The Sith Warrior is Officially Official

BioWare has posted their class page on the Sith Warrior.

I'll admit, I did not believe at first that this was an actual class; more of a path that the Sith force user could traverse. But no, the Sith Warrior is the newest reveal for SWTOR's line-up.

It leads to some questions about BioWare's plans for the rest of the classes. Yes, there will be at least one force-capable class on each side, that much is clear. But will there be two on each side?

BioWare's goal is to provide an iconic experience. There has to be a desire by the player base to experience the game as Emperor Palpatine rather than Darth Vader. The Sith Warrior could provide this experience through an alternative path to what we've seen demonstrated in the recent Gamescon Walkthrough. But it doesn't seem to be evident in the class description.

"Combat Tactics

A Sith Warrior’s skills with a lightsaber are unrivaled. Driving at their enemies with strong, crushing blows, the Warrior quickly beats his foes into submission or death. Though the lightsaber is the Warrior’s primary method of attack, he also uses his dark command of the Force to paralyze, terrify, and kill. Protected by heavy armor and his powers of intimidation, the Warrior wades into the thick of the fight and unleashes pure hatred and fury to eliminate all who would stand against him."

This part of the class bio seems to indicate that the warriors are more inclined to do their talking with a lightsaber. And the next excerpt shows even more evidence there may be another force user for the Sith:

"These cold-blooded conquerors waste no time with cunning manipulations and carefully-crafted plans. Sith Warriors crush their opponents and stride toward their goals with dreadful determination, leaving ruin and annihilation in their wake. Emanating awe and terror at every step, they accept nothing but absolute obedience from their followers. In turn, Sith Warriors can serve as loyal subjects to their own dark masters, often surprising enemies and allies with their rigorous honor and perfect discipline."

It seems that there will be a group of Sith who are more dedicated to manipulation and deceit. And who are these "dark masters" that are referred to in this excerpt? Obviously they will be powerful Sith Lords tied into the Warrior's story arc.

This leads me to believe with about 90% certainty that there will be two force-capable classes within each faction. But will having four force users in total lead to a diverse and unique experience for each class? You have to imagine that force users will be closely tied to each other in each faction. But BioWare's claims lead are that each playthrough will result in no repeated content.

Could I be misinterpreting their statements or will the style of these second set of force users lead to a totally different storyline? It is implied that another force using class (on the Sith side at least) will be more manipulative or possibly more political. At the very least they will be less capable at melee combat and more inclined toward the mental and "magic"-using side of the force.

I guess we'll have to wait for the next reveal to see what BioWare's plans will be. My guess is that they'll reveal a Republic force user.