For those that have now have at least tried a few different classes.

1. What classes and specialties have you played?

2. What is your favorite class? Please list the class, specialty and the reason you love it.

3. What is least favorite class? Please list the class, specialty and the reason you hate it.

4. Which class do you think was the easiest?

5. Which class/specialty do you think was the hardest?

6. Which class/specialty do you think is the best for solo?

7. Which class/specialty do you think should only be done solo by those with rocks in their head?

Everyone is going to have different answers to these questions. I may like the challenge of completing the game with the type of character that you believe is just stupid to attempt. There may also be some of us that enjoy playing a class that we can go through the game with very little challenge. This isn’t a thread to make fun of peoples likes and dislikes, it is a thread to help each other, from experience, pick a future class based on others experiences and our own preferences.

1. Main Toon – Smuggler, Scoundrel, Sawbones. Skill Tree at Level 49. (http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#701rffrdGRRzsZ0c.1) Although I will respec after completing the main quest. Get rid of Anatomy Lessons for Med Screen.

Also have played; Trooper – Commando, Jedi Knight - ?, Jedi Consular - ?, Sith Inquisitor – Sith Assassin.

2. Can’t go against my main Toon, but the reason I love her has nothing to do with specialty, but everything to do with the smuggler storyline and her smart ass mouth. I can guarantee you that I will do another smuggler before I am done with TOR and she will be a gunslinger.

3. Least favorite so far are either of the Jedi. At first I thought it was because of their fighting styles, but I love the Sith Inquisitor. Guess I really haven’t played them long enough to form a proper opinion.

4. Trooper – No doubt and no one will convince me otherwise.

5. Unknown as of now. Haven’t played long enough on my other Toons to give an informed opinion.

6. Again, haven’t played long enough to give an opinion. I will say Smuggler, Scoundrel, Sawbones while not easy is possible as I am at level 49 and ½ way to 50. It can be frustrating at times and requires patience and perseverance (otherwise known as stubbornness), it is possible. If I can do it, anyone can. If the first couple of worlds are any indication, then my gut tells me, Trooper – Commando- Gunnery may have the easiest time solo.

7. Smuggler, Scoundrel, Sawbones… I’m living proof.

1.
Bounty Hunter Mercenary (DPS) - level 50
Sith Warrior Juggernaut (Tank) - level 50
Trooper Commando (DPS) - level 35
Imperial Agent Sniper (DPS) - level 29 (beta) / 15 (live)
Sith Inquisitor Sorcerer (DPS) - level 22
Smuggler Gunslinger (DPS) - level 20
Jedi Knight Sentinel (DPS) - level 11
Jedi Consular Shadow (DPS) - level 11


2. Mechanics-wise, the BH Merc/Trooper Commando is a pretty great class to play PVE. As I've said elsewhere, with this class you can solo the game without breaking a sweat. Has a whole toolkit full of goodies to handle just about any situation.

3. At this point I'm not overly fussed on the SW Juggernaut/JK Guardian melee tank class. I think there are some definite flaws with it. Whilst opinion on what is wrong and to what to degree (if any) is not universal, from what I've seen over at the official forums there are plenty of other people unhappy with the class.

4. BH/Trooper was by far the easiest. Especially early on they have the wood on most every other class. I am expecting it to be heavily nerfed at some point, as is the way with MMOs.

5. Tanks and Healers are difficult classes by their very nature, so pick any and all of them for this one.

6. Pretty much any DPS class is a solid bet, but Mercenary/Commando is pretty hard to go past at this stage for #1 solo class. As Lynk suggests below, the BH having a healing companion first may give them the slight edge over Troopers, although Troopers get their other companions quicker to compensate. Not that you'd really ever use any of them in preference to a healer as a DPS class.

7. A pure Healer is obviously trending fairly heavily away from optimal for solo play.

1. What classes and specialities have you played?
I've played all 8 classes, but I've spent the most time playing my Vanguard on the Republic side and Marauder on the Imperial side.


2. What is your favourite class? Please list the class, speciality and the reason you love it.
I have two favourites...

Lynk | Trooper Vanguard | Ranger Tank | Playing this class has made me appreciate tanking and despite a couple of moves that aren't as smooth as the Bounty Hunter counterparts, I've had a lot of fun playing as the Vanguard... to me, this class is my favourite in terms of gameplay.

Silvana | Sith Marauder | Melee DPS | Playing through the story for this class is so awesome because she's a Sith pureblood but I'm taking her down the light side instead of the dark. Every scene is absolutely brilliant and intriguing with her... definitely my favourite in terms of story.

Also, I'm really finding the Operative to be really awesome too, great gameplay AND story.


3. What is least favourite class? Please list the class, speciality and the reason you hate it.
The Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor as a whole are definitely my least favourite. Don't like channeled moves. I also don't really like the whole cover system so the Smuggler Gunslinger and Agent Sniper aren't my thing either.


4. Which class do you think was the easiest?
I can't really answer that since I've had a pretty good time with most of them...

5. Which class/speciality do you think was the hardest?
...the ones I do find the hardest to play are the ones that are my least favourite.

6. Which class/speciality do you think is the best for solo?
Mercenary. All of the attacks are silky smooth and you can pull them off with great ease and you start off with a healer companion.


7. Which class/speciality do you think should only be done solo by those with rocks in their head?
This game does a good job and narrowing the gap between how certain classes perform in solo play because of the companions... they make all the difference and all you really need to do is be clever with the way you play the game to beat it solo if it's with a more specialised class.

Okay, I have to change my recommendation for anyone starting TOR for the first time....


4. Jedi Consular Shadow is the easiest class. 1. Shadow has stealth. 2. Shadow has multiple abilities for crowd control. I hit level 45 last night and haven't found anything in the game thus far that my shadow cannot handle. The bosses that took my smuggler multiple tries to get past, my shadow gets past first try. Battles out of cut scenes...shadow has no problem. About the only thing I miss from my smuggler scoundrel sawbones is the ability to long term CC droids...My smuggler can CC both droids and organics long term (longer than 15 seconds).

That written, no one will ever convince me the Shadow isn't the easiest class on the republic side, but I also know that a lot of the reason I believe the shadow is so much easier than the Smuggler and Trooper is the fact that I know more about how a MMO works now. With my smuggler, it was my first attempt at a MMO, so I had a huge learning curve. With my Trooper, I was playing with Lynk, so I didn’t really learn to use all the trooper’s abilities and how to use the properly. With my Shadow, I keep her well equipped, I use stims and I plan my strategies. Things I didn’t really do with either my Smuggler or my Trooper, but I did learn to do it with my trooper while playing with Lynk. I can also safely say, my shadow has benefited from my smuggler being level 50. My smuggler has made my shadow stims, medpacs and implants, she has also sent her companion gifts and credits to buy the best weapons and mods available.

So while, the Shadow is what I consider the easiest class, my belief of that is largely because of stealth and the huge number of CCs. Her dying more from falling down elevator shafts, cliffs and falling into lava than being killed by bosses is largely due to my understanding how to properly use and understand her abilities and a clear understanding on how to equip her. Still being able to kill any and everything the game throws at you is a blast and would be possible with my playing style without stealth and CC, which makes the Shadow my favorite and most fun class on the republic side.

Bremiaha will still be my main character, starting to really enjoy the healer role as I am really getting a feel for doing it, but Leyn’a fits my normal style so much better and I really like being able to kill everything so she will be my first Alt when a HMFP or Ops does not need a healer. She will not be a Tank. :D

So if you haven’t guessed the answer to number 6 has changed to Shadow, because of stealth and CCs. Stealth and CCs just make the game so much easier for people playing solo or people new to MMOs.

As to story, the Jedi Consular's story is meh....but the game play more than makes up for it.

Just gonna answer number 6

6. Sith Assassin and Jedi Shadow specced as tank. They are both an unstoppable force when with a dps companion. They both have some good animations. If you are someone who likes to pvp and is at level 50 as either a jedi shadow and sith assassin; you should spec as tank with dps gear. You are pretty much unstoppable and can get like 10 medals a match. This is my recommendation, someone else might have a different one, but this is what I suggest.

Hey!

"2. What is your favorite class?"
My favourite class by far is the smuggler, the story really appealed to me. It had danger, excitement and most importantly some great humour, it really is my favourite class. I tried the trooper after and it was just not even close for enjoyment. So if some one reads this post and are looking for a great story then try the smuggler it is awesome!!

My favourite spec for the smuggler is gunslinger, you can unload some crazy damage in the warzones and have a lot of fun in story mode killing off the enemies fast. Sometimes either you kill them fast or your dead.