• Open Forum: Guild Features

    This week's Open Forum focuses on Guild features. Guilds have and will always be the backbone of MMOs. With that, bringing new features to help them function along their way is an important task of any developer. So in this Open Forum we ask -- What Guild features would you like to see added? In the scope of Free to Play, should BioWare ask guilds to pay extra Cartel Coins for new features? Which features do you feel are most important to add? If you have a comment that does not fit these questions but you think is relevant to the subject, feel free to add it after the jump as well.

    We will hand select a few choice comments to be featured in the next podcast episode. Be constructive with your comments and do not flame or degrade others. We will moderate accordingly.

    Note: This week's podcast episode was postponed due to scheduling issues. Due to that, the Open Forum pieces from this and last week will appear on next week's podcast.

  • Guild Dynamics: Legacy and Your Guild

    Welcome to Guild Dynamics, an editorial dedicated to exploring the topics and issues confronting guilds in Star Wars: The Old Republic. In this editorial, we focus on the Legacy system and its potential impact on a guild’s sense of community.

    Guild loyalty is a nebulous and often touchy subject, made all the more important for its unclear definition. Many guilds expect members to serve only in their guild and disallow player alts from joining other guilds. Overlooked in this requirement is a tacit sense of faction loyalty. After all, if player is expected to remain loyal to one guild, and that guild can only be populated by members drawn from one faction, then how can a player legitimately have an alt who is in league with “the enemy?"

    The Old Republic‘s Republic-Imperial divide adds a new twist to this old problem. BioWare’s statements and actions have made it clear that they intend players to “traverse the void” and play multiple cross-faction characters. The company has also provided limited support to cross-faction guilds, particularly in regards to their pre-launch “Allies and Adversaries” system.

    And yet, serious cross-faction guild support is nonexistent, and any guild who attempts to maintain both a Republic and an Imperial presence faces an uphill battle. With neither cross-faction tells nor shared chat channels, there exists no easy in-game way to coordinate what amounts to two completely separate guilds. Something that BioWare openly supports, is left in the hands of guilds to juggle and maintain. Some view it as something not worth the trouble.

    However, this need not be the end. Look below the jump for advice on how a guild can maintain a vibrant, cross-faction community.

  • PTS 1.2: Pimp Your Stream

    Darth Hater seeks guilds with Level 50 characters copied to the Star Wars: The Old Republic 1.2 PTS and who actively stream SWTOR content to participate in our Darth Hater Live stream channel. This is a great way to promote your guild, and we're specifically looking for your guild members who can stream participation in Ranked Warzones, new Operation content, and the new Flashpoint: Lost Island.

    To be considered for inclusion in this community event, please post a comment with the following information:

    • Guild Name:
    • Guild URL:
    • Guild Faction (Republic/Sith Empire):
    • Guild Copied to PTS? (Y/N):
    • Server Name (US/EU - PVP/PVE/RP-PVP/RP):
    • Stream URL:
    • Focus Area (Flashpoint/Operations/Ranked Warzones):
    • Availability (DAYS and TIME RANGE (list times in PST please)):

  • Update On Guild Summit Invites

    With the BioWare Austin Guild Summit quickly approaching, David Bass has posted on the official forums that responses to the applications are being sent out today. The emails will go out throughout the afternoon, so keep an eye on your inbox if you applied. We can confirm that you do get an email even if you were not accepted. So until you get an email either accepting or denying your attendance, you're still in the mix.

    David Bass
    Hi everyone,

    Thank you so much to everyone who applied for the Guild Summit! We received thousands of applications, have spent the past few days reading through every single one, and we really appreciate all the feedback we received.

    In a few minutes we'll begin sending out emails to everyone who applied for the Guild Summit. These emails will let you know if your guild has been selected to attend the Summit at this time. Please do not book any flights or hotels unless you receive an email instructing you to do so. The event has an extremely limited capacity, and without an event badge you will not be allowed into the Summit. Guilds who have not been selected in this first round have been placed on a waitlist, and if any selected guilds do not respond in time, we will open up their space to the waitlist.

    Please make sure you check your emails once we confirm that all the emails have been sent out. Any guild leader who receives an acceptance email must confirm their attendance within 48 hours. Guilds who do not confirm in time will lose their place at the Summit to another guild off the waitlist.

    If you have any questions about the process once you've received your email, please contact guilds@swtor.com. Thanks all!

    Current status update:

    2:15PM CST - Emails have now all been sent. Please check your inbox and spam for the email. If you applied but did not receive an email, please contact guilds@swtor.com and we'll investigate.

    UPDATE: All emails have now been sent out, though it could take some time before they show up in your inbox. David Bass also provided some more information regarding wait listed applicants and the live stream schedule. Further details after the jump.

  • Guild Summit To Include Live Streamed Events

    As the recently announced Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic players quickly approaches, more details are becoming available. An update on the official SWTOR site talks about the end of the application period, the timeframe for responses to those applications, and how people not physically attending the event can still participate via live streams. 

    BioWare
    For those who are unable to attend the Guild Summit for one reason or another, we’re very happy to announce that we will be providing a livestream of select events during the Guild Summit, including developer presentations and feedback discussions. These livestreams will allow players from around the world to observe and participate in some of the event discussions as well.

    The entire post can be found after the jump.

  • BioWare Announces The Old Republic Guild Summit

    A short time ago BioWare announced via their community blog the first ever guild summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  Guild Leaders and their representatives are invited to head to Austin, Texas and get some quality face to face time with the minds behind The Old Republic.  As the blog posting states:

    BioWare
    The Guild Summit will be hosted from March 4th – 6th, 2012 at the DoubleTree Hotel Austin. Due to space limitations, the event will be invite-only. We've already invited guilds of various backgrounds and sizes to the Summit, from Endgame to Role-playing to PvP guilds, but we've got some space left for additional guild leaders who wish to attend. We ask that interested leaders submit an application, which can be found at this link.* Guild leaders will be evaluated based on the information provided in their application.

     The event will be invite only, so if you or your guild want to throw your hat into the ring, head over to the application page here.  For the full text of the blog entry, read after the jump.

  • Pre-Launch Guilds Are Locked

    The Pre-Launch Guild program for Star Wars: The Old Republic has officially ended. If you are in a guild that qualified, you can expect an e-mail in the next couple of days with details regarding joining your guild in-game, how to check the status of your guild and your server assignment. BioWare also stated that while they will try to ensure all your Allies and Adversaries will be assigned to your same server, they cannot guarantee it.

    Read past the jump for the text from the official SWTOR news post.

  • Pre-Launch Guild Program Ends Dec 2

    BioWare announced that Phase 3: Deployment of the Star Wars: The Old Republic Pre-Launch Guild Program will end at 11:59 PM CST on Friday, December 2. Any guilds that have met the deployment requirements by that time will be prepared for Early Game Access server assignment.

    Read on for the full details from SWTOR.com.

  • Pre-Launch Guild Program Phase 2 Begins

    Big news for the Star Wars: The Old Republic community today, as BioWare announced the launch of Phase 2 of the Pre-Launch Guild Program. In this phase, guilds which have registered on the official site's guild portal can form allegiances with other guilds. By choosing Allies and Adversaries, guilds will have a much higher chance of being placed on a server together. Additionally, guild leaders can now invite potential members to the guild via email.

    Read the full announcement from the Star Wars: The Old Republic site after the jump.

  • Capital Idea: Guild Ships in SWTOR



    Several months ago, we featured an op-ed on guild implementation in Star Wars: The Old Republic. In that article, we mentioned BioWare's interest in guild capital ships, while noting that such a unique feature would be unlikely to make it into the game by the launch date. Since then, we saw the addition of a guild page to the HoloNet, and received additional confirmation of developer interest in the idea of guild capital ships. This month, we are taking a closer look at the idea of guild capital ships and how they could be implemented in SWTOR.

  • Guild Headquarters Launch and System Page



    After the Star Wars: The Old Republic Official Website came back from what appeared to be routine maintenance, fans were greeted with a new Guild Headquarters page under the Community tab and a new Game Systems page. In it you can create your own guild, which will have the ability to be transported right into the game at release. Or if you want to join an already existing guild, you may do so by searching guild names or member names, while having several different filters at your availability.

    UPDATE: We received many inquiries regarding the details of Darth Hater's official guild and its status. Please note anything in the Guild Headquarters area should be considered placeholder and not representative of our guild in any shape or form. Darth Hater's official guild is indeed Sith focused and we will have a Republic outlet. We will make an announcement with details soon. On a side note the Guilds Game System page is detailed after the jump now as well.

    Check the jump more details on guild creation, guild system, and for the Official DevTracker Post. Hat tip to Chrohno and Mentok on the heads up.

  • Looking For Story



    By now, it is common knowledge that Star Wars: The Old Republic aims to make story the fourth pillar of the MMO genre. One of BioWare's key tools to achieve this is the multiplayer dialogue system. A blending of Mass Effect style conversations and traditional MMO group play, this system adds a new variable to how players choose where they want to go and who they want to bring with them. After talking with Jeff Cannata on our podcast, I decided to take a closer look at how this system will change how groups will play MMOs.

  • Guild Interview Series: Afterlife

    If you ever used DKP in a raid to assign loot, then you should probably thank the guild Afterlife for inventing the system. Afterlife originally formed in 1999 as an Everquest raiding guild, and eventually migrated to World of Warcraft. The longtime group has several claims to fame: leader Thott created the Thottbot website, and Biny is the notorious Warlock who blew up the Auction House, causing Blizzard programmers to internally call certain bug fixes "Biny Code."

    We sat down with Afterlife's Tabin, Attreus, and Biny to discuss their history and what they think Star Wars: The Old Republic needs to succeed.

  • Interview with Ensidia on PvE Raiding



    Those familiar with high end World of Warcraft raiding will recognize the guild name Ensidia. As a result of a 2008 merger of two raiding powerhouse guilds, SK-Gaming and Nihilum, the majority of Ensidia's raid team holds claim to almost every major world first boss kill since the 2005 European release of the game. Their website, which features a community of forums and strategic player guides, sometimes gets overwhelmed by high traffic when players hear the news of Ensidia's latest kill.

    And now they have their eyes on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

    We spoke with Ensidia guild members Mek and Buzzkill for over an hour, and we discussed a broad range of topics including their thoughts on PvE raiding, and how it might be implemented in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

  • Sean on Guilds

    Sean Dahlberg linked an interesting commentary he made on guilds back in May, 2006. It lets you know kinda what is going on in at least his head. This is a nice little read if your into guilds and guild management, along with a bit of history of guilds in mmos. The original post he made can be found here. He brings up several good points and ideas for guilds.

  • SW:TOR and YOU

    So, I have had a question on my mind for ages, and that question is: "How do others play MMOs, is it an "Escape" or a love for the competition?"

    How do YOU view MMOs, and upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic? Do you view the game as an escape from the real life, escape from the drama, the boredomness, the things that really irritate you? Or do you play for the love of the competition, the "We are the best" mentality? I want to know how you play, why you play.



    Ahh, the escape, we all have had that feeling. The long day is over, be it school is out, or work is over. You have overcome the long haul that is life. When you log on, that euphoric effect, the feeling of being in the game, your friends, your guildmates, hell even your enemies

    You block out all that is around you, you set yourself up for a night in the town The virtual town none the less, but it is a town you are all to familiar with Your friends at your side, or at whispers reach for help. You know that if you need something, anything, that they are willing to help. You wonder to yourself, is this why I escape? My friends are here, the virtual world? You have joy in slaying the creatures at your feet, in your reach. And you can reap the rewards, and say to people, "Yea, I accomplished something today". But what does tomorrow bring? That is why you play, is it not? For the unknown of what is ahead of you, what could drop, who you could meet, and what in-game career friend you could make. I myself have dabbled in this feeling before. Before I turned into a server competitor.

    Perhaps then comes the time you wish to make a guild, a guild you want to be known, to be feared, to be competitive, to be hated, or liked. Now comes the choice to join the ranks of the "Best on the Server", the "Furthest Progression". I have come and gone myself of those titles, Guild Master of a top 3 guild on a server, I strive for content, and competition. Be it lead, or join a top guild. I logged on daily, and raided for anywhere from 3-5 hours a night. Once a fight is known, it was locked in. Farm Status was the worst thing to happen, it meant logging on for 4 hours on a Tuesday, and clearing all content.



    I am hoping to fall back into being dedicated to the game, leading a top guild, but being able to have fun in what I do again. I want to know, how do you plan on playing TOR?

  • Find a Guild

    It is a great time to try to find a guild for those of you who are not currently a part of one. The game's beta and release are still likely quite a ways off but it is still a great time to become a part of a guild/community. The community over at the official SWTOR site have made it very easy to find and join a guild. Both Republic and Sith threads have quite an extensive list of guilds along with identifiers of what type of guilds they are to make it easy for you to find the guild that is right for your type of play style. Do yourself a favor and join a guild today

    We're kind of inclined to try to get you to go Sith here at Darth Hater but we'll stay neutral on this one ;).