Patch 1.5 and F2P conversion happening 11/15

[Arlee]

Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone

Originally Posted by SWTOR

11.13.2012
Scheduled Maintenance for Game Update 1.5: November 15th, 2012

Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for twelve hours on Thursday, November 15th, 2012 from 12AM CST (10PM PST/1AM EST/6AM GMT/7AM CET/5PM AEDT) until 12PM CST (10AM PST/1PM EST/6PM GMT/7PM CST/5AM AEDT). All game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than twelve hours, but could be extended.

Explore Section X, a brand new area on the prison world of Belsavis, where you will not only embark on a galaxy-wide mission to recruit the legendary HK-51 Assassin Droid as your companion, but also confront agents of the Dread Masters in their attempt to activate a powerful ancient Rakata weapon.

In Game Update 1.5, there will be two different ways to play Star Wars™: The Old Republic™:

• Subscription – A service designed for players who want unrestricted access to all the game features via ongoing subscription or by redeeming a Game Time Card. Subscribers will receive ongoing monthly grants of Cartel Coins. Cartel Coins can be used to purchase valuable items including customizable gear and convenience features that will enhance the gameplay experience.
• Free-to-Play – The first 50 levels will be Free-to-Play, with some restrictions on access to new content and advanced player features. Some restrictions can be “unlocked” with Cartel Coins.

After this maintenance is over, restart the game launcher to patch to Game Update 1.5.
Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Thursday, November 15th, 2012

Time: 12AM CST (10PM PST/1AM EST/6AM GMT/7AM CET/5PM AEDT) until 12PM CST (10AM PST/1PM EST/6PM GMT/7PM CST/5AM AEDT)

All game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than twelve hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

(Source)

[Kelimbror]

DUNH, DUNH, DUNNNNNNNHHHHH *Dramatic Gopher* Sorry, I couldn't resist. I did edit out the huge shocked face.

[Profyrion]

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.

[Dezerte]

I can't believe they didn't add paid character re-customization in their Cartel Shop, that's one feature I want so badly it might even make me sub. again.

[RoninaThorstone]

I can't believe they didn't add paid character re-customization in their Cartel Shop, that's one feature I want so badly it might even make me sub. again.

If they could do it, it would be in there.

When they can do it, it will be in there.

EA won't miss the opportunity to mine you unless there's something blocking their way that will cost more to fix/develop than they would make off you.

[Medjai]

wow 12 hours seems like a bit too long for a maintenance but w/e i got rift to hold me for about 4 of those hours till i fall asleep lol

[Arlee]

Again spoiler tags aren't functioning very well so you'll have to click them and then highlight the text to read it.

Originally Posted by SWTOR

11.14.2012
Developer Update: Section X and HK-51 Missions in Game Update 1.5



Game Update 1.5 returns us to the story unfolding on Belsavis.

The Dread Masters, a cadre of incredibly powerful Sith who have abandoned the Empire to pursue their own mysterious goals, have escaped the prison in the midst of the galactic war. Agents of the Dread Masters, known as the Dread Guard, have decimated security forces on Belsavis and seized control of a corner of the planet designated as Section X. Earthquakes and tectonic instability have recently torn the area apart, burying several massive, ancient Rakata technological artifacts in the rubble. The Dread Guard have launched an expedition to unearth one such artifact, a powerful weapon which, in the wrong hands, could wreak havoc on the galaxy. Players from both the Republic and the Empire have been dispatched to put an end to the Dread Masters’ schemes, but what dangers await them in the darkness of Section X?

Section X introduces a new set of daily repeatable missions for both Imperial and Republic players, including two new Heroics. These missions offer more rewards than any previous daily area; more Daily Commendations than before, more Credits overall, and an additional source for Black Hole Commendations. With 1.5, we’ve added new Campaign Armoring mods to the Black Hole vendors on the fleet to ensure that players can acquire ideal stats, and to ensure that players wearing Columi or Rakata shells can customize the look of their gear while retaining their set bonuses. Additionally, we’ve added a lot of new stuff to our Daily Commendation vendors, including new activated relics and new schematics for extremely powerful Droid companion gear. Joining the fight in Section X will help you attain these new rewards faster.

Section X also introduces a new Heroic World Boss: Dreadtooth. Dreadtooth is a gargantuan, wandering Drouk under the control of the Dread Guard. Dreadtooth’s difficulty can be increased by defeating him and collecting a consumable called Dreadful Essence. Taking down Dreadtooth at his higher difficulty levels will require seizing windows of opportunity and coordinating a full, well-geared Ops group in public space. Unlike the Nightmare Pilgrim, Dreadtooth’s loot rewards are not part of the gear progression – defeating him earns you titles, bragging rights, and some fun items.

One of the most exciting new features of Section X is contained within a crashed Imperial transport ship in a nearby snowfield. I’ll hand things over to mission designer Matt Pucevich to tell you about our new Companion Droid, HK-51.



Hi folks! Matt Pucevich here.

So, the HK Droid series has always been a crowd favorite. When we made the decision to include an HK series Droid as a player companion, we knew that we had to make it special. In our minds, then, the mandate for HK-51 was pretty clear: It was time to make an epic mission chain.

This mission chain begins, as Jesse has stated, on the surface of Section X, within the wreck of The Fatality. Prompted by the Dread Guard's tenacious interest in the ship, players are sent in to explore the wreckage, soon discovering that the ship's cargo was a full company of Series 51 HK Assassin Droids. Years of neglect and Belsavis' own harsh environment have taken their toll on the Droids, though, and rendered them inoperable. It falls to the players to range out over the galaxy to seek out the schematics and components necessary to repair and claim their very own HK-51 Droid Companion.

The centerpiece of the mission chain, aside from HK-51 himself, is the Theoretika, a massive old Czerka ship that has lain derelict and deserted in space for a century. The Theoretika is a mood piece, and very different from the types of things we've done in the past in that the area is built around exploration and atmosphere (or lack thereof!). Players will notice, for example, that while they are exploring they won't have map notes telling them exactly where to go -- It's up to them to figure out how to advance through the ship.

Overall the mission chain was a blast to design and implement, and we've been getting really positive feedback from testing, so we're confident that the HK-51 mission chain will be quite the memorable moment for our players.

(As a side note: For some reason a lot of players seem to think that The Fatality wreck is located on Hoth. We cannot explain and are baffled by this impression, as the wreck in question on Hoth is clearly the Ambria's Fury. It must just be some mass delusion brought on by the Dread Masters)

We hope you’ll enjoy the new challenges awaiting you in Section X!

Jesse Sky
Lead Flashpoints and Operations Designer

Matthew Pucevich
Missions Designer

(Source)

[Kelimbror]

Stop it. Stop making me want to play this game...eff. I think I have to resubscribe just to go get HK, regardless of how little time it might take. I think a Bounty Hunter is going to be dusting off his blasters tonight.

[RoninaThorstone]

Stop it. Stop making me want to play this game...eff. I think I have to resubscribe just to go get HK, regardless of how little time it might take. I think a Bounty Hunter is going to be dusting off his blasters tonight.

Resub today to get the extra 200 coins man. Just do it. You will probably kick yourself for not, later.

[Kelimbror]

Resub today to get the extra 200 coins man. Just do it. You will probably kick yourself for not, later.

But 200 coins isn't worth anything really

[RoninaThorstone]

But 200 coins isn't worth anything really

Yet.

What if they add some awesome crap later? Just resub now, get hk and section X done. Unsub. Come back later when they have a better model.

[Kelimbror]

Yet.

What if they add some awesome crap later? Just resub now, get hk and section X done. Unsub. Come back later when they have a better model.

That's the plan really.

[Perkunas]

That's the plan really.

Yeah, I reactivated today. I am going to buy the Pureblood race with coins and level a Jedi Guardian. Still going to avoid healing classes until they decide to implement a non-shitty healing UI.

[quras]

Stop it. Stop making me want to play this game...eff. I think I have to resubscribe just to go get HK, regardless of how little time it might take. I think a Bounty Hunter is going to be dusting off his blasters tonight.

Roughly 6 hours of content just to get the HK companion and a good story line to go with it. It's not a bad deal.

[Kelimbror]

Roughly 6 hours of content just to get the HK companion and a good story line to go with it. It's not a bad deal.

Iit's not terrible, since I will get my coins and the ability to do whatever I want for a month. I doubt I will stick with it, because to be honest my old vice has some pretty compelling activities right now. If SWTOR puts out some meatier space and additional features then I would probably have a serious and fun issue on my hands.

[Redblade]

I got to ask, have the implemented any new set bonuses so far?

[Kelimbror]

Dangit I'm a sucker...I begged the wife and by her good graces I will have my HK!

[Lord Kristivas]

Dangit I'm a sucker...I begged the wife and by her good graces I will have my HK!

Even after all that rage, I somehow knew you'd do it. :P

[Drakos]

Dangit I'm a sucker...I begged the wife and by her good graces I will have my HK!

Welcome back to the Dark side. Even if you just get HK its still a decent value compared to a movie or a couple of drinks out.

[Keren]

sitting at work to waitin the day will go over fast :/

are there any do'es and dont's regarding the new cartel shop? somethign that are just complete waste of coins? I still need to find out if those exp booster work also if you alsready subscribe - cause i simply hate leveling