Star Wars: The Old Republic NEEDS to add a faction change, or as someone called it, a 'cross-faction class switch'.

 

A faction change means that a Sith Warrior would become a become a Jedi Knight, and vice versa. A Smuggler would become an Imperial Agent. However there is also broad support for some classes, such as Trooper and Smuggler, to be able to do a full faction change without changing class.

 

Classes are as follows;

Sith Warrior – Jedi Knight

Sith Inquisitor – Jedi Consular

Bounty Hunter – Trooper

Imperial Agent – Smuggler

 

 

 

How it can benefit SWTOR (financially):

 

 

• It can offer added revenue to make paid Faction change a paid option.
   
   
  
• Players who left could return to the game with the lure of playing their favorite character on another faction.
   
   
  
• Adding it as part of an update package is a good marketing campaign that would bring attention to the game.
   
   
  
• Making a 'change faction quest line' for characters who have hit level cap resolves the 'storyline deviance' issue and is an added assertive to return for those whom left.
  (especially for the large portion of fans who like the concept of 'Rebelling against one's faction')
  

 

 

 

Why players want the option:

 

 

• Players do not always have the time to spend to level up a new character after spending a lot of time on one. Be it due to work, family or other obligations.
  
  (It does not mater how 'quick' it takes to level, they lose incentive to 'level all over again' after doing it once or a certain number of times with different characters).

  
   
   
   
  

• Despite 'legacy' and emphasis on 'shared items', there are items on one character players have spent time collecting and do not want to lose with having to make a new character -JUST- so they can be in another faction.
   
   
  
• Players grow attachments to their 'main' character, but can grow bored with the current faction they are on for various reasons. A 'faction change' option opens up the OPTION to be able to try the 'other side' of the game with a favored character.
   
   
  
• A wish to not continue with a current faction, but an inability to move their favored character that is 'trapped' within it's current faction can cause players to become 'disheartened' with the game.
   
   
  
• PvP Points. Players do not want to spend a huge amount of time re-grinding Valor, Social and whatever points they have spent a large amount of time gathering. -Tarrasch
  

 

 

 

Ways that it can be implemented:

 

 

• Faction change can be offered only to characters whom have hit the level cap, thus removing a majority of the 'storyline' issues.
   
   
  
• A storyline option can be made that characters must take so as to be able to change faction. This storyline could be interwoven with an 'explanation' of 'the story so far' that has occurred for the other side so as to offer smooth transition from one into the other.
   
   
  
• A paid option can be offered in the Cartel either as a separate paid option, or as a 'unlock' to the quest line that allows characters to transfer.
   
   
  
• There could be a new planet where Republic and Empire have to work together to defeat some sort of enemy. -EmperorDarkstar
   
   
  
• Could possibly implement it as Blizzard had,, no story involved. Just a faction switch, with a race and name change option and similar class switch. - ObiJuanShenobi
   
   
  
• Have a line of quests that could work similar to the EQ2 betrayal quest, only that it wouldn't be repeatable. -Kendaric
   
   
  
• Make it story based, to where if you switch factions, it would of been a pivotal part of your story. So you won't re roll a character, but instead you would betray your previous faction to help the other side. Let's say your playing a Sith Juggernaut, but the Sith Juggernaut actually does not agree with killing innocents, and has shown to keep the views that the republic holds (because in the sith story, you start off as a slave and thus is forced into the roll of a sith). So you would make a pivetol choice where you would go to the jedi home world, so as to help, and thus open up a new story line for your character, where you must prove to the jedi you are worthy, do things to show them you have changed, etc. What this will also do is add to where the sith will be wanting to kill you for betraying them, so you add that story into it as well.* -Masteries
  

 

 

 

Possible Costs to Character:

 

 

• Anyone taking advantage of this option could have to play through at least some portion of the storyline for their mirror class. -Jimvinny
   
   
  
• Potentially lose the use of its current equipment. (There is many Class restricted items, such as Legacy Items, End-Game armors, Faction only items(boss drop that have no mean to normally exist on the opposite side).* -Elysith
   
   
  
• A possible strip of titles and achievements as part of the switch. -Autorch
  

 

 

 

Please, for the sake of the game and the players, add the ability to change factions.

*Will add more bullets to the list for more reasons given on why/how faction change should be added.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Alykia

Star Wars: The Old Republic NEEDS to add a faction change for the following reasons;

 

Please, for the sake of the game and the players, add the ability to change factions.

*Will add more bullets to the list for more reasons given on why/how faction change should be added.

 

 

lol, for the "sake of the game". Dumb idea, play what you created.

I support this. I have a 50 sorc who was my first toon, but my other 4 50's are all pubs, and I'm GM of my pub guild. I just don't have time to do anything with him anymore, and would love to be able to bring him over to the pub side. I think a faction change storyline is the right idea, with the added caveat that anyone taking advantage of this option should have to play through at least some portion of the storyline for their mirror class. Obviously the companion-locked story missions would make things interesting, but I leave it to greater minds than mine (or at least those with more time) to figure that out.

What if they decide to expand the class stories?

Does that mean they will have to create twice as much Class stories to match the 4 potential new character classes present on each side ?

 

Don't get me wrong, I would like a quest that would allow for a faction transfer but I think it creates many issues and would require more work than just a "transfer story".

Also I rather prefer they use development time on expanding new stories on each faction.

 

Another point story-wise is that both faction "runs at the same time" on kinda opposite goals. For example switching to the other side and doing FlashPoints would be like going back in time to defeat what you won on your original side

Edited November 22, 2012 by Elysith

yes story means so much

 

 

now check out my sig VV

Well basically this is just one piece of the bigger puzzle of the untapped potential of legacy for alignment and organizations/factions.

 

 

Right now the static/binary system is very poor. I don't want to be in the empire on my bounty hunter or my juggernaut. My assassin wants to be neutral and align with other organizations. Light and dark rank does nothing but for the legacy unlock skill.

 

The game should not enforce grouping limit from faction and the ideal implementation would give lots of player choice to let guilds and individals have alignment with multiple organizations/factions and/or a primary one. It should be fluid and involve reward for player effort similar to legacy progression. It can work inside the legacy framework in some ways, or just interact with it.

 

Factionless grouping and further serverless innovation will boost this game up to the quality of its competition. Bioware initially set out to build the game a certain way and the competition it had to go off was no different than what it has become. Now we need innovations and enhancements on its strongest differentiators to see the game grow to the level it really could to stand at equal height with current gen innovative online gaming

OP, you could just say: "Hey I would like a faction swap option! Will we have it in a future? It's a Star Wars canon people changing factions, so why not?" But you decided to ruin it with a useless wall of text.

I think they should make a new planet where Republic and Empire have to work together to defeat some sort of enemy. It would be cool to group up and communicate with the opposite faction

To OP:

 

The Problem I see is you just now doubled the amount of class story content Bioware has to do in an expansion...

 

1) Jedi Knight Story Line

2) Sith Warrior Story Line

3) Jedi Knight Traitor Story Line

4) Sith Warrior Traitor Story Line

Etc...Etc....

 

If this wasn't a Story driven MMO it probably wouldn't be a issue, but because it is, I doubt they would do it.

 

I rather Bioware spent there time adding a new class to the game then spending the time adding a traitor story line to the game for each of the existing classes.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Monoth

I think they should make a new planet where Republic and Empire have to work together to defeat some sort of enemy. It would be cool to group up and communicate with the opposite faction

I always wanted that!

Re. Faction change: imo should not have max level requirement just retain your level and place you in starting point of your class storyline. You'd catch up without problem to your current level content.

only thing SWTOR needs is less whiners on the forums

No to faction change. JUST...NO!

 

We need better options like being able to transfer to any server you want before this nonsense!

maybe when disney takes over they can finally get faction changes going, and these fanyboys and cry babies and trolls can finally get over themselves.

The recent Schubert interview stated that there was desire to do it but the quest flagging made it difficult to implement. Presumably he was talking about a faction switch at a lower level, because if you simply set the rule that you had to be 50 and have completed your class storyline to make the switch, what's the issue?

 

At that point there's only meaningless low-level planet quests, or the repeatable dailies, and who cares whether or not those get unflagged as having been done for a character? What unfair advantage would really be exposed by that circumstance? The gear obtainable from low level planet quests? The money? Right, sure. 20 minutes on a planetary daily would be 10x the reward for a fraction of the time.

 

In such a switch you'd become the opposite faction and mirror class, with the class storyline flagged as completed. No "switch" story, no BS, just suddenly you're put in the same level 50 situation as everyone else is. If you want to strip titles and achievements as part of the switch, fine too. That's just the price to pay. If you wanted to play the mirror class storyline you'd still have to roll from scratch.

 

As far as this whole "traitor" storyline or quest, that is indeed one possible opinion. Mine is that I couldn't care less and that you're way too emotionally invested in a freaking game to be making arguments about what violence is done to the storyline, particularly since none of these stories are going to be winning any awards anytime soon.

Does that mean they will have to create twice as much Class stories to match the 4 potential new character classes present on each side ? [/Quote]

 

No. These are NOT 'four new classes'. Faction change means that a Sith Warrior would become a become a Jedi Knight, and vice versa. A Smuggler would become an Imperial Agent.

 

Classes are as follows;

Sith Warrior – Jedi Knight

Sith Inquisitor – Jedi Consular

Bounty Hunter – Trooper

Imperial Agent – Smuggler

 

When one changes faction, one simply moves from one class, to it's correlating one on the other faction. There are NO 'new classes'.

 

As for the suggestion that I just say 'hay please add this' and leave it at that...

When bringing a problem forward, it is always a good idea to also bring possible solutions. The game creators will naturally do whatever they deem, and if they decide to create faction change (please please please), then they will naturally do it in the path they deem best. But it is always a good idea to bring ideas to the table whenever highlighting an issue. In this case, the issue of the inability to transfer factions.

 

There are many problems involved with making faction change a possibility, but does that make it an impossibility? No. It simply means that they are hurdles to overcome, but they -can- be overcome, and in ways that would benefit not only the player base but the game and company as a whole.

 

Well basically this is just one piece of the bigger puzzle of the untapped potential of legacy for alignment and organizations/factions.

 

 

Right now the static/binary system is very poor. I don't want to be in the empire on my bounty hunter or my juggernaut. My assassin wants to be neutral and align with other organizations. Light and dark rank does nothing but for the legacy unlock skill.

 

The game should not enforce grouping limit from faction and the ideal implementation would give lots of player choice to let guilds and individals have alignment with multiple organizations/factions and/or a primary one. It should be fluid and involve reward for player effort similar to legacy progression. It can work inside the legacy framework in some ways, or just interact with it.

 

Factionless grouping and further serverless innovation will boost this game up to the quality of its competition. Bioware initially set out to build the game a certain way and the competition it had to go off was no different than what it has become. Now we need innovations and enhancements on its strongest differentiators to see the game grow to the level it really could to stand at equal height with current gen innovative online gaming

 

Quoted for truth.

@Alykia: Then what you're asking is not a faction change, it's a cross-faction class switch.

 

In such case, you have to agree the character may potentially

- potentially lose the use of its current equipment. (There is many Class restricted items, such as Legacy Items, End-Game armors, Faction only items(boss drop that have no mean to normally exist on the opposite side) .

-lose his titles as they would make no sense on the opposite faction

-obviously reset all his quests.

- and whatever else I don't think of right now...

 

Personally that's not a feature I would like to see because I like permanent character building choice, I don't even like the fact that you can respec your skills in the skill-trees. but that's just me

 

Else technically I guess there is no hard issue with such feature.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Elysith

lol, for the "sake of the game". Dumb idea, play what you created.

 

Guess what... a lot of people do and are unhappy with their faction (for whatever reason), so a faction change after you finish your class story would be nice.

 

I love the bounty hunter, for example, but I absolutely loathe playing on the Empire's side. Granted, I could roll a trooper, but let's face it... the trooper feels somewhat boring in regards to their animations (I much prefer the bounty hunter animations). If I could bring my bounty hunter over to the republic side, I'd do so immediately. Even for cartel coins and I'm certainly not alone in feeling this way.

 

Yes, I'm aware that it wouldn't make much sense for the Force users... but then again lots of Sith Purebloods and Chiss running around in the Republic doesn't make sense either. Chiss Force users dont make sense at all, as the species can't be Force-sensitive, and still they are an option via legacy.

 

If it was implemented, I'd support a full faction change, i.e. taking your actual class over to the other side, for the normal classes at least. Jedi and Sith would probably have to changed to their mirrors though (not they differ much from eachother anyway).

 

Edit: For some classes it would make a lot of sense anyway,

 

Edited November 22, 2012 by Kendaric

You will get it eventually, just like you will now get AC change eventually. What was not possible before will become quite possible, now that they can charge extra for it.

The only way I could see them implementing this is doing it like WoW, no story involved. Just a faction switch, with a race and name change option and similar class switch. The Smuggler becomes the Operative, The Guardian becomes the Juggernaut. Ect. Anything more in depth than this type of system that already exists in 'that other game' likely would never happen. SWTOR devs aren't trailblazers, they are followers.

 

Also, asking that a story comes with this wouln't happen, IMO.

Edited November 22, 2012 by ObiJuanShenobi

The only way I could see them implementing this is doing it like WoW, no story involved. Just a faction switch, with a race and name change option.

 

asking that a story comes with this wouln't happen, IMO.

 

It is possible, however, to implement a questline that you can only do once you have finished the current story chapters and change how the stories work in the future. They have already said they are bouncing around ideas on how to make it happen.

The only way I could see them implementing this is doing it like WoW, no story involved. Just a faction switch, with a race and name change option and similar class switch. The Smuggler becomes the Operative, The Guardian becomes the Juggernaut. Ect. Anything more in depth than this type of system that already exists in 'that other game' likely would never happen. SWTOR devs aren't trailblazers, they are followers.

 

Also, asking that a story comes with this wouln't happen, IMO.

 

And story is a requisite in SW:TOR. That's what sets it apart. It's not going to abandon the one thing that makes it unique.

It is possible, however, to implement a questline that you can only do once you have finished the current story chapters and change how the stories work in the future. They have already said they are bouncing around ideas on how to make it happen.

 

That would be awesome, I just don't see it happening. SWTOR devs aren't innovators. Just followers trying to measure up to that other game one feature at a time.

 

I wish that wasn't the case though.

And story is a requisite in SW:TOR. That's what sets it apart. It's not going to abandon the one thing that makes it unique.

 

Then I fear the faction change would never happen then. As I said, I can't see them implementing the time, money, and development for a storyline quest chain in support of a simple feature that only some would want.

 

It would either be a simple switch like WoW does or not at all.

Edited November 22, 2012 by ObiJuanShenobi

It is possible, however, to implement a questline that you can only do once you have finished the current story chapters and change how the stories work in the future. They have already said they are bouncing around ideas on how to make it happen.

 

Exactly. It could work similiar to the EQ2 betrayal quest, only that it wouldn't be repeatable.

That would be awesome, I just don't see it happening. SWTOR devs aren't innovators. Just followers trying to measure up to that other game one feature at a time.

 

I wish that wasn't the case though.

 

A few things have happend since their older statements though...

 

1. Most of the higher up people have been let go or left on their own accord. This puts lower people in higher positions that may have a different idea on how to run things. The lower end guy may have once said to the higher guy "we can do this". The higher guy may have said no thats not going to happen. Now the lower guy is the higher guy =)

 

2. F2P has come out with a cash shop. Anything they have said, in the past, is out the window. They have a new motivation to come up with many different ways of charging people extra.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Soluss