In game update 2.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic finally added many of the customizations players have been asking for since SWTOR launched.

In addition to being able to customize your characters beyond character creation, SWTOR also has finally introduced the Cathar Species for 600 Cartel Coins.

One particularly nice feature is Dye Modules. You can obtain these through crafting (artifice), some vendors, and from the cartel market. Two vendors who currently sell Dye Modules are the Collector’s Edition and Security Key Vendors. In addition if you would like to buy the schematics for certain dyes they are available at the Galactic Reputation Vendors. Once you use a Dye Module it is consumed and you can not use it again. If you try to remove the Dye Module from gear the Dye will be destroyed.

A word of caution on using Dye Modules, if you use the “Unify Colors” option it will overwrite an Dye Module you used on other pieces of gear. So the best option is to just use the Dye Module on your chestpiece and then unify everything to that, or use different packs on different pieces and then remember to not click the “unify to chest color theme” option.

There are also a few new appearance options available on the Cartel Market: Human Hairstyles 1 (240 Cartel Coins), Human Hair Colors 1 (180 Cartel Coins), Mirialan Tattoos 1 (90 Cartel Coins), Chiss Customizations 1 (240 Cartel Coins), and Human White Eyes (100 Cartel Coins). In addition there is also a  new “Appearance Designer” available for use in Dromund Kaas, Coruscant, and both the Republic and Imperial Fleets. The Appearance Designer allows you to change any aspect  of how your character looks including what species you are. The only thing you cannot change using the Appearance Designer is what gender your character is.

In addition you also finally have the ability to change the name of individual characters, your legacy name, or the name of your guild. Both the character name changes cost 1,000 cartel credits and the guild name change costs 3,000 cartel credits. Subscribers do have a permanent discount on the cost of these changes.

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SWTOR cat people are invading the universe! Or at least your character customization screens.

Bioware has announced that a new playable race, the Cathar, will be part of the upcoming patch 2.1 of Star Wars: The Old Republic. In fact, the patch is titled “Customization,” so we expect many more quality-of-life changes… mostly on the aesthetic side.

The Cathar were announced as a playable race last year, but we weren’t totally sure when the SWTOR cat people would get here. The race will be a cartel coin purchase and will unlock for 600 coins. You can roll a new character or convert your existing character. The unlock is not legacy-wide, it’s account wide. So the change will affect all your servers and all your legacies. The Cathar are both male and female and will be available for all classes on both factions.

Players have run into these SWTOR cat people before. The Cathar are scattered across the Star Wars universe, and Trooper companion Aric Jordan is a familiar character whose face is about to change. The companion’s artwork has been altered to keep in line with the new models. Specifically, he will have the new fur technology added so he looks just as cool as his player counterparts who have the new hairstyles and fur patterns. 

The SWTOR cat people aren’t the only addition coming in 2.1. Although not everything about the patch—including the release date—has been announced yet, there is a new video out describing other customization we can look forward to. The Appearance Designer Kiosk will allow us to change our eye color, hair style and color, body type, species and the color of our armor. All these things will cost a few coins, and subscribers probably won’t have much trouble affording it.

Am I taking crazy pills or are the Cathar just humans with different heads? 

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A date has been announced for RotHC

Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR) is getting its first downloadable expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, due to arrive on April 14 (or April 9 for early preorders).

So what does the expansion consist of? Besides Makeb, RotHC brings with it a new level cap (up to 55), at least one brand-new ability for each class, multiple new questlines (on and off Makeb), new level-55 flashpoints, a new level-55 operation, and new gear. Players can also pre-order the expansion. If you nab it before 7:00 p.m. EDT on April 13th, you will receive three exclusive in-game items: the title Scourge of the Hutts, a Makrin Seedling mini-pet, and a Dr. Oggurobb Hutt holostatue.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel picks up at the end of the origional SWTOR story, the personal story line then takes players to the new planet of Makeb where players can follow multiple new quest lines that don’t always remain on Makeb.

Here is all of the details from the official website:

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New trailer shows off the new event coming to SWTOR in patch 1.7

SWTOR players will probably be excited to see that there is a new sneak peek video for patch 1.7 EA and BioWare announced that patch 1.7 will officially deploy across all Star Wars The Old Republic servers tomorrow Tuesday, February 12th. The new patch will include the limited time event, Relics of the Gree, and will bring the new Reputation System online.

Relics of the Gree – Discover the mysteries behind the Grey Secant, an ancient Gree starship that has suddenly appeared over Ilum’s Western Ice Shelf. From February 12 to February 26, players can visit the in-game News Terminals located on Carrick Station or Vaiken Spacedock to begin their adventure. The Gree have promised advanced technology, including powerful weapons and armor, to anyone who is brave enough to aid them against an insidious foe who has taken control at the heart of their ship.

The Reputation System allows players to earn Reputation points by completing missions organizations such as the Gree or the Voss, or for military divisions within the Republic and the Empire for a wide variety of rewards.

You can see full details on patch 1.7 on the official Star Wars The Old Republic website right here.

After the patch goes live, players can go to the News Terminals located in Carrick Station or Vaiken Spacedock to kick off the Relics of Gree event chain. The event is only available for a limited time though so make sure to jump in before February 26th if you want to take part.

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BioWare Teases SWTOR Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel

SWTOR expansion Rise of The Hutt Cartel seems to be shaping up nicely. Today BioWare dropped their first look trailer and amazingly did not charge players to view it. Ok, cheap shot, I know, but with all the negative publicity swirling around the free to play conversion and the actual expansion itself you just never know anymore.

The SWTOR expansion trailer gives players a glimpse of the Hutts crawling around trying to control the mass population and the desire of others to stop their territory expansion. The trailer also give us a sneak peek at the continued commitment on the part of BioWare to spend resources on expanded story line and cut scenes. What may be missing from the trailer though is a reason for players that left to come back post-expansion. It’s still early and there is plenty of time for that type of marketing before release, but can BioWare afford to wait?

It is nice to see new scenes though. They may not be full of information, but they are still entertaining to watch, even if this wasn’t my favorite SWTOR trailer to date. It just leaves me feeling lukewarm if I’m being honest.

The SWTOR expansion is still slated to release this spring and carries a price tag of $10 for subscribers and $20 for free to play players. Gamers will be getting new levels, new stories (albeit not the class specific stories some were hoping for), and getting new PvP content. The patches between now and release will also be adding other features such as the reputation system.

So what do you think of the SWTOR expansion trailer? Players still in game probably have no qualms with it, but do you think it does anything to try and bring new players back or can that wait until later trailers?

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It’s time for a Star Wars: The Old Republic State of the Game address and the guys of The Republic have plenty to say about it.

Bioware’s Executive Producer Jeff Hickman covers the recent transition of SWTOR to free-to-play as well as the introduction of a special PvP area in update 1.7.

For those of you interested in The Old Republic’s first expansion, Hickman hinted at work being done on Rise of the Hutt Cartel and also states that the SWTOR development team has a plan mapped out for the coming year that will help keep the game “fresh”.

And players who have been waiting on these two things rejoice, because live character copies to the PTS are in testing and same gender romance is also in the works.

So join Larry Everett, Justin Lowe and Gary Gannon for an in-depth analysis of the SWTOR State of the Game address.

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What’s Coming For SWTOR In 2013?

Star Wars: The Old Republic Executive Producer Jeff Hickman has released the second ‘State of the Game’ post for SWTOR, and touches on several topics players will be interested in.

Same gender romance is being added with some NPC’s on Makeb in the coming expansion, and the devs do plan to add more same gender romance options in the future.  Romance with existing same gender companions is still on hold for now due to the amount of work required to implement it, and of course the recent development of free-to-play took priority over all projects SWTOR related.

Hickman says that the SWTOR devs have a plan in place to keep max level players busy in 2013 with a wide variety of content that will provide max level players plenty of choice in what to do.  Plans include the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, new Operations, new Flashpoints, new difficulty modes, and new PvP areas.  There will also be special activities for you and your companion to take part in because you need to bond more with your NPC friends.

The team is concentrating on Warzones and PvP seasons for player vs. player content this year, but the open world PvP of Ilum isn’t completely forgotten.  There is a change coming to the Western Ice Shelf that should be a departure from what currently exists.  We don’t have any exact details on these changes yet, but we do know that the Open World PvP of Ilum won’t be seeing any upgrades anytime soon.  The dev team is looking to develop a balanced open world PvP system that is both fun and functional, but Hickman says to not expect any shiny new open world PvP for SWTOR in 2013.

The ability to copy characters from live to the test servers is also scheduled to make an appearance in 2013, which will also lay the groundwork for a live character transfer system that allows players to swap realms.  Expect the test server copy to be available early this year, with the live transfer system following later.

So what are you looking forward to in SWTOR for 2013, and what would you like to see implemented this year?

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“I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of players suddenly cried out in happiness and were suddenly silenced.”

BioWare has unveiled plans to release its first digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic this spring.  Rise of the Hutt Cartel will raise the level cap to 55, includes all new story-based missions, and introduces the new planet of Makeb for players to explore.  The personal Star Wars saga will feature the same fully-voiced conversations that the original game launched with and will allow players to uncover the nefarious plans of the Hutt Cartel.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel is set for a spring 2013 release and players can begin pre-ordering now.  If you pre-order by January 7, you will receive 5 days early access.  The expansion is priced at $9.99 for subscribers and $19.99 for anyone else.

What do you think of SWTOR’s first expansion?  We don’t have all of the details yet, but so far it looks like they are only adding one planet.  Is that enough to keep players busy?  Is this the expansion you were looking for or do you have a bad feeling about this?

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SWTOR Releases Patch 1.6

Bioware has released 1.6 content update for Star Wars The Old Republic. In the new patch, players will get to experience two major new additions to the game, one being a new PvP mechanic and the other new space missions.

The new PvP mechanic has players from both the Empire and the Republic fighting for control over two pylons. As the body count rises, energy will be discharged into the pylons giving the winning side the nasty ability to call in reinforcements to bombard the losers.

Be wary though, as each node you capture and defend has a chance to be volatile in nature and may cause you harm. So, when you are out and about and fighting back those pesky Republic players, keep your eye on random energy spikes.

Lastly, the update has given pilots the chance to test their mettle in six new level 50 space missions. Both sides will have a chance to try out these new missions and earn Black Hole Commendations for ship upgrades, high level gear for characters and more.

As always with a major update, a trailer has been released featuring the new additions.

The patch also dropped in a number of new Cartel items, such as Starship bundles to increase your success against the new space missions, limited time items for Life Day, and Fireworks to celebrate the first Anniversary of SWTOR!

Check out the new trailer and make sure to really dig into the new patch notes as some of them are a blessing to finally see.

Also, leave a comment below letting us know whether you wanted more than six repeatable space missions? Were you hoping for something more or were you expecting to see the space project Bioware has been working on?

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Bioware seeks community feedback

Since taking Star Wars: The Old Republic “free-to-play” on November 15th, Bioware has been asking for feedback from the community to help shape the future of  the game’s F2P model.  Bioware seems to be listening.  Player feedback led to several changes during the F2P testing phase, and yesterday’s patch to the live game brought an adjustment to one of the model’s oddest restrictions.

Back during the F2P testing period we saw feedback from the community lead to the number of active quickbars for free players being increased from one to two, the number of warzones a free player can participate in increased from three to five, and got a decrease in the temporary bind on items purchased from the Cartel Market.

Yesterday’s patch brought another change to the free-to-play model, and it addresses what is possibly the single most talked-about restriction that came with SWTOR‘s F2P launch.  Preferred Status players (those who were either previous subscribers, or have spent $5 or more in the Cartel Market) will now have access to four quickbars by default, up from what many felt was a very restrictive two.  If you’ve already spent Cartel Coins to unlock additional bars, there’s no need to worry.  You should have your coins refunded for any quckbar-related purchases the next time you log-in to the game.

Those aren’t the only changes in the works for SWTOR F2P either.  In a future patch (no determined date yet), Preferred Status Players will be granted additional character slots, raising the total to four.  Subscribers can look forward to a little love in the future as well.  If you’re a subscriber with a serious alt problem, you’ll be happy to know that the Global Active Character Limit of 50 will be “removed and increased substantially“, allowing you to feed your altaholism like never before.

SWTOR Executive Producer Jeff Hickman asks players to continue providing feedback on the forums, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit about what they do and do not like about the new F2P model, and says that the developers are listening to the community, and making changes accordingly.

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