Further Suggestions for the Final Chapter of Star Wars Jedi

!! Once again, this post will contain many spoilers for the story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor games, as well as one for the Ahsoka show finale !!

Dear Devs and Star Wars Jedi Fans,

Ok, I know I already did a "Suggestions for the Final Chapter" but hear me out, I'm a thinker, a talker, a writer, a gamer, and may have undiagnosed OCD and recently started replaying Jedi: Survivor so I accidentally started an avalanche, lol. Some of the things said here will be restating things from an earlier post and introduce a couple new ideas but mostly explain and expand on some reasoning behind previous ideas.

Additionally, I have attempted to repair some of the readability that is lost in the sheer scale of this post via several ways of breaking up text including many paragraphs, bold and underscored text, and a general attempt at grouping topics in an orderly fashion. I know that the likelihood of anyone giving this much time or thought is low, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to follow along.

Yes, I came out of "retirement" in EA forums to plead for game features in the next game. And yes I'm aware there have been a lot of changes with EA and that management has changed for the making of Star Wars Jedi's third installment and these things will inevitably affect the game, which has me a little worried but I'm here to give my two cents on what some good directions would be to take on not only keeping the good stuff about Survivor's new experience but expanding in new directions.

As I stated in my "Suggestions for the Final Chapter of Star Wars Jedi" a long while ago, I enjoyed collecting allies and questionable persons in Pyloon's Saloon in Jedi Survivor and would be thrilled to see a more expansive and immersive take on this in the third installment. I loved getting to know each character and what drove them but also just the sense of time and the unfolding of the story of Pyloon's as the saloon filled with more and more characters throughout gameplay.

This was also true of beginning as the sole crew member aboard the Mantis and slowly gaining new and old crew members alike. Altho, I wish they could have kept that little bogling pet from Jedi: Fallen Order.

Another suggestion made in my previous post was to continue to develop Cal's affinity with animals, mind tricks, stealth, and Night Sister magicks.

Affinity with animals: Who knows what creatures could be on Tanalorr? Cal might be able to interact with creatures in ways unseen in Jedi: Survivor such as permanently wiping away the hostility of certain creatures toward him or connecting with some to become pets waiting for Cal back at the new Jedi Temple on Tanalorr (if there is one). Or even, large beefy creatures that could be tamed, ridden, and commanded to attack enemies while mounted on them in much more intuitive and expansive ways than that of a spammel.

Mind Tricks: The Confuse ability could eventually become something of an AoE ability later in the game, allowing Cal to control small squadrons of low-level enemies to help him defeat more deadly enemies or give him a moment to recover. Additionally, it should have some effect on mid-level enemies, such as blinding them or inflicting fear in them to ruin their aim temporarily (obviously wouldn't work for bosses/minibosses, force users, and all or most melee units).

Stealth: Personally, this is a big one for me. You already have the platforming, aerial attacks and traversal abilities, and Confuse ability that could serve as a perfect start to building stealth abilities, missions, and quests. However, there is a distinct lack in stealth mechanics beyond the bare minimum, which is ok but a bummer in my biased opinion. Additionally, Merrin's eerie ability to be unseen and yet heard by Cal in multiple instances inspires the idea of "Force Stealth" in my mind for Cal in the future. This is also backed by Cal's tendency to learn from each of his major fallen enemies (Malicos: dual wield stance's style. Ninth Sister: (in ways) most of double-bladed stance's abilities. Rayvis's lieutenants: (in a way) combining lightsaber and blaster attacks + crossguard stance) and the fact that Bode, who Cal defeats, used the Force in unusual ways to remain undetected as a Force User but perhaps in other ways as well.

!! AHSOKA FINALE SPOILER !! Night Sister Magicks: It could serve to explain or partially explain the "Force Stealth" ability I suggested above, or make its way into gameplay in another, more surprising way. And no, to players that might be reading this, I do not want to hear about Cal raising Night Troopers to his aid like some weirder version of the scene in the Ahsoka show, lol.

Lightsaber Customization is great. I love it. That said, it can be expanded on to give players even more of what they want.

One suggestion I'd love people to give thought is a crystal customization feature. This is explained a little below.

"Standard/Normal/Pure" Crystal: Gives the basic lightsaber blade effects we're used to in Star Wars Jedi.

Cracked Crystal: Gives a lightsaber blade effect similar to that of Kylo Ren's. Many will find it unnecessary, many will love it. I for one would love it.

"Dark/something-more-lore-accurate-and/or-less-on-the-nose" Crystal: Gives the lightsaber blade a "darksaber" effect. Perhaps giving an angular blade and making it black in the middle with the color only being visible on the edges.

Lightsaber Stances: I see Cal going one of three ways when it comes to lightsaber stances. One: ditching the fancy stuff and going with just a single lightsaber (least likely, I think), combining all stances into one fluid fighting style, and (most likely) keeping all previous stances, maybe even adding another. However, if the last is to be done, many of us would like to have the option of a "stances wheel" or something similar. This can even be explained in the story. Cal merely inflicts stasis on his enemies just long enough for him to decide which stance he wants to use, which can also have a comedic introduction to the game as he's casually modifying his lightsaber while surrounded by enemies, blaster fire, and perhaps even explosions.

Cal's fight with the dark side will inevitably be a long and tough one and at least one of the main plots in the third installment of the game. Personally, I think Cal leaning more towards the dark side in the end or it being a multi-choice ending would defeat the purpose of the "Jedi" in Star Wars JEDI (but also the multiple choice one would make it weird if we ever want to see Cal Kestis/Cameron Monaghan in anything else, which I definitely do if the guy's down for live action), but if this is trying to push the boundaries and truly discover what it means to be a Jedi, even while making some use of the dark side, I love that so much and think that if you nail the storyline for the third installment, the series will have the deepest, most amazing story of any Star Wars game I've played by far and maybe, just maybe, any game period. I'm a little worried for that vision with the changes in EA but think there's still a chance.

ANYWAY, all this being said, I would like to see more explored with dark side abilities for Cal and even found some people who make excellent points for Cal having force lightning abilities in the next game. It came as a surprise to me, and I wouldn't be heartbroken if the third installment does not take this approach, but from some angles it really does make sense. However, I will not get into the details on that, since we all have only so much time.

Cal's stasis abilities MUST face some sort of evolution in the third installment. However...here's an idea: does the stasis ability have to take up the super meter slot...? And why do I say "slot", you might be thinking? What if the force lightning and force stealth abilities I mentioned above or additional options could be interchangeable with the Slow ability? Lightsaber Fury, Force Stealth, and Force Barrier sound like great options to start with and expand from.

Offensive/Defensive "Stances" for enemies could hugely expand on not only enemy capabilities... but Cal's...

In Jedi: Survivor, Cere Junda and "raging" Cal can skip right past the defenses of blocking Scout Troopers and equivalent melee units. What if similar to J:FO's more simplistic single versus double stances, which when used optimally was generally an offensive vs defensive stances situation, all enemy AI had an Offensive vs Defensive "stance" option, which melee units utilize more effectively by having increased block meter. Cal's single blade stance could have a bonus effect where early game and mid game (mid game ones might be an expansion of the original skill) melee units cannot block Cal's attacks while in the "Offensive stance". This Offensive/Defensive stance addition could also create much more complex and responsive fighting styles for enemies and especially bosses and minibosses.

This could be micromanaged to be more a more natural change to the game and remove any chance of this being a game-breaking alteration if it is 1) only basic attacks or special attacks/certain special attacks with the single blade ignore blocks from early-game Offensive-stance melee units  (instead of both basics and specials) and/or 2) some enemy combos are "guarded" attack combos that allow the enemy to still block single blade while in Offensive "stance".

And lastly, one tragic mistake must be mended...ADD THE MEDITATION ARENA BACK, I'm begging you! Lol

TO ALL FELLOW GAMERS, IF YOU HAVE ANY POSITIVE, CRITICAL, OR ALTERNATIVE COMMENTS FOR ANY OF THESE SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Additional notes: 

!! This is separate from the main points of the post and is slightly nitpicking at times, while at other times simply making complaints about Survivor that I feel simply need voiced here lol (I also will occasionally voice the suggestion of a family member, friend, or commenter here). These will probably be added to regularly and commenters may see some of their suggestions added here or listed in greater detail above !!

More Lightsaber Fights Please: With greater variation, differences in skill levels, etc. Sparring with fellow Jedi any time you'd like would be awesome! Ooh, and maybe Merrin, too. That would be interesting if you last long enough to register how cool it is... Lol

Shield Troopers: C'mon, people. Releasing a full Heavy Assault Trooper's payload onto a shield doesn't even crack it? Please make this go away. It's so unrealistic and annoying that it almost immediately shatters the immersion and flow of the gameplay for me. The shield should be able to take a substantial amount of blaster fire, but not that much! Additionally, maybe make shields more useful than the first instance of damage being blocked. In the reverse situation (Cal is lifting a shield while being barraged by a Heavy Assault Trooper), only the first shot or two are blocked! Anyway. As you can see, I am very bothered by this, lol. Surely, I'm not alone though, right?

More Bounty Hunter and Monster Slayer Quests...(Also...New Jedi Seeker Quests...?): Had fun with those, just wish they were more of a hunt. You could gather clues to their whereabouts that are stored in your databank, similarly to the real questline's and character entries' summaries. But even better than bounty hunter or monster quests? Make what I just said about bounty hunter/monster hunts a vital part of gameplay by making that the way Cal seeks out other Jedi. Eh? (Fellow gamers, please especially let me know how you feel about this suggestion)

Stasis on Perfect Evade or Block: This is not as dumb, random, and/or nitpicking as some might think it'll be (yes, including the stasis on block). There could be a skill where on perfectly evading an attack, all enemies are Slowed for 1-2 seconds or so, similarly to the effect it already gives but in a way that affects gameplay and gives players more ways to take a second to breathe and refocus, especially in Jedi Grand Master difficulty. There could also be an ability (perhaps generic or tied to a specific stance) where after parrying an attack you press a button or a combo that inflicts the Slow effect on that one enemy, opening the enemy up to more attacks or attacks with longer windups.

The New Purge Troopers: There are multiple options for a new and improved supa troopa (that's for the Mario fans lol) and this one's a little iffy but here goes: Death Troopers. Implemented in a way to add "highly trained troopers" again that don't accidentally fall on their own weapons or die from a heart attack when you walk in the room, which purge troopers will be doing in the third installment based on how their powers of intimidation are long forgotten in Jedi: Survivor.

Gal Kestis: per my sister's request, I am putting on here a petition that Cal can be made a girl in the customization tab, lol.

Fallen Weapons: per my brother's request, here is a suggestion for force pulling various dropped weapons and using them against enemies. However, as I told him, this is redundant to the ability to force pull enemies and turn them on their allies and Star Wars Jedi mechanics are usually focused on too large an area or number of enemies for this to be an ability that can even be used regularly or consistently.

Force Grip: Cal's crushing force grip he uses to almost kill the ISB Chief Supervisor, Denvik, could and perhaps should be implemented in gameplay moving forward. Using it on Denvik who serves as a substitute Bode and later on the true Bode himself, Cal makes this "his" dark side ability he goes to when he completely loses control and just wants to make someone suffer. However, as we've already seen from Cere, abilities learned in the dark side of the Force can be brought to the light (in Jedi: Fallen Order with her Force Barrier and in Survivor watching her use it again). Using the Force like this certainly doesn't seem to be the Jedi way under any circumstance when looked at in brief, but with droids and heavily armored opponents all around him, Cal would certainly find opportunities to use the ability without breaking his moral code. In fact, he could use an adaptation of the ability to rip off armor (or remove weapons?) of DT-series sentry droids or heavily armored bounty hunters and other tough guys.

ISB Outfit: Just a minor annoyance and desire for the option if ever I wanted, but I didn't like that I didn't get to put the ISB outfit back on after leaving Nova Garon. I mean, it's in a corner on the Mantis somewhere just lying around!

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! (Or half of it. I get it, lol)

Just some passionate gamer, amateur author and game designer's humble, slightly OCD-influenced opinions lol

Yours truly,

Taiya_Dordala