It is very strange that a game that let's you make moral decissions on every corner at the same time punishes you for doing exactly that. I usually decide in the moment what actions to take in conversations. That usually gets me somewhere in the middle of the morale compass of most games. It also plays out like this in offline games like Mass Effect. I like it that way and i play SWTOR just the same. Still i am being punished for it because i don't get access to certain items if i don't make one sided decissions like some stupid robot or the materialistic player that does not care about anything else but to get the most powerfull items. Is that how you like your audience bioware? If you decide just for the sake of getting those items then you do not decide at all. The game could as well ask you at the start of the game what side you want to collect points with and choose conversation options automatically for you. I will not change my playing style and i hope bioware is going to adress this problem. If i will ever run into serious trouble because of these choices and bioware keeps ignoring that, then they'll just loose me as a customer. Edited December 25, 2011 by Ecstatica

I'm so neutral I can't decide if I even like this post.

"If i die, tell my wife, Hello."

My tiger has run away. Please bring him back.

1. I will (light side)

2. I like pie (neutral)

3. Sell it to a collector (dark side)

I've heard several times that Neutral gear is on the way. I don't know I'd call it punished. It doesn't really bug me. My Scoundrel is definitely Neutral.

there are items in game that are only usable by neutral people. Going light or dark in no way affect the combat effectiveness of you character. There is a neutral equivalent to every dark and light based item in game.

 

also

 

"What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

I especially love that you have to lie, steal & snitch in the jedi starting zone and get light points on top.

 

the system is nonsense anyway. you play a dark jedi, murder everyone and be a general douche - do they kick you out? nope. you're still the galaxy greatest hero...

 

ofc, if they would twist it you can defect to the other side given your light/dark side points, it would be genius. but won't happen. at least they can say "your answers have consequences!11" (= you might get a mail or not).

It is very strange that a game that let's you make moral decissions on every corner at the same time punishes you for doing exactly that. I usually decide in the moment what actions to take in conversations. That usually gets me somewhere in the middle of the morale compass of most games. It also plays out like this in offline games like Mass Effect. I like it that way and i play SWTOR just the same. Still i am being punished for it because i don't get access to certain items if i don't make one sided decissions like some stupid robot or the materialistic player that does not care about anything else but to get the most powerfull items. Is that how you like your audience bioware? If you decide just for the sake of getting those items then you do not decide at all. The game could as well ask you at the start of the game what side you want to collect points with and choose conversation options automatically for you. I will not change my playing style and i hope bioware is going to adress this problem. If i will ever run into serious trouble because of these choices and bioware keeps ignoring that, then they'll just loose me as a customer.

 

The only person your hurting is yourself. You won't get access to some of the best weapons and gear you can get while leveling up if you don't pick a side. There is absolutely NO BENEFIT to going Neutral.

Yeah, i've heard neutral items are coming.

This would very easily be solved by having an item requiring less than light 1, and less than dark 1.

 

As for the story, yes I often take a dark side choice (being light side) because I just HATE a particular NPC and kind of want to see him suffer. So yes I understand your point well .

Edited December 25, 2011 by Korrlen

I have a neutral character too. Its not too terrible, except when it comes to relics. There are plenty of easy found or bought relics for light/dark, but few that are neutral, especially pre-50. Though the light/dark sided sabers are also very nice, and very inaccessible to neutral players.

 

This is probably due to the fact that there is not system in place to track levels of 'balanced' gameplay. I'm close to 3k or 4k points in both light and dark though, so it seems like it would be relatively easy to implement, whenever they get to it.

 

Also, to the people who have mocked 'neutral' in this thread, it isn't about a neutral options of, like one idiot said 'i like pie', but rather making light side choices some times, and dark side choices other. For me, I protected the innocent whenever possible, but mercilessly killed traitors and imperials.

Edited December 25, 2011 by nixnaxi

Screw being nice. I'm a freaking Sith PUREBLOOD, I kill EVERYONE just to get what I want and I freaking LOVE IT!

I played in protest to the forced light only and dark only playstyles of this game. Its horrendous how they want us to pick a side and stick with it.

 

Neutral and proud!

There's no neutral only gear, however what there is is 4 things. Darkside gear for people who are darkside, anti lightside gear(must be below 1 lightside) which can be used by neutral or darkside), lightside gearfor people who are lightside and anti darkside gear which is like anti lightside gear exept light side and neutral use it. Now if you look at this list there are 2 items each of lightside, neutral, and darkside. And from what I understand (dont quote me on this) there are an equal amount of each of these items at each level etc. So there isn't a punishment for being neutral, so long as you dont hit 1 ls or 1 ds.

The only person your hurting is yourself. You won't get access to some of the best weapons and gear you can get while leveling up if you don't pick a side. There is absolutely NO BENEFIT to going Neutral.

 

Wrong! refer to my post above

I don't understand what people want, they make decisions that actually have consequences but that is too much for them. They apparently want to make "decisions" without meaning. Do you want to play the character the way you want or do you want the gear? If you want both who is the one who is at fault?

The biggest thing that hurts right now is the relics issue. I have to go hunt matrix shards to get any relics at all. Its kind of annoying since I didn't want to do that until later on.

My tiger has run away. Please bring him back.

1. I will (light side)

2. I like pie (neutral)

3. Sell it to a collector (dark side)

 

1. I will (light side)

2. Take better Care next time (neutral)

3. Poach it (dark side)

I play a dark side SI and keep picking dark for the points.

This isn't really RP since my char is a full blown psychopath, next to that the char is also beyond stupid.

The dark/light side options for a Sith are also a bit mixed.

 

 

- Corrupt the creatures and make them join the empire = light side

 

- Burn down the factory while eating a kitten = Dark side.

 

Both of them can be seen as dark side, one helps the empire the other is well stupid.

These are the choices you get, it's black or white.

 

I would have loved a reward for actually rping and being neutral but Bioware punishes you for it.

In that case I just go for the dark side, I suppose it's meant to be played like that.

 

 

Edit:

 

I also regret going dark side Sith.

For me a dark side Sith follows their code, is evil and cruel but also aids the empire and values power and control.

The dark side Sith in this game just destroy,wreck and think of nothing.

 

Call it chaotic stupid.

Edited December 25, 2011 by TheHauntingBard

What makes a man turn neutral?

 

Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?

"The only person your hurting is yourself. You won't get access to some of the best weapons and gear you can get while leveling up if you don't pick a side. There is absolutely NO BENEFIT to going Neutral. "

 

that is the problem!

The only person your hurting is yourself. You won't get access to some of the best weapons and gear you can get while leveling up if you don't pick a side. There is absolutely NO BENEFIT to going Neutral.

 

Did you even read my post? The whole alignment system should not BE about benefit at all. That is exactly the problem. It should be about role playing your character. At least that's how i see it.

Neutral in this game just means you're not a totally idiotic paragon of justice who lets every child murdering nutter go, or a chaotic stupid baby devourer who kills people every chance they get purely "4 teh evulz". I don't know how it goes on the Republic, but playing a neutral Agent ends up having me lean more towards the Light side. Still neutral mind.

I am not so neutral on my smugglers/Bounty hunters, rather I make the decision at the time which I feel is the right one, they have no true allegiance..my sith or jedi chars on the other hand, stick rigidly to dark or light irrespective of whether they feel comfortable with the outcome.

 

I think remaining truly neutral is incredibly difficult to do, but there should be some items that are for "below light 1 + below dark 1"

 

As others have said, hopefully these will be in soon

I have no strong feelings one way or the other...

As for as cosmetics go I couldn't care less about the items, but it is very frustrating that the only relics that really exist require you to be extreme on one side or the other.