The public test servers for Star Wars: The old Republic have been updated. Here are the latest round of patch notes for game update 3.2.1: Jedi Knight Sentinel Removed the Defensive Forms Skillful Utility New Skillful Utility: Stoic. Stoic increases your damage reduction by 2%, and you build 2 Centering when attacked. This Centering building effect cannot occur more than once every 1.5 seconds. Defensive Roll now additionally increases internal and elemental damage reduction by 5%. Force Fade now additionally increases your movement speed by 15%. Watchman The Cauterize burn effect now deals damage 3 times (up from 2 times) over 6 seconds. Merciless Zeal has been redesigned: Your Cauterize, Overload Saber, and Force Melt burns heal you for 15% of the damage they deal. Burning Sweep now additionally reduces the cooldown of Force Sweep by 9 seconds. Sith Warrior Marauder Removed the Defensive Forms Skillful Utility New Skillful Utility:…
SWTOR Details on Grand Nightlife Pack
As some of you guys might already know, the newest cartel pack is quite pricey. Eric Musco went on the forums to explain why this is: Details of the Grand Nightlife Pack | 04.30.2015, 10:34 AM Hey folks! We have seen some confusion around the Grand Nightlife Pack, what it is, and why it costs a bit more than you normally see on a Cartel Pack. Admittedly, we could have been a little bit more clear in the store tooltips and we will make sure that is better in the future. So, what is in the Grand Nightlife Pack? This pack is basically all of the best items from The Star Cluster and Club Vertica Nightlife Packs all in one place. Here is a basic idea of the items you will find in the pack: Complete armor sets (ex: Tulak Hord Disciple’s Armor) Note: All armor sets pieces are contained…
Proposed Healing Changes in Game update 3.2.1 to be removed from SWTOR
It is no secret that players on the official forums, have been furies about the upcoming healing changes, that was supposed to come with game update 3.2.1. Therefor BioWare be removing these changes, to revise them and maybe add in a later patch: 3.2.1 PTS Healing Changes Removal | 04.30.2015, 08:28 AM Hey all, We want to thank everyone who offered constructive feedback and contributed to discussions regarding improvements to the proposed changes. Your feedback is much appreciated as we move forward with future PTS updates. Following internal review, we’ve decided to remove all of the proposed healing changes from 3.2.1. The goal of this update was to increase the burst healing of healers while simultaneously balancing healing per second (HPS) values, and resource management for healers. We are not completely satisfied with the present state of the healing changes, and want to give the community more time to play…
Unscheduled Maintenance today!
Servers are down to so BioWare can fix some game breaking bugs that came with the new game update. This patch will address Revan’s Unstable Aberrations, the Crafting UI not showing the correct statistics for items, and the Ziost Mission vehicle that is usable in Warzones and Operations. The website/forums will not be going offline during this window, but Character Transfers will be unavailable. Below are the complete patch notes: 3.2a Patch Notes General The Crafting UI now properly displays the stats of Premium, Prototype, and Artifact quality items. Flashpoints + Operations Unstable Aberrations no longer persist through the entire Revan encounter. Missions + NPCs The vehicle used during the Ziost Mission “On The House” can no longer be used inside of Warzones or Operations.
SWTOR Update: Win-trading and “Trolls” in Ranked PvP
Eric Musco rleases two statements today, regarding Season 5 PvP rewards and BioWares stance on win trading and trolling in PvP: Season 5 Update | 04.30.2015, 09:11 AM Hello PvPers! Season 4 has come to a glorious conclusion and Season 5 is underway! We hope y’all enjoyed the action and are looking forward to a new season to test your mettle. I have a quick note to share with y’all about the Season 5 Reward Teaser. Unfortunately the teaser for Season 5 will not be posted this week. We strive to have the teaser come out at the start of the season but right now with everything that is going on this Spring we are in a bit of a log jam and unfortunately the teaser blog will be coming out later in May. Featured in the blog is concept art of a reward that we feel is the best we’ve ever…
BioWare is taken action against players exploiting Ziost Bug
SWTOR Game update 3.2 came with an unfortunate bug yesterday, letting players have access to the Ziost operation boss via what apparently is an exploit. I must admid that this surprised me, as I have been using the “exploit” my self. I personally thought it was just another new secret area. The whole point of hunting for datacrons, especially Makeb, is to train us to be good at accessing areas that are not genearally easily accessed – but apparently I was wrong. Here is the news from Eric: So Bioware, about people bypassing the locked part on Ziost to fight the OP Boss etc. | 04.29.2015, 03:15 PM One of the things we tried to be clear about with the Ravagers is that we are serious about handling exploits. With that exploit, the Ravagers we were open about our process and the action we were taking. For this issue with Ziost, we are going to…
Could the Planets in Star Wars Actually Support Life?
We know the Star Wars franchise is big on imagination. This wonder and mystery is one thing that made it so appealing to fans. Amazing creatures, large vast planets and creative characters are some of the key elements that made Star Wars so great. That said, there have always been those who would question the logic behind the Star Wars story. One thing that makes the planets of Star Wars stand out is the unique environment that each one had. Whether it was vast barren stretches of sand or a planet covered in ice, there was always some unique feature that stood out in each planet. This begs the question: Could any living thing actually survive there? Wired.com has a very interesting piece where they cover some of the popular planets of Star Wars and consider whether or not they would actually be able to support life. Here is an…
Changes to the Cartel Market — Tuesday April 21 – 28. 2015
Here are the weekly cartel market items on sale for the week of April 28 – May 5 2015. New Items Price Helpful links GRAND NIGHTLIFE PACK 1000 UNLOCK: OUTFIT DESIGNER SLOT 120 Items No Longer Available Helpful links HYPERCRATE: SHIPMENT 4 STARFIGHTER PACKS INITIATE’S SHADOW PACK Pack contents from Dulfy PILGRIM’S SHADOW PACK Pack contents from Dulfy Price Change Old Price New Price Percent Change Normal Price Helpful links SATELE SHAN’S SPARRING LIGHTSABER 250 500 +100% 500 THE ARNECLIN MASTERPIECES 500 1000 +100% 1000 STALWART PROTECTOR ARMOR SET 1440 1080 –25% 1260 ERADICATOR’S MASK 480 360 –25% 480 Information from TOR FASHION VALIANT JEDI ARMOR SET 1440 1080 –25% 1440 ERDICATOR’S WARSUIT 900 675 –25% 900 Information from TOR FASHION CLANDESTINE OFFICER ARMOR SET 1440 1080 –25% 1260 Information from TOR FASHION
Rest of SWTOR Ziost story Coming May 4th
The rest of the Ziost story line, in Star Wars: The Old Republic, will be live from may 4th, and does apparently not require a new patch update. Perhaps it opens up as a new daily area with world bosses? What do you guys think? Here is the update from Eric Musco: Planetary Status Monitor | Still no progression in Ziost story available ? | 04.28.2015, 06:30 PM Hey folks, Without spoiling anything, there have been some questions about the end of Ziost currently and whether this is intended or not. It is 100% intended, it is not a bug, and there is definitely more coming… And it is coming soon. The finale event for this story will happen Monday, May 4th and it will not require a patch. Evacuate Ziost while you have the chance!
SWTOR: Welcome to Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor + Trailer
As you already know, BioWare released game update 3.2 for Star Wars: The old Republic. This game update is named Rise of the Emperor, and let’s you confront the Sith Emperor’s terrifying assault on Ziost. Below is a blog post from Lead Designer Michael Backus, and below that the new trailer. 04.28.2015 Welcome to Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor Greetings, everyone, and welcome to Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor! I can’t tell you how excited I am for this update. It really marks the start of some big things coming for Star Wars: The Old Republic this year, and I can’t wait to share it all with you over the next few months. Being able to write these words for you, well, it’s … it’s like I just turned off my targeting computer. When last we left you, many of you had experienced the Shadow of…
Star Wars: The Holiday Special Review
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 American television film set in the Star Wars galaxy. If you have never heard of it, don’t worry. You are not alone. This “holiday special” was (probably deliberately) buried after it aired back in ’78 and finding a copy of it today is no easy task. While some may call it a “Christmas special”, it was actually about the Wookiee holiday of Life Day. The premise was good but the actual execution… well, we will leave you to form your own opinions on it but since it’s not so easy to just see the film, I want to share with you a great review done by the Nostalgia Critic. If you’re not familiar with NC, well… that’s just an additional treat for you. Check out the video to see all you need to know about this holiday special and find some movie…
Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor
As we have mentioned a few times already, Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor will hit the servers tomorrow, bringing with it the ancient Sith capital planet of Ziost as well as the next part of the Shadow of Revan storyline. This patch will also introduce the costume designer and bring back the 12X leveling boost for paying players. You can read all about it over at the official SWTOR Website, or check it out below: A GREAT DARKNESS HAS FALLEN ON THE GALAXY… Unleashed from his sanctuary on Yavin 4, the former Sith Emperor has now struck the Imperial world of Ziost. Using his immense power in the dark side of the Force™, he has dominated the minds of the planet’s Imperial troops–as well as an elite cadre of militaristic Jedi–and has set them against the populace, engaging in a bloody slaughter. Join with allies Lana Beniko and Theron Shan…
SWTOR Patch 3.2 Rise of the Emperor Patch Notes
Game update 3.2 will go live tomorrow. Here are the patch notes: Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor Highlights New Planet: Ziost! The Imperial planet Ziost is the focal point of an escalating crisis. Level 60 players who have completed the Shadow of Revan storyline can now join in the fight against the former Sith Emperor! New Feature: Outfit Designer! You can now have up to 16 outfits created and saved with your unique look! This new feature can be accessed on the right hand side of the Character Sheet. Ranked Arena Season 4 has come to a conclusion, and Season 5 has begun! Congratulations to all the reward winners! Winnings have been distributed to qualifying characters. Ranked stats have been reset and the Leaderboard for Season 4 has been archived. Relics of the Gree is back! The Gray Secant has been spotted on Ilum, which means only one…
May 4th Promotion Details for SWTOR
Star Wars: The old Republic holding a “May the Fourth Be with You” promotion, featuring a new round of epic story XP, and a brand new M4-1S Astromech Droid. Check it out: TRAVEL THE GALAXY WITH YOUR NEW ASTROMECH DROID! In honor of May the 4th, we are giving the M4-1S Astromech Droid to the entire Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community!* • Log in by May 4th to claim your new Astromech Droid via in-game mail. • Join the battle by May 4th to to claim your new Astromech Droid. * To qualify for the M4-1S Astromech Droid, you have to have logged in to your SWTOR account between April 4, 2015 at 12:01AM PDT // 7:01AM GMT and May 4, 2015 at 11:59PM PDT // May 5, 2015 at 6:59AM GMT. The M4-1S Astromech Droid will be delivered to you via in-game mail within 24 hours after the promotional period ends. FOCUS ON YOUR STORY WITH THE…
Star Wars is ‘Unbelievably Racist’, Says Hoaxer on BBC Radio
We’ve heard and reported on a lot of crazy things about Star Wars and funny enough, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard it called racist. However, this IS the funniest way we’ve ever heard it called racist, among other things. BBC World News explains: The BBC fell victim to a hoaxer in a phone-in discussion of the new Star Warsmovie, describing the films as “rooted in homophobia and casual racist stereotypes” in which “the only female ends up in a space bikini chained to a horny space slug”. The World Service item on its discussion show, World Have Your Say, took an unexpected turn after it invited Godfrey Elfwick to talk about Star Wars’ return after a producer spotted him talking about the film on Twitter. Godfrey tweets: I’ve never actually seen #StarWars but the fact that the bad guy was all black and ate watermelons was unbelievably racist…
All Nippon Airways unveils Star Wars themed jetliner
Great news Star Wars fans! The Huffington Post reported that this coming fall, All Nippon Airways will be transforming one of their new Boeing 787s with an awesome R2-D2 deign to honor the new movie release in December. If you visit the All Nippon website you will notice that it’s currently dedicated to the new project that is underway. The website says that this is the beginning of their “Star Wars” project, which is a five year long project that is trying to connect Japan to global markets. The plane will have a large Star Wars logo on the side and R2-D2 stripes as well. The plane has only been confirmed for use on international routes, so far. Hopefully we will hear news telling us that the flight attendants will wield light sabers and maybe dress up as some of our favorite characters!
How BioWare Built Enough Content to Fill The Old Republic
We know it’s not easy creating and operating a massively multiplayer online game like SWTOR. That said, it can be equally as difficult to keep it filled with enough content on a regular basis so that players do not get bored. Have you ever wondered how BioWare built enough content to fill The Old Republic and how they continue to give us great content again and again. Some of you might remember back in 2011 when BioWare designer Georg Zoeller did a talk at GDC Online about Star Wars: The Old Republic and explained how spatial analysis can be used to support a rapid content iteration process during the late stages of MMO development. For those of you who heard the talk, he goes on to explain how BioWare’s homegrown ‘HoloProjector’ spatial visualization toolkit was used in the day to day development of the game. It also helped the BioWare devs with decision making, content validation and…
Star Wars Battlefront: AT-AT’s Are Confirmed To Be On Rails, DICE Explains Reason Behind The Decision
One of the most controversial additions to Star Wars: Battlefront has finally been addressed by DICE producer with the Reddit username “DICE_TheBikingViking.” He has finally confirmed that the AT-AT’s in Star Wars: Battlefront will be on rails. A recent conversation happened with a fan on Reddit and the producer. The fan asked: “With all due respect, are you seriously saying that level of foliage is going to be running on our PS4’s in 2015? Ignoring everything else.” This was his reply: “I don’t like making hard guarantees. The game hasn’t shipped yet. We’re not done with it. But this is how it looks right now – on PS4 as well, yes. I do want to make a very specific comment. While some people have called bullshots, others have said this is not that different from e.g. BF4 and not that impressive, etc. Which is an interesting mix. What impresses me…
Revan vs Darth Malgus
Now we have another great versus matchup for you: Revan vs Darth Malgus This one is told in 4 parts so you will need to watch each video to get to the exciting conclusion. This is actually one that can really get the fans riled up since people tend to have very strong opinions about these characters and who would win in a face-off. See the first video here: Intro, History & Physical Round of the battle for the Old Republic! Part 2: Force Round of the battle for the Old Republic! Part 3: Dueling Round of the battle for the Old Republic! Part 4: Verdict of the battle for the Old Republic! What do you think after seeing this? Did your expectation come out the victor? Who do you think would win?
New SWTOR Story blog: The Sixth Line: Part One
BioWare just posted a new SWTOR story blog. This one is focusing on the Sixth Line of Jedi and their leader Master Surro The Sixth Line: Part One The once-ripe fields of Balmorra lay barren, pockmarked by heavy artillery. The defaced bedrock was the handiwork of not only the Sith Empire but the Balmorran Resistance. One would hope each side might be more careful with the object they were fighting for. The desperate do not possess gentle hands… and these were truly desperate times. Master Surro stared across the open land from the relative safety of her makeshift mountain encampment. Her eyes were sharp, catching even the faintest movement of charred grass in the afternoon breeze. The air was dry and warm. A sheen of sweat covered Surro’s skin beneath her heavy armor. Three Jedi waited with Surro on the overlook. Garault, her second in command, was tall and broad…
Forbes discourages pre-ordering Battlefront
As well all are aware of by now, Star Wars: Battlefront is already available for pre-order and as much excitement as this game has given us, we think you should have some hesitations about pre-ordering it. One of two scenarios are a possibility when receiving an item that you are totally psyched about that you pre-ordered: you are completely satisfied with the product or after all that excitement, it’s not as great as you thought it would be. The problem is that most of the time we are disappointed with pre-ordered games instead of being satisfied. Most every game that is available for pre-order gives you an incentive in the DLC form. However, the DLC’s are usually totally and completely not worth the pre-order price. We know that EA has a horrible reputation with brand new game releases, for instance, there were major issues with Battlefield 4 during its launch….
SWTOR Patch 3.2 will be out on April 28
All Star Wars: The old Republic servers will be taken down from 3 AM PDT to 9 AM PDT on April 28 for server maintenance and preparation for patch 3.2. Here are the details: Scheduled Maintenance: 28 April 2015 | 04.24.2015, 05:51 PM Hi everyone! All servers will be unavailable on April 28th while we apply Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor. Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2015 Time: 3:00AM PDT (10:00 GMT) – 9:00AM PDT (16:00 GMT) Version: 3.2 This update includes the planet Ziost with the continuation of the Shadow of Revan storyline, the Outfit Designer, travel improvements, updates to the Group Finder and related rewards, Class changes, and numerous bug fixes. It also marks the end of Ranked Warzone Arena Season 4 and the beginning of Season 5! During maintenance, all updates and additional information will be posted on our Twitter account. Thank you for your patience as we…
SWTOR PTS Update Combat Notes
New patch has been deployed to the Public test server. Below are the patch notes: 4 Apr 2015 PTS Update Combat Notes | 04.24.2015, 04:07 PM Classes + Combat Jedi Knight Sentinel Ardor is now a Masterful Utility. Jedi Promulgator is now a Heroic Utility. Watchman Cauterize now deals its elemental damage over 6 seconds (down from 9 seconds). Force Melt now only costs 2 focus (down from 3 focus), and the damage it deals has been slightly reduced. Accelerating Victory now builds up to a maximum of 2 stacks (down from 3). Sith Warrior Marauder Reckless is now a Masterful Utility. Cloak of Annihilation is now a Heroic Utility. Annihilation Rupture now deals its internal damage over 6 seconds (down from 9 seconds). Force Rend now only costs 2 rage (down from 3 rage), and the damage it deals has been slightly reduced. Swift Demise now builds up to…
Making KOTOR 2 Beautiful
You know how I just love to share really awesome things the fans do. Well, here we have something very interesting. This is a collection of images from KOTOR 2 making Peragus/KOTOR more beautiful. You can check it out for yourself below. A description from the creator: “Welcome to my collection of heavily modded kotor 2 playthrough part 1. I am currently suffering a game breaking bug at the end of Peragus but as soon as that’s fixed I’ll put up some screenshots of the rest of the playthough if there is any interest in them! I will post the mod list as soon as I can. There is lots of amazing work being showed here and they all deserve all the credit in the world.” Peragus in HD So there you have it in high definition. We think it’s pretty awesome. If you were a KOTOR fan, let us…