LucasArts had plenty to show at E3 yesterday about the MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Granted, we’re still waiting for some of our questions to be answered, however they did deliver on some goodies.
First off, SWTOR is going free to play. Sort of. Its more of a free trail, where no credit card is needed. Players will be able to enjoy playing SWTOR up until level 15. There is no time limit but once level 15 is hit, your free trail is over and you can either keep playing by buying a subscription or not. If you choose to subscribe, your character will still be available to you, without fear of having to start over once you make your account. Free to play to level 15 starts up in July.
Sometime this year, SWTOR will be getting a new space mission called Space Station Assault, a new warzone, Ancient Hypergates and a new operation known as Terror from Beyond. Those looking for a challenge will hopefully enjoy Nightmare mode and there’s a new planet coming into the fold called Makeb.
Also this year, gamers will be able to choose to play a new race, the Cathar. Cathar are a bipedal humanoid feline race from the planet that shares the same name. Those familiar with the PC and Xbox game, Knights of the Old Republic, will know the race thanks to Juhani. Hopefully this will mean more character slots, as many are already at the cap.
Speaking of cap, the current level cap of 50 will be raised. This might frustrate a few who have been playing on their 50’s without gaining new levels in the process. Along with the cap, new powers and abilities will be unlocked.
Anyone who played Knights of the Old Republic are aware of the HK droid series. The most famous is the meatbag hating HK-47. It was hinted by HK-50 in KotOR 2 that a new generation of assassination droids were being constructed. Enter the HK-51, a new companion for SWTOR. It is still unknown as to whom this companion the HK-51 will be attached to.
“Revelation: We have already begun construction on a new generation of HK units. When the last of our deficiencies are accounted for and corrected, they shall be the most formidable assassination droids in the galaxy.”
All of this is fantastic but what fans really want to know is if/when the server merge will take place. A lot of the current servers are like a ghost town. There have been times when I’m the only player on a planet. How are hero plus missions suppose to get done if there isn’t anyone around to assist? Changes need to be made within SWTOR, some of which cannot be masked by new content, although we do welcome it.
