Thank You Dark Horse Comics

We love Star Wars and we love comics. As fans, it can be difficult to picture a world without Star Wars and quite frankly, why would we want to? But such a time did exist and we have one name to thank for helping end that dark era in Star Wars history: Dark Horse EUCantina.net brings us some interesting news about Dark Horse Comics this week: This week marks the final scheduled release in the Expanded Universe, or as it has been rebranded, Legends time line.  Dark Horse comics has the unique privilege of closing it out with the final issue in the Legacy series. For those who don’t know, Dark Horse has been putting out Star Wars stories since 1991. It was Dark Horse comics that helped rekindle the Star Wars fandom after a dark period in the 80s when they stopped making Star Wars action figures and Marvel…

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Developer Blogs: The Story of SWTOR, 2014

Lead Writer, for Star Wars: The old Republic, Charles Boyd has posted a new blog post over at the official SWTOR Website. This time he talks about the game’s story and what we can expect to see in the upcomming game updates. Aparretnly the first chapter of the next major storyline is currently available via the Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion flashpoints. The first chapter in our next major storyline is already available: Forged Alliances, Part I. Comprised of two flashpoints, Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion, Part I will introduce you to some key new allies as well as the central mystery of the content yet to come. While you can always jump straight into these flashpoints with Group Finder whenever you’re looking for some action, the best way to experience the storyline is to find A7-M1 on Vaiken Spacedock or T3-G2 on Carrick Station—they’ll point you toward…

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SWTOR Patch 2.8.2 Notes

Patch notes for tomorrows update are now ready. Check it out below: 2.8.2 Patch Notes Highlights The Gray Secant has returned from its travels! Participate in the Relics of the Gree event from July 22nd 12:00 GMT to July 29th 12:00 GMT. Bounty Contract Week returns! The event runs from August 12th 12:00 GMT to August 19th 12:00 GMT. General The “Gen’Dai” Codex Entry is now obtainable by both Factions. Republic players are now able to obtain the “Sullustan” Codex Entry. Removed 6 Location and 1 Bestiary Codex entries that were erroneous and not obtainable through gameplay. System Messages are now moveable using the Interface Editor. The Camera Rotation Speed slider now correctly adjusts the speed from 0-100%. Ground textures no longer appear poorly when Texture Anisotropy is turned on if the computer’s graphics card cannot support the option. Cartel Market The Series 512 Cybernetic Torso now has the appropriate color scheme….

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What’s New for Returning Players?

We like to do one of these posts every so often because we know many players come back to the game after not playing SWTOR for some time. Some even come back after not playing since beta or early launch and we all know the game has changed considerably since then. So if you’re a returning player, or thinking about returning once again to SWTOR, let’s take a look at a few things that might be new or different since the last time you played.

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Developer Update: Spoils of War

Game update 2.8 Spoils of War is now live, and with it, BioWare posted 3 developer updates and a developer blog.  in These designer Chris Schmidt, PvP Designer Alex Modny, Lead Flashpoints and Operation Designer George Smith and Associate Producer Andrew Horwitz ( many new names here? ), outlines what to expect with the new update. You can read them all in there original form over at the official Star Wars: The old Republic website here and here, or you can read it all below as we have shamelessly copy pasted it all for you viewing pleasure. Developer Update: Spoils of War 06.09.2014 With Game Update 2.8: Spoils of War right around the corner, the developers wanted to give you some more details about some of this update’s major features. We hope you are as excited as we are to reap rewards through Story Mode Operations, Galactic Starfighter, Warzones, and…

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Patch Notes – 6/10/2014 – Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War

Tomorrow will see the light of Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War. The new game update comes with tons of updates and a new gambling event on Nar Shaddaa. Check out the full patch notes below: Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War Soovada (“Spoils of War” in Huttese) is an annual celebration of total extravagance in Hutt culture, originally celebrated in the summer season of Varl after successful military campaigns. Rival clans compete to prove their superior wealth, attempting to sponsor the most parties, pit fights, bounties, gambling, and every other public display of fortune and excess imaginable. Popularized among outside cultures during visits to Nar Shaddaa, this exuberant holiday is now celebrated on hundreds of worlds across the galaxy, where it’s simply known by its Huttese name; any connection to ancient wartime looting is largely ignored. Highlights New Event: Spoils of War! Players can earn double Ranked Warzone Commendations, Warzone Commendations,…

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Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War PTS Update – 5/8/2014

The public test servers for Star Wars: The old Republic have updated with a new build. Some of the highlights are: Group Finder Operations have been redesigned! Story Mode Operations are now more accessible to endgame players (levels 50 – 55). The Operations section in the Group Finder window will list available Operations on a predetermined schedule, rotating in different Operations every few days. Players who meet the level requirement of the Operation will be Bolstered, removing the requirement for endgame gear. Rewards have also been improved, making this a great opportunity for players to earn Ultimate Commendations and experience new content! Below are the changes made to the existing note: Classes + Combat Jedi Consular Sage Balance (Sage) Mind Warp has been reverted to its live functionality, and now increases the duration of Mind Crush by 1/2 seconds. Shadow General Mass Mind Control will now taunt NPC’s while Combat Technique is…

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Summer of SWTOR Update

Bruce MacleanFor just posted an updated Roadmap of what to expect in Star Wars: The old Republic this summer. The new release schedule, now that 2.8 (the end of the last roadmap) is approaching and looking very different than what was said in the last roadmap. Interesting they’re doing double fleet req/warzone comms but not valor. Not sure how I feel about this operation overhaul for 55 Operations, but if it gets more groups going to the end instead of stopping at the weeklies, more power to them. Unfortunately their decision to push back strongholds leaves us with a gap in terms of new content releases. Guess the name of the game now is patience. Check out the full forum post here, or our copy paste below: Hi again everyone! I’m here to provide an updated look at the upcoming Summer of SWTOR in light of our recent Galactic Strongholds…

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2.8 Patch Notes from PTS

The first patch notes for Game update 2.8 is online. These notes are only indicative of the current patch to the PTS, and will be expanded upon as we get farther into the testing process. Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ PTS Game Update 2.8 Last Updated: May 1st, 2014 All content and features on the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change. Highlights Nightmare Mode Dread Palace is now available! Return to Oricon to face off against Dread Masters Bestia, Tyrans, Calphayrus, and Raptus, who are now more powerful than ever before! General Added a high resolution shadow map option for high-end machines. This enables more detailed shadow rendering over a longer distance. Classes + Combat General Fixed an issue that would occasionally allow abilities to affects targets, even if those targets had a 100% or greater chance to defend against attacks. Jedi Knight Sentinel Watchman Merciless Slash now deals more damage…

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Guardian Top 3 Questions – Answered

Eric Musco Posted a new Top 3 Questions post on the official forums today. This one regards the Guardian. Here is the TL;DR version Can you up our PVP DPS Defense? Answer: No you greedy little fuck. Actually Nerf incoming. Happy? My AOE spec isn’t hitting really hard via single target. Buff please? Answer: You are seriously fucking stupid. There is a middle tree for exactly what you are asking. But hey, why not. Imma nerf you sustained damage tho. Cool? There are now too many options in the Middle tree. I’m incapable of reading and choosing things. Can we just standardize the tree so I just click everything and win? Answer: I guess we can do that. We wouldn’t want you accidently choosing a talent that doesn’t directly benefit the exact thing you are doing this instant. You can read the full post here, or our copy paste below:…

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Patch Notes – 2.7.0 Invasion

Patch notes are up for gameupdate 2.7. The net update opens tomorrow with a new storyline, Quesh Huttball Warzone, Starfighter Battle Zone and more. What are YOU most excited about?. Highlights New Story Arc: Forged Alliances! Start this story arc by speaking to a droid on the Fleet near the new Outbound Mission Hangar. New Flashpoints! Beginning the next major storyline of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Korriban Incursion and Assault on Tython Tactical Flashpoints are now available to players at level 55. Nightmare Mode is now available for the Dread Fortress! Even greater horrors await those who wish to challenge the bastion of the Dread Masters, and the Operation provides even greater rewards in the form of new Dread Master equipment! Ranked Warzone Season 1 has ended! Characters that had a qualifying rating have been mailed their rewards. We are currently in Pre-Season 2 and Season 2 will begin with 2.7.1! Giradda…

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Commando/Mercenary Top 3 Answers

Eric Musco started a new “top 3 Answers” thread on the official forums. This time about Commando/Mercenary. Here is a Summary made by bstr413: 1: Sustained DPS for Gunnery Assault. Gunnery/Assault will get a (small) boost to its sustained damage after all AC’s have at least 1 good sustained damage spec. (Commando/Mercs have Assault Specialist/Pyrotech already.) Devs are looking for feedback on how to do this. Being able to heal should not decrease DPS. Many off-healer DPS specs are able to do great sustained DPS. 2: Defense in PvP. No new “emergency defense” move for Commandos/Mercs. Instead, current defensive moves will be improved. Devs are asking for inputs on how this should be done. Devs are looking to make Commandos/Mercs better in Ranked Arenas. 3: Assault Specialist / Pyrotech suggestions. Thank you for your suggestions for changing Assault Specialist / Pyrotech. We do not want to do the first few due to the…

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Boulder Cantina Tour News and Info

Non of us here at swtorstrategies were at the Boulder event, so the information below is from Lumberj, and all credits goes to him. The tour was just like most others, a Q&A round, followed by trivia to a room full of nerds and then a meet and greet. Who was there? Courtney Woods, some Australian dude who lost a arm wrestling match, Blain and Cory Butler. First off, they said they could not talk about strongholds other than what was originally announced. The exact details of what the legacy storage could hold was still being worked out in response to a ? about placing bound items in them. Guild ship battles is on the Wall of Crazy (WoC) Space PvE — WoC and no current plans Open space Pvp – WoC Class Story – Not at the moment, would rather have story that all classes can experience such as what they’ve…

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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…

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Patch 2.7 PTS Patch Datamined

Patch 2.7 will be online on the public test servers some time tomorrow, but the patch is already available for download. A new patch meens new Data mining, and swtor_miner and the guys over at  Reddit have been busy. Here’s the raw output New/Changed/Removed Abilities New/Changed/Removed Achievements New/Changed/Removed Areas New/Changed/Removed Codex Entries New/Changed/Removed Collections New/Changed/Removed GOM Items New/Changed/Removed Items New/Changed/Removed MtxStoreFront Entries New/Changed/Removed Npcs New/Changed/Removed Quests New/Changed/Removed Ships New/Changed/Removed Talents Area Changes New Outbound Mission Hangar on Fleet. Presumably where the shuttles leave from for the “Assault on Tython” and “Korriban Incursion” Flashpoints. Unannounced Class Changes Scoundrel Operative Scamper/Exfiltrate No longer rolls half the distance while slowed. Roll forward 12 meters. Can be activated a 2nd time within 10 seconds to roll again and go on cooldown for 10 seconds. While rolling, your chance to dodge melee and ranged attacks is increased by 30%. Does not break stealth. Cannot be used while…

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SWTOR THORN Rakghoul event guide

A guide to the Rakghoul Resurgence event and the THORN reputation in SWTOR. The event will run from Jan 12 to 26 on Tatooine. How to Start & Planet Dallies Rakghoul event now runs monthly on a different planet each time. From Jan 12 –26 2016 it will be on Tatooine. 1) Starter Quest from Fleet Players level 20 and above can participate in this event as the mobs in the tunnel scale to your level. If you attempt The Eyeless operation boss, you will be bolstered (on storymode) You will find new terminals on the fleet. Interacting with it will give you a small cutscene and a quest. You will also receive the codex entry for THORN. You will complete this quest once you arrive inside the Rakghoul tunnels on the planets which will reward you with 10410 credits, 1 Glowing Data Crystal and THORN Booster Pin (green rep…

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Patch Notes – 2.4.3 – 11/15/2013

Here are the patch notes for tomorrows maintenance: Game Update 2.4.3 Patch Notes Highlights PvP Season One! Ratings have been reset to mark the beginning of the Ranked PvP Season One. Get in there and go berserk! Ranked PvP Leaderboards! Players can now visit the website to compare Solo and Group Rankings. Details under PvP Character Name Renewal Program! Many previously held names have been released! Subscribers are unaffected by the Name Renewal Program. Preferred Status: Characters below level 10 that have not been played in the last 60 days are flagged for rename. Characters below level 30 that have not been played in the last 120 days are flagged for rename. Characters level 30 and above are unaffected. Free-to-Play: Characters below level 10 that have not been played in the last 90 days are flagged for rename. Characters below level 30 that have not been played in the last 180 days are…

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Swtor Data mined patch 2.4.2

SWTOR_Miner made a small updated with data mined game information found in the latest patch.  The info comes in XML- format, so there is not much use if you don’t know how to read that.  These are the new cartel items I spotted in the list: AD-14 Heavy Blaster JM-30 Assault Cannon MR-39 Sniper Rifle Advanced Yellow Blue Hawkeye Crystal Advanced Yellow Blue Indestructible Crystal Advanced Yellow Blue War Hero Crystal Balmorran Arms Corporate Shirt Camp Fire: Set up a camp site. You regenerate health and your class energy pool while submerged. CD-36 Blaster Rifle Czerka Corporate Shirt Dark Purple and White Dye Module Deep Brown and Black Dye Module White and Dark Green Dye Module Emote: Funky Emote: Nod Off Emote: Pbj Time Emote: Toe Touch¨ Mount: Gurian Rose Mount: Ikas Flamethrower mount: Ikas Shark Mount: Ikas Spear Mount: Morlinger Imperator Mount: Rendili Shadow Mount: Swamp Tauntaun Infected Treek…

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Patch Notes – 2.4.0 – The Dread War

ch notes SWTOR Servers are back up after to days maintenance and game update 2.4.0 – The Dread War is ready for download. That patch is about 1 GB and downloads easy. Check out the full patch notes below: Highlights New Story Mission Area: Oricon! Located in an uncharted system well off the Hydian Way, Oricon is a remote moon that is immeasurably strong with the dark side – a perfect home for the feared Dread Masters! Begin the Oricon journey by talking to O6-D5 on the Republic Fleet or D5-F3 on the Imperial Fleet. Details under General Warzone Arenas! 4v4 Warzone Arenas are now active for Unranked, Ranked Solo, and Ranked Team play! Details under PvP New Level 55 Daily Missions! Explore the ship-strewn, mysterious landscape of Oricon as you battle the deadly Dread Guard and their minions. The Dread Masters are bent on destroying both the Empire and Republic and they’re…

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How LucasArts Fell Apart – What Killed the Studio?

Disney has laid off the staff of LucasArts and cancelled all current projects which leaves fans wondering what caused the fall of this popular studio and what could have been if they had stayed in business. The studio was once revered for its production and distribution of Star Wars video games but it is no more. Promised games were cancelled, staff was laid off or moved to other departments and Electronic Arts will be in charge of Star Wars when it comes to games. But all of this news left many fans stunned and wondering what happened? Kotaku tackled this topic recently and brought some additional info on the subject. Kotaku tells us: Over the last five months, I’ve talked to a dozen people connected to LucasArts, including ex-employees at the company’s highest levels, in an attempt to figure out just how the studio collapsed. Some spoke off the record;…

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Game Update 2.4: Live on PTS

The PTS is up with the first issue of Game Update 2.4. Minor change to Phase Walk and some big changes to Vanguard and PT DPS trees. And offcourse The big focus here is on the Arenas making their debut. I am Curious to hear what people think. Below are the patch notes, and below them, is a stream currently playing SWTOR on the PTS. Game Update 2.4 PTS Patch Notes – August 16th, 2013 The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are intended to guide testing. They are not final and are subject to change. The new Obroan PvP armor set is currently using placeholder art that will be updated before the release to the Live Servers; the sets themselves are incomplete on the PTS and are subject to change. The Public Test Server Patch Notes will be provided in English. The final release notes will be provided…

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SWTOR Companion Guide: Treek

We are super excited about the new SWTOR companion, Treek. We’ve written about her here before and we’re super excited to tell you now how you can get her for yourself! This cute little female Ewok is the companion that everyone wants and lucky for us, BioWare has given us several ways to obtain her. In this blog post from staff, we learn of the different ways to get Treek companion: Our first new Companion Character since HK-51, Treek, arrives with Game Update 2.3: Titans of Industry. This mysterious alien mercenary is available for all character classes, and can be earned in-game or purchased directly from the Cartel Market. To help clarify these different options, here is an explanation of the different means to acquire Treek. All methods begin with acquiring Treek for a single character: From the Cartel Market: The first step to gaining Treek is to purchase the…

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KOTR for iPad Reviews and Purchase Info

If you are an Apple iPad user and you love KOTOR you will be happy to know about the release of KOTOR for iPad. Released on May 30th by Aspyr Media, this game now comes on the iPad and gives you many great features and story to enjoy. It’s available in the iTunes Store and it’s a real must-have for KOTOR and Star Wars fans. KOTOR remains one of the best Star Wars games ever to launch so there is really no question about whether or not you should play it. The main question, however, is whether or not it’s playable on the iPad. While the controls are a little clumsy, it’s a great solid game and with it, you can take the Force with you wherever you go! See reviews of KOTOR for the iPad: IGN Review of KOTOR for iPad  Eurogamer Review of KOTOR for the iPad  MacWorld…

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SWTOR Datamining the Lastest 2.3PTS Build

Are you curious about what’s coming in 2.3 and how the game will change? What new additions will there be? Tauntaun mounts are coming and what else? As always with a datamine, we can only speculate about what this info means and what it will mean for the game. There may also be spoilers. So with that in mind, let’s look at what’s new. swtor_miner brings us another great datamine update on Reddit about 2.3 PTS So, I got a little free time, and I was going to reveal that they finally added the CZR-9001 weapons. But, it looks like someone beat me to the punch. First off they renamed the Redfur Tauntaun Mount, and they’ve added a second Tauntaun Mount: Mountain Tauntaun – Unlocks the Mountain Tauntaun creature mount. Movement speed increases based on the rank of your Speeder Piloting skill. The Mountain Tauntaun is a reptomammal indigenous to icy…

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