On December 20, 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWOTR), the MMORPG in the Star Wars universe, went online. The developers from BioWare achieved a hit that remains successful many years later.
Although the MMORPG for the popular Star Wars franchise has aged, it is still loved by many MMORPG fans to this day.
SWOTR continues to receive regular updates. Even though there are now fewer updates than before, BioWare regularly provides their players with new content.
The player numbers on Steam show a solid player base. A strong outlier is the Steam release in 2020, which momentarily brought SWOTR over 30,000 players. Afterwards, it settled at around 7,000 to 8,000 active players (via SteamDB). Since the MMORPG can also be launched via the EA client, the actual number is likely higher.
Join the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire
What kind of game is this? SWOTR is an MMORPG set in the world-famous Star Wars setting. Right at the beginning, you have to make a decision: Will you join the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire?
After that, you choose from 8 classes, 4 of which belong to the Republic and 4 to the Empire. There are also different races, although most of them are only included in the paid subscription.
SWOTR clearly focuses on the story. In addition, it also offers PvE content such as dungeons, referred to here as flashpoints, as well as various PvP modes. Particularly exciting is the space PvP, where you engage in battles with spaceships.
While the game relies on classic tab-targeting, it tries to implement this in a more modern and dynamic way. Nevertheless, the battles seem rather static and outdated from today’s perspective.
The graphics and animations also show that the MMORPG has been around for over 10 years.
In the video, you can see the cinematic trailer for SWOTR:
What does SWOTR cost? At release, it was a paid game, but the developers have since switched to free-to-play and offer an optional subscription for $12.99/month that provides players with advantages. You can play through all expansions, receive coins for the real-money shop, and participate in game content as often as you like.
Thus, the MMORPG is fundamentally free, but comes with restrictions.
Especially praised for storyline and voice acting
Players love the MMORPG particularly for its story. The story takes place 3,000 years before the films and allows you to experience your personal saga. You choose one of 8 stories and can make decisions within that influence its course.
The answer options that the story offers you are sometimes rather inconsequential, but at certain points, you decide on very important matters – for example, from the beginning, the fate of 3 prisoners lies in your hands.
Additionally, players can choose to collect points for either the light or dark side of the Force through their actions, which in turn affects gameplay.
According to YouTuber Entenburg, the story is very captivating: “In fact, I didn’t skip a single text during my entire playtime in SWOTR, which is a moderate miracle for an MMORPG.”
“A must for Star Wars fans”
On Steam, 89% of over 50,000 reviews are positive, resulting in a “Very Positive” rating for the MMORPG. The reviews mainly come from Star Wars fans who love the story.
We summarize a few of the reviews for you here:
- lukawa: “I’ve been playing this game since I was 12, now I’m 17. There may be better games, but SWTOR is the only one I still go back to after years.”
- Waffelmann: “It’s still fun even after so many years.”
- Sycees: “Good MMORPG with tab-targeting. Especially fans of engaging stories will love SWOTR.”
- Jingo: “I’ve been playing it for years, it’s very diverse and offers a lot to discover. I won’t mince words: 10/10, may the Force be with you.”
- Vollerempfang: “Overall, with or without friends, a really great game at an affordable price, with a friendly community that treats beginners with respect.”
- Zatec: “Very good MMO, especially the story missions are excellent. A must for Star Wars fans.”
Is SWOTR worth it in 2023? For fans of the franchise, the MMORPG is still worth it today, as it offers unique content in the Star Wars universe. While it may take a while to catch up with other players, the story provides an exciting leveling process.
If, however, you place great value on modern graphics and an exciting combat system, or have no interest in the story at all, you should probably steer clear of SWOTR.
What do you think about SWOTR? Are you fans of Star Wars and have you played the MMORPG? Are you still active in it? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
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