STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ News

Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent” brings players a new Flashpoint called “Secrets of the Enclave” and features one of the most notorious Sith Lords, Darth Malgus. The Flashpoint takes players to the previously unexplored Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. In a previous interview with World Designer Allison Berryman we discussed the creation of a new event: Behind the Scenes of “Feast of Prosperity.” Allison is back, this time to discuss the process of creating a new Flashpoint. We discuss the difference between the creation process of an event and a Flashpoint, the introduction of the Jedi Enclave in SWTOR gameplay, and more!

To begin, tell us about yourself and your role on the SWTOR team.

Hi, again! Y'all have heard from me before. I'm a World Designer on our team, so I wear a lot of hats. Most of what I do is putting together the building blocks that make missions work, from scripting out objectives to hooking up logic that gets you through conversations. Sometimes they even let me dabble in a little writing--like in the Feast of Prosperity and Swoop Gang events. In this case, I was the primary designer for the entire Flashpoint (but I still had a lot of help).

Can you tell us more about the “Secrets of the Enclave” Flashpoint and its genesis?

In Secrets of the Enclave, you get to revisit the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine--a truly nostalgic place for all the Knights of the Old Republic fans out there. Like several recent Flashpoints, it has a Solo-Story mode that takes you on the full adventure alongside the typical single-player, Veteran, and Master Modes. We've been wanting to peek inside the enclave for some time in our game (and we know fans have, too), and our recent storylines finally gave us a great reason to go inside. You'll be pursuing Malgus and trying to figure out what his plans are as you fight your way through the ruins. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but I think most everyone will enjoy their time here.



Last time, we interviewed you about the creation of the new “Feast of Prosperity” Event. How is the Flashpoint creation process different from the Event creation process?

Flashpoints are a different beast than events, that's for sure. We did some stuff I was really proud of for the Feast (like the new mini-games and incorporating World Bosses into the event), but Flashpoints have even more moving pieces—specifically when it comes to encounter design for bosses. It's a big challenge to create fights that are entertaining and easy to understand, but still as difficult as they need to be. Since our modes differ significantly in the number of players and group compositions we need to support, we have to make adjustments to every boss to get each mode feeling right. Some mechanics that work great for a full group with a tank, healer, and two DPS don't always work for a solo player, so there's a lot of fine tuning we need to do.

Another thing I wanted to be careful of was making sure the Flashpoint was a reasonable length--you should be able to jump in and complete a Flashpoint relatively quickly in most cases, and boss fights shouldn't go on too long. It's a lot easier to judge how quickly you can complete one solo mission for an event than to get the overall flow and length of a Flashpoint down. And that's just the design side--so many people need to be involved in the creation process for a Flashpoint! From end to end, they're some of the most complex pieces of content we make (Operations being the very most complex). I could go on, but I'm putting the finishing touches on things as we speak.

The Jedi Enclave is such an iconic place in The Old Republic. Why did the team choose this location and how did you integrate it into SWTOR gameplay?

Like I mentioned above, we've wanted to go to the enclave just as much as our fans have, and now was just the right time. I think one of the most important elements of the Flashpoint is its environment, and I'm pretty sure everyone will agree with me that art knocked it way out of the park. We've got a great variety in environments--you start outside in the rolling Dantooine hills (where you'll notice some really nice VFX touches, like butterflies), transition into the crystal-studded cave, and then through the lower and upper enclave itself. It lent itself really well to a diverse cast of bosses and enemies and to different gameplay patterns.

The first bit feels open, the latter two thirds are more linear (though there are still some nice treats for those who go out of the way in the ruins!), but the corridors are broken up nicely by some awesome, highly recognizable rooms. I think there's a little something for everyone in here, whether you like to take your time and explore, or if you just like fun boss encounters (I hope!). There’s also a bonus mission that has a little bit of a trick to it to unlock the optional boss, so there’s quite a bit of gameplay variety packed in there.



To wrap things up, what is your favorite part about this new Flashpoint?

That's not a fair question. I love it all. I'm more interested in hearing what players think is the best part. But if I really, really have to answer, I love the way the Terentatek boss hurls himself at you full-force, face planting directly on you. He's perfect, and don't think for one second that I don't see you folks on PTS teasing him by getting underneath his room!

That does remind me, I want to shout out everyone who has been playing and leaving feedback on the PTS. I know I asked a ton of questions, but your feedback has been really crucial in getting this right. I read every bit of it and sincerely appreciate the effort you all put into your responses. Thanks to everyone who made this Flashpoint come together, and I can’t wait for you all to play it.


Thank you for your time, Allison! As a reminder, the “Secrets of the Enclave” Flashpoint will be available, along with Galactic Seasons, with Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent” April 27th, 2021. If you'd like to know more about this next update, keep an eye on our newsfeed.

We will be taking the servers offline on April 27, 2021, to deploy Game Update 6.3.

Details:
DATE: April 27, 2021
TIME: 6:00AM - 9:00AM PDT (1300 - 1600 UTC)
VERSION: 6.3

Patch notes will be available on Monday.

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

The silence in the room was heavy, until Master Satele placed a worn cup on the table with a soft thud. Steam rose in steady wisps from the fragrant liquid inside. Aryn Leneer sat awkwardly, her hands in her lap as she stared at the drink.

“This tea comes highly recommended from General Daeruun,” Master Satele offered.

“Thanks,” Aryn warmed her hands on the sides of the cup. “I take it that means it’s good?”

“Very.”

The quiet returned, and the former Jedi Grand Master remained standing, her eyes slowly searching Aryn’s face. It made her nervous.

“You can sit too, you know,” Aryn said.

“I prefer to stand,” Master Satele countered. “But,” she continued as Aryn frowned, “if it makes you feel more comfortable, I will sit.”
Master Satele pulled out a chair, and Aryn took a sip of the tea she’d been offered. It was good; really good. And, unexpectedly, it soothed her nerves a bit.

“You probably don’t know much about what I’ve been up to after… after I left the order,” Aryn began.

“I have heard a few things.”

“Right,” Aryn took another long sip of tea. “We live on Dantooine--Zeerid, Arra, and I. We have a farm. It’s peaceful.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

“It is,” Aryn replied. “We don’t see a lot of trouble. So when something is wrong… you notice.”

Another sip of tea; if nothing else, it gave her time to steel herself. Now or never. She had to say it.

“Darth Malgus came to Dantooine.”

The Jedi’s steady gaze didn’t so much as waver. Aryn didn’t expect the notoriously calm Master Satele Shan to cause a scene, but it was unnerving to see no reaction at all. She might as well have said it was starting to rain.

Aryn continued, “I could sense that he was coming, so we got ready. Zeerid locked down the farm, took Arra somewhere safe--”

“And what did you do?”

After Master Satele’s long silence, her question was so sudden that Aryn thought she might fall out of her chair.

“I… I went looking for him. Followed his trail to the only place on Dantooine a Sith Lord would be interested in.”

“The enclave…” Master Satele said, barely above a whisper.

Aryn downed the rest of the tea. She wasn’t sure if it was the drink’s calming effects, or that Master Satele’s stoic veneer seemed to be cracking, but she finally started to feel some confidence in reliving what had happened.

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In the same way she could sense Malgus approaching Dantooine before he arrived, Aryn could feel the powerful Force energy radiating from the abandoned Jedi Enclave before it came into view. But as her speeder raced across the grassy plains toward the crumbling ruins, she could sense something else coming from within, a strong presence, entwined with the enclave’s aura, corrupting it…

Malgus.

Aryn maneuvered the old bucket of bolts behind the biggest blba tree she could find and parked it in the shade of the leafy canopy. She thanked the stars for Zeerid, who had put a brand new power cell in it the day before. No chance of getting stranded out there.

She kept her eyes on the entrance to the ruins as she fixed her lightsaber to her belt. The weight of the weapon--and of what it meant to carry it--had become unfamiliar in the many years since she last wielded it. Fending off unruly kath hounds and the occasional thief on the farm didn’t require such a sophisticated weapon. And honestly, she expected--hoped--to never need the lightsaber again.

As she watched the ruins, minutes passed without any sign of movement. Whether Malgus had already accomplished what he came for and fled, or whether he was still inside, Aryn couldn’t be sure. There was only one way to find out.

There were many ways to get into the old enclave, but Malgus, brazen as he was, probably wouldn’t hesitate to stroll right through the front door. Aryn didn’t feel particularly brazen, but she would do the same.

She stumbled into the shadowy enclave from the brightness of midday. Her eyes adjusted to the enclave’s dark hallways quickly enough, but she still kept her hand close to her lightsaber’s hilt while everything around her came into focus. If she was going to do this, she’d do it carefully. She reached out through the Force, but she couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary--at least, nothing felt different from what she’d been feeling so far. And if an ambush was coming, it would’ve happened by now.

Aryn turned and surveyed the area around her. From the few points of light that filtered through the cracks in the ceiling, she could make out great hulking chunks of fractured stone. Who knew what they might have once protected in here, before they came crashing down centuries ago; now, they only blocked intruders from reaching many forgotten areas of the enclave.

Her gaze settled on one end of the gloomy hallway. A curtain of dust, dancing in a sliver of sunlight, hung in front of an opening so dark, it could only mean that it led further inside.

As Aryn carefully picked her way over the debris littered across the stone floor, she couldn’t stop thinking about the irony of what was happening. How many Jedi would have given their dueling arm for the chance to be here? And here she was--an outcast, a failure--stumbling through the darkness of one of the Jedi’s best kept secrets.

She kept her pace slow. No telling what sorts of things decided to make their homes in here, and from the rustling she heard when she got too close to the walls, she didn’t want to find out. As for what the Jedi left behind, traps, alarms… that was an even bigger mystery.

It didn’t take long before the steady, but faint, sense of Malgus’s proximity suddenly flared up and hit her like a wave. It was almost unbearable as it knocked the air from her lungs. Not only was Malgus still inside the ruins, he was close.

In the murky dark, she heard him before she saw him. The telltale sound of a crystal sparking, igniting a lightsaber’s blade. She slammed her eyes shut and raised her arms over her head, summoning the strongest Force shield she could muster in the little time she had. But the blow never landed…

And there was nothing there when she opened her eyes, only brief flashes of red lighting up the walls in the distance. Whatever Malgus was fighting down there, it wasn’t going down easy.

Aryn picked up the pace. Each of her echoing footsteps was drowned out more and more by the sounds of Malgus in combat. Metal crashing against stone. Humming energy slicing through circuitry. She pulled her own lightsaber from her belt and held the pad of her thumb against the activation switch.

She reached the end of the hallway, where the mouth opened up into a cavernous stone room. She could see the entrances to other corridors scattered around the outer wall. And in the center of the chamber, a commanding tower of might, a shadowed silhouette shrouded by the dark side of the Force… Darth Malgus.

His back was turned, and Aryn ducked behind a jagged section of the tunnel wall before Malgus had the opportunity to spot her. Crouched down in her hiding place, she watched as formidable combat droids--the Jedi’s defenses were still active, after all these years--crumpled like they were made of sackcloth. The droids were swift and brutal, and she couldn’t tell where they were coming from, but it didn’t matter. He ruthlessly cut each of them down just as fast as they came online.

Nothing was slowing Malgus down. With each effortless swing of his lightsaber, each crushing blow from his fist, she could feel it: he was just as powerful today as he had been when she last saw him, decades ago. Back then, she could hold her own against him, but now… there was no way she could defeat him. Not alone.

Slowly, Aryn moved to head back the way she came, bent low and out of sight. But when the small rock she disturbed with her foot clattered loudly--too loudly--across the stone floor, she realized that Malgus’s battle was over. The echo of stone bouncing against stone was deafening, but not as much as the silence that followed.

Aryn froze, except for her hand twitching around the hilt of her lightsaber. She shut her eyes and willed every muscle in her body to be as still as the rock that surrounded her. Her ears strained, but she couldn’t hear anything over her pounding heart.

The sound of searing electricity tore through the air as Malgus’s lightsaber blazed to life. Aryn waited, shallow breaths ticking the seconds by as she weighed her options. If she attacked from this position, the surprise could give her the upper hand. It’d be the hardest fight of her life, but she would be damned if just let the Sith Lord take her down.

Aryn pushed the breath she’d been holding through her teeth and tightened her grip on her lightsaber until her weathered knuckles turned white. She pushed the soles of her boots firmly into the dirt…
And she ran.

Without looking back, Aryn sliced her arm in an arc behind her, knocking several of the larger stones down into something that resembled a barricade. She thrust her lightsaber’s hilt in front of her as she ran and hit the activation switch, and the blade illuminated the darkened space.

Fighting Malgus would always be a gamble. There was a small--but almost negligible--chance she might win, but Aryn learned from a very young age to trust in her own feelings. And with every fiber of her being, she could feel that if she faced Malgus now, she would never see the sunlight again.

The same sunlight that shone like a beacon at the end of the tunnel.

She stopped suddenly when her feet hit the soil outside the enclave ruins. In the distance, next to the tree where she’d hidden her speeder, a figure was jumping off his own vehicle. Aryn sheathed her lightsaber and ran toward the tree with every bit of strength she had left.

“Aryn!” the figure called out as she entered the shade of the blba tree.

Before she could stop herself, her body collided with Zeerid’s, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders.

“What are you doing here?” Aryn asked through her attempts to catch her breath.

Zeerid’s bearded face softened into worry at Aryn’s urgency. “I came to help you. Not like I needed much convincing, but Arra said she’d never forgive me if I let you do this alone.”

“How’d you know where I was?”

“I had a hunch Malgus might be after something in this place.”

“He’s in there. I think…” Aryn swallowed. “I think he knew I was in there, too.”

“What? Is he following you?” Zeerid’s hand flew to the blaster at his hip as he scanned the entrance to the ruins.

“I don’t know,” Aryn replied. “But we’re not sticking around to find out.” She swung a leg over her speeder and started it up, its engine rumbling to life.

“So, what do we do?” Zeerid asked as he climbed onto his own speeder.

Aryn faced the ruins. Malgus’s presence, his pain, his anger, his power… she could still feel all of it so strongly outside the sturdy walls of the abandoned enclave. To defeat him, they would need the only people strong enough to oppose such a force. Unfortunately, the people they needed probably wouldn’t be too happy to see Aryn.

“We go to the Jedi. They’ll know what to do.”

“Are you sure?” Zeerid asked.

“No. But what other choice do we have?”

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“I wanted to fight him.” Aryn tilted the empty cup back and forth, rolling the bottom along the wooden tabletop. “Maybe I should have. But deep down, I knew--it was going to take more than one ex-Jedi to stop a monster like Malgus. So, once I got Zeerid and Arra somewhere safe, I came here. I came to you.”

Master Satele’s bright blue gaze remained steady throughout Aryn’s story, but now, just for a moment, Aryn thought she saw something like amusement as the Jedi narrowed her eyes.

“I am glad to see that as you’ve matured, you’ve learned to let a cooler head prevail.”

Aryn folded her hands in her lap and gave a curt nod. Whether Master Satele was offering good-natured ribbing or genuine criticism, Aryn had no desire to be reminded of why she withdrew from the Jedi Order.

“I could feel Malgus’s anger, his frustration, but there was more. It almost felt like he was… confused. Like he knew what he was searching for, but he couldn’t find it.” Aryn sighed. “That’s all I know. I would tell you more if I could.”

“It’s all right. You’ve done well, Aryn. Thank you.” Master Satele stood and crossed to the opposite wall, her back to the room.

“So,” Master Satele began. “How should we handle this?”

Aryn furrowed her brow. “Why are you asking me?” she replied to Master Satele’s back. “This is Jedi business now, and you’re the last person I need to remind that I’m not a Jedi anymore.”

Master Satele turned to face her, her passive expression easing into understanding. “You’re not the only one who relinquished their ties to the Jedi. My role--my place--in the order isn’t what it used to be. If I am being truthful, it’s been different for years, really. But we will all have our parts to play in this, regardless of our standing in the Jedi Order.”

A wordless moment passed, but before Aryn could respond, a cool, clear voice rang out from the door to their meeting room. A young woman with bright red hair leaned against the door’s frame, arms crossed.

“Satele, Sal-Deron asked to see you. When you can spare a moment.”

“What fortunate timing,” Master Satele replied. “There is someone I would like her to speak with.”

The young woman barely spared a glance at Aryn before she turned and left the room.

Master Satele gestured toward the door, her gaze on Aryn once again. “Let’s go together. I know Master Sal-Deron would be very interested in hearing what you have to say.”

Aryn stood and walked a few paces toward the door. “Just ‘Satele?’ Since when are you so informal with other Jedi?”

“Syl is… a complicated student. I try to choose my battles wisely when it comes to her. It seems to help...” Master Satele ushered Aryn into the hallway, closing the door behind them. She walked to the right and motioned for Aryn to follow.

“I mean it when I say things have changed, Aryn, the Jedi Order and many of us with it. Others hold the responsibility that once was mine, and I need you to tell them your story before you return to your family.”

The two walked on. “I understand that the Jedi aren’t what they used to be,” Aryn began. “But things… can’t be that different, can they?”

“Oh, yes,” Master Satele replied, serenely. “But change is one thing that the Jedi have always been familiar with, no matter how hard we fight it. And after all that you’ve shared with me today, I feel that more change is yet to come…”

The All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally Date: April 6th - April 13th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT)
Requirement: Levels 20+

In the growing shadow of war, swoop fans across the galaxy descend on Dantooine, Tatooine, and even Onderon for the sport’s biggest spectacle—The All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally! They’re packing the stands, eager to take their minds off their troubles and cheer their favorite swoop gangs. The bikers are here to take on dangerous challenge courses, show off their piloting skills, and flaunt their souped-up swoop bikes. The thunder of the engines, the deafening applause from the fans, the wind battering their helmets… there’s no bigger rush for these thrill seekers.

Despite their reputation as wild rebels whose makeshift courses disregard local districting restrictions, swoop gangs aren’t a serious threat to anyone--something all true swoop fans know! They just love adrenaline-pounding speed, sweet jumps, and big explosions, and the All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally combines all three in one crowd-pleasing package. The biggest gangs on the circuit — Horizon’s Razor, the Pit Screamers, and the Blatant Beks — are ready to show their fans a great time.

FEATURED REWARDS:

• Swoop Rally Mounts (regular and gold versions)
  
• Swoop Gang Outfits
  
• Promotion Droid Mini-pets
  
• Various Stronghold Decorations
  
• …and more!
  

Rakghoul Resurgence on Corellia Date: April 20th - April 27th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT)
Requirement: Levels 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:

• Reputation with THORN
  
• Merciless Seeker’s Armor Set
  
• THORN Epicenter and Dark Vector Armor Sets
  
• Outbreak Response Weapons
  
• Alliance Contact - Doctor Lokin
  
• Infected Varactyl and Infected Dewback Mounts
  
• Ferocious Rakghoul Mini-pets
  
• …and more!
  

We will be taking all servers offline for back-end maintenance on April 6, 2021.

Details:
DATE: April 6, 2021
TIME: 5:00AM - 8:00AM PDT (1200 - 1500 UTC)
VERSION: n/a

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