09/04/2012

Jedi Consular Story Thoughts

I have a second level 50 character! And this time I was good and made sure to finish my class quest soon after, so that I'd be able to talk about it. (Though I do have to admit that immediately after dinging, I did run off to the station to train instead of continuing to work on saving my padawan from mortal peril. Ahem.)

On a side note, it's interesting that my consular ended up being my second character to 50, and not my Imperial Agent, who was the first alt that I rolled. I think it's because I haven't been playing my Imperial alts much at all lately, and there are two reasons for this: Firstly, while there has been talk among the officers about creating a sister guild on Empire side, it hasn't actually happened yet, and it's just a lot more fun to log in to familiar names on Republic side instead of a sea of strangers on Imperial side. Secondly... I think the PvP has got to me. It's completely irrational because I'm sure that Imperial players are no less friendly among each other than Republic players, but something about the thought of playing among The Enemy, the same people who dominate me in PvP day after day, has simply become very unappealing now (though the encounter with Issy the other day has alleviated some of that).

Anyway, I digress. Let's talk about being a consular. As usual, there'll be some minor spoilers, but I'll keep them vague.

Looking around the forums, many people seem to consider the Jedi consular story boring, though you'll also find some that absolutely loved it. I think the heart of the matter is that it was written to appeal to a very specific kind of taste, one that is probably in the minority. I suspect that for a lot of players there isn't such as thing as being "too badass" and the more they get to kick butt and take names, the better. The Jedi consular story is a calmer and more quiet experience about being a healer and a diplomat however, and I can completely understand why some people might consider that boring. While you do get to swing your lightsaber aplenty, the core of most missions pretty much comes down to talking.

Personally, this suited me perfectly. I mean, both of the characters I've levelled to 50 so far have been healers from the get-go. I love healing and helping people, so a class story centred around that naturally appealed to me too. On my trooper there was one mission where you run into a heavily wounded man, and I was really annoyed when I found out that my boyfriend got to save him because he had Elara with him (the healer companion) but I didn't get the option even though I was a combat medic myself. Healing people is just not what the trooper archetype is all about, so it doesn't come up in conversation. For Jedi consulars it's the opposite, and in Act I in particular you'll get to do a lot of healing, even if you are a Shadow and technically don't have any healing abilities (though this is explained within the story). I do think you get the option to just kill people if you're going dark side, but even then it's a matter of getting rid of the sick before their illness can spread and harm others.

I suppose saying that Act I was a bit repetitive in its structure would be a valid criticism, but from what I've seen so far all the class stories seem to have a bit of that going on in their first Act. I didn't really mind because I was happy to rescue someone new on each planet. Act 2 and 3 sort of blended into one for me and I didn't actually notice where the "break" was supposed to be, which I guess is a good thing in terms of storytelling? I'm not sure. It was an engaging story though.

My companions were an extremely random bunch of people, though I suppose this too fits the theme of being a diplomat and bringing individuals from different backgrounds together to work as a team. What surprised me was that in addition to my actual companions, I also amassed a sizeable entourage of additional NPCs that were supposed to be staying on my ship as I gathered allies for the Republic across the galaxy. To be honest it became a little ridiculous after a while... where do they all live? My ship's not that big. And does the president of Balmorra really have nothing else to do than have a holographic transmission of himself follow me around everywhere? I do have to admit though that seeing them all gathered up with me at the end was pretty sweet.

Another thing that I really came to appreciate while levelling this second character is how Bioware made all the different class stories fit together. My first companion for example mentioned during a conversation that he knows the bounty hunter's first companion. The companion I picked up on Balmorra talks about how his first resistance cell was betrayed from within... which is something that you get to play out during the Imperial Agent story! On Balmorra you also get to face off against the Darth that serves as the Imperial governor of the planet - who is the same person you work for as an Imperial player on lower-level Balmorra. I loved all those little moments that made me go "aha!", and I imagine that it will only get better as I play my way through additional class stories and become able to recognise more of the connections.

A final note on the ending: I thought that the big reveal was a bit predictable, but the build-up to the final confrontation was nonetheless very powerful. I actually yelled "nooo" at my screen when a certain character died at the end. And when you get to have a bit of a speech afterwards as you get lauded by the Supreme Chancellor, the whole thing felt so "Star Warsy" to me, I half-expected to hear the main theme and watch movie credits rolling after it ended. Very satisfying.

The only factor that detracted ever so slightly from my experience of the ending was a minor bug. After I had completed my class quest, I got one of those follow-up letters in the mail - but it was the wrong one, talking about how the guy that died was still alive. This actually made me feel kind of bad, because I had tried to save him, but figured that his death was just unavoidable. Now that I know that it's possible to save him, I can't help but wonder where I went wrong.

7 comments :

  1. I've been slacking off on my Consulars. I was initially really engaged with their stories, but then, felt like my Master went MIA, at which point I got caught up in other alts. I'm looking forward to seeing the final chapter, after reading your post...
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's funny, and entirely by coincidence - I just finished the Consular, after having first done an Agent. Makes this particular blog entry quite satisfying to read!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been debating whether or not to try out a consular. Leveled a sniper to 50, and a jugg to 40, and currently working on getting my inquisitor off of Korriban, lol. I might play one up to 20 just to see if I like it at all, but previously I couldn't even make it off of Tython. :/
    I guess I could always give it a try though! And great post by the way. :D Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ( I'd also not be commenting apart from seeing somewhere else you enjoy comments on old posts, so...)


    Consular was actually my first story, and it made for a fine one to play, because I LOVE political stories. It is not surprising, then, that I love Agent and Consular far better than the rest (though I enjoy the political side of early Warrior storyline). I think I have no character I could possibly care as much as I cared for my first consular, and I put lot of consideration into everything she does, because to me, she feels very much like a person.


    I was not one to be bothered by Jedi dogma; I think my first score of DS points came from telling the couple on tython that they could do as they pleased. I was mildly annoyed that it led me to lie and to look like a blackmailer, because to me it felt more like a "well, whatever, not my problem and I'm not a sneak". And, later, I was amused and charmed enough by Theran to let myself go there... Sex and attachment aren't the same, of course, and there seemed to be no question of REAL attachment when his whole life's about Holiday. Even when we broke up, it felt like a "So, pizza or lasagna for dinner?" kind of thing.


    Strangely, I had the same reaction to Zenith. I felt that my consular and Zenith would be able to bond very deeply, that was a relationship I COULD SEE WORKING. Except, of course, Bioware disagreed. I was QUITE upset. (Currently, I wonder if I was just in love with his voice already... but that's further ahead)


    Specially because I cared nothing for Iresso. I recall being baffled that I'd have to drag him along to my ship when I hadn't been terribly impressed by him on the field and even had gotten a bit annoyed at his attempts of flirting. I could already see it going places I'd rather not hit. And it did, and yes, I was annoyed that my options were "flirt/flirt more/be rude". Specially because she was not the sort to play dumb. Anyway, I ended up romancing him - and when he asked about the Council, I answered that the Council trusted my judgement. Which was an answer I loved, since it validated my own view of the code, but still I said no to marriage proposal because I just found him so dull.


    I had just gotten used to the idea that romantic happiness was NOT to be on my consular's life, for whatever she believed she seemed to have never found anyone that could be her match. And it is funny, because I think that early on - chapter 1 - my consular would have loved Lana and her sweetness, but at that point in her life, after all the class story, Illum, Makeb and Oricon, she was just too jaded to go for it. Alas, there was Theron that was... Everything she enjoyed - unsure, but flirty, awkward and wanting to stand on his own two feet and not his family's. They seemed to fit together incredibly well, and when I read his letter after being stuck on carbonite, while not as touching as, let's say, Torian's, it meant to much to me because even saying anything was such an incredible change from the guy that could barely admit to finding me attractive. At that time, I was not sure he'd come back (I'm quite good at escaping spoilers, it seems; it is telling I through the first 50 pages or so of Harry Potter without finding out it was a story about wizards until Hagrid said something, but I digress), so I had been indulging some flirting... But the moment I got his letter, I was like "nope, waiting."


    In the end, my romance in KOTFE felt... very underused. Gladly, in KOTET I really felt that the romance was a natural part of my story, and I am really glad with what I ended up choosing... I hope my consular and Theron Shan will have at least some measure of happiness on their way ahead. ^^'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I'm perfectly happy for people to leave comments on old posts as well. ^^

      I've found that while the majority seems to rate the consular story as one of the weaker ones (and I do understand why), it also has its own dedicated fan base that appreciates it being something different from the standard hero fare.

      Glad you had so much fun developing your own consular's story! I'm still holding off on taking my own Sage into KotFE until we know for sure that more of her companions will come back...

      Delete
    2. (I just came across this comment of mine by chance now... this is funny)
      ... Alas, clearly my hopes for happiness for my Consular regarding her heart were hoping for too much, huh? I gotta say I was VERY heartbroken.

      Now, I agree, Consular is a hard class to take through Knights because they get no one back. Still, I suppose hopes springs eternal! hahaah

      Delete
    3. One day our companions will return; one day...

      And I'm sure many people would tell you not to give up on Theron just yet! I'm sure we'll find out his final fate soon. :)

      Delete

Share your opinion! Everyone is welcome, as long as things stay polite. I also read comments on older posts, so don't be shy. :)