The euphoria of reaching the level cap for the first time is often followed by a great uncertainty: what happens now? A whole host of new game features open up at level 50, features that the leveling process does little to prepare players for. The options can be daunting and bewildering. Just what are “daily” missions, and what is so great about them? Should I focus on Hard mode Flashpoints? I am not in a guild, should I join one? What are Operations, and can I eat 12 hours before I attempt one? Fear not, new level 50 reader — all of these questions and more will be addressed after the jump.

Did You Mow the Lawn and Do Your [DAILY] Missions?

After reaching level 50 you will gain access to several new mission chains on the planets of Ilum, Belsavis and Corellia. Because players can repeat them once per day, the player community commonly refers to these missions as “dailies.” Needless to say, running the same dailies day in and day out can get repetitive. So, why should you?

The answer is very simple: these missions provide excellent compensation for a relatively small amount of work. You can complete most daily missions within just a few minutes and on average they provide about 9,000 credits per mission. Players can routinely make well over one hundred thousand credits for less than an hour’s worth of effort.

Aside from padding your bankroll, dailies also provide “Daily Commendations.” Similar to the planet-specific commendations that you acquired while leveling, Daily Commendations are used to purchase powerful relics, implants and earpieces. These items make a great addition to your arsenal and are on par with, if not occasionally better than, item drops from Operation-level bosses.

The “Mission Support Vendor” NPCs found across Ilum, Belsavis and in the Black Hole area of Corellia are the only vendors who accept Daily Commendations. Rakata-level earpieces and implants cost 120 Commendations, while Campaign-level relics cost 200. A dedicated player can slot five top-level items — an earpiece, two implants and two relics — on his character without ever setting foot into an Operation.

Naturally, this will take a considerable amount of time and dedication: these five items will run you 760 total Daily Commendations and at present players can earn a maximum of 34 per day. This may sound like a lot, but a committed player could amass the requisite number of Daily Commendations to purchase all five items in just over three weeks. And remember, the endgame is designed for players to progress and strengthen over an extended period of time, not overnight.

Learn to Walk Before You Run: The Importance of Flashpoints

Hard mode Flashpoints are another game feature that opens up at level 50. Like the name implies, Hard mode Flashpoints are more difficult versions of the Flashpoints you encountered while leveling to 50. Many of these Flashpoints begin in the Fleet proper, while others are found either on Ilum or on the Ziost Shadow (Empire) and the Gav Daragon (Republic) fleet shuttle subzones. This link provides a list of all the Hard mode Flashpoints available to both factions.

Completing Hard mode Flashpoints benefits you in several ways. Firstly and most obviously, there is a daily mission — [DAILY] Galactic Conflicts, acquired in the Supply quarter of the fleet — that rewards Columi Commendations upon completion. Columi Commendations are used to purchase excellent Columi-tier equipment, which will be useful if you intend to run Operations.

Furthermore, there are a series of additional [DAILY] and [WEEKLY] quests associated with completing specific Flashpoints, each with their own rewards. The 1.2 Legacy patch also introduced 4 new “vehicle achievement” quests, one of which awards a new mount — the Aratech Ice — for completing all eight Hard mode Flashpoints. The upcoming 1.3 patch is additionally rumored to include a new daily for completing a random Flashpoint, though the incentives are currently unknown.

Finally, Hard mode Flashpoints provide players with the experience necessary to take on an even more rewarding — and more challenging — aspect of the endgame: Operations.

Operations and You

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, one of the overarching goals of endgame PvE combat is the successful completion of Operations. Operations are special zones in which teams of 8 or 16 players attempt to defeat a scripted encountered. The boss mechanics and environmental behavior of each Operation are unique to that challenge, and victory requires players to approach every Operation with a different strategy. Operations demand much from a player, but as a reward provide access to the best equipment in the game, bar none.

Though Operations become available as soon as you hit level 50, they are not something to be entered into lightly. To be effective in an Operation you will need some of the highest quality gear available. Even then, victory is not assured; success only comes through the hard effort of a well-oiled team working in perfect synchronization. With this in mind, Operations should be seen as something like a capstone on the endgame PvE experience: rewarding in their own right, but requiring an immense amount of preparation. Acquiring the best equipment is a time-consuming process but fortunately there are several ways to gear-up — and as with many long journeys, the final destination is only part of the fun.

It is worth noting that there are several different types of Operations. Firstly, Operations come in two different “sizes,” an eight-man and a sixteen-man version. Secondly, every Operation has at least two difficulty settings — “Story mode,” often referred to as “normal,” and “Hard mode,” which amps up the difficulty in favor of better rewards. As of this writing a third difficult setting, “Nightmare,” is available for all but the most recently-released Operation, Denova: Explosive Conflict. Nightmare is currently the most challenging of the three possible Operations settings.

Gearing Up

Whether you are running dailies, completing Flashpoints or attempting Operations, possessing the appropriate gear is an absolute must. Endgame equipment, both PvE and PvP, is unique in that it is divided into “item sets” that provide additional bonuses for equipping multiple pieces of gear from the same set. Currently, there are fourteen PvE item sets in the game, each of which grant two unique, class-specific set bonuses. The first set bonus requires that any two pieces of gear from the same item set be equipped, the second bonus requires any four.

For example, if a Sith Assassin obtains and equips two different pieces belonging to the Survivor’s Gear Set, then he would unlock the item set’s two-piece bonus which increases Dark Ward’s shield chance by 5%. Item sets are naturally suited for different Advanced Classes, so be careful — just because you can equip the armor, and just because it boosts the correct primary stat, does not mean that that item set is the one for you!

Gear in an item set falls into one of five different equipment slots: Head, Chest, Hands, Pants or Boots. However, that does not mean that only one “Head” or “Chest” piece exists for an item set. On the contrary, within an item set each piece of gear will belong to one of four “tiers” of quality: Tionese, Columi, Rakata and Campaign. Tionese-tiered gear is the lowest quality, but also the easiest to acquire, while Campaign gear is the best but most difficult to get your hands on. Returning to our earlier example, it is possible that our Sith Assassin may have two different pairs of handwraps — say, Tionese Survivor’s Handwraps and Rakata Survivor’s Handwraps. Each belong to the Survivor’s Gear Set, and each count toward unlocking the item set’s bonuses when equipped. However, the Rakata Survivor’s Handwraps has better stats than the Tionese piece.

It is very important to note that players can equip any combination of Tionese, Columi, Rakata and Campaign gear in the five available tier slots and still retain the two-piece and four-piece bonuses. Players need not equip four pieces of Columi gear in order to attain or keep the four-piece bonus for that specific set.

Below is a breakdown of how each tier can be acquired:

• Tionese gear can be purchased one of two ways: with Tionese Crystals, obtained from defeating Hard mode Flashpoint bosses; and with Tionese Commendations, which are obtained by either defeating the final boss of Hard mode Flashpoints, or from Story mode bosses in “The Eternity Vault” and “Karraga’s Palace” Operations.

• Columi gear can be purchased with Columi Commendations, acquired from the “[DAILY] Galactic Conflicts” mission available in the Supply quarter of the fleet. Furthermore, Columi gear drops from all Story mode bosses in the “Eternity Vault” and “Karagga’s Palace” operations. Some Columi gear can be attained by defeating the final boss of various Hard mode Flashpoints. These bosses drop an “unassembled” piece of Columi gear, which functions like a token that can be turned to vendors in the the Supplies quarter of the fleet for the relevant gear. Below is a list of which Hard mode Flashpoints have a chance of dropping what unassembled pieces:
  1. Headgear – Kaon Under Siege (Republic and Empire)
  2. Chest – The False Emperor (Republic and Empire)
  3. Pants – Directive 7 (Republic and Empire)
  4. Off Hand Weapon – The Battle of Ilum (Republic and Empire)
  5. Main Hand Weapon – Lost Island (Republic and Empire) (Note that this Flashpoint can also drop a Rakata-level chest piece, the only Flashpoint to do so).
  6. Boots – The Foundry (Empire), Maelstrom Prison (Republic)
  7. Hands – Boarding Party (Empire), Taral V (Republic)
  8. Bracers – The Black Talon (Empire), The Esseles (Republic)
• Rakata gear drops from all Hard mode and Nightmare mode bosses in “The Eternity Vault” and “Karagga’s Palace” Operations and from the Story mode bosses in the “Denova” Operation. Uniquely, the Rakata chest can also be attained by defeating the final boss of the Hard more “Lost Island” Flashpoint.

• Campaign gear can only be attained from defeating Hard mode bosses in the “Denova” Operation and from defeating the Nightmare Pilgrim worldboss located on the planet Voss.

A fifth type of gear, “Black Hole” gear, is available from the same vendor that sells Campaign gear. Black Hole gear is purchased with Black Hole Commendations, which are acquired through completing specific [WEEKLY] missions, as well as both versions of the “Denova” Operation and the Nightmare “Karraga’s Palace” Operation. It is important to note that Black Hole gear does not count towards the retention of set bonuses. However, this does not mean that this gear is worthless. On the contrary, some pieces of Black Hole equipment have stats that are equal to or better than Rakata gear. Moving Black Hole armoring, mods and enhancements to gear belonging to an item set allows you to retain the item set bonuses, but with upgraded Black Hole modification stats. Also, the Rakata chest piece has been notoriously difficult for some players to obtain. Rather than pull your hair out, you could purchase the Black Hole chest for 60 Black Hole Commendations, remove the mods and insert them into a Columi chest. It is important to note that Black Hole armor mods are bound to the “type” of gear they come from — for instance, armor mods removed from a chest piece can only be used in another chest piece.

It is also advisable that you check the Galactic Trade Network from time to search for gear upgrades. Crafters are able to create some top-notch pieces of gear, including Rakata-level implants. Most crew skills offer two or three items that are statistically equal to top-level Operations gear.

“Witty Guild Name” Wants You!

If you have managed to level your character all the way to 50 without joining a guild, you are not alone. However, the vast majority of players taking part in endgame PvE are in fact members of guilds. If you plan on attempting Hard mode Flashpoints and Operations on a routine basis, you should strongly consider joining one.

Beyond the obvious social elements, guilds can provide greater access to crafted items and their materials through connections to other players with high-level Reverse Engineered or looted schematics. Guilds often pool their resources through the use of Guild Banks and it is likely that you will find materials there that could not have been found unless you have taken part in Flashpoints or Operations yourself. Utilizing the crafting resources of an entire guild is a far less time- and credit-consuming endeavor than attempting to be completely self-sufficient.

How Do I Know When I’m Ready For Operations?

The answer to this question is different for every player and every team. Operations will ask you to do more than just stand still and tank, heal or deal damage. You will be asked to solve puzzles, employ crowd control, interrupt boss abilities, exercise judgment for major cooldown usage and monitor multiple other mechanics that will challenge your ability to multitask. You should enter an Operation if you feel comfortable with your Advanced Class role and believe that you can play relatively error-free over a long period.

Beyond that, there are a few good rules of thumb to abide by:

• The player community generally agrees that the Story mode versions of “The Eternity Vault” and “Karagga’s Palace” Operations are easy enough that they can be completed by players wearing mostly Artifact-level gear and a few Tionese or Columi pieces.

• A full Columi piece item set is usually a good indication that you have attained enough gear (and skill) to attempt Hard mode “The Eternity Vault” and “Karagga’s Palace” Operations.

• A group of players with mostly Rakata gear should have little difficulty completing the “Denova” Operation at the Story mode difficulty, and should begin taking progression pulls for the Hard mode Denova.

Studying encounters beforehand is good preparation for an Operation. You do not want to earn a reputation for repeatedly being killed by the same or signature mechanic of a specific encounter. Researching the encounter will arm you with valuable information that will help not only your performance, but also the performance of your group as a whole. If asked to perform a specific duty in an Operation that you do not understand, you should ask your Operations leader to clarify that responsibility — ignorance increases the likelihood that your actions with precipitate a wipe.

Good communication means boss kills and it is common practice for Ops groups to coordinate over voice chat programs such as Ventrilo and Mumble. These are free applications and can be downloaded in a matter of seconds (although the server on which the programs run does typically have to be paid for, usually by the guild or an individual at a rate of about $5-15/month). At minimum, you should be able to listen to the commands of the Ops leader and be ready to respond verbally, rather than having to type a response in the Ops chat window. This type of communication is an invaluable asset when attempting a challenging boss encounter. If you think the group is going about something the wrong way, then consider alerting the Ops leader that you have seen a video or read a strategy that deals with a difficult mechanic differently. A single suggestion can turn the tide of a fight.

Last but not least, a positive attitude is an intangible but valuable part of your Operations arsenal. You do not want to play the role of a player who brings down team morale or someone who exhibits immature behavior. A polite, mature and motivated demeanor is something that will get you invited back to an Ops group, especially if you display combat talent. Good luck and have fun!

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/feature/20411-level-50-pve-starter-guide

Quote from Seydis »

So then they’re really doing nothing, huh? Nice to see them addressing player concerns so quickly…

Most of the concerns aren’t ones that can, nor should be, glossed over in a weekly patch. The major systemic issues should be gone over with a fine toothed comb and then rectified. Weekly patches are rarely anything more than minor tweaks (though I will admit I prefer them to fix something, even if it is minor, during the weekly maintenance). 

Another possibility is that they are bundling something together with the next patch. Often a week without a patch signifies something bigger in the coming week. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is what is happening, but it is a possibility based on previous skipped weeks, iirc.

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/20412-scheduled-maintenance-may-22nd-2012

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/20407-devtracker-highlights-for-the-week-of-may-17-2012

Now, why don’t you make like a tree and enjoy these community highlights:

• The Dota Insight podcast just released their 14th episode.
• Here’s a nice guide on how Black King Bar interacts with a number of spells.
• Yeah, we don’t even know what this is.

More teams have been invited to The International, so make sure to check back often to see who else will be joining us this August.

Treant is not very happy that we cut his friend down to create this changeLOG.

Article source: http://blog.dota2.com/2012/05/someone-requires-my-protection/

With the release of the 1.2 Legacy patch, all of the PvP commendations you spent hours collecting BioWare swept aside. In their place, a new commendation system has been introduced. Of the old system, only Warzone Commendations remain. Mercenary, Centurion, Champion and Battlemaster Commendations have all been phased out. Furthermore, a new type, Ranked Warzone Commendation, was introduced. Follow us past the jump for a full breakdown of everything you need to know concerning the changes.

Centurion

Centurion gear has been completely retired. With your remaining Centurion Commendations you can buy Standard Small Credit Cases, Ancient Premium Storage Boxes, Ancient Prototype Storage Boxes, and Grade 6 Crafting PvP Boxes. The exchange rate is as follows:

• 1 Centurion Commendations / Standard Small Credit Case
• 12 Centurion Commendations / Ancient Premium Storage Box
• 30 Centurion Commendations / Ancient Prototype Storage Box
• 45 Centurion Commendations / Grade 6 Crafting PvP Box

Champion

Champion gear has also been retired. You can buy the same items that you could with Centurion Commendations but at a more favourable rate.

• 1 Champion Commendations / Heavy Small Credit Box
• 7 Champion Commendations / Ancient Premium Storage Box
• 20 Champion Commendations / Ancient Prototype Storage Box
• 30 Champion Commendations / Grade 6 Crafting PvP Box

Battlemaster

Although Battlemaster Commendations have been retired, Battlemaster gear has not. The gear now purchased with normal Warzone Commendations. If you were one of the poor souls that did not spend his hard earned Battlemaster Commendations prior to the patch, or were a bigshot who already had the whole set, you can trade in any remaining commendations for the following:

• 1 Battlemaster Commendation / Baradium Flux
• 1 Battlemaster Commendation / Grade 6 Crafting PvP Box

Mercenary

Mercenary Commendations have also gone by the wayside. However, the 1.2 patch introduced a much more favourable exchange rate for converting your Mercenary Commendations to Warzone Commendations. You can also use Mercenary Commendations to purchase Warzone medical consumables.

• 20 Mercenary Commendations / Warzone Expertise Adrenal
• 20 Mercenary Commendations / Warzone Medpac
• 10 Mercenary Commendations / 10 Warzone Commendations

Warzone

Warzone Commendations remain in the game and are now far more essential for obtaining endgame PvP gear. Here are the changes:

WARZONE COMMENDATIONS ARE NOW USED TO PURCHASE BATTLEMASTER GEAR

With the removal of Battlemaster Commendations, players now purchase Battlemaster gear with Warzone Commendations. Also, the Rank 60 Valor requirement has been removed from Battlemaster gear. Since you no longer have to rely on Battlemaster Bags from dailies to get commendations, it is now technically possible (but probably not healthy) to get your entire Battlemaster set in one day. The prices are as follow:

• 550 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Armguards
• 550 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Relic
• 625 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Belt
• 625 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Earpiece
• 625 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Implant
• 875 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Boots
• 875 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Handgear
• 975 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Greaves
• 1075 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Headgear
• 1425 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Chestguard
• 1550 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Main Hand Weapon
• 1550 Warzone Commendations / Battlemaster’s Offhand

CAP INCREASED FROM 1000 to 2000.

In order to accommodate the new prices of Battlemaster gear, the total amount of Warzone Commendations you can have at one time has been increased from 1000 to 2000.

RANKED WARZONE COMMENDATIONS CAN BE PURCHASED WITH NORMAL WARZONE COMMENDATIONS

Even though Ranked Warzones have not been released yet, you can still purchase the Ranked Commendations with normal Warzone Commendations. The price for 10 Ranked Commendations is 30 normal Warzone Commendations. However, you must be at least Valor Rank 40 to buy Ranked Commendations.

WARZONE COMMENDATIONS CAN BE USED TO PURCHASE COLOR CRYSTALS AND CRYSTAL SCHEMATICS

The color crystal geologist’s short-lived reign of high-priced goods is over. You can now buy color crystals with Warzone Commendations and credits from the PvP items vendor. The prices are as follows:

• 500 Warzone Commendations / Advanced Green War Hero’s Crystal
• 500 Warzone Commendations / Advanced Red War Hero’s Crystal
• 150,000 credits + 1950 Warzone Commendations / Advanced Black-Blue War Hero’s Crystal
• 150,000 credits + 1950 Warzone Commendations / Advanced Black-Red War Hero’s Crystal
• 200,000 credits + 1500 Ranked Warzone Commendations / Advanced Black-Orange War Hero’s Crystal
• 200,000 credits + 3000 Ranked Warzone Commendations / Advanced Black-Purple War Hero’s Crystal

For artificers, you can buy schematics for advanced color crystals. The prices are as follows:

• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Blue Eviscerating Crystal
• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Blue Hawkeye Crystal
• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Blue Indestructible Crystal
• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Yellow Eviscerating Crystal
• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Yellow Hawkeye Crystal
• 450 Warzone Commendations / Schematic: Advanced Yellow Indestructible Crystal

Ranked Warzone

Although Ranked Warzones have not yet been released, you can still acquire Ranked Warzone Commendations and purchase War Hero gear. As of right now, there are three ways to get Ranked Warzone Commendations:

• Purchase them with normal Warzone Commendations 
• Complete the Daily PvP quest (99 Ranked Warzone Commendations per)
• Complete the Weekly PvP quest (99 Ranked Warzone Commendations per)

Ranked Warzone Commendations are used to purchase War Hero gear. There is Rated and Non-Rated War Hero gear. However, the current absence of Warzone Ratings has rendered it temporally impossible to use Rated gear.

In addition to commendations, you will need the corresponding Battlemaster gear to buy War Hero gear. For example, in order to buy War Hero Enforcer’s Jacket, you will need to have Battlemaster Enforcer’s Jacket. You cannot buy War Hero Medic’s Jacket with a Battlemaster Enforcer’s Jacket. The prices for War Hero gear is as follows:

• 1 Battlemaster Wrists + 1250 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Wrists
• 1 Battlemaster Belt + 1425 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Belt
• 1 Battlemaster Main Hand Weapon + 3475 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Main Hand Weapon
• 1 Battlemaster Boots + 2000 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Boots
• 1 Battlemaster Gloves + 2000 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Gloves
• 1 Battlemaster Head + 2425 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Head
• 1 Battlemaster Chest + 3200 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Chest
• 1 Battlemaster Legs + 2225 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Legs
• 1 Battlemaster Offhand + 3475 Ranked Warzone Commendations / War Hero Offhand

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/feature/20392-new-in-1-2-pvp-commendation-changes

One: distribution of schematics received as bonus rewards for trace skill missions seems skewed toward head, chest, and leg pieces. I do not see hand and foot pieces for sale on Galactic Trade commonly either (let alone schematics), so it is probably not just my ‘bad luck’. Though waist and wrist armor will be added to craftable/modable mix in 1.3; I have no reason to expect distribution to be any higher for those items. At least it is trivial at 50 to grind Alderaan commendations to get modable foot armor. Voss heroic 4s are little tough to solo for hands, however.

Two: It is incredibly tedious to craft with multiple characters. The vast majority of the time is spent looking at load screens. It would be REALLY nice if there was a new class of login just for crafting that does not have to load in al the resources that are needed to play the game in the 3D rendered environment. This is kind of a ‘pie in the sky’ idea, but it would sure be nice to see.

Three: One of the hidden ‘joys’ of crafting arms and armor as opposed to mods is that most of them have multiple individual blue incarnations that buff power, crit, or defense. Because of this, many of blue schematics gleaned from reverse engineering have little or no practical value (and as a bonus, clutter up the schematic list). I am not sure is there is a way to ‘improve’ this situation, it just takes vastly more resources to craft blue items that have utility for only a few levels than it does for mods than have the same window of utility but take less resources to research and produce.

Four: Could persistent preference settings be available for the crafting displays? Character level for individual items is the discriminator i like to use for sorting, but I have to reset each time I log in.This dovetails nicely with point two, because it is just another bit of tedium involved in switching characters.

Thanks for the forum to post this!

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/feature/20394-open-forum-state-of-crafting

In an interview with Inquisitor’s Roadhouse, BioWare Designers David Hunt and Patrick Malott talk about Crew Skill changes coming in update 1.3 of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The discussion gives us some of the most detailed information yet regarding changes to the Augment system, the costs associated with adding Augment Slots to armor, how different levels of armor work within the system, and the possible impact the changes will have on the economy. 

Inquisitor’s Roadhouse
Q: What kind of pricing are we looking at?

A: There are two costs to add an augment slot: credits and an Augmentation Kit. The current cost progression starts at 4,500 credits and ends at 50,000 credits, while the kits come in the same MKs that match the types of slots you can add to an item.

Kits are acquired through three crew skills: Armstech, Armormech and Synthweaving. There is no difference in the kits they make, and they can find the recipes on the trainer. In order to create a kit, you need 10 Augmentation Slot Components of the appropriate MK. You receive one component whenever you Reverse Engineer a piece of crafted gear. Note that this is a non-random addition on top of the other returns you already get from RE, meaning that every 10 consumed items will reliably give you the components for one kit.

Be sure to head over to Inquisitor’s Roadhouse to check out the full interview.

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/20401-inquisitors-roadhouse-interview-with-david-hunt

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/feature/20379-codex-guide-tython

Although one has not occurred since April 19, BioWare is once again doing another Weekend Pass. If you have not tried the game out, this might be your chance to do so.

 For the details and exclusions, hit the official post.

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/20378-weekend-pass-may-17-21

]]> http://trampletheweak.info/archives/1255/feed 0 http://trampletheweak.info/archives/1254 http://trampletheweak.info/archives/1254#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 06:08:07 +0000 Rizla http://trampletheweak.info/archives/1254

In the April 27th Community QA, Daniel Erickson dropped this interesting tidbit:

A dearth of playable species options is one of the criticisms often leveled by fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic, stretching as far back as the beta phases of the game. Most pronounced amongst Republic players, much of the negativity focuses on race selections being limited to “green human, red human, tattooed human, blindfolded human” and the like. For those of you bored to tears by the current lack of biodiversity however, there may be some hope on the horizon, and within the next six months. To get a feel for what to expect, we ambushed various members of the DarthHater staff while attempting to take coffee breaks and posed the question: “Which playable species would you like to see next, and do you think they’re coming?” For the most complete watercooler dissection of this topic you’re likely to find, read on past the jump, and then get involved in the comments section at the bottom of the post!

 

Nautolan

Spiral Stars: The Nautolans are one of the more likely races to be implemented as playable when the time comes. Fans of the films should recognize Nautolans as the race Kit Fisto hails from. They are also seen often throughout The Old Republic. The male and female models are already in-game, they speak Basic and the male Nautolan is essentially a vastly cooler male Twi’lek.

Shadowlance: Possible, but still unlikely. While they don’t have all the same body issues that Mon Cal have, Nautolans still have major head-space issues. That being said, we do see both genders, and a decent amount of in-species variety, so I wouldn’t completely rule this one out.

Valyrius: Nautolans would be my last guess. But, they are a fairly well-known race seen throughout Star Wars movies and games alike. They are somewhat of a staple of the Star Wars alien selection, with a number of major characters within the franchise to draw on. If nothing else, they are one of the Basic-speaking member races of the Jedi Council which alone would make them somewhat desirable as a playable choice.

LordBurek: A race that is much-beloved by fans, I fully expect to see Nautolans as an option for player characters. Though the in-game models for Nautolans are all currently very similar, with a bit of work they could definitely be made to look unique enough for character customization. The only problem with adding Nautolans is that it will undoubtedly unleash a torrent of “…but there’s no swimming in SW:TOR!” jokes. This race could fit with either faction: we’ve already seen Nautolans serving in the Imperial Military on Denova.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Togruta

Shinorah: Togruta already exist in-game and speak both their native language as well as Basic. In fact, not only are they quest givers but there is even a Togruta companion, showing that the species has a good bit of customization and appearance options already built-in to display armor, ensure the montrals are moving appropriately along with the character and all of the other little details that go into designing a player species. Plus, the popularity of Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars, along with a tremendous amount of requests from the official forums, indicate a large level of demand from the fan community for playable Togruta.

Ephandzee: Between the combination of the fan interest established on the forums and the human-like faces, Togruta are probably near the top of the list of races we’re likely to see. The montrals, lekku and facial markings would give players a lot of customization options, and they already have a very strongly established presence in-game. Probably my number one personal pick.

Predation: I could get on board with Togruta. I think at best you’d see either these guys or Nautolans, certainly not both. My number one concern is the technical complications that we’ve already seen as they apply to Twi’lek aesthetics; the clipping and headgear issues, etc. Does BioWare have the staff available (and focus, considering all of the other “fixes” the game needs going forward) to properly design and implement armor for a pointy-headed character? If they don’t, a lot of the other species we’re speculating about also come off the table. If they do, are Togruta perceived as different enough from Twi’leks to satisfy the playerbase?

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Kiffar

Raiden: Kiffar do not appear in the game yet. However, two main characters in the novel Fatal Alliance were Kiffar. Besides, this would be an easy race to include as they are very close to human, the only difference being face markings and perhaps hair.

Shadowlance: Not going to happen. There’s just not enough distinction between Kiffar and the other near-human races. While for some that may be an argument for inclusion, the simple fact is that if you put a tanned human next to a Kiffar, you’d be unable to tell that the two were of a different species.

Predation: Right, just what the game needs: Conan the Barbarian and Corso Riggs’ love child. Pass. Nobody wants this to happen, not even BioWare. Unless they enjoy riots. 

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Unlikely

Cathar

Shadowlance: The single most likely candidate for a new race. There already exist a sizable number of art assets in-game; plus being mostly humanoid, the existing Cathar hairs can be applied with, in theory anyway, minimal tweaking. Add to that a stellar performance by the game’s leading Cathar, Timothy Osmundsen as Aric “Don’t-call-me-Garrus-Vakarian” Jorgan, on top of the specter of Courtenay Taylor’s performance as Juhani in the original KOTOR, and you’ve got the makings for a great fan following. 

Shinorah: For similar reasons as my thoughts on the Togruta, Cathar present another likely option for a new playable species. As with Togruta, a Cathar player companion already exists in game, demonstrating customization options and the fact that these characters are already designed with multiple armor looks and such in mind. Second, there are many Cathar NPCs in game, on a number quest lines and on multiple worlds.

Raiden: There are already several Cathar NPCs in-game so adding them should be less difficult. BioWare also seem to really like the Cathar race, evident in their inclusion in KOTOR as well.

LordBurek: Another shoo-in, Cathar have long been a fan favourite. Like Nautolan, the in-game models are all very similar, but some other facial feature options along with new color possibilities would make it different enough to seem unique. They are also deeply rooted in some of the planetary stories in the game already. Given that the Cathar homeworld was almost wiped out by Mandalorians 300 years prior, though, it would be a strange fit for Imperial players.

Valyrius: Cathar would be another strong possibility. A number of them appear throughout the TOR game world as it is. Juhani, one of the main characters making up Revan’s team from Knights of the Old Republic, also strengthens this possibility. We’ve had a playable Cathar in a previous Old Republic game by BioWare, so why not have one in this one as well?

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Likely

Bothan

Raiden: Bothan is an obvious choice. Although we haven’t seen them in-game yet, they mention Bothawui in outlying sources as one of the planets that disagreed with the Treaty of Coruscant. This can allow Bothans on both factions. Plus, who doesn’t like Bothans?

Ephandzee: I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of seeing them eventually, but I doubt it will happen soon. For one thing, their bodies are short and stocky, which means only one or at most two of the existing body types would work for them, and that could turn off the lore purists. Add to that the fact that they are furry and their faces are not all that human-like, and there are definitely hurdles on the development side. That said, they are one of the more popular races with fans, so there’s always hope.

Predation: Bothans remind me of that Beauty and the Beast soap opera from the late 80′s. The only way I’m ever playing one of these stinky lion-rat things is if Ron Perlman gets class-independant voice-over duties in an awesome shoutout ala Aric Jorgan’s tactical suspenders. But to be fair, stinky lion-rats are different enough from your typical humanoid to help quell fan outcry, and it would appear a simple-ish task to slide their heads into existing armor pieces (think Qyzen Fess), other body size concerns aside. I could see this happening. Do Bothans speak Basic?

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Chagrian

Raiden: Chagrian is another race already in the game, making their inclusion as a playable option less challenging. However, like the Twi’lek, issues may arise with certain pieces of gear, like helmets and chest armor. Still, getting over this issue shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Ephandzee: I’m torn on the likelihood of this one. On one hand, we do have Rusk, but as far as I know we haven’t seen a female Chagrian in-game. I also think visually speaking if we get another race with pronounced head appendages, Togruta would be a more logical choice. Aside from that, I think it would be difficult at this point in the game to truly emphasize their amphibious nature, and I’m not sure I’d want to play a Chagrian that couldn’t swim.

Predation: Ahh, the diplomat. I think that picture above and mentions of Sergeant Rusk by Imperial players are the first and only times I’ve ever envisioned a Chagrian in a combat role. Maybe I’m just bad at lore, but they seem a lot more like rubber-stampers to me than the get-out-and-stab-someone type. And again, how many player species are you planning for that are basically just a pigmented, coneheaded human? If there were some sort of diplomatic class (“Infiltrator”?) I could see Chagrians as a possibility, but not as things stand now.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Unlikely

Devaronian

Raiden: Another race already in-game. What is interesting about the Devaronians is their extreme gender dimorphism, which can add to the variety of races in the game without having to add extra races. The Chagrian also have gender dimorphism but not to the extent of the Devaronians.

Spiral Stars: Although the Devaronian race was represented in the films for literally two seconds, they did get one of a nice minor role in The Old Republic with Gault Rennow, a companion for the Bounty Hunter class. The fact that Devaronian males and females are dimorphic would make it a bit more work for BioWare, but the Devaronians would make an interesting inter-faction race. The male model is already in the game, they speak Basic, and would be nice additions as Smugglers, Imperial Agents, or Bounty Hunters.

LordBurek: One of my personal favorites but I’m not sure this will be added, at least not in the first pass. Gault is one of my favourite companions and the race selection really complements his mischievous nature. If added, I think this race would be a very compelling choice for Smugglers and Bounty Hunters.

Predation: I don’t see any of the issues that my esteemed colleagues have mentioned as being problematic. Gender dimorphism? Cool, they can hookup with Corso or Risha, no mention of their naughty bits whatsoever. This keeps in step with eventual plans for same-sex romance anyway, so no conflict there. They’re a fan favorite, strikingly different from other near-humans in appearance with plenty of horn customization options…I think this is a strong possibility, even probable. 

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Mon Calamari

Spiral Stars: It was a shock to me that the Mon Calamari weren’t already a playable race at launch. Maybe it’s because they can’t wear gloves or because they couldn’t figure out how to make headpieces that could accommodate their eyes being on the side of their head. Whatever the case, Mon Calamari characters are represented in the Old Republic with NPCs and a Smuggler companion, they speak Basic, could also potentially be the Republic’s ugly race, and work as any of the four Republic classes.

LordBurek: I see this one as being very likely. There’s already a wide range of colors seen in-game, and they speak Basic. This race would likely start as Republic-only, though.

Shadowlance:  Not going to happen. Simply put, they’re just too far outside the “humanoid” mold BioWare has set. Anyone who played Galaxies can attest to the hilarity of helmets on a Mon Cal, and their differing physiology would create even more grueling art issues for the BioWare team. Add in the fact that right now the game engine just can’t give them any kind of actual facial emotions, and you don’t have a good foundation for a player species.

Predation: I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Mon Calamari make it in. They have a huge following, speak Basic, are massively iconic and come preloaded with plenty of game assets already on the books for a launching point.Yes, you still have all of the oddly-shaped-head concerns and more pressing, the possible game engine limitations as it pertains to facial expressions…but Mon Cals carry the weight with them to really make an impact with fans, something certainly not lost on BioWare. If they were savvy about it, I think they’ll have had two small teams dedicated entirely to making this race and an Imperial equivalent happen as standard-bearers for a flagship content update down the road. Mark it down.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Kel Dor

Spiral Stars: Every faction needs an ugly race and the Republic’s is the Kel Dor. Fans of the films or the PSOne game Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles would best recognize this race from Jedi Master Plo Koon, and players who have progressed in the Jedi Knight storyline meet another Kel Dor Jedi Master, Tol Braga. Their allegiance to the Republic, ability to speak Basic and affinity for the Force makes them prime candidates to be the ugly, fearsome looking race for the Republic, likely as Jedi Knights or Jedi Consulars.

Ephandzee: I think they’d be a fantastic addition and could be done well with a little effort. The masks would make them easier to implement than some of the other races who have non-human faces. We already have Miraluka, so there’s precedent for a playable race with part of its face obscured.

Predation: If it weren’t for the Mon Calamari I would give the Kel Dor a solid shot at being the Republic “face” of a new species content update, and it’s a close call. I’m still leaning towards the squids though. I do expect to see Kel Dor as playable in the future.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Possible

Kaleesh

Raiden: Among the races currently live in-game, Kaleesh are perhaps the most intriguing of my selections. This is due to their masks being almost a second face, adding new and unique permutations to the character creation process. The Kaleesh would make an excellent addition to the Empire faction.

Shadowlance: Not very likely. As far as I’m aware there is not a single female Kaleesh pictured in-game, nor is there any visual distinction between the males that appear. Toss in the fact that they are built very differently (only three fingers) and you’d have a serious art itemization issue to overcome.

Predation: Yes please! Do I have an interest in playing one? Not particularly. But if Kaleesh go live as a playable race, each and every Sith Warrior fanboy will immediately reroll as General Grievous, leaving my singular worst 1v1 PvP matchup a distant memory. Mwahaha. Still, probably not now, but wouldn’t be surprised to see them in an expansion.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Unikely

Droids

Shinorah: Droids are an iconic and integral part of Star Wars. They can be adorable, witty, annoying, exasperating, charming, sarcastic, or even frightening. They come in many types – protocol, mouse, and destroyers, just to name a few. Fourex and TeeSeven are among the most beloved of Republic companions, and people still demand more opportunities to see HK-47 in The Old Republic universe. I think droids are unlikely to be seen at this point in the game’s development – in fact, the challenges presented by getting droids to display properly in taxis are the primary reason that you fly alone on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas rather than having your companion beside you. They’re apparently challenging to display in some manners, which means that while I think the community should continue requesting droids – I doubt they’ll be on the docket this year.

Valyrius: Reader, please comprehend: Old Republic’s droid denizen playability is green obtuse. I speak attentively in hopes of comprehension. To form the red parallel we require a black bisector. The many servers require cooperative effort of max efficiency for reversal of BioWare Corporation’s yellow concave. Gree engineers commit to white vertex to achieve this. Gree ingenuity previously limited in resisting fire, damage, and chaos. The Enclave works diligently for construction of own black bisectors of Gree making for capably entering blue nonagons and effectively removing green perpendiculars while resisting and dispensing effectively fire, damage, and chaos. The galaxy sufferer beings achieve benefits on Enclave’s Gree ingenuity… - While I don’t actually think it is likely that the new playable race will be any form of droid, I will say that I do think a Gree-based combat droid would bring a rather unique and enjoyable twist to the playable races. Perhaps one day this will happen!

Predation: Unfortunately, this isn’t going to happen. Alongside the numerous technical difficulties that have been mentioned over the months and years concerning their locomotion and character posturing, Daniel Erickson also once commented extensively on the inability of a droid to provide a powerful storytelling experience. While I would disagree with his contention that a player can’t identify with what it means to be a droid in the same manner as which they can with a humanoid, it speaks to the development team’s general position on the issue (at least at that time). Still, if fan pressure is persistent enough I’m not sure this is something they can ignore forever, unless the coding requirements are simply insurmountable. 

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Not Happening

Voss

Valyrius: The Voss would be a strong addition of a playable species from a narrative perspective. Both factions encounter them during respective major-planet story arcs, when Empire and Republic alike are attempting to establish an alliance with Voss society. Their interaction with both major game factions also makes them a very neutral race, so they would be fully available to both without imbalance. Through the class stories, planet quest line and other missions on Voss the player becomes well acquainted with the richness of Voss customs, culture and appearance. They also have an entirely different philosophy and approach towards the Force which means they are just as likely to be influenced by the Sith ways as they are the Jedi’s. It could also open the future possibility of a new force class in the future, which focuses more heavily on the grey of the Force and the mysticism of the Voss rituals. Considering the amount of time spent developing this race, the connection to the narratives of SW:TOR and the potential future impact the Voss culture could have on the gameplay itself, I would rank this the most likely new playable race by a long shot.

LordBurek: As a culture specific to Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Voss are, in my estimation, one of the most likely choices for a new playable race. They offer a unique perspective on the Force which lends itself well to storytelling. Multiple models and character customizations already exist within the game files, and they speak Basic. It would be easy enough to add a filter over the character’s speech to make it sound like the unique tone that the Voss use when they speak.

Shadowlance: Not impossible, but with serious lore hurdles. Let me say up front, I would love to have a playable Voss. However, as a xenophobically isolationist people who only live on one planet, eschew technology, refuse to train their people as Jedi or Sith, and are fighting a constant planet-wide civil war with a dwindling population, there isn’t really much chance we’d see a major number of them make it offworld in any capacity. I’d still play one though.

Predation: I don’t believe lore is an issue here; at most you’d have a couple of hundred Voss across the Imperial-Republic divide on any given server, easily explained as splinter factions or exiles in comparison with the entire species population. There’s a built-in story for allegiance on both sides of the fence and plenty of character assets to work from. They’re just different enough from normal humanoids to sate player desires for something outside of the box and a very likely inclusion by my guess. If BioWare doesn’t go with two strong faction-specific races, expect to see the Voss. 

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Likely

Falleen

Raiden: The Falleen are a race that joined the Galactic Republic shortly before the start of SW:TOR so they would make a nice addition to the Republic side. The Falleen would also give the Republic their own version of the Sith Pureblood in the weird, alien category. This would also provide a nice dichotomy in the lore as the most famous Falleen in the Expanded Universe, Prince Xizor, is one of the most ruthless villains the Empire ever had.

LordBurek: Almost nothing has been said or written about the Falleen during this specific time period, making this selection an unlikely choice. Having said that, there is a great opportunity here for BioWare to break some new ground for this race, and it is one of my favourites. Plus, can you imagine a pheromone-based racial ability?

Predation: Who? Oh, Kif from Futurama. Uh, sure. So long as I get an Amy Wong companion character. 

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Unlikely

Sarlacc

Predation: Seriously guys, no love? Who wouldn’t want to be able to get in all of their game time without ever having to move or talk to anyone? There are plenty of players already doing this on the fleet…only now, you get tentacles. Plus, your character lives for 40,000 years and is imba in PvP, requiring only one ability: Devour (does not apply to Bounty Hunters). Not convinced? Alright fine, so I’m the odd man out that was actually looking forward to rolling an Enforcer. “Pandas” started out as an April Fool’s prank too. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’…

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Stay in School, Don’t do Drugs

Jawa

Predation: Apparently I’m the only one willing to take the tough questions. Yes, everyone loves Jawas. No, they’re not coming this year.

DarthHater Water Cooler Consensus: Too Soon Bro

 

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Additional Image Sources

• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cathar
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chagrian
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Devaronian
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Droid
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Falleen
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jawa
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kel_Dor
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kiffar
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mon_Calamari
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nautolan
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc
• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Togruta

 

Article source: http://www.darthhater.com/articles/editorial/20297-watercooler-new-playable-species

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