Class Focus: Imperial Agent

With a release date of December 20^th in full view, I thought it would be wise to prepare ourselves for The Old Republic’s launch. So for the next eight weekends we will focus on each of the selectable classes in The Old Republic. Hopefully this will give you, as well as myself, more insight on which class fits best for you and maybe get those creative juices flowing. We don’t want to see Revan’s everywhere we go.

Fact Sheet:

• Species: Human, Chiss, Cyborg, Zabrak, Rattataki
• Starting Planet: Hutta
• Combat Type: Ranged
• Weaponry: Sniper Rifle, Blaster Rifle, Energy Blade
• Armor: Light/Medium
• Ship: X-70b Phantom
• Famous Agents: Zam Wessel, Grand Moff Tarkin

Summary

The Assassin of the Empire the Imperial Agent relies heavily on stealth, cunning and long range devastation. Masters of infiltration, deception and sabotage; any time the Empire requires a little behind-the-scenes action the Imperial Agent is the obvious choice. Lighter state-of-the-art mesh armor provides the agent with a stout defense without hindering their movement and flexibility, while their stealth upgrades and long range sniper rifle allow them to strike without ever being noticed.

Lore

In the universe of The Old Republic, the Imperial Agent is an operative of the extremely secretive Imperial Intelligence division of the Sith Empire. Prior to the onset of the Galactic Cold War, the Imperial Agents were responsible for persuading several factions away from siding with the Republic. Spearheaded by Darth Jadus the Imperial Intelligence division is the galaxy’s largest espionage network. Darth Jadus is considered the most enigmatic of the Sith Lords of the Dark Council, perhaps most perplexing is that he prefers his servants not to be Sith.

This is evidenced by the man known as the “Keeper” whom is charged with overseeing the Operations Division of Imperial Intelligence and, every action, every mission conducted by Imperial Intelligence is approved by him. The elite field agents under this man’s authority are known as Cipher Agents, masters of all aspects of espionage and combat and second to only the Sith Lords in ranking. Surely, the Imperial Agent is a force to be reckoned with.

Class Specializations

Operative

Operatives primarily utilize stealth to accomplish their missions. Utilizing the Concealment skill tree the Operative becomes the quintessential Rogue class. Choosing to sneak behind their enemies unnoticed for devastating backstabs. The Operative can also use the Medic skill tree to provide healing for their comrades. Combine their healing and stealth abilities and you have a healer that can remain relatively safe and unnoticed by the enemy.

Sniper

The Sniper values distance over stealth, choosing to use cover and orbital strikes to dole out punishment to his/her foes. Marksmanship is the skill tree for the expert sniper, giving bonuses while utilizing cover and allowing for precise crippling critical shots on the enemy. The Engineering skill tree adds versatility to the Sniper’s ranged arsenal through the use of probes and other mechanical menaces.

Lethality is a skill tree shared by both the Operative and the Sniper which allows the Agent to cripple his foes even further through the use of poisoning and other subterfuge methods.

Is this the class for you?

If you’ve mainly played a Rogue or similar class in other MMO’s or if you’re the type that prefers not to be the center of your enemy’s attention, the Imperial Agent is probably the right class for you. On the other hand if you’re the type that likes to get right in your foe’s face and hack away with a lightsaber, then you’re better off with a Sith Class. The Agent’s strength is in his/her ability to support his allies and accomplish tasks behind the scenes, it isn’t a one man army sort of role, but one that can still have a large impact on any battle. With that in mind even if TOR will be your first foray into the world of MMO’s if you’ve played other class based games where there is a support class option and enjoyed that, then you may want to consider the Imperial Agent. Besides who wouldn’t want to play as a Chiss?

Links

Imperial Agent Holonet Page
Imperial Agent Class Trailer