KOTFE is a return to the story driven aspect of Bioware game making that has been sorely missing over the last two expansions. It introduces a time jump very early on, which allows for a LOT of leeway in storytelling possibilities. You begin as the Outlander, who is the class you have chosen to go through the expansion, and take on the role of the hero of the story.
Now, KOTFE is planned for a year long narrative in 2016, and had 9 chapters dropped on release day. There is a LOT of story to go through at the start, and each class has different aspects of what happened in the 5 year time jump. You are also introduced to 6 new active companions, and once you reach chapter 9, you start to get back old companions are both specialists and as combatants.
Now, I got early access to this, so I've been able to play it for some time. I really enjoyed the story, as well as the consequences of my actions within it. And I'm liking the new antagonists that are Arcann and his sister whose name escapes me at the moment.
KOTFE also introduced some changes to the core gameplay. First off, all the old combat stats, Aim, Strength, Willpower and Cunning, have been folded into 1 damage stat, Mastery. That means you can no longer have the wrong stat for your class. So now, for example, a bounty hunter and a smuggler can use the exact same blasters, since they share the same damage stat.
Companions have been changed, too. Some have had weapon changes, like Jorgan now being a sniper rifle user to fit his story better and Corso being a pistol user now to let him use his blaster Torchy, but there are two massive changes that have been made to them. First, their stats no longer matter; their stats are based on your level, your presence score and your reputation with them. That means all weapons and armor are completely cosmetic. And for me, this means "go hunting on the GTN for gear to give them a specific look".
The second biggest change is the fact that all companions can now perform all roles. Every single companion is now a healer, tank and damage dealer. You simply have to change their role in combat to whatever you want it to be. And they're all good at their jobs now, too! So that means that, since you don't have to drag along a character you don't like simply because you want their role in combat.
They've also modified the influence system and how the conversations work; you don't need to make them happy to talk to you. Once you reach a certain point in the story, they flag as active for conversation. So now, influence is used solely for boosting companion combat effectiveness and making them better at the crew skills.
Lastly, they introduced level sync, which caps your stats at two levels above the planet's maximum. However, this doesn't change the way you'll play, since you retain your higher level abilities, so you're still stomping mobs into the ground. The second upside to this is that you no longer have diminishing return on experience and drops from mobs. So a level 60 character could go to the starter planet and still get level 60 tier experience from level 1 mobs. But don't story bosses on low level worlds; they're synced to the level of the planet, just as you are. So, in effect, level sync only changed the background math, but not the way we play the game.
All in all, KOTFE has made the game slightly easier, which means it is FAR more marketable for EA. And with it being far more marketable, that means it will be much easier to keep new fans who will, and are, coming in due to the new movies. I can see a LOT of growth in the next several years, and these changes will make it so the game will remain profitable. And that means more great content from Bioware to come.
But for now, stay beautiful freaks!
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