swtor

Latest

  • The Daily Grind: Who is your favorite in-game companion?

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    08.30.2014

    While not every MMO features companions, there are enough out there that I wager you've played a title or two with a strapping NPC at your side. One of my absolute favorite features of Star Wars: The Old Republic is its companion system. The day that I finally earned my HK-51 was one of the most glorious moments of my life, just narrowly edging out the birth of my children and the return of Arrested Development. Who is your favorite in-game companion? Did you choose that companion based on personality, looks, or general combat assistance? What is one of your favorite stories involving that character? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR conquests are good but not there yet

    by 
    Larry Everett
    Larry Everett
    08.26.2014

    I'm writing this late on Sunday night, and I have some disappointing news: My Star Wars: The Old Republic guild did not make the top 10 on the planet we were attempting to conquer. It's partly my fault; I happened to choose the planet that would be the most hotly contested. Who knew that other guilds would flock to Makeb when conquests went live? It wasn't all bad. In fact, I'd say that SWTOR kind of pulled our guild together a bit. We participated in content we hadn't done in a long time. It was a rallying cry for us: "Hey, look, this stuff is fun, and you can still have fun doing it." On top of that, it's reintroduced the idea that open-world PvP is possible. But with all the good that it's done -- player housing, guild housing, and open-world PvP -- there are somethings that have fallen short of what it could be. I think the best way to explain is to tell you about my week.

  • Last Week on Massively: At home in a galaxy far, far away

    by 
    Alex Ziebart
    Alex Ziebart
    08.25.2014

    This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. You may not be able to play Uncle Owen on your very own moisture farm in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but you can come pretty darn close in the Galactic Strongholds expansion, which added housing to the game when it launched for subscribers earlier this week. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories, including more of our SOE Live coverage.

  • SWTOR's Galactic Strongholds expansion is live

    by 
    Bree Royce
    Bree Royce
    08.19.2014

    Early access to Star Wars: The Old Republic's Galactic Strongholds expansion is now live for subscribers. BioWare Producer Jack Wood welcomed players to SWTOR's third expansion with a lengthy developer blog about the studio's goals in this housing-centric update, boasting that it offers "something for everyone," whether you want to "sit back and relax in your personal stronghold," establish a guild base, participate in conquest leaderboard content, or take on the new tactical flashpoint, Depths of Manaan. We've included a brand-new guild flagship launch trailer below.

  • Last Week on Massively: SOE Live 2014

    by 
    Alex Ziebart
    Alex Ziebart
    08.18.2014

    At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, the MMO world has been preoccupied with SOE Live, Gamescom, and Blizzard's Warlords of Draenor shindig. Massively's MJ Guthrie has been reporting from SOE Live in Las Vegas, delivering fresh info on Landmark's and EverQuest Next's combat systems. SOE Live 2014: Details on EverQuest Next combat, classes, and races SOE Live 2014: Combat comes to Landmark August 27th SOE Live 2014: EverQuest will release The Darkened Sea expansion October 28th SOE Live 2014: EverQuest II's Altar of Malice expansion includes new playable race SOE Live 2014: Thursday keynote liveblog announces EQ and EQII expansions, more

  • Gamescom 2014: SWTOR boasts over a million monthly players

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    08.13.2014

    "Every month, more than a million players are logging in, playing with their friends, and embarking on their own personal Star Wars Saga," EA claimed today at its Gamescom press event. If you're one of those million players, then you'll also want to know that Galactic Strongholds will release next Tuesday, August 19th, for subscribers. We've got the new trailer from Gamescom that quickly demonstrates the expansion's selling points, including its player housing system, guild flagships, and plantary conquest. What are you waiting for? You can bask in its glory after the jump! [With thanks to Hagu.]

  • Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR guild ships and Rakghouls

    by 
    Larry Everett
    Larry Everett
    08.12.2014

    This weekend was full of space zombies and capital ships in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I ended up dividing my time between the live servers hosting the Rakghoul event on Tatooine and attempting to make the most out of having a guild ship on the public test server. Unfortunately, my guild's capital ship fell victim to the Bermuda Triangle bug that makes ships completely disappear, and I wasn't even able to buy a new one. I chalk that up to testing. And I certainly will not cry foul because of it. Besides, the ship was eventually restored, just not in time for my guild to really make any headway in the conquests for this week. However, I did get to experience the ship some because I was on the SWTOR official livestream last week, and I also created my own guild on PTS to test out the capital ship features. But first, let's talk about Rakghouls.

  • The Daily Grind: Do you adjust your in-game routine for events?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    08.11.2014

    I coughed my way through a couple hours of Star Wars: The Old Republic gameplay this weekend. When I say gameplay, what I mean is standing at the AH and playing the market while waiting for my companions to finish crafting. And since BioWare's rakghoul plague event is currently a thing, I contracted the exploding green goo glowy eyes disease multiple times courtesy of the people who love to pass it around on Fleet. Eventually I wised up and acquired a stack of those anti-infectants, but not before I thought "hey, I can probably turn this into a Daily Grind!" So, here you go. Do you stop your normal themepark routine to participate in in-game events? Which ones are your favorite? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    08.09.2014

    It's always possible to be surprised with reveals of older MMOs, even after years of writing this column. For example, I had never heard that Valve was initially working on an MMO called Prospero in the late '90s before we posted on it a couple of weeks ago. It's crazy to me that parts of what could have been a groundbreaking online title were then repurposed for Half-Life and Portal. It's not necessarily bad how things turned out, mind you, but I do get lost wondering what might have been. From time to time here on The Game Archaeologist, I like to turn our attention to MMOs-that-never-were: titles that died before launch thanks to funding shortfalls, studio collapses, or corporate bungling. We've covered titles like Wish, Ultima X, and Middle-earth Online, but today I want to catch up on several titles that have been haunting my list for a while now. So strap in as you get a six-pack of MMOs that were never released!

  • The Daily Grind: What's the best MMO housing system of all time?

    by 
    Bree Royce
    Bree Royce
    08.08.2014

    WildStar's floating palaces, Star Wars: The Old Republic's strongholds, World of Warcraft's garrisons, and Landmark's... well, everything... are getting a lot of press lately, maybe because the MMO industry has been starved for such content for so long. Few games implement housing after launch, and fewer still launch with housing ready to go; those that do seldom aspire to the heights reached by RIFT's dimensions, let alone the amazing customizable homes of older games like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies. So let's resurrect a Daily Grind topic we haven't tackled since 2010. Which MMO features or featured the best housing of all time? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • SWTOR's Rakghoul Resurgence event is back

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    08.05.2014

    Star Wars: The Old Republic's Rakghoul Resurgence event is back, and as of this morning it's live on Tatooine. Dulfy reports that it will likely run through August 12, and she also has an extensive guide for navigating the event's mess of dailies, rewards, and rare spawns.

  • One Shots: A horse and his girl

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    08.03.2014

    I have a strong suspicion that ArcheAge is about to become one of the most screenshotted games when it launches in the West. Until that fateful day on which my inbox will explode with pics, here's reader Balsbigbrother to tease a little of what is to come. "Here's a quick screen shot of my character Celosia and her faithful horsey companion Chapp taken during the first closed beta weekend," Balsbigbrother writes. "It's a really gorgeous-looking game, and I also really appreciate the fact that the female characters have sensible, functional-looking armour for the most part rather than the usual bikini armour nonsense." But what about bikini horse armor? For shame, that beast is practically nude! For more shocking and lurid photos, click on the button below and make sure your mom isn't standing over your shoulder.

  • Hyperspace Beacon: First impressions of SWTOR's Galactic Strongholds expansion

    by 
    Larry Everett
    Larry Everett
    07.29.2014

    It's been an exciting weekend: I've spent many hours just absorbing the contents of the new expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Of course, the largest part of Update 2.9 is Galactic Strongholds. I'll come right out to say that the SWTOR livestreams do not do it justice. I'm finally glad that I could get my hands on it to see exactly what the hook system feels like, where I can find all the furniture, and mostly importantly, how much it is going to cost. Beyond the strongholds themselves, BioWare also introduced a new planet and flashpoint this weekend. I took some time to also visit Manaan, and I know I'm going to sound like a fanboy when I say that it blew me away. I was absolutely not expecting something that gorgeous for a simple flashpoint. We have a lot to talk about, and if you've spent some time on the SWTOR PTS, I'd like to read your opinions in the comments. But first here are a few of my thoughts.

  • Last Week on Massively: It is your Destiny

    by 
    Alex Ziebart
    Alex Ziebart
    07.28.2014

    This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. Console fans were treated to a hefty dose of sci-fi pseudo-MMO Destiny this week as the beta opened up for PS3, PS4, and XBone and developers showered trinkets on players. In spite of the game's lack of cross-platform play, at least one analyst predicts Bungie could sell as many as 20 million units. Meanwhile, we finished up our trio of articles previewing the World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor beta. WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: A disappointing start WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: The disappointment of garrisons WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: Questing, mechanics, and concerns Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

  • One Shots: The green marble

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    07.27.2014

    Man, Bunglerm00se is so lost right now, you can't even imagine it. At least he's getting a great view as he contemplates having to trudge back. If you haven't heard, space is, like, really really big. Costco-family-packages-of-goldfish-crackers big. "WildStar is shaping up to be one of the most immersive, interesting, and (above all) fun MMORPGs I've played in over a decade of mMm-Mor-Pu-Guhing, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone!" Bunglerm00se enthuses. "This is from the first shiphand mission your character can run. In this case, my character was asked to liberate a moonbase from a deadly menace. Is there any other kind of menace, you ask? On and around Nexus, the answer is 'no.' But the scenery sure is pretty." You know what else is pretty? Everything after the break. Just you wait and see, my friends.

  • SWTOR will charge a cool 50 million credits for guild ships

    by 
    Bree Royce
    Bree Royce
    07.24.2014

    We hope Star Wars: The Old Republic players have been saving up their credits for a rainy day because that rainy day is here and it wants its money. BioWare Community Manager Eric Musco announced on today's livestream that guild ships, expected in next month's Galactic Strongholds expansion, will cost a whopping 50 million credits, making it arguably the most expensive single item in the game as it surpasses the cost of the ST-7 Recon Walker and Dathomir Rancor. Massively's SWTOR expert Larry Everett notes that while it's not uncommon for a lone player to have a tenth that amount and the 'wealthy' title is granted for amassing 10 million credits, small guilds might struggle summoning the funds for these ships.

  • SWTOR's lead writer teases future story updates

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    07.23.2014

    BioWare writer Charles Boyd has posted a blurb on the Star Wars: The Old Republic website that talks about the game's story and how it will move forward. Boyd says that the first chapter of the next major storyline is currently available via the Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion flashpoints. This three-part Forged Alliances arc will lead "directly into our next major story expansion, our largest since Rise of the Hutt Cartel," Boyd teases. He says more info will be coming soon.

  • Leaderboard: How much time do you spend customizing avatar outfits?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    07.23.2014

    OK, I'm spending entirely too much time customizing my avatar outfits in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I originally re-upped my sub in order to polish off my last couple of class stories, but now I've gotten sucked into crafting and, by extension, the substantial outfit collection minigame. Which is bizarre because in meatspace my fashion sense boils down to the first pair of jeans and corresponding t-shirt/sweatshirt that tumbles out of my closet. What about you, Leaderboard readers? How much time do you spend customizing your MMO avatar outfits? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • The Daily Grind: Do you craft for fun?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    07.21.2014

    Yesterday I spent an hour or so crafting a full set of gear and mods for one of my Star Wars: The Old Republic alts. I guess I could have farmed slightly better equipment in the lowbie flashpoints, but it would have taken longer and relied on the RNG gods, so it seemed more satisfying to hop on my main(s) and trick out the new guy with homemade armor mods, enhancements, stims, and weapons. Plus, I just like to make stuff, you know? What about you, Massively readers? Do you like MMO crafting enough to do it for fun? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • Perfect Ten: Why the second half of 2014 will be awesome for MMOs

    by 
    Justin Olivetti
    Justin Olivetti
    07.19.2014

    In the midst of mid-summer doldrums, it's easy to fall into a mild depression thinking that everything cool that was going to happen this year already has -- especially in gaming. The spring launch blitz is now officially over, with two highly anticipated MMOs launched, and now some people might be wondering if the rest of 2014 will be all downhill. Spoiler: It will not be. We started talking the other day in the Massively office about just how much there's coming for the latter half of this year and why we're excited to see what the fall and winter months bring. There's so much to look forward to, in fact, that it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to a mere 10 entries. But that's my job, and that's what I did. Here's why the second half of 2014 will be awesome.