allow two weapons on a single class then by all means, make it another combat style. I'm definitely fine with that.

[Sareeph]

Well, I didn't say take lightsabers away but if it's too difficult to allow two weapons on a single class then by all means, make it another combat style. I'm definitely fine with that.

 

Yes, they can already equip a saber or techblade and even a techblade that looks like a mace. Why not a Staff they dub techblade?

[Tsillah]

Yes, they can already equip a saber or techblade and even a techblade that looks like a mace. Why not a Staff they dub techblade?

well to be fair, the animations are the same whether you have a tech blade or a lightsaber. They're both one-handed sword-like weapons. A staff would require a lot more changes in the animations, especially because it would be a ranged weapon that I mean, not a melee weapon.

[TonyTricicolo]

Teras Kasi

Pistol Knife

Knife Pistol

Dual Knives

Ranged Stealth

[Kalnarius]

i can think of a few classes/combat styles we could get off the top of my head that would be make sense for the game.

 

Sith Alchemist - (support role not dps not healer actually a new role created), given buffs or alterations to self, party, raid to be use during fights while doing ok dps at the same time.

 

Dancer - (support role) giving inspirational buffs to party and debuffs to enemies. maybe even the first combat style that does not actually have a dps spec to them while can be somewhat an infiltration character at the same time.

 

Jedi beastmaster - ability chance to tame wildlife in nature and have them fight along side you as a battle pet.

 

Trooper with Vibroswords/Staves as technically it is already a thing in the game for NPCs but not for PCs. not saying give them sabers but you could I am not sure they ever will give them that ability.

 

Bounty hunter with swords/staves because they have stuff in game for them already that they cannot use.

 

Maybe a new hybrid sentinel/marauder with a lightsaber and a plaster pistol like luke.

 

interestingly would be the maybe a class that would turn itself into a rakghoul/nekghoul to battle.

 

Not saying we need all these but technically stuff that already exists in cannon or in the game itself just not accessed by the players. Well outside of Sith Alchemist as that is more a reflection of naga sadow, ludo kreesh, karness murr, zorsues zyn, marka ragnos abilities. They were not sorcerors in the general sense of the word they more closely represented sith magic or sith alchemy. Even in cannon there is the night sisters that would also practiced sith alchemy/magic, necromancy and so on. Jedi Beastmaster was already hinted up on in the wilds of Odessen so that to an extent is even in game. Whether or not they actually bring in some of these is another thing but having support role combat styles could actually change things up for swtor since they are trying to change things up as is.

[xordevoreaux]

Do we really need more combat styles after 7.0?

 

It's not a matter of asking is there a need, because that's a question demanding an answer in the absolute where there is none.

 

The entire population of players who join the game after 7.0 goes live -- without any history or background of what came before -- will always say "what about..." and demand with fresh eyes something different.

[Soljin]

Teras Kasi

 

I second this, Teras Kasi would be a cool Combat Style.

 

I want to say Creature Handler but in SWToR its tough to think how that would really play in a game with companions. Also the taming and training mechanics that would set it apart would be a big ask for this game.

 

A Lightwhip based combat style might be cool especially if you could roll with it as a Tech or Force class.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Soljin

[Darth-Obvious]

I want to say Creature Handler but in SWToR its tough to think how that would really play in a game with companions. Also the taming and training mechanics that would set it apart would be a big ask for this game.

 

You're thinking about it to much through the lens of how other games handle it as opposed to a very simple way to do it or the SWTOR way of doing things.

 

Taming and training mechanics would absolutely not exist because that requires new system mechanics instead of animation or skill swaps which is basically what Combat Styles are.

 

The easiest way to do something like a Pet Class/Style in SWTOR would be to take something like Madness Sorc, remove the VFX from their abilities while having pet attack animations play out in place of those VFX.

 

Many of the Madness Sorc's animations all point at or motion towards their target but without the VFX it would look like they're commanding their pets.

 

The pets would not have their own health pool or specific abilities.

 

Now of course people are going to say "That's not the way I want a pet style to be" but that's the "SWTOR way" and that way tends to be the easiest least complicated solution in order to arrive at a destination.

 

Chances are that future Combat Styles will be some kind of off-shoot of what already exists in the game rather than something completely built from scratch from the ground up.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Darth-Obvious

[LordCamTheGreat]

Many of the Madness Sorc's animations all point at or motion towards their target but without the VFX it would look like they're commanding their pets.

 

I'd love to see madness go all in on nightmarish creatures, summoning force shades (functionally just an animation with a husky creature lunging at the target before disappearing), a channeled attack like force lightning that instead shoots tiny insect-like creatures etc.

 

The closest thing we have to a pet class (off the top of my head) is the engineer spec for sniper where you place a plasma probe that just does one thing (aoe damage) until it expires. This could be expanded on by placing drones like the rail drones in the Scum and Villainy operation (operations chief fight) and replace laze target with a 0 second cooldown ability that forces your drones to target your current target. This could even become a whole combat style where a different discipline within the combat style gets access to healing drones.

[Soljin]

You're thinking about it to much through the lens of how other games handle it as opposed to a very simple way to do it or the SWTOR way of doing things.

 

Taming and training mechanics would absolutely not exist because that requires new system mechanics instead of animation or skill swaps which is basically what Combat Styles are.

 

The easiest way to do something like a Pet Class/Style in SWTOR would be to take something like Madness Sorc, remove the VFX from their abilities while having pet attack animations play out in place of those VFX.

 

Many of the Madness Sorc's animations all point at or motion towards their target but without the VFX it would look like they're commanding their pets.

 

The pets would not have their own health pool or specific abilities.

 

Now of course people are going to say "That's not the way I want a pet style to be" but that's the "SWTOR way" and that way tends to be the easiest least complicated solution in order to arrive at a destination.

 

Chances are that future Combat Styles will be some kind of off-shoot of what already exists in the game rather than something completely built from scratch from the ground up.

 

I think your Sorcerer spell effects idea would work really well for a Nightsister Rancor Tamer or a Sith Alchemist using some type of abomination all of which already have models in the game.

 

I agree a taming/training mechanic or any significant new system implementation is not likely a future reality for SWToR.

[MadDutchman]

Off the top of my head (besides what others have said above, many of which I like)

 

Tech assassin (true knife wielding CS, could have disciplines for burst, DOT and support (lots of crippling debuffs)). Would also give them an excuse to release a whole new weapon type to sell on the CM

 

Similar to the beast handler suggestions, but a droid controller CS could also work

[Alithia]

Pet class! Creatures for Sorcs, Droids for Imps or BH!

[Atomicbean]

Here's a few examples based off of already existing classes, equipment, and lore.

 

Jedi Temple Guard-esque design - Double bladed saber non-stealth heavy armor class that's very heavily lightsaber-combat oriented. A more direct combat version of shadow/assassin, that has far less force abilities. Offshoot of the Knight family rather than the Consular family.

 

Luke/Kyle Katarn style - Lightsaber + Blasters, Simplest way to do this would be single bladed saber primary, blaster pistol offhand. Could even be a hybrid melee/ranged class, with 3 specs, 1 that's more melee focused, one that's balanced and requires a lot of movement, one that's more ranged focused but still has access to stuff like say, force leap.

 

Melee non-force user that uses melee weapons rather than a point-blank rifle/pistol. Between Trandoshans, Mandalorians, Wookies, pirate forces, slavers, etc. there's a lot of obvious star wars lore regarding this, and honestly I have no clue why it wasn't a class at launch. There's also enough here to make not 1, not 2, but THREE different potential classes, using just existing in-game items. Single/Dual/Double, just like the lightsaber classes.

 

Additional jedi/sith combat disciplines, such as "dueling" (dooku), telekinetic saber combat (Traya, Ooroo, etc.) (This would literally be a ranged lightsaber class pretty much), not exactly sure how to give this one cross-faction parity, though I guess that wouldn't technically be required post 7.0, but Plo Koon/Electric Judgement light-side Lightning.

There's a lot of interesting stuff they could potentially do just with the basic Jedi/Sith templates.

 

Standard Trooper - Ranged Blaster Rifle - The middle ground of Vanguard/Commando.

 

Shotgun Vanguard - Basically Vanguard/PT concept but using a Scattergun/Shotgun-esque weapon instead.

 

Of note, the ranged saber one is probably the most interesting of these, and would even functionally almost be a pet class if designed to be such. And doesn't the Revan fight in ToS even practically have these already? So it's not even going out-of-game for the lore of it. ...would also probably sell color crystals the most out of any possible class lol.

[WHTJunior]

Maybe reverse-grip dual-wield lightsaber, polearm (either staff or force pike), or unarmed.

[InAMirrorDarkly]

As a Commando main, I would love a Tanking style using Assault Cannon