Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 Preview

After spending some firsthand time with Star Wars: The Old Republic at E3, IGN describes the experience in a new two-page preview.
As Ayrik moved up to the palace, we had the chance to see the combat system in action. The bounty hunter is primarily a ranged attacker and makes use of special attacks like rockets and stun darts to maintain an advantage over his enemies. The requisite flamethrower attacks are thrown in as well for when the bounty hunter finds himself in need of some timely crowd control. All the abilities are triggered using a traditional MMO hotbar, but the actual action seems a bit more fluid and dynamic than the usual round-by-round combat in most MMOs.

The new Smuggler class also makes use of ranged attacks but doesn't have access to the same armor that the bounty hunters can use. To help even the odds in combat, the smuggler can use a new cover system. We saw this in action on another new planet, Ord Mantell, where the smuggler was running guns to the Rebels in their war against the Separatists. The opportunity for cover is displayed in the environment as a faint green crouching outline. When the smuggler takes cover, he gains access to new abilities and is protected from the attacks of his enemies. Of course, not all the smuggler's combats take place at far ranges. Should an enemy get too close, the smuggler can stun them with a quick kick to the crotch and then finish them off by shooting them in the head.