Flashpoints Beta Preview

As part of our continuing beta coverage, MMORPG.com Community Manager Mike Bitton has the inside scoop on Star Wars: The Old Republic’s flashpoints. The article contains a few minor spoilers to reader beware! Check out Mike’s preview of the SWTOR flashpoints and then leave us a comment or two
Flashpoints are Star Wars: The Old Republic’s version of instanced dungeons you might find in other MMO games – with a twist. Flashpoints, like just about everything else in Star Wars: The Old Republic, reflect BioWare’s story-focused approach to the game as a whole, offering players a cinematic group-centric experience loaded with storyline. Well, most of the time anyway.

The starter Flashpoints, The Esseles (Republic) and the Black Talon (Imperial) strongly focus on story in the way BioWare has described, but the developer has added new Flashpoints to the game that are more akin to your typical dungeon run. These additional Flashpoints were mentioned during the main Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at this year’s New York Comic-Con as a way of giving a choice to players who are more interested in a straightforward experience focused on gameplay or puzzles. The additional Flashpoints, story focused and otherwise (a total of 15!), will allow players to basically level up via Flashpoints at any juncture in the game if they so choose. Everyone loves variety, right
The team mapped out the player breakdown into three areas: Class abilities, Spec Abilities and Talents. Players choose their spec at level ten. The big news on this topic is that WoW is doing away with Talent points and ranks. The new system allows you to choose a talent every fifteen levels. Once you reach that stage you will have three choices. They are working hard to make the system have no mandatory talents, in other words every talent has value and the player can decide how to use them. Also you can change talents in the game as easily as you change glyphs.