The MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic has announced the new update 6.3. In addition to a Flashpoint with a new story, it will also bring the “Galactic Seasons”. These will come with a Battle Pass that many players view positively.
What is happening right now in SWTOR? In a livestream, the developers announced Patch 6.3 – The Dark Descent. This will bring several innovations, including:
- A new Flashpoint – an instance where the story continues. It goes with Darth Malgus (cover image) to Dantooine into an old and decaying Jedi enclave. The Flashpoint will be released in Story, Veteran, and Master difficulties.
- New achievements
- New apartments for housing
- The new Galactic Seasons system along with a Battle Pass
When will Patch 6.3 be released? The update is supposed to appear “soon” on the test servers. Furthermore, the developers announced the PTS for Steam users as well. The final release will take place when the PTS version meets the expectations of the developers and the community. The talk was of “a few weeks”.
You can watch the recording of the announcement later on YouTube:
Seasons bring new companions and additional rewards
What is behind the Seasons? A Galactic Season is supposed to last about 5 months and bring a Season Pass with 100 reward levels. This is divided into two areas: one free and one paid.
The special thing about the system is that the paid part is automatically included in the monthly subscription and so does not incur additional costs for many. In addition, the rewards earned will be granted retroactively for subscribers. It is therefore sufficient to subscribe at the end of the pass or the season to receive all premium rewards.
Those who start later can catch up to the “average” with the earning currency, Credits. Furthermore, those who wish can unlock reward levels for Cartel Coins.
How do you get progress? For the Battle Pass, there are special daily and weekly challenges. There will also be progress through daily logins. Specific details have not yet been revealed.
What is included in the Battle Pass? Among the 100 rewards are these free bonuses:
- New Kubaz companion: Altuur zok Adon
- Premium companion gift packages
- Seasonal armor set
- Cartel weapon, vehicle, and armor crates
- Special seasonal tokens
- Special decorations and titles
For the paid version, there are additionally:
- 2000 Cartel Coins
- Additional companion gifts
- Companion weapon and armor sets
- Seasonal vehicles, weapons, and armors
- Additional seasonal tokens and titles
What is behind the companion? The highlight of the Battle Pass is likely the new Kubaz companion. Anyone who reaches level 50 in the Battle Pass can unlock it permanently.
However, in the premium version of the pass, there are special weapons, armors, and customizations for this companion.
The seasonal vendor: Both Battle Passes include tokens that can be exchanged at the seasonal vendors. There, you will receive new rewards, previous subscriber rewards, and some limited-time rewards.
Additionally, there will be a new apartment fortress for the republic and the imperial fleet.
Battle Pass is well received by players
What do players say about the Pass? On reddit and YouTube, there are many positive reactions to the Battle Pass. The numerous and meaningful rewards, the balance between free and paid content, and the fact that you only need to subscribe for one month to receive all the bonuses are praised:
- ghouldrool on reddit expresses enthusiasm: “I’m all in on this system [Battle Pass]. It sounds like a ton of fun!”
- The user ehkodiak is generally skeptical of a Battle Pass and writes: “I’ve tried to find something negative, but it all looks really good.””>
- ZyeRane summarizes the situation: “So basically it’s a Battle Pass system, but the paid part is just included in the subscription and the rewards actually seem quite good (faction fleets and a new companion, just to start!). That’s actually not so bad; I’ve bought the subscription from time to time to access new content and spend my credits occasionally. That’s a very nice additional idea!”
What do critics say? In the forum, there are some negative comments regarding the Seasons. However, these do not relate to the structure and rewards, but rather to the lack of new content and instead offering rewards for which you still have to play the old content.
What do you think about the Battle Pass? Does it spark your interest and will it bring players back to the MMORPG?
SWTOR was relaunched in 2020 on Steam. It was very well received. It is now one of the MMORPGs with the best ratings on Steam.
