Star Wars: The Old Republic is renowned for it's BioWare-class stories. But which are the best?
Star Wars: The Old Republic has been out since 2011 with steady content culminating in the latest expansion Onslaught, renewing the war between the Sith Empire and Republic once more. However, the original class stories of the game take place during the original war between the two belligerents.
These stories are still lauded as one of the best aspects of SWTOR and set it apart from other MMORPGs at the time and even now.
Whether saving the galaxy as a noble Jedi Knight or bringing it under your heel as a Sith Warrior, the class stories are well written, captivating, and come in a variety of flavors as moral alignment determines some of the overarching aspects of your story. As such, we’ll be rating the original class stories from worst to best! SPOILERS AHEAD!
#8. Smuggler
I'll Do That, For Money: Channel your inner scruffy looking scoundrel and follow the path of the Smuggler.
The Greatest Outlaw - As the Smuggler, you find yourself racing from planet to planet, first in a galaxy-wide treasure hunt, then as a commissioned Republic privateer, and then finally on a quest of revenge as you uncover a conspiracy involving both sides of the war and the most powerful crime syndicates in the galaxy. Along the way, you’ll gather a number of partners in crime including the friendly mercenary Corso Riggs and the Wookiee Bowdaar. By the end of your adventures, the Smuggler will have gone from low-life gunrunner to leader of an armada of scum and villainy.
Story review
- Fun and lighthearted, though this can make it feel a little lackluster compared to the others; the dialogue is probably the funniest in the game
- More personal and focused than the majority of the other stories; the focus is a little smaller in scale
- Treasure-hunting and gun-running in a galaxy far, far away allow you to become a charming, scruffy-looking scoundrel, a criminal overlord, or something in between; moral choices and alignment affect personality more than anything else
- Maybe a little by the numbers when compared to other class stories when it comes to memorable foes and goals
- Some fairly forgettable companions outside of Bowdaar
Best moment: Escaping from a marooned ship that’s slowly collapsing into a black hole
Story Rating: 6.5/10
#7. Trooper
Boots on the Ground: Take the war to the Empire as a Republic Trooper.
For the Republic - Starting with a betrayal of your unit, the elite Special Forces Havoc Squad, the Trooper will go from new recruit to hunting down these traitorous comrades planet by planet to a SpecForce captain locating and destroying Imperial superweapons, and finally pushing back the tide of a renewed Imperial assault into the core worlds. In your quest to rebuild Havoc Squad and wage war against the Sith Empire, you’ll recruit members to your team including Aric Jorgan and Elara Dorne. From a new sergeant to a battle-hardened major, the Trooper will end the story as a stalwart and just hero for the Republic, a brutal and practical master of war, or somewhere in between in the various grays of warfare.
Story review
- A story that grows in scale in a natural way with the campaign
- Beginning story arc hunting down your former squad members is filled with hard moral decisions and personal vendetta - downright awesome
- Latter stages of arc become a bit by the numbers “stop the enemy superweapon and win the battle”
- Moral choices have a little more heft than the Smuggler, but they still lack weight in the last third of the story
- Another bunch of fairly forgettable companions except Aric Jorgan (maybe) and Elara Dorne
Best moment: Final battle on Corellia feels like an epic showdown that you’ve built up to
Story Rating: 7/10
#6. Jedi Consular
The Force is my Ally: Step into a story rich with the mysteries of the Force as the Jedi Consular.
Barsen'thor and Healer - The Jedi Consular takes the player on a journey of healing and forgiveness throughout the galaxy. From the Jedi training grounds on Tython to the Outer Rim and beyond, the Jedi Consular saves the Order from ancient Sith plagues and evils, builds alliances with war-torn worlds, and uncovers a great plot to destroy the Jedi from within with the Children of the Emperor. With life or death consequences on a galactic stage, the Consular recruits allies to aid them in their quest such as Qyzen the Trandoshan and Nadia Grell, the Consular’s eventual Padawan. The first Force-user on this list will have players join them on their journey from Padawan to Barsen’thor, the healer of the plague, to Jedi Master and savior of the Jedi Order.
Story review
- The first story with a truly galactic scale and consequences
- A story filled with Force mysticism and ancient evils, the second act of alliance-building can be very slow
- Moral choices have major effects on the galaxy, the character, and the companions
- While some forgettable companions join the crew, Qyzen and Nadia Grell are both memorable and well-developed characters
- Best moment: Making the choice to redeem the source of the Plague or simply strike him down and kill all the Jedi under the Plague’s effect
Story Rating: 7.5/10
#5. Bounty Hunter
No Disintegrations: Track your prey across the galaxy and back as the Bounty Hunter.
Honor and Riches - The Bounty Hunter storyline takes the player along a wild ride filled with violence, business, revenge, and honor. Starting as a freelancing gun for hire in the galaxy-wide Great Hunt for treasure and glory and some personal revenge, the Bounty Hunter moves on to higher profiler target and gains the attention of the Republic. Following duels with Jedi seeking revenge and justice, the Bounty Hunter is given the ultimate target: the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. At the end of their journey, the Bounty Hunter has made their name as the most wanted being in the galaxy, the greatest warrior and hunter, and the most sought after bounty hunter by the Empire and the Republic alike.
Story review
- Some of the best companions like Mako and Torian Cadera. Also the most hated companion, Skadge. Did I mention Mako is a companion? She’s the best.
- The scale is more comparable to the Smuggler, being more personal and driven by personal honor, glory, profit, and revenge
- Excellent first arc enemy and a truly memorable way to finish him off
- The story can drag between the best high profile targets
- Moral decisions can mostly be broken down into “be greedy or not”, but there are some with personal stakes that make them feel impactful and memorable
Best moment: Either making your final decision concerning the Supreme Chancellor or that moment when you get to kill off your rival during the Great Hunt
Story Rating: 8/10
#4. Sith Warrior
From My Point of View the Jedi are Evil: Follow the path of rhe Dark Side as the Sith Warrior.
Emperor’s Wrath - The Sith Warrior is a pure power trip. Rising from the ranks in Korriban and becoming the apprentice of Darth Baras, the Warrior crushes his master’s enemies and breaks a Jedi Padawan, turning her into his apprentice in turn. Following this, the Sith Warrior continues decapitating Republic leadership in the lead up to the war, culminating with a betrayal that sees the young Sith kill Darth Baras’ master and allowing him to ascend to the Dark Council. Fearing his new apprentice, Baras attempts to kill the Warrior, who is then given the authority of the Emperor himself to destroy Baras. As the Emperor’s Wrath, the Warrior defeats his master and reminds all in the Empire of the Emperor’s power.
Story review
- Large in scope and galaxy-spanning consequences
- Some of the best companions in-game including Jaesa Willsaam, Vette, and the spy you love to hate Malavai Quinn. All of them are excellent romance options as well!
- The moral choices allow players to live out their dark-side inspired fantasies, striking down enemies and ruling over lesser beings
- The story slows a bit in the middle until the big betrayal twist, at which point it regains momentum
Best moment: Either the cruel way you break the young Padawan Jaesa in front of her slain master (so evil!) or finally striking down Baras in the Dark Council chambers
Story Rating: 8.5/10
#3. Jedi Knight
Guardian of Peace and Justice: Live out the adventure of the heroic Jedi Knight facing down evil.
Knight of the Old Republic - Often seen as the main storyline of the game and a spiritual successor to the masterpieces that are Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, the Jedi Knight storyline is by far the most familiar Star Wars storyline. The young Padawan completes perilous trials, becomes a Knight, takes a young woman as his apprentice, and thwarts Imperial plans of destruction. Following this, the Knight embarks on a mission to draw out and capture the Sith Emperor himself. Upon successfully confronting the Emperor, the Knight and his task force are captured and placed under the influence of the Sith Emperor. The Knight is able to break free and returns to face the Emperor one last time in a climactic battle in an ancient Sith Temple. From the beginning to the end, it is the classic story of the Jedi.
Story review
- Epic in proportions and scale
- Memorable characters throughout from the Emperor to Lord Scourge to T7
- A classic story of a young Jedi Knight facing down the ultimate evil; while full of the classic highs and lows, it is a bit predictable
- Perhaps one of the strongest companion and romance stories with Kira Carsen
- Moral choices can make for an interesting twist on the story if done against the predictable classic routes
Best moment: Defeating the Emperor. I mean, how could it be anything else? Some of the other best moments all involve Kira and your relationship with her
Story Rating: 9/10
#2. Sith Inquisitor
Did You Ever Hear the Tragedy: Learn secrets of the Dark Side that some would consider to be unnatural as the Sith Inquisitor.
Unlimited Power - The Sith Inquisitor’s story is one of knowledge and pure power. Both galactic and personal in scale, the Inquisitor begins on Korriban where the young Inquisitor, a slave, completes their trials to become an apprentice to Lord Zash, who immediately sends her new partner to find ancient, powerful relics to make her a powerful Darth. Along the way, the Inquisitor encounters an ancient alien warrior Khem Val and discovers their lost legacy as a Sith Lord. Upon completion of this, Zash attempts to betray you and take your body as her host to extend her life. Defeating her and becoming a Sith Lord, the Inquisitor is immediately targeted by Darth Thanaton of the Dark Council. Barely surviving the encounter, the Inquisitor gains power through ancient Sith spirits, fighting Thanaton planet to planet, culminating in a personal war and an epic final fight in the Dark Council chambers. The Inquisitor ends their story ascending from slave to Dark Council member with unlimited power.
Story review
- Memorable villains in the form of Darth Zash and Darth Thanaton
- Rise to power arc from slave to Dark Council member never drags too much
- While a turn off for some, the story is extremely wound up in Force mysticism, Sith spirits, rituals, etc
- Khem Val is one of the best companions; Xalek is excellent as well
- Moral choices are not as wide-reaching as some of the others; targeted towards how cruel and powerful you want to be
Best moment: The final battle with Thanaton, summoning all of the Sith spirits to aid you, and forcing the Darth to bow to you before his neck is snapped with the Force
Story Rating: 9.5/10
#1. Imperial Agent
It Shall Be Done My Lord: Live a life of intergalactic intrigue and espionage as the Imperial Agent.
Intrigue and Shadows - Widely regarded as the best written of all the SWTOR stories, the Imperial Agent is a mixture of galaxy-wide conspiracies, government control, counter-terrorism, and hard moral choices. Starting as a young agent winning over Hutt lords, the Agent is then tasked by the mysterious Darth Jadus with infiltrating and destroying terrorist cells one by one until tracking down the terrorist leader himself.
The now codenamed Cipher Nine agent defeats the terrorist leader only to discover that Darth Jadus himself was behind the plot to destroy the Empire in order to take control. Unable to face off with the Darth himself, Cipher Nine continues his assignments infiltrating the Republic’s Strategic Information Service (SIS). While infiltrating, Cipher Nine is triggered into betraying the Empire through implanted brainwashing and conditioning.
Upon breaking free from this control, Cipher Nine hunts down the only lead available, the mysterious Hunter, only to discover a shadowy organization known as the Star Cabal that plans on eradicating both Jedi and Sith. Upon defeating Hunter and the Star Cabal, Cipher Nine emerges the victor in possession of the most dangerous secrets in the galaxy.
Story review
- Completely unlike anything seen in the Star Wars universe; spies, secrets, and shadow governments in space
- Moral decisions are complex and affect everyone from the Agent to the galaxy at large
- Darth Jadus is one of the most intriguing characters BioWare has written
- SCORPIO and Kaliyo Djannis are some of the most interesting companions in-game
- With multiple plot twists and turns, the story never really has a dull moment and is never predictable
Best moment: Multiple. The betrayal of Darth Jadus, the twist of being brainwashed, or the confrontation with the Star Cabal
Story Rating: 10/10
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