The Cartel Market seems to be a winner for BioWare because just recently, they issued another game update with yet another change to the Cartel Market. The problem is not all players are happy with this system. Before we get to that, it’s important to note that nearly every update since November of 2012 has brought updates to the Cartel Market. The Spry Minds says best what a lot of players are already thinking: Why can’t I buy what I want? Here’s a snippet from a post they did on this very topic: In the latest game update, Bioware has released some of the best gear creation the team has done to date and of course it’s only available for purchase outside of the game. ot surprisingly, they are only available via Cartel Packs, which is nothing short of playing slot machines at your local casino. Put your money in…
SWTOR
What is Your Plan for SWTOR Double XP Weekend?
It’s Friday! And this weekend, that means double XP in SWTOR. It’s here to kick off the Relics of Gree event and if you have been away from SWTOR for awhile, it’s also an opportunity to come back with preferred status AND the double XP. This is the first of four double XP weekends coming up as follows. Double XP weekends will be held at the following times: March 15, 2013 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET to March 18, 2013 at 3:00 a.m. ET March 22, 2013 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET to March 25, 2013 at 3:00 a.m. ET March 29, 2013 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET to April 1, 2013 at 3:00 a.m. ET April 5, 2013 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET to April 8, 2013 at 3:00 a.m. ET These double XP weekends are lining up with the Relics of Gree event in game and gives you…
SWTOR Developer Blog March 13: Cartel Reputation
03.13.2013 – We have some updates on Cartel Reputation from the Developer Blog this week. See a snippet below: Developer Blog: Cartel Reputation In Game Update 1.7: Return of the Gree, we released our exciting Legacy Reputation System, allowing players various rewards for their interactions with many different organizations across the galaxy. Now, with Game Update 1.7.2, the nefarious Hutt Cartel wants a cut of the action. The Contraband Resale Corporation Representatives from the Contraband Resale Corporation have convinced officials from both Republic and Imperial Fleets to allow them to set-up business. The Cartel’s blockade of Makeb has created some exceptional business opportunities for everyone, including a brand new Shipment from the Cartel – the Contraband Packs. The Contraband Resale Corporation is looking for ways to reward its most frequent customers by tracking the Reputation they gain. Players increase their Reputation with the Corporation through the acquisition of the new…
SWTOR PVP Changes in Patch 2.0
As you may already know, Patch 2.0 is going to bring a variety of changes and additions to SWTOR, all meant to improve the game overall and how we as players experience it. PvP and gear are two things we expect to see some changes in. In fact, there seems to be an overall trend of new gear stats, minus the pants, and a reduction in the stats provided by mods to gear. Some secondary stats are seeing changes or tweaks and War Hero gear critical rating has been replaced with power for some classes. There are new set bonuses for level 55 gear which we can see here: Marauder/ Sentinel DPS Weaponmaster’s Gear 2pc: Reduced the cooldown of Guarded by the Force or Undying Rage by 15 seconds, also increased its duration by 1 second. Weaponmaster’s Gear 4pc: Increased all damage dealt by 10% for 5 seconds after using…
Additional Patch 1.7.2 details revealed!
Bioware’s newly appointed community manager Eric Musco, stopped by the official SWToR forums to provide additional details about tomorrow’s patch. As we mentioned in a previous post, Patch 1.7.2 will see the return of the Gree event that proved to be so successful among the SWToR community. It will also remove the Golden Scalene armor from the cartel market. Musco was kind enough to provide details on the new items that will be incorporated in tomorrow’s update as well as pointing out that the Gree vendors will have new items for purchase. In specific, the new items added are: Dire Taskmaster’s Robe Dire Overlord’s Vestments Dire Warmaster’s Body Armor Dire Eliminator’s Chestguard Guard Captain’s Chestplate CZ-27k Stealth Ops Suit CZ-18x Avalanche Chestplate Honored Master’s Vestments Honored Champion’s Robe Honored Sabarist’s Harness Honored Adept’s Shroud MA-52 Med-tech Chestplate Emergency Responder’s Overcoat MA-53 Overwatch Chestplate Jawagram “I Love You” Jawagram “It’s A…
Mr. Force in Balance Fashion Show on The Harbringer
A very unique MMORPG event was held recently on The Harbringer server by Force in Balance guild- a SWTOR fashion show. It sounds like it was a lot of fun and I definitely want to know when they’re doing it again so I can try to pop on and visit. The leadership gave thanks where credit was due: *Huge thanks go out to the ladies of <Force in Balance> for putting on such an exciting event: -Vesayla -Lylah -Six -Tresse -Avelie *Here’s a shoutout to Nytraz for FRAPS-ing and Omer for DJ-ing. *And a huge and special thanks to Dulfy for serving as one of our guest judges! *Congratulations to Mr. Force in Balance 2013, Rengi! *Over 30 guild members attended this exciting event; we’re looking forward to putting on another show in the future. The first event was guild-only but due to the popularity, they plan future shows with…
Attack of the guild: Recruiting and Drama
One of the most rewarding experiences of running a guild deals with recruiting new members. It gives you the opportunity to capture the pulse of the SWToR community by talking to other players who just happened to see your recruiting message in general chat, explore what they’re looking for, and see how their requirements change over the course of time. Most chat sessions tend to be typical, others interesting while others thought provoking. Before server mergers occurred, new players were scarce and you would always come across people who found their way in the server (Axial Park in Alpha Strike Force’s case) either by mistake or because they left their guild. After the server mergers, every new recruit was essentially a refugee from another server or a returning player who just happened to hear that things were getting better in SWToR and decided to give the game another shot. (As…
Bioware talks about upcoming expansion and future content during SXSW 2013
In preparation for the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, Bioware is increasing the pace of news releases and event participation across the US and Europe. This time around, SWToR Senior Producer Blaine Christine , Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert, Executive Producer Jeff Hickman and Production Director Dallas Dickinson hosted a panel discussion during SXSW 2013 – an annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas.
Developer Update: The Art of Makeb
This week has sees a number of news releases from Bioware about the upcoming expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, focusing specifically on details relating to making planet Makeb. As you might remember from previous posts, Makeb is the new planet included in the expansion and it’s the main focus of the expanded story line.
Bioware releases details on upcoming expansion; Creating Makeb!
In a move that could possibly be interpreted as a sign that we’re getting closer to the release of the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, Bioware has released a video that provides additional details on Makeb, the planet included in the expansion
In specific, SWToR’s Lead Writer, Hall Hood and Lead Concept Artist, Ryan Dening provide insight on the background story of the planet as well as the new features we should expect to see.
Community Cantina: San Francisco
Marshall Carr from TorWars attended the Community Cantina meetup in San Francisco (super cool!) and was kind enough to share the events and news with all of us. You can get the full story, along with pictures, at his blog post on TorWars but here are some highlights: It was his first Community Cantina but not his first meet and greet with BioWare There were some rockin’ costumes and prizes handed out Everyone looks like they had awesome fun without us! *sadface* The developers in attendance were the newly promoted Community Manger Eric Musco, Senior Producer Blaine Christine, and Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert. They received Tauntaun Fawn and Kowakian Monkey Lizard pets And the most important part to those of us at home- the Q&A event If you head over to Marshall’s blog and full write-up, you can see all the questions and answers that were discussed at this…
So you hit level 50….now what? Gearing up at level 50.
As with most games, reaching max level (lvl 50) is only the beginning. Once there, players can begin the journey to gain the best gear this game has to offer to take on new challenges and harder operations. This guide is meant to provide an explanation to how this is accomplished and hopeful clear up some of the confusion.
Possible fix for failed character copy to SWTOR PTS
Are you having issues with doing a character copy to the PTS in SWTOR? You’re not alone if you’ve been experiencing a bug with this process but some SWTOR players have found a fix that seems to be working for everyone who tries it. Take off all of your companions’ gear and put them in cargo bay, then transfer your character. Quick and easy fix! Some players are reporting that taking off the ship’s parts may also work. If you’re getting the message “We were unable to process your requested move of characters to Public Test Server. This account has reached the 12 character maximum on the server.” Then this fix will not help you. The probably with this is when you already have characters on both the open and the closed test servers. BioWare should be fixing this one but if we come across a fix, we’ll update to…
German and French CMs for SWTOR Follow Joveth Out of BioWare
What’s happening at BioWare? We can’t be certain but it definitely doesn’t make you feel good when first Joveth left and now both Lars Malcharek and Tony Moreno, the German and French community managers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. All the SWTOR Community Managers are leaving the scene. It’s unknown at this time whether any of these mean left on their own or were let go by BioWare but we’ll probably never known since the conditions of their exit probably also included a gag order of some type. So what does it mean for the SWTOR communities in the US, Germany and France? Will this open the door to new staff members or will the already-small staff of BioWare SWTOR just continue to dwindle? If you’re curious about what all of this means, Eric Musco did stop by the forums today to leave some type of feedback: Hello JPryde, You…
The Gree Event and Star Wars Canon
If you’ve been enjoying the Relics of the Gree event, you’re not alone. However, this event has sprung some great conversation about the Gree and whether or not they are portrayed correctly within the game and the storyline in SWTOR. Is it accurate and keeping with the story and the timeline of events? Some players have questions about the legitimacy of the story and the rewards that come from these events. For example, we know that the Gree as a people are supposed to be far advanced but many of the galactic weapons and quest rewards don’t’ see all that amazing. It looks nice, yes, but it doesn’t seem to fall under the very rare and powerful that the Gree are best known for. And then there is the issue of the droids. In story, the Gree are known for disliking droids. In fact, it can almost be called a…
Jawas gone wild! Hooded little creatures invade Xenoanalyst boss encounter!
It was supposed to be yet another Xenoanalyst hard mode operation for the Gree World event that ends soon… Most of the Alpha Strike Force guild group had never done this fight before and was in the process of figuring out its mechanics. The operation was on its third try and controlling the additional monsters (i.e. adds) attacking the group during the main fight was becoming the main issue.
Stat Scaling for 2.0- Are Your Stats Lower on the PTS?
If you’ve logged into the PTS recently, you probably have already seen that the scaling is different from what is live in the game. Stats are usually around 50-70% of the character sheet value in live. Everyone on the PTS was aware that BioWare would be changing the scaling formula but we didn’t know exactly what that would be. Now with 2.0, you can tell what these changes are going to look like. One user on the forum has taken the time to work from the old formula and try to build new co-efficients that will govern the stat scaling (yes, lots of math involved but it’s really interesting.) Here are some of his breakdowns: Defensive Defense Rating – Now scales roughly 118% slower Shield Rating – Now scales roughly 50% slower Absorb Rating – Now scales roughly 127% slower Armor – Now scales 2.5% slower, but remains on a linear progression HP – Buffed…
Two Spawn Locations for Droid: Ancient Gree Defender and Destroyer
You may not be aware that the droid that spawns near the pylon of the PvP area will also spawn in the southern section of the Western Ice Cliff. This image created by Clopsy of Jeddit will show you exactly where to find it, including coordinates. This is a great find since it makes it easier to catch the spawn. There are eight confirmed spawn locations here and the spawn rate is 7 minutes. Check out the graphic to see for yourself. Thank you Clopsy!
Patch 2.0 is now on Public Test Servers!
You got to give it to Bioware! Just when we thought we were done with Patch 1.7 and the Gree world event, they announced patch 2.0 is now available at the Public Test Servers for us to test. Newly-released screenshot from the new level 55 operation For (the few) who don’t know, patch 2.0 is part of the upcoming digital expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel. Among other things the new patch incorporates: New legacy achievements New level cap set at 55 New level 55 gear A new level 55 operation Upgraded level 55 flashpoints (Athiss, Hammer Station, Cademimu, and Mandalorian Raiders) Terror from beyond Nightmare Mode Class combat changes
Cartel Market – New Market Items with Relics of Gree
Are you looking to see which new items have gone live with the new update Relics of Gree? There are some new items on the Cartel Market. So here’s an overview of what the update brought. Classic Looks for Armor BioWare has listened to the players when it comes to classic looks on the armor and streamlining the appearance of gear and they are bringing back some classic versions of armor sets that many players really liked. You can now find classic versions of Spymaster, Phantom, and Trailblazer armor sets. Space Pirate Cartel Pack The Cartel Pack’s description: Extraordinary items appropriated from pirates all across the galaxy. Packs contain rare bonus items found nowhere else. Features a wider variety of exclusive items than any previous pack. Other Stuff! We also had Jawagrams for Valentine’s Day which seemed to be a big hit at only 20 Cartel Coins and new customization…
SWToR Gree Event analysis…or taking a closer look at gamer personalities.
The SWToR community never seizes to amaze me… Even though some limited negative examples tend to grab our attention every now and then (these exist in every community after all), there are certainly moments that you’re proud to be a SWToR gamer. A recent example of this is Ardonorrin who posted an interesting analysis over the official SWToR forums dealing with the recently launched Gree event as well as the types of gamers the event appeals to. What type of gamer are you? An explorer, an achiever, a socializer, or a killer? His analysis is based off the Bartle test, a character theory based on the observations of Richard Bartle, the father of online multiplayer gaming and takes a closer look at the different types of gamers and essentially what makes an in-game event successful. It’s definitely a very interesting read and offers a different perspective on gaming as a whole….
Relics of the Gree: World Event Guide
If you’re excited about the Relics of Gree world event or still trying to work your way through the quests, you’re in luck because there are guides available to help you see it through to completion. I’m all about writing guides for SWTOR but for this world event, Dulfy beat me to the punch and there are no better guides than Dulfy’s. She spends so much time in the game and test servers that her guides are thorough and complete. So with that said, rather than type up my own Relics of Gree world event guide, I’m going to point you in the direction of hers. You can find it on her website: Dulfy.net Here is her navigation, complete with links to take you to each section of the guide to allow you to jump forward or backward as needed. Navigation How do I get there? Gaining Reputation Missions World…
What are we fighting for?
Image by F0rmaldehyde Yes we here at SWTORStrategies know, Valentine’s Day is over. But that Hallmark/Nestle money making day has no ownership over love! Love exists throughout the entire year, at every hour, boundless, at the whim of our collective hearts. True lovers don’t need a special day to love. So too does this video which came out the day after Valentine’s. You’ll love it regardless of what day of the year it is. It’s a story of lovers, with in the empire, who dare ask the question: “What are we fighting for?” Thanks King Théoden, for your work. It was awesome.
Relics of Gree New Updates
Patch 1.7.0b was deployed this morning. This small patch was to correct an issue with several Return of the Gree missions that would allow players to skip steps by accepting shared missions from groupmates (so no more shortcuts, peeps!) The hotfix also corrected the following Legacy issue: In order to prevent players from running into an unresolved issue with Legacy unlocks for Improved Priority Transport: Personal Starship from Global Unlocks > Other > Convenience, the ability to purchase them has been temporarily disabled until we find a permanent solution. These unlocks will be enabled again in a future patch, and players are still able to purchase and use the Legacy Character Perk for Priority Transport: Personal Starship. While many were disappointed the downtime didn’t correct some other (possibly more serious) issues and bugs, at least the servers were back up and running without too much delay. Via: Patch Notes Stay…