It is probably an understatement to say that it has been a tumultuous few years for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Between Covid forcing major changes in how the developers work on the game, the behind the scenes chaos at Bioware, SWTOR’s move to Broadsword two years ago, and the year-long voice actors’ strike I suspect things have often felt unsettled for the fine folks who make the game.
This large boulder can be found in a place of honor on Dantooine.
Despite it all, the devs have clearly worked to put the game on a regular schedule of updates so that players can reliably predict what to expect at least in the near term. I won’t say that every step has landed on firm ground, but the team has done a good job pivoting when they had to and keeping the game moving forward. We’re seeing their hard work pay off. Last week’s developer livestream was chock full of news about not only the next update in December but also the year to come.
Road Maps? Where We’re Going We Do Need Road Maps
My biggest takeaway from the stream is that Keith Kanneg came very close to announcing that SWTOR will get an expansion next year. Even if that was not an official announcement, he said that December’s Producer Letter will include a 2026 road map for SWTOR. I cannot remember the last time SWTOR had a long term road map, and I think it speaks volumes to the team’s confidence in the release cadence they’ve established and stuck to the past several years. I certainly hope there will be a surprise or two in this road map, but we can also look at the last few years of releases and come away with a general idea for what to expect in the months ahead.
Dantooine, We’re On Dantooine
I won’t comment on everything that came up in the livestream, but I do want to touch on a few other topics. I am most happy that we’ll be able to continue the story after more than a year’s delay. The last installment ended on a cliffhanger, and it will be fun to discover where the action goes next. I imagine it will be a bit like catching up with old friends, and I’m eager to see how everyone is doing.
The major gameplay feature included in the next update is an entire zone on the planet Dantooine full of Dynamic Encounters. I have been quite impressed with Dynamic Encounters. I enjoy taking my characters out into the world and having adventures with them, and the Encounters strike a good balance with different types of gameplay and the option to run as few or as many as I want. Unlike Daily Areas where I feel committed to finishing every quest in the zone once I start, I like that I can hop into and out of Encounters as the spirit moves me.
Unlike previous Encounters, these new ones have a new and unique zone dedicated to them. I poked around on the PTS, and the new areas are breathtaking. If you are a collector, an explorer or a completionist, it seems like there will be plenty for you to do there. The most prominent reward for players who engage with the Encounters on Dantooine is a massive stronghold, with huge fields, a sprawling ranch house, caves and natural environments to make your own. If you crave a Stronghold full of wide open spaces, this will be the one for you.
I say this every time I get to visit a new location in the game, but my favorite part of each SWTOR update is getting to explore another unseen corner of the Star Wars universe. The majority of my time on the PTS was spent trailblazing off the paths, climbing trees and finding spots to admire the landscapes.
Always read the plaque.
With very big thanks to Illeva and Swtorista, I was able to find a hidden nook with some surprise Aurebesh for me to translate. I had intended to wait until this update went live to officially translate this, but Eric Musco forced me to change my plans. Musco played the Dantooine Encounters on Twitch on Friday, and he mentioned how much he loved the giant boulder he was lugging around on his brand new speeder, only to learn that the boulder itself can both be found somewhere on Dantooine and also has a name! Since the cat is out of the bag, I feel okay sharing my translation a little early.
Given the off-screen comments from Musco’s stream, I think it’s fair to say that this big, happy rock was named either for or by Emily Henderson, an Environment Artist at Broadsword. It’s very cool when artists get to sign their name or make their mark on these massive works that they’ve helped create. It’s something I’ve seen throughout the history of both Star Wars and SWTOR.
The Orbital Core
I want to finish up with a discussion of two controversial topics. First, the Dantooine Encounters conclude with a heroic-4 mission meant to be tackled with a standard group with a tank, a healer and two DPS. As it stands on the PTS, it is a very difficult encounter. On Friday, I went in blind with a solid group to check out the heroic, and we got our butts kicked. The fights have complicated and unforgiving mechanics that need to be understood and practiced in order to complete the encounter.
Poison gas, angry droids and furious lizard-cats, oh my!
This is a good thing. SWTOR has not always been great at providing challenges for its elite players, but casual players will absolutely struggle with these fights. We’ve been told that there will be buffs that we can unlock to make these encounters easier to manage, but they don’t seem to be fully implemented on the PTS so I don’t know how they will work.
I love facing challenges with new or inexperienced players, but if someone asks me how to finish the Dantooine heroic, I’m worried the answer will be to grind reputation for six or eight weeks so they are allowed to buy the buffs they need. It doesn’t feel fun to discover a cool new fight only to be told you won’t be able to try it for several weeks or months if you play casually.
I’m honestly confused by this choice. The Heroic is instanced, and the game has been creating separate difficulties for instanced group content since launch. I don’t know why it wasn’t set up like a flashpoint with Story, Veteran and Master Modes. Absolutely make Master Mode as tough as nails with special rewards for those who rise to the challenge, but not everyone can or wants to play at that level, and let them have fun too without being forced to grind rep for a fight they may only do once.
The Loading Screen
Finally, I want to put down my thoughts about the new “Galactic Threads” loading screen. There have been accusations that it was produced via generative AI, but I do not agree. As I see it, this loading screen is stylistically similar to the ones we’ve had at least since Onslaught. Typically SWTOR‘s loading screens are collages of separate character and background illustrations combined with varying degrees of internal consistency. Since the game’s start, many of the artists who have been doing character illustrations and design have worked in a loose, almost impressionistic style which is in contrast to the more realistic rendering we are used to seeing in the game’s cinematics and some other loading screens. Moreover, people might also be reacting to the way that the various elements that go into this image are assembled into a whole; seeing characters rendered with heavy brush strokes combined with backgrounds using smooth photographic effects and gradients can feel off. This illustration feels to me as messy and idiosyncratic and human as many if not most of the loading screens we’ve had over the years.
Could I be wrong? Absolutely, but I hope I’m not. I am a working artist myself, have a degree in art history and have been examining the art and design of Star Wars: The Old Republic for this blog for almost ten years. Does that make me an expert? Nope, but I do think that I have enough grounds to stand upon to share my opinion on this matter.