SWTOR 2.7.1 Full Patch Notes

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2.7.1 Patch Notes

Highlights

Season Two has opened for combatants! Giradda the Hutt summons you to join the Ranked Warzone Arena queue and compete for glorious rewards (to be announced later). Ratings have been reset for this occasion and, in the mighty words of Baron Deathmark, “Get in there and go berserk!”

The Ranked Warzone Arena Leaderboards have been updated for Season Two! Season One has been archived and is still able to be viewed.

 Ranked Warzone Arena Daily and Weekly Missions are now available from the PvP Mission Terminal. These quests offer increased Credit and Ranked Commendation rewards. Pick them up today and honor Giradda the Hutt!

From May 2nd at 18:00 GMT until May 5th at 07:00 GMT, gain twice the experience while fighting for the Sith Empire or the Galactic Republic!
Bounty Contract Week is back! 

Cartel Market

  • The Cavern Varactyl creature mount is now available in the Cartel Market! Cost: 2400 Cartel Coins.
  • The Exterminator’s Armor Set is now available for preview in Collections.
  • The Humble Hero Armor Set is now available for preview in Collections.
  • The Corsec Electrobaton is now available in Collections.
  • Pieces of Mira’s Armor Set are no longer invisible when worn.
  • The tooltip for the Deep Red/Deep Yellow Dye Module now correctly identifies its colors.
  • The Cartel Market version of “Title: Conscript” can now be sold on the Galactic Trade Network. The version of this title granted as an in-game Mail reward remains untradeable on the GTN.
  • Corrected a typo in the description of the Deep Pink/White Dye Module which indicated the primary color was Deep Purple.
  • The Marka Ragnos Armor Set now unlocks in Collections if pieces were purchased from the Interplanetary Component Exchange (I.C.E.) vendor.
  • The Collections interface now navigates correctly when clicking into another category if you are above Page 10 on your current category.

General

  • Addressed an issue that could cause a crash in certain Flashpoints, such as Esseles, Black Talon, Boarding Party, and The Foundry.
  • The Bolsterizer has been added to the training area of the Ziost Shadow (Imperial Fleet) and the Gav Daragon (Republic Fleet). Using this console bolsters the character as if he or she had entered a Warzone.
  • Increased the rendering quality of Lightsabers in the Preview Window.
  • The Taxis on Coruscant no longer flicker while in flight.
  • Fixed an issue that could result in permanent disconnection from the chat server.
  • Quick Ground Target Activation of Ground Target Area of Effect abilities no longer results in improper character animations when using the ability on your character.
  • Added a background image to the Nightmare Dread Fortress and Nightmare Dread Palace Achievement pages.
  • The “Species: Gran” Codex Entry can now be obtained by Imperial players on Balmorra.
  • The Codex Entry “The Red Engine” is now correctly restricted to Sith Inquisitor and Sith Warrior.
  • Corrected an issue where the Cormium Crystal Shard, commonly known as the “blue museum crystal,” could not be picked up by players, rendering the +10 Datacron on the Imperial and Republic fleets impossible to attain.
  • The ears on Male Twi’lek Body Types 2, 3, and 4 are now visibly humanoid and no longer appear smooth.

Flashpoints + Operations

  • The French and German voiceovers in Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion are now better timed with conversation animations.
  • The Achievement for defeating the Cartel Warlords in Scum and Villainy now grants after finishing the encounter instead of on each individual boss.
  • Fixed an issue where the Reprogrammed Heavy Turrets were not spawning for Republic players in the Starship Assembly scenario of Kuat Drive Yards.
  • The elevator after the Lord Renning/Master Riilna encounter in the Korriban Incursion Flashpoint now has appropriate collision.
  • Dread Guard Bulwarks now deal the correct amount of damage in 16-Player Nightmare Dread Fortress.
  • Dreadmaster Tyrans no longer places Marked for Death on players affected by Simplification in the Story and Hard Modes of Dread Palace.
  • On the Mission step “Speak with Sergeant Tarsten” in Korriban Incursion, the map note now correctly displays Sergeant Tarsten.
  • Missing and incorrect Mission Log entries in the Korriban Incursion Flashpoint have been updated and corrected.
  • Missing and incorrect Mission Log entries in the Assault on Tython Flashpoint have been updated and corrected.
  • Major Imos and Major Travik in the Assault on Tython Flashpoint now correctly reset if pulled too far off of the main platform.
  • Dread Master Brontes now properly destroys any Energy Spheres spawned while using the ability Supremacy.
  • Increased the range and rate at which the Hands of Brontes apply their shield in the final phase of the Dread Master Brontes encounter in Dread Fortress.
  • Changed the name of two of the versions of Mass Affliction that the Dread Guard Corrupters in 16-Player Nightmare Mode Dread Fortress cast to more clearly show it is three separate abilities being cast: Mass Affliction, Total Affliction, and Absolute Affliction.

Items + Economy

  • Fixed an issue that would cause certain pieces of gear (such as the Dancer gear sets) to cause texture issues on the character wearing the item.
  • Rakghoul DNA Canisters are now Bound to Legacy.
  • Gray Helix Components are now Bound to Legacy.
  • Completed Bounty Contracts can now be traded on the Galactic Trade Network.
  • Reputation rewards from the Bounty Broker’s Association are now purchased exclusively with Completed Bounty Contracts instead of Credits.
  • Recovered Relics can now be traded on the Galactic Trade Network.
  • The THORN Sanitization Chestguard and the THORN Containment Chestguard now render the Cathar female Body Type 2 correctly when equipped.
  • The Fearless Retaliator’s Saberstaff, Unconquered Defender’s Saberstaff, and Indomitable Vanquisher’s Saberstaff can now only be equipped in the Main Hand slot as intended.
  • The knockoff protection offered by the Lucky-77 Swoop has been improved.
  • A Dye Module Slot has been added to the Ancient Infernal Boots.

Missions + NPCs

  • Addressed an issue where the Security Network Terminal could get stuck in an unusable state during the Mission “Watchtower Watchers” on Oricon.
  • Talking with Lana in the Fleet cantina during the Mission “Forged Alliances: Part I” can now only be done while ungrouped, as was originally intended.
  • The Voss enemies Boss Zraska and Ancient Sith Dreadnaught now respawn appropriately.
  • The Rakghoul World Boss “Rakghoul Overlord” now respawns on the Republic world of Taris as intended.
  • Achievements now correctly reference the name of the Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion story Mission “Forged Alliances: Part I.”
  • The access missions for Kuat Drive Yards, Korriban Incursion and Assault of Tython can now be shared from your Mission Tracker.
  • Fixed a bug where a Mission giver was playing the wrong conversation.
  • Treek no longer disappears into or appears from the ground in Smuggler cinematics.
  • The final conversation with Lana Beniko on the Mission “Forged Alliances: Part I” (Imperial) can no longer be triggered early.
  • Fixed a bug where players were able to start the conversation with Colonel Darok multiple times after completing it on the Mission “Forged Alliances Part I” (Republic).
  • Players with Treek, HK-51 or C2-N2 are now able to select Option 1 to complete the conversation with Tavus in the Trooper Class Mission “The Shadow Fist.”

Warzones

  • Warzone Mission Turn-in Terminals have been added to every Warzone and Warzone Arena.
  • Warzone Queue percentages have been reverted to their original states, with all game modes having an equal chance to occur. Original Huttball and Quesh Huttball Pit share a percentage chance.
  • Adjusted the matchmaking logic of the Ranked Warzone Arena Queue to reduce the frequency of matching teams together with large gaps in average Rating when there are potentially better matches available.
  • The Warzone Scoreboard now highlights teammates as intended.
  • Expanded the acid cloud at the end of the Corellia Arena to cover more areas of the map. The damage now also aligns more properly with the animation.
  • The Lower Acid Pits in the Quesh Huttball Pit are now more accurate with their damage.
  • Players underneath the floor below an Acid Pipe are no longer hit with acid in the Quesh Huttball Pit.
  • Reworked the Grapple animation in Quesh Huttball Pit.
  • Added collision to the Acid Pipes in Quesh Huttball Pit.
  • The Western Terminal in Novare Coast now shows the appropriate team color while it is being captured.

Miscellaneous

  • Corrected numerous graphical issues with shadows and shadow rendering across the galaxy.
  • The “R” key is now bound to “Chat Reply” by default.

SWTOR Galactic Strongholds Delayed

I want my Tatooine Homestead with this view

I want my Tatooine Homestead with this view

Bioware’s Senior Producer for SWTOR, Bruce Maclean, has announced that the next SWTOR expansion, Galactic Strongholds, will be delayed close to two months.

The reasons given below are well explained and the upside is that some previously unannounced features will be available at the later launch date.
Have a read for yourself:

For the past year, we’ve made it our goal to share updates and information on what’s happening in the studio and our upcoming plans for the game. We got the message that you appreciate transparency and want to know what we are working on. With that in mind, we wanted to share a change in plans to our most recently announced digital expansion, Galactic Strongholds.

We have been listening to what you, our players, were hoping to see from the Galactic Strongholds expansion. When playing early builds of Galactic Strongholds it became that clear that our June Early Access date was simply not enough. For this to truly feel like an expansion, it needs to include the full set of features, including those originally coming later in the year. So what does this mean? We are moving the start date for Subscriber Early Access from June 24th to August 19th in order to deliver to you the most features at the highest level of quality. The result will be a far more compelling experience, including additional features such as the ability to place your vehicles and pets in your Stronghold and for Guilds to conquer planets . To conquer a planet, Guilds must complete weekly Conquest events earning points to place at the top of the Guild Leaderboards. Conquering a planet gives the Guild special perks and rewards. This means that Subscribers will be the first to play the full slate of expansion features (everything!) at the start of Subscriber Early Access, a month before everyone else.

This additional time allows us to add:

  • Conquest Events: use the power of your Stronghold to dominate these events and earn rewards
  • Guild Flagships will now offer expanded functionality for Guilds:
    • Provide powerful buffs to Guild members from orbit
    • Transport entire groups to your personal coordinates instantaneously
    • Compete in Conquest Events to conquer entire planets
  • New Stronghold: Tatooine Homestead
  • Vehicles, Mounts, Pets, and Companion Characters can be placed as decorations in Strongholds

 

Combine that with the original feature list…

  • 3 unique Player Strongholds, one on each Capital World plus the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace
  • 2 faction-specific Guild Flagships (Valor-class Cruiser for the Republic and Harrower-class Dreadnaught for the Empire)
  • Legacy Stronghold Storage
  • Ability to gain Prestige tracked on Prestige Leaderboards
  • Hundreds of Decorations to discover and collect

 

…and the result is an expansion that’s worth waiting for!

The additional features and time shift means some adjustments in other parts of our plan:

May 4th remains the Subscriber deadline for Bonus Cartel Coins Grant to the sweet tune of 1000 Cartel Coins!

May 11th is no longer the deadline for Strongholds Early Access rewards but as a thank you to all of our Subscribers as of this date, we are giving you the following rewards:

  • Exclusive Subteroth minipet (delivered in Update 2.7.2)
  • Two Character Titles “The Intrepid” (delivered in Update 2.7.2) and “The Illustrious” (delivered in Game Update 2.9)
  • A sprawling Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with five additional rooms unlocked
  • Stronghold Name “Galactic Stronghold”

 

July 15th is our new deadline for Subscriber Rewards for Early Access, and you must be a Subscriber by this date to claim the Subscriber Early Access Rewards:

  • The luxurious Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three additional rooms unlocked
  • Stronghold Name “Galactic Stronghold”
  • Character Title “The Illustrious” (delivered in Game Update 2.9)

 

August 19th is Game Update 2.9: Galactic Strongholds Digital Expansion Subscriber Early Access!

Preferred Early Access and the Official Launch will follow in September and October. Be sure to visit www.swtor.com/galactic-strongholdsfor more specific dates and details.

 

Over to you: is the delay a good things or a frustration that could have been avoided? I for one will be fascinated how you have vehicles / mounts logically stored within an indoor stronghold…..

Haters Got To Hate

 

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The Naked Gamer is a regular opinion column that strips back the superficialities and looks at the flesh underneath. If you’ve got a topic you’d like discussed, drop columnist Kris Green a line! If you like Kristy’s work, don’t forget she’s co-host of our Flash Point podcast.

 

The funny things about opinions, is that there are no right or wrong ones. This is why I label all my opinion posts very clearly. I am in no way thinking my opinion is the right one and I do constantly change them when new experiences and/or evidence becomes known to me. So I start off every opinion article with a big label which means everything below is purely based on my own thoughts and feelings at the time of publishing.

So with that in mind, one of my little pet hates at the moment is how quickly the internet twists words and meanings. Once upon a time, a noob was a derogatory term used to mean someone that thought they were awesome at a game but really sucked. A newb (short for newbie) was a new player. Now somehow a newb is no longer used and everyone just calls everyone noob no matter what they are (normally in a way of saying ‘go away’).

I feel the next term to go down the sink is ‘haters got to hate’. It isn’t exactly the best catchphrase in the history of the internet, but it used to mean when someone makes a negative comment for absolutely no reason. An example would be what I saw recently on the Rift twitter feed, when someone replied to one of their tweets with ‘I’m surprised this game is still around. Good job I guess.’ It’s like, really? really? You are tweeting on something you don’t care about just to show your utter disbelief that something you don’t care about it still around? What’s the point? How was that constructive?

The term used to be a way of blowing off someone’s opinion when that opinion was baseless. I can go around talking about everything I hate in the world but I don’t because it’s not constructive or useful. When I talk about things I don’t like, it’s because I want to talk about the reasons why I don’t like them.

Sadly now though, ‘haters got to hate’ really just means I don’t like your opinion and want to ignore it. Which in itself is fine. I don’t care or expect people to agree with me all the time. In fact I love it when someone comes to me and says they disagree and we can have a conversation about why. I find echo chambers to be frustrating and annoying, so please challenge me! I love changing my opinions, especially the negative ones.

I do offer this promise though. I am not going to change my opinion just because you believe I’m wrong. I promise that if you want to talk, I will listen and try my best to understand your position. I will not call you a hater just because you think I suck.

I always find it weird when I am labelled a hater just for having a different opinion. I’m not a hater – I hate hating things. I try and see the positive in everything but I also understand that I can write something which is 90% positive but the moment I get to the but section, it will be seen that I hate everything. We focus on the negatives and it’s really not a nice state to be in.

I spent years with terrible low self esteem. Not that I am loving myself completely now, and my ego still goes between nonexistent to low – but I am better. I know what it’s like to focus on the negative. I would cry after a performance review if my manager gave me even one piece of constructive criticism because that meant I sucked. It didn’t matter that they had spent 40 minutes praising me and only bought up one tiny thing.

This of course is an impossible state to live in. If we focus on our negative points all the time, then we will always be negative. If we focus on only improving the bad things about ourselves we will forget to celebrate the good. I remember when I first got into being active in gaming communities and got a regular section on a podcast. One guy came into the forums and just laid out a lot of crap things about my segment. Not that my bit was terrible, he was just a sound guy and well, my sound quality was crap. I knew then that I was ready to move forward when I listened to his advice, I removed all the bad things and just focused on the parts where I could improve. I couldn’t change my voice but I could change my equipment and I learnt a heap about sound recording.

I could have taken his words as ‘haters got to hate’, because let’s face it, he wasn’t actually being nice about my shortcomings. Instead, I focused on the positive things (even though they were unspoken) and worked with him to correct the negative. To this day I still use the advice he gave me to record podcasts, streams and videos.

Haters aren’t always hating for the sake of showing hatred. Sometimes we just need to look past our own defensive walls and see what is actually being said. If someone is just being a dick for the sake of it, then feel free to ignore it but just be careful about labelling people haters, because sometimes they are just people that passionately care.

I have experienced people hating on me for no reason that I can see or for other things like my perceived gender. I have also seen people hating on me because they are passionate about something or someone and I really love seeing that.

This world needs passionate people that are prepared to be seen negatively in order to improve our society. It is a fine line to walk and I am thankful for these people every day.

[This piece originally appeared on Kris’ own gaming blog]

SWTOR 2.7: Invasion – Full Patch Notes

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Game Update 2.7: Invasion

Highlights

New Story Arc: Forged Alliances! Start this story arc by speaking to a droid on the Fleet near the new Outbound Mission Hangar.

New Flashpoints! Beginning the next major storyline of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Korriban Incursion and Assault on Tython Tactical Flashpoints are now available to players at level 55.

Nightmare Mode is now available for the Dread Fortress! Even greater horrors await those who wish to challenge the bastion of the Dread Masters, and the Operation provides even greater rewards in the form of new Dread Master equipment!

Ranked Warzone Season 1 has ended! Characters that had a qualifying rating have been mailed their rewards. We are currently in Pre-Season 2 and Season 2 will begin with 2.7.1! Giradda congratulates the winners and looks forward to the bloodshed in Season 2! Ranked Arenas are still active for teams to prepare for the next season.

Quesh Huttball Pit, a new Warzone, is available for play! Baron Deathmark hosts the latest Huttball match on the toxic planet Quesh. Join the Warzone Queue and Go Berserk!

New Galactic Starfighter Domination Map: Denon Exosphere! An ongoing space battle featuring massive capital ships is ongoing in the exosphere of the ecumenopolis Denon. Wreckage from the battle is scattered around the area as forces fight to control a strategic space station. This map features two permanent spawn points for each team, adding more strategic spawning and attack possibilities.

Bounty Contract Week is back! The In-Game event runs from April 8th to April 15th, starting and ending at 12:00PM GMT.

General

  • New options are available for the Ground Target Area of Effect reticle:
    • Sticky Ground Target Reticule – When active, this option makes it so your Ground Target Reticule doesn’t disappear if the target location is out of range or the ability otherwise fails. Example: Bounty Hunter attempts to activate Death From Above, but their target location is out of range. With this option active, the GTAoE reticule will persist and allow the player to instantly attempt to use the ability again. If this option isn’t active, then the reticule will disappear and the player will have to click again.
    • Quick Ground Target Activation – When active, pressing a hotkey that belongs to a GTAoE twice will use the ability at the feet of the Player’s target. Example: The Player has the Pass the Huttball ability saved to Hotkey #3. The Player targets an ally and then presses 3 two times. The Huttball Pass will be activated at the feet of the targeted ally. If this option is turned off, then there are no changes to the existing behavior.
  • All equippable gear pieces have their Item Rating displayed in the tooltip. Weapons and armor have not changed.
  • In the equipment tooltips, mods/enhancements now display their Item Rating in parentheses instead of their Item Level.
  • While unequipped, mods/enhancements display their Item Rating in their tooltip.
  • The “Species: Weequay” Codex Entry can be obtained via a Lore Object on Nar Shaddaa.
  • The “Species: Trandoshan” Codex Entry can be obtained by killing a Trandoshan on Belsavis.

Cartel Market

  • New Starfighter Pack: The Hotshot’s Starfighter Pack!
    • The Hotshot’s Starfighter Pack items can now be previewed in Collections.
    • The Hotshot’s Starfighter Pack will be available on May 6th. Cost: 320 Cartel Coins
    • Hypercrates containing 24 Hotshot’s Starfighter Packs will be available on May 6th. Discounted by 10% for a limited amount of time! Cost: 6912 Cartel Coins.
  • New bundles of Imperial and Republic Galactic Starfighter cosmetic items are available in the Cartel Market. Discounted by 30% for a limited amount of time! Cost: 2037 Cartel Coins
  • The new “Data Entry” Rest and Recharge item can now be previewed in Collections.
  • Many items that were previously missing temporary bind timers have had them added.
  • After an extensive summit meeting, a council of Dark Side elders has decreed that silent theatrical mediums are no longer considered “inherently not dark” and players with Dark Side alignment can now use “Emote: Mime.”
  • The M8-3R Astromech Droid and Model FT-6 Pike now have entries in the Promotional Items category of Collections.
  • The Weekly Pass: Operations is now a level 15 item. This allows non-subscribing players below level 50 to use the Weekly Pass to gain access to appropriately-leveled Operations during Events that feature them. Level restrictions on Operations still apply. The description of the item in its tooltip and on the Cartel Market has been updated to reflect this change.
  • The Charcoal Dewback can now be unlocked through Collections.

Classes +Combat

Jedi Knight

General

  • Force Sweep now requires a primary target to activate.

Guardian

  • Focused Defense has been redesigned: It now empowers the user with 10 charges of Focused Defense, lasting up to 30 seconds. Whenever the user takes damage, a charge of Focused Defense is consumed to heal the user for a moderate amount. This ability can be used while stunned or otherwise controlled but cannot be used while above 70% health. Cooldown increased from 45 seconds to 2 minutes.
  • Enure now has a 60 second cooldown (down from 90 seconds).
  • Challenging Call now immediately reduces threat by a moderated amount while not in Soresu Form.

Vigilance

  • Commanding Awe now applies its 7%/15% damage resistance while Enure is active (instead of Focused Defense).

 

Focus (Guardian)

  • Through Peace reduces the cooldown of Focused Defense by 15/30 seconds.
  • The bonuses from Felling Blow and Singularity now only apply to players if they are the primary target of Force Sweep. Non-player targets are always affected if they are inside the Force Sweep radius.

Sentinel

 

Focus (Sentinel)

  • The bonuses from Felling Blow and Singularity now only apply to players if they are the primary target of Force Sweep. Non-player targets are always affected if they are inside the Force Sweep radius.

Sith Warrior

General

  • Smash now requires a primary target to activate.

Juggernaut

  • Enraged Defense has been redesigned: It now empowers the user with 10 charges of Enraged Defense, lasting up to 30 seconds. Whenever the user takes damage, a charge of Enraged Defense is consumed to heal the user for a moderate amount. This ability can be used while stunned or otherwise controlled but cannot be used while above 70% health. Cooldown increased from 45 seconds to 2 minutes.
  • Endure Pain now has a 60 second cooldown (down from 90 seconds).
  • Threatening Scream now also immediately reduces threat by a moderate amount while not in Soresu Form.

 

Vengeance

  • Deafening Defense now applies its 7%/15% damage resistance while Endure Pain is active (instead of Enraged Defense).

 

Rage (Juggernaut)

  • Through Passion reduces the cooldown of Enraged Defense by 15/30 seconds.
  • The bonuses from Dominate and Shockwave now only apply to players if they are the primary target of Smash. Non-player targets are always affected if they are inside the Smash radius.

Marauder

 

Rage (Marauder)

  • The bonuses from Dominate and Shockwave now only apply to players if they are the primary target of Smash. Non-player targets are always affected if they are inside the Smash radius.

Jedi Consular

Sage

  • Force Barrier now has an additional effect. While protected by Force Barrier, charges build up and grant Enduring Bastion. Enduring Bastion is a shield that absorbs an amount of damage based off the charges (1-4) that are present when Force Barrier ends. Enduring Bastion also grants immunity to interrupt and lasts for 5 seconds after Force Barrier ends. Force Barrier now has an additional rank to train at level 55, so visit your trainer!
  • Mental Alacrity also gives 100% pushback resistance in addition to its other effects.

 

Seer

  • Healing Trance is now immune to pushback.
  • Egress has been moved to Tier 2 in the Seer Tree. Pain Bearer has been moved to Tier 1 in the Seer Tree. Psychic Suffusion has been moved to Tier 4 in the Seer Tree.

 

Telekinetics

  • Psychic Projection now has a 50%/100% chance to grant a Psychic Projection charge when using Disturbance on a target affected by the user’s Weaken Mind. The Psychic Projection charge causes the user’s next Telekinetic Throw to channel and damage twice as fast.
  • The chance to trigger Tidal Force is now 100% (up from 60% for Disturbance and Turbulence and 20% for Forcequake) and is based on ability activation rather than dealing damage with Disturbance, Turbulence, or Forcequake. The 10-second rate limit remains, and Forcequake now shares a rate limit with Disturbance and Turbulence.
  • Concentration now decreases the pushback from Turbulence by 50%/100% (up from 35%/70%).

 

Balance (Sage)

  • Presence of Mind now builds up a charge whenever the Sage deals damage with Telekinetic Throw. At 3 charges, the next Disturbance or Mind Crush is activated instantly and deals 35% more damage.
  • Telekinetic Focal Point now also decreases the force cost of Disturbance by 15% per stack.

Shadow

  • Spinning Kick is now a stun rather than a knockdown against players and stronger enemies.

Sith Inquisitor

Sorcerer

  • Force Barrier now has an additional effect. While protected by Force Barrier, charges build up and grant Enduring Bastion. Enduring Bastion is a shield that absorbs an amount of damage based off the charges (1-4) that are present when Force Barrier ends. Enduring Bastion also grants immunity to interrupt and lasts for 5 seconds after Force Barrier ends. Force Barrier now has an additional rank to train at level 55, so visit your trainer!
  • Polarity Shift also gives 100% pushback resistance in addition to its other effects.

 

Corruption

  • Innervate is now immune to pushback.
  • Fade Out has been moved to Tier 2 in the Corruption Tree.  Empty Body has been moved to Tier 1 in the Corruption Tree.  Force Suffusion has been moved to Tier 4 in the Corruption Tree.

 

Lightning

  • Lightning Barrage now has a 50%/100% chance to grant a Lightning Barrage charge when using Lightning Strike on a target affected by the user’s Affliction. A Lightning Barrage charge causes the user’s next Force Lightning to channel and damage twice as fast.
  • The chance to trigger Lightning Storm is now 100% (up from 60% for Lightning Strike and Thundering Blast and 20% for Force Storm) and is based on ability activation rather than dealing damage with Lightning Strike, Thundering Blast, or Force Storm. The 10-second rate limit remains, and Force Storm now shares a rate limit with Lightning Strike and Thundering Blast.

 

Madness (Sorcerer)

  • Wrath now builds up a charge whenever the Sorcerer deals damage with Force Lightning.  At 3 charges, the next Lightning Strike or Crushing Darkness is activated instantly and deals 35% more damage.
  • Focal Lightning now also decreases the force cost of Lightning Strike by 15% per stack.

Assassin

  • Spike is now a stun rather than a knockdown against players and stronger enemies.

 

Deception

  • Voltaic Slash no longer requires spending points in Impose Weakness.

Smuggler

General

  • Defense Screen has had its cooldown reduced to 20 seconds, its maximum duration reduced to 10 seconds, and now absorbs slightly more damage per use.
  • Flash Grenade now blinds a single target.

Gunslinger

  • Hunker Down is no longer removed when leaving cover. However, the player must return to cover to gain the protections offered by Hunker Down.

 

Dirty Fighting (Gunslinger)

  • Hold Your Ground now reduces the cooldown of Defense Screen by 2/4 seconds (down from 7.5/15 seconds).

Scoundrel

  • Street Tough now allows Flash Grenade to blind up to 5 targets within 5 meters.
  • Scamper has been redesigned. Using Scamper grants a charge lasting 10 seconds that allows the player to Scamper again within a 10 second window, after the second roll the ability goes on a ten second cooldown. If the charge is not used during this ten second window the ability remains off cooldown to be used again at a later time. In addition the energy cost has been removed making the ability free to use and the player no longer Scampers a shorter distance if snared.

 

Sawbones

  • Emergent Emergencies’ now grants Upper Hand when Emergency Medpac is used regardless of the target’s health, but this effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

 

Scrapper

  • Slippery Devil now gives the Scampering Scoundrel a short window of defense against all attack types (which stacks with Scamper’s normal defense bonuses).
  • K.O. now grants a buff that makes Backblast not require being behind the target after using Shoot First for 10 seconds and now immobilizes the target 3 seconds instead of knocking them down.

 

Dirty Fighting (Scoundrel)

  • Smuggled Defenses now reduces the cooldown of Defense Screen by 2/4 seconds (down from 7.5/15 seconds).
  • Scurry now has a 50%/100% chance to make the next Kolto Pack activate instantly, cost no energy, and not require or consume Upper Hand.

Imperial Agent

General

  • Shield Probe has had its cooldown reduced to 20 seconds, its maximum duration reduced to 10 seconds, and now absorbs slightly more damage per use.
  • Flashbang now only blinds a single target.

Sniper

  • Entrench is no longer removed when leaving cover. However, the player must return to cover to gain the protections offered by Entrench.

 

Lethality (Sniper)

  • Hold Your Ground now reduces the cooldown of Shield Probe by 2/4 seconds (down from 7.5/15 seconds).

Operative

  • Preparedness now allows Flashbang to blind up to 5 targets within 5 meters.
  • Exfiltrate has been redesigned. Using Exfiltrate grants a charge lasting 10 seconds that allows the player to Exfiltrate again within a 10 second window, after the second roll the ability goes on a ten second cooldown. If the charge is not used during this ten second window the ability remains off cooldown to be used again at a later time. In addition the energy cost has been removed making the ability free to use and the player no longer Exfiltrates a shorter distance if snared.

 

Medicine

  • Surgical Precision now grants Tactical Advantage when Surgical Probe is used regardless of the target’s health, but this effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

 

Concealment

  • Shadow Operative Elite now gives the Exfiltrating Operative a short window of defense against all attack types (which stacks with Exfiltrate’s normal defense bonuses).
  • Jarring Strikes now grants a buff that makes Backstab not require being behind the target after using Hidden Strike for 10 seconds and now immobilizes the target 3 seconds instead of knocking them down.

 

Lethality (Operative)

  • Escape Plan now reduces the cooldown of Shield Probe by 2/4 seconds (down from 7.5/15 seconds).
  • Quickening now has a 50%/100% chance to make the next Kolto Infusion activate instantly, cost no energy, and not require or consume Tactical Advantage.

Trooper

General

  • Full Auto now deals 4 ticks of damage instead of 3, with the first tick of damage occurring at ability activation. The total damage of the ability is unchanged, so each new tick of damage does slightly less than before.

Commando

  • Tech Override now has a base cooldown of 60 seconds.

 

Gunnery

    • Overclock now reduces the cooldown of Tech Override by 7.5/15.
    • Steadied Aim now prevents 50%/100% of pushbacks towards Full Auto, Charged Bolts and Grav Rounds.

 

  • Curtain of Fire now has a 33%/67%/100% chance to occur when using Grav Round or Charged Bolts.
  • Special Munitions now reduces the cost of High Impact Bolt by 3/6/9 Ammo while in Armor Piercing Cell.

 

Combat Medic

  • Combat Shields is now a Tier 2 Skill.
  • Efficient Conversions is now a Tier 3 Skill.

Bounty Hunter

General

  • Unload now deals 4 ticks of damage instead of 3, with the first tick of damage occurring at ability activation. The total damage of the ability is unchanged, so each new tick of damage does slightly less than before.

 

Mercenary

  • Power Surge now has a base cooldown of 60 seconds.

 

Arsenal

  • Power Overrides now reduces the cooldown of Power Surge by 7.5/15.
  • Stabilizers now prevents 50%/100% of pushbacks towards Unload, Power Shots and Tracer Missiles.
  • Barrage now has a 33%/67%/100% chance to occur when using Tracer Missile or Power Shot.
  • Upgraded Arsenal now reduces the cost of Rail Shot by 3/6/9 Heat while in High Velocity Gas Cylinder.

 

Bodyguard

  • Power Shields is now a Tier 2 Skill.
  • Heat Dampening is now a Tier 3 Skill.

Flashpoints +Operations

Flashpoints

  • The Korriban Incursion and Assault on Tython Flashpoints have been added to the Tactical Flashpoint category at level 55.
  • Added the Outbound Missions Hangar level to the Imperial and Republic Fleets with access to the Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion Flashpoints. These new Hangars can be accessed via the Mission Departures elevators.
  • Adjusted the health and damage of the bosses of the Czerka Corporate Labs and Czerka Core Meltdown Flashpoints to bring them in line with other Tactical Flashpoint bosses.
  • Reduced the radius of Security Chief Zokar’s Rocket Launcher ability in Czerka Corporate Labs.
  • Added two more Kolto Stations to the Security Chief Zokar encounter in Czerka Corporate Labs.
  • The CZ-2X Infiltrator Droids in Czerka Corporate Labs have had their weapons upgraded and now have increased range.

Operations

  • Nightmare Mode is now available for the Dread Fortress! Even greater horrors await those who wish to challenge the bastion of the Dread Masters, and even greater rewards in the form of new Dread Master equipment!This iteration of Nightmare Mode is a little different than others. The usual additional mechanics are present, as well as a new buff on the enemies called Nightmare Power. This buff grants the usual additional health and damage that has been added to previous Nightmare Modes. Anyone powerful and coordinated enough to defeat Dread Master Brontes while she is under the effect of Nightmare Power will be granted a new unique title!

    At a future date, we will remove this buff, leaving the new mechanics in place but the health and damage dealt will return to usual Hard Mode values, and the title will no longer be possible to obtain.

  • Hard and Nightmare mode Operations no longer share the same lockout. Completing a Hard Mode Operation does not prevent the completion of the Nightmare version of the same operation.  You can check the status of your lockouts in the Lockouts tab of the Mission Log.

Galactic Starfighter

General

  • The cooldown on Koigran Turn, Snap Turn, and Retro Thrusters has been increased.
  • The Power cost of Power Dive has been reduced.
  • The cooldown and Power cost of Barrel Roll has been increased.
  • Upgrades relating to the cooldown times and Power costs of these abilities have been rebalanced to account for the changes.
  • Missile lock breaking effects now consistently evade Cluster Missiles with the “Double Volley” upgrade.
  • Shield Projector’s visual effects now show up properly on all ships in the ability’s radius.
  • Icons for EMP Field’s accuracy debuff and Sensor debuff now show up on affected targets.
  • Bombers can no longer drop Drones inside of structures or asteroids.

Ships + Hangar

  • Two new Scout ships, the Spearpoint and the S-SC4 Bloodmark have been added. These support ships have access to new components designed to improve the effectiveness your squadron:
    • Combat Command – This system component increases weapon accuracy and power generation for all nearby allies (including the user)
    • Tensor Field – This system component increases the speed and turning rate of all nearby allies.
    • These ships can also equip a Repair Drone as their shield. (Identical to the Repair Drone found on the Bomber)
  • Two new Strike Fighters, the FT-7B Clarion and the FT-3C Imperium have been added. These command ships only have one primary and secondary weapon, but have system components that improve the effectiveness of your allies:
    • Combat Command – Increases weapon accuracy and power generation for all nearby allies (including the user)
    • Repair Probes – Attaches a repair probe to all nearby allied ships, which slowly restores hull over 20 seconds.
    • Remote Slicing – Transmits a slicing code that disables a ship’s system ability, and slowly drains shield power, making the ship vulnerable to your allies.

Component + Crew

  • The Dustmaker, Comet Breaker, and Demolisher Gunships can now equip Thermite Torpedoes.
  • Missile Sentry Drone concussion missiles and Seeker Mines are no longer launched at ships that are immune to missile locks.
  • EMP Field’s “Missile Lock Immunity” upgrade now cancels in-progress missile locks when it is activated.
  • Seeker Mines now have a proper in-game model.
  • Seismic Mines and Hyperspace Beacon have ended their ongoing battle for dominance and no longer share an icon. Seismic Mines now has a new icon.
  • The amount of weapon and engine Power drained by Ion Railgun hits is now linearly scaled by the current charge level of the Railgun. For example, a Railgun hit at minimum charge (25%) that previously drained 60 units of power, now only drains 15 units.
  • EMP Missiles now have sound effects when launched.
  • Scourge and Jaesa (both Light Side and Dark Side versions) no longer have their names and descriptions hidden in the Galactic Starfighter crew list.

Items + Economy

  • Brutalizer is a new tier of PvP gear obtained via Ranked Warzone Vendors on the Republic and Imperial Fleets. It requires Ranked Warzone Commendations as well as the associated Obroan piece.
  • Warzone & Ranked PvP gear vendors have had their items updated:
    • Ranked vendors now sell Brutalizer gear.
    • Warzone vendors now sell Obroan gear.
    • Warzone & Ranked Enhancement Vendors have been updated with new enhancements.
  • The effect of the Obroan Relic of Shield Amplification now occurs in PvP areas.
  • Many head slot items that were missing voice modulation have been given voice modulation.
  • Dread Master gear now drops from Nightmare Mode bosses.
  • Dreadforged gear is now craftable.
  • New Legacy Offhands are now available from the Gree Enclave Galactic Reputation Vendor.
  • All Czerka Weapons sold by the Ordanance Acquisition Corps (Empire) and The Adjudicators (Republic) vendors have had their costs reduced to 120 Elite Commendations.
  • A new “Galactic Starfighter” category has been added to the Galactic Trade Network. All Starfighter ship unlocks and customization unlocks have been moved into this new category.

Missions + NPCs

  • “[WEEKLY] Tactical Flashpoints” is a new Mission available on the Priority Mission Terminal which provides rewards for completing five level 55 Tactical Flashpoints each week.
  • Certain Companions no longer jump into frame during the cinematic on the Mission “A Family Matter.”
  • The Mission “The Heart of Darkness” in Act II of the Bounty Hunter chain now properly updates even if players choose the Dark Side option.
  • The Ship Training Dummy is no longer hogging the camera and doesn’t obstruct the view during the conversation with Risha in the Smuggler Mission Beryl’s Bargain.

Warzones

  • The Leaderboards have been reset for the end of Season 1 and preparation for Season 2. Archived data for Season 1 can be found on the main Leaderboard page.
  • Quesh Huttball Pit has been added to the Warzone rotation. The normal Warzone queue has been temporarily adjusted to increase the amount of times the Quesh Huttball Pit will be selected.
  • Power-up icons (Healing ‘plus’, Speed ‘run’, etc.) have been added underneath power-ups in all Warzones to show which power-up respawns at that position.
  • Daily and Weekly PvP Missions have been updated to include credit for the new Warzone.
  • Added the Mission Terminal that begins each of the various PvP Missions to the spawning area of each Warzone.
  • Corrected an issue that would cause combinations of lower level mods (such as the popular 46 Prototype mods) and higher level color crystals (including those from the Cartel Market) to result in a higher Bolster bonus than intended.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented weapon damage ranges from being properly bolstered. This results in an increase in damage coming from abilities that deal weapon damage.
  • Bolster has been updated to account for the new tiers of gear, and now provides additional Expertise to elder game PvE gear. Bolster still caps at a level slightly below Obroan gear.
  • Characters who do not wield weapons with Expertise mods and crystals are now capped at 1936 Expertise instead of the full 2018.

Bioware Announce Next SWTOR Expansion: Galactic Strongholds

Strongholds___Star_Wars__The_Old_RepublicBioware have made an announcement of the details of the next digital expansion for Star Wars The Old Republic.

Titled Galactic Strongholds, it’s an interesting expansion in that it is solely about Player housing or guild ships. It’s slated for a release this August, exact date to be confirmed.

Player Housing

Called a stronghold, your personal space can be located on Nar Shadaa or Coruscant / Dromund Kaas depending on your faction – and you can have one in Nar Shadaa and your capital as well, via your Legacy.

Customisation is available and will be via crafted furniture and the ability to display rewards. Some decorations will also drop in Flashpoints etc as well. It’ll be interesting to see just how far customisation can go, because as we discussed on the last podcast, it could be a make or break for how successful the strongholds are. As far as how you get a stronghold in-game, the FAQ states:

You will be able to purchase ownership of Personal Strongholds with credits you earn in-game or with Cartel Coins in the Cartel Market. For a limited time, Subscribers as of May 11, 2014, receive a complimentary unlock of the luxurious Nar Shaddaa Stronghold plus THREE ADDITIONAL ROOMS ALREADY UNLOCKED (no purchase necessary – a value of 1,500,000 credits)! Subscribers as of June 24th gain a complimentary unlock of the Nar Shaddaa Stronghold (minus the additional rooms) through July 28th.

There’s also a ranking system for strongholds, based on a ‘Prestige Score’ each time you add a decoration. And last but not least – there’ll be an option for shared storage amongst your Legacy – that alone will have a lot of people cheering.

Guild Ships

Guild flagships are also on offer in this expansion, but the details on them are a little more limited at this stage. In fact, there’s no significant information beyond confirmation from BioWare that PvP will not be an option at this stage.

Access dates

For subscribers (active by May 11th if you want the three unlocked extra rooms), access to the Nar Shadaa Stronghold will be available from June 24th to July 28th, then Preferred players (former subscribers or those who have purchased items from the Cartel store) will have access from the 29th July until whatever date the expansion actually launches.

So over to you, how much of a bonus do you see the stronghold being? And what’s your predictions for the guild flagships? Oh – and don’t forget to check out the short announcement video here.

SWTOR 2.6.2 Patch Notes

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2.6.2 Patch Notes

General

  • Players who activated the Makeb datacrons prior to 2.6.1 will have the Codex entries retroactively granted.

Cartel Market

  • The Charcoal Dewback can now be unlocked through the Collection.
  • Corrected the appearance of the Wastelander’s Gloves so that the metal attachments appear on all body types.
  • The Indomitable Vanquisher’s Saberstaff no longer has a gap between the hilt and the blade.
  • The Scrublander’s Gloves and Wastelander’s Gloves now correctly display on all body types, and their icons have been updated to reflect the correct appearance.
  • The “Emote: Chair 1” unlock available from the Rare Reputation Vendor in the Cartel Bazaar (an ICE Reputation item) now correctly unlocks the emote.
  • The Infiltrator’s Compact Sniper Rifle and the Vindicator’s Lightsaber are no longer missing weapon proficiency requirements in their Cartel Market descriptions.
  • The Korrealis Duke has returned from its spiritual journey, and is now properly found in the Vehicle category of Collections.

Flashpoints + Operations

  • Addressed performance issues within the Kuat Drive Yards Flashpoint.
  • Players are no longer able to avoid Lord Modo’s attacks at certain locations within the Command Platform scenario within Kuat Drive Yards.
  • Players attempting to use droid-specific CC abilities on Support and Suppression Droids during the Station Guardian One scenario in Kuat Drive Yards no longer see an error message saying that these NPCs are not droids.
  • During their encounter in the Dread Palace, the Dread Masters now properly cast Siphon Holocron every time they return to their throne.
  • Resolved an issue that prevented Flashpoint group members from getting experience if grouped with someone outside of the listed level range of the Flashpoint. Now, defeating level-appropriate enemies will grant experience regardless of group.

Galactic Starfighter

  • Sentry Drones no longer fire missiles or Railguns through geometry if the target breaks line of sight while the ability is charging up. Breaking line of sight resets the charge up time, and causes the drone to pick a different target if it has a clear shot at another enemy.
  • Galactic Starfighter ship roll rates are no longer slowed at low frame rates. High-end PCs will be unaffected, but players on lower-spec PCs should see a significant increase in roll speed.
  • The ION Cannon has had its volume reduced.

Items + Economy

  • Addressed an issue that resulted in the Droid Sidecar being unsearchable on the Galactic Trade Network.
  • Addressed an issue that resulted in the SR-02 Republic Scout Paint Job unsearchable on the Galactic Trade Network.

Missions + NPCs

  • Resolved an issue where enemy levels were being incorrectly colored as green instead of grey, to indicate that no XP would be gained from killing them.
  • Friend and Legend rank titles for Imperial Forward Command / Republic First Fleet Reputation are now restricted to the correct factions. “Defender of Kuat” and “Honorary Admiral” are restricted to Republic players in your Legacy. “Drive Yards Demolisher” and “Imperial Forward Commander” are restricted to Imperial players in your Legacy.

Lucky-77 Swoop: Thoughts?

Ok, it’s not as ugly as I thought it would be, but it’s still not great:

lucky-77-speeder1

Anyone out there likely to make this their main vehicle? Thought not.

SWTOR Player Housing: Like A Boss!

Now there's a nice place for a house.

Now there’s a nice place for a house.

Most of us need a place to call our own. Whether it’s decorated with works of art or discarded pizza boxes, a personal space is something many people are willing to spend time and money on. Player housing is no exception.

SWTOR has been missing such an amenity ever since its launch. For those of you who are yelling ‘your ship is player housing!’, let me just tell you why you are completely wrong, not to mention how you have completely misunderstood the concept.For a start, the game devs have admitted that any time a change on the player ships is required it makes them ‘cry’. Like a number of things in BW’s heavily modified (and in some respects broken) version of the Hero engine, making changes is tricky. The player ships are a particular issue because they have so many hooks for conversations and other aspects of progression. Changes cannot be made without risking the whole rat’s nest falling down around your ears. In fact you can only sit in chairs on your ship because it’s a frequently reset instance. If it wasn’t, you’d break the game and this is why sitting in the persistant world still can’t happen except as an emote.

‘But you can customise your ship,’ I hear the stupid cry out. No. No you can’t. You cannot truly customise your ship in any way – placing a training dummy does not count, so don’t waste your breath. In fact if that is what you understand ‘player housing’ to mean, you need to look at Rift, Wildstar and any number of games to educate yourself. Just as an example, in DCUO the player housing includes an ‘Armory’ that allows you to save and quickly switch between gear builds. Sound enticing?

With the introduction of SWTOR player housing, the team has wisely started fresh. No pre-existing knots to work through, no muss, no fuss. Finally the RP community gets a little love, finally (I hope) players get somewhere to meet up on Raid Thursday, or whatever your schedule is.

Also, everyone needs to remember that we DO NOT KNOW what the expansion will be, only that it will INCLUDE player housing. It’s highly unlikely that half a dozen apartment options is going to be the totality of it.

Sure, we could always complain that the SSHP (Super Secret Housing Project) uses resources that could otherwise be utilised to create more Ops, Flashpoints etc. But this is an MMO, which means its players have broad and divergent interests. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try. What you should do is pick your battles. I, for one, think this battle is worth fighting.

Simon is a long-time senior contributor to The Oceanic Gamer and also has his own blog

Massively: Are They F2P Snobs?

and-another-thing

This post originally appeared over at Simon’s blog – do yourself a favour and check it out.

As a serious journalist, such questions are anathema. However since I’m not a journalist or even entirely sane, let me respond to this post’s title by saying “Yes. Yes they are.”

So what do I mean by ‘snob’? Basically it’s someone who wants to hang out with society’s cream, while diminishing those they feel are inferior. In this case Massively appears to think that any game that is not subscription based is inferior because none of its feature columns are established F2P hybrids. There are two exceptions, but they don’t really count. One is a sporadic column on LotRO, penned by a staff writer. The other is Star Citizen (yes it has a form of subscription) which still has enough anticipation buzz to warrant the cost of coverage.

So why has the talented and always amiable Larry Everett had to put the Hyperspace Beacon in a brown cardboard box and move it to a new home? Well in my poorly researched opinion it is either a case of too few people clicking to it or (more likely) that they don’t want to give SWTOR the elevated level of coverage.

I can only, and will only, speculate on the reasons behind that, but as the title of this asserts I believe it to be snobbery. Somehow Massively feel it drags their site’s prestige and credibility down by covering a game that many feel (incorrectly) is a failed enterprise. Better to cover games that haven’t failed (because they haven’t been released) or games of modest success but possess great kudos in the community (EVE Online).

In the meantime the Hyperspace Beacon is alive and well at http://www.hyperspacebeacon.com/ – or follow everyones favorite wookie on twitter @shaddoe​

The good news is Larry still pens a column for Massively about the upcoming (sub based) Elder Scrolls Online.

SWTOR 2.6.1 Patch Notes

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2.6.1 Patch Notes

Highlights

New Mount! The Desert Sleen creature mount can now be obtained from the Bounty Brokers Association vendor in exchange for 50 Completed Bounty Contracts. It requires Legend rank with the B.B.A.

General

  • The Item Modification Stations in the VIP areas of the Republic and Empire Fleets now work correctly.
  • The achievement “Galactic Beastmaster” no longer requires “Beastmaster of Ilum” to complete.
  • The Starfighter Launch Decks on the Republic and Empire Fleets now grant Rested experience.
  • Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors will now be able to receive the “Species: Ugnaught” Codex entry by interacting with the Lore Object next to Rudd in Nemro’s cantina on Hutta.
  • Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors will now be able to receive the “Species: Evocii” Codex entry by killing any hostile Evocii on Hutta.
  • The +10 Endurance Datacron on Makeb will properly grant its corresponding Codex entry.
  • The +10 Presence Datacron on Makeb will properly grant its corresponding Codex entry.

Cartel Market

  • The Space Jockey’s Starfighter Pack items can now be previewed in Collections.
  • The Korrealis Duke no longer thinks it’s a weapon and has moved to the correct category in Collections.
  • The “Pushups” Rest and Recharge item now ventilates Heat when used.

Flashpoints + Operations

Flashpoints

  • During the Station Guardian One encounter in Kuat Drive Yards, the red ground indicator for the Hail of Bolts ability will remain in a fixed position.
  • Players will no longer be pushed into the environment when Lord Modo/Master Khoris uses the “Force Shockwave” ability in Kuat Drive Yards.
  • The Reprogrammed Repair Probe in Kuat Drive Yards will now properly attack and use abilities after casting Alarm.
  • Master Khoris/Lord Modo in Kuat Drive Yards can no longer stun companions with Force Distortion/Force Crush. These abilities will now only deal half damage to companions.

Operations

  • In Karagga’s Palace, Force Barrier and Entrench/Hunker Down are no longer interrupted by Bonethrasher’s Overhead Smash or Sweeping Knockback.

Galactic Starfighter

General

  • Properly executed defensive maneuvers will now avoid lock-on from Missile Sentry Drones and Seeker Mines.
  • Due to a strike organized by the Capital Ship Defense Operators, the Capital Ships in Galactic Starfighter’s Team Deathmatch mode will no longer fire at opposing players.
  • A third spawn point has been added to Team Deathmatch battles.

Component + Crew

  • The Railgun firing arc on Gunships is no longer dependent on the primary weapon that is assigned to the ship.

Items + Economy

  • The D6-S7 Astromech now properly appears when summoned.

Missions + NPCs

  • The Tactical Flashpoint daily reward now resets as intended.
  • Addressed an issue with The Secret War and The Ranken Initiative where group members were not getting quest updates if the group leader was not on the same quest step.
  • Smugglers will now properly be granted the Codex entry “Smuggler: Butcher’s Bane” and its corresponding title when completing “The Butcher.”
  • Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors who have completed The Sand Demon/Demon’s Blood missions will be properly granted the “Bestiary: Sand Demon” Codex entry. Those currently on the missions have had them reset.
  • Jedi Knights are now granted the “Persons of Note: Darth Angral (Knight)” Codex entry when completing “Race to the Ruins.” Knights who previously completed this mission will be granted it automatically.

SWTOR 2.6 Full Patch Notes

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SWTOR 2.6 is bedded down a couple of days now, but for the dedicated, here’s the full patch notes:

Highlights

Galactic Starfighter Now Available For All Players! – Galactic Starfighter is now available for Free-To-Play, Preferred, and Subscription players! Choose your ship role and help your fellow pilots in 12 vs.12 Battles. Click the Hangar icon next to your minimap to jump into the cockpit now!

New Galactic Starfighter Ship Role: Bomber – The Bomber ship role has been added to Galactic Starfighter, with six new ships available for unlock/purchase!

  • Bombers are tough support ships that drop mines and drones throughout the battlefield.
  • Mines detonate when enemies get into proximity, inflicting damage or crippling debuffs to all nearby foes.
  • Drones attack nearby enemies with a variety of weapons, while Repair Drones restore the hull of nearby allies.
  • Bombers can also place Hyperspace Beacons which function as mobile respawn points for their allies.

New Galactic Starfighter Game Mode: Team Deathmatch – Team Deathmatch is a new game mode which pits teams of players against each other. The team with the highest player kill score when either time expires or the score limit is reached wins the match. Team Deathmatch maps also contain a new feature: Power-ups.

Power–ups are spawned in the map at the start of a match, and once picked up will respawn at a random point in an area after a random amount of time. Power–ups provide boosts to the player depending on which is picked up, which currently last 45 seconds. The available Power-ups are as follows:

  • Engine Overcharge – Doubles engine power regen rate, increases ship speed by 30%, increases ship defense by 15%, refills engine power to full on pickup.
  • Weapon Overcharge – Doubles blaster power regen rate, refills blaster power to full on pickup.
  • Shield Overcharge– Doubles shield power regen rate, eliminates shield recently consumed regen delay, refills shields to full on pickup.
  • Damage Overcharge– Doubles damage from all primary and secondary non–drone weapons.

All power–ups are indicated on the minimap. The Damage Overcharge power–up is a rare spawn, however there is typically at least one up on the map at any point in time. Players that grab this power–up are identified to all players via a broadcast message and are indicated on the minimap.

New Flashpoint: Kuat Drive Yards – Both factions are interested in securing a formidable space armada and fighting over one of the largest starship construction sites. This Flashpoint is designed to be modular, with each “scenario” representing a different part of the expanding plot. This is also the first “tactical” flashpoint, providing bolstered and role-neutral gameplay, and is available to players starting at level 15.

New Reputations have been added to the Galactic Reputation page:

  • Republic First Fleet – The Republic First Fleet serves as a beacon of hope across the galaxy, protecting the Galactic Republic’s member worlds and corporate partners from the dark designs of the Sith Empire.
  • Imperial Forward Command – The Imperial Forward Command is focused on high-risk offensive strikes against the Galactic Republic and its allies, making it one of the Empire’s deadliest fleets.

New Starfighter Pack coming to the Cartel Market – The Galactic Ace’s Starfighter Pack will be available for purchase on February 11th. Cost: 320 Cartel Coins

General

  • New Mount: The KDY Orbital Lifter! This personal heavy construction vehicle was specially designed by Kuat Drive Yards for orbital engineering work deemed too delicate to be automated. It requires Legend rank with the new Imperial Forward Command / Republic First Fleet reputation.
  • A new category is available in Group Finder starting at level 15: Tactical Flashpoints. Tactical Flashpoints are role-neutral, meaning group finder will match the first four players it finds. The new Kuat Drive Yards Flashpoint is available in this category in two level brackets: 15-54 and 55. Czerka Corporate Labs and Czerka Core Meltdown are now included in this category at level 55.
  • Dread Forces in Oricon are more distracted by the madness of the Dread Masters, reducing the range of their attention.
  • Bolster now properly modifies the aggro radius of enemy NPCs and properly displays the difficulty color of enemy NPC levels.
  • Group Finder now displays the level range of players it will match for Flashpoints and Operations.
  • Players may now queue for Starfighter Battles at the same time as Warzones.

Cartel Market

New Items

  • The Galactic Ace’s Starfighter Pack will be available on February 11th. Cost: 320 Cartel Coins
  • Hypercrates containing 24 Galactic Ace’s Starfighter Packs will be available on February 11th. (Discounted by 10% for a limited time!) Cost: 6,912 Cartel Coins
  • The Galactic Ace’s Starfighter Pack items can now be previewed in Collections.

Classes + Combat

Bounty Hunter

Powertech

Advanced Prototype

  • Prototype Flame Thrower now requires High Energy Gas Cylinder to be active.

Mercenary

General

  • Mercenaries with the Combat Support Cylinder loaded will now be able to use Rapid Shots to heal themselves.

Arsenal

  • Stabilizers now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Tracer Missile and Power Shot by 50/100% (up from 35/70%)

Bodyguard

  • Kolto Shell may now be deployed on more than one target at a time, but a target still may not have more than one active Kolto Shell. Additionally, Kolto Shell now generates 10 heat (down from 16), has 6 charges (down from 10), lasts up to 3 minutes (down from 5), and heals for slightly more per charge.
  • The tooltip for the Bodyguard skill has been updated to indicate that it also reduces the rate limit of Peacekeeper, and the Bodyguard skill now requires Kolto Shell instead of Peacekeeper.
  • Peacekeeper has been moved from tier 6 down to tier 5 in the Bodyguard skill tree.
  • Cure Mind has been moved from tier 5 down to tier 4 in the Bodyguard skill tree.
  • Protective Field has been moved from tier 4 up to tier 6 in the Bodyguard skill tree.

Trooper

Vanguard

Tactics

  • Pulse Generator now requires High Energy Cell to be active.

Commando

General

  • Commandos with Combat Support Cell loaded will now be able to use Hammer Shot to heal themselves.

Gunnery

  • Steadied Aim now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Grav Round and Charged Bolts by 50/100% (up from 35/70%)

Combat Medic

  • Trauma Probe may now be deployed on more than one target at a time, but a target still may not have more than one active Trauma Probe. Additionally, Trauma Probe now costs 10 energy cells (down from 16), has 6 charges (down from 10), lasts up to 3 minutes (down from 5), and heals for slightly more per charge.
  • The tooltip for Probe Medic has been updated to indicate that it also reduces the rate limit of Frontline Medic, and Probe Medic now requires Trauma Probe instead of Frontline Medic.
  • Frontline Medic has been moved from tier 6 down to tier 5 in the Combat Medic skill tree.
  • Psych Aid has been moved from tier 5 down to tier 4 in the Combat Medic skill tree.
  • Med Zone has been moved from tier 4 up to tier 6 in the Combat Medic skill tree.

Sith Warrior

Juggernaut

Vengeance

  • Slightly increased the damage dealt by Shatter.
  • Shatter now deals Internal Damage instead of Elemental Damage, as the tooltip indicates.
  • Rampage has been redesigned: Impale and Shatter have a 33.3/66.7/100% chance to produce a stack of Rampage. At 2 stacks, Rampage finishes the cooldown on Ravage and generates 3 Rage.

Jedi Knight

Jedi Guardian

Vigilance

  • Slightly increased the damage dealt by Plasma Brand.
  • Zen Strike has been redesigned: Overhead Slash and Plasma Brand have a 33.3/66.7/100% chance to produce a stack of Zen Strike. At 2 stacks, Zen Strike finishes the cooldown on Master Strike and generates 3 Focus.

Sith Inquisitor

Sorcerer

Lightning

  • Subversion now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Lightning Strike by 50/100% (up from 35/70%). The rest of the benefits provided by Subversion remain unchanged.

Madness

  • Sith Efficacy now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Force Lightning by 33.3/66.7/100% (up from 25/50/75%). The rest of the benefits provided by Sith Efficacy remain unchanged.

Jedi Consular

Sage

Telekinetics

  • Concentration now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Disturbance by 50/100% (up from 35/70%). The rest of the benefits provided by Concentration remain unchanged.

Balance

  • Psychic Barrier now reduces the pushback suffered while activating Telekinetic Throw by 33.3/66.7/100% (up from 25/50/75%). The rest of the benefits provided by Psychic Barrier remain unchanged.

Imperial Agent

General

  • Reduced the activation time, cooldown, energy cost, and damage done by Orbital Strike.

Operative

General

  • Lowered the cost of Hidden Strike to 15 energy (down from 17 energy), increased its cooldown to 9 seconds (up from 7.5 seconds), and increased the damage it deals
  • Increased the duration of Tactical Advantage by 5 seconds (now 15, up from 10)

Concealment

  • Surgical Strikes now increases the damage dealt by Shiv, Overload Shot, and Backstab by 5% (up from 4%)
  • Collateral Strike now has a 50/100% chance to trigger when Laceration is used (up from 35/70%)
  • Culling now increases the damage dealt by Laceration and Collateral Strike by 3/6% (up from 2/4%) and recovers 4/8 energy whenever Collateral Strike damages an enemy target (down from 5/10)
  • Waylay now increases the damage dealt by Backstab by 5% (up from 4%)
  • Meticulously Kept Blades now additionally increases the critical damage dealt by Laceration by 10/20/30%, but no longer increases the critical damage dealt by Sever Tendon
  • Calculated Frenzy no longer increases alacrity when triggered, but now increases ranged and tech critical chance by 2/4/6% instead

Lethality

  • Corrosive Microbes is now a single-point skill (down from 2) but still increases the chance for Corrosive Dart to tick twice when it deals damage by 25%
  • Lethal Injectors is now a 2-point skill (up from 1), but each point still increases the duration of Corrosive Dart by 3 seconds (so 2 points in the skill now increase the duration of Corrosive Dart by a total of 6 seconds, granting 2 additional ticks of damage)

Sniper

Lethality

  • Corrosive Microbes is now a single-point skill (down from 2) but still increases the chance for Corrosive Dart to tick twice when it deals damage by 25%
  • Lethal Injectors is now a 2-point skill (up from 1), but each point still increases the duration of Corrosive Dart by 3 seconds (so 2 points in the skill now increase the duration of Corrosive Dart by a total of 6 seconds, granting 2 additional ticks of damage)

Smuggler

General

  • Reduced the activation time, cooldown, energy cost, and damage done by XS Freighter Flyby.

Scoundrel

General

  • Lowered the cost of Shoot First to 15 energy (down from 17 energy), increased its cooldown to 9 seconds (up from 7.5 seconds), and increased the damage it deals
  • Increased the duration of Upper Hand by 5 seconds (now 15, up from 10)

Scrapper

General

  • Scrappy now increases the damage dealt by Blaster Whip, Quick Shot, and Back Blast by 5% (up from 4%)
  • Flying Fists now has a 50/100% chance to trigger when Sucker Punch is used (up from 35/70%)
  • Turn the Tables now increases the damage dealt by Sucker Punch and Flying Fists by 3/6% (up from 2/4%) and recovers 4/8 energy whenever Flying Fists damages an enemy target (down from 5/10)
  • Sawed Off now increases the damage dealt by Back Blast by 5% (up from 4%)
  • Underdog now additionally increases the critical damage dealt by Sucker Punch by 10/20/30%, but no longer increases the critical damage dealt by Tendon Blast
  • Rolling Punches no longer increases alacrity when triggered, but now increases ranged and tech critical chance by 2/4/6% instead

Dirty Fighting

  • Mortal Wound is now a single-point skill (down from 2) but still increases the chance for Vital Shot to tick twice when it deals damage by 25%
  • Open Wound is now a 2-point skill (up from 1), but each point still increases the duration of Vital Shot by 3 seconds (so 2 points in the skill now increase the duration of Vital Shot by a total of 6 seconds, granting 2 additional ticks of damage)

Gunslinger

Dirty Fighting

  • Mortal Wound is now a single-point skill (down from 2) but still increases the chance for Vital Shot to tick twice when it deals damage by 25%
  • Open Wound is now a 2-point skill (up from 1), but each point still increases the duration of Vital Shot by 3 seconds (so 2 points in the skill now increase the duration of Vital Shot by a total of 6 seconds, granting 2 additional ticks of damage)

Galactic Starfighter

General

  • New Feature: Battle Record – Your personal Galactic Starfighter Battle Record can now be accessed via a button in the upper right corner of the Hangar. Features include detailed lifetime battle stats, and the ability to link each stat to chat.
  • New Feature: Detailed Scoreboard –Galactic Starfighter’s scoreboard will now feature new tabs containing information on:
    • Performance – Track stats including kills, deaths, damaged dealt/received, hit %, objective captures, and more!
    • Earning – A detailed breakdown of the Requisition you’ve earned during a battle and how it was earned.
  • Starfighter Battles no longer lower durability of player equipment.
  • A new non-contributor system has been added, replacing our previous AFK system. You may now initiate a kick against non-contributing players via the Map screen.
  • Addressed an issue where low population checks happened prior to initial spawn, which caused some Battles to fail to start successfully.
  • The new Starfighter Launch Deck floor on the Fleet can be accessed from the Mission Departures elevator.
  • Typing “/squad” will allow you to chat with players in your Squad and/or Group.
  • Quick Look functionality has been added. Players may use their keyboard’s number pad to quickly shift their camera’s view without affecting ship movement.
  • Players who only inflict shield damage to a target now receive appropriate Requisition for the assist when the target is destroyed.
  • Targeted enemies are now highlighted on the Map and Minimap screens.
  • Queuing for Galactic Starfighter battles no longer blocks character changes.
  • If you have an enemy selected it will now show their target’s name in the Targeting Computer.
  • Debuffs can no longer be applied to targets after their death.
  • A confirmation dialog has been added before travelling to the tutorial level.
  • Combat HUD tutorial information on Enemy and Objective Indicators has been expanded.
  • Combat Controls tutorial has been updated to feature targeted defense drones.
  • Added a tutorial for Galactic Starfighter Battle Type: Team Deathmatch.
  • Addressed an issue where tutorial notifications could not be properly dismissed.
  • Players will now be invulnerable to all hull damage while in the Galactic Starfighter tutorial.
  • Several forcefields have been removed from the Abandoned Shipyards level in Domination mode.
  • Team Deathmatch features new map layouts for the existing Lost Shipyards and Kuat Mesas environments.

Ships + Hangar

  • Gunships now get an additional 5 requisition for kills and assists where a secondary weapon is used to deal damage.
  • Putting power to weapons now boosts damage by 10% (down from 20%) and putting power to shields or engines now reduces weapon damage by 5% (down from 10%)
  • The dialog for new purchases within the Hangar has been enhanced to show the exact breakdown of Fleet and Ship Requisition to be used.
  • Auto Roll functionality has been added. Press “V” (by default) to rotate your Starfighter to the default orientation.
  • Selected ships can now be removed from the Readied Ships menu.

Components + Crew

  • A new EMP Missile secondary weapon is now available on the Pike/Quell Strike Fighter.
    • The EMP Missile is a counter to clustered enemies, mines and drones.
    • On impact, it emits a 3000m radius pulse which damages and disables mines and drones.
    • Any player ship caught in the blast will suffer minor damage, and render their system ability unusable.
    • A new EMP Field System is now available on the NovaDive/Blackbolt Scouts.

 

    • The EMP Field is a counter to clustered enemies, mines, and drones.
    • It emits a 3000m radius pulse around the scout which damage and disables mines and drones.
    • Any player ship caught in the blast will have their sensor range and blaster accuracy reduced, and their System Ability rendered unusable.
  • Directional Shield is now available on the Comet Breaker/Dustmaker and Premium Strongarm/Demolisher Gunships.
  • The “Increased Range” upgrade for Sabotage Probe, Cluster Missiles, Concussion Missiles, and Ion Missiles now features a 10% increase.
  • Thermite Torpedoes have had their range increased to 10000m
  • Ion Missiles have had their range increased to 7000m
  • Upgrades purchased for an individual drone no longer improperly affect other drone types.
  • Crew members now animate within the Hangar preview window.
  • Crew abilities “Running Interference” and “Wingman” have had their area of effect ranges increased from 1000m to 3000m.
  • Bowdaar no longer wears a hoodie within the Hangar.
  • Description for the “Rotational Thrusters” engine component has been changed to accurately show the range as 15,000m, not 150,000m.
  • The “Lockdown” Crew Ability may now only be fired on enemy players and no longer drones or defense turret.
  • Charged Plating now allows 40% of the damage done to it to bleed through to the hull, down from 50%. Its shield capacity has been lowered from 150% to 130%.
  • Interdiction Drive has had a balance pass, and its tooltip now details its effects:
    • Boosts player speed by 20% for 6 seconds
    • Reduces speed and turning rate of all enemies within 3000m by 10% for 6 seconds
  • Shield Piercing upgrades have been reduced in power, and weapons with native Shield Piercing have had their damage reduced slightly.
  • Bypass crew ability now grants 16% shield piercing to both primary and secondary weapons (down from 35%).
  • Evasion has been reduced in power:
    • Response Tuning and Lightweight Armor have had their passive evasion bonuses reduced by 1%
    • Distortion Field now grants 9% passive evasion, down from 15%, but has had its shield capacity increased from 70% to 80%
    • Distortion Field’s active ability now grants only 27% evasion, but has had its duration extended to 6 seconds. The tier 1 upgrade now grants 8% evasion, down from 10%.
  • Railgun weapons now require a minimum charge of 25% before firing.
  • Mines and drones no longer display the name of the player who deployed them, only their type.

Items + Economy

  • The 2-piece Field Tech’s PvP set bonus now increases the range of Distraction and Takedown or Quickdraw by 5 meters.
  • The 4-piece Field Tech’s PvP set bonus now increases the duration of Orbital Strike or XS Freighter Flyby by 3 seconds.

SWTOR 2.5.1 Patch Notes

swtor-patch-incoming-banner

Here they are, better late than never!

Game Update 2.5.1 Patch Notes

Highlights

  • The Relics of the Gree Event will return on December 17th! Be sure to pay a visit to Ilum’s Western Ice shelf, as The Green Enclave will only be around until January 1st.
  • Celebrate Wookiee Life Day starting December 17th. This new event will have players of all species throwing “Snowball Bombs” at each other with reckless abandon. This event will run until January 1st.

Cartel Market

General

    • The Ashfall Tauntaun can now be unlocked in the Collections UI.
    • Jedi Consulars and Bounty Hunters will now Flourish when using the /flourish emote.

Classes and Combat

Imperial Agent

Sniper
Lethality
        • Lethal Dose now correctly affects Interrogation Probe.

Items and Economy

  • The following items no longer require “Event Equipment Requisition Authorization”:
    • Infected Mako Customization
    • Infected Andronikos Revel Customization
    • Infected Corso Riggs Customization
    • Infected Kira Carsen Customization
    • Infected Tharan Cedrax Customization
    • Infected Vector Customization
    • Infected Malavai Quinn Customization
    • Infected Elara Dorne Customization
    • Advanced Black-Green Centurion’s Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Eviscerating Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Hawkeye Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Indestructible Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Resistance Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Savage Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green Vehemence Crystal
    • Advanced Black-Green War Hero’s Crystal
    • Republic Containment Officer Armor
    • Republic Containment Officer Boots
    • Republic Containment Officer Gloves
    • Republic Containment Officer Helmet
    • Republic Containment Officer Legs
    • Republic Containment Officer Belt
    • Imperial Containment Officer Armor
    • Imperial Containment Officer Boots
    • Imperial Containment Officer Gloves
    • Imperial Containment Officer Helmet
    • Imperial Containment Officer Legs
    • Imperial Containment Officer Belt
    • Sand People Bloodguard Bodywrap
    • Sand People Bloodguard Footwraps
    • Sand People Bloodguard Handwraps
    • Sand People Bloodguard Headwrap
    • Sand People Bloodguard Legwraps
    • Sand People Bloodguard Waistwrap
    • Sand People Bloodguard Wristwraps
    • Gray Helix Lightsaber
    • Gray Helix Saberstaff
    • Gray Helix Blaster
    • Gray Helix Blaster Rifle
    • Gray Helix Autocannon
    • Gray Helix Sniper Rifle
    • Authorization: Gray Secant

Galactic Starfighter

General

      • The icon for Rocket Pods will now display correctly on IL-5 class ships.
      • Player’s clients will no longer crash when dragging their mouse in Galactic Starfighter.
      • Players will no longer be able to access the Galactic Starfighter tutorial:
        • While in combat.
        • While falling.
        • In an exhaustion zone.
        • In any group instance including Warzones, Flashpoints, Operations, Galactic Starfighter matches, or Space Combat Missions.
        • In any phased Mission area, including Class and Planetary Mission areas.

Ships and Hangar

      • When converting Ship to Fleet Requisition, the player will no longer be prompted individually for each ship.
      • Hangar descriptions for the IL-5 SkyBolt, IL-5 Ocula, TZ-24 Enforcer, and TZ-24 Gladiator have been corrected to match their Cartel Market descriptions.

Components and Crew

    • Updated the icon for the “Response Tuning” Crew Ability.
    • Updated the icon for “Peripheral Vision” Crew Ability.
    • Players are now able to select the “None” option for blaster and engine cosmetic modifications.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

  • Corrected a text error in the “Thank you” email received from making a Cartel Coin purchase from Amazon.
  • Corrected various typos in the Galactic Starfighter credits in French and German.