What is the Expertise System?

Before I get into the specific trees, I want to explain the goals of the Expertise system and how it works. The overall goal of the system is to offer new and exciting choices for players to make about the development of their characters. These choices offer players the chance to further customize their character creating more diversity between characters of the same profession and give the player an additional goal when leveling.

At level 10, a player earns five Expertise points and then earns 1 point every two levels up to a maximum of forty-five points at level 90. Beginning with Chapter 2, only Jedi and Bounty Hunter characters will be able to interact with the system and allocate these points or even see the Expertise interface. We will introduce the expertise system to two professions per Chapter moving forward.

Once a player reaches level 10, they can activate the Expertise interface (it will appear on the Main Menu) and begin allocating their points over the two trees available to their profession. Eventually, a third tree will be introduced that specifically offers choices regarding the Galactic Civil War and Player-versus-Player specific enhancements, but that will not be available after the basic Expertise system is available to all nine professions.

Allocating Expertise points will do one of two things for a character. They will either modify an existing ability, such as increasing damage done, or they will unlock new abilities or series of abilities.

Players can allocate the points they have earned and even experiment with different choices through the interface without permanently committing to the changes. Once they’re satisfied with their allocation, they can choose to “accept” those choices by clicking the “Accept” button. Once accepted these choices can only be undone for a fee through a re-spec (re-specialization option) from the appropriate NPC.

Chart Key Notes:

• The Expertise tree graphics below are concept pieces used to construct the trees and not representative of actual in-game art.

• Specific numbers mentioned in the tree summaries are apt to change as we iterate and test the data over the weeks leading up to the scheduled update.

Commando Expertise

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Detailed descriptions of the individual abilities and bonuses can be found below.

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The Kill Meter is a new statistic that Commandos receive, if they spend their expertise points on Kill Meter expertise.

Once the Kill Meter is displayed, a Commando may rack up kills on the meter.  Each kill increases Kill Meter expertise ability potencies.  For example, if a Commando spent a point for the Killing Grimace expertise, each kill point on the meter would increase weapon damage by 1%.  So, a total of 10 kills would increase weapon damage by 10%.

Kills on the Kill Meter degrade over time.  The more kills on the meter will cause them to degrade faster.

The Kill Meter will appear as an icon with a number over it.  As you get more kills, the meter’s number will get larger and change from yellow to red.  The highest amount of kills the meter can have displayed is 50.