Overly Positive

Classes are yet to be revealed in Bioware‘s Star Wars: The Old Republic, but one thing that we haven’t seen a lot about, on anywhere official, is stuff about the Jedi and the Sith. Sure, we’ve seen gameplay videos with glimpses of front-flipping Force masters taking down monsters or the obvious pants-wetter that was the “Deceived” trailer from E3, but we really haven’t seen much else about how people are going to be waving around the iconic light-up swords they know and love.

One such obvious fear is the idea that Jedi and Sith, if they are introduced as classes in and of themselves in the game, will become all too common. To be honest, even I remember being impatient as I fast-tracked my way through clumsy weapons like blaster pistols and rifles in the KOTOR games to get to that glowy goodness that is the lightsaber. It’s no secret that any Star Wars fan, unless they liked a totally niche part of the franchise (don’t worry, we still love you, JarJar fanclub), has had some kind of mental fantasy about being a Jedi or a Sith. Logically, this means that every other person you might see in SW:TOR is going to have a lightsaber at their side, ready at a moment’s notice to re-enact that scene from Mos Eisley that cost people limbs.

Don’t get so worried folks – tons of lightsabering Star Wars kid-wannabes won’t be the end of the world for Bioware’s new MMO. For one thing, the old Republic’s lore and story follows a time when those who wielded lightsabers were all too common, making the history built-in for the many people looking to be the next Luke Skywalker. Lightsabers are not just going to be a dime-a-dozen, they’ll be welcome to be so.

Looking at Bioware’s KOTOR games, you also have to see that lightsabers aren’t always the end all-be all, either. In the games, waving around your lightsaber is not necessarily the way to get around, kill everything, and generally come out unscathed. No, your party members and your other abilities had to come into play as well, allowing you to close the distance for some limb-severing goodness. In an MMO, the analog is clearly being careful not to make melee DPS so powerful that they mash up everything they swing at. Lightsabers, even if they are everywhere, will probably be balanced in the same way they were in the Knights games, requiring precision, timing, and smarts to pull off. Don’t be surprised if elements are introduced that create better results for being more elegant with your lightsaber than pressing “111111111112″ on your keyboard over and over.

At the very least, everyone can count on one of the great truisms of MMOs – everyone wants to make sure they are unique from everyone else, in some form or fashion. This almost always guarantees that there will be someone out there who will play a non-Jedi or non-Sith class just to show they can play such a class. There will be plenty of room for Smugglers, Troopers, Bounty Hunters, and whatever else Bioware has in store for us, and many people will be more than happy to take up the call to arms – even if it’s to be like the Stormtrooper guy who gets killed by a reflected laser shot from a lightsaber. It is, after all, a role-playing game too, right?

Assuage your fears with a bit of Star Wars movie goodness (I personally like the Luke-Darth duel from Empire Strikes Back), and relax – the Jedi and the Sith will most certainly be popular in The Old Republic, but I don’t think Bioware, or anyone else for that matter, would have it any other way. Because of that, expect some interesting balancing that will more than likely make the lightsaber-free experience a good one.  It works for vegetarians and dieters, and it’ll work for you, too.

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