BioWare posted a lengthy developer update today, regarding Smuggler Class Changes in Rise of the Hutt cartel. In this update, BioWare Senior Designer, Austin Peckenpaugh goes through what to expect: Check out the full developer update over at the official Star Wars: The old republic website here, or read the snipet below: If you missed any of the other class updates posted this week, you can check the out here: Smuggler Class Changes in RotHC Imperial Agent Class Changes in RotHC Jedi Knight Class Changes in RotHC Sith Warrior Class Changes in RotHC Trooper Class Changes in RotHC Bounty Hunter Class Changes in RotHC Hello everyone. My name is Austin Peckenpaugh, and I’m a Senior Designer on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, responsible for class design and combat systems. As such, I’m here to shed some light on the changes to the Smuggler class in Game Update 2.0. We’ll be writing about recent class changes…
SWTOR Sith Warrior Juggernaut Leveling Build For game update 2.0
As we continue showcasing SWTOR builds from swtorsavior.com. we now have a Sith Warrior build for you. This is a level 10-55 leveling build for the Sith Warrior Juggernaut class that you can use with Star Wars: The old republic – Rise of the Hutt cartel. The Sith Warrior Juggernaut leveling builds listed below, focus on talents and abilities with potential for burst and utility and/or talents that augment Rage generation. These talent builds perform best with both instant and channeled abilities. 2/2 Battle Cry 2/2 Decimate 3/3 Malice 1/1 Brutality 2/2 Overpower 2/2 Strangulate 2/2 Saber Strength 2/2 Oppressor 1/1 Obliterate 2/2 Dominate 3/3 Shockwave 1/1 Force Jump 1/1 Force Lash 1/1 Gravity Manipulation 2/2 Shii Cho Mastery 3/3 Dark Resonance 3/3 Cascading Power 2/2 Force Resistance 1/1 Force Crush 3/3 Single Saber Mastery 2/2 Dreadnaught 2/2 Improved Sundering Assault 2/2 Enraged Sunder 1/2 Ravager If you want a COMPLETE set of builds…
2.0.0b Patch Notes
As we mentioned earlier today, BioWare are taking down the servers for scheduled maintenance tomorrow. As part of being awesome, BioWare have already posted the patch notes for the update that will be applied tomorrow. Check it out below: Crew Skills Artifice Reverse Engineering certain color crystals will no longer provide an error message. Advanced Crew Skill training is no longer required to Reverse Engineer color crystals of any type. PvP Note: For more details about these changes, please visit this post. The effect of Bolster on empty item slots has been decreased. Due to itemization changes, Expertise has been removed from all War Hero and Elite War Hero pieces except for weapon crystals. So there you have it. Your maxed elite warhero set is now vendor trash. But I guess that’s the sad nature of the MMO X-Pack beast.
Maintenance – April 16th
Just a heads up to let you know that BioWare will be taking down the servers on april 16th to perform some scheduled maintenance, and Patch 2.0.0b will be deployed on live servers. Check back here on the same day for any pertinent patch information. On April 16th, all game servers will be unavailable as we perform scheduled maintenance. Patch 2.0.0b will be implemented during this downtime. Details are as follows: Date: Tuesday April 16th, 2013 Duration: 2 hours Time: 5AM PDT (12PM GMT) – 7AM PDT (2PM GMT) Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
New Rise of the Hutt Cartel Launch Trailer
BioWare just released a new trailer for Star Wars: The old republic – Rise of the Hutt Cartel. This is the second trailer for the new digital expansion so far. If you haven’t already seen the first one which is titled “Fight for Makeb” be sure to do so. You can do so here. Check out the new one below: The first Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel has just launched, bringing with it an action-packed storyline focused on factional conflict against the Hutt Cartel. Watch the “Fight for Makeb” launch trailer to find out more about the new gear, new abilities and new challenges waiting for you in Rise of the Hutt Cartel.
SWTOR Jedi Knight Guardian Leveling Build 2.0
This guys over at swtorsavior.com have send us a new build. This time it’s a leveling build for Jedi Knight Guardian. The Jedi Knight Guardian builds listed below, focus on talents and abilities with potential for burst and utility and/or talents that augment Focus generation. These talent builds perform best with both instant and channeled abilities. Here are the points used: 3/3 Insight 2/2 Momentum 2/2 Swelling Winds 2/2 Zephyrean Slash 1/1 Swift Slash 2/2 Pulse 2/2 Saber Strength 2/2 Intervention 1/1 Zealous Leap 2/2 Felling Blow 3/3 Singularity 1/1 Force Lash 1/1 Agility Training 1/1 Gravity Defiance 3/3 Focused Resonance 2/2 Shi-Cho Mastery 2/2 Through Peace 3/3 Heightened Power 1/1 Force Exhaustion 2/2 Master Focus 2/2 Victory Rush 3/3 Single Saber Mastery 2/2 Improved Sundering Strike 1/2 Perseverance Rotations: Single Target: Sundering Strike > Zealous Leap > Force Sweep > Force Exhaustion > Force Stasis > Dispatch > Blade Storm > Master Strike…
The Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour Los Angeles June 13th
Looks like BIoWare is releasing a new destination in there Community Cantina Tour each week. Last week we got the news that they crew will show up in Dallas on May 17th, and today we learn they will show up in Los Angeles June 13th. Below are the details: We’re happy to announce that the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be stopping in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 13th! This is your chance to join the Star Wars™: The Old Republic community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks* and giveaways. Every attendee will be receiving a highly coveted Tauntaun Fawn code. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: Caña Rum Bar Date: Thursday, June 13th, 2013 Time: 8-11PM PDT Address: 714 West Olympic Blvd, Downtown LA, CA 90014 Space will be limited, so be sure to arrive early! You can RSVP on Facebook here (Facebook RSVP is…
Upcoming PVP Changes
It’s no secret that the launch of Star Wars: The old republic – rise of the Hutt cartel brings some PVP problems to the game. One of the main problems have been naked Bolster and the itemization issues attached to it. Yesterday SWTOR Community Manager Eric Musco took on the official forums and posted some very detailed information on everything BioWare was going to do about it. Basically it comes down to Going into a Warzone completely naked will now be worse than wearing gear. War Hero and Elite War Hero gear is viable again. Check it out below out check out the original thread over at the official forums here. Copy paste: Alex Modny Naked Bolster The main change being made to Bolster is how it treats item slots with no items in them aka the naked bolster. If there is a slot without an item in it, that slot will only…
Developer Update: Galactic Solutions Industries
BioWare have behyper active this weeks regarding Developer Updates. Today they posted yet a new one regarding the new faction: Galactic Solutions Industries that comes with The first Digital Expansion to Star Wars: The old republic – Rise of the Hutt Cartel. What is GSI, and what are their intentions? They’re a weapons research and manufacturing company that remains strictly unaligned in the galactic war. As long as you can pay for their services, they will do business with you. In fact, their company motto is “We stay neutral, so you don’t have to!” So, how do you go about doing business with GSI? As a matter of fact, GSI has conveniently placed their mission terminals across multiple planets. Complete the independent contracts they offer, and you’ll be rewarded with reputation trophies that build up your standing with them. Get to a high enough Reputation level, and you can purchase exclusive rewards from…
SWTOR Guide: Making the Most of Your Companions
Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic Having a companion by your side when on missions can greatly enhance the overall experience and make playing Star Wars: The Old Republic even more exciting. They can be very useful when it comes to gameplay by getting you out of some tough situations and they help to keep things interesting. However, it can be very difficult trying to decide which companion to take along on each mission, especially if you are not used to having a helper. Choosing the right one can greatly enhance gameplay but choosing the wrong one can make things more difficult than it should be. In order to get the most from your companions, here are a few things you should know. Update Your Companions Gear One of the biggest mistakes new players make is not updating their companions gear….
Developer Update: Macrobinoculars and Seeker Droids
BioWare just posted two small Developer Updates on new items available in Star Wars : The old republic Rise of the Hutt Cartel. In the first Developer Update, World Designers, Steven Chew and Michael Ammer, discuss Macrobinoculars, a new system in Rise of the Hutt Cartel. This new system allows players to scan and analyze objects far out in the distance, uncovering hidden objects and revealing interesting details about them. There may even be a reward for finding certain hidden objects. A brand new storyline will come with this new system, as players use the macrobinoculars to track down a dangerous new enemy known only as the Shroud. Players will return to previously explored planets and discover new threats, as they seek more information on the Shroud’s intricate plan. What is the Shroud up to? How will it affect the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire? Be prepared to put on your thinking cap, as the…
EA Responds to “Worst Company in America” Poll; Makes History
EA Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, has responded to what looks to be EA’s second year in a row winning The Consumerist’s ‘Worst Company in America’ award. Their stock might be on the rise but there are clearly still some issues that EA needs to work out. EA is the first company in the contest’s history to win this award twice (not the type of award you want to brag about, right?) Electronic Arts COO Peter Moore had some things to say about this development: “Are we really the “Worst Company in America?” Moore asks. “I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve made plenty of mistakes. These include server shut downs too early, games that didn’t meet expectations, missteps on new pricing models and most recently, severely fumbling the launch of SimCity. We owe gamers better performance than this.” He then goes on to explain how last year they won the…
Guild Rewards Program
BioWare posted an update on the official Star Wars: The old republic website, regarding new and upcoming guild features. From now on you will be getting a 5% XP boost for being in a guild. They will also be adding more guild benefits later.. Who said guild capital ships? Did you say guild capital ships? Someone said guild capital ships.?! Are you ready to earn valuable rewards for joining a guild? We’ve got great news! We’re excited to launch a new Guild Rewards Program which rewards player participation in guilds with in-game bonuses and benefits. In this initial phase, players earn an additional 5% Guild XP Bonus for all experience gained while playing in a guild. So whether you’re already in a guild or are looking to join or create one, jump in now to take advantage of this bonus! We’re working on adding more guild rewards so stay tuned…
EA’s Survival Has Been “A Rare Feat”
We’ve talked before here about the ups and downs of EA. They’ve had a rough couple of years and those shareholders who are still holding on saw stock drop from around $25 back in the winter of 2011 to just about $11 last August. Now they’re back up to around $18 a share. So those who have stayed in it for the long haul are seeing their efforts pay off. At last week’s Game Developer’s Conference, GamesIndustry International talked to EA president Frank Gibeau (a possible replacement for Riccitiello) about the state of EA: “It’s a dynamic industry. At one moment social is the hottest thing in the history of man, and the next minute it’s not. One minute console is dead, the next minute console is incredible. There’s no market in Russia, Brazil, China, and now we’re seeing some of the largest markets in the world in the emerging market. The…
Server maintenance and patch 2.0a
Servers were down for a few hours today to apply an emergency patch that fixed a few issues with quests and game crashes. Many players was hoping this patch would fix the bolster issue that has been with the game since update 2.0. Bolster is now determined by gear instead of purely by level from what I understand. So you could remove your gear and get bolstered up to people who have gear. You remove gear and you get bolstered BEYOND those with gear at the moment. BioWare is aware of this problem though, and Eric Musco posted a lengthy forum post on the official forum. This is a hilarious “bug” and I love that he sat down and explained exactly what’s happening. It’s the perfect way to handle the situation. AmberGreen Maintenance: April 10th, 2013 | 04.09.2013, 03:46 PM On April 10th, all game servers will be unavailable as…
Game Update 2.0 “Scum and Villainy” Trailer
With the early access to Star Wars: The old Republic Rise of the Hutt Cartel in full swing, a new trailer for the digital expansion sees sees the day. The trailer is not as bad ass as the old E3 trailers that took the world with storm back in the days, And it doesn’t bring a ton of new stuff to the table. It’s still worh a look though as it features some of the new attack animations that comes with Game update 2.0, as well as armor, environments, and stufflike that. Check it out below:
Rise of the Hutt Cartel Preparation and Guide
Are you ready for the Rise of the Hutt Cartel? Whether you waiting until the last minute to start preparing or if you’re ready and rearing to begin right now, you’re going to love the new, fresh content. In order to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the experience, we have some tips and guidelines to follow. There are many guides and tips already available so when appropriate, we might make a link or referral to an external site as a resource. It’s all about getting you the best info as quickly as possible. Prelaunch So here are some things you can do/should do as preparation before the launch: Get more experience boosts- whether minor or major, these boost will help you as you are leveling up. Using the exp boosts, you can get the max level as quickly as possible. Do some dailies and weeklies- you’re waiting anyway,…
Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0 Patch Notes
The official patch notes for Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy are now live. BioWare have made so many changes, updates and tweaks to the game. There are about 500 notes, over 11K words in in these patch notes! Check it out below, or over at the official website. Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy 4/9/2013 . Rise of the Hutt Cartel The Hutt Cartel has emerged from the shadows to challenge the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire for control, unleashing never-before-seen Droids and monstrous battle stations to serve as powerful weapons of destruction. Join your faction and explore story-driven missions with explosive combat to save the future of the galaxy! For more information about how to access the Rise of the Hutt Cartel features and content, please visitwww.swtor.com/rothc. All Classes can now reach Level 55! New Planet:…
Other Star Wars Games: Zen Pinball 2
If you love Star Wars games as much as we do, then you might want to consider Zen Pinball 2. I’m actually a big fan of pinball games so when you combine the both of them into a mobile game, I am hooked! C Net says: The good: Star Wars Pinball has some of the sharpest graphics we’ve seen on Android. The bad: The physics of the game could use some work. The bottom line: Whether you’re a fan of “Star Wars” or pinball, or both, this game is a visual delight that’s worth its price. Very nice but what is it really all about? Well it may be 2013 but pinball is still alive and well- only now we have ePinball. Game creators at Zen Studios have two new innovative titles – Star Wars Pinball and Zen Pinball 2. “”Star Wars Pinball” is for iOS and Android devices. It’s…
Servers going down at 6PM PDT tonight
BioWare are taking all the servers down later tonight for maintenance and the launch of Game Update 2.0: Rise of the Hutt Cartel. SWTOR: RotHC will go live tomorrow for everyone, whether or not you’re in Early Access, or have pre-ordered the expansion, but for all of you with Early Access, the servers will come up at approximately 12PM pacific. On April 8th at 6PM PDT (April 9th, 1AM GMT) all game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be unavailable as we perform scheduled maintenance. Game Update 2.0 will be implemented during this downtime. After maintenance, Early Access will begin for those who preordered Rise of the Hutt Cartel by January 7th, 2013. For more information and announcements about this exciting new Digital Expansion, please visit our Digital Expansion Page. Details are as follows: Date: Monday April 8th- Tuesday April 9th Duration: 6 hours Time: April 8th, 6PM PDT (April 9th, 1AM GMT ) – April…
Developer Blog: PvP in Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy
Assistant Designer Alex Modny made a developer blog Friday, about the upcoming PvP changes coming with Game Update 2.0. SWTOR’s current bolster system is receiving a complete overhaul as part of the 2.0 update. It should fix issues of fairness which are encountered when players turn from level 49 to 50. Now, rather than a universal buff to their abilities, players will receive a boost determined by the equipment they have attiring their character. With Bolster, the most important change is that the stats are no longer granted on an assumption of stat power based on character level. Rather we look at each one of the Item Ratings (including the Mods, Augments, Armorings, etc. that go into the armor/weapon) of the current equipped gear and base the amount of stats given based on these values. The worse your items are the more stats you are given to get you to the base value we want…
Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour – Dallas May 17th
BioWare have announce the next Star Wars: The old Republic Cantina Tour will be held in Dallas May 17th 2013. Check out the full announcement below, and let us know if you will be attending: We’re happy to announce that the next stop in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Friday, May 17th, in Dallas! 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 Tauntaun Fawn code. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: Wyndham Las Colinas Date: Friday, May 17th, 2013 Time: 8-11PM CDT Address: 110 West John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX 75039 Space will be limited, so be sure to arrive early! You can RSVP on Facebook here (Facebook RSVP is not required for attendance). We look…
SWTOR Last Double XP Weekend
Are you ready for Makeb? It’s the last double XP weekend and the last weekend before the release of Game Update 2.0 and Rise of the Hutt Cartel for those who are eligible for ‘early access’ so this is your chance to get the most from this experience while you still can. Friday through Monday, April 8th at 12AM PST, those who still don’t have a level 50 character can take advantage of the event this weekend just before the Makeb content releases on the 9th. You can get up to 310% experience points using the double XP, XP boost and legacy perks. This is your chance to take full advantage of this experience boost and get your character to max or level up a new character as far as you can while it is still available. Then, we will see Makeb and the Rise of the Hutt Cartel so…
Star Wars Episode 7 Rumor Roundup
We’re all anxiously awaiting Star Wars: Episode 7 and with the news of Disney letting LucasArts staff go, we’re even more interested in what will happen with this new film series. So this is why we’re keeping up to date on all the hottest and greatest news about the new movie. This means a lot of talk about what Abrams will do with Episode 7 as well as what kind of records the film might set when it makes it to the big screen. Let’s take a look at what some others are saying about it. Den of Geek says: We seem to be in a bit of a limbo at the moment with regards Star Wars: Episode VII, with the thinking being that Lucasfilm will wait until JJ Abrams is fully finished on his new film, Star Trek Into Darkness, before making a full and formal announcement about the…