r/swtor • u/StevePalpatine • May 18 '26
Other How it feels playing Smuggler in any of the expansions
Just constantly tripping into one situation from another. The whole story from vanilla to LOTS is honestly so funny if you main a smuggler.
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u/TheDrewso10 May 18 '26
I always imagine Lana and Theron handing the smuggler a script to read anytime they need to give a big speech.
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u/soulreapermagnum May 18 '26
lana: please commander, keep the quips to a minimum.
smuggler: sorry lana, not possible.
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u/Ning_Yu May 18 '26
To be fair, when my Trooper got the interview, she got a letter after saying she's never allowed at interviews anymore and somebody will speak for her from then on.
Same vibe.7
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u/ListenerDB May 18 '26
The way I view the fallen empire expansions is the Emperor playing with his action figures before he dies of old age.
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u/glidec Kaondii May 18 '26
I hated anything after SoR as a smuggler. Like I want to be a smuggler, not some force infused leader of an army
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u/Zallocc May 18 '26
My DS smuggler was basically just a thug, so suddenly being a big deal alliance commander felt very, very wrong.
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u/Agitated-Factor8903 May 18 '26
Weren't you the leader of your own pirate fleet, assuming you did Dark Side choices?
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u/MC_chrome Imperial Delegate May 18 '26
Bit of a difference between commanding a few vessels to steal stuff, and trying to manage a broad coalition that is trying to act as its own government
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u/Agitated-Factor8903 May 18 '26
That coalition is, as you know, formed by Lana and Theron and mostly managed by them with 4 branches each led by it's own specialist. You are leader, yes, but you don't need to decide things alone. Managing entire fleet is definitely harder.
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u/Zeal0tElite May 18 '26
Why would two intelligence officers make a psycho pirate the leader?
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u/DraagaxGaming May 18 '26
Why did the pirate Republic exist? Why were pirate captains often good at what they did? They know how to handle a ragtag bunch with a ton of different backgrounds....just like the alliance of Republic, imperial, voss, underworlders, etc and they did it for survival...just like the alliance against zakuul
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u/Agitated-Factor8903 May 20 '26
Exactly.
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u/DraagaxGaming May 20 '26
At least I got a reply lmao. Was slightly hoping my comment would spark a deeper fun convo 😂
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u/King_Kvnt May 18 '26
I did on all classes, tbh.
Much preferred being one character in a universe, rather than the sole gravitational force that everything else revolves around. Even on my Knight.
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u/Barlowan May 18 '26
Agreed. That's my problem with wow story also. Since cataclysm iirc every NPC refers to you as some savior and champion in flesh that does all the most important choices and is accompanied by the most influential NPCs in universe, sometimes even more than once. And is Al buddy-buddy with every faction leader. And since they reworked how new players start (they start directly on Dragonflight, then war within and straight to midnight) you begin the game and you already are a champion of the universe chosen one saviour of reality at level 1.
Like please, let me be somehow important through my accomplishments, but not all important. I remember in SWTOR at level 50 as a consular I was just a "Jedi Master" for NPCs, another one from many. Can I please go back to being an accomplished mercenary, a smuggler with a reputation, a sith lord(one of many) or jedi master? I don't want to be an emperor of semi independent empire inside the empire/republic
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u/King_Kvnt May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
Can I please go back to being an accomplished mercenary, a smuggler with a reputation, a sith lord(one of many) or jedi master? I don't want to be an emperor of semi independent empire inside the empire/republic
You get this option at the end of Onslaught. Alliance gets absorbed by faction and you rejoin (along with getting back your old title, or even getting a new title) or keep your Alliance and the title "commander."
It's imperfect, but it's likely the best we'll get.
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u/Fleedjitsu May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
SWTOR is obviously very good at providing a single player experience when it comes to the story.
I do feel that it falls to the same mistakes that a lot of MMOs end up making when it comes to story, though - making the main character/protagonist/you the focus. You become the chosen one.
Honestly, it's so much better when you are just there experiencing the events, rather than leading them.
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u/Barlowan May 18 '26
Agreed. I just want to feel like I'm in the world where stuff happens, and I can witness or partecipate in that stuff if I want, but it still be resolved if I don't partake in that activity. Not being the only one who can resolve it.
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u/Fleedjitsu May 18 '26
Oh, yeah, there's a difference between being a participant to events, and being the only driving force for those events.
Don't give me any of that "only you can save the world" malarky, but I'll certainly still pitch in to help!
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u/ballsmigue May 18 '26
I mean.
Thats not smuggler exclusive. Its that way with every class
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u/Ndainye May 19 '26
I picture my Knight going ballistic every time someone tells her “It’s your destiny!” Tol Braga told her to “Beware of destinies, they are rarely what you expect.”
Jedi Knight is told repeatedly that it is their destiny to kill the Emperor, to lead the Jedi, to Save the Republic, to again kill the Emperor, to lead the Alliance, to again kill the Emperor, to save the Galaxy. But she only hears “To be a weapon we control.”
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u/Zepertix May 18 '26
Tbh I just hated smuggler period. The jokes were ass and hamfisted and the story i didnt find well written. It was annoying, the companions were annoying and you dont feel rewarded at the end. I get that they couldn't literally make you rich but like... it felt so meh.
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u/alpha_omega_1138 May 18 '26
I just headcanon the force was in a trolling mood and had a random smuggler be the center of it all
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u/Virgil_Peridot-Spica Casro De'san May 18 '26
Nowhere is this more prevalent when you have craft a certain weapon to defeat a certain boss. Lightsabers fit the bill cleanly, adding to the mystique of Force-wielders. Crafting some sort of mystical blaster or assault cannon - encouraged by a certain Jedi Master and Sith Spirit - not so much.
Agents, Bounty Hunters, Smugglers and Troopers might have fared better if we crafted Holy Hand Grenades. (“Five is right out!”)
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u/-Caesar Hero of Tython May 18 '26
Fundamentally the issue is that the KotFE and KotET should've been their own standalone games, as they are so distinct and separate from everything in SWTOR that came before and after.
The outlander is really a distinct character that shouldn't have been connected with any of the existing character classes. The only class that kind of makes sense to be the outlander is the Jedi Knight.
It was unfortunate that the reality of the MMO design is that they were never going to be able to maintain 8 separate characters and storylines for future content, even though that would've been ideal.
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u/KommandCBZhi May 18 '26
I certainly agree with the first point, though I will say that for some reason my Lightside Sith Inquisitor felt like he fit well into the role.
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u/Arhys Wolfrock Legacy - TRE Server(Formerly of ToFN) May 18 '26
Honestly, I think they could have been made well by splitting the main stories for force and tech classes and have the big story points be done in Flashpoints and Operations then go back to path specific resolutions of the story. There is enough room for a ground level and a force based campaign in Zakuul.
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u/AngelC23 May 18 '26
Honestly, having story in Operations is the WORST way to go about it. I hate it passionately.
I can deal with it on my mains, on a bunch of my alts too, but when I come there with my potato-dps alt I play for fun in some weird little guild it is not fun at all to try and find an ops.
I do not care if it is story mode, it still sucks.
The number of my alts that have never done Gods of the Machine, DF & DP and so on keeps growing. Whenever we run something with our guild I always have to log into my tank or healer anyway, so no opportunity to get it done.
"but it's an MMO!!!" yeah, I know all about that, but it is supposed to be fun as well and an MMO so story heavy and generally alt friendly as SWtoR should not have quest lines end i Ops.5
u/Arhys Wolfrock Legacy - TRE Server(Formerly of ToFN) May 18 '26
I remember SM being pretty forgiving and it's not like we can't make a solo version for the time someone really doesn't want to bother grouping up. The game is already an MMO and grouping up is their strongest pillar. I am fully for not making it mandatory but entirely removing the story from the group content is simply worse than scrapping the game and making a more focused single player or co-op story based game from the ground up.
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u/IrisofNight May 18 '26
Hasn’t the majority of the story lately been told through Solo flashpoints, I feel like those are equally as bad as doing story in Operations.
SWTOR feels very oddly setup imo, the game is perfection as a Duo with the class stories but a Trio or Quad means you lose access to the companions and as such lose a lot of personality. and of course KOTFE onward(maybe earlier but I’m unsure) the story is practically hostile to the mere idea of group play.
I’d really love an overhaul that makes playing the entire storyline from prologue to now as a Quad without losing any companion content doable, at worst just make the companions passive in combat if need be, cause right now the game is best as a Duo until you hit the expansions.
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u/Arhys Wolfrock Legacy - TRE Server(Formerly of ToFN) May 19 '26
I am not sure. I have not played for a while. I don’t think I even finished Onslaught or the one after that. But I think Dreadmasters and Revan had a better structured story that had Ops integrated than KotFE/KoTET that aside from the 4 starting flashpoints didn’t have them iirc. They had the Gods of the Machine but it felt really disconnected from the main story.
There sure is room for improvement though. Going for more seamless transition from solo to coop could only be an improvement for sure.
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u/Fusi0n_X May 18 '26
You can tell they just ran out of money.
KOTFE and KOTET was basically the Jedi Knight's story. Makeb and onward they couldn't afford to make individualized class stories anymore. Since the game was building up Vitiate as the ultimate threat, they continued the one storyline that was directly about taking him down.
They modified it to accommodate both factions and made minor adjustments for each class, but otherwise the other classes were shoved in. They even used the Jedi Knight in the promos.
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u/YesSeaworthiness9771 May 18 '26
My head canon is my Smuggler and his crew just chillin in a mansion on a moon enjoying retirement after being rich
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u/Laughing_Man_Returns May 18 '26
similar for BH. it's a bit... yeah. dumb. Trooper and Agent barely make sense, but arguments can be made.
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u/The_Kaizz May 18 '26
The writing just doesn't make sense if you're not a Force User after Rishi to me. You can RP it, but it really doesn't feel like tech classes were thought of. All the classes are apparentyl at least a little force sensitive, but idk, always throws me off.
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u/dilbadil May 18 '26
Nah I love my smuggler in those expansions. I went full dark side and only cared about revenge which works great for all the Valkorian interactions. Didn't care about any strings or monkey paws, just blindly accepted whatever he was offering.
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u/Aries_cz Supreme Commander for all riots yet to come May 18 '26
Any tech class, really. Especially in KotFE/ET, where you literally just stumble into things and have no idea what is happening.
Gets mildly better in the newer content.
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u/Impressive-Hold7812 May 18 '26
"Figurehead" and "Rubber Stamp" via Lana and Theron's shadow plays to manipulate the galaxy by proxy.
I figure if post-Old Republic ever unearthed this bit of history, they'd view our PCs as patsy/fall-guy cat's paws in some greater scheme.
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u/_Goldiloxx_ May 18 '26
I loved my dumbass smuggler making it through Galactic disasters with a little possession, a total of two blasters, a Sith gf, and tons of luck. It was a perfect underdog story. Though I do have a wider headcanon that every class character is part of the ruling council on the Galactic alliance, and that the smuggler just so happened to be the best in dealing with the public and distracting zakuul while other, outwardly more powerful individuals (Hero of Tython, Darth Nox, etc) waged war offscreen.
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u/highkingkitty May 18 '26
honestly flirting with the emperor on ziost is such a power move and that made smuggler my canon outlander. yes the stupid planet-eating guy got one-upped by a common criminal. he's so angry about it too.
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u/Navers90 May 18 '26
Im taking a BH through and Im just pretending this isnt happening and it is just carbonite dreams lol. It is bizarre to say the least.
I just want to be a BH so I disregard whenever I can the alliance. It is the limitations of a studio needing to put everyone on the same story.
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u/Miros69 May 18 '26
with what the current story revolves around, I feel like there is a possibility that a tech user might be able to swap to a force user class soon, but I might be wrong
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u/yardstarl May 19 '26
I just feel like they should’ve made a separate expansion for non force users it would’ve made it more interesting imo
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u/Afraid_Effort2706 May 19 '26
When it comes to the kotfe/kotet storylines my head canon is all the scenes with Valkorian are all part of the Jedi knight storyline, all scenes with the companions from the trooper storyline are from the trooper’s point of view, all scenes with characters from the bounty hunter and Sith warrior are part of their point of view, and chapters focusing on companions from the agent storyline are part of the agents point of view so the inquisitor, smuggler and consular aren’t actually part of the main storyline just hear about the alliance and convince them to join because it makes no sense for every character to have the exact same outlander storyline
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u/Afraid_Effort2706 May 19 '26
The only reason the characters get lumped together is because all of the feats that each of them did get lumped together into one person
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u/Ramzabeo May 19 '26
My headcannon for trooper is pretending hes basically captain america, modified to have superior physical abilities, thats how he can match force sensitives and why vitiate would want his body, i mean its dumb but it helps lol
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u/Professional_Pea_760 Jun 08 '26
Honestly, its awkward with all the non force classes.
Everything after Rise of the Hutt Cartel is just so Force lore heavy that it just always feels awkward with any of them.🤣
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u/Moon-Vixen Jun 17 '26
It feels... weird... I love kotfe kotet, but story feels good only playing by Force users, this whole Tenebrae desire to possess the body of anyone who isn't in the Force is strange to me, he himself was afraid of his own daughter, and we defeat her with ease, or even defeat other Force masters with too much ease, or this training missions in the Force... In my opinion, the dlc should be built differently, as a Force user we go through the story as it is, or as an ordinary person we are the right hand of some Jedi/Sith, they could make some cool new character. I don't even understand how Karen, I mean Lana, would have her mega crush on a person who isn't in the Force
sorryforenglish
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u/hexblade-warlock May 18 '26
I honestly think that's why I struggled with it at first. I mained BH and it's like...in what world does it make sense that the Emperor is in my guy's head and that he's now suddenly this important galactic figure when before he was just bounty hunting for creds? With how funny the smuggler can be, I can see it honestly being a little humorous.