Game Update 1.4: Terror From Beyond

Game Update 1.4: Terror From Beyond

Highlights

• Terror from Beyond, a new Operation, is now available! Travel to the remote planet of Asation, where the Dread Masters have commandeered an ancient Gree Hypergate in order to unleash untold horrors upon the galaxy. Terror from Beyond features 5 powerful new boss encounters that can be challenged in 8- and 16- player Story or Hard Mode, offering some of the most challenging group content yet!
• A new set of PvE gear is available! Dread Guard gear is now the most powerful PvE equipment in the galaxy. It can be acquired from deep within Terror from Beyond (Hard Mode).
• Significant changes have been made to crowd control to address the amount of control a player can be subject to at once. See the Classes and Combat section for details.

Classes and Combat

General

• The crowd control gameplay has been adjusted to address the amount of control a player can be subject to at once. The majority of this change comes from reduced ranges on a number of crowd control abilities, as well as some adjustments to area of effect knockback abilities. To complement these changes, some small Resolve system tweaks (found in the PvP section) have been put in place to polish the system as a whole.
• The ground targeting reticule for an ability queued during another ability's channel is no longer cleared when the channeled ability has finished.
• Players no longer receive the error message "You cannot cast while moving" when moving, stopping, and then immediately using a ground-targeted ability.
• When a player is defeated immediately after applying a damage over time effect to another character, the player is no longer occasionally put back into combat after being revived.

Jedi Knight

General

• Force Sweep's timing has been adjusted; the ability now executes faster.
• Force Stasis has a new animation.

Sentinel

• Guarded by the Force now lasts 4 seconds (down from 5 seconds).
• Zen (Shii-Cho Form) has been redesigned. Now, while Shii-Cho Form is active, using Zen consumes 1 charge every .5 seconds, generating 2 Focus for each charge consumed.
• Valorous Call can no longer be activated when you already have 30 stacks of Centering.

Focus (Sentinel)

• Zephyrean Slash has been redesigned. It now gives Strike, Zealous Strike, Slash, Blade Storm, and Dispatch a 50% chance per point to reduce the active cooldown of Force Sweep and Zealous Leap by .5 seconds per point.
• Swift Slash now additionally affects Dispatch.
• Saber Strength now additionally affects Dispatch.
• Singularity: Stacks of Singularity now additionally reduce the Focus cost of Force Sweep by 12.5% per point per stack.
• Shii-Cho Mastery's armor penetration has been increased to 15% per point.

Guardian
Vigilance

• Gather Strength: The bonus damage provided by each stack has been reduced to 2% per point.

Focus (Guardian)

• Zephyrean Slash has been redesigned. It now gives Strike, Zealous Strike, Slash, Blade Storm, and Dispatch a 50% chance per point to reduce the active cooldown of Force Sweep and Zealous Leap by .5 seconds per point.
• Swift Slash now additionally affects Dispatch.
• Saber Strength now additionally affects Dispatch.
• Singularity: Stacks of Singularity now additionally reduce the Focus cost of Force Sweep by 12.5% per point per stack.
• Inner Focus now causes Combat Focus to generate 2 additional Focus per point.
• Shii-Cho Mastery: Armor penetration has been increased to 15% per point.

Sith Warrior
General

• Smash's timing has been adjusted; the ability now executes faster.
• Ravage's audio now plays reliably when the ability is used.

Marauder

• Undying Rage now lasts 4 seconds (down from 5 seconds).
• Berserk (Shii-Cho Form) has been redesigned. Now, while Shii-Cho Form is active, using Berserk consumes 1 charge every .5 seconds, generating 2 Rage for each charge consumed.
• Frenzy can no longer be activated when you already have 30 stacks of Fury.

Rage (Marauder)

• Overpower has been redesigned. It now gives Assault, Battering Assault, Vicious Slash, Force Scream, and Vicious Throw a 50% chance per point to reduce the active cooldown of Smash and Obliterate by .5 seconds per point.
• Brutality now additionally affects Vicious Throw.
• Saber Strength now additionally affects Vicious Throw.
• Shockwave: Stacks of Shockwave now additionally reduce the Rage cost of Smash by 12.5% per point per stack.
• Shii-Cho Mastery's armor penetration has been increased to 15% per point.

Juggernaut

• Pooled Hatred: The bonus damage provided by each stack has been reduced to 2% per point.

Rage (Juggernaut)

• Overpower has been redesigned. It now gives Assault, Sundering Assault, Vicious Slash, Force Scream, and Vicious Throw a 50% chance per point to reduce the active cooldown of Smash and Obliterate by .5 seconds per point.
• Brutality now additionally affects Vicious Throw.
• Saber Strength now additionally affects Vicious Throw.
• Shockwave: Stacks of Shockwave now additionally reduce the Rage cost of Smash by 12.5% per point per stack.
• Empowering Rage now causes Enrage to generate 2 additional Rage per point.
• Shii-Cho Mastery: Armor penetration has been increased to 15% per point.

Jedi Consular
General

• Force Stun now costs no Force and has a 10-meter range.
• Force Speed now has a 20-second cooldown (down from 30).
• Force Wave now costs no Force and affects targets in a 15-meter cone in front of you. This ability now executes faster.

Sage

• Force Mend: This new ability allows you to heal yourself for a moderate amount. It costs no Force, is instant, and has a 30-second cooldown.

Seer

• Valiance now additionally increases the healing of Force Mend by 15% per point.
• Egress has been redesigned. It now causes Force Speed to remove roots and snares and grants immunity to roots and snares for its duration.

Telekinetics

• Mental Alacrity now additionally provides immunity to interrupts for its duration. It has improved visual effects to demonstrate this effect.
• Telekinetic Effusion no longer reduces the cooldown of Force Speed.
• Telekinetic Wave has a new animation.
• Kinetic Collapse: The Incapacitation effect caused by this skill no longer breaks on damage.

Shadow

• Force Cloak now has a 2 minute cooldown.

Kinetic Combat

• Elusiveness has been redesigned. It now requires Double-Bladed Saber Defense and increases the Force recovered by Double-Bladed Saber Defense. Successful shielding, parries, and deflects now reduce the active cooldown of Resilience by .5 second per point. This effect cannot occur more than once every second.

Infiltration

• Infiltration Tactics: When Find Weakness activates, your next Shadow Strike deals 30% more damage and costs 75% less Force. This cannot occur more than once every 15 seconds, but each rank after the first reduces this rate limit by 3 seconds.
• Celerity now additionally reduces the cooldown of Force Speed by 2.5 seconds per point.
• Masked Assault now additionally finishes the cooldown of Blackout when you exit stealth. In addition, Masked Assault causes Shadow's Respite to reduce all damage taken by 25% while active.
• Fade now additionally reduces the damage taken from area effects by 15% per point and reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 15 seconds per point (down from 30 seconds per point). Kinetic Field no longer provides this effect.
• Kinetic Field has been redesigned. Critical hits now cause you to build a Kinetic Field, increasing damage reduction by 1% per point per stack. This effect stacks up to 3 times. This skill is now located in tier 5 of the skill tree.
• Situational Awareness is now located in tier 6 of the skill tree.
• Deep Impact is now a 2-point skill with the same overall effect.
• Humbling Strike is a new 1-point skill in tier 6 of the skill tree. It causes the target of your Spinning Kick to be slowed by 70% for 3 seconds when the knockdown effect ends. It requires Subduing Techniques.
• Clairvoyant Strike: Using Project no longer consumes the buff provided by this ability. This change was made to better synergize with Spinning Strike during execute phases.
• Clairvoyant Strike now correctly increases Project's damage with 1 stack.

Sith Inquisitor
General

• Electrocute now costs no Force and has a 10-meter range.
• Force Speed now has a 20-second cooldown (down from 30).
• Overload now costs no Force and affects targets in a 15-meter cone in front of you. This ability now executes faster.

Sorcerer

• Unnatural Preservation: This new ability allows you to heal yourself for a moderate amount. It costs no Force, is instant, and has a 30-second cooldown.

Corruption

• Dark Resilience now additionally increases the healing of Unnatural Preservation by 15% per point.
• Fadeout has been redesigned. It now causes Force Speed to remove roots and snares and grants immunity to roots and snares for its duration.

Lightning

• Polarity Shift now additionally provides immunity to interrupts for its duration. It has improved visual effects to demonstrate this effect.
• Lightning Effusion no longer reduces the cooldown of Force Speed.
• Backlash: The blindness effect caused by this skill no longer breaks on damage. The visual explosion effect now plays on the correct target.

Assassin

• Force Cloak now has a 2 minute cooldown.

Darkness

• Lightning Recovery has been redesigned. It now requires Lightning Reflexes and increases the Force recovered by Lightning Reflexes. Successful shielding, parries, and deflects now reduce the active cooldown of Force Shroud by .5 second per point. This effect cannot occur more than once every second.

Deception

• Duplicity: When Exploit Weakness activates, your next Maul deals 30% more damage and costs 75% less Force. This cannot occur more than once every 15 seconds, but each rank after the first reduces this rate limit by 3 seconds.
• Avoidance now additionally reduces the cooldown of Force Speed by 2.5 seconds per point.
• Darkswell now additionally finishes the cooldown of Blackout when you exit stealth. In addition, Darkswell causes Dark Embrace to reduce all damage taken by 25% while active.
• Fade now additionally reduces the damage taken from area effects by 15% per point and reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 15 seconds per point (down from 30 seconds per point). Entropic Field no longer provides this effect.
• Entropic Field has been redesigned. Critical hits now cause you to build an Entropic Field, increasing damage reduction by 1% per point per stack. This effect stacks up to 3 times. This skill is now located in tier 5 of the skill tree.
• Resourcefulness is now located in tier 6 of the skill tree.
• Cracking Blasts is now a 2-point skill with the same overall effect.
• Magnetism is a new 1-point skill in tier 6 of the skill tree. It causes the target of your Spike to be slowed by 70% for 3 seconds when the knockdown effect ends. It requires Static Cling.
• Voltaic Slash: Using Shock no longer consumes the buff provided by this ability. This change was made to better synergize with Assassinate during execute phases.
• Static Charges now correctly refers to the damage dealt by your next Surging Charge's Discharge.
• Voltaic Slash now correctly increases Shock's damage with 1 stack.

Smuggler
General

• Defense Screen: This ability's tooltip now mentions that it absorbs damage up to a moderate limit and that it does not break stealth.
• Flash Grenade no longer has an Energy cost.
• An issue that could prevent players from taking cover properly has been corrected. This issue could cause the error "Unknown Effect Result" to display.

Gunslinger

• Scrambling Field has a new icon.
• Pulse Detonator's timing has been adjusted; it now executes faster.

Saboteur

• Hot Pursuit: This ability can now only be triggered once every 20 seconds.
• Incendiary Grenade's appearance no longer incorrectly displays 2 grenades in the air. Some timing issues with the throwing animation have been addressed.

Sharpshooter

• Trickshot is now usable within the 5 seconds immediately following Charged Burst, Aimed Shot, or Quickdraw.

Dirty Fighting (Gunslinger)

• Wounding Shots has a new animation.

Scoundrel

• Disappearing Act now has a 2 minute cooldown.

Scrapper

• Fight or Flight has been redesigned. It finishes the cooldown on Sneak when you exit stealth and allows Sneak to be used out of stealth, increasing movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. It still removes the penalty to healing done and received caused by Disappearing Act.
• Flee the Scene now additionally reduces the cooldown of Sneak by 7.5 seconds per point. It also now reduces the cooldown of Disappearing Act by 15 seconds per point (down from 30 seconds per point).

Imperial Agent
General

• Flash Bang no longer has an Energy cost.
• An issue that could prevent players from taking cover properly has been corrected. This issue could cause the error "Unknown Effect Result" to display.

Sniper

• Ballistic Shield has a new icon.
• Cover Pulse's timing has been adjusted; it now executes faster.

Marksmanship

• Followthrough is now usable within the 5 seconds immediately following Snipe, Ambush, or Takedown.

Engineering

• Calculated Pursuit: This ability can now only be triggered once every 20 seconds.

Operative

• Cloaking Screen now has a 2 minute cooldown.

Concealment

• Energy Screen has been redesigned. It is now called "Ghost." It finishes the cooldown on Sneak when you exit stealth and allows Sneak to be used out of stealth, increasing movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. It still removes the penalty to healing done and received caused by Cloaking Screen.
• Advanced Cloaking now additionally reduces the cooldown of Sneak by 7.5 seconds per point. It also now reduces the cooldown of Cloaking Screen by 15 seconds per point (down from 30 seconds per point).

Trooper
General

• Hold the Line now has more noticeable visual effects.
• Cryo Grenade's range has been decreased from 30 meters to 10 meters.

Commando

• Due to changes in the Commando skill trees, all Commandos have had their skill points refunded.
• Disabling Shot is a new ability that interrupts the target's current action and prevents that ability from being used for the next 4 seconds.

Gunnery

• Concussive Force: Stockstrike now immobilizes the target for 4 seconds instead of knocking it back.
• Cover Fire: This ability's snare has been increased to 70%.
• Charged Barrel: Each stack of Charged Barrel now additionally reduces the activation time of your next Advanced Medical Probe by 20% per stack.

Combat Medic

• Kolto Residue now additionally snares enemies struck by your Kolto Bomb by 50% for 3 seconds.
• Potent Medicine is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect.
• Frontline Medic is a new 2-point skill. While protected by your own Trauma Probe, firing Hammer Shot at an enemy now triggers your Trauma Probe (this can only happen once every 3 seconds). This does not trigger if your health is full.

Vanguard
Tactics

• Pulse Generator: Each stack now causes 20% additional damage. This can stack up to 3 times.
• Shock Absorbers now additionally reduces damage taken from area effects by 15% per point. Damage reduction while stunned has been increased to 15% per point.

Assault Specialist (Vanguard)

• Sweltering Heat's snare has been reduced to 30%.
• Incendiary Round's range has been reduced to 10 meters.
• Assault Plastique's range has been reduced to 10 meters.

Assault Specialist (Commando)

• Sweltering Heat's snare has been reduced to 30%.

Bounty Hunter
General

• Electro Dart's range has been decreased from 30 meters to 10 meters.
• Unload has a new animation when used with a single blaster pistol.

Mercenary

• Due to changes in the Mercenary skill trees, all Mercenaries have had their skill points refunded.
• Disabling Shot is a new ability that interrupts the target's current action and prevents that ability from being used for the next 4 seconds.

Arsenal

• Afterburners: Rocket Punch now immobilizes the target for 4 seconds instead of knocking it back.
• Pinning Fire: This ability's snare has been increased to 70%.
• Tracer Lock: Each stack of Tracer Lock now additionally reduces the activation time of your next Healing Scan by 20% per stack.

Bodyguard

• Kolto Residue now additionally snares enemies struck by your Kolto Missile by 50% for 3 seconds.
• Warden is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect.
• Peacekeeper is a new 2-point skill. While protected by your own Kolto Shell, firing Rapid Shots at an enemy now triggers your Kolto Shell (this can only happen once every 3 seconds). This does not trigger if your health is full.

Pyrotech (Mercenary)

• Sweltering Heat's snare has been reduced to 30%.

Powertech
Advanced Prototype

• Prototype Flame Thrower: Each stack now causes 20% additional damage. This can stack up to 3 times.
• Stabilized Armor now additionally reduces damage taken from area effects by 15% per point. Damage reduction while stunned has been increased to 15% per point.

Pyrotech (Powertech)

• Sweltering Heat's snare has been reduced to 30%.
• Incendiary Missile's range has been reduced to 10 meters.
• Thermal Detonator's range has been reduced to 10 meters.

Companion Characters
General

• Players can now use "match color to chest" for their companions, and can choose to show or hide companion head gear.
• Companions no longer have their weapons drawn on the player's starship.

Companions
Gault

• Memento Marketing: This conversation is now only available on the player's ship.

Lord Scourge

• Legends: Affection gained during this conversation is now properly granted to Lord Scourge (instead of Rusk).

Tallos Drellik

• The conversation for "Failure" now grants affection gains and losses correctly.

Vector

• Agents on the conversation "The Lost Colony" now properly receive affection rewards for the dialogue.

Crew Skills
Gathering

• Several gathering nodes that were previously inaccessible (for instance, some that were underneath terrain) can now be harvested.

Flashpoints and Operations
Flashpoints
General

• While participating in a Flashpoint conversation, using Esc to cancel a conversation and then pressing the "x" button to close the window no longer causes the player to exit the Flashpoint instance.

Kaon Under Siege

• Players can no longer stand on a wall in order to trivialize encounter mechanics.
• Floating lights in this Flashpoint now render correctly in low-detail mode.

Lost Island

• Transgenic Sample Eleven's overall damage has been decreased in Story Mode.
• Project Sav-Rak no longer spits Rak Rot in Story Mode.
• In Story Mode, Doctor Lorrick no longer casts Satchel Charge, and Corrosive Smash's cooldown has been increased.
• Doctor Simlo and Doctor Proxinus are now easier to defeat.
• The Putrid Shaclaw's Infectious Bite no longer causes Festering Rot in Story Mode.
• LR-5 Sentinel Droid's Discharge now gives players a 4.5-second warning in Story Mode (and a 3-second warning in Hard Mode) before activating its ground effect. Players can now move the impending effect away from the group or tank. Plasma Arc no longer has an activation time and is executed while moving, and Incinerate is correctly marked as area of effect damage.
• In Story Mode, LR-5 Sentinel Droid's Discharge ground effects have a longer duration before growing in size, and it is limited to 3 active effects at one time. Incinerate's damage has been reduced, its damage over time effect can be dispelled, and it is now only applied to its primary target (instead of nearby targets).

The Esseles

• Players who fall into the Power Core are now defeated more reliably.

Operations
General

• [WEEKLY] Deadly Operations now awards 30 Daily Commendations.
• [WEEKLY] Galactic Operations now awards 10 Daily Commendations and 8 Black Hole Commendations.
• [WEEKLY] Galactic Crisis Points now awards 10 Daily Commendations and 8 Black Hole Commendations.
• Explosive Conflict now awards 10 Black Hole Commendations and crafting materials.

Eternity Vault

• Annihilator Droid XRR-3 can now be attacked more reliably with abilities that require standing behind the target.
• Characters no longer occasionally become invisible when moving through the lava tunnels.
• Corrected the location of a misplaced Ancient Power Source during the Soa encounter.

Explosive Conflict

• Ugnaut Engineers' "Firebomb" now correctly displays visual effects on the ground for the full duration of the effect.
• The console that deactivates Colonel Vorgath's minefield is now positioned in a more accessible location.
• Damaging Toth and Zorn too quickly no longer causes their health threshold mechanics to overlap (in all difficulty modes).
• Chests in Explosive Conflict no longer contain Black Hole Commendations. They now have increased amounts of credits and crafting materials.
• Bosses in Hard Mode Explosive Conflict now drop 5 Black Hole Commendations each.
• Players can no longer use certain abilities to avoid an exhaustion zone in this Operation.
• A number of changes have been made to Explosive Conflict's Story Mode in order to make it more accessible for pick-up groups.

Toth and Zorn

• Frenzy now increases damage less per stack.
• Toth now waits longer before using area of effect abilities after jumping.
• Fearful now increases damage taken by a lower amount.
• The amount of time before Toth and Zorn enrage when one dies has been increased.
• The enrage timer for the encounter has been increased to 6 minutes 30 seconds.

Firebrand and Stormcaller

• The activation time of Incinerate Armor, Double Destruction, and Defensive Systems has been increased.
• Incinerate Armor no longer increases damage taken in addition to its armor debuff.
• Shield generators can no longer be damaged by players.

Colonel Vorgath

• Probe Droids no longer use Cleave.
• The enrage timer for the encounter has been increased to 4 minutes 30 seconds.

Warlord Kephess

• The time before Baradium Bombers explode has been increased.
• The damage for the Pulsar Power Droids' rail shot has been decreased.
• Kephess' damage in the final phase has been decreased.
• The damage from the Trandoshan Warrior's reflective shields has been decreased.
• The enrage timer for the encounter has been increased.

Karagga's Palace

• Bonethrasher can now be attacked more reliably with abilities that require standing behind the target.
• Proximity Pulse Mines no longer spawn during the G4-B3 Heavy Fabricator encounter in Story Mode.

Group Finder

• Players participating in a Group Finder group now have the ability to teleport to the Group Finder instance at any point.
• Players who leave an active Group Finder instance can now be returned to the location they were in when they used the "travel now" dialog option to travel to the instance.
• Once players reach a checkpoint or defeat an Operation boss, they may choose to exit at the normal area entrance when leaving.
• Players no longer receive more than one "Travel Now" dialog if one is open when the group finds a new member.
• Completing the Group Finder mission for Operations now rewards a lockbox that contains 5 Black Hole Commendations and 30 Columi Commendations.

Items

• The majority of offhand items can now be modified. Shields, Generators, and Foci accept Armoring modifications, and Vibroknives and Shotguns accept Barrels. Additionally, they can contain Color Crystal, Mod, and Enhancement slots (though the Color Crystal slot does not currently impact the visuals of the item). Note that there are some exceptions – not all offhands can be modified. Due to this change, previously damaged offhand items will be fully repaired, but items on the GTN or in the mail will have their durability reduced to 0 and will need repairs.
• Bind on pickup and Bind on Legacy items can now be traded for up to 2 hours between players that were eligible to loot the item.
• Items purchased from a vendor can now be sold to any vendor for full purchase price (in commendations) for up to 2 hours. Stackable items and mission items cannot be traded or sold back for full value. The 2 hour time is terminated if a mod is added or removed or an augment slot is added. Bind on Equip items cannot be refunded (in commendations) if they are traded, mailed, put in a guild bank, or listed on the GTN.
• Lockboxes' 2 hour timer terminates when the lockbox is opened.
• The formula that determines extraction costs for modifications has been adjusted. Costs to remove Premium and Artifact quality modifications have been reduced substantially. The cost to remove Prototype modifications has been decreased slightly.
• The Heavy Sonic Disruptor can now be drawn correctly by characters.
• Legacy items now drop more frequently.
• New offhand items are now available on Black Hole vendors.
• The Czerka Crate-o-Matic no longer causes players to become invisible.

Missions and NPCs
General

• Shuttles on Corellia, Belsavis, and Ilum now allow direct travel between areas with daily missions.
• Several cinematics throughout the game have been improved. In many cases, animations have been cleaned up and missing or extraneous characters have been addressed.
• Some instances where the player would enter or leave a mission phase unexpectedly have been corrected. This could, in some cases, cause a player to become stuck.
• An issue that could cause a glow effect to be applied to a player's starship holoterminal several times has been corrected.

World Missions
Alderaan

• Hive Mined: Imperial Mine Inspectors now run away and despawn correctly when freed.
• Paladins: Players can no longer accidentally attack Duke Charle Organa while fighting the Wolf Baron.
• Revenge Served Cold: Line of sight issues with the Thul Cryo Dragoon have been corrected.
• Thwarting House Thul: Looting Deral Thul's Cybernetic Implant now works properly when the player is in a group.

Balmorra

• Big Guns: Mission indicators now direct players to the correct locations.
• Coms Away: The post-mission ambient dialogue from Fixer 66 now properly relates to the player's choices.
• Data Corruption: This mission no longer progresses if the player cancels the action while uploading the virus.
• Flush out the Snipers: Enemies for this mission's objective now have an appropriate name ("Resistance Sharpshooter" instead of "Gold Neerbray Commando").
• Salting the Fields: Each player in a group must now use the Soil Devastators separately.
• Storming the Front: The medical supplies item is now displayed in the mission tracker during the step "Heal the Wounded Republic Defenders.
• Wild Fire: The mission log text now correctly instructs players to return to the Troida Military Workshop Hangar.

Corellia

• The item "Anti-rad Injector" associated with Glow and Counter Eco-Terrorism now properly removes stacks of radiation poisoning from a character over time.
• Asset Liquidation: Usable objective items and enemy NPCs related to this mission now respawn more quickly.
• Coronet Shipping Invasion: More Imperial forces in the Coronet Shipping Docks now count towards completion of this bonus mission.
• Counter Eco-Terrorism: Objective items related to this mission now respawn more quickly.
• Criminal Crackdown: Usable objective items and enemy NPCs related to this mission now respawn more quickly.
• Forced Labor: A Drall Engineer no longer runs through the force field when rescued. Usable objects related to this mission now respawn faster.

Hoth

• Imperial Interference: This bonus mission is now the appropriate level (previously, it was lower level than its main mission).
• Razing the Ice Fortress: The step "Speak to Seeker Kabath" now directs the player to the correct location.

Ilum

• Darkness on Ilum: multiple encounters related to this mission can no longer be activated at the same time.

Korriban

• Allegiance: Players can now consistently complete this mission while in a group.

Nar Shaddaa

• Back Alley: This mission now correctly provides a lockbox in its reward choice.
• Recruitment: The Jedi Master now spawns reliably.
• Zero Protocol: The step "Return to Commandor Stron" now has an appropriate map link.

Ord Mantell

• Take Back Drelliad Village: Separatist Defenders and Separatist Heavy Gunners now grant credit towards the objective "Dispatch the Separatist Forces.

Quesh

• The Republic Commando and Medical Officer on Quesh now properly show mission indicators if a player is the appropriate level for Quesh.

Taris

• Bashun's Bodyguards: This bonus mission now activates correctly for Imperial Agents. It is a bonus mission for the mission Cathar Assassination.

Tatooine

• Shields Down: Players now receive kill credit for Shielded Mark V Junk Droids if their companion deals the killing blow.

Voss

• A Selfless Act: Log entries for this mission now reflect the proper mission steps.
• Dark Rites: Dark Mastery: This mission now correctly awards affection points for Companion Characters.
• March of Time: Monument text now remains on screen for a longer period of time.
• Signal Fires: Gormak Tower Guards no longer pre-emptively despawn during this mission.

Class Missions
Jedi Knight

• Vault of the Gormak King: Players can no longer re-enter the Gormak Vault phase once this mission has been completed.
• Weapon of the Jedi: Players who did not properly receive the "Jedi Weapons" Codex entry will find it unlocked.

Sith Warrior

• Ambush: A Republic Strike Droid in Darth Vengean's Flagship no longer becomes invisible.
• An Army of One: Players can no longer destroy Commander Naughlen's barricade before they reach the mission step to do so.
• Bringing up the Rear: The map note for the task "Defeat the Imperial Rear Guards" now displays correctly.
• Choke Point: The map note related to the mission step "Rendezvous with Lieutenant Dargus" now displays correctly.
• Distress Call: Halidrell Setsyn now has a mission indicator on the appropriate mission step.
• General Durant: The conversation with General Durant is no longer forced upon completion of the mission step "Confront General Durant." Lieutenant Pierce no longer enters combat during this mission.
• Power Play: The fight with Darth Vengean now only resets if Lord Draahg is killed.

Jedi Consular

• Deep Cradle, Dark Heart: The conversation with Sophia Farash now triggers correctly.
• Nightmares: The step "Find Doctor Kerrian" now directs players to the correct location.
• Old Blood: The mission step "Enter Bekvalen Hall" now has an appropriate map note. Hollow Voice now uses the correct language.

Sith Inquisitor

• The Dark Council: The step "Defeat Darth Thanaton" now points the player to the correct location.

Smuggler

• Eco-Terrorists: This mission now correctly provides a Premium Skill Barrel 8 in addition to the reward choice.
• Heist of the Millennium: The Droid head now has the appropriate model, and it is now more obvious that players are removing a piece of it.
• Into the Fire: The conversation with Lokir-Ka no longer auto-triggers again if the player uses Esc to end the conversation.
• The Endless Abyss: This mission now correctly provides a Prototype Artful Mod 14 if you do not keep the blaster.

Imperial Agent

• Imperial Agents who are simultaneously on the "Travel to Nar Shaddaa" step of Kaliyo's mission "What You Do for a Partner" and the "Closing the Deal" class mission can now satisfy both mission steps by traveling to Nar Shaddaa.
• The Assassin's Prize: Players can no longer accidentally leave Denri Ayl's mission area.
• The Sky Burns: Players no longer see this mission progress until the beacons are fully planted.

Trooper

• Public Relations: Sergeant Jaxo can no longer die during one of the steps requiring the player to speak with her. Re-opening the door after closing it during the bomb sequence can no longer cause this mission to become blocked. Players can no longer infiltrate Port Raga until they have spoken to Jaxo.
• Welcome Party: Colonel Gaff's conversation no longer begins automatically when the player approaches.

Bounty Hunter

• Electrocution: Jicoln's electric floor now properly stuns players, and its debuff has an appropriate icon.
• Honor or Glory: The conversation with Toran is no longer forced if the player uses Esc to cancel the conversation.
• Meeting the Admiral: The last step of this mission no longer directs you back to Hangar Bay 59 if you helped the Admiral.
• The Alderaan Target: All companion affection changes during this mission are now properly applied at the end of the mission.

NPCs

• The Nightmare Pilgrim can now be respawned every 30 minutes (down from 2 hours).
• Intelligence Officer Breerdin no longer treats all alien characters as Chiss.
• Corsec Blaster Droids on Corellia are no longer invisible.
• Members of the Black Sun and Coruscant Security now engage in combat appropriately in several areas on Coruscant.
• Several common NPC Boss encounters have had their loot adjusted to be more in line with their rarity.
• Conquest Droids on Balmorra no longer attack other Imperial NPCs that enter their range.
• Lowered the volume of some vociferous training droids on Korriban.
• The Released Rancor on Belsavis now animates properly when moving.

PvP
General

• Level 50 daily Warzone missions (No Quarter and March Them Down) now only require 4 Warzone completions (down from 6). Winning a Warzone still counts as an extra completion.
• The Resolve system has been adjusted in the following ways.
• When a player becomes immune to control due to Resolve, his Resolve meter will not start decaying until after all the current controlling effects expire (instead of decaying immediately after the immunity begins).
• Players under the effects of a control ability now build less Resolve for other control abilities that target them. The exact amount of Resolve the player builds is based on the time remaining on the ability currently controlling the player and the relative strength of that ability's effect. If two stuns of similar strength (such as Electrocute and Debilitate) target a single player at the same time, the second ability would generate very little Resolve. However, if the two effects were applied so that the duration of their effects overlapped very little, each effect would grant its full (or nearly full) Resolve to the target.
• A new Codex entry can be found in the Game Rules section to help players who are unfamiliar with the details of the Resolve system.
• New Recruit MK-2 gear is now available. This gear replaces the Recruit set, which is no longer available.
• Unranked Warzones now backfill empty player slots more frequently.
• Elite War Hero weapons and offhands have been added to the PvP vendors.
• The cost of War Hero weapons and offhands has been reduced.
• 3 Warzone Commendations can now be traded for 1 Ranked Warzone Commendation.
• Non-flagged players will no longer be flagged for PvP when a hostile player users beneficial abilities on an NPC the non-flagged player's companion is in combat with.

Warzones
General

• Leaving a Warzone queue from the queue window now properly closes the "join Warzone" dialog.

Huttball

• Arena crowd visual effects have been added.
• Frogdogs now hear voiceover when they score their second point.
• The maximum time limit in Huttball has been reduced from 15 minutes to 13 minutes.
• Some locations that would erroneously remove the AFK debuff when the player was not in a combat area have been corrected.

Novare Coast

• The fire rate for each of the turrets has been increased from 8 seconds to 9 seconds.
• Players are no longer required to press Spacebar to exit the loading screen before this Warzone.

Voidstar

• In the event that neither team breaches the first set of doors, the winner of the match is now the team that scored the most kills.
• Players can no longer target area of effect abilities through the forcefield in the third room.
• Some locations that would erroneously remove the AFK debuff when the player was not in a combat area have been corrected.

Space Combat

• Items that grant repeated upgrades of the same type are now correctly accounted for.
• Power Conversion Module abilities now appear in the correct quickslot during Space Combat Missions for Imperial Agents.

UI
General

• The title row in panels such as the Guild Roster and Who List no longer occasionally disappear.
• The "inspect" window now closes when the inspected character is too far away.
• The "promote" and "demote" buttons are now more visible in the guild UI.
• Players can now set their moods, altering their character's facial expression. Moods can be found in the emote browser near the chat window.
• Activating multiple UI panels in very rapid succession no longer causes the game to become unresponsive.
• Players can now use shift+right click to equip an item directly on their active companion.

Chat

• PvP messages (such as becoming flagged) can now be toggled off in chat tabs.
• The description of the chat preference "Group Awareness Ping" now more accurately describes its effect. The tooltip now reads: "Plays an audible tone when your name is said in a Group chat channel. If you have heard an audible tone in the last 30 seconds, you won't hear one.

Maps

• The accuracy of the Promenade map on Nar Shaddaa has been improved.
• The map for the Dark Temple Approach on Dromund Kaas now better reflects the world.
• Several areas where the map would incorrectly transition to a new map have been corrected.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

• Jedi Consulars arriving on Balmorra are no longer facing their ship door upon entering the spaceport.
• The Dromund Kaas Nexus Cantina rest zone has been slightly adjusted.
• The Fernell Research Facility on Balmorra now displays the correct name.
• Trees and large moving objects now cast animated shadows in the game world. Shadows are smoother, and players will notice improved self-shadowing. Additionally, the shadow system has been optimized to increase performance. Players utilizing AMD Crossfire or Nvidia SLI options will see a boost in performance. To see these changes, the shader settings and shadow settings must be set to "high."
• Several minor art issues, like floating objects, seams in the terrain, and issues with disappearing geometry have been corrected.
• Many places in the world where players could get stuck have been fixed.
• Several typographical errors have been corrected.
• An issue that could cause display problems after changing a video card out has been addressed.
• Players can no longer use some abilities near ledges to avoid taking falling damage.
• Players performing certain emotes while riding the Jawa Balloon on Tatooine are no longer teleported back to the balloon's start position.
• Changes to the Grass Quality slider in the options now apply immediately when the player presses "OK" or "Apply."

The Many Looks of T7-01

Complete Guide to T7-01 Customizations

T7-01 is one of my favorite companions, not only because he was my first companion but because he is a droid with a cool attitude! This little guy can take a real beating and he has some of the coolest comebacks in your story that you will come across! I so wish I could have given him a lightsaber and made him a Jedi when he asked. 

T7-01 has seven looks available, although customization 5 requires you to have the Collector's Edition and customization 6 requires you to have a security key attached to your account. With the variety of colors available, T7-01 can be decked out to match your favorite outfit. Wearing red today? No problems, customization 3 will have you looking like a team. Just got some gold PvP gear? Not an issue - T7-01's default look will look awesome right beside you. Read on to see where you can purchase all of the customizations from.

Customization 6 is available on The Republic Fleet Station from the Security key reward vendor, Tamin.

You can find customization number 5 on The Republic Fleet Station from the Collector's Edition Vendor called Jhaffus.

Customizations 1, 2 and 4 are available from vendors on both Taris and Balmora. The vendor's name on Taris is Tatrog and he is hidden in the corner of the cantina. The Balmora vendor is hard to miss as he can be found at the entrance to the main base in bug town.





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.

Patch Night tonight! 1.4

Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for six hours on Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST). All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than six hours, but could be extended.

Travel to the Gree controlled planet of Asation, where you’ll join others in an intense series of battles leading up to a final face-off against an unyielding enemy. It’s up to your team to close the Ancient Hypergate, opened by the deadly and malicious Dread Masters, and destroy a galactic goliath before it destroys the galaxy! Learn more about Game Update 1.4 here!

After this maintenance is over, restart the game launcher to patch to Game Update 1.4.

Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST)

All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than six hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.

Gone are the raiders of yesteryear

Our PvP guild has decided to do some basic story mode raiding. As a fully rakata-geared tank, I offered to take the newer players through the three operations currently available ingame. But where are all the raiders gone? I did the operations Eternity Vault, Karagga's Palace and Explosive Conflict with an active guild, but once it was cleared the majority of the players moved on to other games. I have spoken to some of them in the last two months and they say that after SWTOR they went to Terror, and cleared all the content there and now they're almost done with Guild Wars 2. So what does that mean for operations development? Is it possible for the devs to keep up with demand?

Is it beneficial for developers to concentrate on operation development above and beyond single player and PvP content? It seems to be so hard to keep the elite guilds entertained. I've seen this exact same thing happen in WoW, where the elite guilds clear content faster than anybody else, but also get really bored, really fast.

Bioware need to focus on what they do best which is awesome story content for single players and small groups. Hell, the Star Wars Universe has always been about small bands of heroes doing the unbelievable, not small armies. How heroic is it really for 16 Jedi to beat up on one big dude?

Although I don't believe that operations content should not be in the game - it is a viable source of entertainment - I just don't think it should be the main focus of any up and coming content for SWTOR. Single player content is seen by far more players and end game operations, especially the hardcore stuff, has too short a lifespan for any serious long term player of the game.

What type of player are you? Do you crave the big operations or do the story lines keep you hooked?

Server Merges Happen Tomorrow, Plus Allowed Characters Bumped To 12 For Everyone

Earlier this summer we launched the Free Character Transfer Program which offered players the option to transfer their characters from specific origin servers to selected destination servers. Following the success of the Free Character Transfer Program, and after closely monitoring server populations, we have now taken the next step in our on-going server population balancing process. We have upgraded destination servers in order to support a significantly higher number of players. As of tomorrow, all characters on origin servers will be automatically moved onto the upgraded high population destination servers. By centralizing our player populations on these higher population destination servers, we feel that we can offer our players the best possible Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ experience.

The server change list:

The Shadowlands (east coast PvE) - The Shadowlands, Corellian Run, Giradda the Hutt, Mind Trick, Elysium, Thana Vesh, Colonel Tobin, Krayt Dragon, The Razor, Tarro Blood, Anturi Reach, Firaxan Shark, Sith Meditation Sphere, ICE Breaker, Crevasse City, Darth Bandon, Shadow Hand, Sith Wyrm, Dreshdae Cantina, Grand Master Zym

Jedi Covenant (east coast PvE) - Jedi Covenant, Canderous Ordo, The Constant, Krayiss Obelisk, Kathol Rift, Whitebeam Run, Khoonda Militia, Ki-Ta Kren, Kaas City, Fort Garnik, Hanharr, Sedyn Kyne, Keetael, The Corsair, Nathema, Zez-Kai Ell, Shii-Cho, The Courageous, Assassins of Sion, Eidolon Security, Axial Park, Keller's Void, Master Dorak, Juyo, The Defenestrator, Telos Restoration Project

The Ebon Hawk (east coast RP-PvE) - The Ebon Hawk, Kath Hound, Rubat Crystal, Lord Adraas, Sanctum of the Exalted, Shien

Prophecy of the Five (east coast PvP - Prophecy of the Five, The Fatman, Firkrann Crystal, The Twin Spears, Anchorhead, Darth Malak, Bondar Crystal, Iron Citadel, Infinity Gate, Saber of Exar Kun, Naddist Rebels, Hedarr Soongh, Davik's Estate, Gardens of Talla , The Deadweight , Thendys Noori , Sword of Ajunta Pall, Terentatek, Vulkar Highway, Veela, Death Wind Corridor, Cho Mai, Port Nowhere, Kinrath Spider, Rwookrrorro , Belgoth's Beacon, Helm of Graush

Jung Ma (east coast RP-PvP) - Jung Ma, Ven Zallow, Ajunta Pall

The Harbinger (west coast PvE) - The Harbinger, Drooga's Pleasure Barge, Fa'athra, Veeboo Lunx, Master Gnost-Dural, Darth Xedrix, Gauntlet of Kressh, Zakkeg Beast, Perlemian Trade Route, Zaalbar, Empress Teta, Namadii Corridor, Kaiburr Crystal, Krath, Wall of Light, Vornskr, Soresu, Lord Praven, Master Zhar Lestin, Space Slug, Darth Sion, Hyperspace Cannon, Mask of Nihilus, The Jekk'Jekk Tarr

Begeren Colony (west coast RP-PvE) - Begeren Colony, Lord Ieldis, Vrook Lamar

The Bastion (west coast PvP) - The Bastion, The Crucible Pits, The Maw, Rakata Mind Prison, Nadd's Sarcophagus, Infinite Empire, Daragon Trail, Warriors of the Shadow, Black Vulkars, Shadowtown, The Swiftsure, Dark Reaper, Wound in the Force, Mandalore the Indomitable

T3-M4 (EU German PvE) - T3-M4, The Jedi Tower, Odacer-Faustin Academy, Lenico Gargantuan, Dreypa's Oubliette, Stereb Cities, Force Harvester, Opila Crystal, Murakami Orchid, The Cinzia, Sith Triumvirate, Handmaidens of Atris, Supreme Commander Stantorrs, Darth Andeddu, Exar Kun

The Red Eclipse (EU English PvE) - The Red Eclipse, Nightmare Lands, Dune Bantha, Goluud Corridor, Sluis Shipyards, Dxun Battle Circle, The Arkanian Legacy, Bacca's Blade, Eye of Ashlanae, Bao-Dur, Flames of the Crucible, Luka Sene, Rogue Moon, Kellian Jarro, Peragus Mining Facility, Ludo Kressh, Hydian Way, Sith'ari, Hidden Beks, Frostclaw

Mantle of the Force (EU French PvE) - Mantle of the Force, Kissai Caste, Vodo-Siosk Baas, Phateem Halls of Knowledge, Hssiss

Vanjervalis Chain (EU German RP-PvE) - Vanjervalis Chain, Zayne Carrick, Cassus Fett

The Progenitor (EU English RP-PvE) - The Progenitor, Shaltin Tunnels, Trask Ulgo

Battle Meditation (EU French RP-PvE) - Battle Meditation, Kessel Run

Jar'Kai Sword (EU German PvP) - Jar'Kai Sword, Brianna, Darth Traya, Exis Station, Gnawer's Roost, Loramarr, The Restoration Zone, Blotus the Hutt, Pius Dea, The Krath Enchanter, Darth Revan's Mask, Jen'jidai

Tomb of Freedon Nadd (EU English PvP) - Tomb of Freedon Nadd, The Shadow Runner, Tott Doneeta, The Ravager, The Kumumgah, Hex Droid, Bloodworthy, Scepter of Ragnos, Ahto City, Basilisk Droid, Legions of Lettow, The Exile's Crystal, Starstorm One, Tassaa Bareesh, Ula Vii, Senator Contispex, Niman, Kai-kan, Chuundar, Trayus Academy, Uthar Wynn, Lord Calypho

Darth Nihilus (EU French PvP) - Darth Nihilus, Dol Grenn, Mecrosa Order, Atris, Princess Galia, Baron Deathmark, Hrakert Rift, Star Map, Huntmaster

Australian servers remain unchanged.

SWTOR Companion QnA with Lead System Designer, Damion Schubert

BioWare's Lead System Designer, Damion Schubert, has been kind enough to answer a volley of questions that I threw at him about the future of our beloved SWTOR companions. The companions are a unique and popular part of the SWTOR game experience and as the game is tweaked and updated, many players are wondering how companions will change, myself included. Here's what he had to say:

Q: With the introduction of HK-51 will players have a choice of what crafting bonuses he has, similar to the way we get to choose our ship droids crafting bonuses?

A: He's been given a minor efficiency bonus to all mission skills, and a minor critical bonus to all crew skills.









Q: Will HK-51 have customization options? If so, how many?

A: We have several paint jobs planned for HK-51 in the works. When and how players will acquire them is unclear as of yet.






Q: Are there any plans to advance on current Companion story lines? Some of us have developed intimate relations with our Companions, and even married them and now they won't talk to us!



A: I will put this as 'on our radar screen but not imminent'.  Building companion content is very, very expensive for us (most people only play one of their companions heavily, so there is a one-in-forty chance that any companion content will be consumed). Also, the benefits of companions once you hit level 50 isn't great since you don't use them for operations or warzones.  I'd really like to address the utility problem before we jump on creating more content for them. That being said, we know you guys love your companions and we know it’s something that's unique to SWTOR, so it’s definitely something that will get attention.

Q: Are there any plans for new Companion customizations whether it be connected to world events (like the Rakghoul plague) or Collector's Edition bonuses?

A: We do have plans for new companion customization options in the future. I can’t giveaway too many details now, but I will say that there was a round of applause for a new paint job for C2-N2 that we unveiled at a company meeting.

Q: Certain Companions had customizable gear that changed with a recent patch. Players leveling Lord Scourge now, for instance, can customize his look, including being able to choose the cool Sith armor. Conversely, players who have already leveled to 50 and completed the bonus series do not have access to the Sith armor. Is there a way to get hold of the Sith armor for Lord Scourge for those players and/or will one be made available in a later patch?

A: I will look to see what we can do.

Q: Currently in game the preview screen for Companions and for armor looks is very low resolution and low quality. Are there any plans to improve the preview screen? Also, are there any plans to include weapons in the preview screen? Some of us are fussy about the look of our guns and lightsabers!

A: We are currently looking at improving our gear preview screen as part of developing for microtransactions, since we definitely want people to be able to see what they are buying before they do so.  So yes, these things should be on their way to you.


The possibility of high resolution preview screens will be a major benefit to anybody who likes the look of their characters.Thank you Damion for your time.

If you have any comments about the information provided, or an opinion on which companion's story line you'd most like to see updated, hit the comments button.

The Many Looks of Qyzen Fess

Complete Guide to Qyzen Fess Customizations

First off, I know we have always posted our "Many Looks of " images using bikini outfits on our Companions, but when we tryed to put Qyzen Fess into a bikini he ripped 3 of our droids into 6 pieces! So we have changed our bikini policy, to keep peace in the Galaxy!

Qyzen Fess is the first Companion that players get as a Jedi Consular. Our Trandoshan friend is a heavy armor wearing melee tank who brings his skill and hunting knowledge to your story line. Like most reptiles  Qyzen will shed his skin from time to time and it really annoys C2-N2 who has the fun job of cleaning it up ... so it's not uncommon for Qyzen to change his looks!

Let's have a look at the first 5 looks:

Qyzen has 5 customizations, plus the default look The image above has the default look far left and then the 4 customizations you can purchase from vendors (one customization is a rare loot drop, which we'll talk about below).

Customization 1 and 4 can be purchased from the Security Key vendor on the Republic fleet 

Customization 2 can be purchased from The Balmora vendor, Guunta. He is hard to miss, as he can be found at the entrance to the main base in bug town.

The Collector's Edition Vendor has customization 3 for sale if you own a Collector's Edition copy of SWTOR.

The last special customization is a rare loot drop from Warlord Kephess, the final boss of Explosive Conflict operation.

Even if you get the loot drop, like I did, you still need to roll for the item with all the other Consulars in your raid!

A big thanks to Nomzy for letting me take the screenshots of this cool customization which he won when it dropped in our raid ... and DAMN YOU FOR BEATING ME BY 1! :)


To find out more about Qyzen Fess, including gift preferences, check out the the Jedi Consular Companion page.



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.

Companion Customization Changes in Patch 1.4

A new feature coming in 1.4 is the ability to finally turn your companion's helmet off and the ability to unify your companion's gear color. You're no longer required to have female companions hiding behind masks, or any companions wearing bad taste color combinations.

Pressing C ingame will bring up your character screen. Then simply select your companion tab and your options will show, as you can see in these screenshots.

You can unify the color of all, or selected items, the same way that you can with your main characters.