Star Wars the Old Republic Patch 1.2 First Impression

I recently had a chance to play patch 1.2 on the test server. The general consensus among the player base is that this patch is making a lot of changes for the better. My opinion is the opposite. I fell in love with this game for a couple specific reasons and those reasons are being taken away from me. Let me explain what's going on.

First of all, the addition of new flashpoints and the new warzone are great. I don't generally play flashpoints but a lot of people do. The new warzone and the ranked pvp system are great. They are also balancing some of the classes, which is also a good thing. So why do I not like this patch if it's adding so many good things?

My first reason for loving this game is the ability to really customize your spec. I play with a hybrid spec that can be found in my Sorcerer pvp spec guide. This spec will no longer be possible with the new patch. They are making changes so that certain talents, such as Wrath, only work on spells from the tree they are in. This means that I can no longer use a big bust from one tree while having dots from the other. I have to pick one or the other. The customization that made this game unique is dead. I have to play either full Lightning or full Madness from now on.

The next thing is world pvp. I'm a HUGE fan of world pvp and my server has a large population of people that roamed around Ilum. This was my favorite part of the game. I could go out solo or bring my healer friend with me and run into people all night. Patch 1.2 is getting rid of the Ilum daily pvp quest. This means people have no reason to go there. Sure world pvp is still fun for most people but players have been conditioned over the years to not do something unless they are being rewarded for it. Having a great time isn't enough anymore, people need gear or money or something.

So despite all the great things being added in this patch, they're also removing a key part of the game. SWtOR will never be the same again. All of the crazy 1v1 and 2v2 fights I've had just roaming the world will no longer happen. For me, the fun factor is now gone and I'm sorry to say that I think I am too.

I wont be playing SWtOR anymore. I'm going to move around a bit. I'm starting by getting back into something that was a huge amount of fun for me and my friends, Warhammer Online. I'll be playing the free trial portion of the game. No dealing with long leveling or grinding out gear. Just log on and go kill people. I'll also be getting back into WoW at some point as well. If anyone has any good Free to Play's for pvp, or you'd like to voice your opinion about patch 1.2, please do so in the comments.