Double XP Event Date: May 4th - 18th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT) Requirement: None!
Starting May 4th and lasting until May 18th there will be a Double XP event! Enjoy multiple weeks of Double XP, Valor, Renown, and more.
Relics of the Gree Date: May 4th - 11th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT) Requirement: Level 50+
Explore Ilum's contested area in the Western Ice Shelf to uncover the mysterious purpose of the Gray Secant, an enormous ancient Gree starship. Get ready to face a powerful opponent that awaits you at the center of this ancient vessel. Visit the in-game News Terminal located on Carrick Station in the Republic fleet or Vaiken Spacedock in the Imperial fleet to get started on your adventure!
FEATURED REWARDS:
Reputation with the Gree Enclave
Gree Digitization Cube
White, Red, and Blue Scalene Armor
Gray Helix Weapons
L1-L Defender, L1-L Scout, and Miniature Gray Secant Mini-pets
Cyan Sphere, Blue Sphere and Red Sphere Vehicles
…and more!
Pirate Incursion Date: May 18th - 25th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT) Requirement: Level 20+
The remote planet Dantooine has been thrust into the center of escalating hostilities between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Spurred on in secret by covert Imperial forces, the Nova Blade pirates have staged an all-out attack on the pastoral Republic world. As the Republic scrambles to defend this key territory at the edge of Imperial space, the Empire plans to capitalize on the chaos and deal a major blow to the longtime Republic bastion.
FEATURED REWARDS:
Nova Blade and Dantooine Homesteader Armor Sets
Ugnaught Companion
Walker Mount
Kath Hound Mount
Kath Hound Mini-pet
Dantooine-inspired Stronghold Decorations
…and more!
Cartel Market Additions: Game Update 6.3
Mythosaur Hunter's Armor Set Available Now!
(Weapon not included.)
Mythosaur Hunter's Glaive Available Now!
Dark Marauder's Armor Set Available Now!
(Weapon not included.)
Marauder's Mace Available Now!
Tactical Ranger Armor Set Available Now!
(This Armor Set draws the inspiration for its appearance from The Bad Batch! Visor color changes depending on equipped Color Crystal. Visor orientation changes when entering combat stance. Weapon not included.)
Elite Forces Helmet Bundle Available Soon!
(This bundle draws the inspiration for its appearance from The Bad Batch! Includes the Scrapper's, Demolisher's, and Codebreaker helmets. This bundle will be released to the Cartel Market on May 4th, 2021.)
WL0-RX1 Assault Tank Mount Available Now!
(This Mount draws the inspiration for its appearance from The Bad Batch! Mount flourish changes the position of thrusters.)
Defender's White / Pale Yellow and Defender's Pale Yellow / White Dye Modules Available Now!
(Default color, Defender's White / Pale Yellow, then Defender's Pale Yellow / White Dye as shown on the Sinister Warrior Armor Set.)
Mandalorian Rebels Personnel Bundle Available Now!
Game Update 6.3 ‘The Dark Descent’ is live!
With the launch of Game Update 6.3, “The Dark Descent,” we’re introducing a brand new Flashpoint--Secrets of the Enclave--and the first season of Galactic Seasons. This Game Update also marks the beginning of Ranked PvP Season 14.
Secrets of the Enclave
In this new Flashpoint, players will explore the ruins of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine in search of Darth Malgus. Players will experience a new and unique story based on their associated faction. To help them in their quest, players will be joined by different companions: Aryn Leneer and Arn Peralun for Republic players and Darth Rivix and Darth Krovos for Imperial players.
Embark on this new Flashpoint now to discover the secrets that brought Darth Malgus to the ruins of the Jedi Enclave!
Alongside this new Flashpoint, we’re introducing the first season of Galactic Seasons: “The Stranger from Kubindi.”
With this new system, players will complete Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives to earn new rewards, such as a new Companion, Fleet Penthouse Strongholds, Armor Sets, Mounts, and much more! More information here: Welcome to Galactic Seasons!
PvP Season 14
Game Update 6.3 also kicks off Season 14 of Ranked PvP! Jump into PvP matches and show your fighting skills to climb through the tiers. More information here: Ranked Season 14 PvP Rewards.
With the start of this new season, Season 13 Ranked PvP Rewards are now available on our PvP Vendor, Giradda the Hutt, on the Fleet.
Log in now to check out the new Secrets of the Enclave Flashpoint, the first Galactic Season, “The Stranger from Kubindi,” and fight to climb the ranks in Ranked PvP Season 14! The full patch note list for this update can be found here.
Galactic Season 1: The Stranger from Kubindi
As we announced earlier this year, Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent” is introducing a new system called Galactic Seasons! The first season that players will experience is The Stranger from Kubindi. Throughout the next five months, players will be able to earn new and exciting rewards by actively completing Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives. The reward structure is split into two separate tracks: one is available for all players, no matter their Subscription status, and the second reward track is for Subscribers. We have a lot to discuss with this article, including Galactic Season Points, Daily/Weekly Priority Objectives, rewards, and much more!
Galactic Seasons Points
Players can progress through all 100 levels of Galactic Seasons by earning Galactic Seasons Points. Each Reward Level will require 8 Galactic Season Points to obtain, for a total of 800 Galactic Season Points over the course of the Season. There are three separate ways that players can earn these points:
Logging into SWTOR
Earn Galactic Season Points through Login Rewards by simply logging in any 4 days of the week.
Free and Preferred players receive 4 Galactic Season Points per week.
Subscribers receive 8 Galactic Season Points per week.
Completing Daily Priority Objectives
Free and Preferred players receive 2 Galactic Season Points each.
Subscribers receive 3 Galactic Season Points each.
Completing Weekly Priority Objectives
Free and Preferred players receive 8 Galactic Season Points each.
Subscribers receive 12 Galactic Season Points each.
While Subscribers earn points at a faster rate, Free-to-Play and Preferred players will still be able to reach Reward Level 100 of Galactic Seasons, as long as they are diligent about completing Priority Objectives and logging into SWTOR. As the season progresses, a catch-up system will unlock, allowing players to spend in-game credits to catch up on season levels. Additionally, players may spend Cartel Coins at any time to jump ahead in progress.
The primary avenue of earning Galactic Season Points, however, comes through Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives, so let’s go more in-depth on what these entail.
Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives
These new types of objectives are found with a unique marker at the top of the Conquest Objective list. Priority Objectives may be replaced with a refresh: once a day for Daily Priority Objectives and once a week for Weekly Priority Objectives. The assignment of these objectives are random, so a group of friends could have different objectives! With that in mind, let’s take a look at all the possible objectives.
Each week, the Priority Objectives will shift from one region of the galaxy to another, and objectives will be relevant to the planets in that region. Sprinkled throughout each week are speciality requests from the new Kubaz Companion that this first Galactic Season is centered around: Altuur zok Adon. These missions require the player to tackle Priority Objectives that include locating and defeating Insectoids. After five weeks, the cycle starts again with the Week 1 objectives.. Below is a listing of all potential Priority Objectives players could get for each of these weeks:
Week 1: Coreward Worlds [table] [tr][th]Priority Objective Type[/th] [th]Requirement[/th][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat enemies across “Coreward” planets (Alderaan, Balmorra, Corellia, Mek-Sha, or Onderon).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat Insectoids across “Coreward” planets (Alderaan or Balmorra).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Heroic missions across “Coreward” planets (Alderaan, Balmorra, or Corellia).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Daily Missions across “Coreward” planets (Black Hole or Onderon).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Compete in any Unranked Warzone match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete any Galactic Starfighter match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Hutta, Korriban, Ord Mantell, or Tython.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any of the “Coreward Worlds” Story Mode Operations (Nature of Progress once, Scum and Villainy once, or Hive of the Mountain Queen three times).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 “Coreward Worlds” Veteran Mode Flashpoints through Group Finder (Assault on Tython, Kuat Drive Yards, Depths of Manaan, or Red Reaper).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 Unranked Warzone matches.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 4 Galactic Starfighter matches.[/td][/tr] [/table] Week 2: Distant Outer Rim [table] [tr][th]Priority Objective Type[/th] [th]Requirement[/th][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td] Defeat Enemies across “Distant Outer Rim'' planets (Belsavis, Hoth, Rishi, or Tatooine).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat Insectoids across Tatooine.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Heroic missions across “Distant Outer Rim” planets (Belsavis, Hoth, or Tatooine).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Daily Missions across “Distant Outer Rim” planets (Rishi or Section X).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Compete in any Unranked Warzone match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete any Galactic Starfighter match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Hutta, Korriban, Ord Mantell, or Tython.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any one of the “Distant Outer Rim” Story Mode Operations (Eternity Vault, Explosive Conflict, Terror From Beyond, or The Ravagers).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any 3 “Distant Outer Rim” Veteran Mode Flashpoints through Group Finder (Battle of Rishi, Blood Hunt, Athiss, Mandalorian Raiders, or Taral V).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 Unranked Warzone matches.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 4 Galactic Starfighter matches.[/td][/tr] [/table] Week 3: Hutt Space [table] [tr][th]Priority Objective Type[/th] [th]Requirement[/th][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat enemies across “Hutt Space” planets (Makeb, Nar Shaddaa, Quesh, Voss, or Ossus).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat Insectoids across “Hutt Space'' planets (Voss or Ossus).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Heroic missions across “Hutt Space” planets (Makeb, Nar Shaddaa, or Voss).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Daily Missions across “Hutt Space” planets (Makeb or Ossus).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Compete in any Unranked Warzone match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete any Galactic Starfighter match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Hutta, Korriban, Ord Mantell, or Tython.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any of the “Hutt Space” Story Mode Operations (Karagga’s Palace once, Scum and Villainy once, Toborro’s Courtyard three times, or Hive of the Mountain Queen three times).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any 3 “Hutt Space” Veteran Mode Flashpoints through Group Finder (Cademimu, Directive 7, or Kuat Drive Yards).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 Unranked Warzone matches.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 4 Galactic Starfighter matches.[/td][/tr] [/table]
Week 4: Seat of the Empire [table] [tr][th]Priority Objective Type[/th] [th]Requirement[/th][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat enemies across “Seat of the Empire” planets (Oricon, Taris, Yavin 4, or Dantooine).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat Insectoids across the galaxy.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Heroic Missions on Taris.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Daily Missions across “Seat of the Empire” planets (Oricon, Yavin 4, or Ziost).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Compete in any Unranked Warzone match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete any Galactic Starfighter match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Hutta, Korriban, Ord Mantell, or Tython.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any of the “Seat of the Empire” Story Mode Operations (Dread Fortress once, Dread Palace once, Temple of Sacrifice once, or Colossal Monolith three times).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any 3 “Seat of the Empire” Veteran Mode Flashpoints through Group Finder (Korriban Incursion, False Emperor, Boarding Party, The Foundry, or Maelstrom Prison).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 Unranked Warzone matches.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 4 Galactic Starfighter matches.[/td][/tr] [/table]
Week 5: Unknown and Wild Space [table] [tr][th]Priority Objective Type[/th] [th]Requirement[/th][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat enemies across ”Unknown and Wild Space” planets (CZ-198, Ilum, or Iokath).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat Insectoids across the galaxy.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete Daily Missions across “Unknown and Wild Space” planets (CZ-198 or Iokath).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Compete in any Unranked Warzone match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Complete any Galactic Starfighter match.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Hutta, Korriban, Ord Mantell, or Tython.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Daily[/td] [td]Defeat non-player opponents across Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any of the “Unknown and Wild Space” Story Mode Operations (Gods From the Machine, Terror From Beyond, Hive of the Mountain Queen three times, or Colossal Monolith three times).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete any 3 “Unknown Wild Space” Veteran Mode Flashpoints through the Group Finder (Czerka Corporate Labs, Czerka Core Meltdown, Legacy of the Rakata, Battle of Ilum, or Directive 7).[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 3 Unranked Warzone matches.[/td][/tr][tr][td]Weekly[/td] [td]Complete 4 Galactic Starfighter matches.[/td][/tr] [/table]
Now that we’ve discussed how players can level up through Galactic Seasons and the potential Priority Objectives, let’s answer what a lot of people want to know: what are the rewards?
Seasonal Rewards
Galactic Seasons can be broken down into two Reward Tracks: one that’s free and available to all players regardless of their Subscription status, and another for Subscribers. The following rewards are available for all players, regardless of their Subscription status:
[table] [tr][td]New Kubaz Companion: Altuur zok Adon[/td][/tr][tr][td]Altuur zok Adon premium gifts (Granting up to Rank 18 Influence in total)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Mythran Armor Set[/td][/tr][tr][td]Legacy Title: Ally to the Kubaz[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Kubindi Terrarium Stronghold decorations[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Adon Portrait Stronghold decorations[/td][/tr][tr][td]2 Classic Cartel Weapon Packs - Bronze Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]2 Classic Cartel Armor Packs - Bronze Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]2 Classic Cartel Mount Packs - Bronze Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]Classic Cartel Weapon Pack - Silver Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]Classic Cartel Armor Pack - Silver Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]Classic Cartel Mount Pack - Silver Quality[/td][/tr][tr][td]5 Galactic Season Tokens[/td][/tr] [/table] (From left to right: Altuur zok Adon, Mythran Armor Set, Adon Portrait decoration, and Kubindi Terrarium decoration.)
In addition to these rewards, Subscribers will also be eligible for even more rewards via the Subscriber Reward Track! Here is a complete list of all the rewards available through this additional track:
[table] [tr][td]The complete Altuur's Ornate Weapon Set[/td][/tr][tr][td]The complete Altuur's Exquisite Weapon Set[/td][/tr][tr][td]Mythran Hunter Armor Set[/td][/tr][tr][td]Shadowlight Vehicle Mount[/td][/tr][tr][td]Subterranean, Arid, and Albino Teithek Mounts[/td][/tr][tr][td]Starclipse (unique Altuur zok Adon weapon)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Altuur's Infiltrator and Reconnaissance Customizations[/td][/tr][tr][td]Altuur's Superior Armor set (can only be used by Altuur)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Altuur zok Adon premium gifts (granting up to Rank 50 Influence with gifts from the free reward track)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Stronghold Label: Hideout[/td][/tr][tr][td]Legacy Title: Honored Among Kubaz Queens[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Smuggled Art Stronghold decorations[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Insecticulture Research Stronghold decorations[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Kubindi Hive Farm Stronghold decorations[/td][/tr][tr][td]10 Galactic Season Tokens (in total)[/td][/tr][tr][td]4000 Cartel Coins (in total)[/td][/tr] [/table] (Pictured above is the entire Altuur’s Ornate Weapon Set. Players will receive duplicates of items that can be dual-wielded.)
(Pictured above is the entire Altuur’s Exquisite Weapon Set. Players will receive duplicates of items that can be dual-wielded.)
(Mythran Hunter Armor Set.)
(From left to right: Altuur's Superior Armor set, Altuur’s Reconnaissance Customization, Altuur's Infiltrator Customization, and the Starclipse weapon.)
(Shadowlight Vehicle Mount.)
(From left to right: Subterranean, Arid, and Albino Teithek Mounts.)
(From left to right: Kubindi Hive Farm, Insecticulture Research, and Smuggled Art Stronghold decorations.)
Jaleit Nall
Jaleit Nall, one of the two new Galactic Seasons vendors, features classic and previously unobtainable promotional rewards with a few new things sprinkled in, such as the Carrick Station and Vaiken Spacedock Penthouse Strongholds! Everything available from this vendor can be purchased with the new Galactic Season Tokens earned through the two Seasonal Reward Tracks. Jaleit Nall’s inventory will rotate over time, ensuring that players always have something interesting to work toward.
While the new Fleet Apartment Strongholds will be available all the way through Season 2, all of the other rewards will be on a varied 3-5 week rotation. Using the Companion Dazh Ranos as an example, after being available for five weeks, she’ll then be unavailable for five weeks before appearing again. Not all rewards will be available on the vendor at the same time. [table] [tr][th]Galactic Stronghold[/th] [th]Cost[/th][/tr][tr][td]Carrick Station Stronghold Deed[/td] [td]8 Tokens[/td][/tr][tr][td]Vaiken Spacedock Stronghold Deed[/td] [td]8 Tokens[/td][/tr][/table] (Still image of the main lobby for the Carrick Station Stronghold.)
(One of the three rooms for the Vaiken Spacedock Stronghold.)
(From left to right and top to bottom: Model Zakuul Battlecruiser, Model Gravestone, Model Mach 2, Mini-Mogul NM-1, K1-W4 Astromech Droid, and JA-3 Subversive Battle Droid Mini-pets.)
(From left to right and top to bottom: RE-1 Scout Droid, Tauntaun Ram, Makrin Creeper Seedling, Gannifari, and Heliotropic Subteroth Mini-pets.)
(From left to right:Nico Okarr's Duster and HK-55 Helmet.)
[table] [tr][th]Stronghold Decorations[/th] [th]Cost[/th][/tr][tr][td]Galactic Alliance Statue Replica[/td] [td]2 Tokens[/td][/tr][tr][td]Grand Statue of Revan Replica[/td] [td]3 Tokens[/td][/tr][tr][td]Makeb Gazebo Replica[/td] [td]3 Tokens[/td][/tr][tr][td]Propaganda: Fight for the Meatbags Replica[/td] [td]2 Tokens[/td][/tr][/table]
(From left to right: Galactic Alliance Statue Replica, Grand Statue of Revan Replica, Makeb Gazebo Replica, and Propaganda: Fight for the Meatbags Replica Stronghold decorations.)
Ki’at Thavo, our other Galactic Seasons vendor, functions a bit differently. Ki’at’s inventory is a select offering of Seasonal rewards found on the Subscriber reward track. Like his counterpart, purchasing something from Ki’at’s inventory requires Galactic Season Tokens, giving Free-to-Play or Preferred players the option to purchase Subscriber Reward Track rewards, while simultaneously giving Subscribers the most flexibility with their Galactic Season Tokens!
While the Season is underway, Subscribers will not be eligible to purchase items from Ki’at Thavo to help prevent accidental purchases of rewards they can earn later from the Subscriber Reward Track. Once the Season concludes, Ki’at’s inventory will open to everyone, giving Subscribers the opportunity to purchase rewards they might have missed out on. Ki’at Thavo’s inventory is Seasonal, and will completely refresh with all new rewards at the start of Season 2.
(Pictured above is the entire Altuur’s Ornate Weapon Set. Players will receive duplicates of items that can be dual-wielded.)
(From left to right: Altuur's Infiltrator Customization, Arid Teithek Mount, and the Subterranean Teithek Mount.)
FAQ
How much can I level up Altuur zok Adon?
With all of the Companion gifts between the two reward tracks, Subscribers who reach level 100 will be guaranteed to have Altuur zok Adon at Rank 50 Influence by the end of the Season.
How can I level Altuur zok Adon outside of Galactic Seasons?
Just like other Companions, sending Altuur zok Adon on Crew Skill missions will increase his Influence. Additionally, the Commander’s Compendium will increase his influence to Rank 50.
I got Altuur zok Adon to Rank 50 Influence on my main character, but what about leveling him on other characters?
Once you have reached Rank 50 Influence with Altuur zok Adon, you will unlock a new Legacy Unlock that allows you to purchase Altuur’s companion gifts with Credits. Visit Jaleit Nall, located in the Galactic Seasons alcove on the Fleet to purchase the gifts.
Will I be able to get both of the new Fleet Apartment Strongholds during this Season?
It is intended for only one of the Strongholds to be obtainable during one Season, so you will be able to acquire the other in the following Season.
That’s it for the in-depth review of our first Galactic Season: The Stranger from Kubindi. We broke down how to level up through the Season, what Priority Objectives players can expect to encounter, and most importantly, what cool rewards are up for grabs! This system is now officially live along with Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent”.
Game Update 6.3 Patch Notes
Highlights:
New Flashpoint - Secrets of the Enclave - Experience a new story and unearth secrets that brought Darth Malgus to the Jedi Enclave ruins on Dantooine!
Galactic Seasons - Welcome to the first Galactic Season: “The Stranger from Kubindi.” Complete Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives to earn new rewards. More information here: Welcome to Galactic Seasons
Double XP for May 4th! - Running May the 4th and lasting until May 18th, enjoy two weeks full of Double XP, Valor, and Renown.
Ranked PvP Season 14 - Today marks the beginning of Ranked PvP Season 14. Players who participated and earned Bronze, Silver, and Gold rewards during season 13 will find their rewards waiting in their mailboxes. Top 96 players will receive their rewards in the coming days. Season 13 Ranked PvP Rewards are now available on our PvP Vendor, Giradda the Hutt, on the Fleet.
General
The Onderon Explorer Achievement is now working properly.
The Legacy Stronghold Limit has been increased to 20 (up from 15).
Updated the chat filter to help combat spam messages.
Reduced the Legacy Level Requirements of the following Convenience Unlocks:
Legacy Fleet Pass I, II, and III now require Legacy Level 1/5/10 (down from 5/10/15).
Legacy Travel I, II, and III now require Legacy Level 1/5/10 (down from 5/10/15).
Rocket Boost now requires Legacy Level 1 (down from 8).
Improved Priority Transport: Personal Starship I now requires Legacy Level 15 (down from 30).
All players now have access to Displaying Titles and Unifying Colors.
The Day 7 Login Reward crate now correctly displays an icon.
The chat command /sneeze now uses the Sneeze Emote as intended.
The chat command /bound now correctly plays the Bound Emote.
Corrected the following issues with the Emote window:
Jumping after using an emote from the window no longer repeats the emote.
The Cartel Market window no longer pops back after the character jumps if the player previously selected a Locked Emote.
The Customize Appearance tab no longer overlaps with the Character sheet.
Updated copy for the Customize Appearance options panel in German to avoid text-overflow.
Offhands are now correctly displayed when inspecting a character.
There is no longer an invisible Amplifier List Window preventing players from interacting with the game world while an Outfit Designer tab is active.
Double-clicking on Nautolan to select the species when creating a Sith Marauder now works correctly.
The Alignment indicator no longer goes beyond the limit at certain values.
The Companions & Contacts window’s hitbox has been adjusted to fit the window edges.
The Legacy shortcut in the top menu is now always available even if a Legacy is not unlocked yet.
Free-to-play and Preferred Status players no longer have higher credit costs at some vendors.
Free-to-play restrictions are now correctly displayed when Free-to-play players try to use the Who window.
Corrected environment issues in the following areas:
The southern part of the Jedi Library Ruins on Ossus.
Near the elevator to Oasis City in the Scum and Villainy Operation.
In the central part of the Star Chamber.
In the north side of “The Works” area in Divided We Fall Uprising.
Above the Ancient Sith Crypt on Onderon.
There is no longer a hole in the ground on the central side of the Axial Park, next to “Coronet Zoo” on Corellia.
Added a force field in The Tenebrous Hangar Deck to prevent players from falling under the map.
Fixed graphics issues on the sign at the entrance to Okara Droid Factory on Balmorra.
Cartel Market
The MTX Pack Explorer’s tabs now display correctly in German.
Fixed the following visual issues on the Cybernetic Pauldron’s Chestguard:
The shoulder pads no longer stretch when the character’s head on all body types turns to the side.
The skirt on the back of the chestguard now lies more smoothly on female characters.
To alleviate clipping issues, facial hair is now hidden on all male body types on every race that has a beard feature when wearing the following helmets:
The Cybernetic Pauldron’s Headgear.
The Force Pilgrim’s Mask (excluding mustaches).
The tooltip of the Patient Defender’s Armor Set in the Collections and Storefront now correctly mentions that it has two types of chest pieces.
Corrected the following issues on the Patient Defender’s Armor Set:
The Patient Defender’s Helmet is no longer clipping with the ears of Cathar species on body types 1, 2, and 3.
The Patient Defender’s Helmet is no longer clipping with Rattataki’s piercings on all body types.
The cape from the Patient Defender’s Chest piece is no longer clipping with the rest of the armor on all body types.
Corrected several issues on the Force Pilgrim’s Armor Set:
To alleviate clipping issues, the Miraluka's masks are now hidden when wearing the Force Pilgrim’s Mask on all body types.
The Force Pilgrim’s Hood no longer clips with the character’s skin on all body types.
Items + Economy
The refund timer of eligible items no longer pauses while the player is offline.
Removed the incorrect decoration listing of “Datacron: Dark Vs Light” under Furniture/Arrangements.
Changed the "Infamous Mercenary Armor Set" to "Infamous Bounty Hunter Armor Set" in Collections and on the Storefront in order to match the item name.
Preferred players can now equip their characters with items over iLevel 270 (Spoils of War Premium and Prototypes items) as intended.
The Character Rename item now correctly allows names with special characters or diacritics.
Applying an enhancement to a bindable item is now correctly binding that item to the player.
The Ultraviolet Blast Tactical has been redesigned and its effect has changed to:
Hemorrhaging Blast finishes off all your directly applied bleed effects on the target at once, dealing all their remaining damage. While the target is affected by Hemorrhaging Blast, Wounding Shots converts your lingering bleed effects on the target into the original bleed effects. Hemorrhaging Blast's cooldown is increased by 6 seconds.
The Ultraviolet Blast Tactical has been redesigned and its effect has changed to:
Weakening Blast finishes off all your directly applied poison effects on the target at once, dealing all their remaining damage. While the target is affected by Weakening Blast, Cull converts your lingering poison effects on the target into the original poison effects. Weakening Blast's cooldown is increased by 6 seconds.
Trooper Commando Commando Tacticals
The extra damage from the Energized Charges Tactical is now correctly applied to Commandos.
Flashpoints General
The following Flashpoint missions can now be shared in Story Mode:
Assault on Tython
Battle of Ilum
Battle of Rishi
Blood Hunt
Boarding Party
The Esseles
The Foundry
The False Emperor
Korriban Incursion
Maelstrom Prison
Taral V
Activity Finder no longer matches players below level 75 with Flashpoints they can’t access, including:
Objective Meridian
The Spirit of Vengeance
Lost Island and Kaon Under Siege have returned to the Activity Finder in Veteran Mode starting at level 50.
Flashpoints Kaon Under Siege
Melarra is no longer below the platform preventing players from interacting with her in the Kaon Under Siege Flashpoint.
Star Fortress
The Star Fortress bosses in Veteran Mode are now correctly dropping loot.
Fixed an issue that could cause the EPHEMERIS encounter to break if reinforcement waves from the elevators are killed too quickly.
Star Fortress Heroic Mode is now rewarding credits in addition to Experience and Renown Points.
The Spirit of Vengeance
Players defeated by the Ash’ad Sharpshooter trap no longer respawn at the beginning of the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint, preventing them from progressing in the Flashpoint.
Players are no longer stuck in combat with the Ash’ad Sharpshooters after falling through the trap door in the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint.
Bask Sunn is no longer using the Skytrooper death explosion animation in the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint.
Corrected Gorga Brak’s behavior in the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint - Master Mode:
Gorga Brak is now immune to interrupts.
Gorga Brak now only gains a stack of Stand and Fight if the player escapes his Immobilize effect while using Full Auto.
Heta Kol is now properly spawning a loot chest after being defeated.
Troya Ajak is no longer missing the visual effects of the Songbird Volley and Songbird Salvo projectiles in the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint.
Made the following balance adjustments to the Spirit of Vengeance Flashpoint Solo-Story and Solo mode:
Reduced damage of Gorga Brak and Bask Sunn.
Reduced health of strong and elite enemies.
Players are now bolstered in these modes.
Operations The Nature of Progress
Fixed an issue where a Lit Neutralizer Flare would stop functioning if the player who threw it moved more than 70m away from the initial position in The Nature of Progress Operation.
Players can no longer stand on the center platform of the Apex Vanguard room without suffering damage after the first battery is removed in The Nature of Progress Operation, as intended.
The Apex Vanguard now becomes angry if players attempt to run from it while ignoring Darkness Overdrive in The Nature of Progress Operation.
Corrected the following issues on the Ventilation Station in the Nature of Progress Operation:
Early activation of the Ventilation Station within a very specific timing window no longer breaks the Red Venom Cloud mechanic for the remainder of the encounter.
Reduced the active duration of the Ventilation Station to 10s to align with the visual duration of the spinning fans.
Uprisings
The Healing terminals in Uprisings now have names.
Galactic Starfighter General
Remote Slicing now requires line of sight and the amount of Engine Drain suffered is reduced by half.
Missions + NPCs
World Bosses now reward 25 Tech Fragments and 1 World Boss Equipment Crate to each player at level 75, instead of being shared amongst all players.
The mission indicator for the step “Rendezvous with Zenith” of the Jedi Consular’s Mission “Passing the Torch” now points correctly to the next step.
Added an indicator to the usable datapad to increase its visibility at the step “Return to Lana Beniko on Vaiken Spacedock” in “Forged Alliances: Part III” Mission.
The ship blaster fire is now correctly displayed in the space battle during Echoes of Oblivion.
A duplicate Kira Carsen no longer appears at the “Speak with Kira Carsen” step of Echoes of Oblivion.
The NPC “Sandor” is no longer flying above the ground on Dromund Kaas.
Players without a current target no longer continually auto-target nearby friendly NPCs who are engaged in combat in "Chapter VIII: End Times" of Knights of the Eternal Throne.
The text of Space Combat Mission rewards now correctly mentions Renown Points instead of Command Points.
Warzones General
PvP brackets have been merged into two brackets instead of three: 1-74 and 75.
After several performance adjustments bringing them more on-par with the classic Huttball map, Queshball and Vandin Huttball are now back in the PvP Map Rotation.
It is no longer possible to get stuck on the terminals in the Tatooine Canyon Arena Map.
Fixed a typo in the description of the Season 3 Mount Achiever Achievement.
PvP target dummies from the following locations no longer incorrectly have Expertise applied:
Starter planets
Capital worlds
Fleets
Personal ships
Characters with lower than iRating 306 gear no longer have higher stats than characters in 306 iRating gear in PvP Modes.
Mandalorian Battle Ring Arena has been temporarily removed from the PvP Arena rotation while we investigate reports of players randomly dying throughout the area.
Events All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally
There is now an animation in the daily cinematics for Pit Screamers for the following planets:
Onderon
Dantooine
Tatooine
The last yellow gate for the gangs' Bonus Timer Achievements on the following planets has been moved behind the finish line:
Tatooine
Onderon
Dantooine (moved in a previous update, 6.2.1)
Nar Shaddaa Nightlife
The Nightlife Event decoration “Floor Trap - Fire” is now correctly lined-up with the Stronghold hooks.
Conquests
Guild Commendations are now rewarded for completed Planetary Invasions during the next conquest event.
Infinitely repeatable Conquest objectives in the personal conquest window are now correctly updated to match the Achievements tracker.
Ranked PvP Season 14 starts this week!
Ranked PvP Season 14 will officially start tomorrow with the launch of Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent”! Rewards for players who achieved Bronze, Silver, and Gold ranking in Season 13 will be waiting in your mailboxes following tomorrow’s scheduled maintenance. For those who climbed to the very top and obtained Platinum ranking, rewards will go out in the near future. As we kick off the new season, let’s talk about what rewards Ranked Season 14 will offer.
New Rewards
Since we introduced a new Mount and new Armor set in the last two seasons, it's time for us to introduce a new Weapon Set! Check out the concept art for the Season 14 Weapon Set below. Stay tuned--later in the season, when we announce the ratings breakdown, we’ll show off screenshots of the weapons in action.
Tier Rewards
We're slightly adjusting how we communicate the rewards for reaching Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum rankings. Rewards for each ranking will be communicated at the start of the season in addition to revealing the new rewards. This way, players will have a better understanding of what rewards they can aim for!
Bronze Tier
Bronze Season 14 Flair
Bronze Season 14 Battle Flag
Bronze Season 14 Decoration
Bronze Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Resourceful
37,500 Ranked Tokens
Silver Tier
Silver Season 14 Flair
Silver Season 14 Battle Flag
Silver Season 14 Decoration
Silver Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Determined
Bronze Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Resourceful
75,000 Ranked Tokens
Gold Tier
Gold Season 14 Flair
Gold Season 14 Battle Flag
Gold Season 14 Decoration
Gold Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Resolute
Silver Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Determined
Bronze Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Resourceful
150,000 Ranked Tokens
Platinum Tier - Top 96 (Top 3 of each Advanced Class on the leaderboard)
Platinum Season 14 Flair
Platinum Season 14 Title – [PlayerName] the Tenacious [AdvancedClass]
Ex: [PlayerName] the Tenacious Marauder
225,000 Ranked Tokens
All previous tier rewards (not including token grants)
As for each tier’s rating requirements, players will have to wait until we're well into Ranked Season 14 for that breakdown. With that, we wrap up the Ranked Season 14 kickoff article. Best of luck to every PvPer across the galaxy!
Behind the Scenes of the “Secrets of the Enclave” Flashpoint Part 1: Gameplay
Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent” brings players a new Flashpoint called “Secrets of the Enclave” and features one of the most notorious Sith Lords, Darth Malgus. The Flashpoint takes players to the previously unexplored Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. In a previous interview with World Designer Allison Berryman we discussed the creation of a new event: Behind the Scenes of “Feast of Prosperity.” Allison is back, this time to discuss the process of creating a new Flashpoint. We discuss the difference between the creation process of an event and a Flashpoint, the introduction of the Jedi Enclave in SWTOR gameplay, and more!
To begin, tell us about yourself and your role on the SWTOR team.
Hi, again! Y'all have heard from me before. I'm a World Designer on our team, so I wear a lot of hats. Most of what I do is putting together the building blocks that make missions work, from scripting out objectives to hooking up logic that gets you through conversations. Sometimes they even let me dabble in a little writing--like in the Feast of Prosperity and Swoop Gang events. In this case, I was the primary designer for the entire Flashpoint (but I still had a lot of help).
Can you tell us more about the “Secrets of the Enclave” Flashpoint and its genesis?
In Secrets of the Enclave, you get to revisit the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine--a truly nostalgic place for all the Knights of the Old Republic fans out there. Like several recent Flashpoints, it has a Solo-Story mode that takes you on the full adventure alongside the typical single-player, Veteran, and Master Modes. We've been wanting to peek inside the enclave for some time in our game (and we know fans have, too), and our recent storylines finally gave us a great reason to go inside. You'll be pursuing Malgus and trying to figure out what his plans are as you fight your way through the ruins. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but I think most everyone will enjoy their time here.
Last time, we interviewed you about the creation of the new “Feast of Prosperity” Event. How is the Flashpoint creation process different from the Event creation process?
Flashpoints are a different beast than events, that's for sure. We did some stuff I was really proud of for the Feast (like the new mini-games and incorporating World Bosses into the event), but Flashpoints have even more moving pieces—specifically when it comes to encounter design for bosses. It's a big challenge to create fights that are entertaining and easy to understand, but still as difficult as they need to be. Since our modes differ significantly in the number of players and group compositions we need to support, we have to make adjustments to every boss to get each mode feeling right. Some mechanics that work great for a full group with a tank, healer, and two DPS don't always work for a solo player, so there's a lot of fine tuning we need to do.
Another thing I wanted to be careful of was making sure the Flashpoint was a reasonable length--you should be able to jump in and complete a Flashpoint relatively quickly in most cases, and boss fights shouldn't go on too long. It's a lot easier to judge how quickly you can complete one solo mission for an event than to get the overall flow and length of a Flashpoint down. And that's just the design side--so many people need to be involved in the creation process for a Flashpoint! From end to end, they're some of the most complex pieces of content we make (Operations being the very most complex). I could go on, but I'm putting the finishing touches on things as we speak.
The Jedi Enclave is such an iconic place in The Old Republic. Why did the team choose this location and how did you integrate it into SWTOR gameplay?
Like I mentioned above, we've wanted to go to the enclave just as much as our fans have, and now was just the right time. I think one of the most important elements of the Flashpoint is its environment, and I'm pretty sure everyone will agree with me that art knocked it way out of the park. We've got a great variety in environments--you start outside in the rolling Dantooine hills (where you'll notice some really nice VFX touches, like butterflies), transition into the crystal-studded cave, and then through the lower and upper enclave itself. It lent itself really well to a diverse cast of bosses and enemies and to different gameplay patterns.
The first bit feels open, the latter two thirds are more linear (though there are still some nice treats for those who go out of the way in the ruins!), but the corridors are broken up nicely by some awesome, highly recognizable rooms. I think there's a little something for everyone in here, whether you like to take your time and explore, or if you just like fun boss encounters (I hope!). There’s also a bonus mission that has a little bit of a trick to it to unlock the optional boss, so there’s quite a bit of gameplay variety packed in there.
To wrap things up, what is your favorite part about this new Flashpoint?
That's not a fair question. I love it all. I'm more interested in hearing what players think is the best part. But if I really, really have to answer, I love the way the Terentatek boss hurls himself at you full-force, face planting directly on you. He's perfect, and don't think for one second that I don't see you folks on PTS teasing him by getting underneath his room!
That does remind me, I want to shout out everyone who has been playing and leaving feedback on the PTS. I know I asked a ton of questions, but your feedback has been really crucial in getting this right. I read every bit of it and sincerely appreciate the effort you all put into your responses. Thanks to everyone who made this Flashpoint come together, and I can’t wait for you all to play it.
Thank you for your time, Allison! As a reminder, the “Secrets of the Enclave” Flashpoint will be available, along with Galactic Seasons, with Game Update 6.3 “The Dark Descent” April 27th, 2021. If you'd like to know more about this next update, keep an eye on our newsfeed.
“Quite A Story To Tell” Short Story
The silence in the room was heavy, until Master Satele placed a worn cup on the table with a soft thud. Steam rose in steady wisps from the fragrant liquid inside. Aryn Leneer sat awkwardly, her hands in her lap as she stared at the drink.
“This tea comes highly recommended from General Daeruun,” Master Satele offered.
“Thanks,” Aryn warmed her hands on the sides of the cup. “I take it that means it’s good?”
“Very.”
The quiet returned, and the former Jedi Grand Master remained standing, her eyes slowly searching Aryn’s face. It made her nervous.
“You can sit too, you know,” Aryn said.
“I prefer to stand,” Master Satele countered. “But,” she continued as Aryn frowned, “if it makes you feel more comfortable, I will sit.” Master Satele pulled out a chair, and Aryn took a sip of the tea she’d been offered. It was good; really good. And, unexpectedly, it soothed her nerves a bit.
“You probably don’t know much about what I’ve been up to after… after I left the order,” Aryn began.
“I have heard a few things.”
“Right,” Aryn took another long sip of tea. “We live on Dantooine--Zeerid, Arra, and I. We have a farm. It’s peaceful.”
“It sounds wonderful.”
“It is,” Aryn replied. “We don’t see a lot of trouble. So when something is wrong… you notice.”
Another sip of tea; if nothing else, it gave her time to steel herself. Now or never. She had to say it.
“Darth Malgus came to Dantooine.”
The Jedi’s steady gaze didn’t so much as waver. Aryn didn’t expect the notoriously calm Master Satele Shan to cause a scene, but it was unnerving to see no reaction at all. She might as well have said it was starting to rain.
Aryn continued, “I could sense that he was coming, so we got ready. Zeerid locked down the farm, took Arra somewhere safe--”
“And what did you do?”
After Master Satele’s long silence, her question was so sudden that Aryn thought she might fall out of her chair.
“I… I went looking for him. Followed his trail to the only place on Dantooine a Sith Lord would be interested in.”
“The enclave…” Master Satele said, barely above a whisper.
Aryn downed the rest of the tea. She wasn’t sure if it was the drink’s calming effects, or that Master Satele’s stoic veneer seemed to be cracking, but she finally started to feel some confidence in reliving what had happened.
In the same way she could sense Malgus approaching Dantooine before he arrived, Aryn could feel the powerful Force energy radiating from the abandoned Jedi Enclave before it came into view. But as her speeder raced across the grassy plains toward the crumbling ruins, she could sense something else coming from within, a strong presence, entwined with the enclave’s aura, corrupting it…
Malgus.
Aryn maneuvered the old bucket of bolts behind the biggest blba tree she could find and parked it in the shade of the leafy canopy. She thanked the stars for Zeerid, who had put a brand new power cell in it the day before. No chance of getting stranded out there.
She kept her eyes on the entrance to the ruins as she fixed her lightsaber to her belt. The weight of the weapon--and of what it meant to carry it--had become unfamiliar in the many years since she last wielded it. Fending off unruly kath hounds and the occasional thief on the farm didn’t require such a sophisticated weapon. And honestly, she expected--hoped--to never need the lightsaber again.
As she watched the ruins, minutes passed without any sign of movement. Whether Malgus had already accomplished what he came for and fled, or whether he was still inside, Aryn couldn’t be sure. There was only one way to find out.
There were many ways to get into the old enclave, but Malgus, brazen as he was, probably wouldn’t hesitate to stroll right through the front door. Aryn didn’t feel particularly brazen, but she would do the same.
She stumbled into the shadowy enclave from the brightness of midday. Her eyes adjusted to the enclave’s dark hallways quickly enough, but she still kept her hand close to her lightsaber’s hilt while everything around her came into focus. If she was going to do this, she’d do it carefully. She reached out through the Force, but she couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary--at least, nothing felt different from what she’d been feeling so far. And if an ambush was coming, it would’ve happened by now.
Aryn turned and surveyed the area around her. From the few points of light that filtered through the cracks in the ceiling, she could make out great hulking chunks of fractured stone. Who knew what they might have once protected in here, before they came crashing down centuries ago; now, they only blocked intruders from reaching many forgotten areas of the enclave.
Her gaze settled on one end of the gloomy hallway. A curtain of dust, dancing in a sliver of sunlight, hung in front of an opening so dark, it could only mean that it led further inside.
As Aryn carefully picked her way over the debris littered across the stone floor, she couldn’t stop thinking about the irony of what was happening. How many Jedi would have given their dueling arm for the chance to be here? And here she was--an outcast, a failure--stumbling through the darkness of one of the Jedi’s best kept secrets.
She kept her pace slow. No telling what sorts of things decided to make their homes in here, and from the rustling she heard when she got too close to the walls, she didn’t want to find out. As for what the Jedi left behind, traps, alarms… that was an even bigger mystery.
It didn’t take long before the steady, but faint, sense of Malgus’s proximity suddenly flared up and hit her like a wave. It was almost unbearable as it knocked the air from her lungs. Not only was Malgus still inside the ruins, he was close.
In the murky dark, she heard him before she saw him. The telltale sound of a crystal sparking, igniting a lightsaber’s blade. She slammed her eyes shut and raised her arms over her head, summoning the strongest Force shield she could muster in the little time she had. But the blow never landed…
And there was nothing there when she opened her eyes, only brief flashes of red lighting up the walls in the distance. Whatever Malgus was fighting down there, it wasn’t going down easy.
Aryn picked up the pace. Each of her echoing footsteps was drowned out more and more by the sounds of Malgus in combat. Metal crashing against stone. Humming energy slicing through circuitry. She pulled her own lightsaber from her belt and held the pad of her thumb against the activation switch.
She reached the end of the hallway, where the mouth opened up into a cavernous stone room. She could see the entrances to other corridors scattered around the outer wall. And in the center of the chamber, a commanding tower of might, a shadowed silhouette shrouded by the dark side of the Force… Darth Malgus.
His back was turned, and Aryn ducked behind a jagged section of the tunnel wall before Malgus had the opportunity to spot her. Crouched down in her hiding place, she watched as formidable combat droids--the Jedi’s defenses were still active, after all these years--crumpled like they were made of sackcloth. The droids were swift and brutal, and she couldn’t tell where they were coming from, but it didn’t matter. He ruthlessly cut each of them down just as fast as they came online.
Nothing was slowing Malgus down. With each effortless swing of his lightsaber, each crushing blow from his fist, she could feel it: he was just as powerful today as he had been when she last saw him, decades ago. Back then, she could hold her own against him, but now… there was no way she could defeat him. Not alone.
Slowly, Aryn moved to head back the way she came, bent low and out of sight. But when the small rock she disturbed with her foot clattered loudly--too loudly--across the stone floor, she realized that Malgus’s battle was over. The echo of stone bouncing against stone was deafening, but not as much as the silence that followed.
Aryn froze, except for her hand twitching around the hilt of her lightsaber. She shut her eyes and willed every muscle in her body to be as still as the rock that surrounded her. Her ears strained, but she couldn’t hear anything over her pounding heart.
The sound of searing electricity tore through the air as Malgus’s lightsaber blazed to life. Aryn waited, shallow breaths ticking the seconds by as she weighed her options. If she attacked from this position, the surprise could give her the upper hand. It’d be the hardest fight of her life, but she would be damned if just let the Sith Lord take her down.
Aryn pushed the breath she’d been holding through her teeth and tightened her grip on her lightsaber until her weathered knuckles turned white. She pushed the soles of her boots firmly into the dirt… And she ran.
Without looking back, Aryn sliced her arm in an arc behind her, knocking several of the larger stones down into something that resembled a barricade. She thrust her lightsaber’s hilt in front of her as she ran and hit the activation switch, and the blade illuminated the darkened space.
Fighting Malgus would always be a gamble. There was a small--but almost negligible--chance she might win, but Aryn learned from a very young age to trust in her own feelings. And with every fiber of her being, she could feel that if she faced Malgus now, she would never see the sunlight again.
The same sunlight that shone like a beacon at the end of the tunnel.
She stopped suddenly when her feet hit the soil outside the enclave ruins. In the distance, next to the tree where she’d hidden her speeder, a figure was jumping off his own vehicle. Aryn sheathed her lightsaber and ran toward the tree with every bit of strength she had left.
“Aryn!” the figure called out as she entered the shade of the blba tree.
Before she could stop herself, her body collided with Zeerid’s, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders.
“What are you doing here?” Aryn asked through her attempts to catch her breath.
Zeerid’s bearded face softened into worry at Aryn’s urgency. “I came to help you. Not like I needed much convincing, but Arra said she’d never forgive me if I let you do this alone.”
“How’d you know where I was?”
“I had a hunch Malgus might be after something in this place.”
“He’s in there. I think…” Aryn swallowed. “I think he knew I was in there, too.”
“What? Is he following you?” Zeerid’s hand flew to the blaster at his hip as he scanned the entrance to the ruins.
“I don’t know,” Aryn replied. “But we’re not sticking around to find out.” She swung a leg over her speeder and started it up, its engine rumbling to life.
“So, what do we do?” Zeerid asked as he climbed onto his own speeder.
Aryn faced the ruins. Malgus’s presence, his pain, his anger, his power… she could still feel all of it so strongly outside the sturdy walls of the abandoned enclave. To defeat him, they would need the only people strong enough to oppose such a force. Unfortunately, the people they needed probably wouldn’t be too happy to see Aryn.
“I wanted to fight him.” Aryn tilted the empty cup back and forth, rolling the bottom along the wooden tabletop. “Maybe I should have. But deep down, I knew--it was going to take more than one ex-Jedi to stop a monster like Malgus. So, once I got Zeerid and Arra somewhere safe, I came here. I came to you.”
Master Satele’s bright blue gaze remained steady throughout Aryn’s story, but now, just for a moment, Aryn thought she saw something like amusement as the Jedi narrowed her eyes.
“I am glad to see that as you’ve matured, you’ve learned to let a cooler head prevail.”
Aryn folded her hands in her lap and gave a curt nod. Whether Master Satele was offering good-natured ribbing or genuine criticism, Aryn had no desire to be reminded of why she withdrew from the Jedi Order.
“I could feel Malgus’s anger, his frustration, but there was more. It almost felt like he was… confused. Like he knew what he was searching for, but he couldn’t find it.” Aryn sighed. “That’s all I know. I would tell you more if I could.”
“It’s all right. You’ve done well, Aryn. Thank you.” Master Satele stood and crossed to the opposite wall, her back to the room.
“So,” Master Satele began. “How should we handle this?”
Aryn furrowed her brow. “Why are you asking me?” she replied to Master Satele’s back. “This is Jedi business now, and you’re the last person I need to remind that I’m not a Jedi anymore.”
Master Satele turned to face her, her passive expression easing into understanding. “You’re not the only one who relinquished their ties to the Jedi. My role--my place--in the order isn’t what it used to be. If I am being truthful, it’s been different for years, really. But we will all have our parts to play in this, regardless of our standing in the Jedi Order.”
A wordless moment passed, but before Aryn could respond, a cool, clear voice rang out from the door to their meeting room. A young woman with bright red hair leaned against the door’s frame, arms crossed.
“Satele, Sal-Deron asked to see you. When you can spare a moment.”
“What fortunate timing,” Master Satele replied. “There is someone I would like her to speak with.”
The young woman barely spared a glance at Aryn before she turned and left the room.
Master Satele gestured toward the door, her gaze on Aryn once again. “Let’s go together. I know Master Sal-Deron would be very interested in hearing what you have to say.”
Aryn stood and walked a few paces toward the door. “Just ‘Satele?’ Since when are you so informal with other Jedi?”
“Syl is… a complicated student. I try to choose my battles wisely when it comes to her. It seems to help...” Master Satele ushered Aryn into the hallway, closing the door behind them. She walked to the right and motioned for Aryn to follow.
“I mean it when I say things have changed, Aryn, the Jedi Order and many of us with it. Others hold the responsibility that once was mine, and I need you to tell them your story before you return to your family.”
The two walked on. “I understand that the Jedi aren’t what they used to be,” Aryn began. “But things… can’t be that different, can they?”
“Oh, yes,” Master Satele replied, serenely. “But change is one thing that the Jedi have always been familiar with, no matter how hard we fight it. And after all that you’ve shared with me today, I feel that more change is yet to come…”
SWTOR In-Game Events for April
The All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally Date: April 6th - April 13th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT) Requirement: Levels 20+
In the growing shadow of war, swoop fans across the galaxy descend on Dantooine, Tatooine, and even Onderon for the sport’s biggest spectacle—The All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally! They’re packing the stands, eager to take their minds off their troubles and cheer their favorite swoop gangs. The bikers are here to take on dangerous challenge courses, show off their piloting skills, and flaunt their souped-up swoop bikes. The thunder of the engines, the deafening applause from the fans, the wind battering their helmets… there’s no bigger rush for these thrill seekers.
Despite their reputation as wild rebels whose makeshift courses disregard local districting restrictions, swoop gangs aren’t a serious threat to anyone--something all true swoop fans know! They just love adrenaline-pounding speed, sweet jumps, and big explosions, and the All Worlds Ultimate Swoop Rally combines all three in one crowd-pleasing package. The biggest gangs on the circuit — Horizon’s Razor, the Pit Screamers, and the Blatant Beks — are ready to show their fans a great time.
FEATURED REWARDS:
Swoop Rally Mounts (regular and gold versions)
Swoop Gang Outfits
Promotion Droid Mini-pets
Various Stronghold Decorations
…and more!
Rakghoul Resurgence on Corellia Date: April 20th - April 27th, 2021 (BEGINS AND ENDS AT 5:00AM PST/12:00PM GMT) Requirement: Levels 25+
The Hyland Organization for Rakghoul Neutralization (T.H.O.R.N.) has issued an official level-2 emergency alert concerning an outbreak of the Rakghoul plague on Corellia. Quarantines have been put in place to restrict traffic of the plague off-world, but exceptions will be made for individuals with priority clearance.
T.H.O.R.N. is recruiting qualified volunteer emergency responders to travel to affected areas to combat the spread of the Rakghoul plague. More information about the outbreak can be found by checking the News Terminals on the Republic or Imperial Fleet!
T.H.O.R.N. wishes to remind you that plague symptoms can be treated if they are identified in the early stages of infection. Whether or not you have travel plans, please consult your nearest trusted medical supply droid and get vaccinated!
FEATURED REWARDS:
Reputation with THORN
Merciless Seeker’s Armor Set
THORN Epicenter and Dark Vector Armor Sets
Outbreak Response Weapons
Alliance Contact - Doctor Lokin
Infected Varactyl and Infected Dewback Mounts
Ferocious Rakghoul Mini-pets
…and more!
Game Update 6.3 Livestream VOD
Special guests, Game Update 6.3 'The Dark Descent' details, and good times await you! Join us for a spin through our livestream which aired on March 18th, 2021 on our Twitch channel. This is a recording of the event that has been edited down for YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G0AUgGuTuU
Below you can find timestamps for different sections of the livestream:
Game Update 6.3 - 'The Dark Descent' Announcement - (00;06;05)
This section also includes a first look of the upcoming Flashpoint - Secrets of the Enclave.
Pre-recorded interview with Moira Quirk! - (00;13;00)
Moira is the voice behind the new character Aryn Leneer, who players have seen a few glimpses of. Aryn will be joining Republic players in the upcoming Flashpoint!
Galactic Seasons - (00;39;00)
An article going in-depth about Galactic Seasons was published earlier today.
Pre-recorded interview with Gideon Emery! - (00;47;03)
Gideon is the voice behind Darth Rivix, who Empire players have interacted with a bit. Darth Rivix will be joining Empire players in the upcoming Flashpoint!
