Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview

One of the editors at IGN has given BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic the preview treatment after spending some firsthand time with a Twi’lek smuggler during E3. A small taste:

The smuggler is not the most combat savvy, but she’s crafty. She uses cover to survive and has a set of available actions that better suit someone who can’t overpower an enemy like a weapons-heavy bounty hunter. The cover system itself is basic. A green silhouette shows where you can take cover. And once in cover, you can use those icons to move from one spot to the next and eventually flank your enemies. Grenades and a rapid shot ability are key to taking down enemies without suffering too much damage. The smuggler is not a brute, so standing in the open taking pot shots is suicidal.

On the field of battle, the smuggler isn’t useless by any means. And if you team up with more offensive-minded individuals, you can use cover to sneak to objectives or get the drop on protected enemies. But the smuggler’s value will be more strongly felt outside of combat. After all, The Old Republic doesn’t take place on one planet, but in a galaxy ripe for exploration. While the E3 demo didn’t let us go off-world, obviously a smuggler will have some advantages aboard a ship that a Sith Inquisitor will not.