With any RPG that players immerse themselves into, finding the right combination of skills, powers, and perks to go along with their created character may not be completely obvious. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, this is no exception. To assist players, BioWare has released a progression guide focusing on the Jedi Knight class, and what players should expect once they reach level 10.

Most reaching this rank are likely traveling to Coruscant to join Master Orgus Din on a critical mission. This is the moment in the game where many new opportunities begin to open up for the player, and it is important to understand the various gameplay experiences available in The Old Republic.

Choosing the Advanced Class

When reaching level 10, players will be prompted to choose an advanced class or specialization. This will determine the player's combat tactics and his or her best role in group dynamics.

• Guardian: Best suited for Jedi who want to 'tank,' wearing heavy armor and defending allies. The first new ability for the Guardian is 'Sundering Strike,' which will help draw the enemy's focus to the player. 'Taunt' will open up a few levels later, enabling the player to get the enemy's attention, as well as Soresu Form, which is a saber stance that allows the player to resist damage.
• Sentinel: Ideal for players who want a hard-hitting Jedi who can deal massive amounts of damage with dual wielding lightsabers. The first ability is 'Zealous Strike,' which is a lightsaber attack that generates focus faster, enabling the player to execute high damage attacks more frequently. A new lightsaber stance will open a few levels later called 'Juyo Form,' which increases your damage output.

These new abilities will make the player's Jedi Knight significantly more effective in combat. Upon leveling up, players will want to further customize their character’s tactics by choosing specific options from the skill tree. The skill tree can be opened anytime by pressing “K,” or clicking on the appropriate icon on the interface. While players will want to carefully consider their selections, skills may be modified later to best match a person's style of play.

The Esseles Flashpoint

Players looking for an opportunity to play with others are encouraged to check out the rewarding challenge of "The Esseles" Flashpoint.

Flashpoints are group-based adventures where teams progress through a series of missions tied together through an interactive storyline. These missions generally lead to superior equipment than what is readily available, which will make your character even more powerful.

While taking the shuttle from Tython to Coruscant, players will be offered The Esseles mission by a Priority Transport Officer on Carrick Station. This mission is an experience that players do not want to miss. If it was skipped when leaving the station, consider getting into a group and going back to complete it.

The Esseles Flashpoint features moral choices that gives players light or dark side points. Any gamer familiar with BioWare should recognize this element immediately. These points will affect various events in the storyline, and can also unlock unique appearances and even some custom equipment.

Character Companion: T7-01

When completing all the class missions on Typhon, players are rewarded with an astromech droid, T7-01. This tough droid uses blaster fire and electrical attacks in combat, drawing enemy attention to himself, allowing the player to focus more on making their own power attacks. T7-01 is more than capable of taking care of himself, which is a pleasant surprise.

Selecting Crew Skills

Crew Skills are special non-combat abilities that allow players to harvest resources, craft items, and access special missions among other things.

Once reaching level 10, it's a perfect time to train some Crew Skills since the player will soon be discovering resources as they explore Coruscant. While not immediately required, building up these skills will make harvesting resources on other planets later in the game much easier. The missions do cost credits to undertake, but in the big picture, the rewards far outweigh these costs.

Which skills are best? For Jedi, only one crafting skill is available: either "Artifice," which allows players to construct lightsaber upgrades, or "Synthweaving," which is a crew skill where players can create Force-enhanced robes and armors. If Crafting isn't important to a player, he or she can choose to focus strictly on Gathering and Mission Skills.

Warzones

Another exciting dynamic that opens at level 10 is the chance to jump into Player vs. Player Warzones. These are competitive, timed matches that pit two teams against each other in specialized areas where players will battle against other players and race to complete opposing objectives. Playing in Warzones will earn valor points and commendations, which can be used to purchase special items.

Getting Back to the Game

Eventually, Jedi must return to the mission assigned by the Council. Players will begin to notice hints of the epic saga unfolding when they begin traveling around Coruscant -- events will be set in motion that will affect the player as he or she progresses.

Be sure to pick up missions as they come along and earn the rewards for completing them. There are countless NPC's scattered throughout the game with whom to interact and each of them have something different to offer players. If looking for a challenge, Heroic Missions require groups of two or more players to complete, but generally offer greater rewards for completion.

Ranters, how is your experience so far with The Old Republic?

Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently available for the PC.

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Source: The Old Republic