After taking a break last year, I’ve decided to have another go at my semi-yearly tradition of predicting what we might see this year in Star Wars: The Old Republic. To newcomers, please don’t assume I have any special insight or knowledge. I’m not a developer, just a fan. There is a very good reason I categorize these posts as “Dumb Top Fives”. Without further ado, here are five things that might, or might not, happen in SWTOR in 2026!
1 – Expansion Hype
In his end of year producer’s letter Keith Kanneg spoke the number that Broadsword had avoided the past couple years: 8.0. Ted from the State of the Old Republic Podcast pointed out that Keith wrote about the game entering a new “era” rather than “expansion”. I’m reluctant to dive deep into speculation between the differences between era and expansion, because I can’t imagine Broadsword intends to reinvent the wheel. The things I associate with an expansion such as a level increase, a fresh gearing cycle, rebalanced classes and new abilities, are all things I think SWTOR could use.
This is hardly a bold prediction, so let’s see if I can spice this up. Since the current expansion is Legacy of the Sith, I wonder if the next era will have a Jedi flavored theme. “Children of the Jedi” was the first notion that sprung to mind, but then I remembered that was also the title of an old Star Wars novel, so it won’t be that. My second take “Fate of the Jedi” is definitely out as well given other recent news. But I do think “Jedi” will be in the expansion title. “Destiny of the Jedi” maybe? Surely that’s been used already? It must be tough to come up with a cool and unique title for a new Star Wars project. I’ve got to think that everyone in the game’s development chain from Broadsword to EA to Lucasfilm puts in their opinions on the matter.
More mundanely, it’s fair to wonder if the expansion will actually debut at the end of the year. It’s no secret that Legacy of the Sith did not have the smoothest launch even with an extra three months in the oven. I have to believe Broadsword does not want a repeat of that, and I do hope its launch does coincide with the game’s 15th anniversary. SWTOR has been subject to so many predictions of its demise over the years and has weathered so many storms, only to be steadily chugging along all these years later. I hope the team get to celebrate the milestone with a bold new Era for the game. I sometimes get to play with kids who were born after SWTOR launched, and it is so satisfying that I get to share this game with a new generation of fans.
2 – New and Improved
Expansions typically come with new game systems and revisions to old ones, and I expect nothing different for 8.0. There are existing systems that could use some updating and one major new feature I could see Broadsword adding.
I enjoy decorating Strongholds in SWTOR. Just last week, two hours vanished while I was decorating the barn of the new Dantooine stronghold. I wasn’t wearing any gear, never entered combat, nor collected any rewards, but it was time well spent. It should not shock you, therefore, that I have been following with great interest the addition of player housing to World of Warcraft with its upcoming expansion Midnight. WOW’s implementation of housing is darn impressive. It’s probably the most elaborate and customizable decorating system since Wildstar.
It is not my position that SWTOR should abandon its hook and layout system. I honestly like that hooks act as guide rails that prevent me from going too far down any rabbit holes. SWTOR’s decorating system hasn’t seen any significant updates since its launch, and some changes could give players more freedom to decorate. At the very least, I’d like to be able sort through and organize my collection of decorations. I have so many now that I sometimes forget what’s there. When it comes to actually decorating, I think there should be fewer restrictions on placing decorations; frankly I’d argue any decoration should be placeable on any size hook. Going further, I’d also like to have the ability to scale many if not all decorations and the addition of a Z-access slider would be neat as well. SWTOR and WOW have a long history of swiping ideas from each other, and I hope that SWTOR pinches a dash or two from Warcraft’s housing.
That said, I don’t know if decorating is a priority for the developers. One system that I think is certain to be updated for 8.0 is crafting. Crafting has been almost completely untouched since the launch of Onslaught in 2019. Onslaught crafting is, as far as I’m concerned, the worst version of crafting in the game’s history. These days, crafting in SWTOR is all about endlessly and tediously making components which are assembled into gear that is largely irrelevant. MMO-RPG Crafting is a tough nut to crack, no doubt about it. I don’t know if there is actually a way to make crafting fun, but I have always found satisfaction in making my own stuff in MMOs, whether it was bags in World of Warcraft or dyes in SWTOR.
My hope for 8.0 is that the component system will be streamlined and require less babysitting of companions and that there will be interesting things for every profession to make. During the successful update to SWTOR’s auction house, the Galactic Trade Network, there was discussion of adding work orders to the GTN. It would be cool to see that happen. I can craft a lot of recipes that can no longer be discovered, but I have no idea which of that stuff is in demand so I don’t bother with any of it. It would be cool to dust off those old schematics for folks who actually want them and make a few credits for my trouble.
But let’s be honest, crafting and decorating updates may not be the kind of features that would attract attention from both long time players and casual Star Wars fans. I suspect Broadsword has something flashy up their sleeve for 8.0, but what could it be?
First off, it won’t be a new class. The logistics of adding and retrofitting an entirely new class to the game feels like something that is beyond the scope of what SWTOR can or wants to do. That said, Legacy of the Sith’s big feature was the separation of Combat Styles from the Class or Origin stories, and that does suggest other possibilities.
It is possible SWTOR could add one or two new Combat Styles to the game. I can think of one style that is thematically appropriate and has a long history in SWTOR: the melee Tech weapon wielder. Tech based companions such as Qyzen Fess, Bowdaar, Vector Hylus and Torian Cadera have all used assorted Vibro-Swords, Techblade and Techstaves. More recently within SWTOR’s story we’ve seen Mandalorians including Shae Vizla, Heta Kol and Ri’kan wielding melee weapons. And non-Force users have taken up staves, spears and swords in live action on The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.
I understand this comes with a whole host of challenges. Which weapons would actually be usable by a new style? Tech and Vibro blades certainly, but what about staves? What about dual wielding? What about lightsabers? And there are the thorny questions of class balance. And let’s not forget seemingly mundane issues like updating the UI to accommodate new styles. Nevertheless, the ability for Tech classes to have the option to fight with melee weapons feels like a legitimate “class fantasy” worth adding to the game.
But what about the Jedi and Sith? Should Force users get a new style as well to balance the scales? As I have thought about this question, nothing really springs to mind. Perhaps an unarmed style that employs the Star Wars version of Kung Fu, Teras Kasi? Or how about this: In Jedi: Survivor, Cal Kestis carries a blaster; perhaps a Jedi Gunslinger could be a thing? What do you think?
The ability to add and swap combat styles has been a great addition to SWTOR, so I don’t think I’m bold in predicting that adding at least one new style would be a natural addition to the game,
3 – How does Legacy of the Sith end?
Before the next Era of SWTOR can start, this one has to end. What do I think will happen this year in the game’s main story?
I don’t know! I have been predicting Malgus’ imminent demise since Onslaught, and yet he’s still going strong. There is a part of me that feels like if I keep at it, eventually I’ll be right, but I figure it is best to save that sort of stubbornness for my quixotic campaign to one day adopt a Porg in SWTOR.
Since the end of the Fallen Empire saga, SWTOR has been focused on questions of identity. What does it mean to be a Jedi or Sith? What does loyalty to the Empire, the Republic or Mandalore mean? Malgus going rogue from the Sith demonstrates this, as does the entirety of Heta Kol’s Mandalorian civil war. Even our characters have gotten in on the action with the saboteur options available to players tired of their original faction.
As characters like Malgus and Heta Kol and Shae Vizla try to make sense of who they are and who they want to be, we’ve seen with each the dangers of extremism, and that is already clear in our introduction to Darth Nul. Their egos and myopia are making bad situations worse. At first I thought Emperor Vitiate corrupted Nul, but I’m starting to wonder if her drive and ambitions were there all along, and that’s what drew the two of them together.
Darth Nul is the character whose identity has been most in question throughout Legacy of the Sith. After my first playthrough of Galactic Threads, I feared that Nul’s actual role in the story would be small, but after listening to the extremely entertaining conversation between SWTOR’s Narrative Director, Ashley Ruhl and Lead Writer Caitlin Sullivan Kelly and Nuls voice actor Samatha Béart, I think my fears might be unfounded. Béart teased that there is more to come from Darth Nul. I suspect that Nul’s return to the galactic stage would be a strong note upon which to end this Era of SWTOR.
The game’s cast of supporting characters are not only questioning who they are, but without exception seem also to have given no thought to what comes after. Heta Kol wants to make Mandalore great again, but for what? What will be left of the Mandalorians if she has her way? Shae Vizla has broken faith with our characters for what? Her alliance with Malgus can only end in betrayal; even she must realize that. Why would our characters or Jekiah and Rass Ordo or any Mandalorian trust her ever again?
As for Darth Nul, like Malgus, she does not seem to care about either the Jedi or the Sith. Her ambition seems to be her sole driving motivation. If the Jedi wouldn’t let her complete her work, she was happy to turn to the Sith. I think Darth Nul might be the perfect name for her. She’s not a Jedi, not a Sith. She’s nothing, and I fear that might be worse.
4 – No Fate?
I try to give myself one gimme on each round of predictions, and I can confidently say Fate of the Old Republic is not going to affect Star War: The Old Republic this year, or even next. How could it? Fate of the Old Republic made quite a splash with its announcement trailer late last year, but the studio behind it is barely seven months old and the game is years from even a release date. When or if it comes out, will there be any crossover of characters or story or any cross-promotion? Perhaps, but that is a long way off. Maybe we’ll be celebrating SWTOR’s 20th anniversary as FOTOR launches.
There are many unanswered questions around Fate of the Old Republic with regards to its story and setting. I’ve seen speculation around whether Fate could be canon, so that would make connecting it to the “obviously Legends” SWTOR impossible. I know this is important to some fans, but I can’t help but roll my eyes. When fans and creators focus too much on continuity and canon, Star Wars just feels so much smaller to me. I just watched the third season of Star Wars: Visions and I love it. Throughout its three seasons, the show has featured diverse creators and studios telling a wide variety of stories in their own individual styles and interpretations. It’s been amazing to watch the show stretch and redefine what Star Wars can be.
The season ends with two episodes, The Bird of Paradise and Black. Both stories could not be more different, The Bird of Paradise is a beautiful meditation on finding connection to the Force through loss and maturity, Black is a wildly surreal and jazzy improvisation on the chaos and destruction that punctuates the Star Wars movies. Questions about what is real in The Bird of Paradise and what actually happens in Black feel reductive and akin to missing the point these episodes want to make.
What does it mean if FOTOR is canon and SWTOR is Legends? I don’t know and I don’t care. I hope the creators of both games feel the same.
5 – FOPOTOR
When I shared my last installment of Pets of the Old Republic last month, several people asked about the pets I had missed. When thinking about which pets to cover, I did “over-book” the list and called audibles here and there, so there were many pets who could’ve and perhaps should’ve been included. It is likely that I will revisit POTOR later this year with a few more favorites, both old and new. Of course, the one thing that SWTOR could add to the game to guarantee my return would, of course, be a Porg pet. Porgs have been a running joke on each of my prediction lists and I’ve almost given up ever having a Porg pet in SWTOR, but I keep hearing that rebellions are built on hope, so I’ll keep at it. Maybe this will be the year!
Fight the Empire
I had a very hard time writing this post. These days it’s scary to think about the future. As I look at what is happening in the world, in my country and in my neighborhood, what I see doesn’t inspire faith in the year to come. They want us to be afraid, but I believe there is value and resistance in little things like creating art, finding community and sharing joy even in stories about space wizards. Seeing people write and talk about the things that makes them happy inspires me and reminds me to do the same. Josh Johnson’s advice feels spot on: “As much as you can do, you do it and you make a better world. That’s the way forward.” So I will do what I can, here on this blog, in the voting booth, on the streets of the town I call home.
