Just returning to the game from a long absence. I leveled a Sith Warrior (because I *really* liked that story) all the way from Korriban to Illum, RotHC, SoR, KotFE, KotET, Jedi under Seige, Fractured Alliances etc. and then finally Dantooine. Did all the flashpoints, all the sidequests, got my crafting up to level 700 etc. Spent time building my companions (including the new companions from KotFE and KotET) affection up. I even did the Lana romance since I figured that was likely to be more supported than either Vette or Dark/Light Jaesa.

 

And I'm struck by the realization that it was all for nothing.

 

Theron, Lana, Senya, and Arcann seem to have disappeared after Fractured Alliances. My old companions that returned really don't say much beyond the cutscene or two where they come back. The War with Zakuul is little more than a footnote - to justify the galaxy being resource poor (could just as easily have been the result of the continued Empire-Republic war). I 've rejoined the empire and now run around the galaxy with entirely new companions (I know it makes sense from a budget reasons since coming up with voiced dialogue for all the possible returning companions would be prohibitive) but it still leaves me with a hollow feeling.

 

I almost wish that I'd never done KotFE and KotET and just skipped to Jedi Under Siege.

 

I'm one of those players that can replay the original game a dozen times - just to tweak and play with the story and the consequences of different choices. I don't like grinding for gear or mats, etc.

 

It just seems to me that NOTHING I really did in KotFE and KotET mattered. Vaylin still dies. Valkorian comes back (again), none of my choices really tip the balance for or against the empire or republic. All I feel I've really done is played a story with no lasting consequence whose principle characters will likely be sidelined or ignored in future expansions in favor of new companions and I've gathered about 20+ new followers - who are little more than a cut scene or two - or someone I can dump collected resources on in the hopes that the RNG gives me a piece of cool armor as a result.

 

Am I missing something?

1. it wrapped up the story arc of the sith emperor and functioned as exposition for various mysteries surrounding him(some of which were hinted at back when the game first launched).

 

2. It established the PC as an independent power who can swing the war in one direction or another. This is curious. Losing the eternal fleet was predictable as the game's plot couldn't move on without getting rid of it. But now the player choices here are creating a dramatic bifurcation in the "timeline". Previously it was assumed that an analog for all 8 class stories existed(and codexes will mention them). This is why we have things like the Silencer superweapons being mentioned when playing as Republic. Makes me wonder if they're aiming to wrap up the game with the players determining the final outcome for each character.

 

3. It allowed them to have a 5 year timeskip that could have them rotate a lot of the NPCs, giving lower rank NPCs we knew from the past "time" to get promoted. The Dark Council in particular had been decimated in the base game.

 

4. It drove both factions to the edge in a way that never would've occurred while fighting normally or if one side or the other was winning conventionally(again possibly suggesting that things might be wrapping up).

 

It has a number of foregone conclusions and few decisions(like killing Saresh, but then, doesn't everyone kill Saresh?) that will likely show up in some way. But this is also true of all the prior expansions and the fight with the dread masters. Fight with the dread masters only ends one way, Rise of the Hutt Cartel has assumed plot impact on both sides(mostly allowing the Empire to recover after Ilum/Malgus), Shadow of Revan always results in the resurrection of the Sith Emperor and so on. Most outcomes are simply addressed in mail.

 

Prior to the current set of decisions(and it remains to be seen whether they will matter), decisions in swtor generally do not affect the course of the plot. This tends to be more noticeable because the plot is ongoing(for near a decade now) as opposed to a single player rpg where the game ends and they tell you the result of your decisions. It's very easy to write a note saying such and such happened because of what you did, it's much more work(and expense) to do significantly branching content.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Vandicus

I had just returned to the game last year and I also felt that KotXX feels kinda weird. I felt like they had so much more potential. From what I read, it was at that time that they had budget cut + voice actors strike + subs number dropping. Thus, they tried to wrapped it up too quick.

 

Personally, I would not prefer our PC to get stuck frozen. Instead, I would really like if after Marr's defeat, our own crew would come and rescue us. Then we would help our faction fight against Zakuul. I would rather this than the "waking up after 5 yrs and got treated like a normal Outlander" .

Edited June 21, 2021 by afwhoefuwov

To me it definitely felt like the whole storyline of Zakuul that was tailored more for Jedi/Sith while the building and running of the Alliance seemed more suited for Troopers/Agents...didn't feel like there was really anything there for my Hunter, whose sole interest throughout the entire thing was 'Where the HECK is Mako?!' Seems like Smugglers would be in a similar position as well.

 

The Alliance building stuff was at least interesting (since I have always enjoyed games with building up an HQ and recruiting interesting characters) but the storyline did nothing to make a lasting impression and the overall opinion I had by the time I finally slogged through to the end of it was annoyance.

 

But ah well, can't like everything in a game and at least I can enjoy the rest of the very fun character stories without being forced to slog through KotFE/KotET another 7 times so at least it has that going for it.

Edited June 21, 2021 by windclan

The point of KotFE and KotET is to play it once as a Sith Warrior because at the climax of KotET you get what might be the single best spoken dialogue choice in the entire game. It might even make you cheer out loud.

 

(if you messed that one up and picked the wrong choice, I feel bad for you )

 

Other than that, not much point.

 

Ok that's a little harsh. The Alliance is an interesting concept but the writers really wrote themselves into a corner with it. And getting out of that corner the story has been a mixed bag and still is not really resolved.

Edited June 21, 2021 by stoopicus

To me it definitely felt like the whole storyline of Zakuul that was tailored more for Jedi/Sith while the building and running of the Alliance seemed more suited for Troopers/Agents...didn't feel like there was really anything there for my Hunter, whose sole interest throughout the entire thing was 'Where the HECK is Mako?!' Seems like Smugglers would be in a similar position as well.

 

The Alliance building stuff was at least interesting (since I have always enjoyed games with building up an HQ and recruiting interesting characters) but the storyline did nothing to make a lasting impression and the overall opinion I had by the time I finally slogged through to the end of it was annoyance.

 

But ah well, can't like everything in a game and at least I can enjoy the rest of the very fun character stories without being forced to slog through KotFE/KotET another 7 times so at least it has that going for it.

 

I wish my Bounty Hunter had the possibility to say "no" to the Alliance, name Lana as the Commander, take his personal ship and leave for Mandalorian controlled space.

"1. it wrapped up the story arc of the sith emperor and functioned as exposition for various mysteries surrounding him(some of which were hinted at back when the game first launched)."

 

I would counter that it introduced Zakuul, and Valkorian's (new Emperor Host body's) family then ended with a great battle in which you "destroy" the emperor (you even get the obligatory email saying that he is dead) - only to have to do it all over again in "Echoes of Oblivion". Then all the characters I met (Vaylin, Koth, Arcann), alliances I forged, etc. get sidelined after that expansion ends.

 

It also creates a plot hole if you play the SW storyline because Marr states that the Emperor was absent for much of their recent history (he was off being Valkorian) ... but in the SW story you find out that Baras trapped the Emperor in a host body on Voss and couldn't extricate himself without the SW's intervention. So what was going on with the host body "Valkorian" at that time? How did Senya, Thexan (who would still be alive at this time), Arcann and Vaylin not notice that "Daddy" is basically a potted plant.

 

And then there's the problem with Thexan - the cinematic tells us that Thexan died *after* conquering Korriban (Arcann has already been disfigured) and Arcann is shown in his disfigured state when he kills Thexan and in KotFE chapter 1 - *but* Marr claims that he can press the Dark Council into going after the Emperor?

 

With the exception of Zakuul (and the time skip)- fundamentally what would have changed if we skipped KotFE and KotET and gone right from Ziost to something like Echoes of Oblivion?

 

"2. It established the PC as an independent power who can swing the war in one direction or another. This is curious. Losing the eternal fleet was predictable as the game's plot couldn't move on without getting rid of it. But now the player choices here are creating a dramatic bifurcation in the "timeline". Previously it was assumed that an analog for all 8 class stories existed(and codexes will mention them). This is why we have things like the Silencer superweapons being mentioned when playing as Republic. Makes me wonder if they're aiming to wrap up the game with the players determining the final outcome for each character. "

 

I get that - but it doesn't really make sense. The game establishes that the Empire and the Republic are crippled following Zakuul's invasion of our part of the galaxy - and most of the alliance forces come from disaffected Republic and Empire troops (and some people from Zakluul). We've got a single base. Maybe a few thousand troops and the Eternal fleet - and with the latter's destruction we're no more a force to be reckoned with than the average pre-Zakuul dark lord (Heck, the Sith Lord Grathan helps orchestrate an invasion of Dromund Kass in one of the earliest Heroics.

 

"3. It allowed them to have a 5 year timeskip that could have them rotate a lot of the NPCs, giving lower rank NPCs we knew from the past "time" to get promoted. The Dark Council in particular had been decimated in the base game."

 

The Dark Council was getting decimated long before the time skip. Barras (after he succeeded Vengen), Thanaton, Jadus, Decimus, are all killed during the Vanilla game. Arho is klled on Illum. Arkous is killed in SoR.

 

"4. It drove both factions to the edge in a way that never would've occurred while fighting normally or if one side or the other was winning conventionally(again possibly suggesting that things might be wrapping up)."

 

I don't think we can say that. The Empire could clearly be explained as being weakened following the events of the vanilla game. Imperial Intelligence is gone. Several prominent dark lords have been vanquished and their forces lost in costly in-fighting. The game even tells you that the taking Corellia cost the empire a lot in manpower and ships (only to lose it again if on the LS story), Malgus' little civil war. The Republic has similarly lost a lot. Various superweapons, the defection of a big chunk of spec force (trooper story), the actions of the Children of the Emperor, the events of chapter 2 of the SW story where you assassinate key Republic strategists, etc.

 

"It has a number of foregone conclusions and few decisions(like killing Saresh, but then, doesn't everyone kill Saresh?)"

 

Not my Jedi knight or Trooper, but the my sith warrior did. :-)

The Alliance could very well have morphed into a legitimate third playable faction, but traditional fanboys with a very narrow of view of what constitutes the Star Wars franchise screamed to the heavens to bring back imp vs. pub.

 

And so we're now left with resurrected bad guys (Malgus) because the story writers had nothing else to throw at the wall from KOTET other than Malgus after being told by the fanboys to pivot back to imp vs. pub.

 

Unfortunate. I would have completely gone Alliance had I the chance.

Edited June 21, 2021 by xordevoreaux

The biggest problem with the Fallen Empire ~ Eternal Throne story is that it was originally meant to be much larger. Just as Fallen Empire is 16 chapters, so too was the second "book" supposed to be of roughly the same length, and then a third "book" of, again, roughly the same length. It was supposed to be a grand, three part, three expansion story that, after the blow back FE received, was denuded down to the barest story elements, truncated, and reworked into what we received in Eternal Throne and Fractured Alliances. No matter what the story will always feel rushed and incomplete because it is.

1. Aside from the Voice, Vitiate also was Vitiate in the Jedi Knight storyline when he is killed. Voice is just one of his means of communication. So the Voice being trapped is not what Marr is talking about, as that is relatively recent. The Emperor was Vitiate and Valkorian at the same time, but primarily focused on different ones at different times. He'd been distracted with goings on regarding Iokath and Zakuul for about a hundred years iirc. There's also some outside of game lore from books that got wrapped up here.

 

The Treaty of Coruscant is basically a combination of Revan's influence and Valkorian starting a family.

 

Senya talks about Valkorian growing distant. This is him relaunching the war and his plan to genocide the galaxy and achieve godhood.

 

I'm not sure what the confusion regarding Thexan and Arcann is here. Their forces are specifically unknown when they go on their rampage. It's a test-run.

 

You can go from level 1 to Echoes of Oblivion and not really change anything significant. This is not particular to KoTeT and KOTFE.

 

2. Much of the galaxy is neutralish. While the Alliance pulls from the Empire and Republic, it basically pulls from everyone to become a significant third faction power. Enough to sway the tide.

 

3. Yeah, that's my point. Dark Council is all dead, the writers need time to replace them. 5 year timeskip makes that easier.

 

4. Both forces are now on the brink of collapse. Which is unnatural if they were warring normally, they wouldn't cripple themselves trying to get the upper hand, and having both their capitols devastated is downright odd.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Vandicus

The Alliance could very well have morphed into a legitimate third playable faction, but traditional fanboys with a very narrow of view of what constitutes the Star Wars franchise screamed to the heavens to bring back imp vs. pub.

 

And so we're now left with resurrected bad guys (Malgus) because the story writers had nothing else to throw at the wall from KOTET other than Malgus after being told by the fanboys to pivot back to imp vs. pub.

 

Unfortunate. I would have completely gone Alliance had I the chance.

 

Malgus being alive was revealed a good while back in that cut teaser for KoTFe and Kotet when the twins fetch him and present him to Valkorian. A lot of their story planning stretches for years, though no doubt they fill out the details as they go along.

Malgus being alive was revealed a good while back in that cut teaser for KoTFe and Kotet when the twins fetch him and present him to Valkorian. A lot of their story planning stretches for years, though no doubt they fill out the details as they go along.

 

That was datamined and can not be considered as official. They have acknowledged that not everything found in datamined files is complete or was ever meant for the live game, and have been known to include red herrings.

That was datamined and can not be considered as official. They have acknowledged that not everything found in datamined files is complete or was ever meant for the live game, and have been known to include red herrings.

 

The trailers cost a lot to make and the developers don't have a lot of resources to make massive course corrections. While they might have decided that the particular event didn't occur(don't think they've said for sure yet), it's pretty clear they had on their list of overall plot points, Malgus is still alive as far back as several years ago. Given False Emperor, it's clear that this was under consideration for even longer than that.

 

Plans do change but the overall arc's key points are probably less likely to do so.

The trailers cost a lot to make and the developers don't have a lot of resources to make massive course corrections. While they might have decided that the particular event didn't occur(don't think they've said for sure yet), it's pretty clear they had on their list of overall plot points, Malgus is still alive as far back as several years ago. Given False Emperor, it's clear that this was under consideration for even longer than that.

 

Plans do change but the overall arc's key points are probably less likely to do so.

 

I stand corrected. It was not datamined. It was previewed at the San Diego Cantina Tour in 2015. Also:

let's all remember, that was cut just showing behind the scenes concepts.

Charles Boyd, Twitter, July 2015

Emphasis mine.

"1. Aside from the Voice, Vitiate also was Vitiate in the Jedi Knight storyline when he is killed. Voice is just one of his means of communication. So the Voice being trapped is not what Marr is talking about, as that is relatively recent."

 

The Voice specifically tells the SW that he (the Emperor) could not physically leave the Dark Heart because the host body was trapped, nor could he just transfer and control a new host while the current "voice" was still occupied. If the Emperor still existed in a physical form separate from the Voice - it would have simply been a matter of going to Voss, killing the trapped voice and then selecting a new voice.

 

Canonically the SW story finishes a little before the JK story because the Wrath gets an email telling him that the Emperor's new voice (not Vitiate himself) has been killed the JK. This is also explained in the later chapters when we learn that the emperor's real body is some place hidden.

 

"The Emperor was Vitiate and Valkorian at the same time, but primarily focused on different ones at different times. He'd been distracted with goings on regarding Iokath and Zakuul for about a hundred years iirc. There's also some outside of game lore from books that got wrapped up here."

 

This disagrees with the established canon (which is stated by Dark Council members, Revanites, and other Sith) that says that the emperor (Vitiate) hasn't been seen in years. It seems more likely that the emperor can only inhabit one host body at a time and that while not in use that body is preserved in stasis somehow.

 

"The Treaty of Coruscant is basically a combination of Revan's influence and Valkorian starting a family."

 

Except that Valkorian ruled Zakuul for centuries (he's referred to as "the Immortal Emperor") before he decided to have a family with Senya. It seems more likely that a real person named Valkorian who was powerful with the force founded Zakuul and was eventually possessed by the emperor during the time when the Emperor was absent from the Sith Empire (which could be 100+ years).

 

"Senya talks about Valkorian growing distant. This is him relaunching the war and his plan to genocide the galaxy and achieve godhood."

 

Or it could be that those were moments that the Emperor was exerting more of an active control of the Valkorian.

 

"I'm not sure what the confusion regarding Thexan and Arcann is here. Their forces are specifically unknown when they go on their rampage. It's a test-run. "

 

I think you missed my point. According to the cinematic, Arcann was scarred when he and Thexan attacked Korriban. And the subsequent presentation of the flags and lightsabers to Valkorian - and Thexan's deah at Arcann's hands. Arcann is already scarred when you meet him in Chapter 1 of KotFE and Thexan is already dead. That means the crushing attack on Korriban has already occurred. So why would Marr claim to have difficulty convincing the other dark council members to mobilize to go after Zakuul?

 

"You can go from level 1 to Echoes of Oblivion and not really change anything significant. This is not particular to KoTeT and KOTFE."

 

I can topple members of the Dark Council. I can join the Dark Council. I can "kill" the emperor. I can liberate or take Correlia and Balmorra. I can release the Esh-Ka from Belsavis. I can topple the Star Cabal and either defect to the Republic, stay with the Empire or become a free agent. I can assassinate key members of the Republic. Save/Kill Revan. Stop Darth Angral from destroying Tython. End the Civil War on Alderaan.

 

"2. Much of the galaxy is neutralish. While the Alliance pulls from the Empire and Republic, it basically pulls from everyone to become a significant third faction power. Enough to sway the tide."

 

Only while you have the fleet. Which the game takes away from you. Also it makes no sense for a LS JK, JC, RT to turn on the Republic. Becoming a galactic big honcho isn't something that would appeal to a Smuggler or a Bounty Hunter. And a dark sided character might turn on both the Empire and the Republic - but without the eternal fleet that is going to work and with the eternal fleet its too easy. game over.

 

"3. Yeah, that's my point. Dark Council is all dead, the writers need time to replace them. 5 year timeskip makes that easier. "

 

We've seen replacement of DC members without needing a whole new faction. The very nature of the dark side drives this. Barras replaces Vengean. Arho replaces Barras and Arkous replaces Arho. Nox replaces Thanaton. Darth Decimus' predecessor is killed just before the game starts. Darth Acina rises to the dark council during the game - and then to become Empress in the time jump. Sajar defected to the light side prior to the start of the game. And that's just off the top of my head.

 

"4. Both forces are now on the brink of collapse. Which is unnatural if they were warring normally, they wouldn't cripple themselves trying to get the upper hand, and having both their capitols devastated is downright odd."

 

Barras orchestrates a slave revolt on Korriban to undermine a rival, kills key imperial officials to enable his own rise. The Dark Council tolerates Thanaton and Darth Nox's internal war, not to mention Barras' conflict with the Wrath, Jadus plans to kill the other DC members and rule himself until the IA stops him. Malgus stages his little coup. And that was before Revan came back and conned both sides into attacking their respective force training worlds.

 

We really didn't need a third faction to weaken the empire/republic.

 

The Voice specifically tells the SW that he (the Emperor) could not physically leave the Dark Heart because the host body was trapped, nor could he just transfer and control a new host while the current "voice" was still occupied. If the Emperor still existed in a physical form separate from the Voice - it would have simply been a matter of going to Voss, killing the trapped voice and then selecting a new voice.

 

 

I vaguely remember this being addressed by a dev. It was said that Valkorion and The Voice were both active at the same time and that Valkorion never saved The Voice from The Entity because it wasn't the right time to reveal Zakuul to the Empire/Republic. Marr also mentions the emperor's distraction when meeting Valkorion and Valkorion replies that it was (not his distraction but) his focus.

hello R-Smith.

 

Welcome to MMORPG expansions. This game is not WoW, but it is a WoW clone in many ways. We don't pay for new xpacks every ~2 years, but we do have xpacks. What you describe is simply how xpacks work. They're their own stories, and very little remains from one to another. That is to say, new xpacks purposely do not require a lot of carry-over from previous xpacks. SWTOR actually does carry-over a lot more than WoW. That's because 1) SWTOR is slow to add content, which costs money/resources, and 2) related to 1, SWTOR doesn't charge a gate fee for each new xpack.

 

in sum, the carry-over from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4, etc. xpacks in SWTOR is actually quite a bit more significant than in other similar games. and SWTOR does lean on rescaling old content to keep ppl playing it, but at the end of the day, new xpacks are new xpacks. they don't require a lot of "forced" connection to previous ones.

 

FWIW, I and many other players would prefer that there were fewer comps with more relevance throughout the game than 30-odd comps that basically only exist for collection grinds.

We really didn't need a third faction to weaken the empire/republic.

What in this game is ever about need? It's 100% about want. I want to play that third faction permanently and continue the story through it.

 

Fanboys decided that won't happen. They can't crawl out of the imp. vs. pub mentality.

I and many other players would prefer that there were fewer comps with more relevance throughout the game than 30-odd comps that basically only exist for collection grinds.

 

Don't count me among those. My main has well more than 30 comps and it's not a mental crisis when suddenly presented with more.

What in this game is ever about need? It's 100% about want. I want to play that third faction permanently and continue the story through it.

 

Fanboys decided that won't happen. They can't crawl out of the imp. vs. pub mentality.

 

how can there be wars without two sides?

 

be happy you got some little saboteur gimmick

how can there be wars without two sides?

 

be happy you got some little saboteur gimmick

 

Although true that most conflicts in human history have involved two sides, or one group of allies against another faction or group of allies, there have been times when three or more distinct and non-allied factions have been in open conflict. Would it be possible for there to be a three-way conflict between the Republic, the Empire, and the Alliance? Certainly, but the final result is not likely to end in the Alliance's favor. Instead, the Alliance has done what so many third-party factions have done throughout human history and allied with one faction against another.

"Don't count me among those. My main has well more than 30 comps and it's not a mental crisis when suddenly presented with more."

 

If the companions were meaningful. I'd agree with you. But they are not. I don't need Companion X from another character class story if all they do is show up offer one or two lines of dialogue and then serve as a collection grind to build up affection for a character I am NEVER going to use. I loved the IA storyline. Eckard Lokin was a fascinating character (a 50-50 mix of Dr. Kildare and Elim Garak from Deep Space Nine). But he adds NOTHING to the story once you recruit him again in KotFE.

 

That's not a mental crisis - that's just not liking sloppy lazy writing for the sake of putting a character back.

 

As for "fanboys" ruining your experience by demanding that we return to Pub vs. Imp stories. That's STAR WARS. I don't see a LS Jedi or Trooper abandoning the Republic. Nor do I see The Wrath or Darth Nox working their way to top of the Imperial hierarchy and then chucking it and go play Independent. My DS Sith Inquisitor or DS Sith Warrior wouldn't use the eternal fleet or the power of the alliance to rule as a third faction. He'd conquer the empire and bring the other Darths to heal (and wipe out any last remnants of anyone that previously opposed me). My LS Sith Warrior would never rule third party faction. He fights for the Empire. He's going to bring the alliance in under the banner of the Sith and use it as his personal power base.

 

You don't need a THIRD faction to do interesting politicking. The Darths are regularly shown to undermine each other - even working with the republic at times to do it. And the Republic has at times engaged in some pretty nasty affairs if it suits them (Garza wants the weaponized Rakghoul virus, Saresh, SIS has no problem using mind controlled Imperial agents to do their bidding, Nomen Karr's hardly a paragon of virtue, the Jedi Council's mind-wiping of Revan (and the hint that he wasn't the only one) etc. etc.

 

Also a legitimate third faction - would require substantial recoding (so that if you go back to an old planet) both Pubs and Imp forces attack you. I think at one time in the very early stages the devs were thinking of making a third faction (BH and Smuggler) but then decided to fold them in with Empire and Republic - maybe because they couldn't think of a way to make a neutral force user that would be a different story than a LS Sith or DS Jedi.

1. The Emperor is literally Valkorian simultaneously as the Voice is trapped on Voss. The Emperor is a liar/doesn't share the full details(he certainly doesn't tell the Sith Warrior about Valkorion). It is correct that Valkorion was a person that he possessed(this is confirmed canon) before technologically uplifting Zakuul, but so is literally every body he uses that isn't his original Sith body. It's never really suggested that some "real" Valkorion is still in there. The original Valkorian did not found Zakuul. Overall the two expansions pretty comprehensively answered/closed up questions about the Emperor, his decision-making and what was going on. I think the final battle with Scourge and Kira might've originally been intended to be part of that expansion series, but it was just a final piece of exposition.

 

The Valkorion body has been around for some time. The Sith Emperor identity had an apprentice at the time of the galactic war he launched to complete his ritual, and was also the decision maker in launching the war. He pretty clearly exists simultaneously. The Emperor was also the one who chose to have Treaty of Coruscant(being pushed by Revan) as opposed to finishing off the Republic.

 

The events regarding the Treaty of Coruscant and Senya's talk about him going distant are intentional points in the lore. Malgus was right, it was ******** for the Empire to stop when on the verge of victory.

 

Darth Marr wasn't going after Zakuul. He didn't know Zakuul exists, or that these attacks were related to the Sith Emperor. The identity of the attackers was unknown.

 

The Emperor's original body is essentially his last(for now) backup plan. He hadn't used it in forever. It is clear though that he can create "copies" of himself as made apparent by Tenebrae's lack of knowledge of his own activities as well as his contempt for his behavior in the Eternal Empire.

 

We have the dates for some of these events. The Emperor was not fully absent during these times, he was just "distracted". Probably because he's focused on Valkorion having adventures in Wild Space looking for Iokath and such. But the Dark Council exists in the first place because he's not much of a hands on ruler. He had a reputation for being a scholar before becoming Emperor, and seems to have spent a lot of time collecting ancient lore and technologies in his search for immortality.

 

2. All of the members of the Dark Council who died die regardless of what character you play(up until recently). Same for Vitiate. You don't get to choose the join the Dark Council, the SIth Inquisitor always joins the Dark Council (not that this really matters compared to Thanaton being dead thanks to PC disappearing regardless) and kills his predecessor. Vitiate is always killed.

 

There is no choice to save or kill Revan. He is always saved and then always defeated in the base game. And then Shadow of Revan is a later expansion on those events. Those are chronologically in a series. All 8 class stories are basically considered to have occurred, and you'll see mention of them in some codex entries for companions from KoTFE and KoTET.

 

Only starting from Iokath have we seen player control over things that appear to be carrying forward and not on a predetermined path.

 

The fleet put the Alliance in a position of overwhelming dominance, not merely enough to turn the tide. It's not surprising that they'd tone that down, otherwise the player can just choose the winner or choose to rule themselves.

 

3. Point 3. was about a timeskip, not a third faction. They could've done Kotet and Kotfe as a divided faction thing like the Dread War but chose not to.

 

4. The factions were not just weakened, they lost their fleets and were all impoverished. The Eternal Empire's intervention had more of an impact than decades of war. Malgus's rebellion and the Dread War aren't really on a comparable scale. It'd be a different story if Maglus or the Dread Masters had conquered both Empire and Republic before being defeated, but they didn't. This is a pretty good set up for one faction or the other to secure something like a permanent victory, which if they do take it that way is more convincing than winning just one major battle like Corellia. It also makes it plausible for the player to choose the result.

This is a pretty good set up for one faction or the other to secure something like a permanent victory, which if they do take it that way is more convincing than winning just one major battle like Corellia. It also makes it plausible for the player to choose the result.

 

I doubt that is the intent, since it would suggest that SWTOR’s story would come to an end. After all, it is still a service game and service games don’t end, they are shut down. As long as it keeps being profitable, the story will be further developed.

I doubt that is the intent, since it would suggest that SWTOR’s story would come to an end. After all, it is still a service game and service games don’t end, they are shut down. As long as it keeps being profitable, the story will be further developed.

 

Either they're going to have to neutralize the impact of the decisions and re-unify the divergent timelines or they're preparing for something more final. I suppose Malgus and/or another third faction could even things out again, but logically at some point the Empire and the Republic should run out of resources after all this emphasis on how they can barely feed themselves. Mandalorians could've easily been a resurgent third faction, but the start of a civil war for them also will weaken that faction. They could start writing in a different direction but what it looks like currently is building towards either a Republic or Imperial victory depending on player choices.

 

The cost of maintaining ongoing divergent paths is why we didn't have decisions that affected the overall course of the galaxy before.

 

*EDIT

 

Without even considering divergent decisions, before we also didn't have major contradictory states of the galaxy. Republic Taris happens before Imperial Taris, both planet stories and all class stories are true. Imperial Balmorra happens before Republic Balmorra, Imperial Corellia happens before Republic Corellia. Now we have entire fleets and the Meridian complex either destroyed or not destroyed, the Alliance Commander and his 3rd faction potentially siding with different forces.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Vandicus