The Fanatical Swordsman

My commando in front of the Endar Spire on Taris. When I first played Knights of the Old Republic and started on the Endar Spire, I was a soldier, so my SWTOR soldier coming across the Endar Spire was poetic. And then the KOTOR theme music started to play inside the Endar Spire and I got goosebumps…

Just like my previous posts on the Prologue in the 1-10 Starter Planets and the Capital Planets, I want to continue to analyze and rank the stories in SWTOR by its natural divisions. Each story has the Prologue and three Chapters. Today, we will look at Chapter One.

I will give my ranking first, then I will fully explain my position with potential spoilers, so if you just want to see what I think, don’t go past the big spoiler text. Feel free to comment on all of the rankings and provide your own if you want! Be sure to add your reasoning as well! Also stay tuned for more rankings of the additional parts, as well as the ultimate story ranking at the end! Which class will win?

Here is my ranking. They are also links in case you only want to read my analysis of certain classes. Be careful while scrolling!

1. Agent – 10/10
2. Trooper – 9/10
3. Inquisitor – 9/10
4. Bounty Hunter – 9/10
5. Smuggler – 9/10
6. Consular – 8/10
7. Warrior – 7/10
8. Knight – 7/10

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Trooper

Rating: 9/10

Reason: Chapter One for the Trooper is a fun, action-packed story, and it basically follows through on your promise to track down traitors. You go up against each of the defectors one-by-one and eliminate them and their plans. You also meet two more members of your crew, Elara Dorne and M1-4X (Forex). These two characters are really funny and quirky. Forex is especially humorous, and in fact is one of my favorite companions in the entire game. Because of the satisfying, but straightforward story, it is a 9/10 for me. For the Republic!

Inquisitor

Rating: 9/10

Reason: The Inquisitor story for me was pretty straightforward all through Chapter One. You find some relics, meet some pirates, gather a cult on Nar Shaddaa. Pretty fun and very Sith Lord-ish. It was the end of Chapter One that blew my mind. Honestly, it was a 7/10 until the end of Chapter One. It quickly jumped to 9/10 for the ending.

Agent

Rating: 10/10

Reason: Again, like the previous sections, the Agent delivers the strong and vibrant storytelling that SWTOR promises. One-by-one you go to each planet and infiltrate and destroy each terrorist cell. I think that it would be boring, if each cell weren’t so different. It is kind of like Burn Notice, where the plot of each episode basically comes down to “Michael makes progress in his larger situation with the CIA that burned him, while taking on a small job to pay the bills. Gadgets are rigged from everyday objects, Sam drinks too much, and Fiona gleefully blows something up.” It is almost the same plot, but the details are what make it interesting. In this case, unlike some others in SWTOR that didn’t work so well, this approach actually makes for an episodic feel of a spy story. Finally, the end of Chapter One offers one of the bigger twists and THE biggest decision I have ever made in ANY of the stories. I actually pondered it. I couldn’t make the decision easily, because no one could in my character’s position. Very, VERY well done.

Bounty Hunter

Rating: 9/10

Reason: The Bounty Hunter story in Chapter One has some good twists, entertaining companions, and overall, a somewhat satisfying ending. You finally track down and murder your greatest enemy and win the Great Hunt, which while satisfying, is exactly what you’d expect from the get-go. You also kill your first Jedi Master, which gives the mystique and awesomeness that comes with being a Bounty Hunter. You are a Jedi-killer. That’s just awesome!

Smuggler

Rating: 9/10

Reason: The Smuggler wraps up Chapter One in a very interesting way. There is an interesting plot twist at the end, which makes one of your companions especially interesting. Also, you finally catch up with that jerk-face Skavak and shoot him (YAY!). Again, the details about this class, not necessarily the major story points, are what make the Smuggler worth playing. All of the lines are hilarious. The situations with Skavak’s ex-girlfriends are ridiculous and humorous. Your companions are quirky and fun. Add in the absolute hilarity of trying to simultaneously flirt with a Jedi and a Sith, and you have what the Smuggler story is about. Overall, a rambunctiously good time.

Warrior

Rating: 7/10

Reason: Overall, a good story, and the last few scenes in Chapter One are compelling to say the least. The planets leading up to it are somewhat dry, but only because you are still a lapdog of Baras, a.k.a. the single-most annoying, rotund, spherical toaster this side of the Death Star. I don’t know why it irritated me so much to be part of his lackeys, but it did. I understand that the story is setting up the further Chapters, but that doesn’t really excuse the lack of emotion present in Chapter One. The final scenes save Chapter One for me, raising it to a 7/10.

Knight

Rating: 7/10

Reason: The theme for the Jedi Knight Chapter One story is “superweapon.” Basically, in this tired plot of Bioware’s, there are dozens of superweapons in practically all of the class stories and world arcs providing impetus to everyone to get stuff done. One could argue that out of three of the original Star Wars movies, two of them had superweapons, but I would say that was simply the same weapon with different attempts. I will admit that superweapons have been a focus for a while in Star Wars, but come on. Death Mark, Shock Drum, Planet Prison, and even later in Chapter Two, Null Cannon. Too many superweapons. The only saving grace is Kira’s background and involvement in this part of the story. It is fascinating how she interacts with your enemy at the end of Chapter One. This brings the story back to a 7/10 in my book.

Consular

Rating: 8/10

Reason: I actually really liked Chapter One of the Consular story. Once I got past the horribleness that is the Prologue, this chapter made up for it with an interesting series of treatments of Jedi gone mad. All the time, you are searching for the perpetrator of the whole thing. It is much improved from the Prologue. The end has one of the more climactic choices. In fact, it was the only other one besides the Agent where I didn’t immediately know what to do. You also receive one of the coolest titles in the game at the end of Chapter One. Overall, a great improvement on previous parts.

Check back next time for my analysis of Chapter Two!