star trek online vs star wars the old republic

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Star Wars the Old Republic vs Star Trek Online

• Thread starter NAVY SEALS
• Start date Aug 21, 2012

Which side wins.

Star trek online, star wars the old republic, mutually assured destruction., both sides stalemate..

• Total voters 39

Enforcer of the Sentai

• Aug 21, 2012

Outer_Path26

Suckha ma glowing dragonballz.

No contest. Lightsaber beats phaser every time. And Force field beats lighsaber.. I just made my own variation of Rock, Paper, Scizzors xD Forcefield, Phaser, Lightsaber  

Splattercat

The new guy.

Outer_Path26 said: No contest. Lightsaber beats phaser every time. And Force field beats lighsaber.. I just made my own variation of Rock, Paper, Scizzors xD Forcefield, Phaser, Lightsaber Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Splattercat said: Lightsaber loses to Pulsewave assault weapon... Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Outer_Path26 said: Force Push>Pulsewave Next? Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Splattercat said: Force Push doesn't push energy. Also Force Fields. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Outer_Path26 said: How do you know? Vader deflected a blaster bolt with his hand! ohh and force lightning. Listen, doesnt even matter. SW has so much firepower over ST its uber rape Click to expand... Click to shrink...

On the ground, maybe (SW has personal shields too) In space ST is boned, Sith and Republic is a horrible curbstomp. Even if there firepower is equalized (which it isnt) were talking about all the ships and resources of a galaxy vs 1/4th of another.  

Outer_Path26 said: On the ground, maybe (SW has personal shields too) In space ST is boned, Sith and Republic is a horrible curbstomp. Even if there firepower is equalized (which it isnt) were talking about all the ships and resources of a galaxy vs 1/4th of another. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Even if SW's weapons are inferior, which I highly doubt, they have a massive advantage in their force users, their superhuman, precognitive, super fast force users.  

Legrio said: Even if SW's weapons are inferior, which I highly doubt, they have a massive advantage in their force users, their superhuman, precognitive, super fast force users. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

In Captain America We Trust!

I gotta give it to the Star Wars side. I haven't played STO...yet, but I'm looking forward to it. But I've heard from STO and what I've played of Old Republic, Star Wars always has and always will have an advantage on the ground. Force users alone, whehter they are Jedi or Sith are a huge force multiplyer, they can litterally jump in and slaughter entire platoons by themselves, use various Force skills and powers for which Star Trek has NO counter for. Then there is the Fact that the Republic and the Empire have Dedicated soldiers, special forces, battle mechs, Mechs and Walkers...turrets, massive firepower. The federation might have some of that...but the mechanized forces will be difficult to deal with alone, the Jedi and Sith will be near impossible. The Deck is stacked against STO.  

NAVY SEALS said: Breen Freeze Weapons, Undine Psychic attacks, Founders, Hortas, Mugatos, Borg that should be Marvel Supervillains (The main one in Cure Ground) etc. The Jedi will have a tough fight on their hands. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Spartan303 said: Lets not forget the massive scale either. The Star Trek side are the combine resources of 2 quadrents while the Star Wars side has nearly an entire galaxy. The sheer number of troops they have that they can throw at the ST side is just staggering. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

NAVY SEALS said: Technically 4 Quadrants and a whole other universe. Being that you have the Federation, Breen, Cardassians, Orions, Gorn, Nasacains and Klingons from the Alpha Quadrant. Remans, Romulans and Hirogen from the Beta Quadrant. The Dominion from the Gamma Quadrant. The Borg from the Delta Quadrant. And the Undine from Fluidic space. Looks like the numerical advantage might not be with the Star Wars side here. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Spartan303 said: Its still not an entire galaxy. Nearly the entire Star Wars Galaxy is commited. So the Numerical advantage might not be as pronounced, but its still there. But we're not talking quantity. The unpredictabe nature of war will ensure that the Star Wars side does take alot of casualties but they have better trained and more experienced troops, better equipment, command structures and support systems in place to win. Its that simple. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Shadowblade24

Outer_Path26 said: Also, they have Armor, air support, and a dedicated infantry. All of which STO lacks Click to expand... Click to shrink...

• Aug 22, 2012

Also, STO hand weapons don't simply "do damage" but can actually vaporize enemies (targets are disintegrated in-game as a visual effect, even by the Pulsewave/Blastwave versions). Plus STO characters are capable of calling in reinforcements from orbit and have access to equipment that can make 3 clones of themselves as well as Holographic/Photonic ground troops. Orbital bombardment laughs at tanks/vehicles.  

If you get a hit on an exposed enemy (game mechanic, that is what causes the vaporization effect unless you use the TOS hand phaser, which does it for everybody). Of course, they can also vaporize people with say, gorn bites, or hand to hand moves (due to above gameplay mechanic. Any attack labeled "exploit" done on an enemy that has exposed effect gets it if the exploit attack kills).  

Shadowblade24 said: If you get a hit on an exposed enemy (game mechanic, that is what causes the vaporization effect unless you use the TOS hand phaser, which does it for everybody). Of course, they can also vaporize people with say, gorn bites, or hand to hand moves (due to above gameplay mechanic. Any attack labeled "exploit" done on an enemy that has exposed effect gets it if the exploit attack kills). Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Splattercat said: Hmm. Never seen a melee vaporization before. Eitehr way, we know standard issue Trek hand weapons vaporize and by extension the STO-exclusives (Pulsewave,/Blastwave/etc.) do so as well. Vaporization in Star Wars is, by comparison, exceptionally rare. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Shadowblade24 said: I've done it several times ingame as a gorn tactical melee-focused character . Literally was using the bite skill, and the enemy vaporizes. So... if we go by gameplay <_<.... Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Splattercat said: Orbital bombardment laughs at tanks/vehicles. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Special Note: This is a ground battle scenario. Space based assets can only come into play if they have been used in the game to support actual ground fights and will be governed by the game mechanic limits. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

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Star Trek Online: Worth it?

By Ardrossan May 8, 2021 in Off-Topic

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I like Star Trek, but never played STO. Just wondering from people who have how well it compares to swtor. Has anyone played the F2P version? How is that?

I've heard the story and VA isn't as good as this game, but what game is? I've been reading some excellent LPs though and they've made me curious.

I'm not too impressed with swtor's content drought (SoE excepted) and looking for another game, preferably one that I can play free.

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SteveTheCynic

Character customisation options are streets ahead of SWTOR's, although they tend to look a bit stiiff compared to SWTOR's.

Most missions consist of arriving at a system, having a big fight in space, and then going down onto a planet and fighting there as well. Space combat is deeply not fun, and there's a couple of seriously OP abilities that are easy to get hold of, allowing you to suck off all of an enemy ship's shields, (Er, yes, some enemies have this ability, too, and will use it against you. It's still OP.)

The storytelling is fairly standard Star Trek, with the usual suspects as foes and allies.

BlueShiftRecall

Firstly I haven't played for a few years now so I don't know how much has changed.

I'm a big fan of Star Trek (I live for TNG and DS9), so I found the stories very enjoyable. I liked the locations visited and the different alien species which we rarely see in the show have more prominence. I love the look/variety of the ships (the kid in me still gets excited seeing a Romulan D'deridex or a Klingon Bird of Prey) and I remember really enjoyed their Christmas Event.

What turned me off were the space battles, I found them very boring and tedious and ultimately it was what stopped me engaging further into the stories/game. This is 100% my personal opinion and you may find the space battles lots of fun but for me they were the killer that stopped me going back.

If you like Star Trek I would definitely give it a go and see for yourself.

TheWilloughbian

I've been enjoying it. Found a fun guild (Fleet). It helps if you are a Star Trek fan, for certain. Plays a bit like a cross between EVE online and Mass Effect. The game is OLD (almost 12 years I guess) and feels a bit... not so much clunky, but not as smooth as SWTOR, as far as some of the character animations go, though the player character still feels very life like. The vertex weighting is not as good as it is in SWTOR. (That's one of the things that I have always been very impressed with in SWTOR).

While the game is free to play and playable without spending a dime, there is a cash market. Some things are not so expensive and some things are. A "costume" can be around $5 while some of the "expansion pack" are $120. But as I said, you don't really "need" any off that stuff. The random loot boxes are a little different. The boxes are free... the keys to open them are not. So the gambling wall for some items is there and can get expensive. There is also a market in game where you can trade cash currency for one of the in game currencies.

The other players tend to be helpful to new players, but like any MMO your going to have some that aren't. Most will tell you to play the game a little bit before you drop any real money on it.

Personally I think the game is worth a download to try out. You can run it through Steam I guess, or Arc has it's own thing similar to Origin. How much you enjoy the game is very likely to depend on how much you like Star Trek. If you decide it's not for you, then you haven't lost anything but time. There are some things I had trouble with when first tried playing it. For instance to login, you might have to use the email rather than user name or it won't work. The security "AI" they use is very proactive. It doesn't take much to set it off and it will prevent new players from logging in, or doing certain higher risk activities, such as trading cash market items with other players until a week long cooldown expires, for example. However, my experience with their customer service has been positive thus far.

Anyhow, just a little rundown off what I have seen from the game in my week or so playing it. Mileage may very.

I'd really like to like STO. Some pretty big design decisions play many of my heartstrings.. Things like ship, ship to ship combat, bridgecrew being such prominent parts of the game..that stuff rubs my navy fetish well enough!

Sadly, it all looks and plays just too janky and feels so dated and low budget somehow. Like age old OG Star Trek tv show. I can't quite get into it.

• 4 weeks later...

I like Star Trek, but never played STO. Just wondering from people who have how well it compares to swtor. Has anyone played the F2P version? How is that?   I've heard the story and VA isn't as good as this game, but what game is? I've been reading some excellent LPs though and they've made me curious.   I'm not too impressed with swtor's content drought (SoE excepted) and looking for another game, preferably one that I can play free.

don't know if you still visit, but i was 'away' for a while. I found it a good game, but the combat gets more repetitive than here. Saying that, they have tons more content, so it will take you a while to get through it all. The space combat is more fun than here, but can be a bit difficult to use. I'd sign up as a free player, give it a look, and if you enjoy it, I'd sub.

Also, I've been trying some other games

Magic the gathering MMO is on beta, it's a little basic at the moment, but is improving, and looks like it's going to be really fun, beta is open and free, worth a look

FF14 has a free option at the moment, again, I gave it a go, it has cross platform play which is cool, as I was able to join the same server as my sons, and he gave me the noob tour (normally the other way around, he was delighted...lol) But i enjoyed it so much, I subbed, and pre ordered the new xpac. Another game definitely worth a look

GW2 is fun, although I haven't been tempted to sub, yet. But it's fun, and has enough content as a free player.

I tried LoTR, was ok, but nothing that kept pulling me back.

Neverwinter is the same.

If I think of anymore before my time here runs out, I'll add them...lol

ForfiniteStories

I stopped playing STO after a few months of playing.

I was leveling up through the story to get used to the game and to help dictate if endgame was even worth it, especially since I was spoiled by SWTOR story-wise and wanted to see how STO held up by comparison. Customization was awesome, as well as some of the quests. Never payed much attention to text-based questing in MMOs, but STO was certainly an exception (or was STO voiced?). I did hate that the default dialogue of one particular quest was to kill someone, with the other, more merciful option being locked behind a crafting skill. It was out of character for me and really killed the experience.

As soon as you reach the level bracket of the expansions, the game expected you to have expansion tier gear. Due to level scaling, I got creamed, with my only option to to induce myself into endgame. Obviously I did not like the game enough to bother with that, no thanks to this.

I stopped playing STO after a few months of playing.   I was leveling up through the story to get used to the game and to help dictate if endgame was even worth it, especially since I was spoiled by SWTOR story-wise and wanted to see how STO held up by comparison. Customization was awesome, as well as some of the quests. Never payed much attention to text-based questing in MMOs, but STO was certainly an exception (or was STO voiced?). I did hate that the default dialogue of one particular quest was to kill someone, with the other, more merciful option being locked behind a crafting skill. It was out of character for me and really killed the experience.   As soon as you reach the level bracket of the expansions, the game expected you to have expansion tier gear. Due to level scaling, I got creamed, with my only option to to induce myself into endgame. Obviously I did not like the game enough to bother with that, no thanks to this.

The problem is, story wise, swtor players are really spoiled, if this is your first mmo, and then you go to another it can be very disappointing. I've never had any mission where you needed a crafted item to pick an option, might have been introduced after I stopped, or I might have had the item already. But that does seem like a really bad choice.

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• MMORPG Showdown

Star Wars The Old Republic vs. Star Trek Online

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This is the fourth match of GameOgre.com’s  MMO Showdown 9 .  This annual tournament determines the best MMORPG out of 16 games. The winner will be named MMORPG of the Year. GameOgre.com also has a  Prediction Contest  for forum members each year for a $10 Game Card or $10 of Riot Points.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Trek Online

Surprisingly, this the first time that these two major Space MMORPGs have faced off against one another. Both games are based on very content rich universes so it is something of a fanboy’s dream match-up based solely on that. The games themselves are also very deep. SWTOR has something of an advantage after learning from the mistakes of the highly criticized Star Wars Galaxies.  However, the question here is which one of these popular MMOs will move on to the next round.

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7 Star Wars Characters Who Don't Deserve The Force

Star wars: 5 worst jedi padawans, according to the lore, the acolyte's creator wants to make a live-action kotor with a fascinating protagonist.

When it comes to space-themed sci-fi licenses, there are no bigger properties than  Star Wars  and  Star Trek . While the former started as a trilogy of movies and the latter began life as a '60s TV series, both spawned vast brands that seeped into other mediums like novels, comics, merchandising, and – crucially – video games. Despite typically sharing little in common in terms of tone, ideologies, and plotlines,  Star Wars   and  Star Trek   are forever linked.

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Naturally, both licenses have been adapted into their fair share of games, although  Star Wars  has received far more blockbuster titles due to its more mainstream status and preference for adventures heavy on action. Here are the best  Star Wars  and  Star Trek  games, in no specific order.

10 Star Wars: TIE Fighter

Even if more recent space flight simulators like Elite Dangerous  and  Kerbal Space Program  have set a new standard for the niche sub-genre, 1994's  Star Wars: TIE Fighter  was the best in the business for quite a number of years. The second entry in the consistently great  X-Wing  series,  TIE Fighter  fulfills every fan's dream of joining the Empire as an Imperial pilot who takes their job of destroying Rebel Alliance dogs very seriously.

Revolving around Admiral Thrawn's quest to locate a traitor,  TIE Fighter  not only tells a solid story but presents the Empire in a unique and almost sympathetic light. When it comes to space combat, the gameplay is deep but not overwhelming, visually impressive, and challenging without ever really becoming frustrating.

9 Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online  is an MMORPG that has been running since 2010 on PC, although it was ported to the PS4 and Xbox One in 2016. Right out of the gate, players are assigned their own starship, with the majority of the gameplay revolving around the ship's management. It is also possible to explore planets and engage in ground combat; that said,  STO  shines the brightest when it comes to its space combat and crew management.

Once it got passed a poor launch and transitioned to a free-to-play model,  STO  steadily blossomed into an entertaining celebration of everything  Star Trek .

8 Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader

Covering the original  Star Wars  trilogy,  Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader  was one of the best titles on the GameCube and holds up well despite coming out almost two decades ago. The visuals are nothing short of mesmerizing, as  Rogue Leader   successfully captures the majesty, epicness, and wonder of the  Star Wars  titles.

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Unlike  TIE Fighter ,  Rogue Leader prioritizes frantic arcade-type space combat over flight simulation. The end result is a gripping action game that lets fans live through some of  Star Wars ' most iconic sequences.

7 Star Trek: Bridge Commander

Comparing  Star Trek: Bridge Commander  and Star Wars: TIE Fighter  illustrates the differences between the sci-fi series. Both revolve around space combat and are simulation games; however,  TIE Fighter  predominantly presents the player as a solitary figure despite being part of the Empire. As a starship's captain,  Bridge Commander 's space combat involves giving orders to the crew, which are then executed automatically by the game.

Although  Bridge Commander 's gameplay is not quite as immediate and hands-on as  TIE Fighter , the player arguably has more control in the former than the latter. Either way, both are great games.

6 Star Wars: The Old Republic

Developed by BioWare Austin,  Star Wars: The Old Republic  is a long-running MMORPG that bears similarities to the  Knights of the Old Republic games. Debuting in 2011,  The Old Republic  features eight classes with their own unique storylines and gameplay styles. Users can pick between the Republic and the Sith, who are trying to co-exist.

The Old Republic 's customization options are arguably its greatest feature. Not only are there various gameplay styles that can be adapted to suit the player's needs, but  The Old Republic  also comes with a deep morality system that impacts the evolution of storylines. While quite a lot of quests are not all that interesting, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

5 Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force

Like the source material, many  Star Trek  games emphasize diplomacy and exploration. While that is all great, occasionally it can be cathartic to just pick up a type-2 phaser and go to town on a Borg squadron. Inspired by the  Voyager  TV series,  Elite Force  follows the Hazard Team as they try to protect the grounded and vulnerable titular starship while completing a series of missions.

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Elite Force  and its sequel might be more action-oriented than the typical  Star Trek  property, but they do it so well that it barely even matters. Please note, this entry is specifically referring to the PC version of  Elite Force , as the PS2 port is nowhere near as good.

4 Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005)

EA's recent  Star Wars  Battlefront  titles might not have been so polarizing if they did not share their names with two of the license's best games. Although 2004's  Battlefront  was also a great title for its time,  Battlefront II  upped the quality with a more engaging campaign told from the perspective of a retired Stormtrooper, a couple of new modes, the introduction of space battles, and a handful of gameplay and AI tweaks that enhanced an already solid experience.

In many ways,  Battlefront II  is the most complete single-player  Star Wars  package, as it covers nearly every area a fan could want; that said, it is not the deepest game out there.

3 Star Trek: Birth Of The Federation

Archaic as it might seem in this day and age,  Star Trek: Birth of the Federation  was an impressive strategy game when it was released in 1999. With five playable races and a common aim to create the ultimate empire,  Birth of the Federation  does a decent job of portraying the different routes civilizations can take to achieve this goal. Diplomacy and direct combat are both valid means to grow an empire.

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One area  Birth of the Federation  falls short in is its presentation, as the visuals lack much in the way of flare. Combined with the incredibly slow-paced gameplay, and this is one title best left for die-hard Star Trek  fans.

2 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Naturally, a "best of"  Star Wars  games list would not be complete without  Knights of the Old Republic . BioWare's RPG takes place long before the creation of the Empire, as the Republic and Jedi are brought to their knees by Darth Malak. While players start out as Republic soldiers, the mortality system means the choices made throughout the campaign affect the protagonist's light/dark alignment.

The gameplay is just okay, but  KOTOR 's writing ranks among BioWare's greatest work. The characters are all well-realized and feel real, while the narrative is second to none.

1 Star Trek: New Horizons (Stellaris Mod)

A mod of  Stellaris , an ambitious RTS that places players in charge of a species that is just about to embark on space exploration,  New Horizons  is a mod that adds a  Star Trek  coat to the title. With eight playable factions, some of which have their own storylines, and a ton of content taken from the TV shows and movies,  New Horizons  is the ultimate tribute to the  Star Trek  license.

The mod oozes passion and, while the RTS gameplay might not be for everyone, any fan of the franchise should consider giving this a try.

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Is SWTOR worth playing in 2024?

If you’ve heard about Star Wars: The Old Republic, and have been wondering about whether its worth trying or not, this video will go through all the pros and cons about the game for new players in 2023, whether you’re brand new to online gaming or if you’re a seasoned MMO veteran. If you’re a returning player, you’ll want to check out my other video, “IS SWTOR worth returning to?” instead. UPDATED for 2024 and patch 7.4!

Note, video is from last year.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an online game based around the Star Wars universe, but set thousands of years in the past. In the game you can take on the role of a Jedi, a Sith, or even a Bounty Hunter or a Smuggler. The big difference between Star Wars: The Old Republic and most other Star Wars games is that you can play online with other people – it’s a massive multiplayer online roleplaying game. While you’re exploring the harsh deserts of Tatooine or are going through your trials on the Jedi homeworld of Tython, you’ll run into other players, each with their own highly customizable character. You also have the option of participating in exciting group missions including 4-person Flashpoints, 8-man operations, player vs player matches, or even just have a friend or two come along with you on your main story quests. In many cutscenes you’ll be able to see both you and your friends together in a living movie – where you get to hear and see your character and make decisions live. If you prefer playing alone, Star Wars: The Old Republic’s main class stories are ideal for solo players, and the later story expansions are specifically built with solo players in mind.

Free-to-Play

Expansions cost, no more side quests and faster leveling, level token, game difficulty, solo players, do you need to know about star wars, update frequency, endgame content, who might like or dislike swtor.

If you’re a new player who’s trying to decide if the game is worth playing, let’s first go over the cost of the game. Good news – it’s actually free. To download and play an expansive free demo of the game’s first sixty levels and original classic story can be done without spending a single dime. New players who have never spent money on the game are referred to as free-to-play players, and although they have convenience restrictions, all 8 class stories can easily be accessed on a free to play account, and the original 8 class storylines are considered some of the best story content in the game. So if you are concerned about spending money on a game you might not like, SWTOR might be perfect for you to try out, as you don’t have to invest any money into the game until you’ve really figured out if you like it or not. Personally I’ve played over 50 hours on my free to play account, and while there are some restrictions, I didn’t find that they hindered my enjoyment of playing the storylines, they were mostly convenience restrictions like not being able to wear the few rare purple items I came across, but I was still able to run all the quests and stories just fine.

2024: Free to play players have access to all the base game’s stories plus the first two expansions for free, including the Rise of the Hutt Cartel and the Shadow of Revan expansions. While some newer features are restricted to subscribers, others are hybrid and you can take advantage of parts of them without having to subscribe. For example, the cool new “second Combat Style” feature is only available for subscribers, but free to play play can still take advantage of the awesome new Loadouts system that lets them easily and painlessly switch between their three different combat disciplines. The developers have also removed and lessened many of the free-to-play restrictions over the years.

If you’re worried about breaking the piggybank down the line with all the expansions that are out, I’ve also got great news for you. First off, the first two expansions are, I’ll say it again, completely free. You can then unlock all the current and past expansions simply by subscribing for just one month at about $15 USD – you no longer need to buy each expansion individually. Awesome. That means when you decide to subscribe, you’ll get all four other expansions for only fifteen dollars, and you’ll get them permanently – you’ll be able to continue playing them even if you unsubscribe the next month. Currently there’s six expansions: Rise of the Hutt Cartel, Shadow of Revan, Knights of the Fallen Empire, Knights of the Eternal Throne, Onslaught, and the newest expansion Legacy of the Sith.

2024: The most recent expansion, Legacy of the Sith, was a pretty rough update to the game – but since then, the latest three updates have been great in my opinion, and it seems the developer team is on a good track for future updates!

Leveling Experience

New players who have played other online MMOs will be pleasantly surprised about the interactive cutscenes in Star Wars: The Old Republic. The cutscenes really are like being in your own movie – and even better, a movie you get to make decisions in. Every cutscene is fully voiced and animated, and the main class stories are exceptionally good. There’s also 8 different classes to choose from – so if you choose to play a Sith Inquisitor, you’re going to have a drastically different story than someone playing a Republic Trooper. Your class decides your combat style, your weapon, and your class storyline – you  can play a Sith Inquisitor, a Jedi Knight, an Imperial Agent, a Smuggler, a Sith Warrior, a Trooper, a Jedi Consular, or a Bounty Hunter.

2024: Since the last expansion, the character creator was expanded for all players, and some cool new options became available when it comes to choosing how you want to fight in the game. For example, you can play the Bounty Hunter story, but have the fighting style of a Sniper. With some work, you can even unlock some really interesting options, like playing the Jedi Knight story, but fighting like a Sorcerer with lightning in combat.

There have also been some major improvements to levelling since the launch of the game. When the game first came out, players were encouraged.. err… ahh… well, required, to do almost every quest to gain enough XP so they could be at the appropriate level for the next area. This often included doing fetch quests and side quests alongside the main storyline just to keep up.

Now, these types of side quests are actually hidden from players by default. Instead, players are encouraged to do their main class storyline and the main planet storylines, which should give most players enough XP to progress without having to do any side quests. These two types of main quests are marked with a giant purple icon to make them easier to distinguish from the optional exploratory quests. To prove my point, I’ve levelled on a free-to-play account, and even without the boosted XP of subscribing, I was only about halfway through my class story and was already level 50 from doing every single quest. A little over levelled, much?

There’s also some great news when it comes to over-levelling compared to when the game launched. The game has introduced level syncing to planets, so you can earn experience even from quests that are far below your level. If there’s a cool quest on one of the earlier planets you wanted to go back and do, but you’re level 48 – no problem, you’ll be temporarily synced down to level 48 while you’re on the planet, and in return, you’ll get the appropriate amount of XP. Even better, you get to keep all the abilities you would have by level 48. Nice. It also makes the game even better to play with friends – you can join low-level friends for quests and you’ll still get XP for completing them and you no longer have to worry too much about staying in the same level range. Personally I really like this feature, but some players dislike that you can’t rampage your way across lower level planets once you’ve reached a high level.

If for some reason you want to jump in to endgame or to go straight to the later expansion stories, when you subscribe to the game for the first time you’ll be able to receive a free high-level character token. This will allow you to make a level 70 character, who starts their story right before the Onslaught expansion. If you’re trying to quickly get in to endgame, say to do operations or to play with a friend, this token is the fastest way, but you’ll still have to level from level 70 to 80. The downside of this free token is that it will auto-complete some of the earlier storylines for you, most importantly being the well-liked class stories. This type of token is called a Commander’s character token, and you can buy more of these if you want to on top of the free one you get. There’s also a second type of token you can buy though, that allows you to boost any of your existing characters to level 80 without auto-completing the storylines – so you can make a level 1 character, boost it to 80, then go back and play the storylines at your leisure.

Players new to MMOs may be pleased to know that the game’s base difficulty is incredibly easy. One of the main focuses of the game is the story, and the developers have made changes to the game to make it more accessible even to the newest of players.

Experienced gamers who are looking for a highly challenging experience from level 1 onwards will likely be disappointed with the combat, and will only enjoy the beginning part of the game if they enjoy the story and the universe.

The good news is that there are more challenging modes available for players at later levels. Players who reach the later expansions at level 60 and beyond have the option to play two of the expansions in Story mode, Veteran mode or Master mode.

Flashpoints / Dungeons: If you’re willing to group up, there’s also Veteran Mode and Master Mode operations and Flashpoints that offer team-based challenging fights that will really keep you on your toes.

Operations / Raids: If you enjoy group content, although there are not many world-first raiding groups left, progression and endgame raiding is alive and well in the game. The newest raid is even a difficulty tier above all the previous raids in the game, with very few players having completed it in its hardest difficulty!

PvP: If you enjoy player vs player content, there are two modes of PvP available – death match and objectives-based. Players of all skill levels are thrown into the same match, but rewards are based on winning and your personal skill for medals.

Because SWTOR is a massive multiplayer game, players often ask how good the game is for a solo player.

Although the game will never be as good as a game designed specifically with solo play in mind like Knights of the Old Republic, when it comes to online games, it’s probably the most solo-friendly game that exists. The entire class storyline is designed with a single player in mind, and the developers have added more options to solo content over the years. All the story expansions also offer story content catered towards solo players.

Don’t believe me? I’ve created a massive story order guide specifically for solo players. I have no idea how long an average solo story campaign might take you, but at the time of making this video, if I’ve counted right, a single character can visit 28 planets, play 19 solo flashpoints, and enjoy 6 expansion storylines. Players who are willing to try group content will unlock an additional 11 group-only flashpoints and 12 8-man operations once you reached endgame.

I’ve also seen players ask if it’s important to know a lot about the Star Wars universe or if you need to have seen the movies before playing. I feel I can pretty confidently say no – the game starts you off as an apprentice in the various classes, and your story mentors will teach you more about the world around you as you play. In general, the story is set in a fairly generic sci fi universe that follows many of the same rules as our world does, with the additions of space travel and sentient aliens. Add in the more fantasy-based Jedi and Sith magic *cough* Force users, and you’ve got the idea of the Star Wars universe.  The big things to know about this game is that it is set over 3,000 years before the Star War movies take place… so you likely won’t see any references to Darth Vader or The Mandalorian kicking around. I believe anyone who enjoys Sci Fi based games or games that have a huge established lore base would enjoy Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Instead of having many smaller servers, SWTOR now has 5 mega servers. While some servers were very quiet before the merge, all five servers currently have a good population. The merge allowed more players to use the group finder together, and it seems to have worked very successfully, and all the current servers seem to be active except for the French one. SWTOR’s exact population is a bit mysterious and hard to count, but at least from the Steam charts, it’s been pretty steady the last three years or so. While it’s clear from the numbers that SWTOR is not nearly as popular as it was, after the server merge happened, I haven’t had any problems getting into randomized groups for Flashpoints and PvP, and see people running Operations frequently in chat, though those mostly happen within guilds.

2024: The update cadence of the game isn’t as frequent as most long-time players would want it, but the game is by no means dead either – the most recent expansion brought a huge overhaul to many of the game’s systems that really points towards the development team investing in the game’s infrastructure and future. In the past year, the development team has made a ton of technical changes to the game – the servers have been moved to Cloud Servers, a new Asia-Pacific server has opened, the game is now 64-bit, there is new cinematic lighting across the entire game, some of the starters planets are getting visual graphical rehauls, and the GTN is also in the middle of being revamped. In addition to the bigger named game updates, there’s also content including Galactic Seasons and PvP Seasons that occurs in-game independent of the scheduled updates, so there’s always something new to do in-game.

• 12/06/2023 – Game Update 7.4a
• 12/5/23 – Game Update 7.4 : Chains in the Dark
• 10/3/23 – Game Update 7.3.1b
• 9/13/23 – Game Update 7.3.1a
• 9/5/2023 – Game Update 7.3.1
• 6/27/23 – Game Update 7.3c
• 06/21/2023 – Game Update 7.3b
• 06/15/2023 – Game Update 7.3a
• 06/13/2023 – Game Update 7.3: Old Wounds
• 05/16/2023 – Game Update 7.2.1d
• 04/27/2023 – Game Update 7.2.1c
• 04/25/2023 – Game Update 7.2.1b
• 04/06/2023 – Game Update 7.2.1a
• 03/28/2023 – Game Update 7.2.1
• 01/18/2023 – Game Update 7.2b
• 12/20/2022 – Game Update 7.2a
• 12/13/2022 – Game Update 7.2: Showdown on Ruhnuk

One of the nice things about the game being focused on story is that there is never a bad time to jump in to the game – I often get ask if it’s “too late to join”. None of the older storylines are removed or made irrelevant, so you can start at level 1 and play the story at your own pace, no matter how many expansions have come out since you started. It’s never “too late” to jump in to the game – new players of the game will have over ten years worth of content to explore and enjoy. Even the stuff that got added this and last year, including a lot of throwbacks to the older Knight of the Old Republic games, will simply be available to you whenever you get there. As of the last update, there’s been a ton of story teasers showing the different story threads that will be pulled in future updates.

Too late for gear? Another question players often ask is if it’s too late to catch up with the more technical side of things like gearing, or reaching level 80. Every couple of years, the entire gearing system of the game is reset, and all players have to start fresh at endgame. This reset makes it really easy for players who haven’t been playing for ten years to jump in. You don’t have to catch up with ten years of gearing.

One of the other big concerns I’ve seen about the game is the lack of endgame content. At the launch of the game, once you had reach max level, there was very little else to do in the game and this lack of “endgame” content really hurt the game’s population and reputation. It’s been 10 years since the game’s launch though, and a huge amount of content has been added since then. To give you some context… the game launched with a single 8-man group operation, and now the game has twelve including the one added last year. These operations are in addition to many other types of content that now exists including 5 single-boss operation instances, monthly events like the Swoop Event, Bounty Week, and Rakghoul event, over 40 4-man flashpoints many of which have a solo option available and I’m really sorry I’ve last track of exactly how many there are at this point, 15 player vs player maps, 4 galactic starfighter player vs player maps, a solo tournament-style fight pit called the Eternal Championship, repeatable Heroics on almost every planet, and 12 daily areas that didn’t exist when the game launched. So if you’re worried about starting the game and then running out of things to do when you reach max-level… I say good luck buddy, because even I haven’t done every single thing available at endgame yet and I’ve been playing since launch!

Now let’s go over who might like or dislike this game.

• If you are a new player looking for great MMO story content, I think you will love the game
• If you love Star Wars, I think you will love the game
• If you enjoyed Knights of the Old Republic, lower your expectations a bit and I think you will enjoy this game… but it ain’t no Knights of the Old Republic 3. Uh… we’ll see if the remake happens, I guess?
• If you are looking for a sci fi mmo, I would recommend this game
• If you liked the Disney+ Star Wars tv shows and are looking for more expanded and adventurous lore like that, I think you will love the Old Republic
• If you are looking for a game to play with a friend or significant other, I have personally enjoyed playing this game one-on-one with both friends and family. The game is especially good for long-distance play. Unfortunately, no couch-co op mode.
• If you are looking for a game with fun group activities, I would recommend this game’s Flashpoints and Operations as being really fun, but I’d point out that the story and levelling content leans more towards solo players
• If you are looking for top-notch challenging combat, I would not recommend this game – while positioning yourself can be important, you can not manually dodge or evade attacks. The combat is similar to older styles of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, and may feel a bit slower than newer style MMORPGs like Elder Scrolls Online and won’t be anything like extremely mobile games like Overwatch or battle royal games like Apex Legends or Fortnite.
• If you are looking for hyper-realistic next generation graphics, I would not recommend this game. With that said I like the aesthetics of the game a lot and it can look pretty stunning for an MMO if you have it running on the Ultra settings. The developer team has been slowly added improved graphics to the game over time as well, but in the end it’s a ten year old game.
• If you are looking for a perfectly balanced, bug-free pvp experience I would not recommend this game. With that said, many of my friends do enjoy both the casual pvp in the game.
• If you are looking for a game that uses cutting-edge technology, I would not recommend this game. Due to rushing the launch of the game, the game is stuck with an older engine and is not as well optimized as it could be, especially compared to newer online games.
• If you are looking for a game that is 100% free-to-play, I will warn you that you may experience frustrations, and will hit a paywall at around level 60 and at the end of the free expansions, but as I’ve mentioned I’ve really enjoyed playing the class storyline on my free to play account, and if I decide to play the other 8 class storylines I could easily clock over 200 hours in the game without spending a dime. If you have at least $15 to spend you can unlock all the expansions permanently.
• If you’re looking for a game where you can really customize your character, the game is great for that. You can have the looks of one armor while using the stat of another, mix and match armor sets, dye armor, and choose from hundreds of color crystals for your lightsaber or blaster. It’s very rare to see two identical charters.
• If you’re looking for a game you can really invest in to, even beyond the huge amounts of story and quests that are available that I’ve already talked about, the game also has really extensive player housing that you can decorate, indepth crafting, guilds, roleplay, and lots of other things that exist outside of the game’s main spheres of play. Because there are so many facets to the game, if you get bored of one you can always check out another.
• If you are looking for a game where you can really connect with your character, SWTOR is great for that. When you combine its customization options with the movie-like cutscenes, and the ability to make long-lasting choices, many players feel very connected to their ingame characters.

If you’re a new player trying to decide if you should try the game or not, I hope by now I’ve covered enough to help you decide. The easiest way to get the game is to find it on Steam or go to swtor.com/download and it will start downloading immediately. If you’re still wondering about specific aspects of the game, like the classes or story, I’ve created dozens of videos ranging on every topic of the game and if you plan on playing I highly suggest checking out my playlist called “The Academy”!

Good luck in the universe of Star Wars: The Old Republic… and may the Force be with you!

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