When people hear Star Wars, they most likely think of the never-ending conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. However, rarely do Star Wars fans see how this conflict affects the grander scheme of things, particularly amongst the normal folk in the galaxy far, far away. Thankfully, Star Wars: The Old Republic allows players to take on the role of a regular Joe-style Imperial Agent who must complete secret missions given to them by the Sith Empire.
Although lacking in the abilities of the Force, the Imperial Agents make up for this with their sheer skill in subterfuge, stealth, and assassination. However, The Old Republic players will still need to improve their Imperial Agent if they're to have any hope of going toe-to-toe with the galaxy’s strongest Force-user.
Remember Flavor: Blaster Supremacy
Unlike The Old Republic’s fair share of Force users roaming around the map, the Imperial Agent and their counterpart, the Republic Smuggler, specialize in using various tricks to eliminate enemies. In a world where people wield Lightsabers and terrifying Force abilities, Imperial Agents rely on their wit and cunning to use blasters, traps, explosives, and an assortment of dirty tricks to get the upper hand.
As a result, players may associate the Imperial Agent to that of Rogues and Rangers in a typical MMO - reliant more on stealth and long-ranged attacks to ensure combat supremacy. Through the game's unique Cover mechanic, Imperial Agents get a much-needed stat boost to secure their survival against stronger Force users.
Study Which Tools, Abilities Work Against Which Enemies
Before players get to choose their Imperial Agent’s subclass, they'll probably need to familiarize themselves with all facets of the subclasses and the default range of Abilities and Tools available to them as they level up. This is integral to any Imperial Agent, as they need to know which Abilities and Tools work best depending on the enemies they’re dealing with. Here are some handy tips to deal with various situations:
- Change Targets through Cover: As the Imperial Agent engages in combat, it helps to enter cover and cycle through various targets as they attack. This allows players to diversify their attacks and assess the enemies that want to attack them.
- Bigger targets need bigger brains: If players eventually face tougher foes among a group of linked enemies, they need to think smarter about how they approach fighting them. Given they have more HP than their allies, Toxic Darts could help whittle their health down as the Imperial Agent deals with smaller mobs. Using the Adrenaline Probe to boost Energy Regeneration could also allow the Imperial Agent to use more abilities.
- Smaller HP takes priority: When players face a group of enemies, they should always remember that even an enemy with 1 HP can hit just as hard as an enemy whose health is full. With this in mind, players should try to eliminate them as fast as possible. An Explosive Probe, which deals AOE damage, should do the trick, as would the two-shot Rifle Shot.
- Melee attackers need less attention: A cluster of enemies will always have its fair share of melee attackers and ranged attackers. For Imperial Agents, the melee attackers should generally be left until last since players can dodge them much easier. Shiv is a decent melee attack option against them, while Flash Bang, Escape, and Evasion can also be a great way to dodge their attacks and reposition. Long-ranged attackers tend to be weaker, hence why taking them out first should be the player's priority.
Utilize Cover To Boost Survivability
While other classes in The Old Republic and similar games rely on various buffs and mobility skills to boost their chances of survival, the Imperial Agent has a special Cover mechanic that gives them a much-needed damage mitigation option against fiercer opponents.
At its core, Imperial Agents can press the F Key or the Middle-Mouse button to enter Cover mode - which is either a default one-knee crouch or rolling to an appropriate cover spot nearby. When engaging foes from cover, Imperial Agents get a much-needed defensive boost and unlock special Cover-only abilities. Eventually, players will need to learn which types of cover work best against particular opponents.
Resource Management Guarantees Combo Consistency
Unlike other classes in The Old Republic, the physically weaker Imperial Agent relies on combo consistency to secure high damage points. This is an important aspect of their gameplay, as Operatives have Energy that depletes as skills are used but are replenished rather sparsely throughout combat. Here are some important stats regarding Energy (resource) regeneration for Imperial Agents:
- Current Energy: 80 to 100, 5 RPS (6 if with Stim Boost)
- Current Energy: 60 to 80, 4 RPS (5 if with Stim Boost)
- Current Energy: 40 to 60, 3 RPS (4 if with Stim Boost)
- Current Energy: 20 to 40, 2.5 RPS (3.5 if with Stim Boost)
- Current Energy: 0 to 20, 2 RPS (3 if with Stim Boost)
With this in mind, for the best chance of survival, Imperial Agents should aim to maintain their Energy at 60 and above in order to ensure they have access to their strongest abilities at all times. Math-wise, an Imperial Agent can have these Energy regeneration rates depending on their current Energy:
- Current Energy: 60 to 80, 4 RPS (5 if with Stim Boost) will give them access to as much as 3,000 Energy to spend on a 10-minute fight.
- Current Energy: 0 to 20, 2 RPS (3 if with Stim Boost) will give them access to only around 1,200 Energy to spend during a 10-minute fight.
Team Up To Practice Support Potential
Given the support potential of the Imperial Agent, it would be wise for players to try and find ways to practice their supportive abilities early on before they choose to be the close-ranged Operative or the long-ranged Sniper. Thankfully, Heroic Missions encourage the Imperial Agent to team up with groups in order to pursue their objectives, allowing them to explore their character’s capabilities against multiple foes while working as part of a team.
Imperial Agents who want to level up should focus on Heroic 2 or 2+ Missions so that they can team up with just one person and still reap a lot of the rewards in the harder missions. Players who want to practice using buffs on teammates might want to pursue Heroic 4 Missions instead.
Companion: Kaliyo Djannis
Since the Imperial Agent can also obtain a Companion like the other classes, it makes sense for one of their many Companions to rise among the competition. In the case of the Imperial Agent, the first one seems to be the best, as Kaliyo Djannis - their first Companion - may seem like the best Companion option for the Imperial Agent in their adventure.
Kaliyo Djannis has a complex personality that clashes with the Imperial Agent’s. While she is mostly obedient, she tends to be dishonest and is big on talking with the Imperial Agent, giving her a unique sense of personality and a no-holds-barred reputation. In terms of combat, Kaliyo is a long-range specialist with a wide array of special abilities, allowing her to take fighting to the enemies as a frontliner while players blast them from afar.
Operative: Healing, Killing From Up Close
Fully utilizing the capabilities of the Imperial Agent as a potential support class, the Operative sub-class combines the potential of multiple disciplines in order to transform the Imperial Agent into a jack of all trades. As the Operative, the Imperial Agent relies on stealth, close combat, and a wide range of medical abilities to provide support - be it as a mobile medic or an assassin. Depending on the discipline focus, the Operative can utilize these particular disciplines and specializations:
- Concealment Operative: This Operative subclass capitalizes on the Concealment discipline, focusing on staying invisible and away from the enemy’s vision until the last moment. Once they reveal themselves, they unleash a barrage of blows and calculated attacks that can debilitate and stun foes.
- Lethality Operative: This Operative prefers fighting up close and personal, and fighting very dirty. Thanks to their poisons, the Lethality Operative can slowly whittle the enemy’s health down by using strong poisons that inflict damage over time.
- Medicine Operative: Through the Medicine discipline, the Medicine Operative is a mobile medic. They can use a wide variety of gadgets to heal and buff allies, making them the ideal support.
Sniper: Killing From Afar
As the name implies, the Sniper is the Imperial Agent transformed into a long-distance killing machine. Thanks to high-powered sniper rifles, the Sniper can take down enemies from afar without giving them a chance to retaliate. Depending on the focus, the Sniper can shoot penetrating blasts, set traps, unleash lethal toxins, or even throw grenades. Depending on the discipline focus, the Sniper can master a myriad of killing techniques:
- Marksmanship Sniper: Perhaps the go-to setup for a Sniper, this allows players to use a myriad of bullets and techniques to take down targets from afar without them ever having the chance to retaliate.
- Engineering Sniper: Aside from their long-distance prowess, the Engineering Sniper can empower their probes and drones to provide them with various advantages throughout the fight, often leaving targets vulnerable and open for the kill.
- Virulence Sniper: Thanks to lethal poisons and toxins, Snipers can imbue their attacks with lethal abilities to make sure their bullets and attacks strike much harder than necessary in order to secure the kill.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is available on PC.