Have you ever wondered whether SWTOR is any good on free to play versus a subscription? Do you currently play f2p? There are a lot of people out there who say Bioware has made the game where free to play is just not any fun and that if you truly want to experience what the game has to offer, then you have to pay for it. Then again, there are some who say there is plenty to enjoy about the game even as a free player. I guess it depends on what you want from the game and how you choose to play it. There are some limitations to free players but there are also workarounds. We’ve done some basic comparisons here but one man is about to take on the experiment in its entirety. Larry Everett takes on this challenge and sets out to prove which side is right,…
SWTOR 2.0.1 Data Dump
New updates on potential future SWTOR content from this SWTOR 2.0.1 data dump by Werit. As with any data dump, it’s important to remember that the data mined may not end up in the final version of the patch or update. It’s like playing on the test realms or in a game beta; you know that much of what you see does not make it into the final version of the game, or at least not in the same format. So take these data dumps with a grain of salt but they are fun and often, a lot of what is found actually comes out in the future patch. Another SWTOR patch, another data dump! I’ve expanded my data mining tools a bit, so I am grabbing even more changes than before. There are a couple of interesting entries in this patch. It looks like there are two new achievements…
Appearance Designer Kiosks and Armor Dyes in SWTOR
If you saw the latest insider video from Bioware, you might have caught your eye on the new appearance design kiosk and armor dyes they are adding to the game. This will be available in patch 2.1, titled Customization. If you’ve been wanting more customization in SWTOR or are growing tired of your toon’s look, you’re in luck. The appearance design kiosk will give you the chance to change your hairstyle, hair color, eye color, scars and tattoos and even your species. If you’re character needs a makeover, the time is now! It will cost cartel coins but there is also a permanent discount for subscribers so you can save 50% on all actions at the appearance designer kiosk if you sub. You can also choose features that you want and it works on a slider basis, meaning you don’t have to pay full price for a makeover if you’re…
Your Favorite SWTOR Title
I have to admit that one thing I like about MMORPGs is the little details that help you get into the game in your own way. For example, I collected pets on WoW before it was cool (yea, I played WoW…) and in EverQuest I loved building up my house with collectibles. I could spend a great deal of time messing around in my house with pets, furniture and more. It’s these little details in a game that can really make some players more attached to the game itself. You have more personal investment and you look forward to reaching a goal or an achievement. This is why we like personalizing our characters so much. We want to feel like they are a part of us. And one way you can add to this in SWTOR is with the titles. As you know, you earn titles in the game for…
Gear Progression Flowchart
If you’re trying to gear up in SWTOR and you’re not sure what gear sets are better or which you should be going for next, this simple flow chart will help you out. Sure, there’s not much to it but it gives the perfect visual of the order of progression within the game, as far as gear goes. You should also keep in mind that some levels can be skipped, based on what current gearset you are wearing and how you want to work on gearing up. Are you all about PvP or PvE? Do you want to do both and be properly geared for both? Are you the type of player who is just looking to have what you need to skim by or get into a zone or Flashpoint or are you looking to have the best possible gear there is for your class? It’s all about playstyle,…
Cathars Coming in SWTOR Patch 2.1!
We’ve been waiting on a new race and we’ve talked about the Cathar here before. Now we finally have the news that Cathars are coming in SWTOR Patch 2.1! Bioware teased previously that the Cathar were coming but then they left us hanging and wondering. A second post filled in more of the mystery for us and now finally, we know they are coming with Patch 2.1.While they officially announced the new playable species last year, we now know that they will be coming to the game and available for purchase with Cartel Coins (no surprise there, right?) The Cathar will be unlockable via the Cartel Market for 600 coins and you can either reroll a new character or you have the option to convert an existing character to the new species. One bonus is that the unlock is account-wide and not just legacy-wide, meaning you can apply it to…
The Old Republic Insider – April 2013
BioWare’s Cory Butler is host of this months Star Wars: The old republic insider. Mr Butler goes through all the upcoming things coming to the game in near future, including barber shop, new items on the cartel shop and the Cathar spices. Check it out below:
BioWare post the second peace of the Cathar puzzle
BioWare just updated there facebook page with a new pieces in the Carthar puzzle. BioWare are excellent in teasing us with this kind of stuff, and I can’t wait to here what will be going on. Check out the image below or over at the official Facebook page.
Writing Star Wars w/ Michael Arndt
Michael Arndt was announced as the screenwriter for “Star Wars: Episode VII” back in November 2012, so what has he been doing since then? According to a hilarious new Funny or Die video of his alleged first day writing the upcoming movie’s screenplay, he’s been having a whole lot of writer’s block. Of course, this is all a joke, but Arndt does have some priceless terrible lines to show off here. From “Sir, we’ve identified the nerf herder. He has a herd of nerfs” to “‘Yoda’s alive! How?’ Explain later, I will,” Arndt’s fake lack of inspiration is a pleasure to watch. The video has become increasingly popular since it was released, and hopefully it will lead to more Funny or Die “Star Wars” videos going forward. It is the first time Arndt has commented in a big way on his involvement in “Episode VII,” even if the clip does…
SWTOR Facebook Tease, Cathar are Coming!
BioWare updated there Facebook page with a new image. We are not supposed to fully understand what it is yet, but it’s already obvious it’s a picture of the Carhar species. It’s not known yet how the Carthar Species will be unlocked, but many people are speculating that it will be via quest like HK-51 got unlocked, or maybe via reputation. Pretty sure it will be available on the Cartel market at some point also. Many people are questioning why this Species is so important to the Old republic lore. The story is that the Cathar played a very important role in ending the Mandalorian wars and are being hunted into extinction because of it. Their entire struggle is based of the plight of an old religious sect the spanish inquisition hunted to extinction. One of the most moving scenes in the entire expanded universe to me was when Revan was on their homeworld (in the kotor comic series) and…
TOR TV: Fightin Dirty – A SWTOR Parody
Jason Barnett is live with a new Star wars the old republic parody. This parody of “Ridin” by Chamillionaire addresses his thoughts on both the scoundrel roll and people’s opinions about it, ranging from overpowered, to being the utility that scoundrels have always needed. Some of the lyrics go by very fast, so he have them in the video. You can check them out below the video here also. If you haven’t seen any of his old videos, I encourage you to to check out these two we posted in the past: Baby Got Bubble “Sex Bomb” parody – Smash Bomb Lyrics They see me rollin They hatin Cajoling, they cry that I am fightin dirty Tryin to say I’m fightin dirty (x4) I roll like Fox Mcloud (do a barrel roll!) They flamin’ They mopin’ Bioware has me fightin’ dirty Tryin to say I’m fightin dirty (x4) The chorus is merely a melodic expression…
Tales from the Republic Fleet
“That’s amazing… you look just like me!” “Yeah, the doc did a great job. Your looks and charm got us in, now I should be able to get to the Senator’s computer. So, let’s get ready for the big date tomorrow night.” “Right. First thing – DON’T mention anything about the Senator’s hairpiece, he’s very self-conscious about it!…” “The slaver said they were on a ship bound for Lonos Prime.” “Lonos? Keval, that’s in Sith space!” “I know, but I have a plan – there’s a slicer that can get us some fake ident chips and a transponder. That’ll get us onto the planet, at least.” *sighs* “Alright, brother. I should be able to meet up with you in a few days.” “Sounds good. I promise you, Jorda, we’ll find Mother and Father.” Oh yes, here we have Tales from the Republic Fleet. Previously we brought you the story of…
EA Didn’t Ruin BioWare Games, Says Dr. Zeschuk
We have all heard the rumors: EA ruined SWTOR, EA ruined BioWare, EA destroyed BioWare games. But one of the Doctors is speaking out against these rumors. BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk says he had a hand and a voice in how things operated at EA/Bioware. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the doctor says: Zeschuk also rejects any notion of Electronic Arts being a negative influence on BioWare. “They don’t second-guess you, they don’t say you shouldn’t do that,” he explains. “We had complete creative control over a lot of it; some fans didn’t like some of it and some of it was experimental, quite frankly.” Well, it’s a sign of honor to own up to your own mistakes, right? It’d be easy for BioWare to blame EA for their lackluster year(or two) but instead he admits that they had too much money and possible too much free reign and they made…
Gamestop Tweets Free Cartel Coin Codes
If you are on Twitter, you want to keep an extra eye out for the #SWTOR hastag. Gamestop is tweeting free Cartel Coin codes, and will be doing so all day. You can follow Gamestop on there official twitter page, or follow the SWTOR hashtag as well as the GetCoinsatGamestop hashtag to get your hands on the goodies.
2.0.1 Patch Notes 4/23/2013
Due to issues with the upcomming patch, BioWare postponed todays maintenance. Eric Musco’s posted here about it if you want to know more. BioWare still posted the patch notes, but due to the bug, they might be in for changes. Check them out below: Cartel Market New Items A new Contraband Pack, the Vice Commandant’s Contraband Pack, is now available on the Cartel Market. Cost: 320 Cartel Coins Players can now purchase Hypercrates containing 24 Vice Commandant’s Contraband Packs. (Discounted by 10% for a limited time!) Cost: 6,912 Cartel Coins The Stalwart Protector’s Armor Set is now available! This adaptive gear can be worn by any Class at level 1. (Discounted by 20% for a limited time!) Cost: 1,152 Cartel Coins New Discounts Permanent Reductions Access Authorization: Section X is now permanently discounted. New Cost: 500 Cartel Coins Access Authorization: Section X (Account) is now permanently discounted. New Cost: 1000 Cartel Coins The Rancor…
Jawas, Wookies, Droids and More: Who’s Your Sidekick of Choice?
There are plenty of companions to choose from in SWTOR, five total for each class, adding up to 40 if you’re counting them all together. While playing through the game on my Bounty Hunter, we have come to the conclusion that Blizz is by far the best companion for a number of reasons. The Star Wars: The Old Republic companions come in many shapes and sizes, all with unique personalities. All three of these play into Blizz being a great companion, due to his comically small size and shape, coupled with his thoroughly enjoyable temperament. First of all, he is the only available Jawa companion, so +1 for that. Of course since he is a Jawa, he is rather small, which in this particular instance makes for a rather humorous contrast when he is standing next to a towering behemoth of a Cyborg bounty hunter. In addition to the visually…
How ROtHC Makes SWTOR Better
Most MMORPPGs can only hope that their expansions will make a game better. That is the idea afterall, to add more to the game, bring in new players and keep the current players interested. But when it comes to SWTOR, it’s a great game and we have Rise of the Hutt Cartel on the way to hopefully make it better. So what’s so great about ROtHC that is going to improve SWTOR? It’s not because of the waterfalls (hehe) so what is it? Well the one thing we need to remember about ROtHC is that it’s not just about Makeb. There is so much more to the game now. There are many additions to the core game play itself such as new armor and new quest lines. This will add a great deal of new content to explore and master for both new and old players alike. Here are some…
Jedi Consular Class Changes in RotHC
Jedi Consular are the last to get some attention from BioWare, with the last Developer Update of the week, focusing on class changes. As always Senior Designer, Austin Peckenpaugh continues his work, giving us an update on class changes that comes with Rise of the Hutt cartel. Check it out below, and if you haven’t already done so, check out the other class updates posted this week: 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 Sith Inquisitor 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 Jedi Consular class in Game Update 2.0. We’ll be writing…
Sith Inquisitor Class Changes in RotHC
Senior Designer on Star Wars: The Old Republic Austin Peckenpaugh is unstoppable this week as he continues running through all the class changes coming with SWTOR Rise of the hutt cartel. Check ouot the original story here, or check it out 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 Sith Inquisitor class in Game Update 2.0. We’ll be writing about recent class changes coming to The Old Republic, but this time we’re going a little…
Crew Skill Updates for Patch 2.0.1
The new patch coming with the next Scheduled Maintenance, BioWare will be pushing a patch that should fix some of the crew skill issues that came with Star Wars: The old republic Rise of the hutt cartel. Amber Green breaks it down for us. Hello again everyone, The weekend is upon us! We’ve been listening to your feedback, and I wanted to be sure to give you folks an update about where we currently stand with regards to the various Crew Skill issues you’re seeing. As I stated in my last update, Patch 2.0.1 will contain a number of Crew Skill fixes: Tier 23 and 26 Armstech Augments now have the correct crafting times. Arkanian Relics will now be listed in the correct category in the Artifice Crafting Window. Successful Gathering Missions above level 400+ will now provide more crafting materials. Increased the number of Bio-Mechanical Interface Chips and Thermal Regulators provided as…
Scheduled Maintenance: April 23rd, 2013
Just a heads up to let you know that this comming week’s scheduled maintenance will occur on April 23rd from 2AM PDT to 8AM PDT. Star Wars: The Old Republic servers will be down during this period and when they come back up, players may have to download a patch. On April 23rd, all game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be unavailable as we perform scheduled maintenance. Game Update 2.0.1 will be implemented during this downtime. Details are as follows: Date: Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 Duration: 6 hours Time: 2AM PDT (9AM GMT) to 8AM PDT (3PM GMT) Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. When the servers come back up, if there happens to be a patch, we’ll have the notes available here. For the original post in its entirety, visit the official thread.
Bounty Hunter Class Changes in RotHC
Troopers ain’t the only class that gets some attention by BioWare today. Just like the other few days BioWare also posted a second developer blog that goes through the Bunty HUnter class changes in Star Wars: The old republic Rise of the Hutt cartel. You can read the original post over at the official SWTOR webiste, or 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 Bounty Hunter class…
Trooper Class Changes in RotHC
BioWare continue there developer blog updates on class changes in Star Wars: The old republic – Rise of the Hutt cartel. You can read the whole article over at the official SWTOR Website or continue reading 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 Trooper class in Game Update 2.0. We’ll be writing about recent class changes coming to The Old Republic, but this time we’re going a little…
Sith Warrior Class Changes in RotHC
Jedi Knights ain’t the only class that get some attention today. Senior Designer on Star Wars: The Old Republic Austin Peckenpaugh continues his hyper activity, explaining the Sith Warrior Class Changes in Rise of the Hutt Cartel. Read the full blog post over at the official site here, or check out the copy paste 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 Now to the actual story: 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 Sith Warrior class in Game…