Disney is a company that knows how to get the most out of a popular thing. The franchise is a leader for a big reason. With the new Star Wars movies coming out starting in 2015, they are probably already cooking up lots of good merchandising deals and other great ways to make money off the popularity that the new movies are going to bring. So while we all know this to be true, much of what is said about Disney’s plans about the Star Wars franchise is just speculation. Outside of rumors, we don’t really know anything for a fact. But as the release date for the movies grows closer, we do see more rumors coming out. This one, for example, has us a little bit interested. Cinelinx.com says they have it on an authority source that Disney is already casting for a Star Wars Live Action TV Project….
Double XP Weekend starts today!
It’s that time again! Time for a double XP weekend. As Tait Watson | Community Production Coordinator tells us on the SWTOR forums, “Advance at double the speed this weekend as you fight for the Empire or the Republic in exciting story missions, PvP Warzones and more!”
Swtor-mined: 2.7 PTS Patch #5 | 3/13/2014
Here is the newest datamined info from swtor_miner. We are going to jump over the raw output and go right to the juicy stuff. Unannounced Class Changes Operative/Scoundrel Jarring Strike/K.O. – Old PTS – “…and make your Backstab/Back Blast no longer require you to be behind the target to activate for 5 seconds.” New PTS – “…and allow your next Backstab/Back Blast to be activated while face-to-face with your enemy target.” Quickening/Scurry – Old PTS – “..In addition, when you activate Exfiltrate/Scamper, you have a 15/30% chance to gain Quickening/Scurry..” New PTS – “..In addition, when you activate Exfiltrate/Scamper, you have a 50/100% chance to gain Quickening/Scurry..” Surgical Precision/Emergent Emergencies – Old PTS – “…In addition, Surgical Probe/Emergency Medpac immediately re-grants Tactical Advantage/Upper Hand when used on targets below 30% max health. This effect can only occur once every 6 seconds.” New PTS – “…In addition, Surgical Probe/Emergency Medpac immediately re-grants…
PTS Update – March 13th, 2014
The public tester servers were down for a few hours today. During that Time, BioWare added a new patch. The changes are listed below: General Season 1 rewards will be sent out to players who qualified with a Group rating. Classes +Combat Jedi Knight Guardian Focused Defense has been redesigned: It now empowers you with 10 charges of Focused Defense, lasting up to 30 seconds. Whenever you take damage a charge of Focused Defense is consumed to heal you for a moderate amount. This ability can be used while stunned or otherwise controlled but cannot be used while above 70% health. Cooldown increased from 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Sith Warrior Juggernaut Enraged Defense has been redesigned: It now empowers you with 10 charges of Enraged Defense, lasting up to 30 seconds. Whenever you take damage a charge of Enraged Defense is consumed to heal you for a moderate amount….
Does What Your Toon Looks Like Matter in SWTOR?
MMORPGs… there is a culture in this type of gaming that you just don’t find anywhere else. There are things that we just know and associate with certain types of games. That being said, we see many cool new things happening in the MMORPG world. But one thing that has grown over the gaming years and with the industry is the cosmetic side of things. Graphics have come a long, long way since the early days of RPGs and now with nearly every new game that comes out, we have even better aesthetic features. SWTOR is joining the ranks of many other MMORPGs and focusing on things that the players want as much as what they need. Player housing is a great example other this. Another great example is new orange gear. Some people will sit back and say, “Oh that’s dumb” and “Why are you worried about how you…
Theron Shan Comes to SWTOR with Patch 2.7
Alexander Freed, Charles Boyd and Drew Karpyshyn have been tweeting about Theron Shan making his way into SWTOR with patch 2.7 and you can view the conversation for yourself blow. If you are not familiar with this guy, I can tell you he is a Republic spy in Republic SIS, and the secret son of Satele Shan, making him a direct descendant of the legendary Jedi Knights Revan and Bastila Shan. He is also the main protagonist in the webcomic series The Lost Suns, and the main character in the novel by Drew Karpyshyn called Annihilation SWTOR Lead Writer Charles Boyd said that Alexander Freed and Drew Karpyshyn, who both featured Theron Shan in their books, had a large influence on the Theron Shan in SWTOR and set a high standard for this character. Also Alexander Freed seems to be working on a new SWTOR project since he’s gone freelance but we can’t be certain. Will have to keep an…
Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider — March 2014
BioWare posted a new SWTOR Insider Video. In this video They show off the new Denon GSF map, Quesh Huttball map and the Tython / Korriban Flashpoints. The Cartel market will also get a lot of updates in the future. Later this month we will get access to the Space Jockey Starfighter pack and new direct sell dye modules. In April The Cartel market will have Hot Shots Starfighter Pack up for sale as well the First Grand Acquisitions Pack in late April / early May.. The video also talks about New type of pack based on user feedback, Features armor sets from the first three shipments and that One slot of the pack will drop the entire armor set in a lockbox. Last but not least, the video reminds us of Double XP event 3/14 – 3/17 and the Lucky-77 subscriber reward speeder, check it out below: )
DICE Stockholm Continues Development on Star Wars Battlefront
We have some good news regarding Star Wars Battlefront 3! The latest news on the release date is positive and after the past few quiet months, this is an exciting turn for the game. DICE developers have been deep in it working n BF4 issues and bugs but after the LA and Stockholm studios came together to get it all under control, we might see them focusing their efforts back on Star Wars Battlefront 3. The worst seems to be over and staff are back to working on the Star Wars: Battlefront 3 release date, which is expected sometime in 2015. Sounds like they may be intentionally planning it around the same time the new Star Wars movies will start coming out. iDigital Times tells us more: The news about DICE Stockholm’s renewed focus on Star Wars: Battlefront 3came by way of Reddit. During a discussion on Battlefield 4 DLC, a DICE rep told fans that the…
2.6.1a Patch Notes
Servers are back up, and here today’s patch notes: 2.6.1a Patch Notes General Resolved an issue so that the Bounty Contract Week and Double XP Weekend events will begin correctly. Bounty Contract Week will run March 11th-18th, and the Double XP Weekend will run March 14th-17th. Missions + NPCs The Bounty Hunter Class mission “Albea’s Bounty” now properly resets when the mission “My Sponsorship” is reset. Apparently People were exploiting the The Bounty Hunter Class mission “Albea’s Bounty” to get tons of XP. I have no clue how it worked, but I am thinking of an exp exploit where you can keep on resetting “My Sponsorship” to do it over and over. My guess “My Sponsorship” is something that gives a lot of exp for the time needed to complete it while “Albea’s Bounty” doesn’t (they are in a logic loop of some sort).
Lucky-77 Swoop Video
Remember we told you about the new Lucky-77 Swoop? If you are a subscriber on on March 18, 2014, you will be gifted this new mount. Now BioWare have posted a new video showing off this exclusive new mount. I prefer the larger engine pods on this speeder (and the GSI Exploiter) to the crafted speeders, and I think the overall style makes for one of the better speeder designs in the game, and, hey, free dummy. Personally I don’t need subscriber appreciation gifts/bribes, but some subs have gone ballistic without BW tucking them in and telling them they love them from time to time so I’m just as glad they don’t waste effort on stuff like this.
Developer Update: Quesh Huttball Pit
SWTOR Associate Designer, Alex Modny posted a Developer Update regarding Quesh Huttball Pit today. The blog post was followed up by a forum post were he talks about player concerns regarding the map. People that have played the map once on the Public Test Server, says it is hard to play but a pretty fun map. There are a lot of places to get lost in, but it seems like that whoever can keep a slinger/sniper on the ball spawn will win most of the time. Alex Modney’s reply to this is below the blog post: Developer Update: Quesh Huttball Pit The most brutal game in the Galaxy is back! The magnanimous Giradda the Hutt has graciously opened up his latest Huttball Pit on the noxious planet Quesh and is currently looking for deaths participants to entertain him! The new Pit, built especially for Giradda, is a different layout than…
RIP Aaron Allston
Last week, the world lost a very wonderful writer and special person named Aaron Allston. He born on the 6th of December in 1960 and passed away on March 1st, 2014. He wrote and designed video games and also was well known for writing Star Wars books. He and Michael Stackpole worked together to create the X-Wing Series.
New Unique mount from Nightmare Dread Fortress
PVP’ers are not the only once getting a new awesome mount. SnipeAlott from the guild Reckoning on The Red Eclipse server, got this awesome mount, from Nightmare Dread Fortress on the public test servers last night. The boss that drops it is Brontes, and the mount is named Wings of the Architect. It’s a regular mount that flies like a jetpack without the ability to fly inside certain structures (like a jetpack can). Still amazing looking though. Check it out:
Scheduled Maintenance: March 11th, 2014 – Patch 2.6.1a
On March 11th, 2014, all game servers and SWTOR.com will be unavailable as BioWare perform maintenance. Patch 2.6.1a will be implemented during this downtime. We don’t have the patch notes yet, but be sure to check back, and we will post them when they become available. Details are as follows: Date: Tuesday March 11th, 2014 Duration: 3 hours Time: 2AM PDT (9AM GMT) – 5AM PDT (12PM GMT) Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic Time Zone Start Time Scheduled End Time UTC Offset HST March 11th, 2014 01:00 AM March 11th, 2014 03:00 AM -10 hours AKST March 11th, 2014 02:00 AM March 11th, 2014 04:00 AM -9 hours PST March 11th, 2014 03:00 AM March 11th, 2014 05:00 AM -8 hours MST March 11th, 2014 04:00 AM March 11th, 2014 06:00 AM -7 hours CST March 11th, 2014 05:00 AM…
Next Community Cantina takes place in Boulder this month
We kind of overlooked this story, but the next SWTOR Community Cantina Tour stop takes place in Boulder, Colorado later this month. I would imagine that we will get tons of new details regarding the SWTOR player Housing Announcement at this event, but who knows. Below are the details: We’re happy to announce that the next stop in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Saturday, March 22nd, in Boulder! This is your chance to join the Star Wars: The Old Republic community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks*, food, and giveaways. Every attendee will be receiving a highly coveted M8-3R Astromech code. Space is limited so be sure to come early. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: St. Julien Hotel and Spa Date: Saturday, March 22nd, 2014 Time: 7:00-10:00PM…
Housing Location on Coruscant?
Here is something interesting. Reddit user Darth_Wicked has quite a sharp eye! When he logged into the game after watching the Player housing announcement trailer, he was able to pinpoint were the apartment in the video is located. Taking into account the Capital Ship, the Senate and the like, plus the buildings being rebuilt in the background and it would seem this building… Further evidence… Edit. Below image was just data mined. We are close to something guys: Edit. Below image was just data mined. We are close to something guys:
SWTOR Player Housing Announcement Trailer: BIG News
Yes! It’s here -SWTOR Player Housing Announcement Trailer. We have been waiting for this announcement for a very, very long time. Fans have been asking for player housing in SWTOR since before the game even came out. It has been one of the most requested features for the game so far.
Screenshots of the new Giradda’s Rancor PvP Mount
Patchwork from Bastion server uploaded some pretty bad-ass screenshots of the new Giradda’s Rancor PvP Mount. The mount is one of the Season 1 PvP rewards, and only players at the very top of the pile who manage a rating of 1500 or higher will get this. The end of Season 1 will come with Game Update 2.7 The full list of PVP rewards are as following: (Based on your tier at the end of Season 1) Tier 5 – Rating 0001-1149 Unique Inaugural Tier 5 Title Tier 4 – Rating 1150-1224 Unique Inaugural Tier 4 Title A Mini-Pet Tier 3 – Rating 1225-1299 Unique Inaugural Tier 3 Title A Mini-Pet Ranked 1 Ranked Armor Set Tier 2 – Rating 1300-1499 Unique Inaugural Tier 2 Title A Mini-Pet Season 1 Ranked Armor Set Season 1 Ranked Weapon Set Tier 1 – Rating 1500+ Unique Inaugural Tier 5 Title A Mini-Pet…
Atlanta Cantina Tour News and Info
mmorpg.com have an article on what went on on last weekends Atlanta Cantina Tour: Last week, BioWare sent Star Wars: the Old Republic’s Community Specialist Courtney Woods, Community Manager Eric Musco, Producer Andrew Horowitz, and Lead Engineer Johan Allanson to Atlanta with swag and drink tickets in hand for the latest Cantina Tour stop. The now-traditional flashdrive that was handed out contained a series of images from upcoming content, and as expected, there was a Q&A session with Courtney Woods moderating the party. Many thanks to Dulfy of for the flashdrive assets, and Youtube user Mike Goeppner for capturing video of the event from which I culled the basic questions and answers. As is fairly standard at these things, players asked a lot of really good questions that we all want to know the answers to, but the BioWare folks weren’t going to reveal anything before its time. New playable species…
PTS Update – March 6th, 2014
A new patch was applied to the PTS on 3/6/2014. The new changes are below, and have been merged into the existing patch notes. You can check out the existing patch notes here. General New options for the Ground Target Area of Effect reticle: Sticky Ground Target Reticule – When active, this option makes it so your Ground Target Reticule doesn’t disappear if the cast fails. Example: Bounty Hunter attempts to activate Death From Above, but their target location is out of range. With this option active, the GTAoE reticule should persist and allow the Player to instantly attempt to recast. If this option isn’t active, then the reticule should disappear and the Player will have to click to cast again. Quick Ground Target Activation – When active, pressing a hotkey that belongs to a GTAoE twice should cast the ability at the feet of the Player’s target. Example: Player has…
Watch Galactic Starfighter Spotlight: The Scout & Strike Fighter
BioWare posted a new trailer, on how you can take control of the frontline with the fast and evasive Scout or the powerful and agile Strike Fighter in intense space PvP battles. Your not missing out on much but here it is: Watch the latest trailer and see how you can take control of the frontline with the fast and evasive Scout or the powerful and agile Strike Fighter in intense space PvP battles in the new Free-to-Play Digital Expansion, Galactic Starfighter! Also discover now the new Starfighter variants including the “Scout: Spearpoint” and the “Strike Fighter: FT-3C Imperium” coming in Game Update 2.7 Invasion this April! Jump into Galactic Starfighter today and receive two Pilot Suits! No minimum character level required.
TOR TV: PTS 2.7 stuff ( Warning: Spoilers)
SWTOR Patch 2.7 is available on the public test servers now, and video footage is coming in. These videos have tons of spoilers, so watch this on your own risk. The videos below include everything from flashpoint playthrough, rare loot drops to pre-chat with Theron Shan. I played both Republic Variants earlier. They were more challenging than KDY and Czerka, but not that much more. Both flashpoints featured heavily demolished versions of the starter planet. Korriban especially featured some areas where the path through the rubble wasn’t immediately clear. The only difference is the story and npc skins though. Lana Beniko was definitely more intriguing to me than Theron. Very interesting to see a story like this from both sides. Excited to see where it’s going. Korriban Incursion, Empire Theron Shan Patch 2.7 PTS – Assault on Tython (Imp) Assault on Tython Full Run [Solo Marauder] Assault on Tython & Korriban Incursion…
Massively Closes its SWTOR Doors
In what seems like a trend here recently, Massively announced it is closing its SWTOR doors. In this post, they explain a bit about the when, where’s and why’s: After four years, it’s time to migrate the Hyperspace Beacon to a new home. I’m not leaving Massively; I will still have my Elder Scrolls Online column, and there is a chance that the Hyperspace Beacon can make a cameo here every once in awhile. I still love the Massively staff, who are some of the best people in gaming journalism, and journalism is not a term I use lightly. But since we can no longer run the Beacon on Massively, I have created a website specifically for this column: HyperspaceBeacon.com. I will continue to do my weekly editorials on Star Wars: The Old Republic, but having a site dedicated to this column means that I can cover more Star Wars-y stuff too. There are new movies…
PTS Game Update 2.7: Invasion Patch Notes
Game Update 2.7: Invasion is now available on the Public Test Servers. You can find the patch notes for the current build below. If you haven’t done so already, check out our post on the data mining of the patch. You can check them out here and here. Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ PTS Game Update 2.7: Invasion Patch Notes Last Updated: March 3rd, 2014 All content and features on the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change. Highlights Ranked Arena Season 1 has ended! Characters that had a qualifying rating will be mailed their rewards. Giradda congratulates the winners and looks forward to the bloodshed in Season 2! Ranked Arenas are still active for you and your team to prepare for the next season, which will begin in 2.7.1. Matches played between Seasons will not affect your ratings. Quesh Huttball Pit, a new Warzone, is available…