The final class announced for the Sith Empire is the Sith Inquisitor. This force user is based off of Count Dooku and Emperor Palpatine, and excels at the use of electricity to dispose of anything standing in its way. Unlike the Consular, who seems to prefer a more tactical approach to combat, the Inquisitor doesn't mind quickly getting into the thick of things. This powerful class is skilled at using lightning to leave charred destruction in its wake.

 

The Sith Inquisitor archetype was first seen in action after Luke and Vader dueled at the end of Return of the Jedi. The Emperors abilities were revisited during the prequel battles with Yoda and Mace Windu. The lightning based combat employed by Palpatine was further developed with the introduction of Count Dooku in Episode II. In addition to lightning, the lightsaber techniques used by these two characters create the foundation for the Sith Inquisitor.

Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, was one of the best known Inquisitors in the Star Wars Universe. First seen in The Empire Strikes Back, Palpatine held the title of Senator, Supreme Chancellor, and Emperor in addition to Lord of the Sith. Powerful in the force, his signature lightning set the template for the Inquisitors electricity centric combat. Hopefully, his methodical rise to power will also be used in the crafting of the Sith Inquisitor story line, adding further depth to this class.

Darth Tyranus, better known as Count Dooku, became Darth Sidious apprentice after the death of Darth Maul. As the former master of Qui-Gon Jinn and student of Yoda, Dooku was already greatly experienced in the ways of the force before he was approached by Palpatine. Dooku learned of force lightning and other abilities from Sidious, making him the perfect pattern for the Inquisitor. As seen in his duels with Anakin, he relies on force powers and lightsaber combat to accomplish his goals.



The Sith Inquisitors ability to manipulate electricity is unmatched among force users. He is able to use this control to damage and incapacitate his enemies in a variety of ways. Although his base attack is a simple Saber Strike, his lightning-based skills set him apart from other force users.

Shock - This ability does direct damage to a target with no residual effects. There is no casting time for this ability. However, there is a short cooldown before it can be reused, preventing it from being spammed.

Lightning Hold - Similar to Mind Maze and Stun Dart, this is a crowd control (CC) ability that will last for the duration of the skill or until the target receives damage. This ability has a short cooldown.

Whirlwind - This is another single target CC ability, however it also causes damage to the target and other sources of damage will not break it. This skill has a much longer cooldown then any other ability in the demo.

Overload - The Sith Inquisitor sends out a blastwave of electricity that damages and knocks down enemies in the immediate area. This ability causes a brief stun as the target recover from being knocked to the ground.

Lightning Drain - This is a channeled attack that also works as a CC for the target of this ability. In addition to damaging the target, the skill also replenishes the characters force points.

Dark Meditation - This is the Sith Inquisitors out of combat (OOC) heal. It replenishes force bar as well as health.

Dark Gift - This is a healing ability that can be used on the Inquisitor or an ally. This ability can be used in and out of combat.


One of the many goals of Star Wars: The Old Republic is to give players the feeling of being heroic. To accomplish this, many encounters will involve three or more targets and each class has their own way of handling this. During our hands on time with the Sith Inquisitor, we learned he uses mastery of lightning to damage and stun his enemies, rarely giving them the chance to fight back.


The first thing we noticed while playing the Inquisitor was the uncomfortable sensation of not having an auto attack. Instead we were supplied with Saber Strike, a multi-hit attack that causes damage and regenerates force points. It should be noted that Saber Strike is different from attacks in Age of Conan or Diablo, where a single button press results in a single attack. Hitting the hotkey, or clicking the right mouse button on a target, results in multiple hits that span the length of the global cooldown.

Another interesting note about Saber Strike is that each individual hit does damage and the animations reflect this. For example, if a target dies after only the second hit the Sith Inquisitor stops attacking. This prevents players from having to watch a series of preset animations when an enemy has been defeated after the first few strikes. This also means that the animation sets used in Saber Strike can be varied, preventing them from appearing visually repetitive.


The Sith Inquisitor is a much more aggressive fighter then what we saw with the Jedi Consular and Imperial Agent. We attempted to use this class as a pure ranged caster and discovered that we needed to exhaust all of our abilities to destroy a simple group of three. This included skills with cooldowns lasting a minute and longer. Instead of approaching combat cautiously, we found the Inquisitor was most successful when placed in the center of the battle where he can bring his lightsaber to bear.

Using the three target example, the Sith Inquisitor moves into the center of the group and uses Overload to damage and stun all three of the enemies. While they are recovering from the attack, the Inquisitor uses Lightning Hold to remove one target from combat and Shock to kill a second. It should be noted that Shock was not strong enough to kill an enemy on its own, but it could when coupled with Overload. Turning to the third target, the Inquisitor uses Saber Strike, killing the enemy and regaining some force points. The remaining opponent, damaged and still under the control of the Lightning Hold, can be defeated with Lightning Drain or Saber Strike to restore force points in preparation for the next battle.


The other abilities in the Inquisitors arsenal assist this play style by supplying backup skills in case a battle is harder then expected. If the Inquisitor misses with Overload, or simply wishes to remove someone from combat, Whirlwind can be used to control and kill a rogue target. The in-combat heal, Dark Gift, also supports this style of active combat by keeping the Sith Inquisitor in the fight.

Although limited to light armor, the Sith Inquisitor could stand up to quite a bit. This class is able to frequently deflect incoming blaster fire and this works from every possible direction. Also, as we noted in the general skills area, Inquisitors are able to deflect attacks even when sprinting away from combat, making escape a viable option if the battle becomes overwhelming.

While playing the Sith Inquisitor we were able to precisely see how fluid and fast combat can be in The Old Republic. The Inquisitors Dark Meditation ability kept healing downtime to a minimum, but the ebb and flow of force points truly stuck out. Many of the abilities being used were spenders, draining force points from the pool, but this was countered by Saber Strikes and Lightning Drain filling it back up. What results is a teeter totter force bar, constantly moving back and forth, always supplying the opportunity to perform an action. If this design direction is repeated between all classes then it should inspire much more active, attentive style of combat.



Like the Jedi Consular, the Sith Inquisitor is deceptively complex. Many have assumed that this class will be pigeon-holed as a healer, however the Inquisitors abilities suggest something far more diverse. With skills allowing them to get into the thick of battle and devastate their enemies, this class is not restricted to the sidelines. Anyone wishing to harness the power of lightning will find a perfect avatar in the Sith Inquisitor.