Happy Holidays from SWTOR Strategies! It’s that time of year, friends! The end of the year, holiday festivities and New Year’s resolutions and one year since SWTOR released. We are happy to have you here with us on the site and hope you’re enjoying your holiday season as much as we are. We’re looking forward to a new year of many exciting Star Wars and SWTOR news to bring you. Christmas from LucasFilm It’s a great time of year to work for LucasFilm. Ok, well any time is probably a great time to work for LucasFilm if you’re a fan but we’re thinking anyone would be tempted to apply when they see the really awesome holiday bonus George sent out to all of his employees. According to various reports online, they got an iPhone 5, a 32gb iPad (3g enabled), a thank you card and a really cool unique LucasFilm…
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Forum Updates Regarding Makeb
The first expansion for SWTOR is coming soon- just after the one-year anniversary. While the size of the dev team has shrunk considerably since launch, BioWare is still devoted to adding new planets, just as they had said when the game was new. Players have a lot of questions about Makeb and while we don’t have all the answers yet, there is some info starting to appear on the forums. Scope of Makeb Here is some info from the forums about Makeb: To give you all a better idea of Makeb’s scope, it’s a planet of equal size to our larger planets and it contains a variety of areas – sprawling mesas, underground caverns, garden estates, and more. It introduces faction-specific storylines, new Heroic missions and bosses, repeatable mission series, and new Datacrons! The 5 new levels will occupy players for a fair amount of time, and there’s plenty of…
The big list of free SWTOR guides
Sine the launch of Star Wars: The old republic almost one year ago, we have steadily updated our website with new game guides. Now one year later, it has become increasingly hard to find the the guide you might be looking for. There for are we creating this list for a better overview. This will be a work in progress and we will do our best to keep the list updates. If there is something you feel you need a guide on, let us know in the comments below, and we will see if we can help out. Raiding/Flashpoints Guides: The False Emperor The Esseles The Streets of Cademimu The Colicoid War Game Directive 7 Taral V Mandalorian Raiders Athiss Boarding Party Dorin’s Sky Maelstrom Prison Hammer Station The Foundry The Black Talon The Lost Island Flashpoint Guide Battle of Ilum Kaon Under Siege Scum and Villainy SWTOR World Boss Guides…
Game Update 1.6: “Ancient Hypergate” Launch Trailer
With the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic’s Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate, BioWare posted a promotion trailer. This video is showing off the new content in the usually BioWare way we know from the other updates. The video itself do not reveal anything big to the fans following the game here on swtorstrategies, but it’s still a damn nice watch. Check it out below:
The Inquisitr Talks “Saving SWTOR”- Will F2P Revive the MMO?
It’s been nearly one year since the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic and we never could have predicted last year that we would be sitting where we are today. The game has changed a lot and key developers have moved on to new projects but BioWare is still working on their project, which some say is a struggling game. “When Star Wars The Old Republic made its much ballyhooed debut in December of 2011, many gamers were promoting it as the next WoW killer”, says Inquisitr. BioWare had high hopes for their game, as did the fans but not everything worked according to plan. SWTOR reportedly cost over $200 million to develop and had 800 developers on four different continents involved in the creation. Some might argue that their first mistake was trying to do too much. KISS (keep it simple, stupid). The entire project took over six years to complete and…
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…
Valve fixes Steam overlay to work with SWTOR
Steam overlay (shift+tab) will now work with swtor without workarounds. If you’re not familiar with Steam overlay, it allows you to use an “overlay” within games (they don’t need to be games bought in Steam either) so that you can use a browser, chat with friends, take screenshots, and more. This is very handy especially for people without multiple monitors. So when you’re in a game which you “linked” with steam, you can press shift+tab to bring up the overlay, which renders “over” the game. This is oftentimes a quicker alternative to straight up alt+tabbing (if what you want to do is possible within the overlay). As far as I know, steam overlay wouldn’t work with swtor before without workarounds. One would add it to their steam library (as a non-steam game), then when they started it Steam would “lose track of it,” such that Steam overlay (Shift+Tab) wouldn’t work….
SWTOR Imperial Agent Sniper 1.5 Leveling PVE Build
This post will give you a decent leveling build for the Agent in SWTOR and we are covering the Sniper advanced class. The build is optimized for patch 1.5 and we will give you step by step point allocation as well as some rotations that you can use while leveling. SWTOR Imperial Agent Sniper 1.5 Leveling PVE Build 10 – 11: Energy Tanks 2/2 12 – 14: Gearhead 3/3 15 – 17: Explosive Engineering 3/3 18 – 19: Engineer’s Tool Belt 2/2 20: Interrogation Probe 1/1 21 – 22: Efficient Engineering 2/2 23 – 24: Cluster Bombs 2/2 25: Imperial Methodology 1/1 26 – 27: Experimental Explosives 2/2 28 – 29: Calculated Pursuit 2/2 30: EMP Discharge 1/1 31 – 32: Energy Overrides 2/2 33 – 34: Augmented Shields 2/2 35 – 37: Electrified Railgun 3/3 38 – 39: Deployed Shields 2/2 40: Plasma Probe 1/1 41 – 43: Lethality…
SWTOR World Boss Guides
World bosses are a big part of any MMO and Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. You’ll need a full raid party to beat these bosses so be prepared to work together as a team. Throughout the galaxy, you’ll encounter several planets with these raid level bosses and they do yield some nice loot and a codex entry. After taking down a boss the reset timer usually last around two to three hours for each. All of the bosses in SWTOR have what is called a “Terrifying buff” that will yield any companions incapacitate as soon as you initiate the fight. For the most part the bosses will be stronger as you move up in levels. For this reason, if you’re having trouble with the lower level ones, you may need to build up more before tackling the higher-level raid bosses. Here are the planets in STWOR where…
Is SWTOR F2P Cheaper than Subscribing for You?
We’ve been writing about SWTOR free to play and the restrictions and perks available with the different types of accounts. One thing that is quickly emerging is proof that one could end up paying a lot more than the monthly subscription rate when it comes to unlocking the many features of the game. So this presents a very important question: Should I sub or should I unlock with F2P? And leave it to another fan to create a fantastic way to tell. If you love numbers (like me) then these charts will impress you. It also appeals to the different types of SWTOR players and what you might want from the game. So read carefully, determine what best fits you and you’ll be able to see if f2p works for you or if you’re better off opting for the subscription. LoiFM will have a video coming soon to explain everything…
Free to Play Tips and Tricks
Since many new players are joining the game with the free to play launch, they’re going to be looking for answers on how to play and enjoy the game. Seasoned vets of SWTOR know their way around things but what they may not know is how things have changed since the free to play model launched. Sometimes we also forget that the things that seem common to us may be confusing or unknown to a new player. We all were new once and it pays to take the time to help someone out. You never know who you might meet in one act of kindness and besides, we just think it’s good gaming karma. F2p players get only 5 self-revives total and once you run out, you will need to buy more from the store or rez at a med center. This is a good reason for f2p gamers to…
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…
It’s a Star Wars Halloween – Star Wars and SWTOR Themed Costumes
Did you show your Star Wars support for Halloween? There were SWTOR and Star Wars themed costumes all over my neighborhood and even more found in the online communities such as Star Wars and gamer forums and Reddit. A friend of mine goes every year as a Jedi with a homemade Here are some other great SWTOR and Star Wars costumes:costume and an amazing lightsaber he made himself. This year, his daughter went with him in costume as well.The Ewok and his dad photo we found from a post on Reddit. Both costumes were handmade and it looks like this father and son had a really great time! We saw baby Yodas and young Jedis, a Wookie, Sith Sorcerer and Princess Leias. Taking to the Internet, we found some families going together in theme, friends pairing up to attend holiday parties as their favorite characters from the game and more….
How Will the Star Wars Expanded Universe Be Affected by the Disney Buyout?
Everyone is talking about the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm since the news was revealed yesterday but one question that we have on our minds is what will happen to the Expanded Universe now that this buyout has taken place? It’s far too early to say for certain so all anyone can do is speculate but this does bring up some important questions. A sequel trilogy would cause an upheaval in the galaxy far, far away for sure. It may disturb the continuity that has been part of the community for a very long time now. There are fans of all types and all age ranges out there who have spent their time in a post-Return of the Jedi atmosphere that could very well be turned on its heels. While we don’t know any more than the fact that there will be another movie, we cannot begin to guess what this…
Star Wars: Episode 7 to be “Original Story”
Since hearing the news that Disney bought Lucasfilm and there will be a new Star Wars movie, fans all over the world are speculation on what ‘Episode 7’ will be about. A Lucasfilm source says that this will be an all original story. What we do know for sure about Star Wars: Episode 7 is that Lucas himself won’t have a big hand in the day-to-day creation of it, although he did say he will assist and oversee the film (after previously saying he would never do another Star Wars movie). But some fans are actually happy to know that Lucas won’t have such a big hand it in (perhaps they are secretly hoping to never see Jar Jar Binks killed off permanently). Ok, so while Star Wars fans everywhere are speculating about what the new movie will entail, there are some facts that might surprise you. E Online (UK)…
DarthHater Data-mined Wookie Life Day! Yes it’s Coming!
Lots of exciting news coming out about 1.5 and upcoming SWTOR news, free to play and the Cartel Market. With all of this, the crew over at DarthHater found something else cool. DarthHater discovered something pretty interesting when updating their database yesterday with all the new items included in the PTS patch. They found evidence of a Star Wars-centric holiday event called Wookiee Life Day. How cool is that? This could be a new World Event for the Christmas holiday season. Since the original Star Wars Holiday Special centered around the Wookiee celebration of Life-Day, this gives a lot of opportunity to work this into the game. Here’s the stuff that DarthHater found: Items Life Day Orb Life Day Holiday Holo-Tree Life Day Vestments Life Day Lower Robe Life Day Boots So what do you think? Would you participate in a world event like this? Do you want to see…
Razer Creates Customized Star Wars SWTOR Blade Gaming Laptop
I like Razer. I currently use one of their gaming mice and I have used their products several times over the years. Well, now they have something new which is totally awesome for SWTOR fans- a limited edition SWTOR Blade gaming laptop. This isn’t the traditional Blade with some new SWTOR graphics slapped on it, however. Razer says they are pulling no punches with this laptop and that it has been built from the ground up with SWTOR gamers in mind. Razer’s Blade is a lightweight but well-built laptop for playing high-end games and the SWTOR version is painted in matte silver with laser etching all over. It’s fully customized with a backlit keyboard and SWTOR logo on the lid. Specifications include a 17.3-inch display, Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of dual-channel DDR3 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M 2GB GDDR5 and SSD drives. If you want it, it’s going…
Playing Pazaak on your Android Mobile and one day in SWTOR
Pazaak is an ancient card game from the Star Wars Universe. It’s believed by many controversial Coruscant researchers and historians that this is the origin of Sabacc or Jhabacc, a notorious gambling game frequently played by scoundrels like Lando Calrissian, Mara Jade and Han Solo. Ancient Pazaak was played for the first time, by Star Wars gamers in Knights of the Old Republic I and II. And now, is extremely popular by the deep desire of Star Wars gamers wanting to see it as part of their Massive Multi-Player Online experience, in the game Star Wars the Old Republic – which takes place not too long after Knights of the Old Republic. If you do a search for “Pazaak” in the forums of SWTOR.com you will find 4 pages of threads all asking for Pazaak to be added to the game. We’re talking about 92 unique threads all demanding Pazaak….
Want to Play Pazaak for Yourself?
Want to learn more about Pazak and how you can play it for yourself from your computer any time you want? Are you a Star Wars fan or former KOTOR player? In the era of the Old Republic, Pazaak was the most popular card game of an enormous number of sentiently creatures and most Star Wars fans know all about it. While it has yet to make it into SWTOR, you can play the game online at: http://www.pazaak.org/play You don’t need to download any software, as Pazaak Cantina Online runs directly in the browser. If you haven’t played it, are you wondering what Pazaak is? Let’s explore. Pazaak, an ancient game dating back to Old Republic times, was a popular card game in which the goal was to reach 20 without going over, or at least come closer to it than the opponent. (Sounds a little like Blackjack, no?) The player with…
SWTOR Unleashed – RamDisk Game Launcher with Massive Performance Increase
What if there was a way to play SWTOR without using up all of your computer resources? What if you could play from a RamDisk and have better performance and faster response? Well… now there is a way and it’s not a hack. It’s BioWare approved. It’s actually really cool to see players getting into a game and finding new and better ways to enjoy it or enjoy it better and of course, sharing that with the community is greatly appreciated as well. Learn more from this post: Approved By BioWare A program to automate the setup and removal process to use this game (SWTOR) with a ramdisk. This includes creating a ramdrive, copying file and creating the needed links. You as user can select what files you want to have on the ramdrive, depending on your needs and maximal available ram. Please click the link below for details about…
SWTOR Political and Moral Survey by the National Science Foundation
Have you ever wondered where politics come into play in SWTOR? Most Star Wars fans are aware of political and moral undertones in the series which then transcend into all versions and variations of the original story- SWTOR included. But here is a very interesting survey by the National Science Foundation that will shed some more light onto the issues of politics and morals in SWTOR. From New World Notes: Click here if you play Star Wars: The Old Republic to take a short and fascinating (in my biased* opinion) survey on the MMO’s political and moral choices, and how they relate (if at all) to your real life values. It’s for a report funded by a US government grant from the National Science Foundation which seeks to explore ways in which MMOs “provide experiences of meaningful accomplishment and how this engagement may portend the social use of digital technology for mass persuasion and…
Rich Vogel to Head New Austin Studio
Bethesda Softworks has announced the formation of a new studio in Austin, Texas. Called “Battlecry Studios“, the development team will be headed by ex-BioWare/SWTOR veteran Rich Vogel. – via MMORGP.com. Right now they are working on an unannounced project but it should be very interesting to see what they come up with. Vogel has a long history in the video game industry and recently works as executive producer of development of SWTOR for BioWare. He also worked on Ultima Online, and Star Wars Galaxies as well as other online and console titles during his 20+ years in game development. I’m really interested in seeing what he will do with Battlecry Studios and what kind of projects they will put out. It could also be a good thing for the gaming industry since The new Austin studio announced they are currently hiring other experienced game developers to fill key roles for this upcoming and unannounced project….
New Star Wars Game: First Assault Coming to XBLA?
There could be a new Star Wars game on the way and while it has not been officially released yet, there is some info going around the gaming communities about it. The mysterious LucasArts project that has had rumors flying for some time, appears to be an Xbox LIVE Arcade title. Back in August, it was discovered that LucasFilm had purchased a series of domain names related to something with Star Wars and this unknown title. Now, according to a listing on Xbox.com, via NeoGAF, Star Wars First Assault will be an XBLA game but it has not been officially confirmed by LucasArts yet. GameSpot provides some more information: A new Star Wars game is headed to Xbox Live Arcade, according to an eagle-eyed NeoGAF forum user. The game has not yet been announced by LucasArts, but it is not entirely a mystery. In August, the company filed a trademark application for Star Wars: First Assault for…
Wife Makes Husband Cool SWTOR Phone Cover
Do you want to show your love of SWTOR outside the game? There are many options for flair these days, including great SWTOR t-shirts and accessories. But one woman make a very unique SWTOR phone cover for her husband and he took to the Internet to show it off. It’s basically a vinyl sticker which means it is also removable and you could make (or purchase) different designs and switch them out when you need something new. She used an electronic craft cutting machine. Then she copied an image of the symbol into the software and traced it, then cut it out of vinyl. It only takes a few minutes and then you’re ready to apply to the phone. So what do you think of it? Pretty cool design and simple idea? Would you try one yourself or would you use one if you could buy it?