Full game characters/classes/paths vs. F2P

[Ty Tanium]

Evenin' folks,
Tossing up whether to invest or just roll casually along with the 'Free to Play' version...

I think my biggest question is, are there more "Origin Roles/Classes" available in the full game? I know that a bunch of races are locked out of the F2P, I assume they become accessible with the full game.

Would anyone recommend "subscription" over purchase?
Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
T

[NavFamG]

It's only some races that are locked out of the F2p (cyborg and full sith?), but ALL of the 8 class story's are 100% free to play. Also you can play the first 2 expansions (Hutt and Revan) 100% free.

Most of us recommend playing all 8 class stories and the first 2 expansions free and then decided if you want to see more content / keep playing and if so then do the 1 month sub to unlock all the rest of the content and the current level cap.

* the 'free can't play' races do unlock if you sub, but only stay unlocked while your sub is running. You'd need to buy the race if you wanted to continue using it after your sub ends.

[Irinka]

Subscription (Recommended for Serious Players or Completionists)

A subscription unlocks the full SWTOR experience and is highly recommended if:

You want to experience all the story content: Subscribers gain access to all expansions, including later ones like Knights of the Fallen Empire and Onslaught. Free-to-play limits you to the base game and first two expansions (Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Shadow of Revan).

You value convenience and quality of life: Subscriptions eliminate restrictions such as:

Credit cap (unlimited credits for subscribers vs. 1M-4M for free-to-play).

Access to faster leveling, quick travel, and unlimited medical probes.

Access to higher-grade gear and mods.


You enjoy endgame content: Operations (raids) and ranked PvP are locked behind a subscription.

You dislike microtransactions: Free-to-play is heavily monetized through the Cartel Market, requiring purchases to unlock basic features (e.g., additional quickbars, inventory space, etc.). Subscribers avoid many of these paywalls.

Free-to-Play (Recommended for Casual or Story-Focused Players)

Free-to-play is a good option if:

You’re new to SWTOR and want to try it out: It’s a great way to experience the base class stories without a financial commitment.

You don’t mind restrictions: Free-to-play players face limitations such as:

Reduced XP rates (making leveling slower).

Limited quickbars, character slots, and customization options.

No access to Operations or ranked PvP.


You’re okay with grinding or spending Cartel Coins: Many conveniences can be unlocked individually through purchases.

Why I Recommend Subscription Over Free-to-Play

1. Complete Story Access: The class and expansion stories are the heart of SWTOR. Subscribing ensures you can experience all of them, including some of the best content in the later expansions.


2. Freedom and Quality of Life: Subscribers don’t face frustrating caps or restrictions on gear, credits, or abilities, allowing for a smoother and more enjoyable experience.


3. More Gameplay Options: Endgame operations, ranked PvP, and other features make SWTOR more rewarding for dedicated players.


4. Better Value: Unlocking features individually as a free-to-play player can quickly become more expensive than a subscription.


In summary, I would recommend a subscription to anyone who plans to play SWTOR for more than just a casual dip into the base content. It provides a far more enjoyable and complete experience, especially for story enthusiasts, endgame players, or those who dislike frequent paywalls.

As for your question f2p gains acces to the core races except Chiss, Miraluka, Sith Pureblood and Rattataki. They also lack access to Legacy species unlock. You can buy them as a f2p with cartel market coins. Subs get all races except Cathar, Togruta and Nautolan, which you can only buy.

Let me add that if you are worried about species affecting the story don't be. It plays close to no part in it. In most cases someone will call you alien regardless of what race you have. There are some small exceptions like playing a Sith Pureblood on Sith warrior where your race gets a few mentions. But again it's close to nothing. However going Chiss on Imperial Agent story gains tons of mentions about your race and I would say it only happens in that particular case

[Jack Jester]

It's not worth it, F2P has contributed to more and more players being solo players and I assume that this concept will die out in the next 10 years.

Instancing and F2P are the worst enemies for an mmorpg. It is mainly about interaction and where does interaction take place in instances? F2P, on the other hand, leads to class differences and thus promotes solo play.
Swtor is no longer an mmorpg, it is a single player game with Multiplayer feature.

[Ty Tanium]

Mawwwwwning folks,
Thanks for the input, appreciate the time and effort. Might try a subscription and see what it's like.

Again, my thanks.
Cheers,
T

[Mandalore]

If you subscribe, youll get cartel coins which are a premium currency, and you can buy unlocks from there. It took me about 7-8 months to go thru my first storyline since I was in school at the time, but if you have more time on your hands, then itll probably take you a month or two to get you thru all the storylines if you play 3-4 hours a day.

My piece of advice is to buy unlockables using credits, and then spend cartel coins unlocking them for all your characters. So instead of buying a set for 1000 coins, save up 20 million credits and buy it on the gtn, then you can go to collections and unlock it for a 40-400 coins from there.

Also, if you get a subscription, decide on what you want to do with it afterwards (as in f2p or staying on as a subscriber). If you do decide to stay on as a subscriber, I'd recommend the 3 month or 6 month purchase, as youll likely save a little money that way. I made the mistake of not doing that and paid a little more each month.