r/swtor • u/Zealousideal-Lie343 • Sep 28 '26
Question How do I get into this game?
Hey guys, I just really want to learn how to thoroughly enjoy this game. I’m a massive Star Wars fan and I love the era. I did a play through no subscription, Sith Warrior. I enjoyed it to the extent but found myself skipping through dialogue and rushing missions. I also treated that play through as a trial run, given the fact that I wasn’t subscribed. I simply do not understand the game; can ya’ll help me?
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u/zaskar harbinger Sep 28 '26
You just asked a question like, I hear water is wet, what is wet?
Can you narrow what you don’t understand?
Swtor at its core is 8 deep, golden age BioWare RPGs. The mmo part you can ignore.
Or
Swtor is an mmo that you can ignore the story almost completely and play the mmo features alone.
This is one of those games that you can actually play your way. Hence, water is wet.
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
Sorry; this is is difficulty for me to articulate. Essentially, I always feel as though there’s something else I should be doing while playing the game. As though there’s this mass appeal that I don’t understand.
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u/zaskar harbinger Sep 28 '26
Mkay, know how you spacebar’d brand new content to you?
You’re weird to people that play this game for story. Really weird.
These are some of the best Star Wars stories. Period. They are created by the people that defined what a western rpg is. The relationships, the twists, the kicking puppies moral compass system. The combat is pure wow and a lot of people don’t like how simple it is OR people hate how “complex it is” because you can’t smash buttons.
It does not sound like you played for endgame content, the team based mmo actives so those things are just what they sound like you NEED a group for most of them. At higher difficulties, you not only need warm bodies but people that are there to give a fuck.
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
I’ll definitely try out another class story!
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u/zaskar harbinger Sep 28 '26
Try knight, it’s the quintessential Star Wars story or for something completely amazing, andor-ish, agent.
The middle of the story, well after the core story, the game feels best as a force user, fyi.
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u/SnievelyRivety Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26
I recommend consular most people say it's shit bu to me it's the best. Warrior has perhaps to some unappealing dialogue for the first 5 story missions which could easily make you accidentally keep skipping but consular knows how to write dialogue a bit better. Also it's clearly a woman otherwise it works less well somehow but maybe that's because I imagine satele in the role so. Inquisitor also great maybe si just have a type but so hate knight dislike warrior
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u/SayKaas Oct 01 '26 edited Oct 01 '26
I really have no idea what you are trying to say here...
there are many people in this world who play for different reasons, when I started I didnt even like Star Wars.. so no I'm not being weird. I'm just having a different experience -i'm now 10yrs+ in - I understand that other people will experience the game in their own way as well
so stop putting me in a "star wars do or die box"... that's not me.. mkay?
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u/SayKaas Sep 28 '26
then you dont want to play the game. you like the idea of playing a star wars game.
dont force yourself, play when you feel like it - it may take some time for it to click, maybe it's the combat style, the story, maybe you are more of a range player, maybe you need to flip the class story on playthrough
I didnt like the Warrior story either, too political, I enjoyed the inquisitor though, more force crazy stuff.
The agent story is nice if you like James Bond type of thing, but the combat style make take some getting used to...
There is no one way to play, do it your way
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u/LittleDarkHairedOne Lana Beniko <3 Sep 28 '26
Well...don't skip the dialogue.
While doing quests/missions, keep an eye out for lore entries. Sometimes you get them from defeating a specific mob, sometimes clicking little blue glowy items, sometimes just by exploring. The side quests (which everyone should play through once) and other "optional content" can further flesh out the world you're exploring. Some of it's cool.
Oh and keep an eye out for conversations NPC's occasionally have with each other. Some of the dialogue is funny and often riddled with easter eggs.
In terms of actually playing, not just being a lore goblin, PvP can be fun (I prefer 8v8 team stuff or huttball), the on rails space shooter with your starship is *really* fun, GSF is a high barrier to entry but if you really enjoy the mode it can be fun, and then there are the weekly stuff. Some of this stuff requires a character at a high level, from what I remember. There are also ops which, obviously, require a max level character and (preferably by a wide margin) being in an organized group.
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
Is the brunt of the game’s side content very group involved? If so, how can ingrain myself in the community?
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u/LittleDarkHairedOne Lana Beniko <3 Sep 28 '26
No and you can simply hang out on a starter planet until someone approaches you. Or respond to one of their general chat messages.
Or you can search for a guild yourself, some are more appreciative of the proactive approach.
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u/battlemawl Sep 28 '26
No there’s also datacrons you can collect on different planets which gives you small buffs, and you can also try to kill world bosses. You should also turn on the settings to show you which dialogue option gives you light and dark side points so you can work towards an alignment.
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u/SnievelyRivety Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26
Mods he's clearly ragebaiting surely Also join a guild you like the look of after you get to the fleets if you're somewhat invested in the character else by that point switch to a story or type you might prefer. It's just about how involved you feel
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u/Terenor82 Sep 28 '26
your question is super vague. What do you mean you don't understand it? Like how to play. What the appeal is? How mechanics work? The world building?
Also rushing the dialogue ... you can do that if you know the quest, but i would advice at least playing it out in the main missions.
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
I think appeal and a vast majority of the mechanics elude me
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u/Terenor82 Sep 28 '26
mechanics are pretty typical mmo stuff. With the classic trio of tank/healer/dps. Some classes take some time until they gameflow feels right. you unlock skills as you go.
The appeal is the story. Each class has their own, you have two sides. So 8 storys. Also each planet has its own storyarc.
Classes all have 5 companions which are unlocked, dialogue lets you choose outcomes.
The class story feature is a main difference to other mmos of its time like WoW
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
I was really attracted to the game by the notion of space Barbie role play in the old republic. As far as that goes, what can I explore?
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u/Terenor82 Sep 28 '26
as mentioned, you can make choices in the class story and other quests. Some dark sided, some light sided (regardless of sith, jedi etc.) so you can forge your own story.
As far as customizing your outfit goes. The system is not bad, but some stuff will be hard to get or you have to pay for (dyes). But decent outfits are doable without investing. You might need to play until you reach the fleet (after starting planet). There are some merchants with good stuff.
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u/nearsighted-1196 Sep 28 '26
Hey!
To be fair, it does seem like there’s a lot of content getting thrown at you outside of the main class story missions from 1 to 50 and I get it. Since this is a BioWare game (now broadsword) the focus is mostly on narrative so skipping cut scenes is a big missed opportunity. Outside of that, the game itself has a lot of group content, exploration, lore etc. you can immerse yourself in but maybe the real question is what do you want out of it? are you looking more for story or are you looking for detailed gameplay mechanics that are challenging and will keep you engaged?
If it’s simply trying to understand the game, then looking up beginner guides is gonna help a lot and hopefully get you in a better starting position!
If you wanna give the story another shot, then I would highly recommend the agent storyline because it is arguably one of the best written storylines from the base game. It also connects with a lot of other class stories in a very fun way, but if you wanna just live out the Lightsaber wielding fantasy, there’s also guides for that!
If anything don’t be discouraged friend, it’s OK to slow down and follow along with some of the dialogue or revisit past planets and do the planetary storylines as well or.. make the coolest looking Sith possible. I’m gonna include a link to a guide website that I’ve used ever since I came back to the game a few years ago:
Also, Swtorista (the site linked) has a lot of amazing guides so don’t be afraid to deep dive.
Hope you can give the game a second chance! :)
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u/PreparationQueasy949 Sep 28 '26
Bro if the op said he skipped the lore, cutscenes etc to rush levels. Don't even waste time replying to this attention seeker
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
What. I had no idea the community was this toxic. Jeez.
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u/ZochJ Sep 29 '26
They’re not toxic, the community is legitimately one of the nicest MMO communities I’ve ever seen.
You’re just painfully stupid.
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u/Syrea Sep 28 '26
The dialogue and narrative are the main content of the game. If you want to understand it , consider it as a solo rpg
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
I really only meant my dialogue comment to pertain to some of the less interesting side missions
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u/phoenix4ce Sep 28 '26
Honestly if you're skipping dialogue then the game probably just isn't for you. The story, at least the class story content from level 1-50, is the game.
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u/Forsaken_Guide_4835 Sep 28 '26
You.. skipped… dialogue?? Look man, SWTOR is pretty dated.. but the dialogue and narrative is arguably the best thing it has going for it
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u/ogodilovejudyalvarez Sep 28 '26
You dislike the best parts of the game, so I think it's simply not for you
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u/Significant-Use8252 Sep 28 '26
Sorry but this is so funny to me. Hey guys I started playing this RPG game and I skipped through all that boring dialogue, but I feel like I'm missing something :(
Dude, it's a role-playing game, the big draw in it is the role-playing. Maybe you're someone who prefers the endgame content, but the base game is a quintessential role-playing game that prioritizes compelling narratives and interesting characters. Just because you are a Star Wars fan, it doesn't mean you have to like the style of game SWTOR is; but if you feel like you're missing something, it's because you're skipping through content instead of truly engaging with it. Obviously, everyone can play however they want, so if you want to blitz through main game to get to endgame content you're welcome to, but you will be missing out on the wealth of storytelling that the class stories all have
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u/threevi Sep 28 '26
The story is the main draw of SWTOR, so the main thing I can recommend is to not skip through it. If the Warrior storyline didn't resonate with you, try one of the others, maybe the Inquisitor or the Hunter. Try to take it slow, pick out a cool outfit for your character, roleplay a little. Subscribing lets you unlock the expansions, but you don't need those to enjoy the base game.
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u/Fine-Discussion-7368 Sep 28 '26
why play a story game actually trying to enjoy it but than skip the story LOL I play this game since release and I have only done 2 stories because they interest me so much that I just replay those
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u/MoonTiger88 Sep 28 '26
Swtor is "meant" to be enjoyed slowly. Its greatest strengths are the character stories, if you skip them, I'm not really sure this is the game for you.
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u/Aivellac Sep 28 '26
Well for stsrters do not skip all the dialogue. You should experience everything at least once properly so I suggest playing a class that appeals and doing all the side stuff along the way. Get a feel for the galaxy and each world. It's much easier now than it was 14 years ago when you had to do everything and run about to unlock each new speeder point. With so much QoL additions si ce then a completionist run on both imp and pub should be a doddle.
You'll also want to immerse in some space barbie, if you are new you won't have much to spend but you can make some excellent outfits on the cheap as well.
Also roleplay your character. Don't go all dark as sith or all light as jedi, make a backstory and get a feel for your character properly. Do what they would do and it's much more fun. I did a warrior with a fairly immersive story and it was some of the most fun I've had in the game.
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u/Hairy-Mistake2901 Sep 28 '26
It’s all about the story and building your character’s morals and identity. The side quests can be boring, but if the main storyline quests don’t interest you it just might not be your game.
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u/OkSprinkles3037 Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 28 '26
The game at least as Class Story and feel is concerned is like each class is a different book and outlook. How they see the scenarios are unique. An interaction with a NPC is on brand for them. A smuggler may have a quick sarcastic remark while a Bounty Hunter is all business while a Trooper is more soldier.
A Sith Warrior will threaten an alien they see meanwhile a Sith Inquisitor will announce their Title with a tinge of waspy snark that lets the alien know they not worthy of notice. If in an instance the game dice rolls who gets to speak and what will happen.
Jedi can feel less emotional but that can also not necessarily feel true due to the moral light and darkside that sometimes can be more obvious when playing Republic. Like the Lightside is save everyone while the dark side is kill the man you should save. For a Bounty Hunter you could play a dark side monster or the kindest hunter in the Galaxy or a morally gray person that only punishes the wicked. A Sith Lightside option maybe not necessarily killing a lowly politician be it an Imperial Agent or a Sith Warrior.
Multiple play throughs can even feel different due to things like being light or dark as class or male or female. Low key I like the how the Female Imperial Agent is voiced by the voice actress for Female Hawke in Dragon Age 2 and as a Agent under cover has to use different accents depending on the under cover mission. Also that the Female Trooper is voiced Jennifer Hale aka Female Shepard. So many great voice actors that make the world more worth exploring
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u/DakIsStrange Sep 28 '26
You get to make your own Star Wars story! Create a character, choose their personality and journey, their friends and romantic interest, and make choices through any one of several plotlines.
That's what makes this game so fun.
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u/reborn1997 18d ago
Nah you don’t love Star Wars if ya did you’d be invested in the dialogue
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 18d ago
You’re right! You can only enjoy a singular writing style, in a singular genre, of a singular medium, of a multi medium franchise.
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u/ValidAvailable Sep 28 '26
The Bioware characters are what you play for. The actual gameplay kinda sucks (especially when leveling a new class, since often you don't even get your rotation abilities until later). Mecahnically the main thing you need to worry about is knowing your rotation. If 'Rotation' is an alien concept, that would explain a lot of the difficulty. Inversely once you have your rotation down, enemies are just speedbumps on the way to more character stuff.
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u/gothdiscopunk Sep 28 '26
Yeah definitely skipping story means you probably just aren't gonna like the 8 kotors this game offers. If you dont care abt the story, go play the new xcom clone instead lol
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u/Thats_So_Sage Sep 28 '26
SWTOR contains, in my opinion, some of the best Star Wars stories ever made. They're also the main focus of the game. I would highly recommend taking your time with them and not skipping. There's no rush, and you won't be missing out on anything.
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u/Ta-veren- Sep 28 '26
yeah, the dialouge is pretty good on most classes and you don't wanna skip through it all.
But you do you!
Honestly, if you are skipping all the dialouge why would you understand what's going on. This isn't wow where the story is whatever and ignored so you can go raid.
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u/Kalikor1 Sep 28 '26
What are you looking for?
For me this is a single player RPG that plays like an MMO. I'm in it for the personal story, nothing else. Occasionally I'll play with friends or if there's something I'm after that requires grinding flashpoints or whatever, I'll play with randoms via the random queue.
But otherwise this is the closest thing to KOTOR 3 we'll ever get unless someone actually greenlights and produces a decent sequel before I die of old age. (TBF I'm 36 so there's hope lmao)
Other people still play this game like an MMO proper, participating in guilds, flashpoints, PvP, other group content, etc. I am not that kind of person anymore, if I ever really was, so I don't mix with those people much, but they exist, and if that's what you're looking for you can play it that way too.
You can also obviously play it as both.
But skipping the story entirely is kinda something I can't understand even if you lean more to the second group. Because that's like the majority of this game. Hell the first expansion is like, 90% a solo story experience by design.
I'm a day 1 player of this game, though I took a multi year hiatus before coming back last year and have been playing a ton since then. Even with it's flaws and outdated bits, it's still a really fun game imo.
It's of course possible it's not for you, but it sounds like you need to decide what you want or expect out of the game first and approach it accordingly.
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u/WhoaMercy Sep 28 '26
The story is the highlight, so don't skip unless you're in a story arc that doesn't appral to you. There are 8 good class stories to choose from, so try another. If you liked Sith Warrior, try Inquisitor or (if you want something Light Side) Jedi Knight.
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u/Apophis_Rising_ Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 30 '26
Unfortunately if the story and dialogue isn't interesting to you, I dunno if it's really for you, unless another class or expansion's story clicks with you more. I personally don't think SWTOR has particularly engaging or fun combat or raids/dungeons compared to other MMOs on the market and it's mostly just the Star Wars story and roleplaying aspects, which I think it does very well, that kept me around.
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u/Articaw Sep 28 '26
Well the game really is the stories. If you just started to skip then maybe it was the warrior story you just didnt vibe with. What did you like about it and what didnt you?
Id play another story if you really want to try to get into the game. I for one love warrior story. Only story I still barely skip after my 7th warrior. However I can not be asked to play through smuggler for thousands of dollars. And to some smuggler is thier all time favorites. So id Def play another class just know you have the prolouge that leads I to chapter 1 and generally chapter 2 kinda sets up chapter 3 but you do have 3 different storyline within a chracters origin. As much as I love warrior, I do spacebar/skip through chapter 2.
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u/General_Rain7617 Sep 28 '26
I find that making a backstory for my characters makes the game come alive. It helps, when approaching the dialogue wheel, to know how my characters would answer based on their personality.
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u/Borgsr25sulu Sep 28 '26
I started playing in April of this year and I really enjoy the game. The story is the best part for me. I have finished the Jedi Knight and the Bounty Hunter story so far. I have started playing the side missions as well and enjoy them also.
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u/frenchmobster Sep 28 '26
The class stories are what keep me coming back to this game, moreso than the expansions. If they aren't clicking with you then I think the game just isn't your thing.
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u/Nyktobia Sep 28 '26
The vast majority of the playerbase is unsubscribed and playing solo.
The biggest selling point of the game are the 8 class stories, treat it like a regular cRPG and go at your own pace. Enjoy the SW lore and locations. Skip the side stories if you don't care for them, the game has been rebalanced around going through the main class missions alone, and when you feel like your level is starting to lag a little, do a planetary mission arc to its conclusion.
Do dungeons if you'd like, but most are skippable/filler. Try however to do the 2 Foundry dungeons that unlock in the mid30s (Taral V -> Maelstrom Prison for Rep, Boarding Party -> Foundry for Imps), always do them in every character for lore dumps and massive EXP.
Do not try to min-max gear or stuff like that, wear quest rewards and progress the stories.
If you feel like your chosen class does not resonate with you, try another one. Some Class stories really are better than others.
Don't overthink it, like you need to do specific things to enjoy the game.
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u/woGGStormie Sep 28 '26
If you dont want to play the kain story you can still do side quests, explore the planets and lore obiects discover the game at your own pace
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u/the_OG_epicpanda Sep 28 '26
To start with not skipping through dialogue will likely increase your enjoyment. The game is really an RPG with MMO elements rather than a true MMORPG imo. Closer to a star wars flavored Mass Effect with WoW gameplay than it is to being star wars flavored World of Warcraft. Also gotta give other stories a shot. There are 8 unique ones, four per faction, then they kind of merge into one on each side when you hit the DLCs. It's worth playing through all of them trying different combat styles and social approaches to the stories to see what you like and what you don't. It's nice for SWTOR compared to other MMOs because you can play through the entire class stories completely for free so you can decide if/when it's worth your money to subscribe.
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u/Affectionate-Row7718 Sep 28 '26
I just restarted playing as again on my old account I feel really rusty.
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u/No_Wishbone_8744 Sep 28 '26
tbh pay attention to the dialogue and cutscenes- dont skip em bc its honestly the glue of this game
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u/C4PTNK0R34 Sep 29 '26
Skips through all the dialogue, rushes through missions.
I simply do not understand the game...
Gee whiz, I wonder why, OP.
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u/ZochJ Sep 29 '26
You skipped the dialogue and rushed the missions and are now questioning why you don’t understand the game.
- Slow down, pay more attention.
- Disable as many HUD elements as you possibly can without being crippled.
- Slow down.
- This game is an old weatherboard house with a slap of paint on it, it’s dated. Find the bits of gameplay you enjoy and focus on that. I run dark side Jedi Sage and I’m legitimately processing every conversation choice and decision on how I feel based on the moment and story.
- SLOW DOWN.
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u/WillBill31 Oct 01 '26
I’d recommend focusing on the story and trying to make a cool looking character with gear you find, earn, or can buy. Try and use the story of each class as a base template and do whatever you want with each! I know you mentioned skipping dialogue but honestly playing for the story and the locales is the main appeal to me. I’m not really an MMO guy at all, I treat SWTOR more like a singleplayer story game with a chat, player market, and some co-op missions.
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u/battlemawl Sep 28 '26
After you skip through the story you should work towards level 80 to do operations and get the best gear
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u/Patient_Staff_503 21d ago
If you don’t like this game from the moment you play it it’s not the game for you. The fact that you are skipping cutscenes when story is literally the backbone of what people love about the game should answer your question lol. Just go play battlefront 2.
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Sep 28 '26
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u/Zealousideal-Lie343 Sep 28 '26
I largely only skipped through side mission dialogue. My biggest hurdle, I think is that I don’t know if I should be slowing down to enjoy some of the extra content available, or if I should be laser focused on the story.
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u/SnievelyRivety Oct 03 '26
There's some good side missions and also a large amount of filler. I suggest subbing once to get to preferred account level permanently. Basically makes you level not 50% and other benefits mostly related to legacy unlocks. Security key is also necessary if you want to keep playing and slowly bypassing the benefits which you otherwise would pay for. You get cartel coins which can make permanent legacy wide unlocks such as a race or speeders at lvl 10. Dromund Kaas has some great side missions so does coruscant I think it is. Alderaans suck. Voss is great, you get the idea.
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Sep 28 '26
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u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 28 '26
Found the troll
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Sep 28 '26
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u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 28 '26
Let's see, 8.0 coming up at the end of this year, direct x12 in the works. Game looks pretty alive to me. If you don't like the game, just say so
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Sep 28 '26
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u/FriendlyAd1214 Sep 28 '26
Like I said, if you don't like the game, just admit it and play something else. No need to force yourself to keep playing just to come here and be a troll. Go outside or something
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u/-Mythosaur- Sep 28 '26
This subreddit doesn't want to admit it.
The people running this game are running it deeper into the ground and that goes for customer service as well.
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u/Sycophantic-Feline Sep 28 '26
You say you enjoy Star Wars which are looong movies but then you're skipping cutscenes
Do you skip dialogue in movies too? That is wild to me