Darth Hater

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

• General Things Learned


• Black Talon Flashpoint Impressions


• Bounty Hunter Impressions


• Imperial Agent Impressions


• Question and Answer Session Audio


• Gabe Amatangelo Interview


• PVP Information Learned


• Gabe Amatangelo Q&A


• PVP Impressions

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.

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:

1. Combat


2. Story


3. Companion


4. Environmental and Conclusion

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:

1. Story


2. Story Continued


3. Combat and Advanced Class

This post includes details of what we were able to learn from our hands-on time at the Penny Arcade Expo, which included six of the eight classes, and three of the four origin worlds. We invite you to add your own notes to the comments section of if you were at PAX and would like to share about your hands-on experience. As a reminder, we will not be covering things mentioned in prior 'General Information Learned' posts from E3 and Gamescom. Beware: bantha-sized post after the jump.

• Page 1: General Notes, Stat Modifiers, and Character Sheets


• Page 2: Equipment and Loot

The Czerka Corporation is very well known to fans of Knights of the Old Republic. The company played large parts in both games, always serving as the epitome of corporate corruption. Thanks to the HoloNet, we know that Czerka left its mark under the sands of Tatooine, but what they worked on remains a mystery. We know from general lore that Czerka does not simply fade away after Knights of the Old Republic 2, and records of its actions and examples of its equipment in stories during and after the Galactic Empire tell us that it should certainly be alive and kicking during the Cold War. Read on for a little bit of history, and you'll see why we believe Czerka will play a large part in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Our dissection of the Star Wars: The Old Republic content released during E3 is now online. As in our prior dissections, we will add new content in as we find it, so keep checking back. Feel free to let us know if you notice something we missed, and we will be happy to add it to our dissection with credit. Note: If something is mentioned in a prior dissection, then we do not reiterate it again here. Low bandwidth users should note there are numerous images contained in this article.

Gamespot posted an exclusive hands-on article of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The link to the article is located below.

Highlights after the jump.

Politics play an integral role throughout the Star Wars universe. We recently took a close look at the Mandalorians, one of the minor factions players may encounter in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This week we are looking at a faction that is very different from the honor-bound warriors: the eternally criminal Hutts.

BioWare recently revealed a new section of the HoloNet titled Inhabitants. This section of the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site is dedicated to the NPCs and mobs we will encounter in-game, broken up into three subcategories: Creatures, Droids, and Humanoids. In addition to new screenshots and animations, each entry contains few paragraphs dedicated to the mob's defining traits and features. We took a closer look at the writing on these pages (both English and Aurebesh), picking specific statements that inspired gameplay speculation.

The official Star Wars website posted an original short story today by Rob Chestney entitled Smuggler's Vanguard. Rob Chestney previously brought us the Threat of Peace webcomic. The story focuses on Hylo Visz, a Mirialan smuggler known to us from the timeline series as the leader of the smuggler fleet that broke the Mandalorian Blockade.

There are many interesting references in the story. Planets referenced include Corellia, Talus, and Nal Hutta, as well as Hutta's moon, Nar Shaddaa. Hylo's ship is called the Crimson Fleece, and the supporting characters include a Nikto named Musk, Barrga the Hutt, and an unnamed Weequay.

The story contains a mix of action and subterfuge and fits the concept of the Smuggler to a tee. For more details, follow the link to the full story below. Hat tip to Jedidsm on the heads up.

Darth Hater was recently invited out to LucasArts' home base in San Francisco to get a look at the newest class in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Imperial Agent. During our time at the studio we got to ask Jake Neri a few questions and we also saw a live demo focusing on some of the combat abilities utilized by this Sith sniper. Throughout the event we hastily scribbled notes, attempting to get a real understanding of how the Imperial Agent works, and we came away with some interesting discoveries.

Nal Hutta is a fitting starting planet for the Bounty Hunter. The now native Hutts have transformed this once lush, vibrant world into a barren toxic waste dump, leaving the native life mutated or irreparably damaged. The current population is made up of rival gangs, struggling to survive, and anyone willing to take advantage of dangerous, yet profitable, situations. It is on this planet that you will start to seek your fortune as best you can.

Well with PAX coming to a close, it is a sad day Mainly because I had to leave the "Oh so beautiful Seattle, Washington". There is MUCH to cover, and instead of covering JUST the demo, I would much rather cover my experience at PAX

The demo walkthrough was just posted:

Whether you were busy being digested in the Sarlacc Pit, Bounty Hunters stole your speeder or like at least one of us you were encased in carbonite and unable to make it to Germany for GamesCom, weve got something for you.

Head over to IGN.com to watch a video of the complete Developer Gameplay Walkthrough showcased at this weeks GamesCom. Get a close-up look at the Bounty Hunter and Smuggler on the worlds of Hutta and Ord Mantell. Jump to the Sith home-world of Korriban and meet the Sith Warrior class. Be transported aboard an Imperial transport ship to see the Bounty Hunter and Sith Warrior decide the fate of the captain and crew aboard the Black Talon.

The video contains almost 20 minutes of actual gameplay footage so check it out at IGN.com

We should have the dissection up in a couple hours, currently doing it right now.

I might be making a leap but it seems quite possible that Pazaak tables might have been shown during the Holonet Hutta video:



It's curious that in the picture of the scene shown above two people are always seen standing by them, never more than two, which is the way Pazaak is played. The table also has similar lighting as seen in the Kotor table image. At this point it's only speculation but am I grasping at straws here or am I onto something? Comment and let us know what you think.

Hutt, the word brings up memories of Jabba and all the fun that came with it. Giant space slugs that have a tendency to turn towards crime. In the past Kotor games we all saw these beings sitting around, often near swoop tracks. Now we will be going to their adopted home planet of Nal Hutta, the Glorious Jewel. Much like the overlords of the planet, it is a swampy and nasty place to go.



The main source of power for these creatures is an incredibly long lifespan. Hutts live over 1000 years and are considered children up to the age of 130 years.(Speaking of children, all Hutts could have babies as they had both male and female organs.) Hutts live on the philosophy that states that if something is out there to have, might as well belong to you. Because of this there are few morals within society and planets under their control are often filled with criminals, as well as their bounty hunter predators.

There is a very good chance you will run into these bloated slugs. We will walk on their home planet, enter their palaces, and screenshots have been made showing these guys. They will likely be quest givers as they are not very mobile making it difficult to imagine fighting them.



The only problem I have with these guys in the game (very minor) is the eye size. Unlike what everyone else seems to complain about (big hands, big lightsabers) this Hutt has tiny eyes. When you look at Jabba his eyes are huge. Of course this guy could have normal eyes and just a big mouth, adding to the list of over-sized things in the game.

Lets hope we will see more of our slug overlords soon.

We all know Nal Hutta will be the starting planet for Bounty Hunters, and possibly for other classes. With Coruscant the capital of the Republic, it is possible this moon could serve as the major metropolis for the Empire. With its history of being within the Kotor series as well as being in orbit of a confirmed planet, Nar Shaddaa could very well be seen within The Old Republic.



Nar Shaddaa is a vast metropolis, similar in scale to Coruscant orbiting its parent planet Nal Hutta. It features towering skyscrapers across the planet, covering its entire surface. While it is a massive city, its history is far different from the Republic counterpart.

When the Hutts evacuated their home planet of Varl and arrived on Nal Hutta, the native Evocii stood in their way. As a result, the Evocii were enslaved and forced to the nearby moon. Here they were forced to start construction of starports for this newly growing trade hub. Upon completion of their labor they were forced into the lower portions of the city, similar to the society of Taris prior to its destruction.

As trade routes slowed, crime grew. Nar Shadaa became a home for all forms of criminals, from slavers to smugglers. This rampant crime gave Nar Shadaa the nickname "The Smuggler's Moon." Think of this moon as a giant Mos Eisley, as Obi Wan said "a hive of scum and villainy." Its current state is much like it was in Kotor II, a bunch of slums with crime lords every 3 feet. If it enters the game I could see this being a major gathering point for trade and spamming.

As shown in the recent clips of the "Kill the Captain" scenario, an alien species reveals itself at least once (possibly twice). The clear image appears to be a Green Nikto, Kadas'sa'Nikto for fanatics(image 13 of the dissected video). The second possible sight of a Nikto is as the defeated Jedi(the source of the purple lightsaber and image 35 of the dissected video). Yes, Yes, I know it is kinda hard to make out and that is about the only time you see his face so your guess is as good as mine. There are records of Nikto Jedi, making this plausible. The home planet of this species is Kintari, a planet bathed in radiation causing the massive mutations within the species. The radiation lets many shades of skin tones, as well as other features, for Nikto develop depending on the environment they inhabited.



Nikto were shown clearly within the Black Vulkar in The Knights of the Old Republic before Taris got blasted, showing their presence within the current time frame. For those of you that are not as familiar with the species from KOTOR they are spiky faced orange guys on Jabba's Yacht. Often being tied to the Hutts also explains the appearance of the green Nikto on what appears to be Nal Hutta. (I like to use Nal Hutta over Hutta because that is how I first learned it)

One branch of the Nikto Culture that could play a large role within the storyline is the Morgukai. Morgukai are a secret society composed of Nikto that despise the Jedi and have a strong code of honor, much like the Mandalorians. Cortosis weapons and a resistance to mind tricks made them ideal assassins of force users. While there was a hatred for Jedi a similar structure was adopted, such as crafting their own weapons and the master/apprentice system. These Nikto could provide an opponent within flashpoints, raids, (and the least dramatic) cannon fodder. Even if they do not make a direct appearance, perhaps their weapons could provide the top of the line melee weapons for the non-force users in the world.(I made sure to put Morgukai in because I know Aussie is a fan)