Maybe the NPC's are like the stories of Russian soldiers. So stubborn that after you shoot them you had to push them over, as claimed by multiple invaders over the years.

What would make me unsub? A better Star Wars mmorpg would be an obvious candidate. Also, if I get to the point where a few days or even weeks off doesn't leave me with the urge to check in a play a bit. Lastly, if the writing keeps going in the current direction, after the base storylines it seems to drop off real fast, so much so that I don't want to do them and at times regret doing them on some of my characters... If I were to unsub, what would make me come back? Easy, story lines that are well written and class specific that make this feel like Star Wars again. For the the Eternal Throne and Fallen Empire lines were not good...at all... They used a one size fits all approach and ended up with one size fits no one at all... Plus it puts the characters in a really strange place in the SWTOR world... Just where are they supposed to go from now that they are effectively one of the true galactic powers? For the non-force types especially the FE/ET lines put them somewhere they don't fit. But even the force users seem out of place as the new eternal emperor (yeah you can be the supreme commander instead, but the difference is just in the title, you are still sitting in the big chair). The question then becomes "how do we get back to normal"... I just don't see a rational story line to do that unless we are going to have some crazy alien invasion that can take out the eternal fleet but ultimately be defeated in some way followed by the rebuilding of the empire and republic...

[quote=Yes but if one thing in Star Wars has taught us, is that you can have an entire fleet at your back, but a single person can still get to you and kill you. Luke and the Emperor, Bane and those Sith, the Revan, the TOR main character and Valkorian. Remember "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force." If Ashara really is that powerful the full might of the Eternal Fleet doesn't mean anything. Yeah but their fleet wouldn't go rogue like the Eternal Fleet... Anyone see Ashara taking that seat? I don't...

Killing would not be the only viable option in my view. But the DSer would have to send a strong message in some way. A severe beatdown, maiming, freezing in carbonite, killing, or several other options would be available. Besides, we are sitting on the Eternal throne with the Eternal Fleet at our command... Even if Ashara was an equal in terms of force power (which I highly doubt) she is certainly not an equal in terms of galactic power. Nor would she be likely to survive a full scale orbital bombardment... Besides, doesn't the Eternal Fleet go all rogue and hostile if the person sitting on the throne gets killed off? Someone has to be on that throne...and the fleet protects itself... If Ashara is all about helping people and such she has to know that the worst thing she could do would be to kill off the SI, which makes her position weaker right off the bat and leaves her vulnerable.

Maybe for the LSers...but I can't buy it for the DSers. Letting her walk out would seem to me to look like weakness. A Sith can't let themselves appear weak unless they want to be a target or pawn. To me the DSer would have to fight in some way, not just stand there and take the perceived insult. Besides, how long until everyone knows they can just walk away? In my view, the DSer just can't afford to let that happen.

Fair point. The dark side is not necessarily "evil" in and of itself. I does however tend to manifest in ways that are at best selfish and very frequently in a manner that could be considered as "evil" my most moral codes. You are certainly correct about the testing aspect however. Opera non verba, deeds not words is key. Anyone can say anything, but unless one has the deeds to back up those words, they mean nothing. The truly callous might say, "prove it" and fire up a lightsaber. The more benevolent might say, "show me" while posing some less lethal form of test. Any and every master would have a duty to test the claim in my opinion...unless they are just very lazy masters.

That was essentially my point. Many seem to think DS 5 means "psychopathic evil villain personified". To me, that is a more garden variety evil. Yes, it is shocking and gets attention. It is a true headline grabber. But for my money, I bet on the "smarter" form of evil. The one that has connections, will, strength AND the ability to use it. Add in the ability to hide that evil and you have a force to be reckoned with. That is the evil I aim for with most of my Sith. I want powerful minions. I want to protect myself. I want to be able to pull strings and manipulate on a galactic scale. Sure, it might be easier to just go all crazy and start killing...and no one would call it anything other than evil (except a defense attorney, they would call it "not guilty by reason of insanity"). But that evil burns hot and then burns out fast. I want to be a long term player in galactic events. Thus, I must be more "lawful evil" than "chaotic evil". But it does not make me any less evil in the end, it is just a different form. A form that can last for far longer and ultimately, in my opinion, be much more powerful.

Evil has many faces however... I like the old concepts used in D&D (anyone remember rolling dice and sharpening pencils?). Sure, some people are just crazy evil... Chaotic Evil in the old D&D world. Unpredictable and as likely to kill their friends (if any) and minions as they are to kill their enemy. A highly volatile form of evil that could shock anyone by the variety and scope of evil acts that could rapidly pile up. Then, you have the Lawful Evil types. That is where many of my characters seem to reside. Use the laws, customs, culture etc. for your own gain and benefit, while possibly helping or hindering others as well. The key is to ensure you get away with what you are doing and that it results in gains for you. As I recall the description, it was something like 'lawful evil is the most dangerous form of evil because it represents a cold, calculated and frequently successful form of evil". Lastly, there was plain old "evil" or "neutral evil". Evil for the sake of evil itself. This form of evil just never made much sense to me. You were not trying to tear down order or trying to protect yourself while committing evil acts... You were just straight evil for no reason. To me, Sith tend to fall into the lawful and chaotic evil groupings more than just the pure evil for no reason group. Now, while the short term impact of the chaotic evil sorts is terrifying in every way, it is a road to a quick demise as well, as people will rise up against irrational evil. But the lawful evil...that is the hard one to fight. We might have moral objections to what they do, but it is "legal". That is the kind of evil that can last a long time, grow strong and even build/maintain an empire. That face of evil incarnate is special. That also shows us the problem with "light/dark" side tiers. I may be an utterly evil and conniving agent of darkness...but I work within the framework available to not only do what it is that I do, but to ensure I can get away with it. But does being "legal" make me less "evil"? Or am I just a more insidious form of evil that may not be as obvious at first glance?

I have refused to do the eternal throne lines on my non-force users because it just doesn't "work" for me. The concept seems WAY off. About the only semi-rational reason I could see for Valky taking an interest in a non-force user as his vessel is if he thinks he can more easily take over the person and then let his own abilities come out. Not sure if the force could work that way or not however...(as far as letting him have access to his power in a body that was previously not force sensitive). I could see where recruiting a trooper or agent type could be a goal for the alliance as a means of improving their capabilities, but not as a leader (maybe the trooper as a military leader, but not as head honcho).

I think it would depend on how "evil" the Darth Nox in question was. Tier 1 to 3 dark side, maybe. A DS 4 or 5? You must be out of your mind... I have played multiple inquisitors, some LS, most various degrees of DS. I just seem to be a bit selfish most of the time. That and the chance to zap someone is really hard to resist... But the ones that were mainly supporting the Empire and had a sideline of self enrichment/aggrandizement, I could see those being suitable for unfreezing as leaders. They may be "corrupt", but there are limits on their petty actions that are minor compared to the order and stability they can bring. The last one though? The "Kill'em all and don't bother letting even God sort them out" one? Nope, nope, nope. You would be better off with Vitiate/Valkorion than that psychotic individual. Even I look at that character and say, "you have issues" (but it is fun to enjoy the casual disregard of human life from time to time). All that being said... I have not done the return of Ashara yet. My reaction may depend on my mood when I get around to it as well as the particular character. The psychopath? That one would want to gut Ashara right then and there. Free thinking is fine...so long as the ideas generated further my goals. The others, they are a bit more mellow and understanding, some might rant and rave about the "betrayal" and "uppity quasi jedi turned sith wannabes" while others would be ambivalent or even supportive (if Ashara has been properly indoctrinated, then you are essentially starting a pyramid scheme where your ideas and concepts are being spread to others).

What can I say, I want my psychotic wife back... She reminds me of a somewhat safer and saner version of a former real world GF.

I don't know the numbers... But I do know that I feel more "natural" when I play Empire. Now, I will note that I am more of a story line player than anything else. With the Empire, regardless of class, I feel more "free" to pick whatever choice appeals at the time. Playing JK or JC I feel like I /should/ be picking the light side options when they pop up. It is all in my head of course, but it is why I have yet to finish but one of the Republic stories (knight). I am almost done with the Consular story. Taking advantage of the double XP helps, I don't need to do as many missions, and can more or less just hit some of the side missions and the main story line to advance on time (yeah, I am even skipping many of the planet stories, once was enough). Hopefully, this round of double xp and my current work schedule will let me knock out the trooper and smuggler stories as well, if not there is always the next round of double xp to make it less painful.

The Jedi have truly fallen to the dark side... They express far too much emotion. Jedi, return to the light side and sever your emotional attachments. Leave those of us who are slaves to the Dark Side to deal with the emotional issues, like Jaesa. If you are going to be getting all emotional, you should just admit that you are fallen Jedi and turn your back fully on the light side and join the Empire.

One just doesn't get quality like that these days... We have truly lost our work ethic as a society... We need more beatings to improve morale!

Damn kids...get of my lawn! Back in my day we had to walk 15 miles to school, in the snow, uphill...both ways and on top of that we got a paddling before we left the house, on the side of the road, when we got to school, during detention, after school and when we got home...and we we glad to get them... There wasn't any "spring break" either, that was just a week of extra paddlings whether we needed them or not! *uses cane to get down from soap box*