As with many old-school RPGs, Star Wars: The Old Republic is using systems and mechanics that are starting to feel a bit... dated. When this happens, you can either lean into it like WoW or RuneScape, or you can revamp things to feel a bit more modern. BioWare has chosen the latter option when it comes to The Old Republic's combat.
Since July, BioWare has opened a public test server for The Old Republic that lets players try out some of the revamped combat styles. It started with the Jedi Guardian and has since grown to include the Jedi Sentinel, Imperial Agent Sniper and Operative, as well as the Sith Assassin and Sorcerer combat styles.
Most recently, BioWare has expanded that list to include the Sith Warrior and Bounty Hunter company styles. Much like the previous revamps, the idea here is to consolidate the abilities for the Sith Juggernaut and Marauder as well as the Bounty Hunter Mercenary and Powertech to make them easier to understand and use.
"To make the class feel less encumbered and customization more concise, we are working to reduce the number of abilities but ensuring that the class remains distinct and unique," wrote BioWare in its recent update. The developer is specifically looking for feedback on “what abilities make these classes unique?"
To find out, the PTS will allow players to create new characters and boost them to level 80. Players will also be able to visit PTS Gear vendors on the fleet near the Onslaught SoW vendors to get gear at item rating 318. You can go nuts with buildcrafting from there.
It's important to remember that everything is still very much a work in progress. Expect to find placeholders for text and images, as well as the occasional bug. There's a long list of known issues on The Old Republic's forums, as well as changes for each class.
Other updates are coming soon, so keep an eye on the forums to get a heads up.