SWTOR Advanced Space Combat Guide Video

Advanced space combat is hard! This video gives you an Advanced Space Combat Guide and runs through two full level 45+ missions and shows you how to use high level upgrades like the Electronic Warfare Pod Power Conversion Module and the level 50 Proton Torpedo Tube.

For basic space combat please see this video:

SWTOR Companion Gifts: An Explanation

It's getting close to Christmas, the time of gift-giving. In SWTOR, the benefits reaped from giving gifts to your companions are immense. Not only do gifts grant extra reputation with your companions, and possibly unlock romantic interludes, but every new level you reach with your companion unlocks a series of very simple quests which are often just a conversation. These conversations can grant massive amounts of experience really fast. I found myself jumping through half a level in five minutes when unlocking a series of companion quests. There are multiple levels of gifts which grant multiple levels of companion reputation and you can either purchase these companion gifts from vendors in major cities or you can acquire them through crew missions from professions like Treasure Hunting. Make sure you give your companions the rights gifts though. Every companion has particular preferences. Some gifts will grant lots of reputation and others will grant no reputation at all. You will waste a gift if you give it to the wrong companion.

Gifts are easily identified in the game as companion gifts. They come with a deep purple label and a category:

Weapon
Military Gear
Courting
Luxury
Technology
Republic Memorabilia
Imperial Memorabilia
Cultural Artifact
Trophy
Underworld Goods

For each category there area variety of different items. I discovered the hard way ingame and wasted a lot of credits giving my companions the wrong items. If you use the gift system through leveling, it will help you get to 50 a lot faster as it will unlock easy quest storylines.

For every companion I have listed which categories of gifts they each like or are indifferent to. They are listed on the Companion List pages. Check it out here.

SWTOR Bounty Hunter Full Companion List and Gifts

Bounty Hunters really scored big when it comes to companions. Their first companion, Mako, is a pleasant enough companion who gives you ranged healing or even a little bit of DPS right off the bat. They also get Blizz; I mean who doesn't want a Jawa tank hanging out with them?! On top of that, they get a Devaronian. If that doesn't say bad-ass when you enter a room, what does?! The companion combination alone makes we want to play Bounty Hunter early on. I got to mess around with it a bit in beta and I loved the gameplay style. I have no doubt that we'll see our fair share of Bounty Hunter players in the galaxy.

Check out a full list of information about the companions for Bounty Hunter, including the gifts that do and don't work for them, here:

SWTOR Full Trooper Companion List and Gifts

The order in which Trooper's gain access to their companions gives them a lot of gameplay style options early on. The first companion is DPS and the second heals, which allows the player to settle into a gameplay style by around level 15. Using a DPS/tanking companion provides a very different gameplay than tank/DPS healer. DPS/tank with a healer might take a little longer to get through quests and mobs, but you definitely die a lot less, whereas using two DPS or even a semi-tank/DPS combo might allow you to kill things faster, but there are a lot of circumstances where you're waiting for the resurrect timer due to miscalculations or accidentally attacking more than one elite.

The Trooper companion line-up has good variety and there is a hot chick as the healer which is great for players wanting a romance storyline with a female character. Not only does companion affection help your relationship with that companion, it also unlocks valuable conversations which grant a lot of experience. I didn't learn the value of gifts to companions until I had already reached high level 40s on beta.

Check out a compilation of everything I have been able to gather about Trooper companions and their gifts here:

New Face Joins SWTORFace Say Hi To Natassia

I'm excited to join SWTORFace and can't wait to contribute to the site. I have been an avid gamer for the past 15 years, playing both PC and console games. I've played my share of MMOs starting with Legends of Kesmai and including but not limited to EQ, AoC, Anarchy Online, LOTRO, CoH, WOW and DCUO. A born Star Wars fan (early memories include Star Wars trivia during car rides with Dad), I'm stoked for SWTOR. What Star Wars fan wouldn't love a Bioware Star Wars MMO? I'm always up for good conversation so feel free to circle me on google + or email me at natassia@swtorface.com.

From John: I might need to get a female face now?

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.

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: A player's ship is his home

It's nice to have a place in the game that is just yours and I hope one day we can customize the inside of our ships to make them feel more unique! I got to spend a lot of time on this baby; she is a sweet ride!  

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: a scene no Jedi will forget

Crafting your saber in SWTOR is a magic moment and I think the best scene in the game all the way to 50!
With the update to crafting and orange items, I'm excited that I will get to keep my first saber all the way and even raid with it!

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: End of Beta

Saying goodbye to my Beta toon is not easy; I've spent hundreds of hours with this guy ingame and editing videos looking at him and although I'm not finished with videos that I have shot with him, it's still sad saying goodbye. SWTORFACE the Jedi Consular will live on and continue to teach 1000's of Jedi as they stumble through the world that is SWTOR! Look out for him over the next 10 days in some new and helpful videos.

Big Profit Expectations for The Old Republic

As December has gotten underway, we’ve already been lucky enough to enjoy a few beta testing sessions ahead of The Old Republic’s highly anticipated release on the 20th. With a number of positive reviews in thus far, there has still been a bit of objectivity levied from a few, including Activision’s president Bobby Kotick, who is said to believe that Electronic Arts won’t benefit much from the holiday release. This assessment has little basis on the game play and selling numbers that are expected, but it’s still a bit misguided. 

Just this past week, Eurogamer was lucky enough to speak with a few major industry analysts who see strong profits on the horizon for both LucasArts and Electronic Arts. One of the analysts spoke of an expected $300 million in revenue generation, which would result in an excellent take home for both Star Wars the Old Republic developers. 

Because Electronic Arts will be taking home about 30 percent of the total revenue for The Old Republic, they would stand to take in nearly $80 million if numbers came anywhere close to what some analysts are predicting, which would surely be a very good achievement. Subscriber totals are expected to be the driving force behind the possible revenue for both developers.

Subscriber estimates are ranging anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million expected in the early months of 2012. If The Old Republic can garner in subscribers anywhere near 3 million in total, the end revenue could possibly reach the height of $500 million, which would be outstanding for both LucasArts and Electronic Arts.

Early doubt, especially that from Bobby Kotick has been totally based off the revenue and license share levels between Electronic Arts and LucasArts. Game play and the early reviews have been positive for the most part, especially after strong responses to the game play and storyline following the initial beta testing sessions, which saw over one million hours logged by hundreds of thousands of gamers.

With the strong initial reviews in hand, expectations have grown with the fact that the game will be released during the core of the holiday gift buying season. Many families are choosing to take advantage of this timing by pre ordering the game, instead of waiting to purchase it after the wide release on December 20.

There is only a minor risk of failure expected for The Old Republic, especially after the beta testing sessions throughout the month of November. Developers have set goals for The Old Republic to compete in long term users and sales with other MMO mainstays like World of Warcraft. Even though this level of success still remains questionable, the game looks to have a strong combination of inviting factors. If it is able to appeal to both casual gamers and the dedicated Star Wars fans, expect the franchise to assert itself as an MMO powerhouse in 2012 and beyond.

By : Justin Taylor

Update To Upgrading Armor And Mods In SWTOR Video

Using the 12/1/11 patch this is a guide that shows the difference between weapons of different levels and what you can do with upgrading the mods in weapons. We take a close look at the stat changes on multiple lightsabers, and show you the raw hard facts. This guide is designed to help you understand the weapon upgrade system in greater detail. The weapon upgrade is done by a level 49/50 Jedi. Footage was taken from SWTOR Beta and is subject to change.

8 Year Star Wars Galaxies Veteran Gets His Feet Wet in SWTOR (Finally)

In June of 2003 I began playing Star Wars Galaxies. Having been fascinated by the Star Wars Universe since I was a child, and being a very avid console game player, I had played just about every Star Wars console game title released to that point. PC games were still quite new to me however, as most of my gaming had been done on the Sega Genesis, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sony Playstation. The thought of playing an online game where I would interact with others was very new and exciting to me.

At the recommendation of a friend, I decided to give Star Wars Galaxies a try. Being a console gamer, I had no idea Star Wars Galaxies was even in development, let alone set to be released soon. I had played games like StarCraft and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, but this was my very first experience in the MMORPG world, and the first game that actually had a monthly subscription attached. It was Star Wars, I simply had to be there I told myself. To my delight, I was completely amazed with the game itself and seeing hundreds of other players in just one area, moving about like ants, doing their missions, forming massive battles. I was very impressed. I spent countless hours and endured alot of sleepless nights attempting to unlock my Jedi character slot, which I finally accomplished on Mother's Day of 2004.


Throughout it's very checkered history due to unwanted changes in the combat system, a massive player exodus when World of Warcraft was released, the shutdown of SOE services for nearly two weeks due to intrusion by hackers back in April of 2011, and countless game updates attempting to restore the game to it's former glory, I had maintained 5 accounts until the very end. September 15th, 2011 was the last day subscriptions to the game were accepted.

I cannot even begin to list all the people I met during that time from all over the globe. I even learned that one of my cousins in Australia had been playing it for years as well. The game was simply amazing. I had put much time and effort into my characters I had created, which equaled thirteen in total in the end.

June 24th, 2011 will be forever remembered as one of the most depressing and disappointing days of my life. Sony Online Entertainment released a statement that all Star Wars Galaxies services would be closing down on December 15th, 2011. I was simply heartbroken. My characters had become an extension of myself. I knew of Star Wars the Old Republic long before the shutdown was announced, but I simply did not want to abandon the work I had done in Star Wars Galaxies, even though the writing appeared to be on the wall already when SOE has laid off their entire Denver Colorado office staff on March 31st, 2011.

I resisted. I became one of the very vocal players who voiced their unhappiness with the decision to shut down SWG. I posted on the SWG forums, Lucasarts forums, SOE's Facebook pages, and even helped circulate a petition that was created by another player in an attempt to alter this decision to shut down the game. We had reached close to 5,000 signatures, but it became apparent that our efforts were falling upon deaf ears. I became angry and frustrated, and even voiced my displeasure towards Star Wars the Old Republic, blaming it as the main cause for the game I loved being taken away. My friends and guildies stopped logging into SWG, perhaps sharing my frustrations, and the game lost alot of what had made it so special to me.

In July of 2011, Pre-Orders were started for SWTOR. I had come to the realization that the best way to continue on was to take my legacy and guild to another game. I pre-ordered the collector's edition for SWTOR. I came to terms with reality and accepted the fact that SWG would not be around forever.

While waiting as patiently as I could, in August 2011 the same friend who had introduced me to SWG asked me to try World of Tanks with him, a free to play battlefield type game with World War II tanks. It helped pass the time perfectly, and I still am playing it to this day. It is a very quick and action packed game which reminded me of some of the console games I had played in earlier years. My best description of it was "Twisted Metal with WWII tanks". My guildies and friends started playing it as well. There was video game life after SWG I realized.

After months of checking through my email, and very jealously listening to a guildie who was in the permanent beta describe the game, I finally recieved an invite to the beta test Star Wars the Old Republic last weekend, which began on November 25th, 2011.

I was not disappointed. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of things to do in the game. It really did make Star Wars Galaxies seem very small and redundant. People had said the graphics were "cartoon-like" and "outdated" which I fully disagreed with. I heard that the questing became tiresome, which I did not find to be the case either. I was also concerned how the game would run on my PC, being that it was a little bit older. Smooth as silk I found when I logged in the first time.

By Friday evening I was completely hooked on the game and very engrossed into my character's storyline. Each day I played I kept learning new things about the game and progressed to level 22. I tried the other classes for a short time to get a small feel for them but simply could not stop wanting to play my Jedi Knight. No need for 5 account subscriptions, as the game allows a total of 8 characters to be made on any given server. This alone made the game seem so much more rich to me with content.

I am now a firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason. Star Wars Galaxies was on the decline for years. My guild which used to consist of hundreds of members who would log in on a regular basis, became just a shell of it's former self, with under 20 people logging in regularly. I was losing touch with them all and the game had lost it's appeal to alot of people.

Star Wars the Old Republic will be around for quite some time, and I suggest that any Star Wars fan completely embrace it for what it is. The music, while not composed by John Williams, follows in the same tradition of the movies. It has that very epic Star Wars tone to it and I am very happy that I will be getting a copy of the soundtrack as well with the Collector's Edition.

The combat is much more complex than I had ever thought, almost to the point of being on par to some of the console fighting games I had played like Namco's Tekken series. There are counters, combos, and enough of a challenge to make me keep wanting to come back for more.

The character story kept making me want to see what happens next, with enough side quests to keep my progression on par to handle alot of the content on my own, while I was overwhelmed at the amount of Group Missions and Heroic Encounters that I would need to call upon my guildies to complete. None of which seemed necessary to pass a certain point and I never got stuck to the point where I could not progress. There is so much to do that I could not possibly squeeze it all into one weekend, or see everything it has to offer.

The space combat was very action packed and fast. It did remind me of StarFox for the Nintendo 64, like many people have said, which I always had loved. After a few upgrades to your spaceship it should be alot of fun and enough of a challenge to make you want to come back for more.

Another thing I noted that was unlike SWG was that there was nothing your character did to leave a lasting impression on the server. There is no player housing to be tied down to, or player cities. While I did not like this idea at first, I come to realize now that when the game launches there may be close to 50 servers running for the game. Who knows what might happen say maybe five years from now. It should be a very painless transition should they have to merge servers, close servers, or introduce character transfer. Many of my frustrations in SWG were rooted in real estate squabbles, not finding enough room for my structures, or simply getting there too late to take advantage of resource spawns or prime spots for housing. Not to mention also that some of the less populated servers became ghost towns, before SOE finally allowed free character transfer to a more populated server of our choice. This service was previously charged at a whopping $50 or more per character, depending on whether you wanted to take your items with you or not.

Every game ultimately is defined by how well the Player vs. Player aspect is done, and how much content there is after reaching maximum level. While I myself did not try any of the Player vs. Player Warzones, the jubilence of my guildies who did participate in them over our Teamspeak server assured me that this game has gotten it right in pretty much every aspect.

I very much look forward to the game's launch and sharing my experiences with you all. It's going to be a very fun ride. Star Wars Galaxies was indeed a very good game for years and years past, but I feel we are in good hands with BioWare and Star Wars the Old Republic.

May the Force be With You!

Stephen Cefai
Goji-Phen
Guild Leader of Eternal Empire

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Hello, can I eat you?

So, I finally made it to level 50 and found my new favorite creature in the game. You have to agree, this guy is uber-cute. Too bad he was looking at me in my stealth mode, trying to work out how he could eat me. This guy wanders the frozen wastelands of the planet Ilum. You'll get to know him and his buddies really well, as it's where you'll end up doing a lot of your dailies.

SWTOR Advanced Class Re-specs in the Future?

The discussion is raging on again about the lack of a re-spec option in the current build for Advanced Classes. Read the latest post from the developers below if you need to catch up.

Let me start off by saying that I totally disagree with the proposed option of being able to re-spec a character with an Advanced Class already established. The reason is that what a lot of people don't realise is that your Advanced Class IS your class if you compare it to a game like WoW. Using WoW as an example, should a Rogue be able to re-spec to a Hunter? No! Within your Advanced Class you have the ability to have three very individual builds, just like a Rogue in WoW. I think that people are upset because they haven't got past the way it has been named in SWTOR.



The class system in SWTOR allows you to get the feel for your character and the game before making your final decision on your actual class. You play until level 10 with a generic set of skills and the flexibility to try different things. Then you decide on your Advanced Class. In WoW by comparison, you start as a Hunter and you have three trees and you choose to put your points in one of those skill trees. In SWTOR you don't get skill points until you reach level ten. You then choose your Advance Class and are at that point given three trees to put skill points in. These three trees provide you with three very different playing styles which you can re-spec in the current build. The way the system is that the moment just prevents one character from being able to do every job in the game. Most Advanced Classes give players the option for two different play styles: Healer/DPS or Tank/DPS.   The other Advanced Classes optimise damage output but give you choices of play styles, as in burst DPS or sustained DPS over long periods of time. If one Advanced Class is able to be a Healer, Tank or DPS it could potentially imbalance the game, with players being forced into roles they don't want to play.

A perfect example is the game Global Agenda. Most people in the guild I was in had one of each class as it doesn't take very long to level. Even though I hate the role of healing, every time I logged in on a Raid night I was left with one choice: heal or don't Raid. I have seen this happen in WoW with Palladins and Druids too. I've even had friends quit the game because they have hated healing or tanking but were forced to do it.

I plead with BioWare to truly think this through before considering it in the future. I do beklieve though that once more players have got to level 50, like I have, they'll understand why the need to re-spec an Advanced Class is not necessary or a good option for the game.

Gold post from SWTOR.com forums:
Folks, please don't overreact about the possibility of something happening in the future. Advanced Class switching (or re-speccing, take your pick) was, at one point, potentially going to go into the game. Right now, it's not in the game. It could potentially be added after launch. Like, frankly, anything else. To quote Georg "we reserve the right to change our minds based on feedback and testing". This thread is feedback. It'll be taken into account by the developers, along with the usual metrics we look at. I'll say this much - any sort of Advanced Class changing is not under discussion for launch, or even right after launch. Absolutely anything in the game is potentially open to change in the future. That's part of what an MMO is about. Your feedback on those changes is absolutely welcome, but just because we say that yes, something may potentially happen in the future... that doesn't make it a certainty.

SWTOR Beta: A Video Tour of Corellia

One of the coolest things in this video and on Corellia itself is the bullet tram system. It's fast. The planet itself has been devastated by war and the scenery is what you expect from any major city in a war zone, right down to escaped zoo animals running rampant.

With this video, I've uploaded in high definition 1080p. Is this something people want, or do most people watch at 720p? The reason I ask is that there is about a 3 hour difference in the upload time.



All Screen-shots are 1920x1080

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Carbonite is Common

Freezing people in carbonite is common place 3000 years before Han Solo got cubed by Vader and Fett in the Empire Strikes Back, it looks like it might be a bit of a shock to the system too! I would get them to tie my hands up so some fool didn't break one of them off when I was frozen! But then again hand cuffs didn't work on Han right? How the hell did he get out of them? Han Houdini! This screenshot is of one of the many people you'll find frozen on carbonite throughout the galaxy in SWTOR.

SWTOR: Guide to Upgrading Weapons with Mods Video

There are multiple threads in the Beta forums at the moment, discussing stats on weapons and the difference mods can make. due to limited time some people have had in Beta, there are a lot of miss-conceptions about what you can and cannot do with the weapons upgrade systems. So to help people out I've done this advanced video guide showing the facts on weapons upgrades ingame at level 47.

SWTOR Beta Screenshot of the day: Amazing Horizons

One thing an Alien galaxy has that never ceases to impress me, is the variety of horizons. Everything from multiple moons, large planets and asteroids can be found rising or setting on the horizon line. It certainly sets the scene for the game. This particular show was taken on Voss, a level 40-45 planet.

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.