With Game Update 1.3 looming on the horizon, players of Star Wars: The Old Republic can once again expect to see numerous changes and additions made to various game systems. Though it is not likely to be a content-heavy patch, there are many significant upgrades coming to Crew Skills, Augmentation functionality and much more. While the Group Finder tool is potentially the most anticipated feature of this patch, there are sure to be a lot of other changes to enjoy, including many quality-of-life improvements. For our complete coverage of what to expect from Update 1.3, read on past the jump.
Note: Updates to this article will come as BioWare announces changes and additions to Update 1.3. This article only serves as a small glimpse of content coming in the patch.
Group Finder
- The new Group Finder system will allow players to find and join a party for a Flashpoint, Story Mode Operation, or mission content on a particular planet.
- Players will have the ability to choose between finding a group for random (“Operation”) or specific (“Denova”) content.
- There will be an incentive for completing a daily random Flashpoint, details of which are currently unknown.
- Players will be able to select in advance which combat role (DPS, Healer, Tank) they are willing to fulfill.
It is fairly simple and basically what we want to do is to give you a really simple front end that you can use as well as those give you the ability to fine tune your choices a little more so the really simple approach is you open a group finder you choose what role – tank, heal or DPS – that you are willing to fulfill and you can choose multiple if your class can fill multiple and then you choose what kind of content that you want to do and that content is going to be flashpoints, heroic flashpoints, operations although story mode operations only for now and then world content, the planetary content where you basically say I want a quest on Belsavis.
Then if you hit select from there, then it will try to find people who want to do that stuff. Now if there is a particular dungeon or particular planet that you want to do by default what it does it gets you to the level of appropriate flashpoints for you. If you really want to the quest in the Mandalorian Raiders flashpoint for example you can go and unselect everything else and just say, “Hey, I just want to sign up for that.” And the group finder will try to find other people who are looking for that content as well so that is a great way for you to target certain quests that you want to accomplish. We felt that was important in our game because of where the game is right now where people are trying to clear out their quest logs and accomplish certain goals in certain places.
However, if you play the random game, especially for flashpoints and heroic flashpoints, and you just set yourself purely random then like yeah we are going to throw a cookie at you. We are going to give you, I forgot what the itemization guys ended up offering, but you are going to want to try to do a random dungeon day I believe.
Legacy
- The Legacy system will see another major expansion in Patch 1.3. Some of the most exciting additions focus on providing alternate ways to level, with players being given the opportunity to to unlock bonus experiences gains in Flashpoints, PvP Warzones or Space Combat.
You are also getting the next part of Legacy, which we had a little in-game advert going for that beforehand, which are your character perks, which is that is all about the uniqueness of your character how you want to play each individual character. Hey, you know what I want to actually get my speeder early. I want to get more XP from PvP. I want to really sort of shape how I am going to play this guy. I have already played another character maybe I want to see different content but I want to be able to just mostly do that content and still get my character up at the same rate which brings a lot of exciting stuff and although Legacy will keep going after that and we will continue to expand it, those are really the two biggest thematic concepts that will be there for the players.
- The additions will also add numerous new convenience options. Increasing the run speed granted by sprint, allowing a respec of player skill trees in the field and enhancing the affection gained by player companions are just a handful of the possibilities that may be made available to make player life easier.
- Players will also be given the opportunity to purchase upgrades that will increase their companions’ chance to critically succeed on missions or while crafting items.
- All of these unlocks are currently preview-able in-game by opening your Legacy panel (by default, the “Y” key) and selecting “Coming Soon” on the left-hand side. Please note that as with any “Coming Soon” announcement, this list is subject to change and is by no means all-inclusive or final.
- Also worth noting is that these additions to the Legacy system will differ from previous Legacy unlocks, in that they will only be unlocked on a per-character basis.
Augmentation
- Players will finally be able to add Augment slots to crafted items in 1.3. Adding an Augment slot will require both credits and an Augment kit, which will be crafted by players. The required materials to construct Augment kits will be harvested from reverse-engineering crafted gear. It appears adding Augment slots will require utilizing one of the previously defunct General Enhancement Stations (currently being referred to variously by the developers as “augment tables” or “item modification tables”) found throughout the game world.
Adding an augment to an item through the augment table will require an augment kit and credits. The kits can be traded and are created by crafters. RE’ing crafted items gives you the materials required to create augment kits.
- The schematics for Augment kits will be obtained from the appropriate Crew Skills trainer. The kits themselves will be limited in usage to a specific tier of gear: for example, a particular kit may only be usable on gear within a given level range.
From a Crew Skill trainer.
Augment kits are tiered.
- Making one Augment kit will require you to Reverse Engineer approximately 10 pieces of crafted gear in order to acquire the necessary components. This is subject to change.
It’s currently set to 10, so that’s what you can expect to see when it first hits Public Test. As with anything that’s not live, this is subject to change.
I expect that many people will not use those 10 crafts on the item they want. Instead, they’ll make one copy of the item, then if it does not crit they’ll make 10 cheap items that fall into the same range and provide the necessary component.
- The materials necessary to craft Augment kits will not replace, but be in addition to, any other materials recovered from the Reverse Engineering process.
Not quite. Augment material drops from reverse engineering are not random. They are, however, in addition to the standard return you see now.
Crew Skills
- Schematics for crafting Custom (Orange) waist and wrist slot items will now be acquirable via Underworld Trading.
There’s a major update to Underworld Trading schematics in 1.3 – it’s possible that the upcoming crew skill change was actually referring to that, the gradual introduction of more orange armor sets or other steps being taken to opening up more armor to be viable in 1.2 and 1.3. We’ve added a whole bunch of orange waist and wrist schematics to Underworld Trading in 1.3 We’ve wanted to open this up to players for awhile, especially because some outfits really need the belt in order to look right.
Itemization
- The “adaptive gearing” mechanic will finally make its way into the game. This will allow all Social Gear to scale automatically to a character’s armor class, allowing for a new range of options for custom appearances.
- Alongside the ability to add Augment slots, adaptive gearing will enable the viability of nearly any vanity armor set at end-game.
Yes, adaptable social gear that automatically changes to your character’s gear type is coming in Game Update 1.3.
Space Combat
- Though BioWare has previously hinted that it has big plans for Space Combat, it appears that Space Combat will remain unchanged in Patch 1.3. However, the coming expansions to the Legacy rewards system should provide an unlockable experience boost for completing space missions.
Warzones
- The exact launch date for ranked Warzones remains uncertain, but they are slated to be implemented soon. It is still possible that they will be rolled-out prior to Update 1.3.
Ranked Warzones are coming back and they are coming back soon and they are coming back in a design that has been vetted and tested and that we feel really good about it.
- It appears that no additional Warzone content is planned for Patch 1.3.
Operations and Flashpoints:
- Although no new Operation or Flashpoint content is currently slated to be released with this patch, the addition of the Group Finder should make it easier to find groups for existing instances.
UI
- No substantial UI changes to report.
Guilds
- No substantial Guild mechanics changes to report.
Overall Patch Impact
As described by BioWare, this patch will be “content-light” but “features-heavy.” It will have substantial quality-of-life improvements that will make it easier for you to play the way you want and to look the way you want while doing it. You will likely see the time needed to find a group for a Flashpoint or story-mode Operation decrease. In addition, if the incentive for completing a random Flashpoint is attractive enough, you can expect to see a wider pool of players available, further decreasing overall wait time.
Augments, as well as aesthetically-attractive Custom gear, will likely increase in demand and consequently in cost in the weeks before 1.3. Expect to see rising prices for all Custom gear, Augments, and Augment components. Since the materials to make the Augment kits come from Reverse Engineering crafted gear, there may be a serious lack of non-augmented crafted gear on the GTN immediately following the patch as crafters opt to RE it rather than sell it. Additionally, expect to see prices on augmented (crit-crafted) Custom items drop substantially as players dig old gear out of their banks and apply Augment slots to them.
Since the credit costs of the new Legacy unlocks are currently unknown, it is difficult to say how expensive it will be to choose an alternate leveling path. To make sure you can unlock the options you most want, it would be wise to head into the patch with some spare credits on hand.
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Posted 5/30/2012 5:40:37 AMAnd his name was....
Buttis Dehumpitis!
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Posted 5/14/2012 2:46:42 AMSo many unhappy people, or is it just complaining for the sake of it? I sure hope so. I don't really get it. I'm reading these updates and craving for them already. All I can do is read and think "Cool stuff". SW:TOR still is pretty damn awesome to me.
Sure it's missing some key features right now, but I'll just wait and play what there is now till they're implemented. I wish they'd implement a game system that would instantly teleport my friends in front of their PC with the will to level one of our various alt-teams. :>
I hope social gear adaptive armour-weight works for companions. I really want to equip Andronikos and Talos with imperial pilot outfits (GRIIIINNNDDD... *dies*)
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Posted 5/26/2012 12:03:26 PMDo you want to confirm if it is people unhappy or just complaning for the sake of it?, when you log in check the server populations and you will get the answer.
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Posted 5/13/2012 4:31:44 PMLets just say more non answers, more users bailing, and nothing about attracting back or keeping players. Wait for the next patch to consider coming back. I really don't feel like coming back to a server where there is like 30 people at the max. If it comes to paying to transfer, I will just remove the game from my system, I'm not paying to move 8 toons... Oh well just keep waiting for something to bring me back.
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Posted 5/13/2012 5:40:01 PMWe've known for some time now that they will be offering free transfers ...
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Posted 5/12/2012 10:54:41 PMLooks like I'll buy any custom non-augmented gear off the GTN which is absolutely cheap at the moment since no one is buying it and prepare for 1.3.
I hope they will introduce ranked cross-server warzones asap including char/ legacy or guild transfer.
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Posted 5/13/2012 5:41:12 PMTransfer of characters and Legacy are still slated for early summer.
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Posted 5/12/2012 9:23:53 AMHmm. Yes. Still not enough to get me to resubscribe.
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Posted 5/13/2012 12:22:55 PMWhat a highly insightful comment, please tell me more.
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Posted 5/13/2012 10:45:15 PMSure. Basically TOR is half as good as KOTOR and KOTOR 2 were. It was the new shiny at first, but after having played it for several months I've begun to realize that it is spectacularly below average as a game. Even with ignoring that it basically craps on the Legacy, Story, System, Classes, Decision Making, Crafting and all around Goodness of KOTOR and KOTOR 2, it is not that good of a game by itself. Bioware has put in a Grind System and Voice Overs as a substitute for quality, content, quantity, immersion and enjoyment. And while Bioware had a rather successful launch, they are hemorrhaging customers who are also realizing that TOR is not that good of a game.
As it stands I am only playing until my subscription runs out, which has been cancelled. And even then I'm more and more scarce in the game as the Real World emerges from Winter into enjoyable Spring weather. I'll keep my eye on TOR, but I have no illusions about the massive changes Bioware has to employ to make this game even just average.
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Posted 5/14/2012 12:05:36 PMWell, that's the problem: you're viewing it as a completed game, which it is not. No MMORPG is a completed game until attaining its mature state, some 6-12 month post-launch. Until that point has been achieved, an MMORPG will always be lackinging in one or more ways.
Comparing SWTOR to KotOR and KotOR2, comparing any MMOPRG to a traditional RPG title, is like comparing appleas to oranges. If you cam eto SWTOR expecting the same experience that KotOR and KotOR2 offered, then you came to the wrong title.
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Posted 5/14/2012 2:24:05 PMZideZwipe,
I don't remember KotOR having crafting beyond "plug this crystal/blaster piece into this saber/blaster!"(which TOR has as just a tiny sub-set of a larger crafting system), so I see nothing there that KotOR did better.
I do wonder how you think TOR craps on KotOR's story. TOR's story expanded on KotOR(and especially Revan)'s story, fitting it into a bigger picture that actually tied in to the rest of the EU, including the Great Hyperspace War and the Great Sith War. TOR put KotOR into the bigger picture instead of just "here's something new that's barely related to the pre-existing comics that we set this game mere decades after".
And immersion is a word people throw around with no meaning, since it's purely subjective and can vary from person to person. I'm very immersed, so the game is immersive to me. The other stuff like "Legacy, System, Decisions Making" sound vague, and wtf is "overall Goodness"? Are we judging TOR by a morality system?
God knows TOR is far more complete than KotOR 2 was. You praise KotOR2, but that thing released as an unfinished mess that LucasArts never allowed to be patched to completion. The botched storylines around HK-47's Droid Army? Just to name one minor thing cut outright. TOR has the benefit of being able to patch in new content all the time, letting it become more finished than it already is, and far more finished than KotOR2 ever was.
(And by the way, my original post was mostly sarcastic. Your post just putting down the game was most definitely not insightful.)
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Posted 5/14/2012 3:41:36 PMKOTOR 2's problems were due to being pushed out the door too early. People have released mods to fix it and make it just as good as KOTOR. TOR is complete in the incarnation they intended, but even then it is not better than the first version of KOTOR 2.
TOR did not expand on KOTOR 1 & 2's story, but took it in an entirely different direction. It's almost as if the developers of TOR never played KOTOR 1 or 2, or even read a synopsis of what happened.
Immersion is very subjective, but not in this case. Not once have I ever stepped out into the "Dune Sea" of Tattoine and gotten caught in a Sand Storm. Not once during all my crafting has it ever been about content and an RPG element instead of just a bigger grind for bigger numbers. Not once have I ever waffled about a piece of gear because I know there are no real choices or decisions, just bigger numbers. Not once have I ever made a difficult story-driven choice, and NOT ONCE has a decision been pivotal in changing the entirety of the story. Not once has a Morality Vs. Profit decision ever result in significant morality OR profit gains. Not once have I selected a race for a character based on racial bonuses.
The crafting in KOTOR 1 and 2 wasn't very expansive, but it was extremely in depth. Every mod for each piece of equipment had to be specifically chosen, knowing that there were going to be tangible tradeoffs. A lightsaber specifically modded to be great against enemy sith and jedi would be utter crap against droids. And vice versa. And that's not even mentioning that combinations of specific crystals and mods had bonuses The crystals had names, and had content. In TOR they have numbers like Red 13 or Advanced Yellow 8 or Might Hilt 21.
TOR is really nothing more than a spreadsheet driven game with a coat of seemingly shiny, but actually vapid graphics. And nothing more.
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Posted 5/12/2012 4:23:29 AMI'm afraid I have to throw my vote in with server merges before server transfers. Merges might be more coding and maintenance intensive, but they will allow guilds and groups of friends to be guaranteed a useful and beneficial population improvement, all together. Making people rely solely on server transfers to address server underpopulation, eventually breaks up guilds and causes friendly acquaintances to lose contact with each other because some people invariably either can't or won't want to do the transfer, and some can't or won't want to pay the fees.
Speaking of which, Bioware would really do well to allow players to transfer their Legacy; that is, multiple characters belonging to the same Legacy on a server, all together at a discount based on the number of characters in that Legacy. On my main server I have eight characters, one of each base class. If Bioware charges the same $25 that Blizzard does and forces it to be per character... NOBODY is going to pay TWO HUNDRED dollars to keep the Legacy together and intact. NOBODY is going to do that. Someone wanting to keep the Legacy together and intact for any reason whatsoever (including, just wanting all their toons to be on one server-- it has its benefits), is going to either feel forced to stay on a low-pop server that might slowly die out as more and more "one toon at a time" players leave for greener pastures... and/or will simply cancel their subscription and leave SWTOR for another game. If someone WANTS to, or is WILLING to, separate a server Legacy's characters from each other and have x-number on server A and x-number on server B, then fine, more power to them. But one size does NOT fit ALL players and options for both styles of play are absolutely crucial.
I'm sorry to hear that people are leaving SWTOR solely because of a lack of a group finder, but in all honesty, WoW's dungeon finder is what BROKE the game for me, rather than making it. Player behavior in my experience was infinitely more ugly, belligerent, and outright abusive post-dungeon finder. With everyone on the same server you could make a complaint against a player with his or her guild's officers and have a decent chance of them taking action. Cross-server, it was "Who the eff are you?" or "Get the eff over it, you'll probably end up never seeing him (or her) again, that's why it's RANDOM" and oh, I REALLY "loved" this one... "STFU every1 no's ur server are EFF'ing FAILTARDS that wont l2p, thats y every1 is LEAVING u QQ failtards 2 play w ppl who dont play with their thumb up their ass!11111!"
I never had the displeasure of running across more human beings so violently offended by my ever just having been BORN, as after the cross-server dungeon finder. If SWTOR's group finder brings even a HINT of that into this game, you can bet I will never touch another MMO again, even if I have to play Minesweeper until I go stir crazy. Some of you are saying Bioware plans for the group finder to be same-server only; I still have a lot of trepidation over it, but at least if it's limited to same server, I have hope that there will be a sense of accountability that I hope and pray will keep the abusiveness that drove me off WoW, in check.
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Posted 5/12/2012 7:39:39 AMServer merges would be last resort. You don't do last resorts first, you save them for last. That's why they're last resorts. Free transfers from high realms to low realms would solve the problem of paying, and guild coordinating would fix the rest. Servers merges bring up the problems of taken player and guild names from server transfers, but make them the problem of EVERY player since everyone from 2 servers(or more) are being brought into a single server.
I do agree with your assessment of the group finder though, especially cross-server ones. Spot on. It's also part of the reason I don't look forward to cross-server warzones.