Posted by Cormeister in Blue Milk & Cereal | 20 Comments
Blue Milk & Cereal: How Do You Feel About “One Class, One Weapon”?
No day would be complete without the breakfast of Jedi: Blue Milk & Cereal. Every morning, the team at Ask A Jedi will get Force-induced thoughts coursing through your head with delicious issues from around the galaxy! Join in the discussion below to make your voice heard!
In traditional MMOs, player characters usually have a wide range of weapon choices. For instance, a fighter class could use a sword, axe, or mace while a mage class could use a staff, dagger, or wand. Even in table top roleplaying games the trend has been to allow your character to train in a specific weapon category and then be able use one or many weapons that fall under that category. However, in SW:TOR BioWare is taking a decidedly different approach.
I should probably expand on my title of “One Class, One Weapon”. A more accurate title would be “One Advanced Class, One Signature Weapon”. Sith Assassins/Jedi Shadows have access to double-bladed lightsabers. Trooper Commandos have access to Blaster Cannons. Bounty Hunter Mercenaries get access to dual blaster pistols. And the list goes on…
These are the only weapon choices that your character gets. You can’t pick and choose your character’s weapon except from amongst the one or two types that your character is given. You cant use a double-bladed lightsaber as a Sith Juggernaut, for instance. Sure, you could choose to be a Sith Marauder and only use one lightsaber, but why do that when you can use two lighsabers?
I believe that BioWare chose to limit weapon choice to make the classes feel more iconic. A Jedi uses a lightsaber. Period. If you want to live the fantasy of being a Jedi through SW:TOR, why would you sacrifice one of the most unique things about being a Jedi and not wield a lightsaber? Same goes for Bounty Hunters, Smugglers, and everyone else.
Personally, I like the decision to limit weapon choice, but I can see where the lack of choice can lead to trouble. People like to have options in MMOs, that is why there are character creators after all, and why BioWare has made Story (and by extension, player choice) the 4th pillar of MMO design. Where do you guys fall in the argument?
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I understand Biowares argument for doing this, but I certainly don’t agree with it. The ability to recognize my opponent in PvP comes with experience and isn’t a good enough reason in my opinion to validate this design choice. Even adding to that the iconic element of a class having a signature weapon just feels like an excuse. If we were talking old 8-bit side scroller fine.. but for a MMO claiming to push the envelope of the genera it’s bad.
Coming from a long RPG background that started in PnP, I’m all for character customization and diversity. So it’s upsetting to see great game content restricted like this. Ultimately, this is a core system that will likely never change so I’ll just have to make due with what we’re given.
That is realy good, we are not use to it, but I don’t want to see a trooper running around with a Lightsaber. This MMO is base on story and I’m find with that.
If it translates into very good animations and such it may be ok for me, still don’t see what´s bad about having the ability to wear a blaster in your hands as jedi even if your only skill with it is “simple shoot”, just for roleplaying, hearing the arguments of some people you would think that a jedi becomes unable to hold anything that its not a light sword in his hands… why they could not have the same skill than a soldier with it if they train?, don’t see the sense on it outside of lazy programming.
:-) the same goes for non force users, they should be able to hold light sabres, pistols and rifles the same, just be bad with them if they dont have the skill trees (witch they dont).
I don’t like it but understand what they’re trying to say.
What I want is simply like what you said, Jedi = lightsabers Ranged classes = blasters
But I want my sith inquisitor (assassin) to be able to dual wield lightsabers instead of having a set dual bladed lightsaber as I hate those.
Or maybe for a smuggler to be able to hold a rifle instead of just blaster pistols.
I understand the reasoning behind why they did it and in most ways I agree with it i just feel that as a jedi/sith i should be able to choose what ever type of light saber/ fight style i wish so a knight with a dual bladed saber or warrior tank with 2 light sabers. On the other hand why cant a BH use a blaster rifle instead of just a pistol. I do get the idea just think it would be better all round if we had more choice :D
I really like it, actually. I know it limits character choice, but every game does that in some way. At least it’s up front and honest with Bioware.
I like that every class on each side has a signature look to it, and that it includes weapons is just all the better IMO. My Sith Warrior doesn’t need to hold a blaster. I can pretend if I want to roleplay, but ultimately it has no impact on the gameplay experience.
As to the argument about “be able to use it but be bad with it” — that just doesn’t work in this game. There is NO auto-attack. A Jedi has NO attacks that could use a blaster. The standard attack swings a lightsaber.
Every class has been designed, animated, and balanced to use a particular weapon. Bounty Hunters have NO attack that would work with a lightsaber. Everything they do is firing a blaster or using some kind of armor-based tech attack. They don’t have a “swing” because there’s not auto-attack that just uses whatever weapon you have. That’s not a part of this game.
It’s not really an unusual decision. It certainly simplifies class balance (none of that “but what if the smuggler uses a blaster cannon?”) and the specs.
It wasn’t much different in WoW. As a warrior or rogue, for example, your spec limited you to two-handed weapons, one-handed weapons, etc. Rogues couldn’t even backstab unless they had a dagger equipped in the main hand.
Casters had some more freedom in choice, but for them weapons were just “stat sticks”. The only relevance the type of weapon has is that certain classes cannot use certain weapon types.
Admittedly, saying that Jedi can use lightsabers oh, but wait, you can’t use that lightsaber is rather strange.
Force users should be the only ones using lightsabers, and probably shouldn’t be using anything else. Heavy weapons and gadgets should be restricted to troopers and BHs respectively.
Beyond that, though, I think they should open it up, even if only as a cosmetic choice.
In most mmorpgs you choose your class then you choose your weapons nd so on. In SWTOR you can think of it as choosing your aesthetics fights then deciding if ( for example ) your bounty hunter is going to be tank, dps, or support. So in a way u van choose if your, let’s just say tank, has a blaster or a lightsaber. You just have to make this choice first.
I like the idea of being limited. This way, when EndGame rolls around, there aren’t many people vying for the same item. I could see this being beneficial.
I really like the idea and agree with what Raz stated above.
What you have to ask yourself is: What weapon would my character find to be most effective? If a Jedi or Sith has a Lightsaber, what reason would they have for using a blaster when it would be much less effective? The same goes for the blaster/tech classes: Surely a Lightsaber in the hands of a Bounty Hunter would be far less effective for him?
I like the idea because, for once, we can be identified by what we are based entirely on our weapons or appearance. And not just in PvP, but everywhere. If an Inquisitor could use 2 Lightsabers, then that makes the Sentinel/Maurader less unique and vice-versa; if a Bounty Hunter could pull out a giant gun, then the Trooper would be less unique. And I’m sure the Bounty Hunter would find a giant gun to be a cumbersome weapon anyways.
As for RP reasons, sure, a Jedi may be able to pull out a blaster every now and then, but why would he have it in the first place? They ARE uncivilized afterall! And if a non Force user class pulled out a Lightsaber, well where the hell did he get it from? Something like that would surely break the “immersion” so many people treasure.
Ultimately, I imagine this was a design decision to make balancing much easier, and noone can deny that that’s a good thing in the end!
hated the fact that my BH could not use assault rifle and sniper, it was just adding a meh effect to the game when i saw a trooper past me with his big cannon, it just made me feel week.
no joke… and for those who disagree with me you will think the same once you get to play, playing with pistols when you wear 500lbs of armor doesn’t work.
weak*
+ seeing canon drops for my BH in some empire fp only made it worst but i’m sure bioware will fix this.
I have played, and i disagree. It’s about class flavor. If you feel weak using one or two pistols (and somehow the flamethrower and rockets firing from your wrists doesn’t help) then maybe BH is just the wrong class for you? I’m not saying this in a “GTFO” kind of way, i mean it as an honest comment.
If you want the big gun, then make a Trooper. Or if you want a sniper rifle then make an Agent.
I understand you might want to see the BH story and enjoy the class mechanics, but want a different weapon. But there are plenty of people who will play the BH and LOVE dual pistols, or just one. They are the only class on the Imperial side that uses blaster pistols. So it does give them unique flavor for their faction.
For some people, that’s important.
If you want to make your own character with a lightsaber, play lego star wars. This is the old republic.
Lack of variety is lack of variety. It doesn’t make sense that a Jedi can specialize in any kind of lightsaber, for example. Nor that a Bounty Hunter has to use pistols and not rifles, etc.
I’m not saying that as a jedi/sith we should be able to shoot but i do feel I should have more choice of what type of light saber I can use be it a single or double. I do think all classes should have a signature weapon so jc/si double bladed, warrior/knight dual savers, trooper cannon etc. Ofc no other class should be able to use the signature on but think as a jc I should be aloud the double blade as a healer etc. Also a bh with a standard blaster rifle as supposed to just pistols not a sniper rifle as that would be the operative signature weapon. And so on, you could even not have the force users have a set saber type it could be something you choose early on and you then have to stick to as you are then trained in that weapon and not others.
Sorry done that on my pad and it has a predictive txt system so it chose the wrong words and didn’t notice till after I posted it
I like certain restrictions, like I don’t think non-Jedi/Sith classes should be able to use lightsabers, but I’d like more flexibility in the use of lightsabers within the Jedi/Sith classes. I’m going Juggernaut and I’d love to be able to use a dual-blade lightsaber but that’s not possible. I’m stuck with a single, which is the opposite of unique as Sorcerors also use it and Marauders use two of them. Only the Assassin has a unique force weapon on the Sith side.