General Info for those that still have to choose

[Grimnar]

SWTOR Bounty Hunter

As one of the most storied classes in the Star Wars universe, it is no surprise that many people are going to be playing a Bounty Hunter once Star Wars: The Old Republic is released. In this SWTOR Bounty Hunter guide, I will be going over the roles this class will be able to fill as well as both advanced classes available to players who choose the Bounty Hunter.


SWTOR Bounty Hunter â€" Class Overview

The Bounty Hunter is a class which makes heavy use of technology, including blasters, flamethrowers, and rockets, in order to do its job. This particular class has a wide-range of roles depending on which specialization you pick, some of which seem a bit surprising to players.
In particular, this class is able to tank, deal damage, and heal. It can fill every role in a group, although I give the edge to the Sith Inquisitor in versatility as the Inquisitor can play both a caster and melee-based damage dealer.
In the next portion of this SWTOR Bounty Hunter guide, I will cover the advanced specializations of the Bounty Hunter and the roles they can fill.


SWTOR Bounty Hunter â€" The Powertech

The Powertech is an interesting specialization for the Bounty Hunter. This particular class is a quasi-melee class which not only attacks with the Bounty Hunter’s trademark ranged missiles and explosives, but also makes heavy use of the Flamethrower and retractable blades (its “melee” components). The Powertech can further specialize via its two talent trees: Shield Tech and Advanced Prototype.

• Shield Tech is a tanking specialization. It focuses on giving the Powertech access to more mitigation and threat-generating abilities, allowing the Powertech to operate both as a short and mid-ranged tank (thanks to its assortment of ranged attacks).
• Advanced Prototype is a damage-dealing specialization. This really seems to increase the damage of the Powertech’s Flamethrower. This class particularly seems to excel at AoE (area of effect) damage, allowing it to take out many weak opponents at the same time.

As you can see, the Powertech can both be a tank and a damage-dealer depending on where you put your talent points. This particular specialization seems to focus in on the Flamethrower and tends to put the Bounty Hunter in close-range combat.


SWTOR Bounty Hunter â€" Mercenary

The Mercenary trades in the Flamethrower in exchange for dual blasters, allowing the Mercenary to play a ranged role. The Mercenary is about half of what you would expect the Bounty Hunter to be â€" a ranged damage dealing class â€" and half of what you would not expect â€" a healing class.
Of course, you can pick one or the other, depending on which specializations you have. There are two particular talent trees: Arsenal and Bodyguard.
The Arsenal talent tree focuses on maximizing the Bounty Hunter’s missile and rocket capabilities, allowing it to take the role of a true ranged damage-dealing class. According to the description, this class is also built for burst damage, which theoretically would make it a very good class to use in PvP.
The Bodyguard talent tree contains buffs and heals that allow the Bounty Hunter to be a healing and support class. While not exactly what you would expect from a Bounty Hunter, it does open up the possibilities to some interesting options. There is a good chance talents from this tree can be pooled with the other Bounty Hunter’s talents to create a very powerful PvP or solo-oriented class, capable of both dealing damage and self-healing.
As you can see, the Bounty Hunter has a lot of different playstyles available to it. No matter what advanced class you play, you can always fill a DPS role, whereas the Powertech can tank and the Mercenary can heal. In the next portion of this Star Wars The Old Republic Bounty Hunter Guide, I will be focusing on the theoretical strengths and weaknesses of each of these builds so you can decide if this class is the one you want to play.


SWTOR Bounty Hunter â€" Pros and Cons

Given its sheer versatility, there is bound to be a solid role somewhere in the SWTOR for the Bounty Hunter. Based on gameplay videos, I think the Powertech has a good chance to be a top-tier tank, simply because of all its ranged abilities. There seem to be a lot of machine-oriented bosses in the game (certain types of droids) which like to use ranged attacks, which would really play to the Powertech’s strengths. Additionally, I think the offensive sub-set of the Powertech has a nice niche role in its ability to deal AoE damage.
On the other hand, I feel like a lot of players who wanted to be Bounty Hunters in order to play DPS classes will wind up being forced to play a healer when they do not want to, simply because they will have to choose healing or not getting a group. We may see the Mercenary’s offensive role relegated to PvP only.
However, it may be that players prefer a Mercenary DPS and its the Sith Warrior that is left out in the cold â€" only time will tell here. I will be updating this SWTOR Bounty Hunter guide regularly, so be sure to check back once the game moves out of closed beta as there is sure to be new information on these pages.


SWTOR Bounty Hunter â€" Summary

For those looking to pick a class which has every option available to it, the Bounty Hunter is a good choice. This particular class seems like it will be set up to do well in PvP, solo play, and be a solid tank. Whether or not it will stack up when it comes to PvE DPS and Healing is yet to be determined.

[Grimnar]

SWTOR Sith Inquisitor

In this SWTOR Sith Inquisitor guide, I will be going over both advanced classes and discuss the likely strengths and weaknesses of this class. Once more information about the game comes out, I will be adding more information along the lines of builds, strategies, and tips that you can use to enhance your play.


SWTOR Sith Inquisitor  â€" Class Overview

Out of all the classes in SWTOR, perhaps the class most intriguing to players is the Sith Inquisitor. MMORPG bad guys have wanted to play a Sith Inquisitor since watching The Empire Strikes Back, and now they finally have their chance.
Even among gamers who aren’t Star Wars junkies, the Sith Inquisitor has certainly peaked their interests as it is one of two Imperial classes which can play every role in the game through their advanced specializations. The Sith Inquisitor is the only class in-game which has the feel of a traditional MMORPG damage-dealing caster class thanks to its Force Lightning abilities.
Much like its Republic counter (the Jedi Consular), the Sith Inquisitor uses a single double-bladed lightsaber to fill its many roles in combat. In the next part of this SWTOR Sith Inquisitor Guide, I will be going over the advanced class options for the Inquisitor.


Star Wars: The Old Republic Sith Inquisitor  â€" The Assassin

While the Assassin is the advanced class of the Sith Inquisitor, this class interestingly enough has two specializations of its own: the Deception talent tree and the Darkness Talent Tree. While both talent trees seem to favor melee-play, they also offer very different bonuses.
The first tree, Deception, appears to be a very Rogue-like class. This particular class gets stealth and uses melee attacks with its lightsaber to take out the opponent. Although it does use melee attacks, many of its abilities seem oriented towards the dark side of the Force, as this talent tree offers abilities which charge the lightsaber with lightning damage.
The second talent tree, Darkness, appears to actually be tanking-oriented. It has high threat-generation abilities, but its tanking skills are still shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it that this class might actually be an evasion-oriented tank (think “Blink Tank” from Final Fantasy XI), which relies on dodging and absorbing attacks instead of having a large HP and defense total. However, this remains yet to be confirmed.
So while the Assassin is just one of two Sith Inquisitor specializations, it actually has two roles of its own and can specialize in both melee-oriented Rogue play (likely an interesting PvP class) and also specialize to become a tank.


SWTOR Sith Inquisitor â€" Sorcerer

The other advanced class available to the Sith Inquisitor is the Sorcerer. Much like the Assassin, this class actually has two very different specializations based on which talent tree you pick:

• The Lighting talent tree focuses on using lightning spells to deal damage to opponents. This is the only real damage-dealing caster in SWTOR. While the Jedi Consular also has a force damage-dealer, it seems to be more reliant upon lightsaber attacks than a Lightning Sorcerer.
• The Corruption talent tree focuses on using the force to heal allies. This is the Sith Inquisitor’s healing specialization.

As you can see, the Sith Inquisitor has a specialization for every role in the game. In the next part of this SWTOR Sith Inquisitor Guide, I will be looking at what are likely to be the pros and cons of playing this class.


SWTOR Sith Inquisitor â€" Pros and Cons

Like any balanced class, the Sith Inquisitor is likely to have its upsides and downsides depending on what you are looking for in a class. On a positive note, this is one of two Imperial classes that can play every job in the game. However, it is not likely to be awesome at every single job, as otherwise there would be full raids of Inquisitors running around.
I suspect that out of all the classes that are mentioned, the damage-dealing classes will be the most unwanted classes from the Sith Inquisitor. First off, there will already be a surplus of melee classes, since all Sith Warrior builds are melee-oriented, which makes the Assassin perhaps not an ideal class just in terms of being wanted in a group.
On the other hand, I suspect that out of all the classes, healers will be in most short supply. A Sorcerer who specializes in healing should have an easy time getting a group. On the other hand, a Sorcerer who specializes in damage may find themselves the target of the angst of angry players who wish they would be healers.
You may not want to play a damage-dealing Sorcerer if your goal is to participate in high-end flashpoints or raids. However, I am sure the Sorcerer and Assassin will be solid classes in PvP games, so you always have that option available to you.
This of course is all conjecture. Should this turn out to not be the case, I will update this SWTOR Sith Inquisitor guide accordingly once more information comes out.


SWTOR Sith Inquisitor Summary

The Sith Inquisitor is the most flexible class for the Imperials and is capable of playing all roles. If you are not sure what type of class you want to play, this might be a good choice for you simply because it can fill every role. Due to its flexibility and self-healing powers, this class is also likely to be an excellent solo and PvP class.
The only downsides I can think of to this class would be whether or not the Deception and Lightning trees will be good enough to use in PvE. They may struggle to get groups in raids and expert flashpoints. There is also a chance that the Deception tree might turn out to be a PvP-oriented class given its stealth capabilities

[Grimnar]

SWTOR Imperial Agent

The Imperial Agent is an interesting class that is unlike anything else in the game. This is the one class that has the smallest tie-in with Star Wars lore, and as such the developers have the most creative freedom when developing this class. In this SWTOR Imperial Agent guide, you will discover a class overview, advanced classes and roles, and the strengths and weaknesses of this class.


SWTOR Imperial Agent â€" Class Overview

The SWTOR Imperial Agent has three specializations rather than the advertised two (one specialization has two markedly different roles), each of which has dramatically different gameplay. One specialization allows for melee combat, another for healing, and a third specialization focuses in on the ranged aspect of this class.
I think overall most players will pick this class for its ranged capabilities, as the Sniper advanced specialization seems to be the most pure ranged DPS class in the game. This class also makes extensive use of the cover system, which has some pros and cons which will be discussed below as well.
In the next part of this SWTOR Imperial Agent guide, you will find the two advanced specializations, what roles they fill, and the strengths and weaknesses of each specialization.


SWTOR Imperial Agent Guide â€" Operative

Although technically the Operative is a single advanced specialization, it two very different talent trees. The first tree, Concealment, sets the Operative to function like the Rogue/Thief class from other video games. It gives it access to close-ranged weapons like Daggers as well as abilities like Stealth and Backstab. Lethality, the shared branch, gives it access to poisons, making the Concealment talent tree perhaps the closest class to WoW’s Rogue class.
This class is likely to be great versus casters in PvP, as it has a variety of snares, roots, and interrupts. Then again, it may not have a good way to prevent getting kiting from ranged classes. It’s a bit too early to tell either way until we get a full ability list for all the classes.
Additionally, the Medic specialization allows the Operative to become a full-fledged healer. How this class will stack up to other healers in raids and dungeons we do not know just yet; we will have to wait and see. This class does have dispelling abilities though, so a hybrid between Medic and Concealment might be a viable option for PvP.


SWTOR Imperial Agent Guide â€" Sniper

I think the Sniper class is definitely the most appealing option for players looking to play the SWTOR Imperial Agent. This particular class is the only true ranged class in-game, with two different trees dedicated towards ranged DPS.
The first tree, Marksmanship, seems to maximize ranged attacks and damage. The upside to this class is that it is likely to do great damage from range, and if you have cover it will be hard to hit this class directly in PvP, making smart defense in PvP an interesting option. The only downside is that it seems you might actually need cover to be completely viable, meaning that you will lose mobility if you want to maximize damage or lose damage if you want to move.
The second tree is the Engineering tree, and it seems to be full of tricks and traps. Typically, these sorts of builds are ideal for PvP. It might be that for the Sniper, the Marksmanship build will be the PvE spec whereas the Engineering tree would be the PvP spec. This would seem logical, but you never know just how things will wind up when you hit the level cap and actually get into the warzones.


SWTOR Imperial Agent â€" Pros and Cons

The Imperial Agent certainly has a lot of pros and cons. My first impression is that the Operative does not look like it will be a recommended specialization from me. Whenever you have a class that only has a single talent tree (either healer or melee dps, plus the shared tree), by default you will have less options to choose from.
It doesn’t make sense for an Operative to grab both healing and damage-dealing spells for PvE, which is likely to be a major portion of the game. You might be able to come up with a viable build for soloing or PvP, but when there are less options around it is never a good thing in my opinion.
On the other hand, I think the Sniper will be a great class. The Marksmanship and Engineering trees seem like they are open to good builds and that players will be able to use all three talent trees with ease to build the class that fits the situation they want to play in. If you want to be a ranged DPS class, this seems like a good fit.
I also think that in general the Imperial Agent will be under-represented, making gear and groups much easier to come by.


SWTOR Imperial Agent Conclusion

The Imperial Agent is one of four classes available to play in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Its specific specializations allow it to be a melee damage-dealer, ranged damage-dealer, or even a healer. How good all of these classes will be we just do not know yet, but we should see soon enough

[Grimnar]

SWTOR Sith Warrior

The Sith Warrior is both one of the primary melee tank and primary melee damage dealer for the Imperial forces in Star Wars: The Old Republic. In this SWTOR Sith Warrior Guide, I will be revealing to you the advanced classes for this class, as well as what the likely strengths and weaknesses of this class will be. Once the game is released, I will be updating this section to cover talents, builds, and strategies.


SWTOR Sith Warrior â€" Class Overview

The Sith Warrior is the major melee class for the Imperials in Star Wars: The Old Republic. While it does have a variety of force-using abilities, most of its attacks are centered on the use of its lightsaber. Initially, the Sith Warrior is a traditional “Warrior” type class, and at level 10 it can specialize into either the Juggernaut or the Marauder.
The Juggernaut also uses a single lightsaber. It can both become a tank or a damage-dealer, depending on which talents you pick up. The Marauder on the other hand is only a damage-dealer and wields two lightsabers. It can specialize in two different types of damage with its talent trees.


SWTOR Sith Warrior â€" The Marauder

The Marauder is a dual-wielding class that focuses on dealing damage. While not explicitly stated, this is likely to be the preeminent melee damage-dealer in SWTOR. It has two talent trees, one which seems to focus on burst damage (Annihilation) and another which focuses on generating a lot of lighter attacks (Carnage).
I suspect the Carnage tree will be ideal for leveling up, doing dungeons, and raiding, whereas the Annihilation is likely to be a better choice in PvP.


Star Wars The Old Republic Warrior â€" The Juggernaut

The Juggernaut is the other advanced class available to the Sith Warrior and looks to be the best melee tank in the game. While the Bounty Hunter can act as a ranged tank and the Sith Inquisitor can act as a tank as well, if previous MMO history repeats itself, the Sith Juggernaut will be the best tank.
Since it has been in development for awhile with thoughts of it being a tank, it is likely to be the most polished tanking class. Since melee tanks have been around a long time in previous MMORPGs, it is likely that this one will benefit from the experience the developers have from prior games. It is much harder to create a tanking class from the ground up (like the ranged Powertech) than it is to recreate and tweak a class which has existed for years in other games.
On the other hand, the Juggernaut’s Vengeance tree focuses on single lightsaber DPS. I am not sure how this will turn out. After all, if this class turns out to be really good, what purpose would the Sith Marauder have?
It is likely that this will be an off-spec for leveling and farming; it will be very hard to put this in line with the Marauder without making the Marauder completely worthless. It will be interesting to see how they do this. For now, I would recommend going Marauder if you want to play a true DPS class. I will update this SWTOR Sith Warrior Guide if that situation changes at any point in time.


SWTOR Sith Warrior â€" Forms

The Sith Warrior appears to have different “Forms” depending on which role it is going to play. These seem to have a strong corollary with the World of Warcraft Warrior’s stances in that each stance seems to enhance a particular trait that the Sith Warrior has access to.
Right now, there are 4 announced stances: one for each talent tree aside from the Juggernaut’s Vengeance tree (it is currently unclear whether this is just unannounced or will remain this way). Here is a list:

• The Shii-Cho form is the shared form between both advanced classes and seems fairly balanced (like the WoW Warrior’s Battle Stance).
• The Soresu Form (Immortal) is the Juggernaut’s tanking form (like WoW’s Defensive Stance). It gives the Juggernaut access to Force abilities which aid in threat generation, crowd control, extra health, and mitigation to damage.
• The Ataru Form (Carnage) is a Marauder form which focuses on generating extra, light attacks. This form seems to be geared around maximizing DPS rather than burst damage.
• The Juyo Form (Annihilation) is a Marauder form which focuses on burst damage. This form features attacks which strike with both lightsabers simultaneously.

The interesting thing about these forms is the Ataru and Juyo Forms seem unlike anything we have seen in another game. It would make sense if the Ataru form was focused on maximizing DPS through steady, light hits and that the Juyo Form was focused on burst damage without regard to DPS.
This would make the Ataru form ideal for PvE and the Juyo Form ideal for PvP. I will update this Star Wars The Old Republic Sith Warrior guide when we found out more details about these forms.


SWTOR Sith Warrior â€" Summary

With the limited information we have, right now things for the Sith Warrior are shaping up to be interesting. It is likely to be an extremely competitive tanking class (if not outright the best tank) as well as being a great melee DPS class.
However, when playing a melee DPS class, note that I have never played an MMORPG where there was a shortage of melee DPS classes within a year or two of release. As a result, it might be tough to get a group as a Marauder. If doing things like dungeons and raids is important to you, you may want to consider opting for the Juggernaut or another class which is more flexible.

[Whitey]

You really should provide a link to where you took this information as the way it is presented looks like you wrote it. http://www.swtorstrategyguide.net/

[Gorion]

I believe you were a bit too harsh on the Sorcerer class.  They can off-heal meaning that in the case of the main healer is ooF, under attack or dead, even a dps specced sorcerer can fill in in order to keep the party going. The static barrier also absorbs damage, so that's highly valuable in any group.  

Not to mention the extensive crowd control abilities; whirlwind on tough targets, electrocute for a short stun, nightmare for a mass 8sec stun and finally overload can be upgraded in order to root all effected targets (which were also blasted away).  Lets not forget that lightning drain also reduces movement by 50% and can stun weak/standard adds.

If used correctly, a sorcerer can practically do anything apart from tanking for a prolonged period of time.