The bread and butter of any RPG - combat and inventory management. Both equally as important, we want to give Remnant the proper treatment and add some weight, choices and importance to these mechanics. Yes, shooting things is fun - but this is a full-blown RPG after all, so you have to make choices.
Depending on your weapon of choice, your combat style and approach will vary. A melee focused character will be able to choose from a variety of slashes, stabs, counters and feints and can combine it with fierce kicks, punches and acrobatics, all of course after you’ve acquired the appropriate training. Choosing the path of the Jedi will give you force powers and a total of 6 lightsaber styles to choose from; do you want to specialize in dueling? Or do you want to take out your blaster-wielding foes with ease? It’s all there and will show in your stance + animations, depending on which style you choose.
Are ranged weapons more up your alley? Classic, fast-paced shooter action awaits you, including sliding, sticking to cover, vaulting, climbing, parkour moves (depending on your dexterity + perks) and blind shots - combined with the RPG elements you would expect. Use cover to your advantage, modify your weapons, craft special ammunition or add secondary fire modes (the necessary blaster brain + repair skill is needed of course) and blow your enemies to bits with blaster rifles, pistols, grenades...the possibilities are endless.
Bounty hunters gain additional weapon slots for gadgets to stalk their prey; electric nets, specialized sniper rifles, night vision, flamethrowers, jetpacks, you name it. Whereas engineers focus on technological warfare, with mountable turrets, portable shields and ion weaponry to distort your enemies attack and defense alike. And the scholar...listen son, if you got yourself as far as being in the middle of a standoff, you ain’t playin’ your character right so, yeah. Just duck ‘n run, pal.
The RPG elements determine what you can take with you to every encounter; your reflexes and tactical prowess will lead you to victory however. A good mix of RPG elements and tactical shooter gameplay is mixed up with brutal melee combat system should things get a little...close up and personal. We like close up and personal by the way. Hack, slash, stab...stab stab. Nice. Where were we? Ah yeah.
Use your party members to your tactical advantage. 2 “friends” can accompany you at any one time, and the easy to use one button command system makes it a breeze to put them into your desired position. Every member has certain advantages in combat, but shortcomings too - adjust your party according to the encounter you’re about to face. Let your sniper take a vantage point and take out ranged units, while you send your tank into the field to thin their ranks. Pause the game for an over-head view of the battlefield, and use abilities in conjunction for maximum effect. Use cover and annihilate your foes in real time tactical shooting or slashing.
The forced 1st person view of the game makes for maximum maneuverability and immersion. No x-ray vision, however - every encounter can be a surprise and a deadly one, if not prepared.
Adjust and upgrade your weapons, but make sure your abilities match your weapon of choice. Every piece of gear is locked behind an attribute and skill wall. Want to upgrade your light repeater to a heavy one? Won’t work without the heavy weapon skill. Sure, you can still use it, but your accuracy and therefore effectiveness in battle will suffer. Choose your gear wisely and adjust it to your preferred play style.
Depending on your choice of class, you will be able to make use of 3 to 5 weapon slots - all visible in the in game inventory and your player character. Slots for melee and ranged weapons or throwables/gadgets are given and have to be crafted by inserting inventory slots to your armor. The “1” key is mapped to your main melee weapon - be it a stun baton, a vibro sword or even your lightsaber - all visible on different parts of your body, depending on the type. “2” is used for your light weapons like pistols and small blasters. “3” is used for blaster rifles, repeaters and such. “4” is used for your throwables like the grenades, flashbangs, mines or the disintegrator. Seriously, that thing makes a thermal detonator look like a softball on a sunny afternoon. “5” is used for special weapons and gadgets used by bounty hunters, for example. This is a strong contrast to what Starfield was trying to accomplish and therefore another distinction in design philosophy.
All weapons can be exchanged from your loadout, but not in the midst of a firefight or a mission. If you find a weapon you want to use instead, you can exchange it for the one you’re holding right now - but weapons discovered in missions will be sent directly to your armory. You need to visit your armory to change your gear, that includes armor and special items such as deployable shields and turrets. Prepare yourself well!
The inventory is made with fluidity and a sorted overview in mind. A holo of your current loadout is shown to your right and different icons show melee and ranged weapons, armor, special items, story items etc. The game does however not pause while in your inventory, so beware of enemies.
There are 3 different parts to your “let’s not die today” kit. Your health is displayed on the bottom, determined by your strength attribute. Your armor, the yellow bar, is determined - you guessed it - by the armor you’re wearing. The blue bar, your shield, is exclusive to the soldier and bounty hunter class, whereas a Jedi can use force abilities to augment his defense, but only against other force users. The Jedi’s speed and acrobatics should give them the edge to dodge incoming laser fire. In theory, at least.
Let’s talk armor types. Robes will give you a maximum of 25 armor points. Light armor 50, medium 75 and heavy armor therefore 100 points - only usable by the Republic soldier. So a heavy armored Jedi is impossible, although Jedi Generals can upgrade to lightly armored robes, if they so desire - this does come at a cost however, since heavier armor might protect you against laser fire, but will slow you down in the process.
Certain weapons are effective against certain types of defense: Use explosives for thick armor. Ion weapons for shields and laser/plasma guns for an all-rounder to keep you alive in the middle of a fight. Your lightsaber burns through armor and health like butter, but be aware of special kinds of armor or even shields - disable them before you attack! A diverse party makes for a tactical advantage you shouldn’t underestimate.
