Star Wars: The Old Republic is Still My Favorite Single-Player MMORPG

I’m abroad and itching to play an MMORPG that can run on my 2017 Razer Blade laptop. My partner is in our living room, watching Ari Aster’s Hereditary on one of his two monitors, engrossed in the film and whittling away at a commission for a client. Otherwise, we’d be playing World of Warcraft together — running dungeons on our Alliance alts or role-playing in Silvermoon City with our guild. But tonight, I’ve decided to boot up Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG I’ve decided has become my favorite single-player online game.

I’ve written about The Old Republic before, likening it to previous BioWare titles and even Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s rife with player choices that feel meaningful, driving the story forward with minor and major consequences that can impact an entire playthrough of a single origin story. The most memorable for me was by far the Sith Warrior storyline, which I recommend most of my friends play for their first foray into The Old Republic. Not because the class is tankier and therefore has more survivability, but because the storyline is the strongest.

And with EA and Broadsword opening up which races can access these unique class-based narratives, you can jump in as whatever you want. Though I think having the race selections limited per class adds more flavor to the experience, but hey, if it gets more people to give the MMORPG a spin, who am I to knock this decision. Especially since older races are now locked behind a subscription or one-time purchase, which sucks.

My first playthrough of Star Wars: The Old Republic was when the MMORPG was fresh. I was desperate for something to sink an obscene amount of hours into, and picked the game up on release. Yes, that’s how long ago I started playing The Old Republic. I chose a Sith Inquisitor at the time, tormenting those that did decide to party up with me with Dark Side choices — which, at the time, would impact the entire party. I played a Sith Inquisitor, mostly because the idea of shooting lightning from my fingertips was tantalizing, and I wasn’t gelling with the Jedi Knight or Consular. I got to the end game and dropped The Old Republic, seemingly never to return. At least until boredom struck and I went through the lengthy process of recovering my account in late 2023.

This time I was a Chiss Imperial Agent and as I chewed my way through the early game and jumped into Flashpoints, I observed how differently my character was treated due to his background and class. Once again, I loaded up the game, eager to see more of what this storyline had in store, as I remembered it being one of the strongest in terms of writing next to the aforementioned Sith Warrior.

The game was just as staggeringly easy as it was in 2023, with me mowing through enemies with ease alongside my NPC companion, who I could give gifts and have casual conversation with. (Some are romanceable, but as a gay man the pickings are slim and not available for all classes.) With the server I’m on being relatively empty, I felt like this was a good thing, even if I’m not even sure if I’m playing my class right due to how quickly I leveled up and dashed through regions. But that didn’t really matter.

I wasn’t playing The Old Republic for the gameplay, or for the nearly non-existent role-playing on Ebon Hawk, I was there for the story. And while people talk about Final Fantasy XIV being the best “single-player” MMORPG, I honestly don’t agree while The Old Republic is still alive and kicking.

Since its inception, players could mostly play the game alone with the NPC companions provided — doubly so now with the game seemingly desperate for you to reach the end-game and most recent content. There is actually some semblance of player choice, at least in the base game, that can dictate whether or not said NPCs will stick around, or what planets will even be around after a few pivotal moments, depending on the class you pick. Actions and choices have consequences in your individual story.

You’re not necessarily shuffled forward on guard rails where you pick option A or B and the result is largely still the same. It feels like a BioWare game circa 2011. It’s rough around the edges, but it provides the quintessential experience of a narrative driven Western RPG of its era. I would love to elaborate on some of these choices, but they’re really best experienced for yourself. The game is free, so honestly, if you haven’t played it yet, give it a try.

I wish The Old Republic was more popular, and I mean it’s certainly popular enough in some regard to receive a graphics update, but not enough to have the servers bursting with players at all hours of the day. Not just because I think seeing the servers populated outside of specific events would be cool, but because there’s a genuinely great single-player narrative tucked away in this now “free-to-play” MMORPG. (I use the term loosely because, in the world of friend and fellow critic GC Vazquez, playing The Old Republic without a subscription is an agonizing experience.) It’s something I’ve started to go back to, and never regret playing, even if I’m slowly working my way through the base game on my Imperial Agent.

And hey, if you’re like me and on the move a lot and don’t have a powerful enough laptop to run modern RPGs, Star Wars: The Old Republic might actually just be what you’re looking for.