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[CmdrShepard]

Just watched it, time got pushed up. They talked mostly about strongholds and a renewed interest in the game with the Star Wars films coming up. Said they'll be talking a lot more about post-strongholds content in "the next few weeks."

Seems to me that they might start talking about the expansion possibly even prior to 2.10 or right on its release.

IMO it would be silly of them to spoil the last part of Forged Alliances if they pull the curtain on the expansion before 2.10.

Also datamines appear to suggest a new event for halloween is coming up, taking place on Voss - called the Hallowed Day event. Not expecting much but we shall see.

Speculation for 3.0:

A dread master comes back and attacks courscant/tython and at the end of the expansion his mask comes off and it was kephess. New secret boss in all the opertaions is Kephess. Since bioware forgot Kephess in EV, KP, DP and S&V, all these operations will be scaled to level 60 and kephess will be added as a secret boss, dropping a piece of Legendary gear for the Master of Kephess Armour set, which when you equip every piece changes your species to trandoshan irreversibly.

Welcome to 3.0: Return of the Master of Denova

Confirmed Kephess is really Jar Jar's Great, Great, Great Grandmother and Naboo is new 3.0 planet and operation. Naboo 4 Life

Spoiler

Obviously my speculation is a joke but everything else above that is serious, including leaked voss event.

 

[StudioTan]

From the cantina tour stop at Gamescom.

Spoiler

Rakata Prime

looks beautiful.

Confirmed Kephess is really Jar Jar's Great, Great, Great Grandmother and Naboo is new 3.0 planet and operation. Naboo 4 Life[/SPOILER]

I know you're joking but I've been saying for a while that I'd love a Naboo type planet similar to what we had in SWG. Something without war and destruction going on, just a serene place to hunt, hang out and maybe have a Stronghold.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Rakata Prime looks awesome. I wonder if those parts are remains of the Star Forge or Republic and Empire ships from the battle.

 

[CmdrShepard]

From the cantina tour stop at Gamescom.

Spoiler

Rakata Prime

looks beautiful.

Honestly it looks stunning considering that this is still running on the same beta Hero engine. I can't believe that they put this much time into a FP - surely we are going back to there and mannan as part of the expansion (even if only to talk to people or a few instanced missions). Makeb looked great and i am expecting nothing less when the new expansion planet(s?) come out.

I know you're joking but I've been saying for a while that I'd love a Naboo type planet similar to what we had in SWG. Something without war and destruction going on, just a serene place to hunt, hang out and maybe have a Stronghold.

Please don't give them ideas :/ Eric Musco already trolled about Naboo being an expansion planet and it would not surprise me if they did add it as a planet that we would get gungans somehow into the strongholds. Meesa welcome you home

Rakata Prime looks awesome. I wonder if those parts are remains of the Star Forge or Republic and Empire ships from the battle.

Spoiler

Yes but who said the Star Forge is gone?

 

[StudioTan]

Please don't give them ideas :/ Eric Musco already trolled about Naboo being an expansion planet and it would not surprise me if they did add it as a planet that we would get gungans somehow into the strongholds. Meesa welcome you home

Oh God no, I wasn't talking about Gungans Just a nice peaceful planet that isn't overrun with war and crumbling buildings. It doesn't have to be Naboo, just something similar to that.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Spoiler

Yes but who said the Star Forge is gone?

Spoiler

Didn't it blow up at the end of KOTOR for light sided characters? Unless.... welp...

 

[CmdrShepard]

Massive spoilers for the end of the 2.10 flashpoint and obviously set up for 3.0.

So at the end of the

Spoiler

Rakata Prime

FP, you find

Spoiler

Revan

.

Spoiler

He looks like this:

Spoiler

http://i.imgur.com/z3vmxgd.jpg

DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED.

Spoiler

This Armour looks PHENOMENALLY good. So excited - in fact this image with the Rakata Prime FP images have me so pumped for 3.0.

 

[Moff]

nice, but I hope its going to be a real good designe flashpoint. I really didnt like the last few tactical ones.

 

[Necrovex]

Returning to this game, so I can finally finish my Imperial Agent storyline. I haven't played since December of 2012, so I'm expected to get some major shell shock as I return. Is The Gaf Empire still alive?

Is that experience limiting lock still in effect for F2P players?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Is that experience limiting lock still in effect for F2P players?

Unfortunately yes. The lock doesn't kick in until level 20. You can get around this with the experience boosts they give you when finishing planet story arcs and class story missions. Still kinda sucks for people though.

 

[Necrovex]

Unfortunately yes. The lock doesn't kick in until level 20. You can get around this with the experience boosts they give you when finishing planet story arcs and class story missions. Still kinda sucks for people though.

Sigh. Thankfully I have spare cash, so I'll probably subscribe to get around it. I'm currently on Hoth with my Agent, so I don't have *too* much further to go with him before completion.

Oh man, that random hit when I logged back on for the first time. I can't even correctly find out how to properly find guild members via the 'Who' section anymore! Now I need to figure out what I want to specialized my agent as.

Also, what's the truest KOTOR 3 story between the eight classes? I may play as Republic in the possible future. And is it worth playing any other classes if I only truly care about the class story?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Also, what's the truest KOTOR 3 story between the eight classes? I may play as Republic in the possible future. And is it worth playing any other classes if I only truly care about the class story?

Jedi Knight would be the standard KOTOR 3 story in how it shapes out.

It is worth it to play other classes if you're into the story. Besides the Agent story, my other favorite is the Sith Warrior. The rest of the classes will be hit or miss. Consular is probably the worst of the bunch.

 

[Giolon]

Jedi Knight would be the standard KOTOR 3 story in how it shapes out.

It is worth it to play other classes if you're into the story. Besides the Agent story, my other favorite is the Sith Warrior. The rest of the classes will be hit or miss. Consular is probably the worst of the bunch.

Consular Act 1 & 2 are awful, but I thought Act 3 was pretty good. Smuggler Act 1 & 2 were great, but I thought 3 fell apart.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Playing the flashpoints of the games story I think are also important , the foundry, battle for illum, false emperor, and the faction exclusive fps are also good for filling in the universe fluff.

 

[Necrovex]

Consular Act 1 & 2 are awful, but I thought Act 3 was pretty good. Smuggler Act 1 & 2 were great, but I thought 3 fell apart.

I'm trying to find a storyline that is consistent throughout the board, and one that is at least in the 'good' category. I probably wouldn't mind the Republic side simply due to the change in dynamics.

Playing the flashpoints of the games story I think are also important , the foundry, battle for illum, false emperor, and the faction exclusive fps are also good for filling in the universe fluff.

I really need to play those flashpoints.

 

[Isaccard]

I miss this game. best fucking pvp I'ver ever played.

 

[CmdrShepard]

Jedi Knight would be the standard KOTOR 3 story in how it shapes out.

It is worth it to play other classes if you're into the story. Besides the Agent story, my other favorite is the Sith Warrior. The rest of the classes will be hit or miss. Consular is probably the worst of the bunch.

Most people agree that Agent is the pick of the bunch in terms of class stories, even though the JK story is the most "relevant" to moving the overall story forward.

If you are jumping into the game for first time and want a good story, i would highly suggest either JK/Smuggler on pub side (even though smugglers falls away a bit but still best chapter 1 in game) and Agent/Warrior/Inquisitor for empire side.

I'm trying to find a storyline that is consistent throughout the board, and one that is at least in the 'good' category. I probably wouldn't mind the Republic side simply due to the change in dynamics.

I really need to play those flashpoints.

Consistently good ones are JK, Agent and Inquisitor.

Also make sure you pick up the quests for those on fleet before going into them, especially the Jedi Prisoner one on Repub (which is taral V and then Maelstrom Prison) and then do empire sides Infiltrating the Foundry arc (Boarding party, followed by Foundry).

 

[Necrovex]

Most people agree that Agent is the pick of the bunch in terms of class stories, even though the JK story is the most "relevant" to moving the overall story forward.

If you are jumping into the game for first time and want a good story, i would highly suggest either JK/Smuggler on pub side (even though smugglers falls away a bit but still best chapter 1 in game) and Agent/Warrior/Inquisitor for empire side.



Consistently good ones are JK, Agent and Inquisitor.

Also make sure you pick up the quests for those on fleet before going into them, especially the Jedi Prisoner one on Repub (which is taral V and then Maelstrom Prison) and then do empire sides Infiltrating the Foundry arc (Boarding party, followed by Foundry).

Thanks for the heads up, guys! I'll probably try JK right after I complete my Agent. I was playing as a dark side Inquisitor, and I had fun with her, but I'll probably only as one more character before truly shelving the game.

Also, is the Gaf Empire dead?

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

So no, Manaan?

 

[CmdrShepard]

So no, Manaan?

Coming Tuesday with 2.9 and strongholds.

My guild on the Harby looks to have enough credits for the guild cap ship and to be able to sustain it for quite a while. How is everyone else looking?

 

[Alur]

My guild on the Harby looks to have enough credits for the guild cap ship and to be able to sustain it for quite a while. How is everyone else looking?

I joined my buddies' guild upon returning last weekend and they had already raised enough for their guild ship, which will be pretty cool. I haven't read into it too much - houses or capital ships either one - as it wasn't something I was too interested in, but it will be neat to check out for sure.

 

[Moff]

wont this change guilds on the servers a lot? small guilds wont stand a chance in the conquests. I feel it would be best to just have max member guilds. if there even is a cap to members.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

Guild Capital ships look amazing. What's the gameplay like for them though?


Been waiting for guild ship combat since SWG.

 

[Moff]

as far as I know there is no combat, its only guild housing

 

[HarryDemeanor]

as far as I know there is no combat, its only guild housing

Yep. No combat and just used for housing and guild conquests.

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

Just downloaded the game and made my character. Is the game any fun? And should I buy the 19.99 version? Does it come with any benefits?

 

[Moff]

Just downloaded the game and made my character. Is the game any fun? And should I buy the 19.99 version? Does it come with any benefits?

no its basically just a subscription fee.

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

no its basically just a subscription fee.

Do I still get to participate in dog fights?

Also: what's an easier game to run this or Guild Wars 2?

 

[StudioTan]

Do I still get to participate in dog fights?

Also: what's an easier game to run this or Guild Wars 2?

You can do the galactic starfighter stuff as a f2p but if you intend to do any quest leveling it's a good idea to at least spend $5 to get preferred status which gives you a few perks. Of course subbing is better, especially for xp gain.

They're probably about the same I think, SWTOR might be a bit easier on your rig.

 

[BattleMonkey]

wont this change guilds on the servers a lot? small guilds wont stand a chance in the conquests. I feel it would be best to just have max member guilds. if there even is a cap to members.

There is nothing major to be won by conquests except some essentially cosmetic items and bonuses that only apply to a single planet your guild ship is at.

Guilds of any size can complete and do all the tasks for conquests to earn what they need, only difficult thing for smaller guilds will be in attempting the world pvp conquest world bosses. Almost everything else in conquests can be taken on by a single person.

 

[squadr0n]

Is this worth hoping back in with a F2P account? I already own the game, bought the CE day one, and stopped playing after I finished my storyline.

I tried logging back in but I lost the authenticator key generator. Do I need to download the iOS app?

 

[bobnowhere]

Is this worth hoping back in with a F2P account? I already own the game, bought the CE day one, and stopped playing after I finished my storyline.

I tried logging back in but I lost the authenticator key generator. Do I need to download the iOS app?

Since you were previously a sub, you'll be classified as preferred, slightly less annoying than F2P. You might want to get some unlocks at some point from either the cartel market, cash shop, or from the GTN if you want to play long term again. The game is perfectly functional as F2P or preferred up to L50.

If you login to your account on the main website, you'll be able to remove the need for the authenticator with an emailed one time password.

 

[CmdrShepard]

Is this worth hoping back in with a F2P account? I already own the game, bought the CE day one, and stopped playing after I finished my storyline.

I tried logging back in but I lost the authenticator key generator. Do I need to download the iOS app?

The game has changed significantly since launch. Many QoL features and content has been released so it is worth giving it whirl. Scroll down this page to when you last in the game to see the changes: http://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/wiki/major_changes#wiki_major_changes_since_i_played_last

If you come back with this referral you get 7 day sub and some free unlocks and a free char transfer: http://www.swtor.com/r/mS6BH3

If you think you want to get to 55 you will need the digital expansion. Rather then buying it outright from the store at $20, it is cheaper to simply sub for one month and you get it for free.

 

[squadr0n]

Thanks guys! I had to call their support line to get the security key removed still but it was super easy for them to do and now im downloading the updates!

 

[kmz]

wont this change guilds on the servers a lot? small guilds wont stand a chance in the conquests. I feel it would be best to just have max member guilds. if there even is a cap to members.

There's a 500 character limit on Guilds. My guild (which became sort of a super guild with mergers before we even knew about the whole guild conquest stuff) has around 480 people in it at any time. Need to shuffle off more lowbie alts to the alt guild soon...

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Tomorrow can't get here fast enough.

 

[Syf]

Tomorrow can't get here fast enough.

I hear that! Really excited for this update.

 

[Nero's Neptune]

Is there an expected time for 2.9 to come out? It'd be pretty cool if it was just after midnight.

I can't wait for Forged Alliances 2.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Is there an expected time for 2.9 to come out? It'd be pretty cool if it was just after midnight.

I can't wait for Forged Alliances 2.

Servers go down at 2 AM PDT until 7 AM PDT.

 

[Nero's Neptune]

Damn, forgot there was long maintenance times for patches.

Soon...

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Final Patch Notes for 2.9.

Game Update 2.9: Galactic Strongholds Early Access

Highlights

• Galactic Strongholds Early Access! Subscribers can now purchase a Galactic Stronghold on Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine, Dromund Kaas, and Coruscant by visiting the Stronghold Directory on the Fleet or on the Stronghold’s planet.
• Guild Flagships now available! Guilds can now purchase a Flagship and use it to compete with other guilds and conquer the galaxy! Visit the Flagship Directory on the Fleet for more information.
• Battle for control with Conquest! Conquest events are now available in the Mission Log! Each week a new Conquest event will become active with new objectives. Complete your personal point target to earn special rewards – or if you’re in a guild with a Flagship, invade a planet and compete with other guilds for planetary domination. Special perks are available to those who conquer a planet by placing at the top of the Guild Leaderboard at the end of the event.
• New Flashpoint: Depths of Manaan! Continue the Forged Alliances storyline with a new Level 55 Tactical Flashpoint set on the water-covered planet of Manaan.
  
• Ranked Arena Season 2 has come to a conclusion! Congratulations to all the reward winners! In preparation for Season 3, Ranked stats have been reset and the Leaderboard for Season 2 has been archived.

General

• The GSI Satellite Support Service is now in open beta testing on Makeb. Once registered with the GSI support satellites, GSI will track your every move and provide you with the following support services:
  
  Gear is now bolstered to a 156 rating while on Makeb, increasing all stats!
  When combat is detected, a Medical Probe will be deployed to administer long-lasting, refreshing Kolto, healing you for 2% every 3 seconds while you remain in combat.
  There is now a 250% boost to exploration Experience while on Makeb.​
• Pets now occasionally make noises.
• Victorious Battler Headgear now has voice modulation.
• The Czerka Executive Speeder now tilts appropriately when turning.
• The World Map window now blocks right-click interactions like other windows.
• Oricon’s Galaxy Map appearance now accurately reflects that the moon is actively on fire.

Cartel Market

• The first Stronghold Packs for Shipment Five - The Builder’s Stronghold Pack and The Gatekeeper’s Stronghold Pack – are now available in the Cartel Market!
• Shipment Five Reputation – Binary Star Realty – available now!
• Decorations and Decoration Bundles are now available for purchase!
• Corrected the Rarity Icons of several Cartel Market items.

Galactic Strongholds

• Galactic Strongholds on Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine, Dromund Kaas and Coruscant are now available to Subscribers.
• Strongholds can be purchased by going to the Stronghold Directory on either Fleet or on the respective Stronghold planet.
• An introductory Mission that grants a set of starter Decorations is offered by the Stronghold Commissioner, who can be found on either Fleet or on either Capital planet.
• Mounts, pets, and companions can be placed as decorations in your Stronghold.
• Guildmasters can purchase a Guild Headquarters at any Stronghold Directory. This purchase requires a Guild Bank with enough credits.
• Decoration items can now be donated to your guild through the Guild Bank interface (this will consume the decoration unlock). Decorations that cannot be physically donated may be purchased for your guild through the decoration collection window (you will not lose the decoration).
• Guildmasters can now purchase a Guild Flagship by visiting the Flagship Directory on the Fleet.
• Flagship room expansions can be unlocked with a combination of credits and Framework items:
  
  Frameworks come in three varieties: Engineering, Command, and Logistical.​
  
  
  They can be obtained either by crafting and exchanging Dark Projects at the Flagship Commissioner, by earning the guild reward in a Conquest Event, or by defeating enemy Sith and Jedi Commanders on planets across the galaxy.​
• Conquest events are now accessible in the Mission Log!
  
  You can view the current Conquest event in the Conquest tab of the Mission Log.
  Each week a new event will appear with a new set of objectives and contested planets.
  
  You can participate and earn rewards even if you aren’t in a guild.
  
  If you are in a guild with a Flagship, your Guildmaster can choose to invade one of the contested planets and compete on the guild leaderboard! The top guild on each leaderboard will take control of the planet at the end of the event. Guild members who meet their point contribution target and place on the leaderboard will earn special guild-exclusive rewards. You will control the planet until your guild conquers another, or until another guild conquers it when it next becomes contested.
  
  Conquering planets will earn your guild special privileges. Your guild will be advertised in a banner on the planet, your guild members will be displayed as ‘Conquerors’, your guild members will be displayed as ‘Conquerors’, your Flagship Orbital Support will have its effect doubled, and you will have access to special equipment, including the Commander Walker mount!​
• New Schematics are available on all Crew Skill trainers, under the “Strongholds & Conquests” category.
  
  Industrial Prefabs can be crafted by Armormechs, Armstechs, and Cybertechs.
  
  Synthetic Prefabs can be crafted by Artificers, Biochems, Synthweavers.
  
  Universal Prefabs and their material components can be crafted by any crafting profession.
  
  Prefabs are divided into three tiers: MK-1, MK-2, and MK-3. These schematics may be trained at skill levels 150, 300, and 450 respectively.
  
  War Supplies are a new type of crafted item used to earn points in Conquest events. They may be exchanged for special decorations, Conquest equipment, and Flagship items. Each type of War Supplies may be crafted by the professions that specialize in the associated materials. All crafting professions may train the Invasion Force and Dark Project schematics.​
• Prefabs may be exchanged at the Fabricator Droids in the Strongholds & Crew Skills quadrant of either Fleet for a wide variety of Decorations.
• Decorations now drop from every Flashpoint and Operation.
• Many Flashpoint and Operation Achievements now provide special Trophy Decorations that can be placed on the walls of your Stronghold. You can view them in the Achievement Reward Window. These Decorations will be automatically unlocked when the Achievement is earned. You can also right-click the item icon to unlock it once the Achievement is earned.
• Decorations may be purchased for Warzone Commendations and Fleet Commendations at the Starfighter & PvP Decorations Vendor on either Fleet.
• Jawa scrap materials can now be obtained by earning Conquest rewards.

Flashpoints + Operations

• Nefra, Who Bars The Way has a new “Frustrated Howl” ability, and now deals damage to all players participating in her Dread Fortress encounter if she reaches 80% health and is unable to reach a target.
• The Achievement “Defeating Colonel Vorgath” is now properly granted when defeating him in 8-Player Story Mode Explosive Conflict.

Missions + NPCs

• The density of enemies on Makeb has been reduced.
• The Jedi Knight Mission “Doomsday” has had its difficulty reduced.
• The Jedi Consular Mission “Chaos and Harmony” has had its difficulty reduced.
• The Trooper Mission “The Battle of Corellia” has had its difficulty reduced.
• Corrected the items that the Jawa Scrap Vendors have available, and they no longer sell unused Materials.
• Group scaling has been removed from the following Missions, and the difficulty of the boss encounter no longer scales based on the number of players in the group:
  
  Stealing Thunder (Imperial)
  Revenge of the Archon (Imperial)
  Hitting the Hutts (Republic)
  Taking on Toborro (Republic)​

Warzones

• It is no longer possible to escape behind the series of pipes in the Tatooine Canyon Arena.

 

[Giolon]

•The GSI Satellite Support Service is now in open beta testing on Makeb. Once registered with the GSI support satellites, GSI will track your every move and provide you with the following support services:
Gear is now bolstered to a 156 rating while on Makeb, increasing all stats!
When combat is detected, a Medical Probe will be deployed to administer long-lasting

What's this all about? is Makeb too hard for people?

 

[Nero's Neptune]

Maybe it's to help kill the stupid FUCKING ARCHON. Had no problem with Makeb Imp side until I got to that asshole.

EDIT: Just saw they dropped the group scaling of the Archon. Thank god. I'll have a much easier time beating it on my Bounty Hunter.

Also, the lowering of enemy density on Makeb is much appreciated. Playing that planet on my Guardian was sooo slow. You just can't get anywhere on there without cutting through hundreds of enemies.

 

[BattleMonkey]

What's this all about? is Makeb too hard for people?

No it's because of the upcoming expansion and the new level increase coming up. Before when you hit 50, you needed to still do some of the 50 content and such to get geared up for Makeb as there was a bit of a difficulty spike as Makeb was made with players in mind that had been geared up over the months since release. Also the Makeb expansion content was really only worth 2-3 levels at most, you had to grind on other content like dailies and such to reach 55, which now with a new level cap coming it seems they want the experience to be more streamlined instead of players hitting a speed bump at 50, then again around 55 before they can move onwards. So they are making Makeb easier by automatically bolstering players to the recommended gear as well as also giving out extra XP now too via the MASSIVE xp boost to exploration on the planet. With that huge boost, it seems they hope to have players move from Makeb to the new content easier instead of having to spend time doing now out of date daily content.

It's essentially to smooth the experience over for newer players. I imagine ROTHC will possibly become completely free to even F2P players when the new expansion hits.

 

[Giolon]

No it's because of the upcoming expansion and the new level increase coming up. Before when you hit 50, you needed to still do some of the 50 content and such to get geared up for Makeb as there was a bit of a difficulty spike as Makeb was made with players in mind that had been geared up over the months since release. Also the Makeb expansion content was really only worth 2-3 levels at most, you had to grind on other content like dailies and such to reach 55, which now with a new level cap coming it seems they want the experience to be more streamlined instead of players hitting a speed bump at 50, then again around 55 before they can move onwards. So they are making Makeb easier by automatically bolstering players to the recommended gear as well as also giving out extra XP now too via the MASSIVE xp boost to exploration on the planet. With that huge boost, it seems they hope to have players move from Makeb to the new content easier instead of having to spend time doing now out of date daily content.

It's essentially to smooth the experience over for newer players. I imagine ROTHC will possibly become completely free to even F2P players when the new expansion hits.

I guess it makes sense for F2P players, but doing only yellow quests all the way up on my Sentinel post RotHC release, I got to level 52-53 before even hitting Makeb, and even with my shitty, shitty gear, I was able to upgrade quickly enough while on Makeb that the difficulty spike wasn't that bad. I think the jump in difficulty on Alderaan is still the worst one.

 

[StudioTan]

Servers are up!

So much to do today

 

[Syf]

I am loving the strongholds. Went with the DK one myself. Just wish we could actually sit in the furniture lol, but not a big deal I guess.

 

[StudioTan]

I am loving the strongholds. Went with the DK one myself. Just wish we could actually sit in the furniture lol, but not a big deal I guess.

/chair

EDIT: also /sleep

 

[Syf]

/chair

You just blew my mind

 

[StudioTan]

You just blew my mind

It's actually a new emote with this patch along with /sleep.