SBC: What comes to mind when I say “Padmé Amidala” to you?

What comes to mind when I say “Padmé Amidala” to you? CGF: Padmé is a strong leader that is courageous while also being empathic and compassionate. In doing a ton of research for her kit, I realized she puts on a strong, unwavering face for politics but under that layer is a character driven to achieve her goals by any means necessary. She can be very cunning but couples it with compassion. At her core, she is the definition of a light side character. Even though she may subtly manipulate people, she always does it for the greater good and never for personal gain.

SBC: Why did we choose this character? What makes the character unique/special?

Why did we choose this character? What makes the character unique/special? CGF: Padmé plays such an important role in the story of Star Wars! She was on the front lines trying to save the Republic from the Separatists and is the mother of Luke and Leia.

SBC: What scenes or moments were you trying to capture?

What scenes or moments were you trying to capture? CGF: Obviously the arena fight in Attack of the Clones was a big influence on her character because Geonosis is one of the few times we get to see her as an action star in the movies. We had to include “Aggressive Negotiations” somewhere in her kit because of how iconic the phrase is. Additionally, I felt the Clone Wars TV show really helped build out her character with selfless acts of heroism and revealed more of her fighting skills, so I used those episodes for inspiration for her abilities. I really wanted to take a step beyond the movies for her kit and show her as a proactive leader that supports her squad.

SBC: How did those moments inform the creation of Padmé’s abilities?

How did those moments inform the creation of Padmé’s abilities? CGF: Her second Special ability, Graceful Assault, mirrors her nimble and graceful acrobatics from the TV show. She’s very physically combative compared to the movies. Her leader ability was inspired by the interaction between Padmé, Anakin, Kenobi, and Ahsoka. They are always working together in the show and stepping in to protect each other when any of them are in trouble. Padmé’s leader ability converts Protection Up into a new effect called Courage, which helps Galactic Republic allies deal additional damage. The idea behind this is that as your friends courageously defend you, it inspires you to do even more courageous acts to protect them.

SBC: Where does Padmé fit best in the game?

Where does Padmé fit best in the game? CGF: Padmé is a leader of the Galactic Republic squad and should be very competitive in PvP. Our goal is for her squad to sit alongside Darth Revan (without Malak) and Jedi Knight Revan squads in terms of power level and competitive viability.

SBC: What Mods should I use on her in general?

What Mods should I use on her in general? CGF: Speed helps Padmé use her abilities more frequently while Health helps her survive to continue using her abilities.

SBC: Who should go first in battle?

Who should go first in battle? CGF: Padmé or Ahsoka

SBC: What’s your favorite ability out of Padmé’s kit?

What’s your favorite ability out of Padmé’s kit? CGF: Graceful Assault - I really appreciate the depth added by the Clone Wars series, so I wanted to include some of her swift melee moves. (Check out The Clone Wars S1E8 "Bombad Jedi") Again, I wanted to reinforce a side of her that isn’t as obvious in the movies.

SBC: What were the decisions behind her particular outfit?

What were the decisions behind her particular outfit? CGF: There was a lot of back and forth on this one, between members and the team, and discussion with Lucas as well. While many people had different preferences, it came down to two key decisions: 1) We never show battletorn outfits in combat and, 2) as I’ve mentioned, a lot of the inspiration for her kit came from the Clone Wars series. This outfit is the one she wears both in the show and for a large part of the Battle of Geonosis. That being said, we did make a version of the torn outfit that we may use in one-off instances when it is relevant to the story.

SBC: Any special interactions you want to highlight?

Any special interactions you want to highlight? CGF: We wanted to include some specific call outs between Padmé and Anakin because of the history between them. Close synergies like these are fun to develop and allow us to invest a bit more power.

One thing I want to point out is that Protection Up will get removed at the start of Galactic Republic allies’ turns while Padmé is the leader. This might seem bad at first but Padmé is going to convert that extra survivability into damage.

Additionally, in the context of a couple different burst damage teams (with the Revans), we knew we wanted to make her lead a survivable squad which controls the pace of battle - while avoiding being a stall squad.

SBC: What may you not notice at first glance?

What may you not notice at first glance? CGF: Initial internal and external feedback for Anakin’s rework expressed a desire for the health threshold for his bonus turn to be higher than 50%. However, it’s designed to work around Darth Revan applying Deathmark to the enemy leader. Both triggers happen at 50% Health, so as soon as Padmé is inflicted with Deathmark Anakin takes a bonus turn and feeds a bonus turn to Padmé. This causes Deathmark to expire before the opposing squad can focus down Padmé, assuming you avoid counter attacks.

SBC: Hard match-ups - Who are the squads you DO NOT want to fight?

Hard match-ups - Who are the squads you DO NOT want to fight? CGF: Malak takes reduced damage from percent health damage effects like Courage, creating a notable uphill battle for Padmé when fighting Darth Malak.

SBC: Protection Up is critical to how this squad works but I don’t think we have covered this topic in depth in the past. Can you talk about how Protection Up works in general?

Protection Up is critical to how this squad works but I don’t think we have covered this topic in depth in the past. Can you talk about how Protection Up works in general? CGF: Sure, though this probably deserves a post of its own as this functionality applies to all units that use Protection Up. I recommend checking it out for a better understanding of how Padmé’s kit works.

We decided this answer was better suited to a stand alone post. Follow this link for an explanation of Protection Up mechanics.

<<MEGATHREAD>>

Hi Holotable Heroes,Last week we revealed that the next big character in our Clone Wars campaign will be Padmé Amidala. Today I’m chatting with CG_Fugitive, who worked as the main designer on Padmé Amidala’s kit, to bring you some insight into how the team brought Padmé to life in Galaxy of Heroes.