Need clarification on origin stories and what effects and [spoilers] they have on gameplay

[sour wave]

Hi! So, I just installed this game a few minutes ago. Never considered it because I thought it to be old and dead, but, well… that’s clearly inaccurate. I was wondering how the origin story decisions effect gameplay. I’m relatively confident on which fighting styles appeal to me, but I’m not sure about origin stories.

How do they effect gameplay?
What things do they lock in and what things do they not?
I’ve heard this game has romance options w/ companions - how does your origin story effect that?
Also, does your republic/sith allegiance at the start determine the entire story, or just the exposition?

I know that’s a lot of questions - I’m sorry. I just want to choose the best options, at least for my first character

[boreal shell]

origin stories introduct you into the basic mechanics of the game
of course they all have different storylines, but the story is different.
romance does end up one way or another (you can eventually marry certain characters) and some of them reappear in the dlc. and yeah, if your empire/republic at the start, then thats what youll be for the rest of the game

[primal veldt]

How do they affect gameplay?

• They don't

I've heard of romance options

• Every Origin story has a different set of companions, you can romance them pre-expansions, however most are also in the expansions regardless of origin, so you can romance other class companions there too

Sith/Republic

• This is the biggest, not only does it determine your allegiance at the start, but the entire story, worlds, characters you interact with, players you interact with, story, flashpoints(dungeons) and there is no way to change it once the character is set

[sour wave]

Oh, I see

Do you all recommend sith storylines or republic storylines?

[boreal shell]

Sith stories are definitely more entertaining

[orchid python]

I think they're all worth trying. My favorite Empire side are Agent and Warrior (Agent is largely considered the best in the game), and my favorite Republic side are Consular and Trooper. Your mileage may vary