If you have a Star Wars fan in your life, the holiday season is a great time to show them you appreciate them and a great Star Wars game is a fantastic way to do that. The difficult part, however, is that there are so many Star Wars games to choose from. If you have not looked before, you might be surprised at how many titles actually come up. So how can you choose which games are best? Well, it’s a hard call since all fans tend to have their own opinions about what makes a great Star Wars game and which ones were flops and when ones were successes. But here is a pretty safe list that nearly all the Star Wars gamer community can agree upon. Star Wars: The Old Republic Of course, there’s SWTOR – and with the free to play option now that wasn’t available last…
SWTOR
SWTOR Bug Causes Some Players to Cap Out on Pets and Mounts
I have a longtime history with collecting pets in MMORPGs. I’m not sure why but I just love them. When I play a game with pets, I want to have them all. I do this some with mounts but nothing at all like I do with non-combat pets. I love the fun of collecting them, having pets that few other players have and the variety of being able to pull out different pets whenever I want. If you’re a pet collection, too, you need to be aware of a current bug in SWTOR that makes it where some players cannot get more mounts or pets. I have seen several users post in the forums, in the game or on Reddit about a cap on pets and/or mounts but others do not have this problem. So why is it affecting some and not others? Well, no one actually knows. I have…
BioWare Leaves Fans in the Dark about Same Gender Relationships
Since before SWTOR even launched, we have discussed the topic of same gender relationships (SGRs) in the game. There are some who were for it, those who were against it and others who just didn’t care. The one thing that remained consistent throughout is that the topic causes a lot of controversy. While BioWare first said there would not be SGRs in the game, they later listened to fan reaction and changed their minds, promising that there would be – only not at launch. The reasoning made perfect sense- they just didn’t have time to change the story arcs properly. They didn’t want to simply go in and add the option for romantic encounters with either/or sex of character in the game. Rather, they wanted to do it right, in true BioWare-story fashion and make some characters open to SGRs based on their personalities and previous story line. Fans of…
Happy Birthday SWTOR!
Dec 20, 2011 was the official launch of SWTOR and one year later, here we are! Happy Birthday to SWTOR, all the SWTOR dev/staff, and all the SWTOR players! Can you believe it’s been a year already? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting the game and while a lot has changed over the past year, we’re happy the game is still around, happy the community is still here and happy to have all of our loyal readers still here as well. Let’s recap a few articles and news pieces over the past year: Our Big List of SWTOR Guides Really Cool Fan Art Stories How Stuff Works column There’s also a cool SWTOR t-shirt giveaway here so check it out for your chance to win! Dulfy also has a giveaway: Items that are part of the giveaway includes 40 SWTOR JINX shirts, 5 Cartel…
SWTOR Legacy Perks Guide
Star Wars: The Old Republic introduced players to the Legacy System when the Patch 1.2 went live. The Legacy system opened up a variety of upgrades on a global scale that you can unlock simply by playing more. For example, you can unlock a character’s race when you reach level 50 and it affects all characters on that particular account and server. This helped to make the game even more interesting. To unlock the Legacy System you need to complete Act one of your first characters storyline. This usually happens somewhere around levels 32 to 34. Once you accomplish this, you’ll be prompted to create a legacy or Star Wars Surname. You’ll also gain access to the Legacy UI, which is found on the top toolbar. This gives you access to your family tree and it will show you which class, race, and purchasable unlocks are available to you. The…
SWTOR’s Life Day Holiday Event Angers Gamers
SWTOR gamers were hyped up and ready for Life Day. Unfortunately, many were disappointed at what was offered in lieu of an event. BioWare said, “The stuff we are doing for Life Day are absolutely amazing … I am super excited about it. You guys are going to die when you see it.” So you can just imagine the reaction from the fans when the ‘big events’ fell, well… flat. As one player said “I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a Wookiee Life Day customization for Bowdaar.” It makes sense- it’s Wookiee Life Day- why not even allow players to equip their Life Day items on Bowdaar. Why not have anything in the area to show respect for the date like NPCs in the area in Life Day robes? There wasn’t really any role-playing of it at all. It was pretty disappointing all around and seemed to serve no…
Very Cool SWTOR PC Case
If you’re into case-modding or if you just love cool stuff, then you will be very pleased with what we found. Here are some great pictures of an awesome computer case mod with SWTOR theme. Brian “Boddaker” Carter is the mastermind behind the design and he shows more about this over at The Best Case Scenario. There are some common themes in these cases- each has a mural with a lightsaber extension on one side of the case and they also have a 3-D mask built on the other side. There’s a fantastic holographic display on the front and honestly, even if you don’t like SWTOR, this is all very impressive. Boddaker has some really great projects going on, including this SWTOR PC case. See more here at Bod’s Mods. Check out some of the great images he shared of his modded cases.
Top 5 Most Popular Cartel Market Items
The Star Wars: The Old Republic new Cartel Market is getting a lot of attention for being the place to go to buy and unlock in-game items for your character. You can also buy or unlock a variety of enhancements and customizations to make the game more interesting and to enhance your online experience. So what can you get there and what’s worth the investment? While you’ll find a large variety of items in the Cartel Market, some of them are more popular than others such as the ones listed here. Here we have the top five popular cartel market items (currently). Carbonite Chamber You’ll need 720CC to buy Carbonite Chamber making it one of the most expensive items you can acquire at the Cartel Market. However, anyone who has seen it used will surely agree that it’s worth the price. This chamber makes your character unique and this gets…
BioWare to Tweak Endgame PvP Balance
In an interview with fansite TORWars this week, we found out from Senior Designer Rob Hinkle that BioWare has plans to make endgame PvP more fun- at least, that’s their idea. They want to make the PvP stat (expertise) equal across the board, no matter what the set of PvP armor. For some players, this is a welcome change but of course, there will be those who oppose. As is typical with an MMORPG, Bioware has struggled to keep endgame balanced for all players. There is a slippery slope in giving seasoned gamers something for their hard work and dedication yet not making them so overpowered that others cannot enjoy the game as well. Hinkle said in this interview that he commonly hears from players that they enjoy levels 10-49 but that at 50 (the current level cap), things change. Many players complain about the lack of imbalance in those who are…
Cartel Packs: Why They’re So Popular
You may have heard about Bioware’s statement concerning the Cartel Packs. When it comes to popularity among the gaming community, this item tops the list when compared to other items at the Cartel Market. Do you know why players are so interested in them or what the cartel pack contents will include? It’s speculated that their popularity has a lot to do with the rare items and the super rare items that drop into the Cartel Packs. These items are randomly placed into the packs so you don’t know which one you’ll get and there is no other way to acquire one. Here are the two options available along with the contents of each pack. The Black Market Cartel Packs sell for 180CC or $2 cash and it contains the following: a companion gift a boost item one rare item or one of the super rare items The Crime Lord…
BioWare LiveStream Q&A November 29th
BioWare hosted their second LiveStream Q&A November 29 at 3PM CST as we told you about yesterday. They took questions about the upcoming game update 1.6 and it lasted around a half hour. Those who were able to get their questions in early possibly saw them answered live at the event. They have Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez hosting with Damion Schubert (Lead Designer) and Jeff Hickman (Producer) available to answer questions that came in from Twitter, Facebook, the forums and more. Erik Muska was also available offscreen to take live questions during the event. Some very good questions were asked including how the transition to the new free to play model is going as well as what new things we can expect to see in 1.6. When asked how the numbers look for F2P, Schubert says “Almost every conceivable metric is better. The numbers have blown away our expectations, which means…
Occupy SWTOR- Angry F2P Gamers Protest F2P Limitations
Something is asunder in SWTOR, at least that’s what one user who took this screenshot would have us to think. They protested by blocking GTN mailboxes and sending out this message “Occupying GTN mailbox for 2 more quick bars for free to play players!” One major downfall to their plan? All you’re doing is irritating your fellow players. This is not the way to get your way with BioWare but it might be a decent way to get a ban- temporary at very least. Players used to do this in WoW all the time until Blizz started banning for it and putting it more mailboxes all over the major cities so it hardly matters if one idiot wants to get on a huge mount, drink a firewater and sit on the mailbox. But what we can admire from these SWTOR “riots” is their determination and willingness to stand up for…
XFire Charts Show SWTOR on the Rise
We assume that since BioWare won’t really tell us population info and other stats, that those statistics are likely based on xfire user info gained from the xfire chat client. It would only represent xfire users that play SWTOR, so it’s a very small sample. However, from this we can see that SWTOR saw a jump when it went free to play and if it stays this way for the next few days and even weeks, then that is a good sign that the game is gaining momentum. If you’re not new to SWTOR and you’ve been around since the beginning (or at least for some time now), this still benefits you. More players means more people to do things with and it also means more money and resources being put into making the game great. So seeing that graph climb more and more over the next few days and…
Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate is on Public Test Server
If you’re just settling in to game update 1.5 and learning about all the new content and features, you might be surprised to know that Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate is now on the Public Test Server (PTS). But those who like to jump in the PTS and be on the cutting edge of the next release are probably already anticipating this. BioWare talks about it more on their blog today, letting us know what we can expect with the new game update, including a new PvP Warzone and Heroic Space Missions: Travel to a remote Warzone to discover a brand new PvP battle mechanic. The Republic and Imperial forces are locked in an intense conflict to control two energy pylons. Fight to take control of these powerful pylons and kill enemy forces to discharge energy into your faction’s gate. The first team to open their portal unleashes deadly reinforcements to wipe out…
Best SWTOR Tools for Raiding/Flashpoints
In a game like Star Wars: The Old Republic, gearscore and pure DPS numbers are very important. You should not use them to select or reject certain players but they can help you see who in your group needs help. This makes it possible for your team to work together to become stronger and there are several great character building SWTOR’s tools available to help. Here are three of your best options along with a little information explaining how they can help your group improve. Memories of Xendor Memories of Xendor or MOX is one of the best Imperial progression guild available today for real-time parsing. It’s great for players that only use one monitor because this parser allows you to see pop outs of your personal meters and of the raid group. Even if you run on full screen, you can still see them because these pop-outs are set…
Star Wars Episode 7 Rumor Roundup 2
The Force Net brought us one of the most popular rumors of the week- the news that Carrie Fisher said at a book signing she would be in Episode 7. AS excited as many of us may be to see her in another film, it turns out it was just a joke. One of The Force Net’s readers, Curt, claims Fisher told him at a book signing that she would be in the new movie: I was at Carrie Fishers booksigning in Cherry Hill, NJ on November 15, and the interview she did started with the question ‘Are you really going to be in a new star wars movie?’ and Carrie answered quietly ‘Yes….I thought it was already common knowledge.’ She did not elaborate, as she probably doesn’t want to crow too loudly at this point in the project development. But this is the first confirmation from one of the main OT Cast. LFL…
Data Mined Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel + Data Dump Info
SWTOR Spy found a very interesting item when looking at all the items that you can buy in the Cartel Market (cash shop that is getting introduced with the free to play option for SWTOR): Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel Binds On Equip Grants all characters on your account access to “Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel”” Applies the selected unlock to your Player Character or to your Account. While we are absolutely not sure what this means, the crew at SWTOR Spy has a theory: In our opinion, this means that the next content patch will bring the fourth chapter in our character’s story and it will be called Rise of the Hutt Cartel. For those of us closely following Star Wars: The Old Republic this comes as no surprise. During our interview at Gamescom 2012 we were told by both Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of SWTOR…
SWTOR Developer Blog: Section X and HK-51 Missions in Game Update 1.5
While fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of SWTOR free-to-play, the developers have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing the content for the new Game Update 1.5. In today’s developer blog, they go into more detail for us, explaining to two main portions of the game update: Section X and HK-51 missions. They also share some info about storylines and what we can expect with the new game content. Be Warned: There are also spoilers about certain in-game storylines but you can avoid this because you have to be logged into the site to see them. Game Update 1.5 returns us to the story unfolding on Belsavis. Here is a snippet from the dev blog about Section X: Section X introduces a new set of daily repeatable missions for both Imperial and Republic players, including two new Heroics. These missions offer more rewards than any previous daily…
SWTOR Goes Free to Play November 15th!
The time has finally arrived- time for SWTOR to go free to play. Tomorrow is the big day and those who have been waiting for the F2P options to return to the game or to check it out for the first time will not have to wait any longer. While we await the free to play model of the game, the developers have been busy ramping things up for the new update- 1.5. This isn’t just a game switch to free to play; they also have new content, new zones and missions and loads more story. So if you’re just now getting into the game, there’s no better time. To try SWTOR for yourself for free, just visit the official website: SWTOR.com They currently have free to play preview videos, news and updates, info about game update 1.5 and information about cartel coins and what is being awarded to those…
The Old Republic Annihilation Releases Today!
The time has finally arrived and The Old Republic Annihilation is released today! We’ve been bringing you the updates as we waiting, unsure of the exact date for the book release but knowing it was coming soon. Now that day has finally arrived. Drew Karpyshyn himself tells us a little about this story and why he is excited for its release: I’m very excited for Annihilation to come out, because it’s a bit of a different take on the Star Wars universe for me. For startes, Theron Shan – the main character – isn’t a Jedi or a Sith. That’s a pretty big change from characters like Bane and Revan, who are in large part defined by their relationship with the awesome power of the Force. But Annihilation also has a different feel than some of my previous novels. The Publisher’s synopsis of Annihilation tells us more about the general story: “”The Sith Empire…
SWTOR Free-to-Play: 6 Reasons You Should Try It
SWTOR free-to-play is coming in just two more days on November 15th. If you have always wanted to play the game, now is the perfect time. If you played in the beta or even tried it when it first came out and quit, there are some very compelling reasons why you should consider trying it again now that it’s free to play. Let’s take a look at 6 reasons you should try SWTOR: It’s Free- What better reason is there than “free”? There is nothing to risk in a free game. How can you be sure you get more than you pay for? Play a free game, of course. There will be subscription options for those who want to upgrade and getting something more from the game. Great value for a free game- Okay, free is cool but let’s face it; we all know that you get what you pay…
BioWare Tweets SWTOR Free to Play Releases November 15
If you’ve been waiting for the set date for the new free to play model of SWTOR, it’s finally here. BioWare released a press conference call to major gaming outlets/ fansites yesterday and this morning, they officially tweeted the news about the date. Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-play option is coming November 15, the same time as Game Update 1.5! — Electronic Arts UK (@electronicarts) November 8, 2012 In addition to the news that Free to Play will officially be here next week on the 15th, we also know that it’s coming with the official launch of game update 1.5, which is set to be a huge turning point in the game with many new features and loads of new content. In this press conference call, BioWare revealed some great info about game changes and details. Christine and Producer Cory Butler discussed F2P and Update 1.5 with us yesterday. They explained…
Celebrating 4 Years of SWTOR Strategies
The big day is here again and we’re breaking out the confetti and party balloons and sharing some virtual cake with all of you- our loyal readers! SWTOR Strategies is celebrating 4 years on the Net today. Last year on this date, we were still looking at about 2 months for the launch of SWTOR. It’s amazing how far things have come in just one short year. Not only did the game launch with a bang, but we’re seen some very rocky roads since then. In the past 10 months, players have loved and hated SWTOR and now with the 1 year anniversary of launch on the way, the game is looking to go to a new free-to-play model which many fans are very excited about. This new F2P option may bring back a lot of players who left the game as well as draw in new players who weren’t…
Daniel Erickson hires Emmanuel Lusinchi to Bluepoint Games
Could some of the old BioWare team get back together to work on a new project? It’s a theory we tossed out there back when the news of many key BioWare players leaving was first revealed. Well today Twitter gave us a little more insight into this very topic! A tweet from former BioWare develop Daniel Erickson today confirms Emmanuel Lusinchi has left or will be soon leaving BioWare to start work at Bluepoint as a Lead Designer. There were previous rumors about Lusinchi leaving but nothing solid or in the public until this tweet today: — Daniel Erickson (@DanielAErickson) November 5, 2012 I have to admit that it’s tough to see how passionately these developers and designers talked about SWTOR earlier this year at the Guild Summit and now they are dropping off like flies. These are people who put their heart and soul into their work and for those of…