The Many Looks of Bowdaar

Complete Guide to the Bowdaar Customizations

Every Smuggler needs backup and what better companion is there to watch your back than a Wookie with a life debt to you? Bowdaar is your 2nd companion as a Smuggler and a real help keeping enemies off you. 'The Force' help them if anyone tries to attack you! He will be in there roaring and pulling arms off some and just tossing others like rag dolls.




Theoretically you should be able to get Bowdaar by yourself at around level 21, although if you have a friend to help, like I did, you can get him at level 16. Just have your higher-level character friend run you through the class quests.

Bowdaar has 7 unique looks to chose from including the default look. Unlike other companions though, it's not his appearance that changes but rather his outfit. Equipping armor to Bowdaar does not change what he is wearing; the only way to change what he is wearing is through the use of customizations. For Bowdaar, changing customizations is just like changing outfits. Our dearly beloved Chewie only ever needed the one outfit - a single bandoleer - for the entirety of the original trilogy though. Customization 2 is the closest to Chewie's look.

Customizations 2, 3 and 4 are just variations on the same gear, adding a vest and shoulder pads to the classic bandoleer look. If you prefer your wookie au-naturale so for customization 1 to show off the most amount of hair! The default look is really cool - it has an old school Star Warsie/Old Republic look and feel. Customization 5 shows a working class wookie's outfit, the true gear of any wookie engineer. Finally, customization 6 looks like a wookie gladiator armor, only worn by the most elite warriors.

Captain Kneely, the Security Key Vendor on the Ilum Space Station, is the only vendor where you can get customizations 5 and 6. You'll need 12.5k apiece and a security key attached to your account.

Out big buddy Guunta in Bug Town on Balmorra is whee you'll find customizations 1, 2, 3 and 4. There is a customization 7 in the game files but it's not available in the game at the moment. I expect we'll see it in the Cartel Market in the near future.

Don't forget to check out similar posts:

Our full list of companions and gifts
The Many Looks of Elara Dorne
The Many Looks of Kira Carsen
The Many Looks of Vette
The Many Looks of Mako
The Many Looks of Risha
The Many Looks of Nadia Grell

For information on customization options for other companions check out the other 'Many Looks of ... ' posts on SWTORFace.

Attention Smugglers. Your Companion List Page has been Updated

Some of our most popular content are the lists of information about companions. Each one has been getting an overhaul over the last few weeks so that they look better and it's easier to find what you need. The Smuggler Companion List has just been updated. On it you'll find out all of the character information about each Smuggler companion, where you get them and what gifts they like.

Here's the section on Guss Tuno, the last companion for the Smuggler class.

Guss Tuno

Character Information

Gender: Male

Species: Mon Calamari

Age: Unknown

Gameplay Information

First Encountered On: Hoth

Becomes a Companion: In the class mission called Trick or Treat

Companion Type: Healer

Armor: Medium Armor

Crew Skill: +10 Underworld trading Efficiency, +2 Critical Investigation

Primary Stat: Cunning

Primary Weapon: Blaster Pistol

Secondary Weapon: Scattergun

Likes: Mocking Force users, profit from those who can afford it, a good scam

Dislikes: Killing innocents, risking your neck for nothing

Gift Preferences for Guss Tuno

Love	Underworld Goods
Favorite	Luxury Technology
Like	Imperial Memorabilia Courting Republic Memorabilia Cultural Artifact Trophy
Indifferent	Weapon Military Gear

Tips

Guss is an almost comical companion. He can be quite useful as a healer, especially in the end game daily missions for most non-healing smugglers. He describes himself as a blank slate and is a little too eager to please sometimes.

Guss Tuno Background

Guss Tuno prefers the underworld lifestyle's potential for material riches. In a perfect galaxy, Guss would spend his retirement lounging in a heated swimming pool surrounded by exotic beauties while consuming a steady diet of fresh fish and expensive cocktails.

Although he often speaks before he thinks, Guss has talked his way out of certain death many times. He often uses his minimal knowledge of Jedi-and the lightsaber he stole from his old Master-to fool gullible criminals into leaving him alone. When that fails, Guss reveals he's a much better shot than anyone would believe.

The Many Looks of Risha

Complete Guide to Risha Customizations

Risha is the third companion Smuglers' get. She joins you very early on in the game as a class mission giver aboard your ship, although she doesn't become a full companion until you finish Act 1 in the Smuggler class story line. Risha's personality remotely resembles Princess Leia's and her personality isn't the only thing that the writer of this story got from the original trilogy. I've included two detailed screenshots of ALL of her currently available customizations. The reason that I have had to include two is that you'll notice in the first screenshot that even though she has a scantily clad bikini top she has quite a sour look on her face. The expression she has on her face when she is your active companion is depressing and when I said that her personality remotely resembles Princess Leia, it's because the story writer forgot to put in the fun side; she can be rather bitter. Personally, I'm not enjoying her as a companion but I'll see what happens by the time I finish Act 3.

Now Rish usually wears smuggler gear as you can see in the second screenshot. Due to popular demand I have equipped the metal bikini top. Please note that the bikini top is light armor and I wouldn't recommend it for combat use, no matter how hot she looks in it!

This set of screenshots taken (below) aboard the ship definitely does her more justice. As she is working away on your ship she seems to lose her sour look, although she's still not smiling. After i purchased all of the customizations I have chosen to use customization 8 which in this screenshot is the top right. It has that Carrie Fisher buns on the side look that any Star Wars fan loves. When you get this close to your companion you really see the detail in their complexions. Unfortunately, you can't get this close to your companion ingame when you have them out exploring the world as they continuously move away from you as you try to get close, as they are constantly trying to follow you. I used a camera trick to get these shots on my ship.

Something seriously needs to be done about the preview of customizations ingame. This screenshot below shows you what you get to see at max. detail and 1900x1080 resolution. Hopefully these shots I have taken will help you decide on what look you want for Risha.

Captain Kneely on the Ilum docking station, on your way down tot he level 50 planet has customization 8 available for 12500 credits.

Captain Kneely is only available to people who are using a security key to login to their account. This can be the keychain you got with your Collector's Edition, or an Android or iPhone app solution.

For customizations 1-6 you will find Guunta in bug town on Balmora, right near the entrance of the main base.

Although I started this exercise with over 70 000 credits in my bank account, as you can see from the above screenshot, my Smuggler now has just over 12 000 credits. There is no buy-back scheme ingame for stuff you decide you don't want and that combined with the low quality preview screens can make for a very unhappy customer, so take a look at my screenshots before you buy!

If you liked having a closer look at Mako, don't forget to check out similar posts here:






Don't forget to check out similar posts:

Our full list of companions and gifts
The Many Looks of Elara Dorne
The Many Looks of Kira Carsen
The Many Looks of Vette
The Many Looks of Mako
The Many Looks of Risha
The Many Looks of Nadia Grell

For information on customization options for other companions check out the other 'Many Looks of ... ' posts on SWTORFace.






For more information on Mako and Bounty Hunter companions, check out our companion pages.

No Level Restrictions on Companions

I'm constantly getting asked to include a level indicator for companions. People want to know approximately what level they will get their companions at. As an experiment I got together with a friend who was already level 50 while I played my level 15 Smuggler and we thought we'd try and get my 2nd companion, Bowdaar while I was still at level 15. Bowdaar ordinarily joins you at approximately level 21, or at least 21 is the level you need to be to complete the mission solo. But, we wondered, what happens if you have a level 50 drag you through all your class missions? To do this you will need to get your own spaceship first. Now, of course, you can get somebody to drag you through class missions to get your ship as well, but I already had mine. After that ...

The first hurdle was actually getting to my class missions while I was at such a low level. As you can see in the above screenshot, the mobs in the areas leading up to my missions were 7 levels higher than I was. This makes it impossible to solo. You can't hit opponents that are that much higher than your level. Every shot was a miss. But I had a level 50 gladiator dragging me along, so one-shotting these level 22 mobs was no issue.

Then obviously the missions themselves involved fighting elite level 21 mobs. If you're level 15 and alone then this in itself is absolutely impossible. Even if you work out a way to get to the mission, whether it be via stealthing or clone zerging, you'll have no chance to kill the level 21 elite at level 15. But there is nothing stopping you from bringing a friend. Rammy, my gaurdian, got one or two shots off; before this bounty hunter had a chance to blink he was dead.

I levelled from 15 to 16 in just a couple of missions, so our experiment to see if I could get Bowdaar at level 15 became moot anyway.

To complete all my class missions on Nar Shaddaa it took the two of us working together about 45 minutes. I leveled from 15-16 and Bowdaar became my companion at the end of the quest line on that planet. I was also pleased to see that Bowdaar's equipment was rated much higher than any standard level 16 equipment; in fact the mods in his weapon are level 21, even though he is only level 16. 

I have since gone back and completed all the missions on Corellia and Taris (both of which I had skipped for the experiment of teaming up with a level 50) and having an over-equipped tank has made the missions extremely easy.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from powering through your class missions with the assistance of other players, even if your class missions are on space stations or space ships. Your group members can land and join you on those stations and ships to assist you in any fight. 

Obviously, as you complete your class missions, you not only get the benefit of higher level companions joining you, but you also get access to higher level equipment that is a class reward and usually has no level restriction. 

Although I don't recommend you do this for your first or even your second experience in SWTOR, once you have a few alts leveled up, this could be a quick and easy way to level an extra alt for crafting or different experiences.

Advanced Class Breakdown: Smuggler

Our Smuggler class Page has now been updated with all the advanced class information (also presented to you below).


Sometimes luck is more important than skill, but it never hurts to have both.

Lawlessness has become common in the wake of the devastating war between the Republic and Empire. Shifting political allegiances and marauding pirates have made independent space travel a dangerous enterprise. Cut off from traditional supply routes, entire star systems waver on the verge of collapse. An adventurous spirit who’s not afraid to break a few rules can make a handsome profit hauling cargo to these hotspots, but it requires fast reflexes, fast wits and a fast draw with a blaster. Even then, the life of a Smuggler is always a gamble.

Stacking up enemies as fast as they stack up credits, Smugglers only survive in this galaxy by being slick, sneaky and street-smart.

Advanced Class: Gunslinger
Master of the trick shot, the first to dive for cover and willing to
take advantage of every opportunity, the Gunslinger and his dual
blasters are the perfect team. The Gunslinger can shoot out a man's
legs to keep him from charging, blind him so he can't get to his weapons
or inflict serious injuries for maximum distraction. There's a right target for ending every disagreement and the Gunslinger knows them like the inside of his ship.
Tree: Saboteur
Teaches the Gunslinger to use explosives and advanced tech to sustain a longer assault.

Overload Charges
Instant Cooldown: 2 mins
Overloads all nearby Shock Charges, dealing 582 kinetic damage to all affected targets. Resets the cooldown of Cool Head, Defense Screen, Sabotage Charge, and Incendiary Grenade.

Stun Bomb
Passive
Targets affected by Flash Grenade have a 100% chance to be stunned for 2 seconds on taking damage.



Tree: Sharpshooter
The Gunslinger focuses on precise, high damage attacks from the safety of cover.

Exploit Weakness
Passive
Quickdraw can be used on targets recently hit by a pistol ability critical hit.

Surprise Attack
Passive
Rolling into cover has a 100% chance to make your next Charged Burst an instant cast ability.

Tree: Dirty Fighting (shared)
These tactics leave no trick off-the-table and often leave an enemy crippled or bleeding.
               
Heightened Evasion
Passive
Reduces cooldown of Dodge by 30 seconds. Dodge has a 30% chance to grant a speed boost to the player while active.

Cold Blooded
Passive
Bleed effects do 25% more damage against targets with less than 30% health.

Advanced Class: Scoundrel

The Scoundrel doesn't have time for politeness or a fair fight.
In addition to his trusty blaster the Scoundrel packs a stealth belt, a
scattergun and a med pack--everything he needs to get in, knock the
enemy for a loop and get out alive. Being invisible works best, but even
when Sith fly through the air waving Lightsabers all they get to do is look surprised as the Scoundrel's scattergun sends them back the way they came. The Scoundrel always shoots first.


Tree: Sawbones
The Scoundrel patches his allies up using whatever medical supplies he can scrape together.

Field Medicine
Passive
Reduces pushback from damage on healing abilities by 70%. Lowers threat of healing abilities by 10%.

Amnesty
Passive
Dodge has a 100% chance to heal you and increase your armor by 10% for 10 seconds.

Tree: Scrapper
Focuses on using stealth and the scatter gun to sneak in, take out the enemy, and get out.

Swift Kick
Passive
Reduces cooldown of Dirty Kick by 15 seconds.

Shock
Passive
Vital Shot deals direct damage when applied.


Tree: Dirty Fighting (shared)
These tactics leave no trick off-the-table and often leave an enemy crippled or bleeding.
               
Heightened Evasion
Passive
Reduces cooldown of Dodge by 30 seconds. Dodge has a 30% chance to grant a speed boost to the player while active.

Cold Blooded
Passive
Bleed effects do 25% more damage against targets with less than 30% health.

Same Sex Romances in SWTOR

No idea how I missed this last week ... it's a whopper! First let's look at this post on STWOR.com forums by StephenReid:
Official statement follows: Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.

So let's recap, there will be same sex romance allowed in STWOR, but not when it's first released, it will come out in an expansion. This raises a whole lot of questions, like what role will romance (same sex or opposite sex) play in the game? SWTOR is being released rated T for teens, but will this change with an upcoming expansion?

People got so mad about the decision to not include same gender romances until post-launch that BioWare had to delete/lock the first 300 posts. Now it's not just bi-sexual and gay people that are pissed off, it's anti-gay people and some parents and the religious conservatives who are getting mad that the content will ever be allowed in the game.

But on the flip side, what if there was no inter-species romance? Would people get as upset? I know a lot of guys in real life that have gone nuts when they see girls dressed up as Twi'Lek's for example. So are we all that desperate that we must have Twi'Lek romance in the release and not patched at a later date?!  

BioWare have gone to great lengths to include romance in RPG games in the past and I even stumbled into a gay love scene in Dragon Age II  that kinda threw me because it was so unexpected!

In case you haven't played Dragon Age II and are not familiar with what I am talking about, let me explain. In Dragon Age II, to unlock certain abilities with your companions, you need to establish relations with them. You do this in the form of conversations. You have choices in what you say to them when you talk about choices and personal issues. Choices you make during quests effect the way your companions feel about your character. The more the companion likes your character and its choices, the more abilities are unlocked, making your companions more effective during gameplay.

During my gameplay in Dragon Age II I was attempting to build up my male warrior's relationship with Anders, who is a male companion character. Anders was my main healer and I thought he was a pretty cool dude. But in my attempts to build up a rapport between the two, Anders took it the wrong way and before I knew it there was a lengthy kissing scene between the two (male) characters. In Dragon Age II the same end result can happen between opposite sex characters as well. In another scenario, my character was talking to a male elf in a brothel while I was following a quest line and before I knew it, they were in bed together ... not what I had intended. My two female companions were very upset!

Surely there should me more control over whether your character pursues a hetero or a gay relationship? In Dragon Age II, which is a BioWare game, the plot line leading to a romance encounter was a bit unpredictable. What would Chewie do if Han took his big hugs the wrong way?

Would he rip his head off ? If Han went for the grab?

Is this same sex romance option not in SWTOR on release due to time constraints or is LucasArts blocking it? Are BioWare just holding off until the game is out and has 5 million players before telling George sorry ... we are putting it in, you can't stop us now! 

But my final question is, will this be an epic Star Wars adventure or a cliche romance novel?

and will my smuggler have that same sex appeal as Han solo?

Smuggler progression video, out now

Smugglers seem to be sneaky, dirty fighting scoundrels ... hang on a second, that's what they're meant to be!

Leia: Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder.
Han Solo: Who'sscruffy-looking?

Actually, in this latest official video, this smuggler character is not all that scruffy looking! This video gives us a brief look at the character progression of a smuggler class character in SWTOR. Will you be a gunslinger or a scoundrel? The video also gives a nice kudos to Harrison Ford in that classic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where he fights a sword wielding Arab. The video is well put together and if you're considering the smuggler class, it's definitely worth a look.



Don't forget to check out our Smuggler information page, for all the down and dirty information on this underworld class.

SWTOR Full Class Information Online

I have just finished our class info pages  for all the classes in SWTOR. I will add information about all of the classes to this section as information is released.

If you know of any class specific blogs we are not listing please let us know and I'll add it to our class page

the pages cover all basic information on the class its companions and its ship with video's on the class and ship walk through's. Feel free to leave a comment or extra information in the class comments section.

Read on

SWTOR Class: Smuggler

Please go to our New Smuggler Page for the latest Information!

QUICK, CLEVER, ANSWERS TO NO ONE

Sometimes luck is more important than skill, but it never hurts to have both.

Lawlessness has become common in the wake of the devastating war between the Republic and Empire. Shifting political allegiances and marauding pirates have made independent space travel a dangerous enterprise. Cut off from traditional supply routes, entire star systems waver on the verge of collapse. An adventurous spirit who’s not afraid to break a few rules can make a handsome profit hauling cargo to these hotspots, but it requires fast reflexes, fast wits and a fast draw with a blaster. Even then, the life of a Smuggler is always a gamble.

Stacking up enemies as fast as they stack up credits, Smugglers only survive in this galaxy by being slick, sneaky and street-smart. Whether sweet-talking an attractive alien or bargaining with a hardened criminal contact, the Smuggler’s charm is a notorious asset, and often the ticket to turning around a deteriorating situation. If circumstances get too complicated, though, count on a Smuggler to always have an escape plan. Experienced in flying under the radar, Smugglers are amazingly elusive. Yet when backed into a corner, they quickly become cunning and often deadly combatants.

Above all else, Smugglers make their own destinies. Despite their affinity for credits, Smugglers have been known to turn down lucrative opportunities when the clients have demanded too much control. Some Smugglers are even more discriminating—refusing to work with slavers and representatives of the Sith Empire. It’s a business where one is always looking for trustworthy allies, but they are often few and far between. Whether running an Imperial blockade or shooting down a double-crossing gangster, Smugglers are always flying by the seat of their pants. Every deal carries the chance for wealth beyond their wildest dreams… or an anonymous death in the harsh void of space.

Read on