Knights of the Eternal Throne [Expansion Discussion]

[Edge-]

http://dulfy.net/2016/11/23/swtor-ko...ream-coverage/

I....

to summarize.

subscribe or gtfo is official. no alternative to ops/flashpoint passes, no way to earn gear at lvl 70 outside of subscribing (technically crafting doesn't count as technically end game recipes are ALSO in crates)
GC makes artifact weapon grind look like nothing. its like the worst of ESO's champion system with none of the benefits. oh yeah. pay to win via CG leveling boosts on cartel market.

Yep, been saying that's the direction this expansion is taking the game (back to literal "sub or fuck off") since they announced it : /

Nice to see they're still doing sales for realm transfers rather than actually addressing the population issues via virtual/actual server mergers or another avenue.

No getting back the companions we're still missing after KotFE? That's lame as shit.

But we can get back companions that we've killed off in the story? So much for "choices matter" and all that bullshit.

No story updates after KotET launches? Well, that both explains why they shifted the Subscription "incentive" from additional chapters to Galactic
Conquest. Also incredibly lame, they'd better be pumping out non-story content if they're not going to continue the story...

Piloting a walker is a "gameplay innovation"? Are they joking? Like, furreals, that's hilarious.

"Go undercover as a Zakuul knight" and "remote control a mouse droid" are "gameplay innovations" too? Do they think just because they're catching up to tech that's been around in MMO's for the better part of 8+ years that they're "innovating"?...

Selling 20% comand point boosts in the CM? Yeah, that's fucked up because that's literally paying to progress your end-game gear faster in a pretty big way.

"Command point weekly cap is unreachable unless you exploit" - oh boy, I can't wait for this to blow up in their faces, just like they thought it would take players months to hit level 50 at launch.

DvL boss event sounds kinda neat, but a logistical nightmare to track down and fight. But factions "winning" every few hours? That's wayyyyyyy too fast, and is going to make folks flock to the "winning" side in greater and greater numbers to farm bosses.

No legacy wide Command XP and they don't even have any plans for catch-up mechanics? Are they fucking kidding? Like, are they serious that they're launching and haven't even discussed it yet?

This expansion is a complete and utter joke on almost every level I can imagine. If Uprisings didn't look interesting/fun, I'd say it was a joke on every level imaginable.

Holy crap, I don't even know if I want to finish the 1-50 class stories now, I feel gross with the game even installed on my computer if they're going to pull this kind of shit...

[Deleted]

Rift..... now Swtor..... all the devs going crazy or what the hell is going on the RNG cash grab is real !

[Treeba]

All that really surprises me here is the sub or die change. I don't understand why they think they have enough repeatable content to keep a decent number of people subbed after the new chapters are completed. There are a few new "uprisings" and then it's basically do what you spent the last 5 years doing. If there isn't a new operation soon it's going to be a serious ghost town.

[WoWGoneBad]

Holy crap, I don't even know if I want to finish the 1-50 class stories now, I feel gross with the game even installed on my computer if they're going to pull this kind of shit...

Yea feeling the same way.......

Such a tragic loss of a coulda been a contendah game.........

Well I guess I am back to STO for my Space kick. Sad really cuz it moves so SLOW(characters and sometimes the stories). Also they have the Foundry where I can play Fan Base stories too.

It is time to finally let SWtoR go and get rid of it on my computer.

[NoiseTank13]

No Elara? Really?

[Darth Belichick]

I'll do what I did with the last thing: buy it, play the story through on a couple characters, then not pick it up again until some new story content.

[Merie]

This game so badly needed to be KOTOR 3. It so badly needed to have a story crafted by Obsidian. I am so immensely disappointed by SWTOR because I'm such a huge fan of the first two and this MMO just doesn't quite scratch that itch.

[Derah]

I'll do what I did with the last thing: buy it, play the story through on a couple characters, then not pick it up again until some new story content.

This.

I do have a question though: Is this expansion gonna be purchasable like the last one? Where rather than buying the expac, you just subscribe and get it for free?

- - - Updated - - -

No getting back the companions we're still missing after KotFE? That's lame as shit.

Wait, is this confirmed? seriously!?!?!?!? After all this waiting, STILL no Jaessa, Kira, Nadia, or Doc? The fucking fuck?!?!?!

- - - Updated - - -

At this point, its safe to say they can take their "sub or die" mentality, and shove it where it fits. This game failed as an MMO for me, I'm only going to play it for the story, and once the chapters are played, just uninstall until the next expac is out.

[WoWGoneBad]

This.

I do have a question though: Is this expansion gonna be purchasable like the last one? Where rather than buying the expac, you just subscribe and get it for free?

Correct, sub once get whole package.

Wait, is this confirmed? seriously!?!?!?!? After all this waiting, STILL no Jaessa, Kira, Nadia, or Doc? The fucking fuck?!?!?!

- - - Updated - - -

At this point, its safe to say they can take their "sub or die" mentality, and shove it where it fits. This game failed as an MMO for me, I'm only going to play it for the story, and once the chapters are played, just uninstall until the next expac is out.

YUP....... no companions...AAAANNNDDDD you get to play GOD and bring back characters you killed if you want them......

[Svifnymr]

YUP....... no companions...AAAANNNDDDD you get to play GOD and bring back characters you killed if you want them......

No companions introduced via story and the bring back thing is a possibility, "if people want", I think. They could at least do an in-story "hey, we found some more folks, just place a phone call and they'll be here!" to justify things, even if they don't detail what happened during the missing time.

[Sills]

I'll do what I did with the last thing: buy it, play the story through on a couple characters, then not pick it up again until some new story content.

Yup, that's going to be my plan as well. Worked out nicely in KotFE (subbed 1 month at start for 1-9 then 1 month at end for 10-16) plus since we aren't getting periodic chapters now, I'll be able to see the whole story and save that extra months' sub. Nice :P

Really though I'm just subbing so that I can stick Koth deep in the cold, cold ground in a hilarious/painful fashion. Don't let me down on this BW.

[NoiseTank13]

No companions introduced via story and the bring back thing is a possibility, "if people want", I think. They could at least do an in-story "hey, we found some more folks, just place a phone call and they'll be here!" to justify things, even if they don't detail what happened during the missing time.

oh yeah

thats totally how I want to resolve my Elara romance.

[Golden]

This is a game that really could have benefited from being B2P. If they had sold each chapter for a couple dollars each, people wouldn't be so bitter about it and the company probably would have made more money in the end. This game keeps trying to force people into the subscription model while simultaneously not providing enough content to justify it.

It makes me sad because there isn't any SW game on the horizon to replace this one if it goes under. Plus, I actually really like the class design in this game. I also think this game does warzones better than any other MMO.

[Valeron]

I'll do what I did with the last thing: buy it, play the story through on a couple characters, then not pick it up again until some new story content.

pretty much yeah

[Svifnymr]

oh yeah

thats totally how I want to resolve my Elara romance.

It's not optimum, certainly, and I'd like at least separate Empire/ Republic storylines, with some nods to class stories, but that's not how they're using their resources. I'm just saying it's not like they said you can't get your old companions back, you still have the console or whatever.

[NoiseTank13]

At the end of it all, it just feels like, in addition to limited funding, there isn't currently a vision for this team. It's like they completely ran out of steam with SoR and they went into a full panic looking at each other before going "Bioware is known for story telling, let's double down on that" and they tunnel visioned on it, and not even doing a good job then.

I didn't do PvP but from an outsiders vantage it looks like a shitshow, PvE is just stagnant beyond belief, and the story is so... safe? Lukewarm? Even when it's non-canon they don't do any real risks. I don't care about Zakuul, I honestly don't, and I don't feel like the game does anything to get me immersed in that city, I don't have the same connections as I do Coruscant or even Dromund Kaas, which, while technically a completely new location and city, at least had the Empire to lend it's credence. When given the option to save Republic, Imperial or Zakuul people, the choice was simple, let the Zakuulians die.

Part of this problem of course is the fact that they are trying to focus story content in an MMO. There's single player content, and then there's exclusively single player content. I'm one of the first people to get into arguments in favor of more single player content, but I think even here they crossed the line. No new real OPs or Flashpoints in two expansions is inexcusable, full-stop. They are pushing single-player story in an MMO and I think they would have been better off just dropping the servers and continuing this story in an actual single-player game with single-player controls and mechanics and stop this farce that it's an MMO. The new changes already looks like it's decimating raiding guilds, bless their actual fucking hearts, and I cannot imagine for a moment why I would recommend this as a f2p, or even b2p at this rate.

It's fucking sad. I said it earlier in this thread, but this game here is probably the best example of hubris to date. They launched successfully, but they didn't think people would get to level cap in the time they did (this would have been an incredibly fucking SIMPLE THING TO RESEARCH), flaws in their game, both mechanically and balance wise arose (anyone remember the trooper/bounty hunter resource disparity despite being the same base class), I believe there was a dearth of Ops at launch to begin with. Then the whole Revan fiasco by committing an absolute atrocity to the entire Revan character by giving him a canon appearance, alignment, and personality that it sort of soured my fond memories of the first game. Then bad decision led to bad decision and hemmoraghing more and more money and subs before they announced the F2P system, and it was so painfully obvious judging how much of a 'fuck you' to F2P's the original constraints were that Bioware was offended that people weren't sticking around, and even then they had to back down because even subscribers agreed that was way too harsh. Funding began to dry up, and with it Bioware's desire to do anything with the game.

Cartel market was fine, and necessary, just fucking hated how the cool stuff was in it. I also hated that canon items were in it like Thexan's robes and shit. I sort of feel like it cheapened the whole outfit design in general, but that's just me.

In the end, I feel as though they should resolve this dumbass story, and if they are going to release another expansion, bring it back to Imperial vs. Republic and have seperate faction stories for both. Class stories are welcome but I may as well wish for actual Jedi powers. Bring back the weekly Ops/Flashpoint unlocks, release some new OP's, and put some passion into your work.

If not, then just announce you'll keep the servers up for a couple of years, but there will be no more content coming and let it die out as peacefully as it can.

It's currently a MMO trying to be a single player game, and it has all the drawbacks of both, with none of the upsides.

[WoWGoneBad]

I'm still enjoying the game and looking forward to the xpac very much, but then I'm quite the casual player. I can see where people who are into Ops are unhappy but I can't imagine they're being neglected because EA is determined to lose money. There just must not be much value (in their estimation) in content like Ops since they've practically abandoned that content.

As for Galactic Command, I look forward to something to keep me busy and enjoying the game world

The problem with taking away the F2P playerbase at 70 is that I would say that about 40% of endgame raiders are F2P. And with gating all Endgame gera behind a paywall, there is no reason for them to continue playing.

ALL Endgame gear will be done through Galactic Command. Galactic Command is SUB ONLY.. Well they are doing Command Boosts but I dont know how that will apply to the F2P community or if it is for subs only.

So in the end, they "are" determined to lose money with this plan. With fewer Ops raiders, guilds will not be able to do them(wonder how many ARE raiding lol) because a good number of their raid roster is F2P.

I personally do not mind the move, after thinking about it, there is no reason to keep subbed after 70 anyway since I have not found a decent Ops guild that raids on Ebon Hawk and to be honest, I REALLY DO NOT want to do the same shit with boosted damage for 70 raids anyway.

I can craft my gear to keep me 70 viable so I will be able to hang in the Uprisings until I am bored of those.

[Katchii]

I'm both disappointed and glad with this announcement.

I still enjoy playing the game and looked forward to the story, simply because it was a story regardless of how good/bad/ugly it was.

The fact that I can sub once when the expansion is released and be able to play through it all and then never have to sub again is great for me. But that also means I'll have very little if any incentive to ever come back until they release a new expansion, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only player who feels like this, which means a MASSIVE loss in regular revenue for them. With so much loss of revenue, I'd be extremely surprised if they felt it was worth it to continue putting the money and effort into the game to release ANY new content after this expansion.

To me, it just seems like the writing is on the wall and this will be the last thing of note ever released for SW:ToR and it will just fade into obscurity the next few years before inevitably getting shutdown. =(

[Witchblade77]

ok, so to summarize. they currently have no replacement for ops passes and no way to participate in end game outside of continuous subscription, but WAIT. it gets better!

if the numbers here are correct - this grind is far FAR worse than we originally thought http://dulfy.net/2016/11/29/swtor-ga...command-guide/

either these numbers are wrong, or Musco was lying through his teeth when claiming that it should take an hour per crate on average. I just... I have no words that are acceptable in polite company.

[Edge-]

Jesus, and those dark/light rewards for the winning/losing side are pretty brutal. How on earth do they expect anyone to voluntarily join the losing side or be happy that they picked the side that loses? I literally see no benefit for the loser given the nightmare putting together groups for and tracking down the open world bosses will be. It's infinitely easier to just stack the winning side and bask in all the bonus Command experience, permanent access to the cosmetics vendor, and the dark/light tokens from Command Crates.

And yeah, hot damn that looks grindy. Easy to fill out early levels, but later levels are going to be a pain in the ass even with completing weekly quests etc. for that big bump in command experience.

I feel this is extremely appropriate