| Hi again everyone!
I’m here to provide an updated look at the upcoming Summer of SWTOR in light of our recent Galactic Strongholds announcements. The biggest changes to our Summer plans outside of Galactic Strongholds are Game Update 2.8. Here’s a look at the next four months including that update (and not including the May 4th, May 11th, and July 15th rewards deadlines already mentioned in Galactic Strongholds letter):
Game Update 2.8: on June 10th - Nar Shaddaa Casino. For the first time, players are invited to the casinos on Nar Shaddaa to try their luck on the slot machines. Credits can be used to purchase tokens, which in turn can be used on slot machines. Lucky winners will receive certificates that can be traded in for unique rewards that will only be distributed during the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event. This event will run from June 10th to August 19th.
- Double Fleet Requisition, Warzone Comms, and Credits from PvP matches. For three weeks at a time, events will run that yield increased rewards for participating players. Galactic Starfigher will grant players double the Fleet Requisition and double the credit rewards they would normally get. Warzones will similarly give players double the standard Warzone Comms and double the credit rewards. The increased rewards only apply to the rewards on the scorecard at the end of matches, not the rewards you get from daily/weekly missions. The Starfighter event will run from 2.8 – 2.8.1. The Warzone event will be active from 2.8.1 – 2.8.2.
- Groupfinder Operations Overhaul. Story Mode Operations will be more accessible to endgame players (levels 50 – 55). The Operations section in the GroupFinder window will list available Operations on a pre-determined schedule, rotating in different Operations every few days. Players who meet the level requirement of the Operation will be Bolstered, removing the requirement for endgame gear. Rewards have also been improved, making this a great opportunity for players to earn Ultimate Commendations and experience new content. These operations will also be for 16-man mode to ensure faster queue times (both 8 and 16 man need 2 tanks and that is typically the gating factor). 16-man is also more forgiving to mistakes and should increase the chances of a successful group.
- Nightmare Mode Dread Palace. Face the ultimate challenge, the Dread Masters in their palace with new Nightmare Mode mechanics and difficulty.
- Nightmare Dread Fortress update. The NM Fortress difficulty buff will be removed. All of the new NM Fortress mechanics are still in place but it should now be more accessible to larger groups. Fair warning: the unique title for defeating Nightmare Fortress with the buff present will never again be available to those who don’t unlock it prior to this game update.
- Two New Starfighter Variants will be available to pilots on both sides of the conflict. The Skirmisher Gunship fills a sniper role and brings dogfighting capabilities to the table, while the Assault Bomber is a heavy fighter that focuses on either mines or drones.
- The usual host of additional features, including some graphics improvements and class balance changes.
Events! We will be running every one* of our major recurring events over the period between 2.8 and 2.9. Events include: - Double XP Weekend
- Gree Event
- Bounty Contract Week
*Except the Rakghoul Resurgence. Obviously, the Rakghoul plague was completely eliminated the last time, and the galaxy is absolutely safe from another outbreak. Right?
Game Update 2.9 is still on for August 19th with our expanded feature set for Galactic Strongholds Subscriber Early Access. The team is making great progress on Strongholds and we are very excited to share this with you. It’s worth noting that Game Update 2.9 will include the next exciting chapter in the Forged Alliances story arc, and we have a lot of folks working on something very big for later this year that I have yet to give details on.
May the Force be with you,
Bruce Maclean |
Impacthound
Member UncommonPosts: 367
Comments
lol they keep saying the rakghoul plague was wiped out but we know there is at least one more planet they have planned for it(corellia) because there is an achievment for doing it on the 3 planets.
excited to see what they do with the casino event
why do I get the feeling the casino will be tied to the cash shop?
Looks like they are trying to make something close to WoW's LFR, which is appropriate for SWTOR's story focus.
it wouldnt surprise me to see tokens in the CM, but it does say you buycan the tokens with credits
. Credits can be used to purchase tokens, which in turn can be used on slot machines.
Looks like a good summer to be a SW MMO fan.
I'm going back to SWTOR after a hiatus spent playing a recently released fantasy MMO. A MMO I am now abandoning to go back to the dark side of the force!
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
Too bad that it hasnt hit Corellia yet, I thought it would be back sooner and I was curious how that planet would look populated. I almost forgot they had it planned for a world rotation it's been so long.
Nice, the Casino finally gets some real purpose, they really listened!
also something VERY BIG later this year, besides strongholds? hmm interesting.. Pve space?
Speeder revamp with customizations, mods, real physics? Day night cycles and weather?
previews of the items from gambling event vendor can be found here
http://dulfy.net/2014/05/08/swtor-nar-shaddaa-nightlife-event-vendor-items/
i really want that cannon for my trooper
The new event is up on the PTS , atm the smugglers tokens are 1,000 credits each and the kingpin ones are 50,000 credits each. I really want the blaster rifle and assault cannon from the event.
Cheers,
BadOrb.
PSO 4 years , EQOA 4 months , PSU 7 years , SWTOR launch ongoing , PSO2 SEA launch ongoing , Destiny 360 launch ongoing.
"SWG was not fun. Let it go buddy." quote from iiNoSkillzii 10/18/13
The original propoganda pixie dust villain :[]
assault cannon looks sweet, I like how it changes color with the crystal and also the weapon sounds are pretty cool.
really looking forward to that event
Saw footage of someone playing the slot machines, it was disappointing how basic the slots and their screens actually look. There aren't actually even row of symbols, just a boring pie/pizza slice. I mean slots is barely a game in that there's very little choice or input except on the most advanced new models, so they rely on seductive presentation to hook you. I hope the data-mined card game is better than this.
uhmm.. yes it is a bit disappointing.
Actually I expected if I click a slotmachine the game switches to some full screen interface and actually lets you *play* something.
This is just again a pretty cheap and lazy way out.
Typical EA approach, just look at Simpsons Tapped Out.. tap tap tap, click click click. Generation Facebook junk.
it was delusional to expect something like Hearthstone or at least an average gambling site slotmachine with a StarWars skin.
To a certain extent, all games are skinner boxes. But slot machines are almost literal ones.
There is no "play" to them, you just pull a lever and get a food pellet. Slots payout very often, but never as much as they take in.
R.I.P. City of Heroes and my 17 characters there
Yeah what mmo has what you were expecting? Hearthstone is complete different game and cannot be played from inside WoW expecting Swtor or any game to add that into it's current mmo is ridiculous . So yes it was delusional for you to think that. Look at lotro they have their hobbit boxes (slot machine) there is no huge different screen, as far as I'm aware no mmo has what you were expecting. And I would bet some won't be happy no matter what they do.
Boobs are LIFE, Boobs are LOVE, Boobs are JUSTICE, Boobs are mankind's HOPES and DREAMS. People who complain about boobs have lost their humanity.
Wow people still cry and whine about Swtor when they clearly have no clue about the game. Yes it's EAs fault that somebody would spend all their credits in the casinos, just like it's the Indians fault people spend their life savings in their casinos, I applaud your...well better stop now before you get all mad for being proven how ridiculous your comment is.I agree with Doc... I think you misunderstood a bit. While I hugely reject the gambling aspect of games (lockboxes, etc), this one has no real money attached to it, it's just a credit sink, which is always a good thing imo (to prevent in-game inflation).
I see this casino like the Dabo tables in STO, a nice minigame on the side to waste your overflowing in-game money into it for some in-game fluff rewards. And here's the thing what the others wrote: the implementation is lacking. A money sink should be fun and entertaining, should be even a whole minigame like the Dabo, and not just some clicking. So it's a fitting idea for Nar Shaddaa, and it could be fun, but "a pretty cheap and lazy way out." as DocBrody said.
LotRO's Hobbit presents are a totally different thing, that's not an in-game placed stuff, and pretty immersion-breaking too, sadly.
(for non-LotROers, on daily basis after login the game throws at you stuff for free, in the name of hobbits. "hey, thanks for log in, here's a boot, the best one for your level range. See you tomorrow." And after that you can spin the slots any time for real money if you want more stuff. Maybe the saddest thing in LotRO...)
Thanks, that's what I was going for too.
The LotRO thing you described is pretty similar to Runescape's gambling wheel, depressing to hear it snuck in.
If you know you like housing in all MMOs, it's a pretty good discount on the credit unlocks for even one month on either deadline. That's ignoring any of the Cartel Coin bonuses, but in my two subbed play cycles on launch and last year I had the mindset of ignoring coins or using them to prevent temptation.
If you're on the fence though, preferred may be the route to go & just coin or daily-pay your way later. You can do the coming slot machines preferred, but if the LFR actually has a fast queue and participation, that would be a reason to sub if you don't already raid.
Try logging into the game client as preferred first before you sub, in case you have any re-installation or patching problems.