Blood of the Empire may reveal the secrets of The Old Republic

The always-analytical team over at Darth Hater have turned their attention -- and magnifying glasses -- on the new TOR webcomic in the hopes of discovering hints for the MMO. The first issue of Blood of the Empire, entitled "Shades of the Sith," went up on The Old Republic's website a couple weeks ago, and as with the previous Threat of Peace comic, BioWare's cooperation with the project may be a subtle delivery mechanism for TOR secrets.

So what have they uncovered so far? As with any exercise in speculation, maybe something, maybe nothing. The comic mentions "cacophinzer rounds" as a type of ammo that lightsabers cannot block, which may provide a logical excuse why lightsaber-wielding players may not always be able to deflect blaster fire. Darth Hater also points out the use of Teräs Käsi, an unarmed combat form that some Jedi use, which could have a role in the game. Above all of these details, they note that the comic seems to reinforce the BioWare edict that "choices matter" -- choices in quests, choices with companions and choices with conversations.

Head on over to Darth Hater for the full read!