"Advanced Classes = Fundamentally Different Class Designs"

Yes but there is more of a difference between a ranged healer or ranged DPS and a melee Tank or melee DPS; some do not share the same gear and most don't share skills.

Based upon what you said you would want to change from a rogue to a warrior or rogue to priest in a game like WoW.

There's a major flaw in that line of thinking.

In every other MMO out there that I have played, there's no difference in quests between 1 and Max for the most part.

Start any character in Champions Online for example, and it's the same exact quest line from 1 to 40. Start a character of the same race in WoW and you have the same choice in quest lines you do with every other character. Even if you pick a different race only the starter area is different. Get into the outlands and beyond and it's the same exact thing for every character. City of Heroes had maybe 2 lines from 1 to max when I played it.

So this idea that somehow the class quests being the same is a reason, simply doesn't hold water, because SWTOR already offers more class based content then any other MMO out there. In other MMO's playing a 2nd character of the same faction means going though much the same content over again.

Maybe... don't remember who it was. Just remember seeing one of the most asinine statements I've ever seen. That somehow the phrase Advanced Class was proof that they aren't really classes because it doesn't have the word class in it...

I did and I think you're pretty much dead on. Somehow this idea that the fact that you share a quest line is an acceptable reason to allow AC switching is nonsense at best.

The fact is, as I pointed out above, most other MMO's have very little difference in terms of leveling content. So playing a Sentinel after a Guardian isn't really much different then playing a Mage after playing a Warrior. Plus as you pointed out, you have options that aren't in other games. You could play a Female Light side Guardian and a Male Dark side Sentinel, which would give at least a slightly different journey from 1st to max.

You're right, but unfortunately SWTOR is also different in that it's super quick and easy to get to 50. That, plus the legacy system and the signs are obvious they want you rolling alts.


I would agree with the OP, and submit that.... we already have enough ALTS to process all the alternative quests/areas that we missed. 4 runs is probably enough. I don't think we need 8.

It's still a stupid idea. An Assasin shares far more in common with the play style of a Juggernaut than it does with a Sorc. The Mercenary is closer in play style to the Sorc than the Assassin has ever been. The ACs are diverse enough from each other that they more resemble other classes than they do the opposing AC from the same class. What you have shared are a core of maybe 10 abilities, most of which end up falling by the wayside before the end of the game.

I'm pretty sure Bioware would disagree with you on that. Since the more runs though, the longer people sub. The longer people sub the more money they make.

A MMO dev will never do anything that they believe will shorten the subscription time of the player base.

Not really true, more like from an enhancement shaman melee dps to an elemental shaman ranged dps or a resto shaman healing

or even more a feral cat druid (energy based mDPS) feral Bear druid (Rage based Tank) balance druid (mana based rDPS) resto druid (mana based heals)

None of these change the main class Druid, but totally change the play style and any one can be dual spec'd with any other

No, those would be more akin to respeccing your tree inside the AC. It's just that part of the design of this game is for no class to be able to fulfill all three roles.

Yes but the Druid does not exist in SWTOR, so what you can do with one isn't really a valid reason to change how classes work in this game.

The best that can be done with that is that the idea of a class that can do all 3 rolls can work.

I am very glad that players are not allowed to switch AC, though I think dual-spec within AC will be great. Just saying, some disagree with ya OP.

Like what Inarai said it's more like specs the cat would be closest to the stealth assassin and the bear to tank assassin(but basically using the same resource) while the balance would be a dps speced Sorc and resto healer speced Sorc.

Another example switching for an Sith Assassin to a Sith Sorcerer would be like changing from a Warrior(2 DPS and Tank) to a Priest(except with 2 DPS and Healing)