In preparation for their Big Beta Weekend (I will not be using the acronym of that any time soon), Bioware is handing out tens of thousands of beta keys through various websites. Currently there are promotions running on mmorpg.com (20.000 keys being handed out – ~18.000 left at the time of writing).
 
Curse.com is also giving out keys and their giveaway is separated into North American and EU sections.
 
Massively is giving out keys on this page. I don’t know how many are left, but I appreciate the Eternity Vault screenshots :).
 
You should be following #TestSWTOR search on Twitter for the latest announcements about sites that are giving out keys.
 
Please keep in mind is that if you applied for testing on swtor.com before 11-11-11 you will be invited to the upcoming Big Beta Weekend no matter what and you will not need the keys from the sites above. The keys from the sites above are for those that are just now getting curious about SWTOR and have not had a swtor.com account before.
 

@swtorleveller to @dawnsrose still taking topics? how about, how to know if your casual or hardcore in mmo as a topic?

Per a discussion on Twitter, and a suggestion, I decided to take a serious look at what my play style is.  We have all heard the terms Hardcore and Casual, but what about the middle ground? Someone suggested that could be Dedicated. I can see that working. Sort of a small, medium and large type of play style. But do they really mean?

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Server types have been announced and explained. We have PvE, PvP, RP-PvE and RP-PvP, so all the classics we have come to expect from our MMOs are present. Still, the question remains, how will they be named? This is an important decision for the community. Not many would want to be on a server named “Snugglypuff” or “Jar-Jar,” especially among those in the PvP Community, I suspect.
In games I have played in the past, server types were given names. In LotRO, the server names correspond to locations within the books and games. EVE Online only has one server. World of Warcraft and Rift are a mixture of NPC names and locations. So, what sort of names should be used for SWTOR servers? And, should those names have different themes based on the server type?

My suggestion is to use ship types, vehicle types and locations for PvE Servers. Imagine playing on the “Kessel Run,” the “Void Star” or even the “Phantom.” How about famous character names for PvP Servers? “Revan,” “HK-47,” “Vader,” etc. And planet names for RP servers? “Alderaan,” “Belsavis,” “Dagobagh,” etc.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Is it a good idea to have a different theme for different server types? Or not? What about RP-PvP vs RP-PvE? Should they have different themes? Or should they all share a single theme?

Should Bioware even release such a list ahead of the game starting? As Stephen Reid said, “Early server list con: massive population imbalance on servers that people think don’t sound ‘cool’. That’s the biggest.” Not everyone will agree on what constitutes “Cool,” and you can’t make fifty, a hundred, or even more servers, all with “equally cool” names. Sure, you can weed out the “Jar-Jar” names… but there are only so many “Vader,” “Void Star” and “Kessel Run” names to be had.

*Daelda and Rosie contributed to this article.

You can follow Rosie on Twitter at @Dawnsrose. You can also contact her directly via email at swtor.rosie@gmail.com.

We here at Swtor-Life love all the interesting people who are getting ready to dive into the world of The Old Republic. The game is not even out but it already has a following of some of the most passionate individuals you can find the world over. At times the individual player can become a blurred face among all the guilds and other thousands upon thousands of players out there. So we decided to try and put some faces to the game and give you all a look at some of the players you may come across on your Star Wars adventures in  feature we are going to call The Galaxy’s Most Wanted. Read on to take a look in the mind of another player anxiously awaiting to get their hands on The Old Republic! Continue Reading »

Keyfob-ulous!

Most of you have probably already been notified of the changes being implemented on the official forums regarding account security.  Besides changing your password (regularly, as they suggest), the other option that will be available to us will be the custom branded Security Authentication Key:

Just like any other user account you have, changing your The Old Republic password on a regular basis is one of the simple measures you can take to protect your personal information. Another way to ensure a secure account is to get the official custom branded Security Authentication Key, available in the Star Wars: The Old Republic Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition is still available in limited quantities at select retailers. Watch for more information on other ways to obtain The Old Republic Security Key soon!

 

So, what does it do?

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((The RP XP with MJ #12))

Corporal Wex had been with Hazard Squad for a year, but he’d never seen such wanton destruction, such careless regard for civilian life. The Imperial freighter that wasted the area was either piloted by Kowakian monkey-lizards or the pilot and gunner didn’t care whether they hit his men, the Jedi, the civilians or even their own Sith brothers.

          He had ordered two of his surviving men to scour the rubble, debris and nearby alleys to look for the two Sith while he and the Jedi consular helped the local medics with some of the wounded.

          As more local security and emergency medical personnel showed up from the spaceport, Wex and the consular were able to pull away and re-join the hunt for the Sith.

          The Jedi Master, Kendris, stepped up to them as they stood by one of the enormous craters on the quad. Wex pulled on his helmet and adjusted the radio level as he pretended not to listen in.

          “My Padawan located the Twi’lek and is escorting her back to the Regail,” Kendris said.

          The Miraluka lifted her head and spoke softly. “I have contacted my enclave. They will be sending additional help for these people.”

          “They’re survivors. We need to find the Sith responsible for this, Consular Vu-don.”

          “I find it intriguing, Master Kendris, that vengeance permeates your thoughts. It keeps you from being mindful of the Force and clouds your judgment.”

          Kendris stepped in front of the Miraluka close enough to move her veil with his breath. “And what would you do? Hm? You would sit idly by and allow this to happen?”

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Revan. The very name floods you with memories from Knights of the Old Republic. Revan is one of the most memorable and beloved characters in the Expanded Universe, both because of his history and his role in one of the most popular Star Wars games of all time. He started as a prodigal Jedi Knight who led the Republic to victory in the Mandalorian Wars before becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith bent on subjugating the Republic to his will. Despite a near death experience, he returned to the Light Side and defeated the Sith Empire that he himself created. Then he vanished, never to be heard from again. Revan’s life after the events of KOTOR is a mystery, but Drew Karpyshyn’s upcoming Revan novel should finally fill us in on what adventures Revan undertook after his role in bringing down the Sith Empire he helped create. In anticipation of this novel I will be filling you in on everything we already know about Revan, how and why he entered the Mandalorian Wars, why he fell to the Dark Side, and how he returned to the Jedi. Join me as I dive into the history of one of the most iconic Star Wars characters of all time. Continue Reading »

As I have shown in a previous article – Is “She” really a “She”? Female Gamers and Gender Bending in MMORPGs – 60 percent of MMO players have role-played. But, even among those who haven’t, I think most can say that they have happened upon that one gear set that really struck them as “perfect” for their character. Either it was perfectly menacing, evil, just, good, sweet, innocent or any one of a million different adjectives, but whatever it was that made it that way, it was perfect for their character.

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Today we have beta invitations going out again. This will be the third beta weekend, but it looks to be a limited invite. The servers located in US East Coast are the ones participating.

Today , 12:37 PM
Invitations are being sent for a weekend test this weekend! Sent Nov. 8: Beta Testing Weekend #3 Invites Who was invited: Testers from North America What was sent: Beta Weekend #3 Invites Server locations: US East Coast Invite status: We are currently in the process of sending these invites, and will continue throughout this evening.

All of the invites will be sent out through-out the day and finished by this evening and you should have them in your mailbox. If not, check your spam folder or check your beta testing status on www.swtor.com/tester.

Edit:

Some addition information has come out via Stephen Reid a bit ago.

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Today via the official forums and the main website  we got a notice That certain accounts on the official forums for Star Wars The Old Republic MMO would need to follow a password reset procedure to validate the security of their account so make sure you read the notice below.

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