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Companions: The Good, The Bad and The Broken
- By Shadowlance 2/9/2012 9:30:00 AM
- Category IconEditorial
- 52
When BioWare first introduced fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic to the idea of companions, it was a shock to many. "Why would I bother grouping if I already have a helper?" some asked. "Won't this trivialize solo content and make group content mind numbingly boring?" others wondered. "Now idiots will have even more reason to be loot ninjas," even more exclaimed. The truth is that the companion system, despite all its flaws, brings so many benefits to the table that I truly don't think the game would be anything close to what it is now without them. That doesn't mean everything is perfect on the minion front, however.
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Companion

Op-Ed
52 latest comment by Kealin
Guide: Companion Gifts
- By sado 12/30/2011 4:36:23 PM
- Category IconFeature
- 71
As players progress closer and closer to the endgame of Star Wars: The Old Republic, Companion Affection and the gifts that modify it will become more important. While it is a good idea to plan your affection path beforehand, many will leave it alone until they reach 50. That is not to say that leaving it until endgame is a bad idea however, players should at least have an idea of what to expect along the way as companion affection becomes a larger focus. In an effort to facilitate this, an in-depth explanation and list of the various companions and their corresponding gifts after the jump.
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Guide

Gift
71 latest comment by NmidnetS
Guide: Sith Warrior Juggernaut
- By Raiden 12/28/2011 4:29:42 PM
- Category IconFeature
- 22
For players who prefer to jump into a fight head first and with reckless abandon, then perhaps the Sith Warrior is the class for them. Quick, powerful and ruthless, the Sith Warrior is a flurry of lightsaber slashes and stabs, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. The Juggernaut advanced class can withstand any attack unleashed upon him. In this article, we will look into the Juggernaut advanced class and explore his various skill trees, abilities and everything in between.

Note: This article may contain spoilers.
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Companion

Sith Warrior

Juggernaut

Crew Skills

Guide

Skill Tree
22 latest comment by Asmodeen
Guide: Trooper Commando
- By Drauul 12/19/2011 11:32:26 AM
- Category IconFeature
- 20
The Trooper is a very tactical class, with an exceptional amount of tools available to take down opponents, mitigate damage and heal allies. The Commando advanced class makes use of the Assault Cannon, an over-sized blaster that requires two hands to wield, for both damage and healing. We have created a guide detailing this advanced class, its roles and how to play them most effectively after the jump.

Note: Audio quality on the following videos is not ideal. Companions list could possibly be deemed spoiler territory, if that's a problem, don't scroll down to the bottom of the post.
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Republic

PvE

PvP

Companion

Healing

Trooper

Commando

Crew Skills

Guide

Skill Tree
20 latest comment by bfrick
Companion Profile: Corso Riggs
- By Jaspor 12/12/2011 10:07:05 AM
- Category IconFeature
- 15
Smugglers have a reputation for relying more on finesse than sheer brawn. They use their wits and clever tactics to get the upper hand and usually try to avoid going toe to toe with enemies. In Star Wars: The Old Republic smugglers have the luxury of letting a companion character fill the role of attracting attention and absorbing damage. Corso Riggs is a loyal soldier who meets all challenges head on. Corso knows his job and does it well, allowing the smuggler to stealthily do what they do best.
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Companion

Corso Riggs

Guide
15 latest comment by Sancticurse
Facebook Q&A With Daniel Erickson Highlights
- By sado 10/16/2011 5:58:08 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 10
In an impromptu Q&A started on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic Facebook page, Lead Writer Daniel Erickson answers the questions of fans unable to attend the Q&A Panel conducted on Friday. The Q&A is a rather lengthy one but instead of posting it in its entirety, we chose to select a few highlights from it and bring it to you here.

Hit the jump for the highlights.
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Flashpoint

Companion

Daniel Erickson

Q&A

Modification
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Eurogamer Expo 2011: Interview with Daniel Erickson
- By Dover 9/24/2011 12:23:33 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 32
Daniel Erickson, Lead Writer for BioWare on Star Wars: The Old Republic, was kind enough to grace us with a moment of his time for an interview. Along with stunning us with his striking personal appearance customization, the man of action gave us heaps details on writing for PvP, challenges when creating content around established characters, designing around story variables, and more.

Story telling in computer games seems to have a number of possibilities that more traditional story telling doesn't, like letting the player dictate the action. What new constraints does it have, if any?

Daniel Erickson: There are some constraints in an MMO specifically that we do not have in a single player RPG. The number one thing is I can't trap you. You might be off to play Hutt Ball or wanting to do the space game or whatever. I can't say, "Oh and now the evil Sith stuck you in prison, and until you figure out this puzzle, you can't go out." So you're like, "Oh yeah? Quick travel! Goodbye! Broke your game." So it actually challenges us a lot as writers to make sure that the content is appealing and players want to be going after it. And it makes us have to avoid some of the cheap outs we would use.

Is it hard not having those outs?

Sometimes when you're doing the sheer amount of content that we do. We had to do more Star Wars stories than basically all other BioWare stories put together. Sometimes, yeah, you'd like to just stick somebody in a jail cell. But no can do.

Hit the jump to read the interview in full.
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Interview

Companion

Daniel Erickson
32
Friday Update: Companions Update
- By Jaspor 9/23/2011 1:57:42 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 27
This week's Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday Update is a Developer Blog about companions from Senior Game Designer William Wallace. This feature will be presented in two parts, with this first part discussing companion customization. The piece explains the thought process and implementation behind customizing the physical appearance of companions. It also discusses how the abilities of companions evolve during progression within the game and includes some videos that demonstrate this in action.

As a side-bar to this update, Gamespot interviewed Game Director James Ohlen. Included with the interview was a Developer Dispatch video focusing on companions. A dissection of the video is available.

Official DevTracker post follows the jump.

Update: The developer dispatch is now online at the official site. Embed is available after the jump.

Gallery: Friday Update 9.23.11 Images

Mako Customization

Khem Val Customization

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William Wallace

Corso Riggs

Mako

Khem Val
27 latest comment by sithapotamus
GameSpot Exclusive Pre-Friday Developer Dispatch Update on Companions with Q&A
- By Infamous 9/23/2011 1:25:58 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 73
GameSpot posted an interview with Game Director James Ohlen about the role and function of companions in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Mr. Ohlen reveals that companions will function similar to other classes in the game, leveling up alongside the player and unlocking skills as they progress. Additionally, he talks about a new system that will allow players to set up companion behaviors in combat beforehand, managing which abilities they do and do not use.

Along with the exclusive interview comes a second one in the form of a Developer Dispatch video on companions with the team from BioWare. Lead Writer Daniel Erickson talks about hitting the cornerstones of Star Wars with companions such as droids and aliens. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller shows how companions level-up and unlock new abilities just like players. These features along with their unique storyline makes them effectively more than just pets. Art Director Jeff Dobson explains how the team carefully crafted each companion to evoke some element of their story and how those stories can change. Those changes are based upon the affection system, where gifts can be given to companions opening up new conversations and quests.

Dissection of the developer dispatch is in the media gallery below. As with all of our dissections, we do not note things mentioned in prior dissections. If you find something, feel free to let us know if the comments section below and if we decide to use it - we will credit you.

Gallery: Developer Dispatch: Companions Dissection

Developer Dispatch - Companions Dissection Image 23

Developer Dispatch - Companions Dissection Image 16

Developer Dispatch - Companions Dissection Image 17

Developer Dispatch - Companions Dissection Image 18

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Dissection

Friday Preview

Jeff Dobson

Companion

James Ohlen

Daniel Erickson

Developer Dispatch

Georg Zoeller
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Newsarama Interview With James Ohlen
- By sado 8/3/2011 7:37:56 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 12
In an interview via Newsarama, James Ohlen discusses the reasons behind the lack of a Star Wars: The Old Republic release date, details companion customization, and gives a behind the scenes take on the early production of the game.

We don't want to give a specific release date until we're absolutely certain that when we launch the game it'll be a smooth launch and a bug-free experience. It would be terrible if we released and the servers fell down or there was a bug that detracted from the overall experience. It'd be terrible for Star Wars fans, they'd be really sad, cause they're excited about it as shown by the pre-order numbers, and it'd be disappointing for team members. People like myself, I've been on this project for six years. I want it to live up to the expectations.

For more be sure to check out the full interview at Newsarama.
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Companion

James Ohlen

Release Window
12
The Care and Feeding of Companions
- By Shadowlance 8/3/2011 2:57:08 PM
- Category IconEditorial
- 46
Ever since BioWare first introduced the concept of companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic, there has been a very vocal population within the community that has decried the idea. Their reasons are varied: some believe companions will dumb down The Old Republic experience, others feel that companions are little more than glorified pets with a few witty one-liners, and yet more suggest that they simply don't need a sidekick. Despite this opposition, BioWare is sticking to their guns when it comes to the allies player characters will develop over the course of the game. The truth is, companion characters are far, far more than just humanoid DPS pets with voice overs. They'll fight for you, they'll craft for you. Some of them might even love you.
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Companion

Vette

Bowdaar

Mako
46
DevTracker Highlights For The Week of July 28, 2011
- By Infamous 7/28/2011 10:09:32 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 26
With most of BioWare down at San Diego this past weekend for Comic-Con 2011, Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller was left to brave the forums in this week's DevTracker Highlights. Georg talks about player housing, class population, changing Advanced Classes, and companion death. He also covers group sizes, testing, how bosses can react to players in cover, and his absence at this year's Gamescom. Hit the jump to see all the highlights.
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Community

Companion

Testing

Starship

Georg Zoeller
26
DevTracker Highlights For The Week of May 26, 2011
- By Infamous 5/26/2011 6:03:36 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 25
It's back to full week of posts in this week's DevTracker Highlights with Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller taking the reins. He covers a myriad of topics including macros, sandbox gameplay and player-generated content, enemy behavior, and companion characters. Hit the jump to see all the highlights.
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Community

Companion

Georg Zoeller
25
Darth Hater's Coverage of BioWare Austin's Fan Site Summit
- By Staff 4/28/2011 6:24:16 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 49
This week, Darth Hater attended the much talked about Fan Site Summit. Sado and Dover joined the rest of the fan sites down at BioWare Austin on April 24 through the 26th. The list that follows below is Darth Hater's up to date coverage of the event. Images of us at the event are contained in the media gallery at the bottom of this post. Update: New high quality images are now available in the media gallery below after image 45.

DH Fan Site Summit Content

Darth Hater Exclusive Screenshot
Gallery: Fan Site Summit Images

HiCam Image 61

HiCam Image 62

HiCam Image 63

HiCam Image 64

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Gallery: Immersion Day Screenshots

Immersion Day Screenshot 5

Immersion Day Screenshot 4

Immersion Day Screenshot 3

Immersion Day Screenshot 2

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Nal Hutta

Flashpoint

Companion

Bounty Hunter

Black Talon

Imperial Agent

Dromund Kaas

Kaas City

Advanced Class

Sniper

Powertech

Mako

Fan Site Summit

Kaliyo Djannis
49
Fan Site Summit: General Information Learned
- By Staff 4/28/2011 6:21:47 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 70
Carefully examining and dissecting content for Star Wars: The Old Republic is the keystone of our work at Darth Hater. This meticulous approach is seen throughout our articles, but it becomes even more pronounced when we are actually playing the game.The following is our list of new general notes from our multiple hours of game play at the Fan Site Summit earlier this week.
- Crew Skills available for training in Kaas City: Cybertech (Reverse Engineering Tech which leads to creating Tech), Underworld Trading, Slicing, Bio Analysis, Bio Chem, Diplomacy, Investigation Mission, Treasure Hunting, Synthweaving, Archeology, and Artifice.
- Galactic Market Kiosk is the name of the Auction House, and encountered first on Dromund Kaas.
Hit the jump for more.
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Nal Hutta

Flashpoint

BioWare

Companion

Bounty Hunter

Taxi

Black Talon

Imperial Agent

Dromund Kaas

Kaas City

Fan Site Summit

Crew Skill
70
Fan Site Summit: Imperial Agent Impressions
- By Dover 4/28/2011 6:19:53 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 16
As many of you know, Darth Hater was invited to join a special fan summit this week at BioWare's Austin campus. In addition to presentations and live Q&As, we were able to get more solid hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic. While sado was traipsing through Nal Hutta with his Bounty Hunter, I was finally able to get some serious time with a class Ive followed closely since November of 2009: the Imperial Agent. After spending many hours bringing an Agent from level one to Advanced Class and beyond, I finally feel like I can report on this enigmatic, elusive class.

Article Pages:
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Nal Hutta

Ability

BioWare

Companion

Imperial Agent

Kaas City

Advanced Class

Sniper

Fan Site Summit

Kaliyo Djannis
16
Fan Site Summit: Bounty Hunter Impressions
- By sado 4/28/2011 6:19:15 AM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 15
The Bounty Hunter is one of those classes that went through much iteration of changes since first introduction almost two years ago. Although the look and core functionality remains the same, we saw the class have its resource mechanic change, it gained an additional role in one of its Advanced Classes, etc. Therefore, I looked forward to playing a Bounty Hunter at BioWare's Fan Site Summit to see how far the class has come. If you wish to not have the Bounty Hunter class story spoiled, do not hit the story pages.

Article Pages:
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Nal Hutta

Mandalorian

Ability

BioWare

Companion

Bounty Hunter

Cantina

Dromund Kaas

Kaas City

Powertech

Mako

Fan Site Summit
15
Friday Update: Bounty Hunter Update, PAX East Details Revealed, and Deceived Novel Trailer
- By sado 3/4/2011 3:10:21 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 73
For this week's Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday Update, BioWare announced additional updates for the Bounty Hunter class. Additional information on the Rattataki species is now available, as well as an analysis of the Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft, and Mako the Bounty Hunter's Slicer Companion receives an update as well. Lastly, the Mercenary and Powertech specializations were added to the Bounty Hunter Holonet page. BioWare also revealed details for PAX East via the Official Forum for fans eagerly waiting the convention.

Yesterday's Dissection of the Bounty Hunter Video is already available for those interested. Aurebesh Translations, Screenshot Dissection, and Screenshots/Concept Art from the update are contained in the Media Galleries below. Hit the jump for official yellow posts, video embeds of both of the trailers, and more after the jump.

Update: Stephen Reid's update-and-a-half comment was right with the announcement of the Deceived Novel Trailer. The post features details on the upcoming Deceived Novel as well as a tidbit of what looks like a new cinematic trailer in the making. Deceived will be available on March 22nd in US Retail Stores but if you are looking to seal your copy you can preorder the book online via Amazon and an assortment of others listed in the article.

Gallery: 3.4.2011 Friday Update Aurebesh Translation and Screenshot Dissection

Bounty Hunter Dissection Screen 14

Bounty Hunter Update Screenshot Dissection 2

Bounty Hunter Dissection Screen 12

Bounty Hunter Dissection Screen 13

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Gallery: 3.4.2011 Friday Update Screenshots and Concept Art

Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft Screenshot 5

Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft Screenshot 6

Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft Screenshot 7

Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft Screenshot 8

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Dissection

Friday Update

Penny Arcade Expo

BioWare

Companion

Bounty Hunter

Deceived

Rattataki

Powertech

Mercenary

Starship

Allison Berryman

Mako
73
Damion Schubert Q&A on Crew Skills
- By Dover 2/8/2011 7:48:59 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 10
The guys over at Ask A Jedi got a chance to talk with BioWare's Damion Schubert about crew skills today. As we mentioned on last week's podcast, many of us are very interested to learn more about this companion focused game system, and each new bit of information is like music to our ears. Be sure to head over to Ask A Jedi to check it out in it's entirety and hit the jump for some of the key points that stand out to us.
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Companion

Damion Schubert

Crew Skills
10
Friday Update: Trooper Dossier
- By sado 12/24/2010 3:11:20 PM
- Category IconSWTOR News
- 41
For the Christmas Eve update, BioWare announced more updates for the Trooper class. Players can choose a member of the Zabrak species for their Trooper. The Troopers will fly a Rendili Hyperworks BT-7 Thunderclap which confirms our speculation about it in the Space Combat Video Dissection. The Weequay demolitions expert Tanno Vik joins the game as the Trooper Class Companion. Also included in the update was a revamp to the Trooper Class page which includes more information about the Advanced Classes of the Trooper. Most important for the Troopers out there is the class video (embed after the jump) along with the Dissection of it that we covered yesterday. Official Forum Post, Aurebesh Translations, Ship Video Dissection, video embed, and new screenshots after the jump.
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Dissection

Friday Update

Companion

Trooper

Weequay

Zabrak

Joanne Laroche

Rendili Hyperworks BT-7 Thunderclap

Tanno Vik
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