This year is a big year for The Old Republic MMO, as BioWare's Knights of the Fallen Empire is scheduled to release a new chapter every month from February to August. That said, there are plenty of people out there who haven't even played the game yet! New players are met with an immediate decision as they start the game: what class should you play? That can be a tough question, so I'm here to help you out. Seeing as how this is an MMO that specializes in storytelling, here's a ranking of the class storylines from worst to best. Watch out, there may be some spoilers along the way.
8. Bounty Hunter
We start with the Bounty Hunter, who actually has one of the strongest opening acts in the game. Getting the opportunity to go around and capture/kill your targets to prove yourself to the Mandalorians was fun and enjoyable, but unfortunately, that storyline is quickly wrapped up in the first act. The story then meanders through a second act that is liable to bore a player into quitting and starting a new character. The third act gets marginally better, but is hampered by the same rinse and repeat aspect of the second act. In essence, the Bounty Hunter storyline felt unnecessarily stretched out, making this one fall to the bottom of the rankings.
7. Trooper
Similar to the Bounty Hunter, the Trooper plot starts off fairly well. Hunting down traitors of the Republic was entertaining and showed the Republic in a less than positive light. This was actually the best thing the storyline did, as it made the Republic feel real instead of this government that could do no wrong. Like the Bounty Hunter storyline, though, it drops off significantly in the second act. The second and third act again suffer from repetitiveness, though the final act is much more enjoyable than the Bounty Hunter's, hence the one spot difference.
6. Sith Inquisitor
After much debate, I decided the Sith Inquisitor should be the next ranked class on the list. I had a hard time with this one, since I personally enjoy the class itself quite a bit. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that the plot is great.
Most of the set up revolves around hunting the ancient spirits of the Sith. You're basically a Ghostbuster, which is pretty cool. Sadly, the rest of the plot is fairly average. One thing that bothered me was that one of the biggest choices available to your class is made in a side quest for one of your companions. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was disappointing that a seemingly important part of the story was relegated to a side quest.
There was potential with this class, but it was wasted in the end.
5. Smuggler
We find the Smuggler right in the middle of this list, mostly for the fact that it was a fairly middling experience. The class is fun to play, but for a majority of the first and second act, you feel like an errand boy. It wasn't until the tail end of act two that things really begin to pick up with a harrowing heist, followed by a face-off with the ever elusive Voidwolf.
Like I said, the problem lies with the fact that you don't really do much except what people tell you to. Additionally, similar to the Inquisitor, a major element is relegated to companion side quests, despite serving as the main focus of act one. It is a frustrating decision, as well as an incredibly stupid one. Focusing on that plot point could have opened up a wealth of opportunities for Smuggler type actives. You know, stealing and....well, more stealing.
4. Consular
I had a hard time ranking this particular storyline because the first act was so bad. I absolutely hated the opening act and actually abandoned the class for a while until I talked myself into giving it another go. Let's just say I'm glad I did.
While the first act trudged along, the revelations in the second and third act regarding the Children of the Emperor and subsequent twists - no matter how expected those twists were - made the last half of the Consular's plot one of the best. Unfortunately, the first act was so bad, that I couldn't justify putting it above the next three classes.
3. Jedi Knight
This was a tough one for me. Many people have argued that the Jedi Knight storyline is the 'true' KOTOR continuation we've been waiting for. For what it was, it did sort of touch on things that were left open at the end of KOTOR and KOTOR II, but after the various expansions, it feels like most of the things the Jedi Knight did was rendered meaningless. That said, the story is still one of the best in the game.
The first act was a tad slow for my liking, but it picked up quickly once the Emperor became the main focus. What keeps the Jedi Knight from taking the top spot was that the Emperor was actually kind of a boring bad guy. Moreover, the story didn't take any risks or offer any compelling twists to spice up the adventure. It was fun to finally take out the guy Revan was after for such a long time, it just could have been a little more exciting.
2. Sith Warrior
The Sith Warrior stands out for having the best nemesis of all the other class story lines. Baras is easily the best Sith in the entire Empire, hands down, and I'll fight you if you say otherwise.
Surprisingly, the Sith Warrior provided me with what I expected from the Inquisitor plot: a peak into the inner workings of the Sith Empire. Politicking, backstabbing, and scheming all play major parts, and the last act in particular gives us a great look at how the Sith keep each other in check. Not to mention it was fun dual wielding lightsabers, just saying.
1. Imperial Agent
This class blows every other class out of the water. The plot is masterfully written to the point that no other class came close to placing first. The Imperial Agent has the most original plot of the other eight, and does a magnificent job at throwing in twists that you wouldn't have expected.
What really makes this particular storyline stand out is that the choices you make throughout your playthrough make the most noticeable changes. BioWare has always harped on 'choices matter' and 'your decisions mean something,' but the Imperial Agent is the only class that actually takes that to heart. I don't want to spoil anything, but the final choice at the end of the Agent storyline is a doozy and can lead to multiple different endings - something the others don't do.
I don't want to spoil anything else, so I'm just going to say that you'd be well served by playing the Imperial Agents storyline.
Published: Jan 28, 2016 07:47 pm