Stolen identities and betrayals are all in a day's work.
My name is Windoryn -- Imperial Agent Windoryn. I'm Chiss, which means I'm rocking blue skin and reddish eyes. I also have a British accent (though I can quickly switch into an American accent when I need to) and a sarcastic sense of humor. If I do say so myself, I am kind of a badass.
As an Imperial Agent, I'm a spy in The Old Republic, and while I'm officially on the side of the Empire, I'm mostly interested in looking out for myself. In the primary quest chain on Hutta, I meet up with my keeper via hologram, where he gives me the stolen cover identity of the Red Blade. Then he sends me off to interfere in the shenanigans between two competing Hutt crime lords, Nem'ro and Fa'athra (apostrophes apparently being the must-have name accessory for Hutts here).
Imperial Agents are a cover class, which means that for the first several levels, I have to keep a close eye out for rocks and walls and crates I can duck behind. I can hit control to see nearby cover spots, and then select Take cover, although occasionally I found myself on the wrong side of a crate, and there didn't seem to be a way to slide over -- I had to stand up and then take cover again after moving to the next space. Certain moves can only be executed when you're in cover, plus it's good to have the protection from enemies.
In the early levels, rifles are definitely my weapon of choice, as I snipe away at enemies from hiding places. My go-to combo quickly becomes shooting an explosive probe that embeds on the target, and then triggering it with an overload shot, which gives a big gun blast that feels satisfyingly like a shotgun. (I like shotguns.) Suppressive fire, which provides a stream of ammo that slows down an enemy's actions, is a nice alternate when I'm teamed up with a partner.
In the early levels, rifles are definitely my weapon of choice, as I snipe away at enemies from hiding places. My go-to combo quickly becomes shooting an explosive probe that embeds on the target, and then triggering it with an overload shot, which gives a big gun blast that feels satisfyingly like a shotgun. (I like shotguns.) Suppressive fire, which provides a stream of ammo that slows down an enemy's actions, is a nice alternate when I'm teamed up with a partner.
The biggest problem I run into as an Imperial Agent is that it's pretty much impossible to traverse Hutta on foot without pulling in enemies, even if you stick to roads. And because I'm a cover class, it's a huge disadvantage when I'm not the one initiating an attack -- good luck finding a crate to hide behind when I've already got a giant chemilizard gnawing on my neck. There are defensive maneuvers, like a flash bang, which stuns nearby enemies for a few seconds so I can run, but it's tricky to flee without running straight into another batch of enemies.
However, Imperial agents can withstand a decent amount of damage before dying, and I'm able to rock some medium armor. I also get the benefit of the recuperate ability, which allows me to quickly heal up and recharge once I'm out of combat. Things get easier once I get my portable cover, which allows me to instantly set up a virtual shield.
It's most fun when I team up with two bounty hunters on a heroic quest, where we're running through tunnels and taking out packs of chemilizards and humans. I like being able to hang back and snipe and shoot toxic darts while they draw most of the damage. However, if you're someone who likes being the star of the show, Imperial Agent probably isn't the right class -- my attacks are a lot less flashy than the bounty hunters, who get some crazy move where they hover in the air and rain down lightning on enemies.
However, Imperial agents can withstand a decent amount of damage before dying, and I'm able to rock some medium armor. I also get the benefit of the recuperate ability, which allows me to quickly heal up and recharge once I'm out of combat. Things get easier once I get my portable cover, which allows me to instantly set up a virtual shield.
It's most fun when I team up with two bounty hunters on a heroic quest, where we're running through tunnels and taking out packs of chemilizards and humans. I like being able to hang back and snipe and shoot toxic darts while they draw most of the damage. However, if you're someone who likes being the star of the show, Imperial Agent probably isn't the right class -- my attacks are a lot less flashy than the bounty hunters, who get some crazy move where they hover in the air and rain down lightning on enemies.
While I didn't encounter any moves that felt out of place for the Imperial Agent, I also didn't come across any super-flashy moves in the first 12 levels. The explosive probe/overload shot was satisfying to pull off, but visually it wasn't that impressive -- it would have been cool to have a fancy-looking trick or two.
Once I finally wrap up my quests on Hutta (after confronting the actual Red Blade, who gets wind that I've been impersonating him -- awk-ward), my keeper orders me to head to Dromund Kaas. I've hit level 10 by this point, which means I can choose whether I want to specialize as a sniper, who focuses on distance attacks, or an operative, whose options involve a lot more stealthing and knives and poisons and healing skills.
I pick operative, mostly because the stealthing and poisons and knives make me think of rogues, and I'm a sucker for rogues. Plus I have the option to get a Kolto Probe, which is a droid that I can summon to heal a target. Who doesn't want a summonable droid? (The answer to that is "no one," in case you were wondering.)
Abilities are broken into three main disciplines. Lethality involves a lot of different poisons, plus things like poison darts and increasing the effectiveness of probes and shiv attacks. Concealment focuses on stealth and lots of knife moves, including sneaky ones like backstab. The Medic branch obviously focuses on healing skills, including my coveted Kolto Probe. If you like, you can mix and match disciplines to create a more customized character, such as a stealth healer.
I'm still not sure how I feel about the Imperial Agent's overall play style, but I really liked the story so far. Having a secret identity made me feel like a badass, and in classic Bioware fashion, there were tough decisions to be made. In one instance, my Keeper ordered me to kill a guy that I'd become friends with as part of my mission, and I had to choose whether or not to do it. In the end, I couldn't (the guy had told me he wanted me to meet his sons! I couldn't be that cold).
Will that choice come back to bite me in the ass? I guess I'll have to wait till the game comes out to find out for myself.
Want more Star Wars: The Old Republic? Check out yesterday's look at the Bounty Hunter, and come back next week as we continue our series!
Once I finally wrap up my quests on Hutta (after confronting the actual Red Blade, who gets wind that I've been impersonating him -- awk-ward), my keeper orders me to head to Dromund Kaas. I've hit level 10 by this point, which means I can choose whether I want to specialize as a sniper, who focuses on distance attacks, or an operative, whose options involve a lot more stealthing and knives and poisons and healing skills.
I pick operative, mostly because the stealthing and poisons and knives make me think of rogues, and I'm a sucker for rogues. Plus I have the option to get a Kolto Probe, which is a droid that I can summon to heal a target. Who doesn't want a summonable droid? (The answer to that is "no one," in case you were wondering.)
Abilities are broken into three main disciplines. Lethality involves a lot of different poisons, plus things like poison darts and increasing the effectiveness of probes and shiv attacks. Concealment focuses on stealth and lots of knife moves, including sneaky ones like backstab. The Medic branch obviously focuses on healing skills, including my coveted Kolto Probe. If you like, you can mix and match disciplines to create a more customized character, such as a stealth healer.
I'm still not sure how I feel about the Imperial Agent's overall play style, but I really liked the story so far. Having a secret identity made me feel like a badass, and in classic Bioware fashion, there were tough decisions to be made. In one instance, my Keeper ordered me to kill a guy that I'd become friends with as part of my mission, and I had to choose whether or not to do it. In the end, I couldn't (the guy had told me he wanted me to meet his sons! I couldn't be that cold).
Will that choice come back to bite me in the ass? I guess I'll have to wait till the game comes out to find out for myself.
Want more Star Wars: The Old Republic? Check out yesterday's look at the Bounty Hunter, and come back next week as we continue our series!
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