Georg Zoeller Talks Economic Changes in Patch 1.1.5

If you missed his blog post on the official forums, Principle Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller had a very interesting post that talks about the changes in Patch 1.1.5. Basically, he gives the players a look into changes to the economy coming soon and how this will affect us. He provides it in-context and also with some lore. (He’s always been great at the story-telling.) Here is a piece of what he said in the blog post about colorcrystal changes: It’sbeen reported that Operatives of the Republic Strategic Intelligence Servicehave recovered several new variations of color crystal prototypes during adaring raid on a cutting edge Imperial Science Bureau outpost on Ilum. Amongthe items recovered are a number of rare, purple-hued color crystals, usuallyexclusive to Imperial-held worlds. Republicscientists are confident that they will be able to reverse-engineer andpotentially replicate the captured Imperial technology, including the colorcrystals, in a matter of weeks….

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US PvP Server Population Statistics and Data

Just as promised recently, Dulfy has some statistical data on US PvP and RP-PvP server population for us. If you want to know which PvP server to join, how many people are on your PvP server or what the server balance is between factions on your server then this data will help you out. From Dulfy: Thereare only 44 PVP/RP-PVP servers so the data collection took a bit shorter, butit got delayed by a day cuz I didn’t know typing “fleet” and”the fleet” in the who list window give different results – I wastyping in “the fleet” after typing in all the warzones – “thepit, the civil war, the voidstar etc” – this gave much lower numbers (atfirst I thought it was cuz the players on PvP servers are less “lazy”and don’t sit around on the fleet as much hehe). I had to erase all the dataand start over.  7planets…

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INC Gamers Reviews SWTOR after 2 Months

SWTOR has been out for about 2 months now and some of us have been playing since beta or since the launch. If you’ve ever played a newly launched MMO before, you know that the first few months are sometimes the rockiest. There are usually game bugs and other kinks to iron out. Sometimes the community is out of balance or has not had time to stabilize yet. The economy can be wonky as servers balance and players learn how to work things and what the value of things are. So here we sit, two months in and what better time than now to take a look at what is happening in SWTOR? The crew over at INC gamers have an in-depth review of SWTOR- 2 months in. It’s more than 1,800 words of thoughts and impressions on the game thus far. While they published a positive early review of…

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Jedi Consular Shadow PVP Build – Solid PVP Build For The Jedi Shadow!

Hey guys, Another build coming at you courtesy of http://www.swtorsavior.com. This one is for PVP and the class we are going to be running through is the Jedi Consular Shadow. Now for those of you that have played World of Warcraft you will find it easier if you think of the Shadow as a Rogue. Your job is to get in and out without being seen and cause as much damage as you can! Essentially you want to get to the back lines of the enemy and take down all the healers and squishy DPS players. If you have just started PVP with a Jedi Shadow it can be tough though so here is a solid build to use: Jedi Consular Shadow PVP Build: The main skills that you will be using with this build in PVP are the Spinning Kick which although it requires stealth it will allow you…

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SWTOR Legacy System Guide: The Basics

The Legacy system in SWTOR can be a bit confusing even to those who have already chosen their surname. This guide is designed to help you understand why the system was put in place and how it can benefit players. There will be changes to the legacy system in the future and we will update this guide and provide additional guides as needed to help you understand. The legacy system is one based on the principal of family. Many of the characters in the movies were related in one way or the other so the guys that made SWTOR decided to make it where the characters you create in the game are related. Some of the main relations are brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, wives and husbands but there are a few others. When you choose the relationship between your main character and a new one that you make, it has…

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BioWare Wants YOU! (To Test Game Content)

It sounds like BioWare is working on endgame content. Joveth Gonzalez , Associate Online Community Manager has some good news for SWTOR fans in the Austin area: The Star Wars: The Old Republic team is looking for skilled SWTOR players in the Austin area to test out brand new content in the BioWare Austin office. We are looking for players that are experienced with endgame Operations, Warzones, and Flashpoints. Players that meet this criteria may fill out this survey and qualifying candidates will be contacted for more information. This is a temporary paid position and will require at least a weekend a month of your time. Thank you! This is really cool for those of you who live here in Austin with us- a chance to check out new game content AND get paid for it. It also shows us that BioWare is serious about finding out what the players…

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SWTOR Game Review by Capsule Computers

We’re all about bringing you SWTOR news here and part of that involves capturing the opinions of others. If you play, you have to decide for yourself how you feel about the game but it’s still good to hear what other players have to say about the game. Do you have complaints? Maybe someone else has the same complaints? Are there things you love about the game? Maybe others feel the same. Still haven’t bought the game yet? Then reviews may have an even bigger impact on you. Capsulecomputers.com has a few things to say about SWTOR as it stands now: “Star Wars: The Old Republic follows the individual tale of each player character inhabiting the game within the games universe. This means that players will get a more personalised experience from the games story, unlike other MMORPGs that seem to skimp in this department. Using the warring galaxy as…

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Interview: Gabe Amatangelo, Lead PvP Designer BioWare

As part of the local launch festivities, the guys over at TOROZ had some time to talk with Gabe Amatangelo, SWTOR’s Lead PvP designer. The Oceanic community had a lot of questions and they were able to get most of them asked in the time they had with Gabe. There were some things of interest to all of us in this interview. For example, there will new PvP changes and additions, the introduction of ranked PvP, UI changes (everyone has been asking for) and much more. See below for the official video of the interview. Thanks to TorBoard for the giving us the notes because the video is a bit difficult to hear: Gear/Warzone/Commendation Changes Lesser end-game commendations (Champion, Centurion, etc.) will not be exchangable. There will be two levels of warzones. Regular and Ranked warzones. Regular warzones will give out regular WZ commendations, and Ranked warzones will give out ranked…

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Drew Karpyshyn New Novel Coming Soon

While he recently announced his official departure from BioWare, Drew Karpyshyn hinted he has a new novel in the works. Before now, there was not a lot known about the next novel in the Star Wars The Old Republic series but an announcement on publisher Del Ray’s Facebook page indicates otherwise. Del Ray announced on their Facebook page: First, DARTH BANE and REVAN author Drew Karpyshyn is cranking away on his next novel, STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC: ANNIHILATION. Republic agent Theron Shan and his Twi’lek compadre, Teff’ith (from Dark Horse Comics’ STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC: THE LOST SUNS) must contend with a Sith Empire counter-attack against the Republic, spearheaded by the lethal apprentice of Darth Malgus. Satele Shan and Jace Malcolm co-star in what will be a fast-paced and tension-fraught tale based on the award-winning video game from BioWare and LucasArts. This is great news for Karpyshyn fans…

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Players Created a Premature Oceanic Server with Guild System

Gamers often go a long way to get what they want and this story from Massively explains just what some SWTOR fans will do to get their server to play on. We are never lacking for creative and ingenious gamers who find workarounds for all of their problems and issues. The early lack of Oceanic and Asian servers led some players to get creative and find their own method around it, using BioWare’s own system to their advantage. Many MMOs have unofficial servers for regions and rulesets, but pulling them together can take an incredible amount of work and still end up halfway done. However, Oceanic and Asian players wanted to make sure that they all rolled on the same server right on launch day, so guilds began to get in contact with each other and use BioWare’s own guild registration system to link Republic and Empire groups together in…

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Species of Starwars: Nikto

The Nikto were a reptilian humanoid species from the planet Kintan in the Si’Klaata Cluster with many subspecies. They have tan, leathery skin and flat faces with multiple breathing holes on their cheeks and jawbones. Radiation from a nearby nova is believed to have sparked rampant mutation among the animal life of Kintan, and has resulted in the Nikto species encompassing a number of distinct sub-races. Four small horns protrude from the Nikto’s forehead. Nikto can be found throughout the galaxy, often involved with shady activities in the galaxy’s fringe. Of all the “client species” of the Hutt Cartel, the Nikto are regarded as the most dangerous, especially due to the actions of a fanatical and fatalistic cult that has long plagued the Nikto people. The Kajain’sa’Nikto, or “Red Nikto” are probably the most common. These desert dwellers are characterized by reddish pigmentation, small horns along the forehead and orbits of the…

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SWTOR Flashpoints: New Player’s Guide

As a new SWTOR player, you need the basics of flashpoints so you can get started in the game and learn the ropes. This guide is designed to help you do just that. Here you can find all the information you need to get started and to advance in the game to become an intermediate player. It includes the basics to get you started. What this guide is not: This guide is not a specific breakdown or walk-through of any specific flashpoint. Rather, it is an overview of what you need to know to succeed in flashpoints, especially if you are new to the game. Let’s begin… First, you should know that flashpoints are the same thing as dungeons in other MMO games. This is where you’ll find the best loot drops and it’s where the hardest fights take place. Normally, you’ll get a quest for the flashpoint before entering…

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Asia Pacific Server Names and Launch Timing

Are you looking for more information about launch timing for SWTOR launches in Asia? Now that the game is launching in several new territories, players from these regions are trying to learn more about the launch times, servers and more. Stephen Reid posted in the official forums about the Asia Pacific Server Names and Launch Timing: Good morning, or to those of you on the other side of the world, good morning… for tomorrow. This week we officially launch Star Wars: The Old Republic in several new territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Lots of more information on all aspects of the launch will be released tomorrow in an update to our official FAQ, but as we’ve heard requests for server names and timing, we thought we’d give you those details a little earlier. Here’s our official launch timing. All servers will be online simultaneously at approx…

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Jedi Consular Shadow Leveling Build – Use This And RACE To Level 50!

We Got another build for you today courteous of swtorsavior.com. This build also includes full rotations so you will pack a punch when using the Jedi Shadow. This is a leveling build (PVE) and is more geared towards DPS… Jedi Consular Shadow Leveling Build Here is a quick run through of the point allocation:  Level 10 – Shadow’s Respite (1/2) Level 11 – Shadow’s Respite (2/2) Level 12 – Infiltration Tactics (1/3) Level 13 – Infiltration Tactics (2/3) Level 14 – Infiltration Tactics (3/3) Level 15 – Misdirection (1/3) Level 16 – Misdirection (2/3) Level 17 – Misdirection (3/3) Level 18 – Security Breach (1/2) Level 19 – Security Breach (2/2) Level 20 – Shadow Technique (1/1) Level 21 – Vigor (1/1) Level 22 – Circling Shadows (1/2) Level 23 – Circling Shadows (2/2) Level 24 – Masked Assault (1/1) Level 25 – Profundity (1/3) Level 26 – Profundity (2/3)…

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Interview with Jennifer Hale

Have you seen the face of the voice behind Satele Shan? What about the female Sheppard in Mass Effect? Or the femtrooper in SWTOR? Yup, all voices are done by Jennifer Hale. She is an amazing voice actress who always goes above and beyond in the roles that she plays. If you are a Jennifer Hale fan, then you’re going to appreciate the exclusive interview over at TORWars this week. Recently, Deirdre from TORWars was able to sit down and pick the brain of the beautiful and talented Jennifer Hale and they’ve been kind enough to post the two-part video series on their site for fans to enjoy. Some topics of conversation? What it’s like to do voice acting for one of the biggest names in the video game industry, her singing career and more. There are two parts of the ongoing series now live and they say to check…

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SWTOR for $39.99 on Amazon Deal of the Day

This just in from Amazon’s Deal of the Day today- SWTOR for only $39.99 and it ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. If you’ve been waiting to buy SWTOR until the price comes down, thinking about buying it for a friend or a family member or wanted to get yourself a second copy, this is the perfect time to get the savings on the initial purchase. You save $20 on the game when you buy- today only- from Amazon.com. This special price is for the standard edition. It is in stock and ships immediately after purchase. Platform: PC (Windows Vista / XP) Product Features (from Amazon listing) Platform: PC | Edition: Standard ·        Define Your Star Wars Saga – Choose from one of eight iconic roles ·        Choose the Light or Dark Side – Meaningful choices throughout your journey will determine the light or dark side ·        Adventure with Companions –…

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TOR TV: False Emperor Hard Mode – 2 Man

The False Emperor takes place right after the Battle of Ilum and your faction obtaining Darth Severin’s stealth fighter. Your party uses this to invade Darth Malgus’s space station in order to take the fight to him. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Do not watch this unless you are ready to have the higher levels of Star Wars: The Old Republic shown to you!! Fappy and Dreary of the Krath Server walk you through the False Emperor flashpoint in SWTOR — 2 MAN!

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SWTOR Scheduled Maintenance Tonight

This week will see SWTOR updates back on the regular Tuesday night schedule. There will not be a new patch this week, only regular maintenance. Here are the details. via the SWTORforums: Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performingscheduled maintenance for four hours on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 from 2AMCST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 6AM CST (4AM PST/7AM EST/12PMGMT/1PM CET). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during thisperiod. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but couldbe extended. For our new players, this weekly maintenance is done in order to makegeneral improvements and to check performance of the game so that we cancontinue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but notalways) after a maintenance period there will be a patch to download. This weekthere will be no new patch, but we will be performing…

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SWTOR Fans Build SWTOR-Themed Beer Pong Table

Are you looking for something fun to do on patch day? Why not enjoy some SWTOR-themed beer pong? These two friends built their very own beer pong table inspired by the two sides in SWTOR. It’s a bit crude, but we got a kick out of it and if someone else is bringing the beer, we’d sure join in, too. Not sure what beer pong is? First, what planet have you beenliving on and secondly, you can read the officialrules of beer pong from The NationalBeer Pong League (yes, there is even a World Series of Beer Pong). Here are the basics of beer pong People Needed: 2 or 4 people(head to head or 2 on 2) What you need to play: (14) 12 ounce plastic cups (6 per team and 2 water cups) (2) Ping-pong balls (preferably more incase one gets broken or lost) (2-4) 12 ounce beverages per game A flat level…

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Guardian Angel: Getting Geared Up for End Game on the Republic Side

So you’ve made it 50, you completed your story quests(even the ones on Ilum), and you’re sitting around wondering, “What do I do now?”. You’d like to run hard mode flash points or start going on operations, but the people spamming in general chat keep saying something about needing “geared” group mates. How does one go about accomplishing the task of becoming “geared”? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Being a fresh Republic 50 in Star Wars: The Old Republic can be a somewhat frustrating experience if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here are a few simple steps that should help you transition from you under-modded orange gear to some well earned purples. Dailies: Daily quest will be your first step in your quest to gear yourself out for end game content. As the name might suggest, daily missions can be repeated once a day. The first set…

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The Guild Sphere: Imperium

Today I had the chance to talk with Council Member Kirai from the guild Imperium. Imperium is a hardcore guild that does pve and pvp very frequently – pritty much all week. Currently The guild is close to 300 members and have been around since pre-release on the Krath-US West server. The guild Have an awesomely designed guild site (imperiumtor.com) and are currently working on getting an podcast running. Check out the interview below: Where did your guilds name come from? Latin for Power to command Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentance description of your guild? Large, pantless, hardcore raiding guild, we run 3 raid groups almost every day of the week and have a pvp squad as well. Were laid back when not raiding but while raiding its no-bull shit zone and meaningless stuff isn’t tolerated. Otherwise were a fun entertaining guild all above 18+ one of…

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SWTOR Faction Balance and Population Numerical Data

Here’s some really interesting information about US PvE/RP servers regarding faction balance and population. If you love data (like me), you’re going to appreciate this one. There’s not a lot of current information out about the server population. Which servers are over populated? Which servers are dead? Are you looking to join a server that will have people to play with regularly or do you want a low-pop server where you can just do your own thing? This is valuable information for any gamer and a poster at Reddit has helped us out with some data: That being said, there has being hardly any numerical data on the server population and Imperial/Republic balance. Bioware is unlikely to release this data anytime soon, if ever. I went to 79 PVE/RP servers and created two level 1 characters per server over the span of 3-4 days and recorded the population data for…

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Memes of the week: February 20 – 26

Memes like “Advice Animals” and “Rage Comics” have been big part of social media the last year. On some websites like Tumblr and Reddit they have become so big that many is starting to find them annoying. Some might ague that subreddits have been destroyed by the amount of these memes being submitted. Examples of now useless subreddits is r/gaming and r/wow. Many reddit moderators have therefor taken a stand against these memes. This includes the moderators on r/swtor . This action is both good and bad, as might keep the subreddit way more clean and easy to navigate, but it also goes against the nature of reddit, and many  good jokes never get to see the light of the day. So tarting today, we will bring you a weekly recap of memes that you never got to see. Philosoraptor on SWTOR: By AppleJuiceCookies Unimpressed Sith. By donnymocker Saw this odd glitch last night. By Novogrod The truth about death in SWTOR: By captapocalypse Regarding…

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