On November 8, it will happen: The currently 17 servers of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be consolidated under the name “United Forces” into just 5 servers. This is meant to enhance server stability and simplify the multiplayer experience. But what will happen to the characters? And what does the transition mean for the individual? We answer the most important questions around the server merge.
The soon-to-be five servers consist of two North American and three European (German, English, and French); we, primarily based on the German servers, will soon be together on the server Tulak Hord (Excursus: Tulak Hord was a Jedi with not only a slight inclination towards the dark side of the Force…).
Help, will my “excess” characters be deleted?!
The simplest news first: The maximum number of characters per server has been increased from 52 to 100.
However, due to the United Forces it may happen that you suddenly have far more than the allowed number of characters on one server. However, this is not meant to be a problem, the developers promise.
The new rules
- For premium players:
- The slots that have existed from the beginning will be increased to 24 characters.
- The excess characters after the merge will not simply be deleted randomly, but can also exist on the server beyond the maximum number. However, if you create a new avatar, you must delete excess characters until there is enough space for the newcomer.
- For preferred players:
- The slots that have existed from the beginning have been doubled from 6 to 12.
- For free players:
- The slots will be increased to 4 characters.
- If there are more characters than allowed after the merge, all characters will be deactivated. On the next login, you can choose which characters to reactivate and which to delete.
- Additionally purchased character slots will be treated separately!
- If you purchased 10 additional slots as a subscriber, you will have 34 slots after the consolidation: 24 default + 10 purchased.
So take a deep breath: The system does not randomly delete characters or let them vanish into oblivion.
Will my characters be renamed?!
For some, just finding a name is already a sweaty affair. No wonder they would like to keep the painstakingly thought-out name!
However, it may be that you have to give up your name if after the merge there is more than one player with the same name. The decision will not be made by lot, but according to the following scheme:
The rules
- Premium players always have priority.
- The character with the higher playtime draws the larger lot.
- Additionally, players who have not logged in for more than 90 days and whose respective characters have not yet reached level ten will be asked to rename.
The potential name changes may also affect your friends’ and ignore lists. However, there is no need to panic: The lists will be automatically updated and adjusted to the new names.
As for the guilds a simple solution has been found: If there are multiple guilds with the same name after the update, the original server will be listed behind the guild name. Thus, “The Unicorn Jedi” would become: “The Unicorn Jedi – Vanjervalis Chain”.
Does no one think of the legacies?!
No, no worries. Even here it will be organized. The legacies will not be lost after the update. In a consolidation, the name and level of the higher legacy will be retained. Legacy-wide currencies, contents of the legacy bank, any completed achievements, and active strongholds will be preserved.
Guddy says:
I assume that SWTOR will not randomly delete characters here and that SWTOR will responsibly handle accounts and characters. Fear of thoughtless character loss is unfounded, especially since you can calmly choose which characters you want to keep and which you do not.
