Live Date: November 11, 2014 Highlights Bounty Contract Week Returns! Hunt wanted criminals in this returning event. The event begins November 11th at 4 AM PST/12:00 GMT and ends November 18th at 4 AM PST/12:00 GMT. General Guild Flagships will no longer vanish into the inky abyss of space, so players will no longer lose access to them. The Pending Mission Reward queue now has a cap of 3 Missions. Players are no longer able to accept Shared Missions when at the Pending Mission Reward cap. Players can no longer queue for Group Finder when they or one of their party members is at the Pending Mission Reward cap. Cartel Market Balanced Combatant’s Bracers no longer clip through the forearms on Male Body Type 3. Missions + NPCs Troopers on Belsavis now receive valuable experience for completing the Mission “Overwhelming Force.””
Author: Editor
Rumor control: Bioware working on a separate Star Wars title featuring Chewbacca?
JunkieMonkeys.com posted a very interesting story about Bioware recently. As you might remember, Electronic Arts announced earlier this year that it had acquired the rights to developing Star Wars games. EA has also announced the developers working on these titles – Visceral (Developers of Dead Space series), DICE (developer of Battlefield series) and Bioware. While we have heard a lot about DICE’s efforts on Star Wars Battlefront, very little information has been released about Bioware’s separate title….until now. The good people of Junkiemonkey noticed the Craigslist ad posted below: We are a talent search team partnering with Bioware games and recruiting video game talent for new Star Wars game launching next year! We are inquiring for a Chewbacca growl and grunts for a small video game role. Offering $150 for 30 minutes of your time. Please call show contact info and leave your name, number and your best impersonation of Chewbacca. We will…
SWToR remains a challenge after Electronic Arts (EA) releases Quarterly report
Electronic Arts (EA) recently released their regular quarterly report that offered a glimpse on the performance of the mega-company. While overall, EA performed extremely well, a closer look of their released documentation revealed that SWToR didn’t contribute to the company’s overall performance. In specific: Net Revenue For the three months ended September 30, 2014 , net revenue was $990 million and increased $295 million , or 42 percent , as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2013 . This increase was driven by a $476 million increase in revenue primarily from the FIFA and Battlefield franchises, and Titanfall. This increase was partially offset by a $181 million decrease in revenue primarily from the SimCity, Crysis and Dead Space franchises, and Star Wars: The Old Republic . Service and Other Revenue For the three months ended September 30, 2014 , service and other revenue was $454 million , primarily…
Twitter reacts to Star Wars : The Force Awakens announcement
By now, you have probably already read that Star Wars Episode VII is now called “The Force Awakens”. The announcement was made recently by Lucasfilm and pretty much every official Star Wars media source (twitter, starwars,com, etc). What Lucasfilm people didn’t probably expect was the fan reaction as that was expressed through Twitter. Below you will find some of the most interesting tweets, shortly after the announcement was made: While the jokes continue on Twitter, most fans were obviously very excited by the announcement. Current rumors deal with an early release of a teaser trailer for the movie, but of course nothing has been confirmed yet. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. UPDATE – Even Mark Hamill tweeted his thoughts on the new title…
Amazon drops prepaid SWToR game card prices by almost 40%
If you’re still on the fence about subscribing to SWToR then now is your chance. Amazon is selling 60-day prepaid game cards for $18.82 vs. the regular $29.99. Subscribing to the game will ensure that you enjoy the full benefits of SWToR as well as making sure that you play the upcoming expansion when that gets released as a subscriber. It’s worth noting, that this offer is only available through the US Amazon website. Typically discounts like these occur in randomly selected time frames so grab your time cards them while they’re available.
Developer Blog: Vanguard and Powertech Changes for Patch 3.0
Bioware certainly didn’t waste time with their updates for Patch 3.0 after announcing the upcoming changes on Commandos and Mercenaries. Today in a new developer blog post, the Austin-based developer offered details on Vanguards and Powertechs. The changes are not as extensive as the classes covered in yesterday’s post but are definitely worth a closer look. Some highlights: Vanguards All Vanguards are getting two additional passive abilities – Blaster Impact and Blaster Augs No drastic changes to vanguard tanking other than the addition of a new ability called ion storm that sprays waves of ionizing energy in a 10-meter cone range Assault specialist is now called Plasmatech and has undergone significant changes Tactics discipline gains two additional abilities – Tactical Surge and Cell Burst Powertechs All Mercs get two additional passive abilities – Puncture and Prototype cylinders No drastic changes have been made to Powertech tanking, but there is a new…
Developer Blog: Trooper and Mercenary changes announced
With Patch 3.0 just around the corner, the flow of information from Bioware is increasing. This time around, through their developer blog, they announced the upcoming changes for Trooper and Mercenary classes. In specific: Changes announced are subject to change Mercenary and Trooper classes will receive the most dramatic changes as compared to all other classes as part of Patch 3.0 Resource costs for troopers/mercenaries have been adjusted – in some cases they have been decreased, while in some others have been increased. Both Trooper and Mercenary classes get additional passive abilities added
Star Wars Episode VII gets a title and more plot rumors emerge
The people behind the official Twitter account of Star Wars had a surprise for fans today; they announced that “The Force Awakens” is the title of Star Wars Episode VII. In addition, they revealed that the J.J.Abrams crew has finished principal photography. While the title doesn’t reveal much, a lot of websites are already speculating about the story behind Episode VII. – Possible Spoiler alert- According to Joblo.com : I’m told that in the back story for the film, Luke Skywalker does something amazing with the Force. He’s really powerful, more of “wizard than lightsaber wielding warrior.” Basically, Luke Skywalker has a “Force Unleashed” moment and realizes he might be bad for the universe. The aftermath of that event is difficult for Luke. Luke Skywalker has become the most powerful Jedi ever, but he doesn’t believe he’s the wisest. He doesn’t want to make the mistake his father made by thinking…
Damion Schubert leaves Bioware
SWToR developer Damion Schubert announced on his personal website that he quit his job at Bioware. Schubert has been with Bioware for 8 years and admitted that working and launching SWToR was the highlight of his career. He was also quick to point out that his resignation will have no impact in the development of SWToR and Shadow Realms. Based on his announcement it appears that it was his own decision and he plans to take some time off away from the game development world. While no specific reason was given about his departure, he pointed out that his decision was unrelated to his comments relating to “Gamergate” controversy. Damion Schubert SWToRStrategies.com would like to thank Damion for his contribution to SWToR and wish him the best on his future endeavors. You can read his full announcement right here
Bioware posts stream schedule for upcoming advanced class changes
Bioware’s community manager Eric Musco, was once more at the forums today posting information about upcoming community team streams. With patch 3.0 just around the corner, Eric highlighted some of the topics his team will be covering. In specific: As many of you know, we will be streaming around each individual Advanced Class and the changes coming to their Disciplines in 3.0. We will be starting those streams this week and do one set of base Class mirrors each week for the three weeks thereafter. Here is our currently planned schedule. As always this could change, but here is our plan as of right now! Friday, November 7th – Bounty Hunter and Trooper Thursday, November 13th – Inquisitor and Consular Friday, November 21st – Warrior and Knight Wednesday, November 26th – Agent and Smuggler Thanks everyone! We’ll see you on stream to talk about all of the changes coming to…
Read or listen to a excerpt from “Star Wars: Tarkin” by James Luceno
StarWars.com is offering a unique opportunity for all fans of Star Wars science fiction books. The website is previewing the second book released since Disney took over Lucas’ franchise, titled “Tarkin” in an audiobook form. The latest publication is set to be released today (November 4,2014) so if you’re on the fence about it you can either listen or read a 50 page excerpt that was also made available. The book’s back cover reads: He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion. Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises…
Star Wars Retro games: Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles
I remember purchasing this game when it first came out and I fell in love with it. I would play for hours on end and never get tired of it. In this game, you choose from one of five Episode I-era Jedi to run, jump, slash, and use the Force with through the game’s ten levels. Each Jedi has his or her own Force powers and special items. For instance, Obi-Wan Kenobi has a forward dash-and-slash move and uses thermal detonators, while his teacher Qui-Gon Jinn produces a Force shock wave and tosses around pulse grenades. No matter which character you control though, you play through the film’s plot as if you were Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon, from the scene where the trade council tries to poison them to the final battle with the notorious evil Sith Darth Maul. The gameplay is a refined version of that found in Star Wars: Episode…
Datamined: SWToR Miner livestreams Patch 3.0 Commando and Mercenary changes
You might never heard of his name before but if you’re moderately interested in SWToR, you definitely read about his work in fansites across the web. Recently, SWToR_Miner had some challenges from Bioware and the content he releases about upcoming changes and updates to our favorite game but this isn’t stopping him however from hosting livestream events on Youtube. This time around, he talks about Patch 3.0 commando and mercenary changes that we’re going to see when Shadow of Revan gets released. The livestream is a little bit over 2 hours but definitely gets into the details of Patch 3.0 and specific details of the before-mentioned classes.
Star Wars: Galactic Defence is now available for iOS, Android and Amazon
The acquisition of the Star Wars franchise by Disney recently, also brought us a number of different gaming announcements for PC, consoles and more lately mobile devices. The latest one is Star Wars: Galactic Defense by DeNA, a free-to-play tower defense game based on the Star Wars Universe. The game is now available for download for most mobile platforms and covers both original and prequel trilogies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5-SJP85djA While tower defense games are not something new, I have to admit that most Star Wars games tend to get special attention because of that element. The inclusion of special characters from both trilogies definitely adds to the game and incorporates a special twist to a game genre that we have seen in many different forms. You can get Star Wars Galactic defense from Apple Store, Google Play or Amazon Store.
Star Wars Episode VII villain image leaked
With Star Wars Episode VII wrapping up filming earlier this week, rumors started flying again in many websites across the internet. While it would be great if every single one of them were true, one needs to take them with a grain of salt. Is this the new villain of Star Wars Episode VII? Image source: starwarsunderworld.com The latest one comes from Star Wars Underworld and deals with the main villain of Episode VII. The owners of the website claim that they managed to get a hold of a picture of the main villain from the upcoming Star Wars movie that’s set to be released on December 18 next year. Whether this is a real or not remains to be seen, but one does have to admit that it looks somewhat familiar (especially to SWToR fans – which would be a pretty cool movie tie-in). The website claims that the authenticity of the image…
TOR TV: Patch 3.0 GUIDE – Combat Systems Changes & UI Improvements (Short Visual Overview)
One of the better known SWToR video bloggers, Vulkk, has posted a segment from Bioware’s official livestream about the upcoming changes of Patch 3.0 (or Shadow Revan expansion). Unlike the last guide he posted on the disciplines system, this time the clip is focused on the combat system changes and user interface improvements. The video is about 13 minutes and offers a pretty good overview of what Bioware has in store for us.
PvP Season 3 rewards announced!
Biowares’s assistant designer Alex Modny took it to the official forums today to announce the rewards for PVP season 3. Judging by the reaction, most SWToR fans were rather pleased by the announcement and the improvement over Season 2. In specific: The culmination of Season 3 is fast approaching and many furious rumbles have yet to be waged. The end of Season 3 will come with Game Update 3.0 and your rating, when the servers come down for the update, will determine which tier you are in and what rewards you receive. The higher your tier the more glorious your rewards! Just like in previous seasons, the Highest Earned rating that determines the tier you are in – not Current – so no need to feel like you are risking Rating by going after the next tier up! To see your Highest Earned Rating, check the Warzone Rating and Stats…
TOR TV: Patch 3.0 guide – Disciplines System Explained
One of the better known SWToR video-bloggers, Vulkk, has put together a very interesting video explaining what fans should expect to see with patch 3.0 and the Disciplines system in specific. The video is a little bit over 13 minutes and provides a great overview of the system and highlights the changes between what currently is in place and what will be available after Shadow of Revan (aka Patch 3.0) becomes available. While Vulkk is using a Sorcerer’s tree to explain the changes, the guide is certainly useful to understand the Disciplines system across all classes.
Developer Blog: Bedtime in Concordia
Bioware released yet another Developer blog today titled “Bedtime in Concordia”. This time around the blog focuses on Shae Vizla‘s story – a Mandalorian who was credited for working with the Sith Empire and helping in storming the Jedi Temple in Coruscant. Shae Vizla Bedtime on Concordia A blazing campfire cast three shadows across the open plain. The longest stretched from the angular form of a man still clad in the armor of his people, the fire’s light stumbling and bouncing across decades of pockmarks and scrapes in the Mandalorian iron’s surfaces. The other shadows’ figures were clad in training gear, their bodies still growing too quickly for proper armor to fit for long. Galron watched his twin daughters over the flames. Tayn and Mari had done well in the day’s hunt, handled their weapons and gear properly, and shown great patience. He would tell their mother that they were growing…
Limited time Cartel Market items are now available
Community manager Eric Musco was once more at the official SWToR forums providing updates about upcoming content releases. In this case, Mr.Musco provided a quick update on some cartel market items that are going to be available for a limited time only. In specific: I wanted to let you know about some new items coming to Cartel Market later today. These are each of the items and their Cartel Coin price. Note that these items are only available for a limited time and will come off of the Market on 11/4. Walkhar Trickster – 1800 CC Ghostly Magus Armor Set – 1000 CC Ethereal Rakling (Minipet) – 140 CC Phantasmal Rakling (Minipet) – 140 CC Statue of the Agonized (Decoration) – 150 CC Thranta Trophy (Decoration) – 130 CC Infected Tree (Decoration) – 120 CC Returning Item! TRK-R Treatment Chamber – 1200 CC While no date was provided as to…
Blast from the past! X-Wing, Tie-Fighter to be re-released for modern PCs
For those of us who are of a certain age, there was a period where using your computer required using MS Dos, floppy disks and in some cases dial-up modems. Gaming in that period introduced us to some legendary Star Wars titles from Lucasarts such as X-Wing and Tie-Fighter – two amazing space combat simulators that are still being talked about today. While many DOS emulators exist, one of their main drawbacks is that they’re not very intuitive and difficult to use. At the same time though since most of these games run on either 5¼-inch or 3½-inch floppy disks (remember those?), few people have held on to their games from 20 years ago. A screenshot from X-Wing in a all its Super VGA glory! Good Old Games (GOG) decided to address these issues by re-releasing both X-Wing and Tie Fighter as downloadable content for $10 each. The former also includes the Imperial Pursuit and…
TOR TV: Starfleet Dental – Pop Muzik
I admit that this video isn’t recent but it’s definitely one of the better made SWToR fan videos that deserves some extra attention. It’s titled Pop Muzik and it was originally released back at launch when the game (and the hype) were flying high. “Pop Muzik” is probably the fastest and most musical way to experience all SWToR locations in a short period of time.
NYCC 2014: Star Wars Rebels discussion panel and exclusives
The New York city Comic Con ended earlier this month and videos from the event are starting to surface on the web. Of particular Star Wars interest is the one for Disney’s latest TV series called Star Wars Rebels. In the four-part video posted below, we take a closer look at the connections between the original Star Wars movies and the series as well as the back story of Rebels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo2u1gJJhos&index=2&list=PLZRd3qFud5ts40VL4OarQ2sLQgVKaxDWj During NYCC, Disney also revealed an exclusive clip titled “Phantom Chase” that you can watch below. SWToRStrategies is certainly watching “Rebels” with a lot of interest. The show has the right balance to appeal to both new and long-time Star Wars fans. It is Star Wars done right. One can certainly see the connections between the original movies throughout all the episodes of the series. Voice is acting is extremely nicely done. The dynamic between Hera and Kanan remind us a lot of Princess Leia…
SWToR revenue surpasses $100 million for 2014
Superdata research released yet another report looking at the most popular Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. In the past, the same firm had published information relating to the top 10 PC games by free-to-play earnings for 2013 which set SWToR at no.8 with $139 million right behind World Of Warcraft with $213 million. This report, in addition to others, signaled a come-back for Bioware’s first attempt at MMOs and was source of excitement for fans of the game. SuperData’s research data for 2013 The latest report released covers January to September 2014 and looks at the top 10 MMOs by revenue for the year. While SWToR didn’t make the top 10, it still remains at a respectable no.12 with $106 million in revenue, right behind Elder Scrolls Online with $111 Million. Keeping in mind that Shadow of Revan is yet to be released, one would expect to see a significant increase over the last 3 months of the…