STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ News

Highlights 

Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event

• Test your luck at the exotic Star Cluster and Club Vertica Casinos with the return of the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event coming July 9th!
  

Nar Shaddaa Modernization

• Modernization has begun on Nar Shaddaa! The first updates are to the slot machines around the planet, in the Nightlife event, and even in your Strongholds if you have them as Decorations.
  

Basilisk Prototype Venture 

• New Daily Area specific Training Modules are now available to purchase from HK-24 in Lane’s lab.
  
• Basilisk Training Missions can now be completed while players are mounted or transformed.
  
• The Collected Research Item for the Basilisk Prototype Venture can no longer be used if all granted currencies are capped.
  
• Bonus Missions will now be properly granted after players pick up Heroic Missions for Oricon, The Black Hole, and CZ-198.  
  
• The Bonus Mission, “Basilisk Prototype: Combat Training” will now be granted after picking the Colossal Threat Daily Mission from the terminal. 
  
• Combat Training Modules for Iokath can now be used as intended when the only remaining Iokath Dailies are Faction specific Missions.   
  
• The Mission Complete Windows for “Starting Out”, “Stabilized”, and “Memory Chip” now have icons. 
  
• Training Missions now properly progress when the CZ-198 Heroic Mission is complete.
  
• The Mek-Sha training Mission descriptions and Mission steps will now indicate when the player can complete Heroic Missions. 
  
• Training Module items can no longer be used once the training Mission daily limit has been reached.   
  
• The icon for “Training Mission” in the Mission tracker window is no longer missing.
  
• The “Training Reminder” Mission now scales properly with the player’s character level. 
  
• The Support and Defensive training Missions for Yavin 4 now scale properly with the player’s character level.
  
• TheHeroic Training: Section X (Bonus) mission now scales properly with the player’s character level. 
  
• The tooltip for the “Discharge” ability now displays the correct damage value. 
  
• The tooltip for the “Pulse-Fire Cannon” ability now displays the correct damage value. 
  
• The tooltips for the original and upgraded “Regenerative Burst” ability now display the correct healing values.  
  

Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival

• The “Scan for Tauntaun Nests” ability will now only be visible when players need to complete that step as intended.
  
• The “Pet” ability now stays visible even if players jump from one enclosure to the other during the “Creature Rehabilitation” Mission. 
  
• The “Pet” ability will no longer appear during the “A Real Fixer-Upper” Mission. 
  
• Fixed an issue where environment assets near the Mission Terminal in Blba Groves would disappear when viewed at certain camera angles.   
  
• The Gentle Heart Hidden Achievement now works as intended.
  
• The Zap a Fish Mission rings now indicate how long they will remain active. 
  
• The Blba Groves and Dantooine planet area will now use the same chat channel. 
  
• The plate art for the Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival codex entry is no longer missing. 
  
• The red lighting VFX for the Westar 19 Sniper Rifles now properly aligns with the weapon texture.
  

Desperate Defiance

• The jetpack used in the mission “Sundering” will now disappear when players clear the gap and approach the door to escape.
  
• In the mission “Sundering”, players who may get stuck inside the Holocron Machine during the first phase of the fight will now be teleported outside of it once the second phase begins.
  
• Sa’har will now respond appropriately according to the decisions players made regarding the prisoners during the mission “Sundering”.    
  
• The Hidden Chain and Refinery enemies in the Minboosa Shipping Facility drop loot as intended.
  
• Fixed an issue where a player could end up blocked from progressing during the “Defeat the Hidden Chain Guards” step in the “Sundering” Mission.
  
• Proximity, combat audio cues, and dialogue now work properly for the Hidden Chain Leader NPC in the Shipping Port.  
  
• Adi Vonapa’s codex entry now uses the intended icon. 
  
• Fixed typos in the “Enter the Factory Through the Tunnels” Mission description.
  
• French Client specific: NPC audio lines heard when obtaining the Industrious Medicine mission and investigating the Shipping Port’s Warehouse no longer cut off abruptly.
  

Cinematics (Desperate Defiance)

• Ri'kan now becomes neutralized during the second phase of the “Sundering” mission, allowing Sa'har to drop from combat and not interrupt the cutscene.
  
• Fixed Sa’har’s facial expressions and animations in various cutscenes. 
  
• Sa’har no longer remains idle when the player character and Adi run toward the exit in the Mission “The Path Below”.
  

General

• It is once again possible for players to have a flying mini-pet and ground mini-pet active at the same time.
  
• Defeating enemy NPCs in the Minboosa District now progresses the "Minboosa District: Defeat Enemies 2" Conquest objective as intended.
  
• Missions with conversations triggered by interactable objects now start for grouped players as intended.
  
• Hidden and uncompleted Achievements/objectives can now be removed from the Tracker on the main HUD.
  
• Fixed missing mountains along the Hutta skyline.
  
• Fixed shading issues on various armors and a mount. The following items now apply lighting and shadows as intended: 
  
  
  • Cybernetic Varactyl Mount
    
  • The Light Devotee’s Robe
    
  • Arctic Trooper Helmet
    
  • Discharged Infantry Boots
    
  • Patient Defender’s Armor Set
    
  • Exiled Padawan’s Armor Set
    
  
  
• Fixed the textures of the stairs in the Blaster's Path Cantina on Rishi.
  

UI

• The  maps for the Bastal Family Farmhouse now have their intended background images.
  
• The extra Player Icons have been removed from the Map window icon Legend.
  

Cartel Market

• The Cartel Market and Collections images for the Fieldtech Gunner Armor Set now feature the correct belt.
  

Items

• The Refined Mentor's Dualsaber no longer clips with the character’s left hand.
  
• The Refined Mentor’s Lightsaber no longer clips with characters that use female body type 2 or 4.
  
• The Refined Mentor’s Bracers are now visible on characters using female body types 1 and 2. 
  
• The Matte Black and Metallic Black Dye Modules now drop in the Ultimate Cartel and Ultimate Cartel Platinum Packs as intended.
  
• VFX for the Serpent’s Tongue is no longer missing. 
  
• The Double Agent and Shady Gambler dye modules have been added to the Golden Certificate Vendor. 
  

Achievements

• The "Rampage Achievement Boost" item now works within the Minboosa District on Hutta as intended.
  

We will be taking the servers offline on June 4 to deploy Game Update Game Update 7.5a!

Details:
TIME: 7am CT / 12pm UTC
Estimated downtime: 3 hours

Patch notes are available here.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain Star Wars™: The Old Republic™!"

General

• The inventory icon for Hypercrate: Ultimate Cartel Pack has been corrected. Ticket
  
• The progress bar is no longer missing on the page that is currently in progress for Galactic & PvP Seasons.
  
• The Spring Abundance Festival Mission terminal on the Fleet has had its appearance updated to look like a standard Mission terminal and it has moved slightly to avoid collision with other event Mission terminals. It can still be found in the stairwell intersections of the Fleets.
  

Missions

• The final cutscene of KotFE chapter XI: Disavowed can now be completed as intended.
  
• Sana-Rae is no longer missing from the Alliance Base during KotFE Chapter IX: The Alliance, allowing the Mission to progress as intended.
  
• Corrected an issue where in rare instances killing enemies in a specific order would block mission progression.
  
• Lana and Koth’s Date Nights can now be completed as intended.
  
• The Sith Inquisitor Mission “Vengeance” can now be progressed past the Access Wilkes’s Base step.
  
• Interacting with the cache for the Mission “Spoils to the Victor” will now correctly progress the Mission.
  

Items

• The Recommended tab in the Cartel Market can now list more than one page of items.
  
• Fixed the vendor window not appearing if the player has disabled Movable Windows.
  
  • This will reintroduce an issue where the "What's In the Patch" window will display on the left side of the screen instead of centered.
    

UI

• Added an icon for the Ventures category in Legacy Achievements Overview Window.
  
• Achievements are no longer missing their icons and descriptions when the "What's in the Patch" window is used to access the Legacy window.
  
• Character portraits and conversion group rolls icons now appear in group conversations as intended.
  

Cinematics

• Ri’kan’s mouth now moves when he speaks during the “Sundering” cinematic.
  

Players can now enjoy all the new content in Game Update 7.5!

Desperate Defiance Story
7.5 brings the next chapter of the story, “Desperate Defiance.” Padawan Sa’har Kateen asks for help in a risky mission to retrieve Darth Nul’s holocron, turning on Heta Kol, her brother Ri’kan, and the Hidden Chain. Visit the new Minboosa District on Hutta and meet new allies including Adi Vonapa and Rakit, leaders of the worker rebellion.

Hutta Modernization
Coming back to Hutta means showing something familiar but also new. The team has been hard at work modernizing many parts of Hutta that not only appear in the Minboosa District, but in the original areas of Hutta as well.

Basilisk Prototype Venture
A new Venture system is debuting with Game Update 7.5. Players who have fully completed Lane Vizla’s story missions will be introduced to B3-S1, the Basilisk Prototype! Players must work with Lane to help restore the prototype to full functionality.

Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival
A new event has been added to SWTOR’s seasonal calendar! The Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival begins with the launch of Game Update 7.5 and will run for 28 days! Players can enjoy a galactic egg hunt, pie baking, dancing, and more!

PvP Season 6 “Great Pirate Hunt”
The start of PvP Seasons will now be tied to game updates! The new PvP goes live alongside Game Update 7.5 and will run for 16 weeks (up from 12 weeks).

The Acolyte™ inspired items available in the Cartel Market
Players will notice a new Inspire By tab has been added to the Cartel Market window. Under this tab, players will find the Dark Harbinger Armor set and Serpent’s Tongue Vibroblade inspired by The Acolyte™. Additionally, a Wookiee Jedi inspired by hairstyle and beard customization can be found as part of the Appearance Options: Loyal Adherent Hairstyles Bundle.

The full list of patch notes can be found here.

Players who caught the 7.5 Developer Stream or hopped onto the Public Test Server (PTS) recently were able to get a first glimpse into the Basilisk Protype Venture and meet B3-S1.

First, what is a Venture?

Ventures are a new system we’re introducing to Star Wars: The Old Republic. To break a Venture down to its basics, players who participate in this new system will complete a relatively long series of tasks to receive a unique reward. Ventures are designed with the solo player in mind, so while grouping up may speed up the process, or make Heroic Missions easier, everything can be accomplished without needing to coordinate with other players. In this first Venture, players embark on an effort to restore functionality to B3-S1, the Basilisk Prototype that Lane has been working on, eventually unlocking her as a full-fledged companion.

How can players start the Venture?

In order to be eligible for this Venture, players must have the following:

• Active Subscription
  
• A character that is level 80
  
• The ability to travel to Ruhnuk
  
• Completed the mission “A Few Modifications” from Lane Vizla’s storyline in Kessan’s Landing
  

Once eligible, players can continue Lane’s storyline as they unlock the Venture and begin on their journey. Lane will contact the player via holocall stating that there has been a breakthrough with her research and ask the player to come to Ruhnuk. Lane has relocated to a new lab on Ruhnuk, conducting research and experimentation to bring the prototype back online. Though she’s managed to get the droid stabilized for brief periods, she now needs the player’s assistance to gather combat data and fully rehabilitate the droid. Once players meet with Lane in her new lab, the Venture tab will be unlocked and viewable from the Achievement Window (press Y to open this window).



After clicking the “Grant Mission'' button, players will be sent to speak with Lane in her new lab on Ruhnuk. After a brief introduction to B3-S1, the window will be updated to show B3-S1’s training progress.



How to train B3-S1

While players can group up together to speed up the process of training B3-S1, this Venture can be completed entirely as a solo player. To begin, players will need to take B3-S1 out on limited-time training missions. Since the droid is still quite unstable at the beginning of the Venture, it will take some time and effort until she becomes a full companion. At the outset, B3-S1 will only have one combat ability per role available–as you continue the Venture, you will bring her combat capabilities back online and upgrade them over time. To this end, you’ll need to complete training missions with her in each of her combat roles: Tank, Healer, and DPS.

When you begin training, you’ll start in Lane’s Lab by giving B3-S1 a Memory Chip that allows her to become stable for one hour. One Memory Chip is available in the lab each day, but they can be found while collecting data on B3-S1 as well.

Training Module items will grant a mission that directs you to a specific Daily Area, where you’ll need to complete missions alongside B3-S1 to receive credit. Note that she will need to be in the correct role in order to get credit for training! Using a Training Module will automatically set B3-S1 to the correct role. Players will receive two random training modules each time they stabilize B3-S1, but more can be found in the data they collect, or purchased from the HK-24 Astromech droid in Lane’s Lab.


While out with B3-S1, keep an eye on the following:

• B3-S1 can’t be out all day, so make sure to watch her availability timer, which can be seen both near the companion’s portrait and on the companion screen.
  
• B3-S1 MUST be the summoned companion when completing training missions. If she is not, no progress will be made.
  
• Make sure she is in the correct role while completing missions. Using the training item will automatically set the correct role for B3-S1.
  

Some important things to note:

• Other characters within your Legacy can help progress B3-S1’s training via the training missions at any time, but only one character per Legacy will be able to complete Lane’s story arc.
• Players cannot grant themselves these training missions unless they have B3-S1 as their active companion
  
• Only one training mission can be active at a time.
  
• Abandoning a Training Mission does not “refund” the training item.
  
• Training missions are daily missions, so they are subject to the same reset timer as all other daily missions.
  

Once the requisite number of missions are complete, return to the lab, deliver the collected data to Lane, and let B3-S1 get some rest! Don’t worry, you can always take B3-S1 out for more training as long as you have a Memory Chip to stabilize her. As training progresses, B3-S1’s physical appearance will change indicating that she is becoming stronger.



Heroics as Bonus Missions

Each Training Mission can also grant a bonus mission to complete a Heroic Mission in the designated area. Upon completion, players will be awarded extra rewards for their efforts. Heroics will count toward training progress making them the most efficient route to take. However, it will be a challenge as B3-S1 is still a pup in training. We encourage players to group up and help each other out if they choose to tackle Heroics, especially early on in the Venture.

What does progression look like?



Each node on the Venture track is a small checklist of things to accomplish. Completing a node will unlock the next set of tasks, and offer some small Basilisk-specific rewards to continue their progress. Throughout the Venture, players will also experience story moments with Lane Vizla and her HK-Astromech assistant as they help upgrade B3-S1's systems. Once players reach the end, the final mission to pick up their fully repaired Basilisk Prototype will become available! From that moment on, B3-S1 will forever be a loyal companion by their side.



We’re very excited to introduce this system to SWTOR and look forward to building upon it for future Ventures to come.

FAQ

Do I need to complete the Ruhnuk storyline first in order to start Lane’s missions?

• No longer! Beginning with 7.5, players Lane’s introductory mission “Showdown’s Wake” will now trigger once a player reaches level 80 and has traveled to Ruhnuk. If a player has already completed the introductory missions, the trigger will grant “Eyes on the Prize”, the second set of missions instead.
  

How will the story missions work with all of my characters?

• As the Venture is based on the Achievement system, only one character per Legacy at a time can play Lane Vizla’s story missions with B3-S1. Other characters within your Legacy, however, can help progress B3-S1’s training at any time, but only one character per Legacy will be able to complete Lane’s story arc.
  

Can my other characters get B3-S1?

• Yup! B3-S1 will be added to your Collection once the Venture is complete.
  

Will B3-S1 be in Collections?

• Yes! B3-S1 and her customizations will both be in your Collection once they have been unlocked.
  

How does raising B3-S1’s influence work?

• Once B3-S1 is a companion, her influence will begin at level 1 and can be increased through gifts and compendiums just like other companions.
  

Can B3-S1 be used for Crew Skills?

• She is a non crew-skill companion as she doesn’t have any thumbs!
  

Once unlocked, can I augment her weapons and armor stats?

• No, there are no weapon or armor slots, just customization.
  

Is there anything else I can get after unlocking B3-S1 completely?