A/V The Old Republic MMO: The New Official Thread

Spoiler

Based on updated dialogue from Kira and Scourge return (which is mostly the same as dialogue datamined many months ago) they might return to Jedi Knight before we help Satele:

Some added/changed lines:

Kira: Once this mess with Satele is sorted out, I just want to go back to the good old days. Running around, fighting bad guys, saving the day... the good stuff.

Scourge: The Emperor's destruction had a profound effect on me--something beyond the disease his death unleashed. My immortality is... gone . And... I have realized how important to me our old crew had become. Especially you, Jedi.

So, I guess it remains to be seen if Emperor's disease mission will be in 6.0.

 

Spoiler

All very interesting information from the new codex entries. I found the one on Darth Savik particularly interesting. First off, it's nice to see that she'll be replacing Malora. I already knew that Savik would have a presence in the expansion, but I was unaware of her role as a Dark Councilor. This is good because it shows that the writers are going to try and maintain the new Dark Council so that players always have a clear understanding of who sits on the Council, and seats won't be left vacant for years. But another part of Savik's codex sparked a thought in my head....

Food for thought: Darth Savik is responsible for the survival of Darth Malgus.

The thing that really catches my interest is that Savik's history has been erased. Why would that be? But more importantly, how could she secure a seat on the Dark Council if she has no visible identity or legacy or power base? My theory is that Savik was the one who actually saved Malgus, and then she worked with Acina to rebuild, restore, and control him. Her codex definitely indicates that she has the technical skills to rebuild Malgus. It would also provide a reason as to why Acina/Vowrawn would elevate her to the Council in spite of all her records being erased. It would be some form of patronage -- a reward for Malgus' service.

Just further speculation: After Savik is beaten by Republic players on Corellia, she becomes disillusioned with the Empire and ends up joining Malgus' New Empire. She ends up on his space station when he is defeated, and actually manages to retrieve his body before the station explodes. Savik ends up using her technical skills to keep him alive, but just barely. She can't repair him until later, when she forges a partnership with Acina who gets her Isotope-5. Savik uses the Isotope-5 to improve her technologies and rebuilds Malgus stronger than ever, while also keeping him on a leash for Acina. So Savik is finally getting her due with the Council seat. Oh, and her records were erased to keep her former allegiance to Malgus' New Empire a secret.

The last paragraph is mostly speculation without a lot to back it up. But I still think it is very possible that Savik is tied to Malgus' survival in some way.

 

question: Any in-game letters your character receives for 6.0
One again thanks for answering our questions.

 

So now a look at the new legends planet (or half a planet)

 

More Codex entries:
Iziz

Spoiler

Amidst Onderon's sweeping mountains and colorful flora, brave travelers will find the planet's crown jewel, the city of Iziz. The most prominent and advanced settlement on its host world, Iziz is well known for its ornate structures, equally extravagant citizens, and most notably, its fabled defenses. The city boasts high, fortified walls constructed to safeguard the bustling streets from the dangerous terrestrial creatures beyond. More impressive, however, are the massive anti-aircraft turbolaser turrets peppering the surrounding terrain that serve two purposes: to fend off trespassing starships, and to protect the city's inhabitants from the wing-borne terrors of Dxun, Onderon's "Demon Moon."

When inquiring of the city's inhabitants why anyone would remain voluntarily in such a hazardous setting, proud citizens assert that if one can flourish in Iziz, then life anywhere else is bound to be pedestrian.

Meridian Complex Shipyard

Spoiler

Corellia is already a prominent home for shipbuilding, but none of its myriad starship construction facilities can compare with the innovations of the newly-constructed Meridian Complex shipyard. Nestled along the shoreline near Coronet City, the facility's structure is like most others: a grand, sweeping shell filled with the promise of fleets of ships soon to launch toward the stars. Its high corridors snake their way inward like a metallic labyrinth, eventually terminating at the primary production spire. The towering structure looms high above Corellia's surface, a monument to its engineers' recent achievements.

Rumored to be derived from the advanced technologies of Iokath, this facility is capable of producing warships three times faster than its predecessors while requiring only a fraction of the energy consumption. This alone makes it a crucial addition to the Republic's assets in a time of severely limited resources, and a severe threat to the war efforts of the Sith Empire.

Arkonok

Spoiler

There's a good reason for the expression "angry as an arkonok" on Onderon. Though they're the closest thing to a domesticated herd animal on the planet, their unpredictable rages put would-be tamers at risk of serious bodily harm on a daily basis and destroy all but the stoutest enclosures. Arkonok meat is prized as a delicacy on Onderon, but by all accounts this is more out of respect for the handlers than for its flavor (described as "just okay" and "sort of gritty" by famed culinarian Ton-Zek Aimar).

Flirron

Spoiler

Scintillating flirron glide through Onderon's skies with ephemeral grace. The dazzling patterns produced by their billions of chromatophores are believed by scientists to be an intricate form of visual communication. The gentle beasts (a rarity among Onderon's deadly fauna) are so loved by the citizens of Iziz that flirron watching is a citywide pastime. Prime flirron-viewing locations along the city's outer walls are some of its most valuable real estate, and cover charges for the best-positioned rooftop cafes are well beyond the means of the general citizenry.

Grefna

Spoiler

The Grefna's prominent cranial spine serves multiple purposes. It allows flock members to visually track one another through the verdant undergrowth due to ultraviolet striations on its surface, and its sharp, blade-like edge presents a formidable defense against would-be attackers. An agitated Grefna will lower its head, issue a honking bellow, and charge, impaling its enemy and tossing it backwards with a sharp flick of its neck to clear a path to safety. Given the predators that terrorize Onderon, even its prey animals are deadly in their own right.

Orlax

Spoiler

Little escapes the notice of the Orlax. Its four specialized eyes each feature three foveae, allowing it to keep multiple targets in sharp focus at one time. Once it identifies its prey, it strikes with startling speed. While few survive an Orlax attack, even fewer escape the jaws of the Varlax, a closely related species found on Dxun that has developed a potent and notoriously painful hemotoxic venom that it delivers through its large lower tusks.

Pritarr

Spoiler

The rumbling infrasonic "purr" of the pritarr is the last sensation its prey feels before being ripped apart by a pack on the hunt. Pritarr use these low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances through their densely jungled habitat as they search for prey. Their sensitivity to these sounds allows them to detect seismic activity long before most other creatures, and the Untamed have long known to prepare for potential disaster if their pritarr are restless.

The Brothers

Spoiler

Mek-Sha's neon-lit alleyways and shadowy recesses are replete with suspect activity, but even among the thriving criminal element, none are more reviled than the gang known as The Brothers.

One of the most notorious of Mek-Sha's outlaw powers, these mysterious beings breed fear through their masked anonymity and ruthless acquisition of slaves. With seemingly unending reserves of wealth (most likely gained from their sale of misappropriated laborers to the Sith Empire), the Brothers haunt the territories of Mek-Sha like faceless apparitions with an almost zealotic fervor.

Given the perpetual influx of refugees and lost souls seeking new beginnings on this station, the slavers' targets are plentiful and easily plucked from the unwitting crowds. Those lucky enough to escape the lower docks or avoid the Brothers' notice altogether whisper of shared minds and unsettling philosophies, all of which only serves to strengthen the gang's enigmatic notoriety.

Dar'manda (Mek-Sha Gang)

Spoiler

In Mandalorian society, a Dar'manda is an exile--someone who has broken the strictures of honor and duty so severely that they are deemed unworthy of their heritage. It is considered by most Mandalorians to be a punishment worse than death.

This designation is meant as a mark of shame, but Indigo's crew on Mek-Sha bears it proudly, even continuing to brazenly wear their Mandalorian armor in mockery. Though he started his gang with just a few other exiles and a modest supply of stolen weapons, Indigo and the Dar'manda curried favor on Mek-Sha quickly by supplying those weapons to help overthrow Hutt control of the asteroid.

The gang primarily deals in illicit weapons and takes on mercenary contracts. They've attracted dozens of other misfit outlaws over the years--many, but not all, true ex-Mandalorians like Indigo himself. The Dar'manda have such a notorious reputation that the mere presence of a few of their members is usually enough to deter attacks on their charges, due to both their skill in combat and their powerful arsenal of weapons.

Indigo

Spoiler

Most details about the stoic leader of the Dar'manda on Mek-Sha are a mystery, and that's fine by him. Even his real name is unknown to most--"Indigo" simply refers to the color of his armor.

Rumors about the reason for his crew's exile from the Mandalorians abound. They run the gamut from the almost-humorous to the heinous: some claim they stole and sold off their own clan's prized ancestral relics to the Hutts for gambling money, and others insist they slaughtered the families of a rival crew over a minor debt.

Whatever the reason, Indigo seems content to let the rumors fly so long as they don't get in the way of his number one priority: his business. He's worked hard to maintain a substantial share of the illicit weapons trade on Mek-Sha, and his Dar'manda gang has become well-respected under his ruthless oversight.

Amplifiers

Spoiler

Amplifiers are additional statistical boosts that can be found on some pieces of equipment, potentially improving your character in a variety of ways. Some Amplifiers may bolster your character's prowess in combat, while others boost aptitude in a Crew Skill or increase the rate of experience gain.

There are many Amplifiers to discover, each providing their own unique benefits to your character. For a price, you can reroll amplifiers that don't appeal to you, changing them out for others that might be a better fit for your character. Whatever goals you have for your characters, there will certainly be Amplifiers that can help you get the job done!

Tactical Items

Spoiler

Tactical items are specialized pieces of gear you can equip in the Tactical Slot of your character sheet. These powerful items modify your abilities in unique and interesting ways, allowing you to further customize your favorite character. With effects that range from improving survivability to enhancing your favorite attacks and everything in between, Tacticals have something to offer for every playstyle.

There are a host of Tactical items tailored to each character class and discipline as well as more generalized Tactical items that any character can use. They can be found as loot drops throughout the galaxy or from unique Tactical vendors. Be sure to look out for them and experiment with their exciting benefits!

 

Any info on the Jedi Council or what's happening after Onslaught?

 

Ever More Codex:

Task Force Nova

Spoiler

With the Jedi Order scattered in the aftermath of the war against Zakuul, the Republic faces a key disadvantage in their war against the Sith Empire, whose Force users are more focused and united than in past conflicts. Eager to regain their lost allies, the Republic has formed Task Force Nova, a united civilian/military/Jedi effort to rebuild and revitalize the Jedi.

Given the importance of its mission, Task Force Nova has been granted top priority status and accelerated access to any resources necessary to locate and unite the unknown number of Jedi still in hiding across the galaxy, as well as any training efforts needed to prepare the next generation of Jedi to defend the Republic from its longtime foes.

The Hand of the Empire

Spoiler

Reformed in the wake of the assault on the Meridian Complex shipyard, the Hand of the Empire is an elite organization operating outside the authority of the Dark Council. Agents of the Hand act with the full authority of the Imperial throne, granting them extraordinary leeway in carrying out their missions across the galaxy.

Although it maintains an air of mystery among the general public, the modern incarnation of the Hand is strictly pragmatic, focused only on securing victory for the Empire over its Republic enemies - unlike the original Hand, whose members were fanatical zealots so obsessed with serving their master that they were willing to sacrifice themselves and all other life in the galaxy to serve his apocalyptic agenda.

 

Spoiler

It seems like the Jedi are still in recovery mode even after Onslaught. A newly formed Republic sub-division called "Task Force Nova" will be focusing on finding missing Jedi as well as training new Jedi. I still haven't seen any new information about a reformed Jedi leadership, but I imagine Gnost-Dural will fill the role of a sort of Jedi Uniter (at least for Republic players).

 

spoilers for 6.0

Spoiler

unfortunate news on Theran Cedax it seems, I watch a swtor community cantina Bioware does once in a while (where they talk to fans), they said Tharan cedrax would return but he would not return as a companion unfortunately, not sure why. Also to back this up on jedipedia, in datamine patch 6.0 #27, tharan cedax was updated but it says he still unavailable as a companion. So it looks like Tharan Cedax will not return as a companion
https://swtor.jedipedia.net/en/nco/tharan-cedrax-2

Also on jedipedia the "interactions" for kira has been updated it suggest Satele story will not end in 6.0. go down to interactions
https://swtor.jedipedia.net/en/nco/kira-carsen-3

 

Spoiler

Interesting for Kira and Scourge. The phrasing makes it sound like they will only be temporary companions for non-Knights, and that they will leave you after the Satele Plague story is wrapped up post-6.0. I kind of feel that the devs would get backlash if they give these two uber-popular companions in one patch only to take them away several patches later (though the same happened to SCORPIO, so there's a precedent).

Maybe after the Plague story is wrapped up, you'll get to keep only one depending on your faction. For example, on Republic classes Kira will stay for good and Scourge will leave, but for Imperial classes Scourge will stay for good and Kira will leave. Just some speculation.

 

some spoilers for the intro

Spoiler

 

Sorry for the double post,

But this is from the offical Star Wars twitter, which I think is a good sign.

 

Finished Onslaught:

Spoiler

Played as the Jedi Knight

• Probably the shortest SWTOR expansion to date, which was a little disappointing.
• They are getting better and better at cinematics.
• Onderon's story was rather underwhelming, but I liked planet's design. It is also nice to have Jakarro back.
• Suprisingly, I really liked Mek-Sha story and its background. I generally don't like underworld themed planets but I really enjoyed this one. I was nice to see some companions having a small roles there - Gault, Halo and Shae.
• Corellia battle was really nice looking and there were some nice fights there. Storywise, we had better flashpoints.
• As Jedi Knight I have chosen the remain with the Alliance. It was a hard choice, but from character's perspective, returning back to Republic would invalidate KotFE/KotET journey to be more than just a Jedi.
• I liked Arn's (Tau's new padawan) character and his interactions with other heroes/heroines.
• Happy to see that Gnost-Dural is still around,
• Lord Shaar seems to be an interesting Sith.
• Lana had some funny dialogues.
• Great to have Kira and Scourge back. Their dialogues were really nice.
• Emperor's plague mission will probably be in the next story update. We will see if this will be something bigger or just a flashpoint.
• Scourge said that he received guidance from the old ally. I hope he meant Revan there. He and Scourge should be involved in Vitiate's epilogue in the game.

 

Spoiler

Considering Scourge is responsible for literally centuries of Revan's suffering, I doubt Revan would ever consider Scourge an ally.

 

just a quick reminder, Artstation has lots of artist and designers working on TOR post their contributions and material. lots of art, wallpapers, high res, and more.

 

I have just played it as a loyalist, SI with empress Acina.

Spoiler

Onderon is fine, it's ok, I did like the stuff, but it was what I expected. I liked blowing up the fleet and putting the puppet king in power.

I also feel like the King gets a bad wrap. He isn't evil or greedy. he just wants his planet to get it's due. As someone who has experience with farmers (which I see Onderon as) they get dudded by monopolies like the Republic. He is naive though.

I LOVED getting to blow up the fleet. (also blue pub ships that is neat)

Mek-Sha was great, I liked the setting much more than I thought. I liked the politics. Also DARTH VOWRAWN! His plan is great, kill a pub fleet and gain an ally.

Darth Vowrawn: Take no prisoners and above all - remember to have fun.

The final battle was cool. Tough boss fights.

So now Malgus has gone rouge, I wonder what he will do now.

Good to see Kria and Scourge again.

As an inquisitor you can get your seat back and kill a Dark Council member.

I also joined the Empire, 'welcome home' indeed.

 

Spoiler

Was wondering if players/dataminers could give me a few insiders on some of the choices and their impacts.

I've heard from a few people that becoming a saboteur on Ossus ultimately omits the final choice of rejoining your old faction. You remain the Alliance Commander and the idea of you rejoining is never brought up. Is this solely determined by your choice on Ossus? Or can this be reversed? Say, if you refuse to take saboteur options throughout the expansion, will the choice of rejoining open up again?

Also prior to the expansion release I had heard that you'd be able to quit your saboteur role. Is this a CHOICE that you get if you reject the saboteur options in the story? Or is it forced upon you if you reject the saboteur options? And what happens if you take some saboteur options but reject others? (i.e. As an Imperial you let the Republic fleets refuel and join the Corellia battle, but you still shut down the shipyard shield at the end, thus incurring significant losses on both sides)

 

Spoiler

There are significant Light/Dark choices, regardless of if you are a saboteur or loyalist. Most of the choices center around the brutality of your tactics and how much killing you're willing to do to see your chosen side achieve victory.

Yeah, I'm glad it's Vowrawn and Shaar on Mek-sha if Acina is still alive. The writers could have easily cut corners and just had Shaar there in both versions.

Darth Savik is Malora's replacement. She appears in the Onderon story for both sides. As for how many are lost... well, Imperial side can see two getting killed (if you're an Inquisitor than three can get killed...). On Republic side, only one can be killed/removed.

Yeah boy. Malgus unchained.

 

Finished Imperial Side - Agent - Loyalist:

Spoiler

- I enjoyed the Imperial story on Onderon more than the Republic version. Still on characters side, I have found Tau/Arn/Nebet to be more interesting than Savik/Petryph.
- Mek-Sha was mostly the same. However instead of Veek, I have allied myself with Indigo this time. Vowrawn and Shaar were both great.
- Imperial Corellia was as easy as Republic Corellia.
- In the end my Agent has chosen to rejoin the Empire as a new Keeper. I am looking forward to see how this will play out in the future.
- I feel that Anri was a little underused this time.
- It seems that Malgus has escaped from Acina's leash. I wonder what role he will play in the upcoming content.

BTW

There are some daily missions on Onderon and Mek-sha, so it is good to know that there are things to do there after we finish the story. Still, I would have liked them more if they were accessible from NPCs and not from missions terminal.

 

I finished as an Dark Side, Sith Inquisitor Loyalist.
(Will do my Jedi Knight second so I can end with a happy, minimally bloody conclusion).

Spoiler

I like Onderon. I mostly associate it with TCW but I know it originated in the Legends comics so exploring it came off as a rather interesting hybrid of the two sources.
Mek-Sha was ok. Reminded me of Nar Shadda, but I did like the story there. The whole convincing the criminals to side with our enemy so we have justification to attack really worked well.
I feel like there were basically no "filler" quests here which was refreshing, everything I did had an easily understandable purpose and I had fun doing it.

I also liked seeing the dark council again. They have been very underused since the end of the main quest of the game. I tried to take back my seat and killed Anathel but decided against fully rejoining the Empire just because the consequences of doing so seem rather vague right now and I don't want to disrupt the status quo too much (Not that it seems to matter much at the moment, it will likely come back later.)

Corellia was an average flashpoint. Though I did notice one of the Jedi we faced was called Master Halcyon. Corron Horns ancestor?

Good to see Jakarro, C-4, and Theran again. Though I did end up using the later as a human shield, he still got a laugh or two out of me.
Then there was Kira and Scourage who I really enjoyed having back. The new plot they brought with them sound fascinating. Dark side plague has been done before, but having infected Satele Shan you know this is going to be a big deal. (I totally would want a book or something describing their hunt for the Emperor's corpse. Though that seems rather unlikely at the moment).

Oh, and Malgus is on the loose now. So that should add a further intrigue in the future.
[/spoiler

 

Looks like SWTOR is making bank

Almost $1 Billion in it's life time.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-star-wars-mmo-the-old-republic-has-now-made-al/1100-6471011/

Which is good, the CEO even said they liked games like this so that is positive.

Though I am sure someone will take this as proof that SWTOR is dying....somehow.

I completed Onslaught 3 more times, JK (loyalist), SW (loyalist) and Smuggler (Saboteur)

Spoiler

JK was fun, helping the Republic is good, interesting how Onderon goes backwards from the Empire one, while Mek-Shar is the same. I was glade that Major Anri escaped I would like to see more of her. The Republic don't come off well in this story at least not to me, they always seem to be scrambling and relying upon luck. Still interesting that you can get a Sith working for you and how she helps you.

SW was the empire storys, nice smart, hoped for more inter play between SW and Vowran.

The Saboteur is the most interesting part. You get several choices to betray the Republic, killing the ships at the start of Onderon, Killing the vice-admiral on Mek-Shar and then blowing up the ships and finally letting the shipyards fall. Still and the Rep people are nice, I also most feel bad about it almost

Finally for the Saboteur, it is darth xarion that you answer to.

So maybe he will become the new quest giver for Emp players, since Malgus is off the reservation (also did he damage the implant him self?)

 

Alright, finished my Jedi Knights story.

Spoiler

It's pretty good, though I will say it might have been better had I done it first. A lot of the "mysteries" they were trying to solve fell a little flat cause I already knew the answer to them. I like Arn Peralun, he's an interesting character and his interactions with Lana are hilarious. Though I do feel she and Theron have been shuffled to the side a bit too much, I guess it makes sense that since they gave us the option to kill the later they can't put him into too big a role, but it still felt a little awkward how they just showed up at random points than disappear. Particularly since this is the Republic side I feel that Theron should have been slightly more prominent. But it's not that big of deal. I did find it noteworthy that they had a cameo during the battle for Corellia, and even namedropped Jorgan so it adds a sense that my decisions did matter in the long run.

One thing I noticed is how the Chancellor seems to have been replaced even if we sided with Malcom on Iokath. I wish they would have done what they did with the Acina-Vowran situation, and have the chancellor depend on your decision there.

In hindsight however I do regret not rejoining the Empire with my Sith Inquisitor, and corrected that with my Knight. These are my loyalist characters, and I have very few companions who are not aligned with my chosen faction anyways so I would have very little to lose by officially rejoining the Republic/Empire. (Not to mention I wasted my Dark Council seat by refusing the Empresses offer! Oh well, my knight is Battle master again and has joined the Jedi council.)

I have two other characters in the works, a smuggler and an Imperial Agent. Those two will be double agents, though it will be some time before I get that far in the story.

I also gotta say in some ways I enjoyed the Corellian mission more on the Republic side than the Empire. Having both Tai and Arn's fight alongside me made for some far more interesting battles. That is one aspect that I feel was done better on the Republic side at least. I pray we get more information on the reformed Jedi Order soon, being on the council would be pretty meaningless if I never got to attend any meetings. (Looking at you Barsen'thor!)

Having Kira and Scourage back also has a far more emotional impact when the Hero of Tython recognizes them. It feels a lot more natural than their introductions to my inquisitor. (Though I did enjoy Kira's "Not thrilled to be here", and Scourage's "She grows on you.")