STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ News

With Game Update 7.3.1, players can expect the launch of Galactic Season 5, UI/UX updates for our HUD and world maps, and special weapons and armor sets coming to the Cartel Market. Below is a brief overview of the features coming with this update. More details will be provided at a later time.

Galactic Seasons: Season 5, “Confidence in Power”

The new Galactic Season will begin with the launch of 7.3.1, so players will be able to immediately progress through the new reward track. Season 5 introduces a new way to engage with the story told in Galactic Seasons. Rather than tying narrative progression to companion influence, story progression is now part of the Galactic Seasons rewards track. Players will unlock new story missions as they progress through the reward track, with the final mission granted at Season Level 40. Additionally, instead of receiving a new companion, players will interact with several new characters, like an oddly enthusiastic astromech named 3V-1L, while making dialogue choices that affect gameplay. Under the command of a mysterious Master, 3V-1L will test the player through a series of trials, to see if they are worthy of the Master’s teachings of the “dark side”. Whether this is a prank or a serious threat, the player must decide how deeply they will commit to these “dark” trials to uncover the truth.

We are also adding new objectives that will involve companions being set to specific roles, Space Missions, and Operations. There are more objectives available for players who are Subscribers or have Preferred accounts. More details will be shared at a later time!


(3V-1L pictured above)

Mapping improvements

Players will see UI/UX improvements to our HUD and World Maps. Most notably, we’ve improved the quick travel (QT) flow to be more informative. The QT Ability will no longer open a separate travel map but the world map instead and it will display the QT points next to your mission objectives. These icons will also be present on the HUD Overlay Map and the Minimap.


There are a number of other UI/UX improvements that were made and they will be covered when we publish the 7.3.1 patch notes!

Additionally, we will be adding a host of exciting new offerings to the Cartel Market! Keep an eye out for more details in an upcoming Cartel Market article.

Game Update 7.3.1 will be launching late August/early September! More details on the content above and the exact release date will follow in the coming weeks, so stay informed by keeping an eye on our forums and social channels.

Next week, we will be setting up our game servers to be moved over the cloud. This is an initiative we have been testing for months beginning with moving the Public Test Server over to the cloud last year, and testing a new server on AWS in April of this year. We are thrilled to announce the next steps in this journey with our players.

We have been making strides in our efforts to modernize and update the game. Some of the benefits of this particular migration are:

• Backend updates that are crucial to the continued health and stability of the game can be streamlined more efficiently
  
• The resources required to maintain our current systems can be reallocated to focusing on enhancing the game experience
  
• We will be able to leverage and integrate updated tech such as newer hardware and software. Through cloud modernization, we can update numerous tools and automation workflows which will help us maintain the game for long term.
  
• Once finalized, SWTOR may be capable to extend its servers capabilities to reach new players
  

When is this happening?

We want to minimize long term impact on play time, so we will be moving servers over in small batches beginning with a single server first.

We are targeting August 15th to migrate the Leviathan server over to the cloud.

It is important to note that when we do the migration, we will have to bounce all the servers, meaning they will be taken down momentarily but brought back up immediately save for the server(s) moving to the cloud. On August 15th, players should expect the Satele Shan, Darth Malgus, Star Forge, and Tulak Hord servers to bounce; however, Leviathan’s estimated downtime is expected to be 6 hours. Downtime will begin at 7am CT/12pm UTC.

Upon successful completion of the initial migration, we will communicate out the next batch of servers that will be moved over and a timeline of when this will happen. We will follow the same migration process detailed above.

As always, we will communicate additional details, or any timeline changes on our social channels and forums! Be sure to keep an eye on these spaces to stay up to date on everything happening with SWTOR!

The in-game events schedule has been updated! August will feature the Rakghoul Resurgence on Corellia and Relics of Gree! Be sure to check out our new calendar to stay up to date on these events!



Rakghoul Resurgence on Corellia Date: August 8th - August 14th (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 12:00PM GMT)
Requirement: Level 25+

The Hyland Organization for Rakghoul Neutralization (T.H.O.R.N.) has issued an official level-2 emergency alert concerning an outbreak of the Rakghoul plague on Corellia. Quarantines have been put in place to restrict traffic of the plague off-world, but exceptions will be made for individuals with priority clearance.

T.H.O.R.N. is recruiting qualified volunteer emergency responders to travel to affected areas to combat the spread of the Rakghoul plague. More information about the outbreak can be found by checking the News Terminals on the Republic or Imperial Fleet!

T.H.O.R.N. wishes to remind you that plague symptoms can be treated if they are identified in the early stages of infection. Whether or not you have travel plans, please consult your nearest trusted medical supply droid and get vaccinated!

FEATURED REWARDS:




Relics of the Gree Date: August 22nd - August 28th (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 12:00PM GMT)
Requirement: Level 50+

Explore Ilum's contested area in the Western Ice Shelf to uncover the mysterious purpose of the Gray Secant, an enormous ancient Gree starship. Get ready to face a powerful opponent that awaits you at the center of this ancient vessel. Visit the in-game News Terminal located on Carrick Station in the Republic fleet or Vaiken Spacedock in the Imperial fleet to get started on your adventure!

FEATURED REWARDS:

• Reputation with the Gree Enclave
  
• Gree Digitization Cube
  
• White, Red, and Blue Scalene Armor
  
• Gray Helix Weapons
  
• L1-L Defender, L1-L Scout, and Miniature Gray Secant Mini-pets
  
• Cyan Sphere, Blue Sphere and Red Sphere Vehicles
  
• …and more!
  

The new PvP season “Reign of Glory” starts on July 18th. In addition to the new rewards coming in Season 3, we’ve made changes to the points players receive on several PvP Maps, including all Huttball Maps. We’ve also adjusted the requirements for Arena Objectives and PvP Arena Weekly Missions. Let’s dive into all the changes coming in Season 3!

PvP Maps

Novare Coast

• Defenders will receive 700 defender points (up from 500) when guarding a bunker.
• Defenders will receive 700 defender points when defeating an attacking player near the bunker.
• Attackers who actively capture the objective will receive 2000 attacker points (1000 for actively capturing and 1000 for any assist work player may have contributed).
• Attackers will receive 5000 attacker points when defeating a defending player near a bunker.

Voidstar

• Defending an objective now grants 700 defender points.
• When defeating an attacking player near the door, the player will now gain 500 defender points.
• When an attacking player defeats a defending player, they will receive 500 attacker points.

Yavin Ruins

• Defenders will receive 700 points when defending a turret for 30 seconds.
• Defenders will receive 500 defender points when defeating an attacking player near a turret.
• Attackers will receive 500 attacker points when defeating a defending player near a turret.

In addition to the changes on these PvP Maps, the points received on all Huttball maps have been adjusted:

Huttball (All maps)

• When a ball is scored, the ball carrier will receive 2500 attacker points.
• When a ball is scored, the scoring team will receive 2250 attacker points.
• Defeating the ball carrier rewards 700 defender points (up from 500).
• Defeating enemies near the player’s end zone rewards 500 defender points (up from 250).

More details about these changes can be found in this forum post (only available in English).

Adjustments to Arena Objectives and PvP Arena Weekly Objectives

In consideration of the amount of time players must invest to complete Arenas, we have reduced the completion requirements for the following Arena Objectives and PvP Arena Weekly Missions. Here are the details:

Arena Objectives

• Arenas: Decorated
  • Earn at least 7 medals in 6 Arena matches (down from 8 matches)
• Arenas: Combatant
  • Play 12 Arena matches (down from 16 matches)
• Arenas: Domination
  • Win 4 Arena matches (down from 6 matches)

PvP Arena Weekly Missions

• [DAILY] My Kind of Scum
  • Now requires 4 Arena Matches (Wins count x3) - down from 6
• [DAILY] Arena of Death!
  • Now requires 4 Arena Matches (Wins count x3) - down from 6
• [WEEKLY] Time for Pain!
  • Now requires 16 Arena Matches (Wins count x3) - down from 24
• [WEEKLY] Go Berserk!
  • Now requires 16 Arena Matches (Wins count x3)  - down from 24

Additional information can be found in this forum post (only available in English).

New rewards

This new season also brings new stylish rewards, like the Sandstorm Soldier and Scorching Sands Armor Sets, and new Stronghold decorations, including  the PvP Season 3 Trophy (small and large) and the Sandstorm Soldier Armor Display decoration (both factions). Alongside these new items, players will be able to earn the new Title “Reign of ” and the new Legacy Title “Immovable Object.”


Sandstorm Soldier Armor Set


Scorching Sands Armor Set


From left to right: PvP Season 3 Trophy (small and large)


Sandstorm Soldier Armor Display decoration (both factions)



Seasonal Vendor

Tullek

Tullek’s, the seasonal PvP vendor, will update his inventory with new rewards when the season starts. Among the new rewards available for purchase, players can choose between the Sandstorm Raider’s Armor Set, the Scorched Warlord’s Armor Set, and the PvP Season 3 Flag decorations (Red and Blue). Similar to previous seasons, these rewards will stay in Tullek’s inventory for the duration of Season 3 and move to Giradda’s inventory at the end of the season.


Sandstorm Raider’s Armor Set


Scorched Warlord’s Armor Set


PvP Season 3 Flag decorations (Blue and Red)


Giradda the Hutt

Giradda’s inventory will also be updated with rewards from the previous PvP season, “Piercing the Veil.” A collection of previous replicas and trophy decorations will still be available in the inventory rotation. Below are the items that are permanently available (new additions in bold):


Each rotation group (A, B, C, and D) of Giradda’s inventory will be available for 1 week and then cycle out for 3 weeks during the weekly reset (on Tuesdays at 12:00 PM GMT/UTC - 7:00 AM CT). Details of the group content can be found in this article: PvP Revamp with Game Update 7.2.

The new season, Reign of Glory, starts July 18th! Get ready to jump into PvP matches to earn new rewards.

The Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event begins today and will be available until August 22nd. During these six weeks, players can test their luck and earn new rewards inspired by the spectacular High Roller Shades!

Players can also earn new rewards, including the High Roller Skiff Mount and the fashionable High Roller Armor Set in a tradeable crate. Both of these rewards can be obtained from the Emperor’s Grace Machines located in the main areas of the Star Cluster and Club Vertica Casinos.



[center]High Roller Skiff Mount[/center]

In addition to these new rewards, players can also exchange their Golden Certificates for individual, untradeable pieces of the new High Roller Armor Set. Visit one of the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife vendors located at the back of the Star Cluster and Club Vertica casinos on Nar Shaddaa to get these pieces.


[center]High Roller Armor Set[/center]

Starting today, grab your lucky charms and try your luck at one of the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife locations.