I'd say IA has the best storyline: it has great writing, LS and DS decisions and dialogue choices that don't sound like Lawful Stupid and Evil Stupid respectively, and such decisions actually affect the further storyline - as much as an MMO allows and certainly more than in other storylines.

For me JK, SW and SM go hand in hand next, but if I have to chose one it will be SW storyline. You got to play as a Sith and as such can push people around - or confuse the hell out of them with your LS actions which can be quite amusing to watch as well. JK storyline is a bit cliche hero journey type but it's entertaining, though the dialogue choices for both DS and LS occassionally wander off into cheap pathos. Smuggler's storyline is just lots of fun, mayhem and audacity.

If I had to rank all the storylines (from best to worst): IA - SW - JK - SM - BH - JC - SI - TR. Nothing stopping you from trying them all, though in my opinion Trooper by far is nightmarish.

I would make that decision for yourself.

Everyone I heard talk about the consular story said it was terrible, but I thought it was quite good. It was not an action story, but was more about the Lore of the force, and had you solving mysteries concerning the force. With that said, most people are going to rate the story-lines, by what kind of story-lines they like.

I would suggest playing the JK and SW for your first set of classes, because they have the strongest connection to the main villain of the series.

IA is not the best. It's just over rated hype.

Consular and Inquisitor are the best ones

For me and this is strictly my opinion based on playing through all the storylines.

1: Imperial Agent; easily one of If not the best story. Impactful decisions, intrigue, and romance and world shaking action to be had. twists and turns and a look at the dark underbelly of star wars and the stuff that goes on behind the scenes when all the lightsabers aren't flashing their light.

2: Jedi Knight: as some have mentioned a bit cliché but still the story that feesl most uniquely ""Star Wars"". You want to feel like the big darned hero? You play the Jedi Knight.

3: Sith Warrior, a strong Story that lets you have a lot of freedom to explore what it means to be Sith and make choices that may surprise people you interact with. Having played this story 6 times 4 full lightside, 1 full dark, and 1 semi darkish semi lightish. its enjoyable no matter what. ((also the Sith Warrior has easily the best companion in the Amazing Vette))

4: Bounty Hunter, take the galaxy down one mark at a time, Nothing matches a good blaster at your side. The story lets you be a bad@ss hunter/ess and gives you the ability to affect the galaxy in ways you may not even realize, all while fighting for honor and a healthy proft margin.

5: Sith Inq; like its Consular counter part this is the story that really makes you FEEL like a Sith and dark side force user. It really does a good job of delving into the ritual and politics of the sith, the back stabbing and infighting that are crucial to their world. As well as the rituals and dark powers that make them force users.

6: Smuggler, a laugh riot and a look at how the other side lives the smuggler is a great story also uniquely star wars as you gallivant around the galaxy in search of fortune and glory with law enforcement and bounty hunters never more then a step behind you and a profit and riches just ahead. romance galore and love em and leave em all part of the service the smugger provides.

7: Jedi Consular; Like the Inquisitor above this is the story for you if you truly want to FEEL like a Jedi. Delve into history and engage in diplomacy and healing others. The consular lets you use amazing force powers and reach out to others as a Jedi is supposed to solving problems with your brain and charisma as much as a lightsaber. As well as dealing with mysteries of the force while building an army to help protect the republic from an implacable foe.

8: The Trooper; A solid story and one that lets you see the background characters that cant just call on the force to get out of a situation. having to rely on training and wits and a lot of firepower instead. its a dangerous galaxy and the soldiers of the republic are their to guard it against the worst of the worst.

Catsi, I agree with your assessments...except for BH and Smuggler. Just my opinion though:

I have played every story twice except IA. Funny thing is that IA was the first and only story where at the end I said, "OMG I HAVE to play this again to see what the differences are."

Catsi, I agree with your assessments...except for BH and Smuggler. Just my opinion though:

 

 

Chapter 1 on both counts were as Catsi describes. My problem is after that. Both are supposed to be relatively independent operators and yet by chapter 3 in both cases I felt beholden to the faction they are a part of:

 

The Smuggler was no longer in it for the money; whether the smuggler gets paid or not they are working for the Republic now. The story has a very "Han Solo" feel to it, so if you want to play the "scoundrel" turned hero, it is a great story. If you want to play a greedy selfish bastard...you're SOL.

 

The Bounty Hunter basically becomes an Imperial trooper. The Empire saves you from certain death and now you will do what they say when they say and how they say. Step out of line and....

 

 

I have played every story twice except IA. Funny thing is that IA was the first and only story where at the end I said, "OMG I HAVE to play this again to see what the differences are."

Thank you

as an add I slightly disagree with your take on the smuggler and Bh stories. While yes they can feel that way I found in my play throughs

Needless to say both classes I felt were handled well and can get what theyre fighting for in the end

For me it ranks like this:

1. IA

2. SI

3. BH

4. JC

5. SM

6. SW

7. JK

8. TR

JK gets it so low for me it was cliche, but it's the one I took all the way to the end of KOTET, along with the SI. Problem with the IA, after chapter 3, it's all bland and KOTFE and KOTET make no sense for non force using classes.

The trooper could of been epic, but it was just so badly written. Smuggler could of been better. It had the best first chapter IMHO, but after that it just fell WAAAYYYY off.

I always hear that the Imperial Agent has the best storyline.

At one point while I was on my Inquisitor on Drumond Kaas, another player playing agent said they didn't expect whatever it was that had just happened to them, then everyone in chat started saying that agent has one of the best plot twists to come out of a star wars game at this point.

Makes me want to play agent, but I'm new and still on my jedi knight though the story seems to be pretty straight forward.

IA, definitely. If you play it through as Chiss you will get some dialogue variations.

Next best would be SW. My first run through was a mostly LS female SW and it was actually a lot of fun.

SI was okay. I felt like some of the "plot twists" were cliche but there were some interesting moments.

JC is a snorefest unless you enjoy having your ship full of whiny politicians. The LI for female JC also lost his personality to the Sith along with his memory, so meh.

JK was dumb. I don't care what anybody else says, it has dumb writing. I could have been a great story but it just... failed. Hard. The Council makes some of the dumbest, poorly written decisions regarding the JK of any of the base stories. I honestly don't understand how it made it out of the writer's meeting in its current state.

The other base stories range from "meh" to outright awful (Trooper is so so so bad). The KOTFE/KOTET only makes sense for the JK (not the SW, unless you want to do some serious mental gymnastics) and they did all the cutscenes for the 1 lightsaber JK just to drive the point home.

Hey what class has the best story line? I have heard that IA has quite good/maybe the best story, but are the other class stories as good? What do you suggest to play?

IA, absolutely.

All of them have their high points, granted, even the JK, which I do think is the worst of the bunch. The JC was more cohesive I think, and improved as you went on. IA was overall the best one. LS, DS, you get to have a fun story either way. I know a lot of the replies are hard on the TR, but I personally really enjoy DS Trooper. LS was...awful, I recently ran a LS Trooper and it was very meh, yes, but Dark Side? So fun.

I had years of people telling me that the Agent storyline was the best, as until recently I haven't dedicated as much time to this game as in the past. Agent turned out to be my fourth completed story class, but it was definitely the best in my opinion. The double-agent storylines were also very well done, and I appreciated how they brought everything together at the end.

I do think the Jedi Knight story was my second favorite, but I can see where people may not like it. Like the Sith Warrior light-side conversation and choices were confusing and hilarious, I wonder if that's the same for dark-side Jedi Knight.

I have also finished Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor, in addition to Jedi Knight and Agent. I am working through Trooper, which I am on the fence about. Still need to play Consular and Smuggler

I can tell you that Jedi Knight is the worst. Having just finished Chapter 2, I'll be unsubscribing over what my character was forced to do, with no choice.

Is it the, fall to the mind games, without a "I choose to fall for the mind scramble" or "I choose not to fall to the mind gamble"?

If that's the case, you'll really hate Agent.

Personally, I think the writers did a pretty good job of tailoring each story to each class. I don't really have a favorite, although Trooper and Agent are two that always stick out in my head. Like most (all?) BioWare stories, I believe there's definitely a certain way you're "supposed" to play them. Options for variations exist, of course, and they can give each story a very different feel, but there are definitely places where you get the feeling that the writers' intent was pretty obvious. Sometimes there's a palpable sensation of: "This option is what 'a real' <insert class here> would do; we'll give options for people who want to go against the grain, but people who take them aren't playing it seriously."

I just ignore those, and do what I want do to do anyway

Disclaimer - I love TOR, and I love the way BioWare tell stories. I'm an unashamed BioDrone, and I have been since the original NeverWinter Nights (I still want Jade Empire II! Who's with me?). I play their games specifically -for- the stories, the cutscenes, and the dialogue and voice acting. You could take the stats, the combat, and the the gear out of the system, and I'd still play it and enjoy it. I can find something to enjoy in pretty much anything they put out, and even the stories in TOR that aren't my absolute favorite (I'm looking at you, LS Knight), it was still a fun ride to play and experience them. I have 25 characters, and I've run all of the stories, multiple times.

My personal take on each story is below. Spoilers beware. These are purely my opinions, and 100% subjective.

Knight

Consular

Smuggler

Trooper

Warrior

Inquisitor

Bounty Hunter

Agent

The Sith inquisitor storyline is good if you want to learn about the ancient sith lords. It is alot about the powerplays between sith

The sith warrior is kind of the Vader type of characters in the sense that you spent most of your time enforcing your masters will. It is a good story if you like killing alot of people.

The Jedi Knight is the savior story so it is really nice if you want to save the galaxy

I can't say anything about the other classes because i haven't played them

http://www.swtor.com/r/Dkw3P9

(This is just my Referral Link you can click it for free rewards like a 7 days free sub)

Is it the, fall to the mind games, without a "I choose to fall for the mind scramble" or "I choose not to fall to the mind gamble"?

 

If that's the case, you'll really hate Agent.

For me it was the way that the Jedi Council just lets the JK back into the fold post-mind scramble, no questions asked. They barely even mention what happened to the JK or talk about what the JK "did" in that phase. The JK is gone for months, out doing potentially awful things, and Satele is like 'must've sucked for you, now go save the others.'

The JK and NPC decisions throughout that portion are mindbogglingly bad, so much so that they ruin the entire story.

That being said, I do admit that on my first IA when I got to the similar part I did log off in a rage and didn't go back to that character for a month. But the rest of the story, when I finally did pick her up again, more than made up for the injustice... UNLIKE the JK's story.

For me it was the way that the Jedi Council just lets the JK back into the fold post-mind scramble, no questions asked. They barely even mention what happened to the JK or talk about what the JK "did" in that phase. The JK is gone for months, out doing potentially awful things, and Satele is like 'must've sucked for you, now go save the others.'

 

The JK and NPC decisions throughout that portion are mindbogglingly bad, so much so that they ruin the entire story.

 

That being said, I do admit that on my first IA when I got to the similar part I did log off in a rage and didn't go back to that character for a month. But the rest of the story, when I finally did pick her up again, more than made up for the injustice... UNLIKE the JK's story.

Some of that just has to be overlooked and headcannoned around due to BW writing and MMO story telling "What? Get more involved? That's money wasted!" :/

Some of that just has to be overlooked and headcannoned around due to BW writing and MMO story telling "What? Get more involved? That's money wasted!" :/

I don't think the video game story has yet been written that doesn't require a certain amount of overlooking and headcannoning, hehe - Especially one that offers its players some choice and agency.

It's just the nature of the beast.

Really, I liked the Sith Inquisitor story the most. At it's bare bones, regardless of choices, it's really about someone who starts off in their life at the very bottom and claws their way up while constantly trying to fight being pushed back down by others of higher authority. Now, the inquisitor can be LS where they sympathize and try to make life better in the Empire as a whole; they could be DS, where they are ruthless, being what is expected of a Sith in high command, or neutral/mix of both. But regardless, the person you start off at the beginning struggles to free themselves from the confines they were born with. And the last line of the Sith code embodies this:

Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.

Personally, I think the writers did a pretty good job of tailoring each story to each class. I don't really have a favorite, although Trooper and Agent are two that always stick out in my head. Like most (all?) BioWare stories, I believe there's definitely a certain way you're "supposed" to play them. Options for variations exist, of course, and they can give each story a very different feel, but there are definitely places where you get the feeling that the writers' intent was pretty obvious. Sometimes there's a palpable sensation of: "This option is what 'a real' <insert class here> would do; we'll give options for people who want to go against the grain, but people who take them aren't playing it seriously."

 

I just ignore those, and do what I want do to do anyway

 

Disclaimer - I love TOR, and I love the way BioWare tell stories. I'm an unashamed BioDrone, and I have been since the original NeverWinter Nights (I still want Jade Empire II! Who's with me?). I play their games specifically -for- the stories, the cutscenes, and the dialogue and voice acting. You could take the stats, the combat, and the the gear out of the system, and I'd still play it and enjoy it. I can find something to enjoy in pretty much anything they put out, and even the stories in TOR that aren't my absolute favorite (I'm looking at you, LS Knight), it was still a fun ride to play and experience them. I have 25 characters, and I've run all of the stories, multiple times.

 

My personal take on each story is below. Spoilers beware. These are purely my opinions, and 100% subjective.

 

Knight

 

 

Overall, Very stereotypical savior of the galaxy story. If you want to be the unqualified hero, this is the story for you. Has a pretty standard 3-arc plot, complete with tragedy at the end of the 2nd act for your character to overcome and move past.

 

LS - Character's a total boy scout. Superman, not Batman. There's no crossing lines and no real consequences for always choosing to do "the right thing".

 

DS - With a little headcanon-ing, you can turn the Knight story into a 'fall' story. It's still not hugely nuanced, and you're still the hero and very much respected and worshipped, just by the Republic military (who are far more concerned with results than methods) instead of the Jedi (Who are far more concerned with intent than results). If you want to be General Kenobi instead of Master Kenobi, this is the path for you.

 

 

Consular

 

The "thinking Jedi's" story. From the lightsaber at the start, to being a battlefield commander at the end, everything the Knight gets given to them, the Consular has to work for.

 

LS - If an LS Knight is Luke Skywalker, an LS Consular is a mash up of Padme and Leia. Running around the galaxy, forging alliances and making allies.

 

DS - I'm actually only part of the way through a DS consular story, but I get the feeling that it might be quite Palpatine-ish. With the politicking, dealing, and diplomacy that happens in the consular story, the potential to go dark to achieve your ends is quite strong.

 

 

Smuggler

 

More Mal Reynolds than Han Solo, Smugglers remain far more independent than Han ended up being during his transition from Chaotic Neutral to Neutral Good in the movies. Still the class with the best one-liners, and some of the most colorful and memorable bad guys. (And you get to shoot first)

 

LS - You can affiliate yourself more strongly with the Republic as an LS Smuggler, but Jace Malcom ain't never gonna call you a General. The focus might be on credits, but there's definitely lines you won't cross to get them.

 

DS - Less happy-go-lucky spacer, more aspiring underworld boss. This is definitely not Han Solo, although you do start out in a similar place. But Han never had the ambitions of the DS smuggler in terms of a galaxy-wide criminal empire.

 

 

Trooper

 

Probably the story with the most moral dilemmas, the Trooper is forever being torn between duty, their orders and their conscience. BioWare basically shoved Commander Shepard into Star Wars (in more ways than one, LOL)

 

LS - Unlike an LS Knight, the LS Troooper does have to live with their decisions, and while the amount of actual in-game consequences for choosing "the right thing" aren't hugely important, they definitely exist in a way that they don't in the Knight story.

 

DS - A DS Trooper is a very Dirty Harry style character, taking the law into their own hands (literally, on more than one occasion), with a very "the ends (beating the Empire) justify the means" kind of attitude.

 

 

Warrior

 

Basically the Empire's equivalent of the Knight story, the Warrior is very much "the enforcer of the Empire" - Or at least "the Enforcer of Darth Baras' empire" (To start with, anyway).

 

LS - My LS Warrior felt like he was constantly having to 'hide' his LS-ness from his peers and his master. It's sort of like being a nice guy in a gang of bullies. You have to fake the laughing and jeering when everyone's laughing and jeering, but when no one's watching, you can help the guy you just laughed at.

 

DS - Straight up, no frills, no bull hockey trained attack dog. They point you at targets and you make the targets disappear. I found this a very refreshing story to play through. Other people's mileage may vary, of course.

 

 

Inquisitor

 

A true rags to riches story, rising from a slave to a seat on the council. Building a power base like the Consular does (But in an appropriately Sith-y way)

 

LS - Like the Warrior, an LS Inquisitor often finds themselves 'hiding' their LS-ness from their peers. From the dialogue given to an LS inquisitor, it seems like they believe in the Empire as a structure, but don't believe you need the brutality and slavery and all that to make it happen. You get more of that sense, because the Inquisitor is more involved in the politics of the Empire than the Warrior. An LS Warrior just tries to do the right thing when given the opportunity. An LS Inquisitor is in more of a position to change the Empire fundamentally from the top down.

 

DS - The corridors of power in the Sith are rife with betrayal, backstabbing and influence-grabbing powerplays, and a DS Inquisitor very gleefully immerses themselves in The Game, eventually coming out on top.

 

 

Bounty Hunter

 

Mandalorians, honor, credits, independence - While the class may be the mirror of the Trooper, the Hunter's position in the galaxy is a mirror of the Smuggler, of course. Like a Smuggler, there's a fair amount of interaction with the galactic underworld, which may influence how you end up playing your Hunter.

 

LS - More honor than credits, the LS Hunter still wants to get paid, but like an LS Smuggler, there's some lines that they just won't cross. Delving into Mandalorian lore and culture, an LS Hunter can truly be accepted by the Mandalorians

 

DS - In many ways, a DS Hunter is more like a for-hire contracted version of the DS Warrior. The Empire points them at a target, and they make that target disappear, no questions asked. Unlike the Warrior, of course, a DS Hunter is free to do that for independent contracts as well.

 

 

Agent

 

It's been said before, but this is probably the most twisty of the stories. Play it with Secret Agent Man playing in the background. Or the Bond theme tune, perhaps.... It's also the only story with multiple endings, if that matters to you. (Not that that actually affects very much, in typical BioWare Illusion Of Choice fashion). It also exposes the dark underbelly of the Empire, (the fact that they don't even trust their own people, etc etc) and reveals a TON of lore secrets throughout the plot.

 

LS - I got the sense that an LS agent is very much your standard citizen of the Empire, just trying to do the job as best they can, while looking out for the little folk. Like the Trooper, they're asked to do some pretty unsavory things for the sake of the cause, and they just try and do those things in the best way possible. Brosnan-era Bond comes to mind.

 

DS - Much more Fleming's original vision of Bond than any of the movies (Except, perhaps, Dalton), the DS Agent is a fairly merciless secret policeman. Even the Sith are afraid of Imperial Intelligence, and the DS Agent is why. If Imperial Intelligence are the Gestapo, the DS agent is it's most ruthlessly totalitarian and authoritarian weapon.

Very good synopsis. I just finished my 4th playthrough of each story today as a matter of fact. I finally found some race class story combo's that I really like.

Male Chiss LS Type 1 Imperial Agent was great and clever.

Female Mirialan Type 2 DS Smuggler was really fun.

Male Human Type 3 DS older look Jedi Knight was hilarious with some of the lines.

Female Human LS Short haired blonde Type 2 Sith Warrior just seemed to fit the voice to me.

And my favorite so far Female Twilek, major face paint, Type 4 DS Sith Inquisitor, oh those reactions and voice....

Still got to find favorites for Trooper, Bounty Hunter and Jedi Consular

haven't played trooper or bh yet but so far my list goes

1. Imperial Agent

2. Jedi Consular

3. Sith Warrior

4. Jedi Knight

5. Smuggler

6. Sith Inquisitor

Not that I hated smuggler or anything, but to me the story was so off the wall that I feel like it should be in a category all it's own.

My top 3 are my IA, JC, and SW

Very good synopsis. I just finished my 4th playthrough of each story today as a matter of fact. I finally found some race class story combo's that I really like.

 

Male Chiss LS Type 1 Imperial Agent was great and clever.

Female Mirialan Type 2 DS Smuggler was really fun.

Male Human Type 3 DS older look Jedi Knight was hilarious with some of the lines.

Female Human LS Short haired blonde Type 2 Sith Warrior just seemed to fit the voice to me.

And my favorite so far Female Twilek, major face paint, Type 4 DS Sith Inquisitor, oh those reactions and voice....

 

Still got to find favorites for Trooper, Bounty Hunter and Jedi Consular

I completely agree that finding a look that fits the voice makes all the difference.