Lightsaber Style should be a choice not class-specific.

Nope. I only want one or two with double-bladed, my other Force users only want one. It depends on the character's personality.

I've read through all the posts in this topic because I, too, would love to see an implementation of this in some form.

Aside from a few obvious trolls there are a lot of great ideas in here and solid arguments and I really hope that bioware takes note of this.

We don't want a drastic overhaul of anything LOL!!

Simply give all classes the ability to diversify in their weapon choice WITHIN REASON !!!!

The Star Wars Universe is/was never this restrictive in any game/book/movie I have ever played/watched/read!

Bioware has stated in previous postings (I'm sure the dev tracker has them) that it is based on enemies in PvP to allow them to visually identify an opponent within the first GCD (~1.5sec)...

However...

If this is truly the case, I will not insult any differing viewpoint to this, rather I will just offer an idea to make both camps happy---

Give us diversity in weapons and place a small circular border around the character picture of "your target"...a low key circle around the portrait of each and every character in the game that has a color that is clearly defined by the gameworld to be a specific base-class & AC!!!!!!

Example:

Purple=Iquisitor/Consulars
>Red=Assassin/shadow
>Black=Sorc/sage
Blue=Knights/Warriors
>Green=Sents/Mara
>Yellow=jugg/guardian

Imagine---you click on your target, or you are jumped by a stealth class, or you tab-target a potential threat in the field(suggestion-improve tab-targeting!): A small circle borders said enemy player's portrait the CLEARLY indicates Purple, and then a circle within that also clearly denotes black---Instantaneously you know purple mean watch for their lightning CC/KBs , and that black means you need to get into range so you can disrupt a potential heal.

Basically a system like this could notify any/all players that are keen enough to target the enemy the wish to attack, thereby allowing them visually to decipher what their enemy is going to be throwing at them. They will also be able to tell via powers used in the field, stealth, etc.

If you are colorblind I'm jealous because the red sabers on Coruscant look tacky imho...

In all seriousness, for the colorblind, perhaps different levels of opacity, or paterns instead of circles denoting MOST IMPORTANTLY the AC (at least!)!! Developers could even implement just small enough to be visibly distinguishable icons (LOL @ BUFF ICON JOKEZ) of each base-class that we see upon character creation or in the final warzone tally...

All in all I agree the diversity is great in an online environment and Star Wars lore does not limit in any way the type of saber based on the character's role in battle ( aka class choice) I know many people that would like double-bladed warriors, but I know just as many single-bladed assassins/maras...personally I am all about the one handed saber and the animations for the JK (some are too fancy/flashy imho) when using both hands on a 1her.

tldr-
animations are in-game already and can be somewhat shared :
kira leaping and general dbl bladed thuggery
Elara Dorne & her pistol (nice shot!)
a Knight's single/2xblade's "dispatch" ability can be flipped with "spinning strike" or visa versa dependent on weapon choice

The animations are thereas some of the more intelligent posts have stated, the abilities can be given the inherent properties of the class and people can still diversify within reason!!




FYI---If a Operative can <10M with a rifle, I want my smuggler to be able to also, but I don't think just because I have 3+ melee skills that he should be given the opportunity to use an electrostaff. It would be awsome to be able to use a vibroknife also but I won't get my hopes up...

A sage/Sorc casts at times with both hands and imho shouldn't be allowed to have a saber per hand (or they could make it fun for them and let them cast w/o sabers drawn lol)

A JK/SW is a combat master just like the Havok squad trooper, and imho should be allowed to use the largest medium of weapons.

Heck I'd be a smuggler healer or mando healer since EGA if they could be effective with a rifle.

But tangents aside, this is what I mean when I say WITHIN REASON!

Keep it positive , good thread

I agree that It would be great for the player to use whatever style lightsaber they would like, however i also understand that that would be a major change in game mechanics.

What frustration? I'm not having any. I like the restrictions because I have different characters for each of the saber types, and the current setup encourages you to try them. The "anyone can use anything approach is counter productive to Bioware's income stream. Want to use a different type? Roll an alt and continue your subscription.

Haha touche while I may see what you are saying in the long run I argue that your argument is counter-productive...to have/want the desire to reply alts you want to have variety...for those who love the story of, say, the smuggler, would they be more inclined to roll a scoundrel after a previous one and a gunslinger if they knew they would be on the great pistol hunt for lvls 1-50 all over again??

Or would they arguably be more enticed by the idea that they can make their next smuggler a rifleman?

What if it is the rifle itself that is all a subscriber wants for their character? After giving in to the darkside to play a playstyle they find enjoyable as an Operative...their options are play the same story, or go to the republic and play a vanguard (which funny enough plays similar minus stealth & heals, within the shared trees)...

Do these changes fit their ideal character that they are paying 15$/ a month for? No? then how long will they continue to play someone else's idea of a smuggler?

Realistically, how can weapon diversity be a bad thing (barring the arugment that everyone is a 12 year old darth Maul fanboy because assumptions make an...) ?? Given the fact that there are ways to clearly denote which class is which without restricting a player's choice.

From a lore standpoint, I have an objection, specifically, to the idea of all Jedi/Sith being able to use a saberstaff. It's supposed to be a specialized weapon, it's not supposed to be widespread. That's actually part of what adds to its viability. From Wookiepedia:

So from a lore perspective, it would be nonsensical to make it a common option. It's not. It's already too common as it is.

Well, there is something to be said for rolling the other side for its own sake. I'm playing the story for all 8 advanced classes, half on empire and the other ACs republic. It's working out quite well for me. I won't seriously play more than two of them at 50; I'll just find those I like best. And the weapon choice is rather inconsequential for me; whichever plays best to my style (ranged, melee, tank or heals) is what I'll pick, rather than a specific weapon or fighting style. They're all pretty cool.

I would like it if Shadows and Assassins, at least, had the canon-accurate ability to only activate *one* blade of their lightsabre if they chose. Say, have 'going into combat' trigger the first 'normal' blade, and only have the second one extend if they activate a certain set of their special abilities- Thrash would be a good contender, and whatever its equivalent on the Jedi side might be.

A completely solid point, and I have to say you planned it out better than I have (not that it is too late for me to enjoy it as you have) and I know there aren't many players like us(with the ability to readily understand the mechanics of other classes, their counters etc) but that doesn't make us special ... there are a, albeit a minority, a few gamers I know that just stick to a class and learn through defeat...and become master of their given abilities and limitations.

I feel as though weapon choice isn't nor shouldn't be the only deciding factor for playing a class, but speaking from firsthand experience I cannot play my scoundrel anymore as it is because the aesthetics of the Operative are much more appealing to me but along with that I'd rather not have a European accent and be surrounded by murders...(yea, you don't have to tell me I can be picky---I just know what I like/dislike)

I agree they are all good, stories and all for the most part (save dirty kick), but I will tailor my style of play to the most cosmetically close to my conceptual character (5x FAST haha)

That means I play a neutral Jedi Knight...that I dislike the resource mechanic of, and even though my vanguard does 2-3x dps being only pseudo-ranged (shared tree atm) and having a much more enjoyable energy mechanic I will stick with tank/dps guardian.

With the option of said thread I could play and enjoy a Shadow/assassin tank/dps for the story without feeling ridiculously dumb with a dbl saber (to each their own just my opinion :P )

And the replay-ability of alts grows because I'm not forced to have class and weapon go hand in hand, whilist still being able to enjoy the game as you have illustrated.

Amen bro. Just make it limited to a FEW battle oriented classes. Personally, I couldn't care less about the saber staff. However, the single lightsaber is, going with the lore, the most common weapon style adopter by jedi and sith. So it should be logical to allow people to stick to that particular style with all the jedi / sith classes, right?