The Empire dominates scores of star systems across the galaxy, but not through the power of the dark side alone. Behind the scenes, the cunning Agents of Imperial Intelligence track down and eliminate the Empire’s enemies—from intractable Republic senators to traitorous Imperial Moffs to bloodthirsty rebels with Republic ties. Imperial Agents must master the arts of infiltration, seduction, and assassination to advance the Empire’s causes; they face the opposition of a terrified galaxy and the capriciousness of their own Sith overlords.
Imperial Intelligence cultivates a notoriously vast and efficient network of informants, enabling the Agent to navigate the galaxy’s political landscape with effortless suave. Naturally, the Agent’s allegiance to the Empire is without question, but great latitude exists for those so closely attuned to the Empire’s secret agendas—Agents often harbor their own mysterious motivations as well. Having pierced countless layers of intrigue, these spies know of conspiracies within conspiracies. Even close contacts find it hard to predict what an Imperial Agent will do until it’s done.
The most elite operative within Imperial Intelligence is the ‘Cipher’ Agent—recruited and trained to carry out the most dangerous and sensitive assignments the Empire has to offer. Whether working undercover or carrying out assignments in broad daylight, the Cipher races along the razor’s edge of disaster, using carefully orchestrated tactics that leave little room for error—the smallest slip-up can be catastrophic. Each successful mission, however, shifts the galactic landscape in the Empire’s favor, and the Agent plays a supremely critical role in securing Imperial domination.
Combining the expertise of multiple disciplines, Operatives adapt to any environment and any circumstance to ensure the Empire’s agenda is achieved. Whether emerging from stealth to ambush and eliminate enemies in close-range combat or using advanced medical technologies to keep colleagues in the fight, the Operative is able to identify the needs of any situation and react accordingly.
Damage - The Concealment Operative inflict damage from the shadows with a flurry of calculated attacks designed to stun and debilitate. The Lethality Operative dispenses poison that takes a toll on their target over time.
Healing – An accomplished practitioner of the medical arts, the Medicine Operative server as the preservative backbone of any combat team, deploying a full complement of sophisticated gadgets to ensure their allies remain fit for duty.
Focused on covert tactics and eliminating sensitive targets, Imperial Snipers are the most elite and professional sharpshooters in the galaxy. After extensive training, the Sniper’s long range blaster rifle becomes a weapon of exacting precision, allowing him to target enemies’ vulnerabilities and strike at the perfect moment to turn the tide of battle.
Damage – The Marksmanship, Engineering, and Virulence Snipers have trained in a variety of disciples to inflict damage quickly and efficiently. Snipers take out their targets quickly with everything from penetrating blasts to lethal toxins and grenades.
"Agents are versatile, cunning and deadly, able to utilize cover and Snipe to take down targets at a great distance.
Primary Attribute: Cunning. Cunning increases the damage and critical chances of the Agent’s Ranged and Tech powers. This remains so for both the Sniper and the Operative Advanced Classes, while the Operative’s Cunning additionally increases the effectiveness of healing powers.
Advanced Classes Sniper and Operative
Sniper (Damage): Snipers train in the use of sniper rifles, attacking from cover with abilities like Snipe and Explosive Probe. Snipers are extremely powerful when attacking from a secured cover position and receive several abilities that help ensure they remain in cover.
Operative (Damage, Healing): Operatives can pursue their targets in a close-range skirmish, using Stealth to commence a surprise attack and close-range abilities like Shiv and Debilitate to dismantle their targets. Operatives also make excellent healers when educated in the field of Medicine."
Assassin, Saboteur, the Empire’s Secret Weapon
The Empire dominates scores of star systems across the galaxy, but not through the power of the dark side alone. Behind the scenes, the cunning Agents of Imperial Intelligence track down and eliminate the Empire’s enemies—from intractable Republic senators to traitorous Imperial Moffs to bloodthirsty rebels with Republic ties. Imperial Agents must master the arts of infiltration, seduction, and assassination to advance the Empire’s causes; they face the opposition of a terrified galaxy and the capriciousness of their own Sith overlords.
Imperial Intelligence cultivates a notoriously vast and efficient network of informants, enabling the Agent to navigate the galaxy’s political landscape with effortless suave. Naturally, the Agent’s allegiance to the Empire is without question, but great latitude exists for those so closely attuned to the Empire’s secret agendas—Agents often harbor their own mysterious motivations as well. Having pierced countless layers of intrigue, these spies know of conspiracies within conspiracies. Even close contacts find it hard to predict what an Imperial Agent will do until it’s done.
The most elite operative within Imperial Intelligence is the ‘Cipher’ Agent—recruited and trained to carry out the most dangerous and sensitive assignments the Empire has to offer. Whether working undercover or carrying out assignments in broad daylight, the Cipher races along the razor’s edge of disaster, using carefully orchestrated tactics that leave little room for error—the smallest slip-up can be catastrophic. Each successful mission, however, shifts the galactic landscape in the Empire’s favor, and the Agent plays a supremely critical role in securing Imperial domination.
Relations with the Sith
The upper echelons of Imperial society are reserved for the Force-sensitive Sith alone, but theirs is a world apart. The heart of the Empire consists of millions of subjects, descendants of the original exiles who settled Dromund Kaas. For these loyal citizens, the Imperial Agent is the exemplar of the highest level of achievement one might aspire to. These are the people the Agent risks everything to protect. Though there are few idealists in Imperial Intelligence, the art of professional perfection is held in deep reverence, and the Agent embodies the Imperial ideal in this respect.
Field Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance images of Imperial Agents are rare; between their varied disguises and stealth enhanced battle-gear, they can be hard to spot. If there is anything remarkable about their habits, patterns, and appearances it’s that they can change at any time. Many of the tasks set before the Imperial Agent call for a high degree of subversion and infiltration into hostile organizations, so it’s a safe bet that if they aren’t with their friends, they’re probably with their enemies.
Outfitting
The Empire risks everything on the Imperial Agent’s performance and spares no expense to make sure Agents’ gear is as smart as they are. State-of-the-art attire with high-grade armor mesh provides protection and ease-of-movement. Many of the Agent’s outfits are augmented with advanced communications technology and attachments to facilitate interfacing with varied computer networks and security systems.
Combat Tactics
Relying on range, surprise, and an arsenal of state-of-the-art gadgets and weaponry, the Imperial Agent enters battle with a confident strategy. Though striking from a distance or from the shadows plays to the Agent’s strengths, a well-equipped operative is more than capable of evading his enemies when necessary or moving in close to quietly slide a blade between an opponent’s ribs. Whether on a solo mission or working in conjunction with a strike team, this operative keeps a finger on the right button for almost any situation.
In the heat of battle, the Imperial Agent can activate a field of energy to protect from oncoming blasterfire. From the relative safety of cover, the Imperial Agent capitalizes on the element of surprise, using a stun dart to paralyze his foe and finishing with a targeted laser attack. Orbital Bombardment allows the Imperial Agent to call in a satellite air strike to rain down lasers and missiles on an unsuspecting group of enemies.
The Imperial Agent's abilities are focused on engaging enemies at range with rifles and a variety of thrown weapons. They can also use a cover system to increase their evasion and activate additional high-powered attacks.
While all Imperial Agents have abilities used from cover, Snipers gain the most by using this system. Snipers use a variety of probes in combat as well as choosing to use a Sniper Rifle to maximize damage from long range. The Operative uses a Blaster Rifle along with a Vibro-Knife to deal damage from Mid to Melee range and a stealth system to stay hidden. Operatives also bring a Kolto Injector into combat to heal allies and companions.
The Imperial Agent utilizes an energy resource system. Energy is used to activate certain abilities that will cause an additional effect such as increased damage or a crowd contorl effect. Energy regenerates fairly quickly even in combat but it is important to pace the energy out incase something unexpected occurs and it will be possible to counter.
Energy management is essential for both the Operative and Sniper Advanced Classes. Your energy pool's regeneration rate is dependent on your total amount. In other words, the more Energy you have, the more it regenerates. The less you have, the longer it takes to regenerate.
It is important to find a balance between skill usage and managing your energy pool. Using your biggest and most powerful abilities will not sustain your damage (as a Sniper) nor your ability to heal your party members over a long period of time.
The X-70B Phantom-Class Prototype is an advanced prototype vessel and the result of revisions to traditional Imperial starship design theory, incorporating concepts and technologies gathered over the years of the Great War.[1]
The X-70B far surpasses the capabilities of current starship mass production techniques, ensuring the vessel will only be entrusted to those carrying out missions vital to the Empire.
Espionage! Subterfuge! Classy accents! Such is the life of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Imperial Agent. If a career full of clandestine operations and lots of assassination sounds like a good time to you, then the Agent is your class. Agents can fill one of two roles: ranged DPS and healing/melee DPS hybrid. Whether you prefer to keep your friends alive, shank an unsuspecting opponent, or put a blaster round in someone's head from a mile away, the Agent's got something for you.
Did I mention the sexy accent? Mmm.
Flavor
Ahem, at any rate. Imperial Agents can choose from one of five races: Human, Zabrak, Cyborg, Rattataki, and Chiss. Once your character is created, you find yourself on the (absurdly scummy) planet of Hutta, where you are tasked with carrying out a cloak-and-dagger mission for the Empire while maintaining your cover identity: the mysterious mercenary known as the Red Blade.
Of course, the mission doesn't go off without a few hiccups, and it's up to you to decide whether you blindly follow the Empire's orders or make your own arrangements.
Function
The Agent is a primarily ranged class focused around using blasters, explosives, and dirty tricks to take down enemies. From levels 1 to 10, you'll find yourself with a variety of neat ways to dispatch your enemies. Early abilities include blaster rifle shots, hand grenades, flashbangs, and the class's define feature, cover.
The cover mechanic in SWTOR is simple but effective. Pressing the F key or the middle mouse button will cause your character to take cover. If there's nothing around behind which you can actually take cover, your character will simply drop to one knee and improvise. This is important because there are some abilities that can only be used while you're in cover (such as the extremely powerful Snipe and Explosive Probe abilities), and staying in cover also gives you a defense bonus against ranged attackers.
At level 10, you get to choose your advanced class. The choices for the Imperial Agent are Operative and Sniper. The Sniper does what it says on the tin: It uses a sniper rifle to shoot from long distances, often with devastating effect. The Operative is an entirely different beast. Stealth is his middle name, and many attacks revolve around dirty tricks like backstabs and cheap shots. But the real treat that the Operative brings to the table is the ability to heal. Operatives can use Kolto Infusion to bring teammates back to health or remove poisons and other toxins from them to ensure they're in top fighting condition.
Final thoughts
The Imperial Agent is perfect for any player who doesn't care about fancy lightsabers or Force powers, someone who just wants to get down and dirty. Empire loyalists will find plenty to love in the Agent's storyline, although even if you have a distaste for the faction, it's hard not to love the suave, James-Bond-like class. Whether you want to play a support role or just wanna perforate some skulls, the Agent can make it happen.