So the topic of the respec has come up lately, so it seems like a good time to talk about it.
A respec, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, is taking your character and giving them a new class, whilst maintaining the level, achievements, etc, you’ve already earned.
Why respec? Simple… you might hit the level cap and feel that you’ve done all that you can as a bounty hunter but, gee, you’d love to be a trooper . Now, rather than start the game all over again and grind through all those levels again, you simply respec to a trooper. In the process you might lose some abilities and not be able to use certain armour or weapons you could previously use… but on the other hand, new armour and weapons opportunities might open up to you.
It’s the equivalent of going to night school in real life and starting a new career.
Now, I know the concept absolutely freaks some of you out, and you’re quick to say, “But blur, this game is all about the story! How does that work if you go respeccing yourself?!?”
The simple answer is that, (i) People would only be allowed to respec after they hit the level cap and, (ii) People would be respeccing in full knowledge that they had hit that level cap by experiencing the Jedi path, or the Sith path, or the Bounty Hunter path, or whatever, but if they respec to something else, they aren’t going to get a new storyline relating to the new class.
If they want that storyline, they have to start again and grind through it. But some people, you see, just can’t be bothered grinding multiple characters… for some people, it’s a 12-24 month achievement to hit the level cap that other people might hit in a month or two of gaming. Such people don’t want to spend another year or two grinding a second character, just to experience what it’s like to be a top-shelf bounty hunter or Jedi or whatever they want to respec to. They would just love the chance to mess with other play styles via a respec.
So what do YOU think? Respecs… good thing? Bad thing? Spawn of Satan? Tell me your thoughts.