In the quarterly earnings call for Electronic Arts, they announced they had 1.7 million active subscribers to SWTOR. These are some pretty huge numbers but just what do they mean? These figures count the number of players who have subscribed to the game past the first month free trial you get with purchase. This means that Star Wars: The Old Republic has gained more followers in the first month than Blizzard Entertainment’s immensely popular World Of Warcraft (WoW) did during the same period. (via Hexus) Of course, these are just early figures and in the SWTOR vs WoW arena, Blizzard has a 7-year head start. The true test of MMORPG brilliance will come when we see where SWTOR is in the long run. Where will they be after 6 months? What about a year from release? What about 7 years? The true test of success lies in whether or not…
SWTOR Paid Subscriptions are Up
This news comes late, but according to the EA quarter earnings call last week, subscriptions to SWTOR are up- way up! Industry analysts say SWTOR is seeing some good numbers. They are reporting 1.3 million paid subscribers. If you remember another recent report, however, these numbers are just slightly off of what BioWare reported- 1.7 million. Either way, the numbers are fairly close and it means a positive thing for SWTOR and also for EA. The company has many investors hanging on to every update hoping the company will continue to succeed. A great deal of the success of the company rides on the success of this one game so you can bet that investors are seeking every bit of info they can get on it. So far, so good for BioWare and EA because the subscription numbers are high and it’s still a very new game. We can expect…
STAR WARS: DAWN OF THE JEDI #0
Following yesterdays story on Tales of the Jedi, I wanted to give you a heads up on a new comic from Dark Horse comics. Set 34,000 years before the Star Wars movies, Dawn of the Jedi is a story that begins early in the universe and helps set the stage for the Star Wars world as we see it today and also in SWTOR. #0 starts us off as a preview issue of the comic series from Dark Horse. Released on February 1, 2012, this episode is less of a story and more of a guidebook to the upcoming series. “It began with the mysterious pyramid ships–the Tho Yor–scattered to the eight corners of the galaxy, and ended with the establishment of an Order that would change the universe forever. Here’s your first look at the Star Wars of 25,000 years ago–before there were lightsabers, when the ties to the Force were new,…
SWTOR Lightsaber Hilts: Find Your Favorite
What is one of the coolest things about playing a Star Wars game? Well, getting your own lightsaber, of course! The good news for SWTOR fans is that there are many different types and styles of lightsabers in the game, with different colors, stylized hilts and some that even make different noises when you wield them. Here’s an interesting render of the many lightsaber hilts in the game, allowing you to compare the different styles and help you if you’re a collector. The different styles consist of the color crystal, emitter matrix, hilt, power crystal and the focus lens and they produce different color lights and sounds. The standard lightsaber has a straight hilt and slots called “item modifications”. You can modify your lightsaber by using different mods in these slots to make them unique. There are a variety of ways to get lightsabers in SWTOR. You can obtain lightsabers…
From BioWare: New Community Blogs- Weekly Q&A + Dev Tracker Summaries
Are you looking for more news and updates about SWTOR from the official website? You’re in luck because BioWare has just announced two new community blogs to help keep us all informed and updated. Community News of the official site explains: “We’re very happy to announce that we are adding two new weekly blogs to hopefully give you more insight into development and keep you up to date on developer comments you may have missed.” This will be two new community blogs to help keep you updated on happenings with SWTOR. This is just one more way that BioWare is working on their customer service and things that they can do to keep us updated on happenings in the game. They have also told us repeatedly that they want to hear our feedback- but keep it constructive. They want to hear what we think about the game, changes and other…
TOR TV: Aric Jorgan is a !@#$%& CAT
ThisIsRefmo is back with a new video that hangs Aric Jorgan out to dry. Aparently this cat is a pervert! Did you hear that? A pervert! He is also a cat. Last time we heard from ThisIsRefmo they were arguing that paying customers should have an easy mode for getting datacrons. In this new video, I especially love the “nope nope nope nope nope” part while she’s running to the ship. Had me in hysterics. And I wish my ship droid would stop talking whenever I told him to shut up like hers does. Interested in SWTOR Movies? We have new movies most weekdays here on swtorstrategies! Have suggestions for movie we ought to feature? Get in contact with us here
Incoming Ads for SWTOR
I know a thing or two about marketing- it’s part of my job in many ways. I often write advertising copy, help with social media marketing and article marketing and run online advertising campaigns for clients. This experience in marketing allows me to understand one common problem with many MMORPGs today- they lack the proper marketing to get noticed by the masses. Blizzard has the resources and the funds for a huge marketing campaign. They have ads everywhere you look, often right under our noses when we don’t even realize it. The problem is that most developers just don’t have the resources to compete, especially with a giant like Blizzard in the MMORPG world. But EA is preparing to carpet bomb you with SWTOR ads, as Dual Shockers explains: Thanks to a transcript of the Q&A Session held during the conference we can get a little more insight on what…
1.1.2 Patch Notes — 2/7/2012
Here are todays patchnotes. This patch fixes SO many issues like the Rakata weapons wich are now a correctly rated 140 – so finally time for a weapon upgrade. There are also a few “but why” updates in the patch, like this one: “Rakata reusable stims and adrenals have been reduced in power, providing buffs equal to Energized stims and adrenals. However, the tooltips for these items have not been updated and will still display old values.” – WHY? Anyways. Check it out below: Classes and Combat Combat Ability Responsiveness Further improved response time for ability activation requests, especially in low-framerate situations. The activation bar now appears at the correct time (when the activation of an ability begins) and disappears when activation is complete. Instant combat abilities no longer occasionally start their combat animations twice, resulting in jerky behavior on the executing player’s client. The display of the floating text from instant healing…
Guardian Angel
Hello, fellow Star Wars fans. My name is Kiran and I will be writing a new column for the Jedi Guardian class, which is my favorite class in SW:TOR. From the very first moment I saw the trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic back in 2008, I was obsessed with the Jedi Guardian. The man on the screen was named Ven Zallow, and even though he was defeated, he resembled the kind of Jedi I always dreamed of being. I was all but ecstatic when I was chosen to participate in the beta. Since then I have dedicated countless hours of research and tinkering to playing and maximizing the Jedi Guardian class. Even though I started with my heart set on a Vigilance DPS build, I fell in love with the Defense tank Guardian, which is build I will be covering in this blog. Here are just a few…
TOR TV: Dromund Kaas – SWTOR Rick Ross parody
This machinima/parody was created by long time youtube user Propostris. This guy has been active in the machinima comunity for a while creating both World of Warcraft Machinima, aswell as lot’s of other parodies and general commentary in the past. This video is a parody of a song by Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj called “You the Boss”. Original he is a music artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. His parodies have been played in Tulsa and Houston, Texas radio stations, and he have opened up for Ludacris and T-Pain. You can check out his personal blog here for news and info on upcomming material. Interested in SWTOR Movies? We have new movies most weekdays here on swtorstrategies! Have suggestions for movie we ought to feature? Get in contact with us here
Understanding the Legacy Experience
There are quite a few questions out there about the Legacy system in SWTOR and it’s no surprise that people want to know what it is and how to succeed. If you want to level up your Legacy system, it will require some work on your part. You need to gain legacy experience which can then be used for rewards, based on a multiplier system. Here are some basics to understanding the legacy system: Introduction to the Legacy System What do you think of the Legacy System so far? We’ve been told that future updates will continue to flesh out the system so we will keep you updated on this and more as the system develops over time. This blog post on the official SWTOR site explains more about the Legacy System and what it does. The legacy system “will grant your characters access to powers, objects and other cool…
The Guild Sphere: Lucidic Kings
Today I had the chance to talk to David (King), guild leader of Lucidic Kings. Lucidic Kingswas originally formed as a DCUO guild, but has now also started a SWTOR division. The guild is semi-hardcore Empire guild that is focusing on getting the players for Operations. At the moment they are recruiting all classes and roles of all levels. Lucidic Kings is active on the West coast US server Vornskr. Check out the full interview below: Where did your guilds name come from? My old roommate Lucide and my character King in DCUO.. Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentance description of your guild? We’re pretty laid back, sometimes offensive. We just enjoy making fun of each other… How did your guild come about?. My old roommate and I wanted a league in DCUO when it came out so we put our first toons names together, Lucide and King, and got…
Piki Geek Reviews SWTOR
Matt Wells of Piki Geek has been fascinated with the Star Wars world since KOTOR was released back in 2003. He says it renewed his fascination with Star Wars lore and that everything became new once again for him. He’s a true fan and was super excited when BioWare announced SWTOR in 2008. He says, “The biggest feature that SWTOR brings to the table is a completely fleshed out storyline that will greatly differ depending on which class you choose. It’s an incredibly tall order and definitely a stroke of luck that the first developer to take on such a task is none other than BioWare.” Piki Geek explains why SWTOR is great for KOTOR and Star Wars fans who appreciate the lore: Fans of the original KOTOR will be pleased to see many familiar names, faces, locations and environments. The hardcore fans of the lore will also be able…
SWTOR Draws in a Newbie- A Review
Darren Zenko was a self-professed MMO newbie. Until a couple of weeks ago, he was a near-total MMORPG virgin but something changed this- he got his hands on SWTOR. BioWare’s ability to interweave story and single-player elements into a multi-player format has drawn more than their fair share of newbies into the game, most of who were satisfied after giving it a chance. In a special to The Star on Toronto.com, Zenko shares his opinions on SWTOR and how he believes the game drew in a newbie like himself and why you might want to give it a try, too (if you have not already). Most of you reading our site here at SWTOR Strategies are already playing the game. However, we love to bring you these reviews for a variety of reasons. For one, they are interesting and helpful to those who may not be playing the game yet…
Companions Miss You When You Don’t Play for Awhile
What happens when you don’t log into SWTOR for awhile? Probably not much- the world goes on and your account sits dormant, right? Well, actually, when you don’t play for awhile, your companion misses you and you just might get an email like this one inviting you back. Is this a smart move on BioWare’s part or a waste of time? I have to say that it sounds like a pretty good idea. Not everyone who gets the notices will come back to the game to play but the honest truth is that there are some people out there who just get so busy, they forget to log in the game. You might get so wrapped up with busy life that you forget how long it has been since you logged in. A small message like this could be just the thing you need to refresh your memory and make…
Crafting Changes Live on Test Server
Developer commentary on crafting changes that just went live on the test server, as well as hints at what to expect from patch 1.2 can now be found on the forums. Georg Zoeller popped in to explain a few things about crafting, upcoming changes to the crafting systems and more. I wanted to drop some notes on the changes made to the BioChem profession in the patch (1.1.2) that just went onto the Public Test Server, how they fit in the big picture and how we are proceeding forward with crafting professions in endgame in general. Zoeller adds: It is our intention to gradually, over multiple patches, reduce the impact of situational consumables on endgame combat resolution and shift the factors which determine the outcome of combat more towards personal skill. As part of this effort, specifically for PvP, we are also working on changes that will reduce the gear…
TOR TV: Imperial Agent Song!
Richie Branson (The guy with the “looking for a group” in SWTO we featured last Monday) is up with a new tune. This time he is representing for the Imperial Agents in SWTOR. It’s not high art, but it indeed entertaining. Mr. Branson will have an EP coming February 10th. So keep an eye our for The Cold Republic EP Vol. 1 and check out his website for more info www.richiebranson.com Interested in SWTOR Movies? We have new movies most weekdays here on swtorstrategies! Have suggestions for movie we ought to feature? Get in contact with us here
Gaming Age Gives SWTOR a B+
Not everyone is raving about BioWare’s MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic. Gaming Age gives the game a B+ in a solid review that is honest and realistic. This review greets us with the basics. They talk about the accusation that SWTOR is just WoW with a Star Wars skin (and how this accusation is somewhat on target) but then they go on to share the ways that SWTOR is different from WoW or any other MMORPG. Gaming Age says: And overall, I feel like SWTOR is a pretty great MMO. It’s certainly one of the more polished MMO’s at launch I’ve seen in a while. My system is pretty low-end nowadays, but still capable of running this game well enough. They also talk about companions, one aspect that sets the game apart from others in the genre: The companions get added to your overall crew over time, and their…
Social Gear by Social Rank and Location
One of the most popular parts of an MMO is the gear you can get for your character. It just goes with the genre and nearly every MMORPG has gear and gear sets that your character can earn, buy or loot in some manner in the game. SWTOR is no exception and there are several types of gear in the game and different ways to get it. One of these is social gear- which you get by earning social points and rank as you level up in the game. But getting social rank is not as easy as you might think- especially if you tend to play solo a lot. The more grouping you do, the more opportunities you will have to build your social ranking. Here is a great chart of the social gear by social rank and location. It also includes the pricing of the different pieces. This…
Visual Chart on How to Get PvP Gear
Are you looking for information on how to get PvP gear? In SWTOR, you can get PvP gear by gaining commendations. You can start this at level 10 when you are first able to enter the warzones. You can get warzone commendations and mercenary commendations. By level 50, there are more ways for you to get PvP gear that you need and want. After level 50 you can get the champion gear back, do daily and weekly quests such as warzones and Ilum, get the Battlemaster Gear Bag and more. This chart gives you a great visual on what you can get and where. Whether you want to PvP as a main or just do some on the side when you have free time, these charts give you an easy way of looking at what you need to do. Get geared up today and be ready to rock the warzones….
Sith Sorcerer Lightning PVE Build In SWTOR
Today we continue with a new build from swtorsavior.com. This time we will take another look at the Sith Inquisitor, but this time we are featuring a very solid build for the Sith Sorcerer! If you are looking for a very high damage solid lightning build then give this one a go! As always I I will recommend you to get the guide to get the full advantage of all swtorsavior.com amazing features. It is available right here.
The Lights of North America as Seen on Tatooine
These are the types of things that make an ordinary game extraordinary. When we find little prizes like this in SWTOR, it just reminds of us how much time and effort actually goes into making a game of this caliber. Sometimes those little extra touches make all the difference in the experience for the gamer and that’s how we feel about this. Here’s a fun little Easter egg in the game. You can clearly see the United States, Mexico and South America here. The planets rotate so you won’t see the same section each time but as you are coming in for a landing on Tatooine, you can see these lights and familiar silhouettes. About Tatooine: Tatooine (pronounced /tætu’in/) was a desert world and the first in a binary star star system that had three moons and was in the Arkanis sector of the Outer Rim Territories. It was inhabited…
TOR TV: Prime Defense “Greeting”
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings (as well as other members of the animal kingdom) intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other. While greeting customs are highly culture- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status and relationship, they exist in all known human cultures. Greetings can be expressed both audibly and physically, and often involve a combination of the two. This topic excludes military and ceremonial salutes but includes rituals other than gestures. Greetings are often, but not always, used just prior to a conversation. Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals, e.g., greeting of a king. Secret societies have clandestine greeting rituals that allow members to recognize common membership. Prime…
Time Magazine’s Techland Reviews SWTOR
It seems these days that everyone is getting their own little piece of SWTOR. People are talking about it everywhere and nearly every publication in the gaming, technology and Internet genres is covering SWTOR in stories and reviews. So it’s no surprise then that Time Magazine would review the game for their Techland section. But how they rated it is anybody’s guess before you read the review for yourself. It turns out they say that fresh stories propel SWTOR and create a fresh, fun game that anyone can get into but especially Star Wars fans. Time explains: Most of all, it makes you feel like you’re part of a huge narrative that’s at once personal to your character’s journey, but also part of a wider, unfolding epic between the Republic and the Empire. Quests and story arcs appear to end, but don’t. Your character may finish a mission, only to…