The latest Developer Dispatch out of BioWare is all about the Legacy System and the updates it will be receiving when 1.2 finally drops on the live servers. None of the information coming out of the video is anything that hasn’t been talked about before, but it is always nice to see some of these new features in action.

What do you think about the features coming to the Legacy System? Let us know in the comments section below.

((The RP XP with MJ #31))

The Zabrak Padawan made his way through a back alley of Coruscant’s Old Galactic Market with the body of his shrouded master cradled in his arms. Tarik glanced over his shoulder at the Rattataki woman behind him, barely registering her on-guard posture and the long lightsaber hilt held in her hands.

“We’re in your neck of the woods, Tarik,” Veetha sneered. “Why all the shadowy back alleys? Tryin’ to make me feel at home?”

“Because you’re Sith, for one. Because I don’t want to attract the attention of Coruscant Security for another.”

Veetha reached out and gently tapped his shoulder. “Aww, that’s sweet. The lil’ Jedi cares about me.”

“Not for a second. I just don’t want to… have….” Tarik stopped before they got to the cross-street and his arms began to tremble. He lowered himself to his knees, his expression blank, his mouth hanging open as Veetha stepped up next to him and crouched to his level.

“What’s wrong, kid?” She touched his arm and shook it gently, but Tarik continued staring into nothingness. Suddenly nervous that she was going to be swarmed by Jedi who sensed her presence, Veetha stood and turned, holding up her hilt to defend herself.

“Yulie,” Tarik whispered.

Veetha spun.“What?”

Leaving his master’s body in the alley, Tarik stood and suddenly turned the way they had come.

“Tarik? Where the hell are you going? What about your master’s carcass?”

Ignoring her, the Padawan picked up his pace. He didn’t look back as he called out,“She needs me!”

Veetha watched him hurry back down the alley, her eyes wide. The Padawan didn’t answer. She figured this Yulel was probably another Jedi – they were always running to each other’s aid, weren’t they? There were two reasons she felt compelled to join him. First, she felt something for him. His determination surrounded by a boyish innocence was somehow …entertaining.

Second, she was a Sith’s apprentice… alone on Coruscant.

Veetha broke into a run to catch up with Tarik.

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One of the big announcements to come out of BioWare in recent weeks has to be the upcoming changes to the crafting system in game update 1.2. While the system itself has been generally well received, there have been some big issues with the current end-game viability of most of the skills. In order to improve all the skills many of them are getting new recipes, the ability to craft new modable gear, the removing the Bind On Pickup requirement for some of the recipes. BioWare posted a nice bit of information on the specifics of the changes we can expect to see when 1.2 hits the live server.

Check after the jump for all the info. Continue Reading »

It’s that time again, weekly maintenance time. Servers will be down on March 20th from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/7AM GMT/8AM CET/7PM AEDT) until 7AM CDT (5AM PDT/8AM EDT/12PM GMT/1PM CET/12AM AEDT). All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than five hours, but could be extended.

If you are itching to see what game update 1.2 has in store for you, now is your chance.  BioWare has officially made their newest update, titled “Legacy”, available for play on the Public Test Server, hopefully a sign that it will be moving to the live game by April as predicted.

The Public Test Server now contains a whole lot of the updates we heard about during the Guild Summit, including the big update to the legacy system. Players will also be able to try out a new Operation, a new Warzone, and see the second part of the “Rise of the Rakghouls” in a new Flashpoint that picks up where “Kanon Under Siege” left off.

If you are looking forward to trying out all these new features then hop on over to the PTS and see them for yourself. The more testing that gets done means the better experience for everyone when the patch goes to the live servers! For a full list of all the changes in 1.2 be sure to check out the patch notes on the PTS.

After a short hiatus last week (due to the Guild Summit), the weekly Q&A session between developers and the community is back this week.

As you might expect there are more than a few questions about the game features discussed during the Guild Summit, including the chances of getting an in-combat revive for the Trooper/Bounty Hunter healers (it is something that may be included in the future), increasing the amount of character spots players have on a server, and how changes to the crafting system will affect mats. There was also talk of pop up blockers for crew skills, adding more Quickbars, and upgrading the achievement system.

For all of this week’s questions and answers check after the jump, and let us know what you think of this week’s session in the comments below. Continue Reading »

((The RP XP with MJ #30 – Q&A #3))

Since this is a Q&A article (if you’re new here, I do this every 10^th issue) and I have a personal story of my own, we’re going to leave Tarik, Yulel and the “MJ Fiction Players” alone this week and concentrate on your questions, especially since one of the questions involves the fiction that kicks off the column each week.

My story involves the near destruction of this column and my life in SWTOR. Ok, my wife would roll her eyes and call that the exaggeration that it is, but as a writer/producer/RPer I tend to lean toward the dramatic. The short form is this: This particular article may seem a bit like it was hastily thrown together. That’s because it was. In fact, if this wasn’t a Q&A week, there probably wouldn’t be an RP XP today.

For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter, you missed the dramatic story about my dead video card and loss of a couple day’s work on my pending novel and various editing projects – not to mention the loss of valuable MMO time. The short end is… I found a nice card (and highly recommend the GeForce GTX 550 Ti for anyone on a modest budget and, like me, don’t have what I’d call a “gaming rig”). The card is more than a match for Star Wars: The Old Republic as well as graphics grinders like Skyrim. If you’re shopping for a card, check it out. My old one, in case you’re curious, was a GTS 240 and came stock with my Dell Studio XPS, which is a great machine for creative types who aren’t run-gun-slash-kill gamers. There are gaming machines specifically for that.

RolePlayers don’t really need that kind of power though, do we? 😉

Now enough about me. Let’s talk about you. On to your questions.

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The Day 2 Embargo on the Guild Summit has been lifted and a plethora of new information is now coming our way. PC Gamer has posted a really nice article that takes an in depth look at they star of the Guild Summit, the Legacy System. While this was an early version of the 1.2 changes, meaning everything is subject to change, it is still a great little in-depth look at some of the features we can expect to see when 1.2 finally hits the main stage.

Continue Reading »

Today we are excited to announce the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Weekend Pass Free* Trial. Now for a limited time, you will be able to live out your very own Star Wars™ saga with thousands of other players for free! With the Star Wars: The Old Republic Weekend Pass Free Trial, individuals who don’t already have a previously-active Star Wars: The Old Republic account will be allowed to see a portion of what the game has to offer, free of charge, with no payment method required, for up to four days!

Individuals who take part in the Weekend Pass will be able to experience the opening adventures of each of the eight character classes in the game, exploring both their Origin World and their faction’s Capital World. Additionally, Weekend Pass players will have the chance to face off against other players in PvP Warzones, or join up with friends and play through a couple of early faction-specific Flashpoints in the game, The Esseles and The Black Talon.

The Weekend Pass Free Trial opens Thursday, March 15th, 12:01AM CT / 5:01AM GMT and ends on Monday, March 19th at 2:00AM CT / 7:00AM GMT. To learn more, visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/weekendpass and come back on March 15th to create your account, download the game, and begin your free trial! Have questions? Visit the Weekend Pass FAQ.

Be sure to check back to www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com, as well as our Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates!

*TRIAL VALID ONLY FROM MARCH 15, 2012 12:01AM CDT/ 5:01AM GMT / 4:01PM EDT (AUSTRALIA) THROUGH MARCH 19, 2012 AT 2:00AM CDT/ 7:00AM GMT / 6:00 PM EDT (AUSTRALIA). ONLY VALID FOR NEW STAR WARS™: THE OLD REPUBLIC™ (“PRODUCT”) ACCOUNTS NOT ENROLLED IN A PROMOTIONAL TRIAL FOR PRODUCT. UNUSED TRIAL TIME IS FORFEITED UPON REDEMPTION OF PRODUCT REGISTRATION CODE, PURCHASE OF PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION, OR REDEMPTION OF A GAME TIME CARD CODE. VALID ONLY IN TERRITORIES WHERE STAR WARS™: THE OLD REPUBLIC™ IS DISTRIBUTED. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR OTHER DISCOUNT. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER ACCOUNT HOLDER.

ACCEPTANCE OF END USER ACCESS AND LICENSE AGREEMENT (“EUALA”), PERSISTENT INTERNET CONNECTION, AND ACCOUNT REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO PLAY. MUST BE 13+ TO REGISTER. AGREEMENT TO SHARE ACCOUNT INFORMATION WITH LUCASFILM ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LTD. IS REQUIRED TO ACCESS GAMEPLAY. SEE EUALA FOR DETAILS. PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE AVAILABLE AT WWW.SWTOR.COM. ALLTERMS AND CONDITIONS TO PLAY THE GAME APPLY AT ALL TIMES.

This week we have been overwhelmed with a cornucopia of various patch notes. We have literally been overwhelemed with patch note goodness.

Wait, did I say overwhelmed? Because I meant there were two notes this week. Yep, two patch notes.

The first fix this week was all about our favorite Wookiee, Bowdaar. Apparently some folks were not being granted Bowdaar when he should have joined your team, denying Smugglers everywhere to send a big, hairy tank straight into the middle of their foes. Bowdaar should no be joining your team as intended, and has been retroactively added to the squad of those players who did not get the Wookiee when they should have.

The second patch dealt with a glitch centered around the Imperial mission “Thus, Always, To Tyrants”. It seems that when players would use the Emergency Fleet Pass to leave the mission they would find a pair of bulkhead doors on the Security Deck to be locked, denying them the ability to complete the mission. This has been fixed so now players are free to leave the ship when they like without fear of being unable to finish the mission when they return.

That’s all for the Patch Notes this week folks, check back with us after next week’s server maintenance to get the run down on all the in gmae changes that come with the fix.