It has been awhile since I hit max level in a MMO. I am usually the person who dabbles in a game long enough to figure out what it offers. If I like it, I tend to stick with it awhile, otherwise I drop when I feel I got to most out of the experience. With the recent holiday releases, there is still plenty of games out there I need to wet my whistle on but I have been focusing on a select few.

One of my games of choice recently has been Star Wars: The Old Republic. I have been playing the game since I got my invite into early access late in December, going full steam ahead ever since then. Sticking with my Mirialan Smuggler I reached 50 earlier this month and had time to reflect on the journey; a crucial piece of an MMO.

Not once did I ever get bored playing my character or found myself frustrated at any given point. For the first time in a long time sans Skyrim, I really enjoyed myself and got lost within a virtual world. Many things attributed to this with BioWare story being one of them. Aside from that, the smuggler gunslinger class was a joy to play and the design of the planets kept the experience new and fresh. Another component was the way they designed their quests. In retrospect, you are doing the same thing repeatedly, but the context and objectives to each quest alleviate the feeling of repetitiveness.

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It has been a long time coming but the it has finally come. Servers are filling to the brim. EA and BioWare CS offices are churning at max capacity. The website is taking a beating and people are desperately trying to get a CC on file so they can hop back into the game. Yup, everything seems to be just right.

I myself was fortunate enough to pre-order early and got in on the first wave of invites during early access. I was also extremely blessed to receive the Collector’s Edition for a fraction of the cost – legitimately mind you – and been ogling all the goodies that came with it.

I am primarily on the Republic side with the Republic Mercy Corps guild as a smuggler and I am possibly thinking about breaking away from the norm for an alt. I might create a DPS version of the Jedi Guardian, or perhaps give the Jedi Consular a second go; the story did not really stick with me when I tried it during beta.

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*Contains minor story structure spoilers*

So I bit the bullet and participated in the last beta weekend for Star Wars: The Old Republic. I made the conscious choice to enjoy that last little morsel the game had to offer until release and like any of the last pieces in life; I took the time to savory and enjoy it to the bitter end. Here is my second look at the MMO that brings story to the forefront.

This time around, I tried to experience different classes and get a feel for what kind of the story Bioware wanted to tell with these classes. As a Mirialan Smuggler, trouble followed me wherever I went and, as Human Sith Inquisitor, I started at the bottom of the barrel and had to painstakingly work my way up.

Wily, wily Smuggler

The Smuggler starts off with what they do best, smuggling. I started off delivering a shipment of weapons to Ord Manteel for the Republic to help in the ongoing conflict. From there things happen and in typical Smuggler faction shit hits the fan early. One of my associates decides to steal my starship along with the weapons and makes a beeline towards their own successes while I end up holding bag without a ship, and a dangerous crime lord breathing down my neck because of the busted deal.

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