The Music of Star Wars the Old Republic Preview

If you haven't noticed, BioWare has been giving us a sample each day of the music from Star Wars the Old Republic since December 1st.

These tracks can be found here :
http://www.youtube.com/user/swtheoldrepublic

While being an avid fan of musical scores from movies and video games, I can say I was quite impressed with what we have been given to listen to thus far. The music, while not composed by John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws), follows in much of the same tradition. I have always believed the music is one of the most important parts to telling a story in the form of a motion picture, or even a video game. It can set the tone and feeling throughout the story and almost push the dialogue out of perspective.

The track titled The Mandalorian Blockade, which was composed by Mark Griskey, Wilbert Roget II, Gordy Haab, and Lennie Moore, sets a very fast paced tone much like we would expect from an action sequence in the Star Wars saga. It has a very epic overtone to it and can be quite inspiring. I noticed much of it was used during combat sequences in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/user/swtheoldrepublic#p/u/15/F5MoBb8-75E

Coruscant, the Capital, composed by Lennie Moore, sets the tone to our complete feeling of being overwhelmed by thousands of cars in flight, scurrying from building to building at a frenzied pace. The mood then turns into a bit of a melancholy feeling as we realize there is much corruption on the planet from the storyline, leaving us with a warm tone at the end leading us to believe there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/swtheoldrepublic#p/u/4/cAWDeWTlMjc

My personal favorite is a track titled Korriban, the Homeworld, composed by Mark Griskey. It has a very dark overtone to it that reminded me of Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side of the Force we saw in Episode III on the planet Mustafar. It has a very eerie feel to it, paying homage to themes used by John Williams when we were introduced to scenes featuring Emperor Palpatine. When I walk around in game as my Sith Warrior, I would like this music to be playing.

http://www.youtube.com/user/swtheoldrepublic#p/u/14/heuveUxnLkA

Each day, until December 20th, one more track will be added. BioWare has also stated that these scores WILL NOT be included on the soundtrack featured in the SWTOR Collector's Edition. They are available for us now to enjoy and they may inspire you.

SWTOR Launch Party Invites

If you are in Austin Texas, New York, Paris or London then there is a SWTOR launch party event that you can attend, where developers and other key peeps from BioWare or Lucasfilm will be on hand to sign free swag. If I had my pick of any of the four I'd head to Oxford St in London, which is handily the same location of the infamous Lonely Planet mega Sci-Fi memorabilia store.

Full details here.

SWTOR Friday Update: Last One

For this week's Friday update, BioWare have given a link to their community blog. Essentially the blog will replace the Friday updates, now that the game is about to go live. You can find this new official SWTOR blog here. This will save you from having to filter through fifty sites all posting the same news every Friday. There have been a lot of fansites out there that have been replying on the Friday updates as their sole source of news; this new blog will force some of them to produce their own content or fade away.

Also in this Friday update is the character progression video for the Sith Inquisitor. I got to play around with a Sith Inquisitor, up to around level 20, in Beta. The storyline is awesome. I chose Assassin as my Advanced class. Check out the progression video below:

SWTOR Full Sith Inquisitor Companion List and Gifts

Sith Inquisitor has a different layout of Companions than its counterpart of Jedi Consular. As a Sith Inquisitor you don't get access to a Companion healer until the planet Hoth, which is at around level 35-ish. Some of the bosses that you will have encountered before then are quite a challenge without a healer Companion. A sith Inquisitor has to rely on being a healer for themself and using a tank companion, or using a Companion like Ashara Zavros and relying on burst damage to take opponents down quick. Playing with a healer Companion is very different than playing with a DPS Companion. The other challenge for Sith Inquistors is that if they play a male character and they want to play around with the Romance options with a Companion, the only female Companion option is Ashara Zavros and she doesn't like dark side choices. She can be bought over with gifts. I highly recommend not trying to romance Khem Val ... could be a little freaky!

I have put together details about the five Sith Inquisitor Companions and all their preferences for gifts right here:

Full SWTOR Companion List on SWTORFace.com

From www.swtorface.com

Companions are going to play a massive part in your experience in SWTOR. Whether you use your companion to craft, or gather, or to tank for you, or even heal you, you'll never be alone. Much more than a simple pet, companions will share their opinions during your experience and judge you on your decisions.


You'll be able to customize their look and all their armor and weapons in the same way that you can customize your own look and gear. During your journeys in SWTOR you'll even get custom items for specific companions.


Every character, by the time they've finished the main story line, will have access to five companions in total. Every class has five different companions which are unlocked as you progress. Whether you choose to journey with a companion because of their special skills, or just because you like their company, it's totally up to you. Some players may even choose their main character's class based on the companions connected to a class, but the five different companions attached to each class represent one from each of the five skill sets (DPS, tank, heals, etc).



Click on the images below to see full details of Bounty Hunter, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Jedi Knight , Trooper, Sith Inquisitor, Imperial Agent and Sith Warrior companion stats and gifts.

Qyzen-Fess Planet: Tython Qyzen Companion Gifts: Theran Cedrex Planet: Nar Shaddaa Theran Companion Gifts: Zenith Planet: Balmorra Zenith Companion Gifts: Lt Iresso  Planet: Hoth Lt Iresso Companion Gifts: Nadia Grell Planet: Belsavis Nadia Companion Gifts: Corso Riggs Planet: Ord Mantell Corso Companion Gifts: Bowdaar Bowdaar Companion Gifts: Risha Risha Companion Gifts: Akavi Spaar Akavi Companion Gifts: Guss Tuno Guss Companion Gifts: T7-01 T7-01 Companion Gifts: Kira Planet: Courscant Kira Companion Gifts: Doc Doc Companion Gifts: Sargent Rusk Rusk Companion Gifts: Lord Scourge Planet: Empires Palace Scourge Companion Gifts: Aric Jorgan Aric Companion Gifts: Elara Dorne Planet: Taris Elara Companion Gifts: M1-4X M1-4X Companion Gifts: Tanno Vik Tanno Companion Gifts: Yuun Yuun Companion Gifts: Khem Val Planet: Korriban Khem Companion Gifts: Andronikos Revel Planet: Tatooine Andronikos Companion Gifts: Ashara Zavros Ashara Companion Gifts: Talos Drellik Talos Companion Gifts: Xalek Planet: Voss Xalek Companion Gifts: Kaliyo D'jannis Planet: Hutta Kaliyo Companion Gifts: Vector Hyllis Planet: Alderaan Vector Companion Gifts: Doctor Lokin Lokin Companion Gifts: Ensign Raina Temple Planet: Hoth Raina Companion Gifts: Scorpio Planet: Belsavis Scorpio Companion Gifts: Vette Planet: Korriban Vette Companion Gifts: Malavi Quinn Planet: Balmora Malavi Companion Gifts: Jaesa Willsaam Planet: Hutta Jaesa Willsaam Light side Companion Gifts: Jaesa Willsaam Dark Side Companion Gifts: Lieutenant Pierce Planet: Taris Pierce Companion Gifts: Broonmark Planet: Hoth Broonmark Companion Gifts: Mako Planet: Hutta Mako Companion Gifts: Gault Rennow Planet: Tattooine Gault Companion Gifts: Torian Cadera Planet: Taris Torian Companion Gifts: Blizz Blizz Companion Gifts: Skadge Skadge Companion Gifts:

Full Jedi Consular Companion List and Gifts

I just finished SWTORFace's Companion list and today we will look at the Jedi Consular Companion List. Knowing what your companion likes and hates will help you a lot ingame. We have a full list of gifts with every companion too. I found Nadia Grell to be a good companion but my God, her complaining! It was like dating a dumb chick in high school ...

Companions are going to play a massive part in your experience in SWTOR. Whether you use your companion to craft, or gather, or to tank for you, or even heal you, you'll never be alone. Much more than a simple pet, companions will share their opinions during your experience and judge you on your decisions.

You'll be able to customize their look and all their armor and weapons in the same way that you can customize your own look and gear. During your journeys in SWTOR you'll even get custom items for specific companions.

Every character, by the time they've finished the main story line, will have access to five companions in total. Every class has five different companions which are unlocked as you progress. Whether you choose to journey with a companion because of their special skills, or just because you like their company, it's totally up to you. Some players may even choose their main character's class based on the companions connected to a class, but the five different companions attached to each class represent one from each of the five skill sets (DPS, tank, heals, etc).

Early SWTOR Game Access Now December 13th

Big news from the Devs. Some of us (people who pre-ordered SWTOR) will be getting into the game on the 13th of December instead of the previously planned date of 15th of December. I think my heart just started beating a bit faster with excitement!  It's like Christmas is early!!

The rub is that it's a case of first in best dressed - those that re-ordered first will get access first. Here's the official announcement ...

Gold Post!

Early Game Access* for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is only a few days away! Starting December 13, 2011, The Old Republic will begin emailing invitations to start your Early Game Access. Invitations will be sent throughout the Early Game Access period offering rolling access to the game in the order in which you redeemed your Pre-Order Code, so be sure to check your email inbox!

To ensure that players can get into the game as quickly as possible when their Early Game Access begins, we are now allowing everyone who has redeemed a Pre-Order Code at our Code Redemption Center to pre-load the game to their computer.

In order to download the game client before Early Game Access begins, you need have already logged into your account and redeemed your Pre-Order Code. Once you have done this, you can download the game client by clicking on “My Account” in the upper-right of the window and then click “Pre-Order.” On your Pre-Order page, click the large button that says “Download Game Client” to begin download of the game!

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Hot Alien Babes

One thing SWTOR is not short of is Star Wars sex appeal. The Dev team go above and beyond the call of duty in the design of Hot Alien Babes in SWTOR; some of them will make your heart melt!

Crafting and Missions With Companions

This is a video guide that shows how to use the crafting system in SWTOR and also explores the best use for inactive companions, missions, and resource collection. Demonstrating all this at Lvl 50 this guide shows you the full workings of the crafting system. This guide was done using the 12/1/11 patch.

SWTOR Game Cards Now Available For Purchase!

Amazon has a 60-day game card for $29.99. $15 a month is a sweet deal! This will be a good idea for a Christmas gift for any SWTOR fan!

If you have pre-ordered then you have 30 days subscription but that will only see you through until mid-January, so this is worth considering. I hadn't seen any official pricing on the monthly subscription before this and it's good to know that it will be $15/month. Most likely it will be cheaper with bulk subscriptions once they become available too. I'll leave a link in the border to the game card so it's there for when you need it.