Star Wars: The Old Republic has made a number of improvements for new players over its 12-year lifespan. In terms of quality-of-life, right now is probably the best the game’s ever been for fresh beginners. The combat styles are easier to access and require less commitment, the character creation system is more open, and the game as a whole is more fluid than it was back in 2011.
However, one of the most important choices in character creation can still be confusing or overwhelming for new players. When creating a character, the game gives you a list of all classes and combat styles in that faction. For people who are looking at this screen for the first time, this can be somewhat troubling. A looming question can begin to linger overhead: which is the best and easiest class for new players? To alleviate this uncertainty, we’ve created a guide for the easiest class in SWTOR to play as a beginner.
The Easiest Class for New Players in Star Wars: The Old Republic
We’ll touch on the best class to play as a beginner for both the Republic and Empire factions.
Faction Choice
Before entering the class selection screen, the very first choice afforded to players is their faction. The Galactic Republic houses the Jedi and is more disposed to the Light Side, while the Sith Empire (as it says on the tin) is home to the Sith and fosters the Dark Side (though no class is locked to either alignment). Because both factions essentially share the same classes with different names and stories, we’ll be listing the easiest classes for both factions.
SWTOR: Easiest Republic Class
The easiest class to play in the Galactic Republic is the Jedi Knight, specifically the Jedi Guardian. The Guardian provides a varied amount of combat styles while maintaining a low skill ceiling relative to others As well, the Knight is the least technically complex class while also having a storyline which relies the least on knowledge of the game world. Not only that, but the Jedi Knight class story also actively introduces you to many essential concepts and plot elements of the SWTOR universe.
Jedi Knight Storyline
The Jedi Knight begins their journey on the lush world of Tython. Following Darth Malgus’ sacking of Coruscant, this planet is the makeshift sanctuary for the Jedi Order. This makes it both a perfect spot for Jedi to set out from, as well as having an important aspect of the lore baked into its premise. It’s also perhaps the most appealing of the 4 starting planets. The Jedi Knight story is a neat, exciting adventure story. We’ve previously ranked it as the best Republic class story. It’s fun, engaging, and plays around with Star Wars tropes to make it very evocative of the movies. This is another reason why this class is the easiest for Republic beginners; it will feel very familiar to franchise fans.
Jedi Knight Leveling
Leveling the Jedi Knight can seem a bit slow at first. This is especially so if you’re just starting out in The Old Republic and you haven’t quite yet adjusted to how grinding and leveling works. Still, once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad. The game begins by sending you on a mission to take out a bunch of raiders, making experience gains quick for these first few levels. We will, however, note that the Sith Warrior seemed to level just a bit faster and easier. This is a result of the Warrior story’s generally faster pacing, which we’ll go into in more depth later on.
Jedi Knight Alignment
Although every class in the game can choose their alignment, the Jedi Knight is very Light-Side-focused. If you so choose, you can absolutely take the anti-hero route, but don’t expect to be thought of in a good light (no pun intended). Most of the characters you encounter in the Knight’s story align themselves with the Light Side, and have little respect for its dark mirror. Still, it’s definitely interesting to see what a Dark Side Jedi Knight is like, especially towards the story’s conclusion.
SWTOR: Easiest Empire Class
We’ve picked the Juggernaut Sith Warrior as the easiest class in the Empire for the same reasons as the Guardian. As said previously, both of the game’s factions share classes mechanically. The Sith Juggernaut is a direct mirror to the Jedi Guardian in terms of gameplay.
Sith Warrior Storyline
We must admit, we find the Warrior’s storyline quite a bit more enjoyable than the Knight’s. In fact, we’ve also listed this story as both the best Empire class questline and the best class story in the entire game. This story has much tighter pacing than the Jedi Knight’s, stripping away much of the boring bits of the Republic counterpart’s narrative. Republic classes generally have a problem with much of their story being slow, something the Empire improves on quite a lot. If you try out the Jedi Knight and find yourself unengaged, try seeing how you feel about the Sith Warrior.
Sith Warrior Leveling
We found leveling to be much easier as a Sith Warrior. The faster pacing of the Warrior story lends itself to quicker leveling. As well, you’ll find better gear a bit faster as a Sith Warrior than as a Jedi Knight. Regardless, leveling isn’t wholly or significantly more easy or difficult for either class.
Sith Warrior Alignment
The Sith Warrior is a direct opposite to the Jedi Knight in terms of alignment. Most characters encountered in the Warrior’s storyline respect might and power over all. Being on the Light Side is interesting as a Sith Warrior, just as a Dark Jedi Knight is, however few people you encounter will have much deference for you. Notably, however, the Warrior does get a few more opportunities for Light Side advantages than the Knight does on the Dark Side. Your first companion as a Warrior is Light-aligned, and one of the Warrior’s best companions can have their alignment changed entirely depending on your choices.
Which Combat Style to Choose
The Jedi Guardian and Sith Juggernaut focus on up-close-and-personal melee combat. Combat styles for both classes are identical in function, despite having different names. Two of the three combat styles focus on different brands of DPS, while the third is a Tank. For the newest of players, we recommend choosing Focus (Guardian) or Rage (Juggernaut) for Direct Damage DPS. This is by far the simplest and easiest combat style for beginners, but the game encourages you to experiment with what you like most, so by all means pick what you like here! Character personalization like this is one of SWTOR‘s best aspects!
Join the High Ground
That concludes our guide for the easiest class in SWTOR for beginners. We hope it’s prepared you to begin your fresh Old Republic journey and see what adventures await you in the galaxy.
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Happy gaming, and may the Force be with you!
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