In his latest column for MMORPG.com, Community Manager Mike Bitton looks at the idea that players' decisions will send them down a path of light or dark, regardless of their faction alignment. Check out what Mike has to say and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Sith characters will always be evil for example, but they may not all be bloodthirsty at the expense of hurting the Empire itself (killing the Captain for the lulz), and these are the sorts of choices you’ll have to make. A Jedi may choose to allow a Jedi couple in love to continue their relationship and not report it to the Masters (Dark); it’s not all just about murdering or sparing people.

Read more of Mike Bitton's Star Wars: The Old Republic - Dark or Light?

If they have gear sets exclusively available depending on light-side and dark-side, they should make a set for neutral as well...  Say if you keep your dark/light meter between -20 and +20 there's a set of gear with different appearance than the light or dark sets.

That would reward those who like to walk the line between...

This sounds very interesting .  To me it sounds like Bioware are putting the rpg in the mmorpg something thats a bit lacking in a lot of other mmos . This pretty much proves to me that in no way is this game simply a clone . It is looking to bring something new to the table and if they pull it off it will set a new watermark for mmos . Although I would like to play Sith from the start there seams to be a trend at the moment where younger players go for the evil side in other games like Rift and WoW so I will proberbly play on the side of the Republic but lean towards the dark.  If I played Sith I would just go for out and out evil .

quick question:

Is there a difference from a min/max point of view between light and dark?  Or do both offer the same type/quality/quantity of rewards?

I can never commit to an evil character. I try. Really. But at the end of the day, I just can't choose to kill the old lady or rob the orphans. Even in tabletop RPGs, I have never understood or related to the motivation of evil. Selfishness? Greed? Sure. But true evil for evil's sake? Don't get it.

So it looks like even my Dark Side toons, like the BH I plan to start with, will be leaning towards the light side.

the thing that i like most is bioware said that being a light/dark doesnt stop you from playing your class.  so a light side inquisitor can still do his/her job as an inquisitor

Squiggie I don't have a link but I read somewhere that there will be some gear for the players who choose to be neutral.

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Originally posted by Zylaxx
quick question:
 
Is there a difference from a min/max point of view between light and dark?  Or do both offer the same type/quality/quantity of rewards?

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I can't locate anything current about the topic. However, I want to say there isn't. It would defeat the purpose of being able to choose freely if it effects how viable your character is at endgame. I believe I read that some where or maybe dreamed it... can't remember.

I really hope I can be a neutral slightly good leaning Jedi with some questionable, emotion-filled motives...

and a completely self-preserving Smuggler only interested in coin and saving my own hide...

and an altruistic trooper willing to sacrifice everything for the Republic and the greater good...

All without gimping my progression or statistics to min/max because I do enjoy min/maxing for PvP and high level PvE.

I must admit, I have a huge issue with the SW definition of what IS light or dark.

Take the Jedi lovers. The idea is, it is light to betray them, because then the benevolent and wise masters can lead the Jedi couple on a safe and secure path. I just can't share the idea that this IS light. *I* define good as freedom plus the risk to fail, because I think people must take the responsibility for their doings themselves and not to some "wise religious leaders". So often I feel some dark choices are good and some light choices are evil in my point of view. You kill a dangerous opponent who is hell bent to ruin you. You DO not spare him. Period. It's not evil to preserve yourself against a psycho criminal! But alas, SW in this point has this hippie-pacifism-commie morality. One of the few things in SW I do not like.

So I guess I prefer grey, because extreme moralism towards one side seems always illogical and absurd to me. ;)

The Jedi order has always been that way - more like Monks then anything.

Very, very strict adherence to their codes and principles.

I have a feeling Bioware is going to throw Jedi players curveballs in morality as often as possible lol

Greater good versus immediate good etc.

Originally posted by Squiggie

If they have gear sets exclusively available depending on light-side and dark-side, they should make a set for neutral as well...  Say if you keep your dark/light meter between -20 and +20 there's a set of gear with different appearance than the light or dark sets.

 

That would reward those who like to walk the line between...

and there will be rewards for those that tread the line:

30:00: DB: I'm getting a bunch of questions on Twitter from various people. We've said that we've got Light Side rewards and Dark Side rewards depending on your alignment. What about for people who want to stay right in the middle as a gray area?

SR: As in neutral?

DB: Yes.

JO: Yes, if you decide to thread the needle and you decide to be a neutral character, there are items specifically for you.

http://darthhater.com/2011/07/24/sdcc-2011-day-4-live-blog-coverage/

as for me, i don't know how i will be running my trooper yet.  it will depend on the choices i am given and how i want to deal with that specific situation.  i have no problem doing what needs to be done, but as long as i agree that that is what is needed.

going for bounty hunter ill be trying to play the character as one should: selfish, focused on his own goals, no remorse if there's profit to gain. light or dark side, i dont care as long as i get my share of the loot ;)

Originally posted by Zylaxx

quick question:

 

Is there a difference from a min/max point of view between light and dark?  Or do both offer the same type/quality/quantity of rewards?

they trying to make so by the time you hit end game, there is no advatange to going one way or the other, so people don't feel like they HAVE to min/max the story.  there will people that do of course, but they want people to be able to play the story they want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrRB1w67Yxw&feature=player_detailpage#t=378s

(this q&a is from april so ignore the part where daniel mentions companions being killed. that has since been cut due to tester feedback)

"Sith characters will always be evil for example"

Is there no editorial control or fact checking on this site?  This statement is blatantly incorrect.  It has been stated by BioWare devs, repeatedly, including the lead writer, that a "Light Sith" is the proverbial "good man in a bad place."  The most relevant portion of that statement being "good man."  Good =/= Evil.

@Elikal

Actually it is not simply good vs. evil.

The Jedi philosophy states that emotions and passion are a danger to powerful individuals (force wielders) because if they allow their actions to be driven by emotions and passion, they can create great suffering upon others. Thus they try to become emotionless beings which also disallows them to have emotional relationships.

The Sith embrace the passion as a source of power and thus do not restrict themselves in any way, thus willingly accepting the consequences of powerful and passionate behaviour up to the ultimate atrocities.

Then the Jedi fashion a suberficial democratic/"humanistic" attitude on how a society should work and act and life should be protected and the powerful should serve the powerless. On the other side in practice they are quite elitist and not really so much servant-like.

The more I think about them the more they remind me of the catholic church - only with light sabers ;-) jk

The Sith have a pure socialdarwinistic perspective, where the powerful rule over the powerless and each individual has the right to gain as much power as possible. But there is also a meritocratic notion in that.

I normally have the tendency in games to play the smaller faction (balance to the force ;-) ) and judging from my WoW experience where the alliance side was crowded with self-righteous goodie-good-shoes, inferiour-complex-ridden paladinic morons, etc., I decided for the Sith. Meanwhile I am pretty certain, that this was the wrong decision, but in the long run will play both sides anyway. And certainly I will try all notions of alignments from red to grey to white. For starters I will probably do my decisions purely situational without caring for the alignment and see what comes out.

That's good to hear, because if the two KOTOR games are any example, there it was actually more efficient to min/max, because you got lower force power cost the further you are in one of the extremes for skills that are tagged as light or dark. For example, maxing out light side would make skills like Force Heal (a light-side skill) less expensive, while skills like Force Lightning (a dark-side skill) - more.

Yet, in SWTOR you will have a very clear distinction of skills, unlike in KOTOR, so I guess the only effects of you light/dark/neutral alignment will be how NPCs will react to you (or at least I hope there will be an effect).

By the way, I think a good example from SW games for a morally ambiguous Jedi is Kyle Katarn from the Jedi Knight series (especially in Jedi Outcast). You had this cynical war veteran, who looked quite human, with some very ordinary emotions like hate and urge for revenge on one side, and compassion and mercy on the other. I hope there are more people who take this archetype, it's certainly more interesting than the Obi-Won or Darth Maul wannabies.

I am going to play a light-side Jedi Sage.  I understand that there will be choices to make, but I will make them based on my character (in RL), not on what rewards are offered.  

I will do my best to follow the Jedi code, but as a married father of four daughters, I believe my relationships are helped me to become a much better person (non-selfish, caring, etc) and not stifled my spirit of excellence.  I think that I would make better choices being driven by selfless compassion than by emotionless rigidity, IMHO.   

Sith Consular. Because all my friends went Sith and I HAD NO CHOICE >:( Although I'll probably be a mostly Light Consular. Hopefully that's viable and doesn't gimp all my abilities.

I think that you emphasize that aspect a little bit too much. Being on one side or another doesn't neccesarily say about what personal code character may follow.



Sometimes it just happends that you are on this and not that side of the fence (I mean in real life ofc).

To put it simply - not every German during WW II was fascist, not every Alliant was an angel. Morality of a man isn't that much determined by the faction that he belongs to. Take Darth Maul for example. Was he truly evil? According to what we know, he was just "having revenge". Has he done anything that we may particulary call morally bad? He was just fighting his enemies, that's it. And perhaps he was having his personal reasons for that?

So I wouldn't be so hasty in moral judgement based on the faction only.

Personally, I'd play Sith Inquisitor for the simple pleasure of wielding double red lightsaber. I've always dreamed of that :-)