vathelan Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 I just came back to SWTOR after having not really played since before the first expansion released. Started leveling up a sage because I project is one of my favorite abilities, and I think disturbance is pretty cool. The idea of controlling the environment with vast force power making the world shake where I walk was very appealing to me. And this is supposed to be the idea behind the class (particularly the tele spec). But then I get in and find that I rarely if ever use project (I prefer dot specs, so am balance...but I've read that the other spec rarely uses it too). And nobody gets moved around. It's just big, quite, white cloud after cloud or little happy glowy light after light. Project is rare. Tele throw is oookkaayyyy but really quiet and you can barely see it. What happened to the double project sages used to have? Why do shadow tanks now have more earth-ripping abilities? They're ripping up and tossing boulders left and right! I want that-but long range! I wish we went more the route of the old Force Slam that was advertised when the game was in development. In every Star Wars game I've played I always try to max out the force movement abilities. I loved throwing people into other people. Obviously, I know that can't happen in this game. And we don't have ragdoll mechanics so when I supposedly "blast" people with disturbance etc they don't go flying. That's fine. But it feels like they're not even trying. Why doesn't our stun have the force slam animation? This, combined with the facts of having a lightsaber for nothing but the occasional deflection and of having one of the most boring storylines (haven't played it yet, have only heard it so-but my guys voice is a bit derpy lol), really turns me off from the game. :/ At the very least, makes me want to play a gunman in a star wars game. It feels like they're super-gunman, and the jedi are a bit of washups. Just to make it even. Okay rant over. What do you guys think? Happy with the animations/aesthetics of the class? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeneas_Falco Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) While I like some of the Sage animations, I'm not a big fan of both it and the Sorc mirror classes pretty much just being pure casters that don't use their lightsabers. When creating the gameplay classes the devs pretty much made Sages and Sorcs similar to wizards or mages from a fantasy based game in that they are pure casters. The issue with that, at least from a lore perspective, is that Jedi and Sith aren't really pure mages. They're a kind of hybrid between a mage and warrior who rely on "swords" just as much or more than they do casting abilities. Of course when creating the gameplay classes, class balance issues and differentiating one class from one another trumped lore concerns, so I can understand why Sages and Sorcs ended up as pure casters. Obviously it's also too late to change it now, but if were up to me Sages and Sorcs would have a couple abilities where they actually used their lightsaber, so that it at least seemed like it had a use besides functioning as some sort of wizards's staff/or wand. Since Sages and Sorcs would still have to primarily be ranged DPS, I'd give them a melee finishing move similar to the Jedi Sentinel's Dispatch. When an enemy was low enough on health this finishing move (lets call it Finishing Strike) would be available, allowing the Sage or Sorc to force leap to their opponent and deal a finishing blow with the lightsaber. Like Dispatch it would have to hit hard. Because they are ranged and closing to melee range could be problematic, perhaps it would also need to be paired with a utility that dropped the cooldown of Force Speed so that they could create distance, if need be. Or it triggered a defensive utility that granted a hefty immunity to damage for a brief period. (let's say 3 seconds) I'd also alter one of the existing ranged attacks to a lightsaber throw. It would function the same as the attack it would be replacing in terms of damage or effect, it would just have a lightsaber throw animation that was slightly different from the ones used for Jedi Knights or Sith Warriors. Similarly I'd alter Force Slow so that it wasn't a casted ability. Let's call it Hamstring. Hamstring would be another lightsaber throw with a slightly different animation, that would slow the target by delivering a leg wound. Otherwise the ability would function the same as the existing Force Slow. It wouldn't be perfect but it would make more use of the lightsaber and be slightly more in line with what you see in the films. Edited May 15, 2018 by Aeneas_Falco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FabulousDoctor Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I would argue that the person right above me is incorrect on it not fitting lore. There were multiple examples in the EU of Jedi (and some Sith based darksiders) who would refuse the use of lightsabers or any weapons, and fully embraced being one with the Force and using it as their living weapon. But I also agree that as is, Sages just don't really have animations. Force Quake is so subtle you barely notice it over the aoe marker. Project is a useless skill past level 10. Telekinetic Throw no longer sometimes throws neat little things, and is just all pebbles all the time. And then you have all the DoTs for balance, which literally have no animation besides 'i wave my hand, now they take damage'. I would love if we got more flashy animations back. I played one at release, and a lot of the flashy animations we did have are gone now. Telekinetic Throw used to every so often throw larger rocks, small droids, etc to make it look more flashy. Force Quake used to be way larger and have a sound effect that sounded intimidating! Now we're a limp noodle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rion_Starkiller Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 (edited) When in Telekinetics spec, Project is to be used after Mind Crush because it will deal 20% more damage. I don't think you get that buff until somewhere between level 60 - 70. That said, Sages do have boring animations, particularly Balance spec. I think you will like TK better. It's somewhat more flashy. Edited May 22, 2018 by Rion_Starkiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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