The Developer Stream on Twitch has just ended and Vulkk has narrowed down and sifted out the more important information about the upcoming Game Update 3.2. It bears the epic name “Rise of the Emperor” and will include a new planet (Ziost), a new In-Game tool (Outfit Designer), new quality of life improvements, class changes and more great Bioware story. In the video you will find new screenshots, more detailed information about the Outfit Designer, the rewards for players in the next few months, Biowars’s plans for future Dev Streams, Cantina Tour Events, what SWTOR is planing for Star Wars Celebration and let’s not forget that PTS is live and Update 3.2 is available for testing!
News
Operation Victory Tournament Canceled Due to Bugs with New Operations
BioWare is canceling the SWTOR operation speedrun Tournament sponsored by ESL due to bugs in the Coratanni encounter. Operation Victory Tournament – *Cancelled* | 03.02.2015, 09:14 PM Hey folks, I will cut right to the chase, we are cancelling our ESL Operation Victory competition. Our reason revolves around the Coratanni encounter. I know many of you raised concerns about the issues related to the encounter, and we agree. We spent a lot of time this week testing bug fixes to see how viable the fixed version would be in a speed running environment. We have applied improvements to the Coratanni encounter as of tomorrow’s patch but there are still situations that could impact players focused on a timed run. We thank you for your feedback around the contest and should we decide to do something like this in the future, we will let you know. Also, let us know your feedback on…
Exclusive new Black-Purple crystal for subscribers announced.
All subscribers of Star Wars: The old republic, that has a active membership onMarch 29, 2015 will received an exclusive Black-Purple Color Crystal. Here are the details: As part of the Choose Your Path promotion, we’re giving away an exclusive set of four Advanced Black-Purple Color Crystals to thank all of our Subscribers on March 31, 2015! Be a Subscriber as of March 29, 2015* and give your Lightsaber blades and blaster bolts a new dark purple color along with a +41 boost! Advanced Black-Purple Striated Eviscerating Crystal (+41 Critical) Advanced Black-Purple Striated Indestructible Crystal (+41 Endurance) Advanced Black-Purple Striated War Hero’s Crystal (+41 Expertise) Advanced Black-Purple Striated Hawkeye Crystal (+41 Power) * ACCOUNT MUST BE IN AN ACTIVE SUBSCRIPTION STATUS ON MARCH 29, 2015 AT 11:59PM PDT / MARCH 30, 2015 AT 6:59AM GMT. ITEMS DELIVERED VIA IN-GAME MAIL ON OR AROUND MARCH 31, 2015.
SWTOR 3.1.1 PTS Shut Down
BioWare are posting down the SWTOR Public test servers for patch 3.1.1 At the same time, BioWare is teasing a new video for a new video for Star Wars: The old Republic named “Choose Your Path”“. Below is the forum update on the PTS shutdown, and below that, the Teasing form Hey everyone, Thank you all so much for your feedback and participation in this round of PTS testing! We are going to be turning off the server today at 3:30PM CST, which in-game messaging starting at 3:15PM. We look forward to hearing from you during the next testing window for 3.1.2! -Tait Post by Star Wars: The Old Republic. Note: Word from swtor_potato is that this is for a subscriber promotion in March that reward you with a Black-Purple Striated color crystal (one of each stat) for each character.
SWTOR Producer’s Road Map 2015
SWTOR’s Senior Producer Bruce Maclean has released the teams Producer’s Road Map for 2015. If you ahve been following our blog, there ain’t much new info, as most of this stuff, as it is basically just a write down of the letter that was read at the last Cantina Event with no new details or teasers. Most of the community that is concerned about future content probably already knew all this but I guess this makes it “official”… Producer’s Road Map 2015 Hi everyone! For many, the start of the year is a time for setting goals and planning for the future. This is something we have been focused on here at BioWare Austin. 2014 was an amazing year for the team. We delivered two expansions, an overhaul to the class system, and regular story updates through Flashpoints. I’m proud of what the team has accomplished, and we would not…
SWTOR : Double XP Weekend – 2/13 – 2/16
Brace your self! Star Wars the old republic will is having a double XP weekend from Feb 13 10 am PST to Feb 16 11 PM PST: COMING SOON: DOUBLE XP WEEKEND (FEBRUARY 13, 2015 AT 10AM PST / 6PM GMT – FEBRUARY 16, 2015 AT 11PM PST / FEBRUARY 17, 2015 AT 7AM GMT) Celebrate this heart-filled weekend with Double XP! From story missions to PvP Warzones, level at double the speed. Level even faster with XP Boosts, available in the Cartel Market. Level 60 players can also earn double Legacy XP – so jump in now!
SWTOR: Ability Delay Update
Eric Musco took on the forums to speak about the ability delay issue, that many players are facing after game update 3.0. Check it out: EricMusco 01.02.2015, 08:35 PM Ability delay and the wearing thin of patience | 01.02.2015, 02:35 PM First off, Happy New Years everyone! I apologize if you feel a lack of communication around this issue. Unfortunately, I haven’t provided much since I do not have a status update as of yet. Here is what I can tell you. We definitely have not forgotten about this and the team is still assessing what the cause is, and how we can begin to address it. What I am going to do is to work with the team to get a status update with as much detail as I can, by next Friday (although hopefully before then!). Thank you again for your continued patience. We know that dealing with…
SWTOR Gree event is coming back… Sooner or later
Eric Musco Just informed the community that the Gee event will be making a return to Star Wars: The old Republic, but it might be a while. The event needs to get an update, so it fits to level 60 game play first. Hey folks, I can confirm that it is definitely our plan to bring the Gree event back at some point in the future. When the event returns, it will also be scaled up to level 60. Unfortunately, I don’t have any details around timing yet but stay tuned for any future announcements! Thanks! -eric
BioWare won’t re-grant bugged achievements
Eric Musco Just informed the community that BioWare won’t give back players any achievements, that players lost with game update 3.0.1. That’s right folks. You now need to re- earn all your lost achievements! Hey folks, Unfortunately, for the achievements that we addressed in 3.0.1, you will need to earn them again. It is our usual policy that when an achievement is bugged, that once fixed, we will not re-grant the achievement. This is typically due to it being difficult to isolate players who have earned the achievement versus those who haven’t. As a side/related note, if you sold the Data Packets which you received from Grophets, you will need to earn those again as well. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this. -eric
Server Lag Being Reduced with game update 3.0.1
Bioware is fixing the server lag issues that came with game update 3.0. hopefully they do not nerf instance sizes though, but it looks like it. Hey folks, First off, I apologize if you feel that we haven’t communicated around looking into the lag/delay issues which have been happening since 3.0 launched. When 3.0 / SoR early access started there were quite a few issues around things like ability delay. We worked very quickly to make some changes to our “instances” in order to help alleviate those problems. Since then we have been monitoring lag across the game and making adjustments as best we can to remove any issues that players are experiencing. Tomorrow we are adjusting things further in hopes that this will further improve performance or even completely remove those issues. That said, we are always going to be looking at performance and making improvements where possible. We…
Training cost is a thing of the past in SWToR
Bioware’s community manager Eric Musco, posted a very interesting thread at the official forums today relating to training costs. Musco, responding to a number of fan threads requesting the removal of training costs from the game, decided to take action and bring forward the suggestion to developers for consideration. After discussing the matter internally, they decided to remove training costs all together! So,when you login next week you won’t be required to pay any credits for your training! Eric’s complete post follows below: Hey folks, Let’s talk a bit about training costs for your characters abilities. One thing has become clear from the player feedback in not only this thread, but since launch: players do not like training costs. It is a situation where every level you will see your hard earned credits go to a holographic Hutt doctor in order to make yourself a bit stronger. We have been talking about…
Star Wars TV: A tribute to Ralph McQuarrie
Ralph McQuarrie is a name that doesn’t need any introduction to any Star Wars (SW) fans. He was the concept artist responsible for designing beloved characters of the franchise, such as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, C3-PO and R2D2. In addition, he designed a lot of Star Wars concept paintings like the arrival of R2D2 and C3PO on Tatooine. Aside from Star Wars, McQuarrie has worked on E.T, Close Encounters of the 3rd kind, Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future and Star Trek IV. To celebrate his contributions to Star Wars, the official SW website has posted an extremely interesting 40 minute tribute on Ralph McQuarrie’s that’s definitely worth of your attention.
Game Update 3.0: Shadow of Revan Early Access
The day we were waiting is finally here! “Shadow of Revan” is now available for download for anyone who purchased the expansion before November 2, 2014. The rest will have to wait until December 9 to get full access to Bioware’s latest expansion. Some highlights: All levels can now reach Level 60 New locations added – Yavin IV and Rishi Two new level 56-60 flashpoints Two new level 60 operations Dromund Kaas and Coruscant Strongholds can now be purchased for 3 credits! New class system (disciplines) Players can now send 6 Companions on Crafting Missions at level 56 (up from 5). …and much, much more! I have to admit that the list of changes is quite extensive and it does seem that Bioware took community’s feedback to heart. A lot of the features listed on their post are things that prominent members of the community have being asking for quite some time….
TOR Radio : A galaxy of podcasts
TOR Radio is back with the latest and greatest SWToR podcasts from across the community. With the imminent release of Patch 3.0 a lot of podcasts are focusing on upcoming changes and various community news. It’s certainly encouraging to see new SWToR community podcasts launching like “HOPE cast” and “Beyond the Stars” listed below. 1. Bad feeling podcast – Episode 42 (Released: Nov.24,2014) : Even though the crew of the podcast took of this week due to Thanksgiving but still managed to publish a “best of” podcast. 2. Star Wars Beyond the Stars – Episode 12 (Released: Nov.15,2014) : This week the show hit a little snag in our editing process so the show is coming out pretty late in the week. “Beyond the stars” discussed quite a few interesting things in this week’s off topic rants. 3. Corellian Run Radio – Special Episode (Released: Nov.24,2014) : Join Jason and Heather as they share their…
Did the Force Awakens trailer reveal its link with Star Wars Rebels?
Like all Star Wars fans we watched in amazement today the new teaser trailer for Star Wars the Force Awakens. The 88 second trailer offered a first glimpse on what J.J.Abrams has in store for the beloved franchise. Reading through the comments posted in various social media, it appears that the general reaction is very positive while the excitement is certainly very high. The trailer lit up twitter, reddit,facebook and many other social media the moment it was posted online. Dissecting the trailer one can find a lot of hints that were rumored to be true in the past but obviously there was no official confirmation. One that really got my attention however, was during the very first scene of the trailer. Spoilers below from Star Wars Rebels and the teaser trailer if you haven’t seen it. The trailer opens up with a view of a desert which one would assume that’s…
Cartel Market Black Friday deals are now live!
During a recent livestream Bioware’s Community manager Eric Musco, mentioned that in-game Cartel Market store will be receiving some discounted deals due to Black Friday. While originally there were rumors that these deals will change from hour to hour, it doesn’t seem to be the case with the offers listed below. Other than Eric’s mention during the official livestream, we haven’t heard anything else from Bioware so there could be more coming our way (Cyber Monday is just around the corner after all). Currently the following deals are offered through the in-game store: Hypercrate: Freelancer’s Bounty Pack – 5500 CC – 28% OFF Hypercrate: Enforcer’s Contraband Pack – 5500 – 20% OFF Hypercrate: Blockade Runner’s Cartel pack – 5500 – 25% OFF Hypercrate: Gatekeeper’s Stronghold Pack – 2520 – 50% OFF Black and Black Dye Module – 1500 CC – 25% OFF White and White Dye Module – 750 CC –…
Update (x2): Star Wars The Force Awakens trailer now available via iTunes / Youtube
We recently posted that November 28 will be the day that we get a first glimpse of the upcoming Star Wars movie via a teaser trailer. Starwars.com originally tweeted that the trailer would be available in US movie theaters, however, they also announced the following The Force is with you on #BlackFriday when #TheForceAwakens teaser hits@iTunesTrailers. — Star Wars (@starwars) November 26, 2014 So if you didn’t feel like heading to the movies or don’t live in the US, head to iTunes and get ready for tomorrow! SWToRstrategies.com will be posting updates as those become available. Update 2: The trailer is now available under this link or below via Youtube:
SWToR Stats: 1 million active players, 57 million characters created and that’s just the beginning!
Bioware published a very nice infographic today providing random stats about the game and to thank SWTOR fans for their support. SWToR’s anniversary is approaching fast and the Austin-based developer is definitely increasing its community presence with frequent releases about Shadow of Revan and hopefully more reflections about the three years of the game’s existence.
Patch 3.0 commendation conversion rates announced
Community manager Eric Musco posted today some additional information relating to how Patch 3.0 is going to affect commendations. In response to his post a number of different fansites have posted online commendation calculators where you can calculate how the changes are going to affect you. The changes in detail: Here goes everyone. Here is the information on the conversion rates around Basic Comms and what will happen when 3.0 launches. Just to reiterate for those unaware, here are the basic changes coming to Commendations: All PvE Commendations will become Basic Commendations in 3.0. The Commendation types “Classic” and “Planetary” are being removed from the game. The types “Elite” and “Ultimate” will remain but the current Comms you have will become Basic. Warzone and Ranked Warzone Commendations remain untouched. Here are the conversion rates for all Commendations. 2 Classic Commendations = 1 Basic Commendation 1 Basic Commendation = 1 Basic Commendation…
Meta Preview: SWToR Shadow of Revan
With the imminent release of Shadow of Revan, Bioware’s PR department is working overtime. A number of different fansites were invited to take a look at SWToR’s upcoming expansion and write their thoughts about it. In addition, EA’s “The Beat” column also devoted a complete article on the upcoming expansion, along with well-established gaming sites that published their reviews. Below you will find links to all the before-mentioned articles Electronic Arts: Dig Into SWToR Shadow of Revan Gamefront: Shadow of Revan Puts The Old Republic’s Focus Squarely on Story IGN.com : Revan is out for blood in SWToR’s new expansion MMOBomb.com : Darth Times Ahead – our SWToR: Shadow of Revan Preview MMORPG.com: Star Wars: The Old Republic Previews: Shadow of Revan – A Look at Flashpoints ShackNews: The Old Republic – Shadow of Revan preview: sins of the past Swtorista: Shadow of Revan Developer Q&A Swtorista: Shadow of Revan Press Event Coverage at EA…
Is SWToR canon or not?
One of the questions that has been asked multiple times since Disney announced the acquisition of Lucasfilm was whether SWToR should be treated as canon or not. Multiple attempts to get it answered, resulted in a number of vague replies. The most recent that we can remember was during Bioware’s Cantina tour in Seattle, where community manager Eric Musco told us that SWToR is Star Wars. Fortunately, Gamefront.com posed the same question to SWTOR Senior Producer Bruce MacLean and Executive Producer Jeff Hickmanand. The website managed to get a somewhat better answer than most of us have gotten so far. It appears that the relationship between EA and Disney’s Star Wars Story group is still in its infancy. It does sound though that Disney hasn’t made a firm decision on what SWToR/KOToR is. They certainly wouldn’t want to interrupt the amazing storytelling that Bioware has done so far while at the same time…
Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer to be released next Friday
After a couple of false reports over the weekend, StarWars.com announced today what was long rumored to be happening soon; Lucasfilm and Disney will be releasing an 88 second teaser trailer of the upcoming movie in 30 theaters across the US. The trailer will also be available to the rest of the world in December. You can view the full list of theaters below: AZ PHOENIX HARKINS TEMPE MARKETPLACE CA LOS ANGELES AMC CENTURY CITY CA LOS ANGELES Indep EL CAPITAN CA IRVINE REGAL SPECTRUM IRVINE 21 CA SAN FRANCISCO AMC METREON 16 CA SAN JOSE CINEMARK OAKRIDGE 20 CA SAN DIEGO REGAL MIRA MESA 18 CAN TORONTO CINEPLEX YOUNGE & DUNDAS CAN VANCOUVER CINEPLEX RIVERPORT CO DENVER AMC WESTMINSTER 24 DC WASH D.C AMC TYSONS CORNER 16 FL MIAMI CARMIKE PARISIAN 20 GA ATLANTA REGAL ATLANTIC STATION IL CHICAGO REGAL CITY NORTH MA BOSTON AMC BOSTON COMMONS 19 MI DETROIT…
Lego Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles “Clash of the Skywalkers” Preview
Disney continues the releases of new Star Wars content with a TV series titled LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles “Clash of the Skywalkers”. The 2 minute preview clip offers the usual dose of humor and action found in most Lego films as well as elements from the Star Wars universe. LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles “Clash of the Skywalkers” premieres Sunday, November 23, on Disney XD.
SWTOR is 12th Most Played PC Game in October According to Raptr; Up from 15th in September
As you can see from the chart, Wildstar and ESO are not even on the chart anymore and GW2 has dropped below SWTOR. TF2 is still in the top 20 but just barely, after dropping two ranks. We have two new entries on the list with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Another entry in the top five that I’ve personally decided to check out is ArchAge. Battlefield 4 and Minecraft are in the top 10. WoW really picked things up (with their new expansion out now, it’s no surprise) but they still didn’t come close to taking the lead from League of Legions, reigning the top spot with a playtime increase of 2.78% compared to September. WoW was, however, up 16.32% in October versus last month.