PvP in The Old Republic - What You Need To Know

by Lee Page⁽⁴⁾
Star Wars: TOR Fever

Ever since I first played competitively against another player I was hooked. I love the fact every time you come up against an opponent you have the human element of unpredictability, it never gets stale and always gives me a buzz. I especially love a well executed PvP orientated MMO. While The Old Republic is by no-means all about PvP, it will play a huge role, it has to - it is Jedi vs Sith for heavens sake - they have to war. The great news is Bioware are really dishing out the bells and whistles in this area of the game.

The things they have confirmed as 'in' The Old republic PvP are clearly derived from Warhammer Online (WAR). After seeing these comparisons I can now recall a Dev' post saying how they (Bioware) are great fans of the PvP in WAR - they liked the RvR style, the tense one on ones, the awesome team fights and the scenario based PvP game types. If you played WAR yourself you will soon see where I am coming from.

WAR did not achieve its potential for quite a few reasons (which we do not need to cover right now), however the PvP was extremely well executed and a whole heap of skull cracking fun. It truly is one of the most memorable MMO experiences I have had to date (I hope SWTOR can top it). I really, really miss the scale and fun of the battles that took place on a regular basis.

The massive open world skirmishes of hundreds of players per side. Too-ing and frowing-ing across the map, assaulting and defending your realms keeps and objectives to the last man. These conflicts that would see some awesome tactics and gameplay. these included player made tank shields creating an organic defensive line. A line that could, at the right time, quickly flip into a deadly counter attack, pincer movement co-ordinated with another party or a decoy retreat. These tank walls would be essential for holding important areas and choke points such as bridges, river crossings, valleys and more. It was an honour to be part of some of the 'against all odds' victories we we achieved.

WAR and SWTOR Similarities

A great number of the gameplay elements that made Warhammer Online Player vs Player so satisfying has been used and advanced in PvP in The Old Republic. These include;

- A guard ability for tanks - allowing a tank to place a 'guard' on an ally which, when within a set proximity to the tank, would reduce all damage by 50%.

- Smart CC (stuns, disarms, silence, etc) immunities - diminishing returns on on all CC, multiple CC breaks for each class, short (1-2 sec), complete immunity from effected CC for short period following.

- Large health pools - helped players stand a chance of using their class, abilities and player skills to fight back against surprise attacks, ambushes etc. Fights were much longer than most (if not all) PvP MMO's, giving confrontations a real epic feel

- Combat Rez - Allowed healers to resurrect players while still in combat. Again allowed fights to last longer and grant the legendary feeling. The larger health pools and tank guard abilities gave healers a chance to rez comrades if they fell in battle.

- Single hit kill removal - They stopped (mostly) the awful stun/silence/disarm > stab/magic > stab/magic > insane crit = insta death feature that many found incredibly annoying in most other MMO's.

- Strategic and tactical team work - You need to work as a team to take down the enemy team and accomplish your objective.

- PvP taunts - Allows the more squishy players to reduce incoming damage by 50-75% for a few seconds (as long as they do not attack). Great for last ditch escapes.

- PvP Ranks - You get actual PvP levels and XP just like regular levels - known as Valor in SWTOR and Renown in WAR.

If you're a Player versus Player fan kind of gamer, you are in for a nice experience with PvP in The Old Republic.

They have adopted many more aspects, built on them, as-well as creating their own unique elements......

The Smart Matching and Bolstering Systems

Bioware avidly declare that with the smart matching and bolstering system combatants must consistently be on a even playing field. Both Skill and gear will definitely have an impact in skirmishes, but the items portion could by no means offer over a 10% advantage, leaving fighter ability as the overriding aspect in the majority of battles.

In the actual game this could be explained with 2 competitors of equivalent ability and experience etc. One with their full PvP kit and one wearing their best Player versus Environment equipment the PvP player will only ever have Up to a 10% stat boost.

I am uncertain on this point, in my PvP experience 10% is a huge advantage. However until I can get some serious play-time in we will have to see.

What These Measures Mean For You

This kind of strategic combat works very effectively in MMO PvP. Taking this route leans the concentration towards ability, teamwork and organization - instead of it being dependent on who is able to land the first hit, crit or CC. It bodes well for PvP in The Old Republic.

It means PvP will be immensely FUN and ENTERTAINING. You will get to experience some of the finest moments of gaming you have ever had, in one of the best fictional universes ever created.

One-on-ones will be a fraught and tense affair, sometimes resulting in many minute long fights - with the outcome being decided by fighter ability, tactics, and experience.

Group skirmishes will see the necessity for good target selection, paired with organized and targeted attacks, excellent communication and on-the-move strategic adaptations to carry the punishment to enemy opponents.

Learn more about the PvP in Star Wars The Old Republic.

Article submitted Wednesday, November 02, 2011 & read 57 times.

Lee has been a huge gamer since the days of the old sinclair 48 (if you aren’t old enough to remember the 48 it was basically a small keyboard with a separate tape deck on which you loaded your games – it was one of the very first home computers available to everyone).

Lee’s absolute favorite is multiplayer gaming, specifically Player versus Player. Being a big fan of PvP driven MMO’s he was a long-time player of DAoC, Warhammer Online, Conan and is currently fighting it up in Global Agenda, League of Legends and Black Prophecy. Check out his Star Wars The Old Republic Fan Site http://www.swtor-fever.com.

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