Star Wars: The Old Republic: Sith Classes

Now I have to admit that when playing with my beloved Star Wars figures all those years ago, the Empire always got the short end of the stick. As a confirmed Rebel Alliance sympathiser, my games inevitably ended in the defeat of Darth Vader and his accomplices. However, no one could deny that the Empire also had the coolest and most impressive stuff to play with... AT-AT Walker anyone? Stormtrooper armour? I don't think any iteration of Star Wars since the first film trilogy has ever matched the iconic impressiveness of Darth Vader striding through the corridors of a captured rebel ship, flanked by a troop of white clad stormtroopers! Then there were the Bounty Hunters, first introduced properly in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Boba Fett, Dengar, and Bossk (my first ever figure!) added a little menacing alien variety to the Imperial war machine. There's no denying the fact that as far as bad guys go, the Galactic Empire and it's Sith Masters were great at their job!

Anyway reminiscing aside, as far as I can tell Star Wars: The Old Republic is aiming to give the Empire a better crack of the whip than I ever did! I'm a little disappointed that there's no Stormtrooper class to play, but I guess that's just part of the story. Don't forget that Star Wars: The Old Republic is set 3000 years before Star Wars IV: A New Hope, and Stormtroopers as we know them didn't exist. Back then Republic Troopers got all the cool armour and heavy blaster rifles! That said, SWTOR Empire classes won't be lacking in either firepower or wickedly glowing red lightsabres, so no need for all those aspiring Sith acolytes and taciturn bounty hunters to worry!

The Sith Warrior can be described quite easily in two words. Darth and Vader. Bioware have made no secret of the fact that everybody's favourite black clad villain is the inspiration behind the Sith Warrior class (check out the link to developer blog below). This makes for a very accessible class in terms of game-lore, I mean, everyone knows who Darth Vader is. Even my wife knows who Darth Vader is! An icon of intergalactic evil for over 30 years, his trademark red lightsabre and force-choke are set to become the tools of the trade for a new generation of Sith, even if they do pre-date him by 3000 years.

Sith Warriors more contemporary to the setting of Star Wars: The Old Republic, include Darth Malgus, Darth Scourge and the apprentice Eldon Ax. You can see Darth Malgus in action in the Decieved trailer released for the game, or read about him in the novel of the same name. Eldon Ax appears in the first Star Wars: The Old Republic novel Fatal Alliance. Darth Scourge, a pureblood Sith is also a great example of a Sith Warrior, and gets plenty of action in the newest Star Wars: The Old Republic book, Revan.

So what does this tell us about the Sith Warrior in terms of gameplay? Well, I think its fairly certain we're looking at a reasonably straightforward melee tank, although like most classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Sith Warrior can deal their fair share of damage too. Think again of Darth Vader striding purposefully into battle, absorbing everything the feeble rebels could throw at him without even flinching, deflecting blaster bolts with his light sabre while choking enemies with the force. I think that's what Bioware are aiming at with the Sith Warrior and this is evident in the skills and abilities that Sith Warriors are so far known to have. A single lightsabre is a given - no surprises there, and force choke makes an appearance very early on in the level climb too. Although some ranged attacks do open up later on, for example Lightsabre Throw, the Sith Warrior's focus remains on melee, with heavy armour to back up the damage output.

On reaching level ten, the Sith Warrior, like all Star Wars: The Old Republic classes can choose one of two advanced roles. In the case of the Sith Warrior the Marauder or Juggernaut paths are available.

The Juggernaut apppears to most lend itself to what I would consider a normal tank's playstyle. Checking out the Advanced Class page confirms that they'll be clad in heavy armour and reveals some nice skills for a traditional melee damage magnet! There are three paths, Vengeance, Immortal and Rage, the latter being shared with the other Sith Warrior Advanced Class, the Marauder. Although I don't yet know exactly how the numbers work in Star Wars: The Old Republic, it looks like Vengeance encompasses some pretty hefty damage dealing attacks, Shatter and Unstoppable, both of which sound ideal for grabbing all the aggro. These are complimented by the Immortal skills, Invincible, which temporarily reduces incoming damage, and Revenge which buffs counterattack chances. The Juggernaut certainly appears to live up to its name, and the Class Progression trailer shows off some that nice heavy armour although in my humble opinion, Darth Vader still holds the trophy in the looking evil and imposing stakes!

In the case of the Marauder the emphasis appears to be more on melee DPS. Not only do Marauders get to wield dual lightsabres at level 10, but a quick glance through the skills in the Marauder tree reveals some dangerous looking abilities.