I’ve said it before and I’ll stay it again– Now’s a great time to be a gamer. Not only do we have multiple gaming platforms, systems, genres, and ways of interacting with fellow gamers, we have a huge variety when it comes to game choice. The MMO market, in particular, is huge right now, with some great titles recently released and planned in the year to come. Diablo III, anyone? How about TERA, Guild Wars 2, and The Secret World? Let’s not forget about the plethora of great games already on the market.

Yeah, I know. You’re cringing at some of those titles. You’re wondering why the heck I’m talking about other games besides SWTOR. For some silly reason, within this often-paranoid gaming community, it’s sometimes seen as an act of betrayal to positively discuss more than one game at a time. Maybe it’s our inner competitive spirits that make uttering words like, “Wow, TERA’s pretty damn fun. I may have to play it and SWTOR!” seem like taboo. I’m here today to reassure everyone of one simple fact: it’s okay. It’s not taboo. Talk about other games, and try other games. SWTOR isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

BioWare likes to surprise us at times, and throw in random ways to get cool toys. The developers like to toss in semi-long quest chains and encourage us to stumble along cliff sides to grab stuff that isn’t always announced upon release. They also like to attach cool drops to bosses where they appear quite random, surprising players. This is rather cool, I think, because it rewards players for exploring, discovering, and sharing those discoverers with other players.

Vanity pets are one of the cool toys BioWare likes to add using this method. Vanity pets are good reward choices for random discoveries, because players of all levels and gear levels can benefit from them, and they’re a common item for serious collectors to drool over, yet even the most casual of players will admit to loving little critters following them around. I mean, really. Who doesn’t love little critters following them around?

In sharp contrast to the Jedi and Sith who exist separately from the militaries, the armies of the Republic and the Empire have no mystical force to rely on. Their prowess and cunning come from training, discipline, and oftentimes a willingness to do things that a Jedi would cringe at. These front line troops have far more to lose than their Force wielding counterparts, and they know it. Whether they enlist for patriotism or power, to walk onto a battlefield and know that facing down a Jedi or Sith is a possibility takes courage that many in the galaxy don’t have. To come out victorious is an even bigger task.

The men and women in the militaries of Star Wars find themselves facing Rakghouls, Sith and almost every terror the galaxy has. Jump past the cut to learn more about these incredibly soldiers.

With the Asia Pacific Character Transfers being initiated 4/24/12 a lot of players have been asking about when Character Transfers will be available for everyone else.  At Pax East when the Devs were asked about which 1.3 features would they have liked to make it into 1.2, they responded with “Group Finder and Character Transfer”.

Also, the recent Twitter request by James Ohlen indicates a strong movement towards finalizing the Group Finder tools coming soon.  Combined with the statement that they want Content Patch cycles to go quicker than 1.2 did, it’s solid speculation that 1.3 will bring these features to the players around June to early July at latest.

Twitter: @SkeletonJack_
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Now that 1.2 has been released and we’re currently in the middle of uh, tossing around rakgoul infections, it’s time to gaze up at the horizon and wonder what BioWare has in store for its fans next. Some players were happy with game update 1.2, and others found it lacking, but both types of players know that SWTOR still needs a few major fixes and additional features. It’s a young game, and still has room to grow.

Everyone has their own personal list of what they feel the game needs to focus on. For many players, some kind of group finder feature (also known as looking for group, or LFG) is becoming increasingly important, and takes up that number one spot. This past week, James Ohlen, Game Director of SWTOR, asked for our player feedback regarding the group activities we’d most like to see such a system developed for. The poll on the official forums can be found here.

What use is it calling yourself the “Protectors of the Galaxy” if you keep yourself from fighting? How can a galaxy at war train a Jedi to learn of peace and knowledge with the threat of impending doom over their heads? While the Jedi Order portrayed in The Phantom Menace and the beginning of Attack of the Clones was one that had flourished in peace, the Great Galactic War breeds an entirely different mindset for these paragons of the Force.

Jump past the cut to read how war can turn a philosopher into a warrior, and if the Order can really uphold its standards while fighting a brutal war.

The legacy system has many fantastic features in store for the game, from new emotes to strange race/class combinations, but the idea that all of your characters must be related has caused a stir amongst the roleplaying community. Sure, the dev blog video has revealed that you have the option to list your character as allies as well as relatives, but inventive roleplayers may see the opportunity to create some of the epic family legacies that Star Wars is famous for. The tools that this system gives us can allow us to create epics of our own. Jump past the cut to see how family matters in a galaxy far, far away.

With the level of changes going into 1.2, Reverse Engineering (RE) is something you need to be on top of.  The best gear in the game will be crit crafted Orange custom gear with Augment slots.  

But how do you get that gear, the Augments, and the modifications to put into them?

Click Continue Reading to find out!

In all MMO’s there are sets of armor that give a specific “feel” to the class.  But when dealing with Star Wars you have to consider not only artistic intent, but the entire history of the Star Wars IP.  Whereas other MMO’s may find that flashy is better, in SWTOR simple robes could actually be the best choice.

Originally posted by Daniel Erickson (Source)

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We have heard the community loud and clear when it comes to armor sets. What we’ve heard the players say is, “I don’t care how high level I get, I still want my core sets to look and feel like Star Wars and like my class – cooler but not crazy. Keep the crazy to optional gear.

Want to hear more about BioWare’s stance with upcoming armor sets and how they plan to cater to the desires of the player?  Click Continue Reading like a boss!

SWTOR’s in-game universe is intentionally vast. This vastness adds to the whole Star Wars experience, but it also leaves players a little out in the cold when paired with low server populations. Riding through the open, empty snowfields of Hoth seems desolate enough, but add in a quest session complete with two other Hoth players total, low chances of completing Heroic 4+ quests, and little chance of even seeing those two players… an empty, desolate planet becomes almost painful. No world– even Hoth– should be that empty in an MMO.

One of the most hotly-debated topics on the SWTOR official forums is the issue of server population, and what exactly should be done about it. It’s no secret that while most servers started out with queues, a large portion of those servers is now struggling to stay above the “light” population range. Both sides, Republic and Empire, feel the effects of low population numbers, and for months, the only advice most players have been given is one word– reroll. Rerolling on a new server isn’t necessarily a challenge, but it isn’t a real solution. We deserve better.

There has been a lot of confusion about the resolve system and we’re here to clear it up. First off, for people who are new to pvp, what is resolve and why do we have it?

With the amount of stuns and incapacitates flying around, a player could be unable to act for quite some time. To prevent this, Bioware gives us the Resolve system.

Each crowd control effect adds a predetermined amount of resolve to the player it targets. When a player’s bar reaches 1000, that player cannot be stunned, pushed, pulled, knocked down, or controlled for 12 seconds. Basically, after being targeted by around 2 control abilities, a player’s resolve bar is full and they are immune to control effects. Bioware set it up so that the maximum amount of time that you can be controlled is between 8-15 sec, depending on which effects are used.

We’re speculating that the 1.2 Legacy Patch will most likely release this Tues, 4/10.  With all of the recent hype that BioWare has been building for the 1.2 Legacy release, everything will culminate this weekend at Pax East.

Originally posted by David Bass (Source)

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We’ll be bringing Game Update 1.2 with us to the show, so for those of you who have been unable to check it out on the Public Test Server, this will be a great opportunity to see the new customizable User Interface, Legacy, and more.

It is extremely unlikely that BioWare will initiate the Oceanic transfers (promised for late April) at the same time as 1.2 Legacy (promised early April) to avoid problems.  So their windows of opportunity are diminishing.

With the added hype and expectations built this weekend from media coverage at PAX East, this Tues (4/10) is the most likely choice.  Failing that, 4/17 would be their final option.  Assuming of course that they intend to keep their initial projections for release.

Twitter: @SkeletonJack_
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Sometimes the Devs say things that are easily missed.  Here are a few things you should probably know.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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You exit combat in PvP 8 seconds after the last hostile action. DOTs do not refresh this status.

Ever felt like it was taking an eternity to get out of combat? 8 seconds doesn’t equal an eternity it turns out. I timed it myself a few times and this held up. But feel free to test this if you don’t buy it.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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Currently, Armorings of level 61 or above (new in 1.2) have the set bonus on the armoring. Items of level 58 or below (existed before 1.2) have the set bonus on the item, not the armoring.

With all of the crafting and itemization changes coming in it is very important to understand that moving all of your set gear modifications into a custom set at 1.2 release will make you lose your set bonus.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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As mentioned at the Guild Summit, we are working on a system that makes Social Gear adapt to the armor class of the wearer. However, that system will not be in 1.2. but in a subsequent patch.

Some players were under the impression that this was coming with the 1.2 release; however, it won’t be out until a later date.

Originally posted by Georg Zoeller (Source)

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On Windows 7, it’d be here:  C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\SWTOR\publictest\settings\GUIProfiles

If you’ve loaded up the PTR to check out 1.2 then you may have already customized your UI. If you’ve done so this is the folder where it will be saved so you can import to Live when 1.2 releases.

Twitter: @SkeletonJack_
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Among the coming update 1.2 changes, one of the additions currently most debated is the Legacy system. Many players are looking forward to the new fluff abilities and cool ways to approach alt leveling. Many others feel that BioWare should prioritize other things before new emotes, sparkly abilities, and character family trees. Both sides of the coin have decent points in the argument, but it’s a little too late to argue either side. The Legacy system was intended to be in for launch.

Are there issues that seem more important than fluff abilities? Sure. Are some of the largest issues also being dealt with in 1.2? Yes. UI customization is the first that comes to mind, as well as the fixes for important issues like class-based ability delays and graphical issues. And let’s not forget, of course, that major new content is being added. The best thing BioWare could have done is exactly what they did with update 1.2– produce a little bit of everything.

Patch 1.2 is just around the corner and the PvP’ers out there need to know what they’re getting into.  As a heads up, Champion and Centurion gear will no longer be acquirable in game.  So if you have any duplicate tokens still in the bank make sure to use them before the patch goes live.

Want to know how to get War Hero gear?  Curious about the changes to Valor requirements?  Want to know about the new set being added?  Click Continue Reading.