Analyzing SWTOR Game Update 1.1

I thought I'd have a closer look at what we should all expect with the patch 1.1 going live tonight. I'm actually really surprised that we've got a content update so early in the piece. On the first month anniversary, BioWare are ready to release new end game content. And what could be more fun than the Star Wars version of zombies, Rakghouls!

We're also getting a much needed fix to the farm-fest that is Ilum. The last couple of Tuesday nights have been a little bit like scenes from Brave Heart, with piles of Sith and Republic troops standing on opposite sides of each other, trading caps while also firing off the occassional pot-shot or insult at the oppossing faction. Too bad we don't have a /lift kilt!

The patch notes are below in gold, with my comments throughout.

General

Anti-aliasing is now available and can be enabled in the preferences menu.
First up, for anybody with a decent enough PC, you are now going to be able to turn on anti-aliasing. Keep in mind though that if you notice performance dropping a bit too much, trading off things like shadows might enable you to keep anti-aliasing on while keeping the performance level up.

Classes and Combat

General
Healers will rejoice at the reduction of threat. This will also make it easier for Gaurdians or Jedi tanks to keep threat on general mobs, tanking flashpoints has been an utter nightmare as a Jedi Knight Gaurdian. I have literally had to tab target to keep threat. I've also had a few healers curse me out. Thank you for this fix!
Healing caused by crowd control abilities no longer generates threat.
Tooltips for abilities modified by skill points now display correct damage values.


Guard
This ability now transfers to a new friendly target without requiring deactivation on the previous target.
Activating this ability while targeting a guarded or invalid target will still toggle the Guard ability off.
A distinct visual effect is now present on characters using Guard on another character, and another effect is now present on the guarded character if they leave Guard’s range.
This has been another issue I've had with my Jedi Gaurdian, especially in PvP. Trying to gaurd the dude who picked up the Hutt Ball was a right pain in the rear end. Hopefully this fixes that issue.

Taunt
A new visual effect has been added to the user and the target of the Taunt ability for the duration of its effect.


Jedi Consular
Project: This ability no longer shakes the screen of onlookers.
So all you Jedi Consulars shaking up the space station ... your fun has ended!

Shadow
Battle Readiness: Now allows Combat Technique to trigger once every 3 seconds.
Combat Technique: Healing received through Combat Technique has been increased, scales properly at higher levels, and can only be triggered once every 4.5 seconds.
Slow Time: This ability’s damage has been increased by 15% and it now slows the movement speed of all affected targets.


Jedi Knight
Force Leap: This ability no longer functions on Portable Holo Dancers.
But oh ... that was fun!

Sith Inquisitor

Assassin
Dark Charge: Healing received through Dark Charge has been increased, scales properly at higher levels, and can only be triggered once every 4.5 seconds.
Overcharge Saber: Now allows Dark Charge to trigger once every 3 seconds.
Wither: Damage has been increased by 15% and it now slows the movement speed of all affected targets.
These are nice little buffs for our Assassin buddies. You might have a chance of killing me now ... wait, do they need these fixes?


Sith Warrior
Intercede: This ability no longer functions on Portable Holo Dancers.
Shatter: this ability’s tooltip now correctly reflects its damage; damage from this ability has not been adjusted.

Imperial Agent

Bug Fixes
Corrected an issue where activating cover, using Explosive Probe, and then using Snipe could cause Snipe to be interrupted.


Bounty Hunter

General
Incendiary Missile: This ability is no longer misclassified as an Area of Effect ability.


Companion Characters

General
C2-N2 and 2V-R8 no longer vocalize crafting commentary during combat.
Oh, thank God! Now is there any way to stop them from jabbering on every time I walk around my ship?! Even C3-P0 had an off switch for when he got too annoying!
The Carbonized Stream companion ability no longer breaks prematurely.
This has been a major gimp on most healing companions. It will be interesting to see how effective Doc is now as his CC effect has been absolutely useless.Companions

Kira Carsen
Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to progress in Kira’s affection conversations. Players previously affected by this issue can now speak to Kira and progress normally.
All I can say to all you evil Jedi that went to the Dark Side to get a bit of coitus with Kira, serve yourself right! You see us light Jedi that were good boys and didn't try to hit on her just after they killed somebody important to her, never had a problem. Call this bug karma.


Bug Fixes
Companions will now sell trash items when requested, regardless of group size.
Companion healing abilities no longer apply a permanent green effect on the character.
My dude has looked like a Christmas tree since beta. The fact that I'll be able to see my guy's armor again rather than the goofy green holonet over my entire body, is a major relief.
Fixed an issue that caused Companion Characters to sometimes have the incorrect appearance in cinematics.
What, no more naked companions?! I thought it was entertaining seeing Lore Scourge in his jocks right after killing a major Sith competitor (sorry no spoilers here).


Crew Skills

Bug Fixes
Corrected an issue that prevented recently completed Crew Skill missions from showing up in the next list of available missions.
Fixed a bug that could cause Crew Skills a character didn’t have to appear in the Crew Skills window.
Players can no longer loot harvesting nodes they do not have the appropriate Crew Skill for after a group member harvests (but does not loot) a node.


Flashpoints and Operations

General
A new level 50 Flashpoint, Kaon Under Siege, is now available for play in Normal and Hard Modes!
The Gav Daragon and the Ziost Shadow have been expanded to accommodate the Kaon Under Siege gateway.
The difficulty of some non-boss enemies in Flashpoints has been adjusted.
Enemies now drop credits more frequently in Flashpoints.
This is the big add-on provided in this patch. I'd recommend that players get a couple of runs at normal before going head-strong into hard mode.

Flashpoints

Cademimu
General Ortol’s rocket fire damage no longer occurs when the rocket is not active.
The Black Talon
Some enemies in this Flashpoint are no longer invisible.
The Foundry
Corrected an issue that could cause the final boss to become stuck at 10% health.
The Battle of Ilum
Krel Thak’s Allied Weequay Pirates have had their toughness reduced in Hard Mode.
The False Emperor
The Sith Entity’s affliction ability now properly deals damage in Hard Mode.
HK-47 now has the correct amount of health in Normal Mode.
Some fixes to some very frustrating bugs on that list!

Operations

Eternity Vault
Players are now able to successfully loot the chest after defeating the Infernal Council.
Perimeter Defense Cannons have been re-tuned and have improved targeting behaviors.
Soa’s Mind Trap and Force Throw abilities no longer target the same player multiple times; they now target every player in the group once.
Ball lightning enemies summoned by Soa deal damage in a smaller radius.
The Annihilation Droid’s rocket burst attack no longer deals double damage in 16-player Operations.
Soa now summons fewer ball lightning enemies during the final round in 16-player Operations.
Karagga’s Palace
Four new bosses can now be battled by players in Karagga’s Palace!
Players no longer get stuck attempting to exit the Karagga’s Palace phase.
Bug Fixes

Flashpoints
Corrected an issue that prevented some enemy NPCs from spawning in Flashpoints.
The correct error message now displays when a player attempts to enter a different Flashpoint than the rest of the group.
Flashpoint gateways no longer display as orange in incorrect circumstances.
Fixed an issue that prevented Flashpoint difficulty from being set properly.
Fixed an issue that caused mapnotes directing players to some Flashpoints to not appear correctly.
Corrected map issues that made locating mission objectives on the Gav Daragon difficult.
Fixed an issue preventing some players from opening a chest after a boss fight if the group was previously defeated by the boss.
Items

General
An Item Modification Table has been added to the Supplies areas of the Republic and Imperial Fleets.


PvP

Battlemaster Gear Tokens have been converted into Battlemaster Commendations, which can be used to purchase any Battlemaster gear. This allows players to purchase any piece of gear instead of requiring them to purchase the piece indicated by the token.
Battlemaster Bags now contain Battlemaster Commendations instead of Battlemaster Gear Tokens. They still also contain Champion Commendations.
Although I haven't had many issues with double of tokens, I can see how this could be an issue with some players. It's hard enough to get these tokens in the first place and as I need two separate sets, one DPS and one tank, this is a welcome change.


Missions and NPCs

General
All Bonus Series missions and their required missions can now be abandoned.
You mean I can get rid of that level 16 mission now?!. Thank the maker!
Certain Wampas on Hoth that were preying on lower-level characters have had their level reduced.
Oh come on; why change this? Wampas are meant to be feared. They took out Luke for Pete's sake.


Missions

Imperial
Pressure Points: The Lerantha Lurker no longer engages players in combat before completing its spawn sequence.
Geroya be Haran: Objectives related to this mission now glow when selected.
In Cold Blood: Enemies that use Armor Piercing Cell during this mission no longer each stack a debuff on the player.
Shadow Spawn: The Sith Spawn no longer knocks players down for longer than intended.
Thuggish Behavior: Corrected an issue that could cause the player to remain stuck in combat during this mission. The required kills to complete this mission have been reduced.
Republic
Climbing the Ladder: A conversation related to this mission no longer ends prematurely.
Droid Clean Up: Corrected an issue that caused the bonus mission to persist in the player’s mission log.
The Summit: The difficulty of the encounter with Sidone has been reduced.
Vivicar Awaits: Lowered the amount of enemies that attack the player during the step “Find a Way Past the Force Field.”


NPCs

Bug Fixes
Jilcoln Cadera’s abilities now correctly take into account whether a player is immune from knockbacks.
The “Primal Destroyer” World Boss on Belsavis is now “Overwhelming” as intended.
The World Boss “The First” on Dromund Kaas no longer inhibits Bounty Hunter’s Rapid Shots, and Imperial Agents will no longer be knocked out of cover during combat with it.PvP

General
The shuttle room in Dorn Base Command Center on Hoth is no longer considered contested territory.
Ka on Voss is now a PvP Sanctuary.


Warzones


Level 50 players now participate in their own Warzone bracket and will not be matched with lower-level players.
It's going to be interesting to see how this effects queue times. Although I find it frustrating to have multiple level 10s in my group, waiting half an hour for a match might be just as frustrating. The good thing is that I don't think I'll see as many AFK players trying to get experience in my level 50 groups.
Ilum
The daily and weekly mission objectives in Ilum now require defeating enemy players and/or collecting armaments from the center objective.
Players now gain increased Valor from player kills in Ilum.
Players now gain increased bonus Valor for kills based on the number of objectives controlled by their faction.
Increased bonus Valor is now granted for player kills when defending an objective your faction owns.
A notification is now displayed when a player gains Valor.
Three new respawn points have been added for each faction.
Companions are now restricted from the PvP objective area on Ilum.
Notifications are now displayed when enemy players are close to an objective.
I am curious to see how this effects the overall PvP experience in this zone. on the server I'm on it's pretty obvious that the Sith out-number the Republic. Will the Sith bother going to Ilum considering there will not be enough Republic players to compete, or will it be a massive onslaught every time I enter the zone?


Bug Fixes

General
The scoreboard value for “Highest Protection Per Single Life” now functions correctly.
Players who have left a Warzone can no longer receive an MVP vote from teammates.
Your PvP status will now be toggled automatically upon leaving a PvP region.
Additional feedback is now provided when a player attempts to toggle their PvP flag.
The Bolster tooltip now more accurately represents the buff’s effects.
Huttball
Corrected a rare issue that could cause the Frogdogs to be declared the winner in a 0-0 match even if the Rotworms held the ball last.
Ilum
Mountable turrets in Ilum no longer deal damage to targets behind them or outside their range.
Turrets no longer immediately dismount the player after use.
UI

Maps
Fixed a bug that prevented the minimap title from displaying when loading into the game or refreshing the UI.
Corrected an issue that caused some mapnotes to disappear from the minimap when other mapnotes were updated.


Items
Item hyperlinks now display stats for crafted research items properly.
Item hyperlinks no longer display erroneous additional information relating to schematics when examined.
Attempting to place a non-mission item into the mission inventory now displays an error message.
Dragging equipment onto the character paper doll no longer prompts an item deletion notice. Items dragged to the paper doll are now equipped if possible.
Item set bonuses now appear on the tooltip when viewing an item on a vendor.
Items that can be modified now display with the correct loot color in the loot roll window.
Comparative tooltips now correctly display stat differences when mousing over items in the Crew Skills window.


Bug Fixes
Fixed the tooltip display for ability cooldowns over one hour in length.
The interface for splitting stacks of items now displays correctly.
Servers that are online now always display on top of servers that are offline in the Server Select screen.
Corrected a typographical error in the “Additional Commands” context menu option.
Players nearby a player who achieves a new Legacy level no longer receive the Legacy level-up notification.
Legacy name display preferences now persist when travelling between planets.
A new confirmation dialogue now appears when submitting spam reports in game.
Sorting now works correctly in the Guilds tab.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

The owner of a holocall conversation is no longer shown in the last frame of the cinematic.
The spacebar button is now recognized when a player presses it to progress after a loading screen even if the spacebar button has been re-bound.
Additional issues that could impact performance on Taris have been addressed.
Vanity pets can no longer be considered targets for any abilities.
Corrected an issue that could cause some preferences to reset to defaults upon area transitions.
An Aim Datacron on Ilum is now accessible and no longer repeats its initial cinematic once used.
A Datacron on Coruscant is no longer blocked by unintentional collision.


There are lot of other useful bug fixes and I'm sure players will still have new bugs to report or old ones that aren't fixed int he patch. I for one truly hope the red error text messages get a toggle on and off switch in the options. I even find the text notification that pops up in the middle of space missions, to be extremely annoying. The text notifications in the center of the screen take away some of the immersion for me, but Like all other patches, the patch will include changes that are not documented publicly.