When Will SWTOR Bata Be Back Online?

It looks like I get no space combat with my coffee this morning :( 

I got up at 6 am thinking, yeah servers will be up, but when I opened SWTOR this is what I found! This week? THIS WEEK? WHAT!! NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo......  

It looks like they might be getting the servers ready for guild deployment on the 2nd of December! I don't know if we will be playing on the to-be Live servers or not but it would make sense with only 2 weeks to go, well 16 days. 

SWTOR Creating A Guild Ingame Video Quick Tip

I'm seeing this question pop up all the time in the forums so I put this video together to show you!

"How do you create a Guild in SWTOR?"

On of the first things a lot of people are going to want to do in SWTOR is to set up and then manage a guild. This video guide gives you an overview of how to do that ingame.

 

If your looking for an active guild to join check out our guild SQUAD at http://www.squadguild.com/

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Fighting Through Voss

If you thought Luke was brave, taking on a Rancor, wait until you come up against an enraged Vorantikus! These creatures look amazing and are hard to defeat. I couldn't get enough screenshots of these guys. It was thrill to find new ways to tackle them. The modelling department at BioWare went above and beyond the call of duty with the design of this foe.

SWTOR Video Tour of the Planet Belsavis

I had really no idea what to expect when I first went to Belsavis. When i discovered it was a prison planet, I wasn't expecting a lot, buy boy was I wrong! This planet is one of the prettiest and largest gaming areas I've found. I spent a lot of time exploring this planet, and I still didn't find all of the teleport areas. I believe I got most of the quest lines done, which I must say was also very well done for my class. The variety of mobs and quest styles on this planet is something to look forward to.

Here's a video tour, and some screenshots to wet your whistle below it.



All screenshots are 1920 x 1080.

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Picking Up Chicks

I love this shot in Nar Shaddaa. I was cruising the red light district, as all good Jedi do, and I overheard one of the many conversations that you'll come across with NPCs (there are long conversations between NPC characters that you can listen in on everywhere!). In this screenshot you've got a slime ball trying to pick up what is obviously a working girl. Maybe he didn't have the credits to just tell her to hop in his speeder!

Hey, how you doing?

SWTOR Friday Update: Jedi Consular Character Progression

The Jedi Consular shown in this Friday update video release from BioWare sure is bad ass and if the responses in YouTube comments and the SWTOR official forums are anything to go by, you're all looking forward to this as much as I am!

From SWTOR.com: "As your character grows more powerful, you will see them gain new skills and abilities to complement the superior gear they acquire.


Channeling the power of the Force to give them strength in combat and clarity in diplomacy, Jedi Consulars are respected for their leadership on the battlefield as well as their evenhanded demeanor at the negotiating table. While many devote themselves to uncovering the ancient secrets of the Jedi and use their command of the Force to defend and protect their allies, others use the Force as a means of slipping into the shadows and becoming powerful servants for the Republic."

Gaming in SWTOR Beta, Three Weeks In

This is the big weekend for most people, when they will get their first look at SWTOR, but I've been lucky enough to have been invited to the full time Beta. I've been playing the Beta for over three weeks now and my Jedi Consular is level 43, tough as nails, broke, but has lots of friends.

Last Companion (Jedi)
I just managed to finally get the last companion and the change in gameplay was dramatic. I completed the story arc, which gave me access to my final companion three levels under the recommended level. But once I had access to her it made leveling and the other side quests a lot easier. I went from cruising around with my healer companion, slowly killing one mob at a time in a tanking stance, to being able to slice through four mobs in seconds. Having two Jedi DPS (myself and my Jedi companion) is amazing. I refer to it as lawn mower mode, the way the lightsabers are spinning, you just plow through anything that gets in your way.

Shadow Specs
The Shadow spec that I picked up has a stealth mode that's helped me complete quest lines much faster than I should have. Sneaking around can complete quests faster but it seems to result in less Experience and Loot, as you're sneaking past mobs rather than killing them.

Space Combat
I have found space combat to be a good way to assist in leveling up. You get a variety of daily quests you can do and I've found them fairly easy, up to about level 40. Ship upgrades are another major expense if you want any chance of being able to complete the level 40 combat missions, you're going to have to sink about 100 000 credits into upgrading your vessel.

Credits
The biggest issue I am finding at this stage is credits. I'm just scrapping by level by level with my skill upgrades. I have nowhere near enough credits for my next speeder training and at some levels I found I didn't even have enough credits to get the level up skills required. Using the standard speeder you get at level 25 is not that bad, but having the upgrade training blinking at you every time you walk past a Jedi Consular trainer, and not having the credits to get it, is frustrating. This is the same for my crafting and other bonus items, all available everywhere but out of my budget. I have to save all my credits just to be able to upgrade my combat skills. I am concerned that if the costs stay as they are, the credit farmers are going to have a field day.

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Cybersex in SWTOR

I'd like to introduce you to Holiday. She is Theran's companion. Theran is my human, male, healer companion. Theran's relationship with Holiday, who is an advanced computer system with a female avatar, is almost innappropiate! Not that long ago when I was hanging out with some mates, it got to late at night and we turned the TV on to find an odd documentary about people having relationships with life-like mannequins. This companion and his companion reminded me of that doc! But Holiday does prove to be quite useful as she stuns your adversaries with her stunning beauty. Who came up with this little side story?!

SWTOR Weapon Modification and Upgrade Video Guide

After making numerous mistakes in Beta with loot, I am finally at the stage where I think I understand how it works and how best to use the system. Rather than you making the same mistakes with your squeaky clean toons, I thought I'd put this guide together. I tell you now, a Trandoshan hunter gets really annoyed when you sell his primary weapon to a vendor and give him a crappy green because you think it's an upgrade! If you think it's bad to upset a Wookie, you haven't met a pissed off Trandoshan yet! So if you want to keep your relationship in good standing with all your companions, and get the most out of your experience in SWTOR, check out this video guide.

SWTOR BETA: Tour Of Hoth Video and Screenshots

Are you ready to freeze? Hoth is amazing. I just finished all the quests and I loved it! Watch out for the wampas.

This video shows you what the planet Hoth looks like from the main paths and some off path and wildlife. No story spoilers are shown.




All screenshots are 1980 x 1080.