Pre-order Makeb? It's supposed to be FREE!

So the Makeb pre-order button just went live today and while I'm not livid, it is one more straw that's about to break my camel's back. First it was pay-to-win lowbie PVP with +41 expertise crystals at level 10, then it was grade 7 ship parts for rock bottom prices in the cartel shop and now this?

Makeb was originally supposed to be free and to go back on that, like no one would remember what we were told at E3 is just... well that's ballsy.

I wish I hadn't just signed up for a 6 month sub. I'm not on the verge of quitting just yet, but I don't like where their new business model is going and I'd like to be able to drop as soon as it becomes too much.



They discuss Makeb at about the 5 minute mark, if you need proof that it was intended to be free.

I'm also pretty sure we were assured, right before free-to-play went live, that it would still be free to subscribers (but I'm still looking for a link to that).

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Posted in: Makeb , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

Server maintenance and 1.5

It's finally here. Servers will be going down for 12 hours tonight in order to implement patch 1.5 and free-to-play will start up.

I'm looking forward to seeing new people roaming the world. I just hope that trolls don't instantly start using the free-to-play accounts to spoil storylines. It's all SWTOR has going for it, and I'd hate to see a bunch of new people, trying to enjoy the world - and maybe become subscribers - get put off by such behavior.

But we'll see how it goes tomorrow morning.

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Posted in: Free-2-Play , Maintenance , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

Free to play goes live Nov. 15

Finally! SWTOR will finally let free-to-play go live on November 15. We'll get all those cartel coins we keep hearing about and the Cartel Shop will go live so we can purchase all the pretty things.

I'm just hoping Bioware wises up about those stupid Cartel Pack gambling boxes and puts some of the more popular items as separate purchases for a larger number of coins (I really want a topless shirt, but I'm not going to buy pack after pack to maybe, hopefully, get it).

More importantly, for those on dead and dying servers even after all the server merges, we'll be getting new players!

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Posted in: Free-2-Play , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

Maintenance Nov. 7

Joy of joys, maintenance was canceled last night - and after I had already planned for it, and didn't know it wasn't happening.

So it was rescheduled for tonight. So, you know the drill. 2AM CST - 6AM CST, SWTOR will be down.

There will be no patch to download when they're done.

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Posted in: Maintenance , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

'Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn' Part 5

This is it! This is the final part of "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn". Part 5, in case you weren't keeping count. I'm super excited because that means "Halo 4" is almost out (Nov. 6), but I'm also a little bummed, because this series has been really amazing. It absolutely blew all my expectations away.

I hope it's been that enjoyable for everyone else.

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Posted in: Halo , Halo 4 , Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Maintenance Oct. 30

Just a reminder, there will be maintenance starting tonight (Oct. 29/30) for 8 hours. We all know the drill by now, I'm sure, but it starts at 2AM CDT and should end at 10AM CDT.

This time the servers will not be down so if you simply must get some sort of SWTOR fix, you can visit the forums and chat it up over there.

Remember to download the new patch after the maintenance period.

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Posted in: Maintenance , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

SWTOR Bowdaar customization

Companion customizations in SWTOR
are very important. They differentiate your SWTOR companion from all the other identical companions you could see running around the world. Up today, we have smuggler companion, Bowdaar's customizations. Unlike most other companions, Bowdaar's customizations only change the clothing he wears; he'll always look like the same, fuzzy wookie.

 

Click the image to get a larger view. 

Bowdaar customization 1, 2, 3 and 4 (as well as default Bowdaar at the start). These can all be purchased on Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

Bowdaar customization 5 and 6. These two can only be purchased from the Security Key vendor on the Ilum Orbital Station.

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Posted in: Bowdaar , Smuggler , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR

'Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn' Part 4 live

Part 4 of "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" just hit Youtube. Enjoy! And this is just bringing us ever closer to the release of "Halo 4". Who else is super excited?

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Posted in: Halo , Halo 4 , Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

SWTOR Corso customization

Companion customizations in SWTOR are very important. They help give your companion - and possible love interest - a different look than the dozens upon dozens of otherwise identical companions you would run across in the 'wild'.

And because the tiles to look at the customizations are really, really tiny - like impossible to see anything but hairstyle and skin color tiny - I have decided I'm going to do a page dedicated to each SWTOR companion.

Smuggler companion, Corso Riggs, will be leading us off.

Please click on the image to make it larger.





This is Corso customization 1. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

This is customization 2 for Corso. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

Corso's customization 3. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

Customization 4. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

Corso customization 5. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.

Customization 6. It can be purchased on Taris, Balmorra, Belsavis and the Ilum base camp.





There is a Corso customization 7, however, it's limited to the Collector's Edition, which I don't have. So if anyone would like to donate a nice photo of the face, I'd be very thankful. You can post a link to a Photobucket or other image hosting site in the links below. Thank you. 

Corso customization 8. It can only be purchased from the Security Key vendor on the Ilum Orbital Station.

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Posted in: Corso Riggs , Smuggler , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR

SWTOR free-to-play restrictions and more Cartel Shop items

With accounts now being treated as free-to-play accounts on the SWTOR Public Test Server, more information is being revealed about how big the differences between the subscriber accounts and free-to-play accounts are.

The SWTOR free-to-play restrictions aren't limited to what Bioware originally announced, which is no big surprise, but some of the limitations are quite surprising.

For a full list of all the restrictions Bioware announced and new ones being discovered as people play, check SWTOR free-to-play restrictions here.

And if you are like me, and thinking about switching to the F2P model when it goes live, you'll want to start guesstimating the prices of individual cartel coins. The Cartel Shop prices have been revealed on the PTS, but real world cost for them has yet to be announced.

You can check out the Cartel Shop items geared to free-to-play here.

Update: The free-to-play restrictions have been updated - and are now slightly less severe. And there is more information about preferred status, which will apply to those who drop their subs to go F2P. 

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Posted in: Cartel Shop , Free-2-Play , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

HK-51 acquisition video

Once you have collected the HK-51 components and defeated the Lord of Agony, you will get to enter the HK chamber and activate your own HK-51 droid. This activation is done through a short cutscene.

I thought I made a copy of it, but either I didn't hit the right command or my video copier took a poop on me. Either way, here is the video, courtesy of Dulfy.net's Youtube channel. Thanks for all your hard work, Dulfy.

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Posted in: HK-51 , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR

SWTOR Cartel Shop hits the PTS

Today, Bioware announced the Public Test Server would award cartel coins to those with toons on the PTS - these are separate from your current cartel coins and anything you purchase for the public test server will not be transferred to your main server.

If you want to help this new feature, which will help make the transition to free-to-play as smooth as possible (really, who wants to deal with more bugs than we have to?) then log into SWTOR and see if you have the ability to play on the Public Test Server.

Currently all accounts on the PTS are being treated as subscription members, but soon, Bioware has stated they will all be changed to be viewed as free accounts, helping Bioware test the free features and how cartel coins affect play.

Curious what some of the Cartel Shop items are? You can find a list here (it's only a sampling; seriously, there are a LOT of items being offered as well as options to pay for legacy unlocks through cartel coins).

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Posted in: Free-2-Play , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

Video: HK-51 trailer

I know, I know, Bioware released HK-51's trailer a long time ago, but since 1.5 is so, so very close, I thought I would toss this out there so those who aren't on the Public Test Servers can ogle what they're waiting for.

Here are HK-51's stats, as of the Public Test Server release, if you're curious about them.




I am on the Public Test Server and finally got a group together to do Hard Mode Foundry so I should have a guide up on how you'll get HK-51 soon.

For those hoping to test the game, Bioware has pulled down the PTS and it looks like they may do a refresh and import some new people over to test for them - which is great, because it was pretty dead over there, which is bollucks for finding bugs. So if you get copied over, please come help us test. 

Update: I finished! Now you, too, can collect HK-51's components.

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Posted in: HK-51 , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR

HK-51 information from 1.5 Public Test Server

HK-51

Armor: Droid

Weapon: Sniper rifle/blaster and vibroknife

Gained on: Belsavis to start then Tatooine, Taris, Coruscant, Dromund Kaas, Hoth, story mode flashpoint False Emperor and Hardmode flashpoint Maelstrom Prison/Foundry during the mission The Fatality (Republic)/Fatal Errors (Empire)

Romance: No


Crew Skills: +5 mission efficiency, +1 crafting critical

Position: DPS

Favorite gifts: Weapons are HK-51’s favorite gifts. 

Customizations: 0

“Star Wars: The Old Republic” companion bio: Not available yet. There is a datamined version on TORHead.com which reads, “The droid designated HK-51 is cold, calculating and incredibly lethal. Housed in a sleek body resembling an antique Systech Corporation protocol unit, this HK-series assassination droid lay dormant in the hold of an Imperial vessel for many years. Whatever HK-51's original programming dictated, he pledged absolute loyalty to his new master upon his reactivation.

HK-51 is a model of ruthless efficiency. His assassination protocols deteriorate unless they are put to frequent use. This leads to a constant acquisition, pursuit and permanent removal of qualified targets that would be seen as an obsession in any living being. Beyond expressing pride in successful assassinations, HK-51 has little patience for the trivial emotional problems of organics.”

This could be changed at anytime before the SWTOR 1.5 update releases HK-51 on the main servers.

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Posted in: Belsavis , Coruscant , Dromund Kaas , False Emperor , Fatal Errors , Foundry , Hoth , Maelstrom Prison , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR , Taris , Tattooine , The Fatality

SWTOR maintenance Sept. 23

Don't forget, tonight, September 23, SWTOR servers will be down for scheduled maintenance from 2AM CDT/6PM AEDT - 6AM CDT/10PM AEDT.

SWTOR.com will also be offline during this time period.

There's no patch to download when it's done though!

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Posted in: Maintenance , Star Wars The Old Republic , SWTOR

'Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn' Part 3

The third part of "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" just came out on the Machinima Youtube channel! Check it out below the jump!

This is getting really exciting. Not only is this live-action series really good (and probably the best advertising "Halo 4" could ask for) but it's drawing us ever closer to the "Halo 4" release date.

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Posted in: Halo , Halo 4 , Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Star Wars: The Old Republic companions

This is an overview of all the Star Wars: The Old Republic companions. If you want a more detailed overview of the companions for each class, click the class name.

You can also preview all of the customizations for SWTOR companions by clicking the companions name.

This page is currently under construction. All the information present is accurate, but links, with more detailed information, will be added as I complete them. I’m working as fast as I can, promise.


Jedi Knight:

T7 - Gained on: Tython
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 bioanalysis efficency, +2 slicing critical

Kira Carsen - Gained on: Coruscant
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 synthweaving critical, +1 treasure hunting critical

Doc - Gained on: Balmorra
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 underworld trading efficiency, +5 biochem critical

Sgt. Rusk - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 armstech efficiency, +10 scavenging efficiency

Lord Scourge - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 artifice efficiency, +10 archaeology efficiency

Jedi Consular:

Qyzen-Fess - Gained on: Tython
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +15 archaeology efficiency, +5 bioanalysis efficiency

Tharan Cedrax - Gained on: Nar Shaddaa
Romance: Sort of
Crew Skills: +10 cybertech efficiency, +10 slicing efficiency

Zenith - Gained on: Balmorra
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +15 treasure hunting efficiency , +1 underworld trading critical

Lt. Iresso - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +2 armstech critical, +2 scavenging critical

Nadia Grell - Gained on: Belsavis
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 synthweaving efficiency, +2 diplomacy critical

Smuggler:

Corso Riggs - Gained on: Ord Mantell
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 armstech critical, +5 underworld trading efficiency

Bowdaar - Gained on: Nar Shaddaa
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 cybertech efficiency, +10 scavenging efficiency

Risha - Gained on: Alderaan
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +15 diplomacy, +1 critical slicing

Akaavi Spar - Gained on: Balmorra
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 armormech efficiency, +2 critical bioanalysis

Guss Tuno - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 underworld trading efficiency, +2 critical investigation

Trooper:

Aric Jorgan - Gained on: Ord Mantell
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 armstech efficiency, +2 diplomacy critical

Elara Dorne - Gained on: Taris
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 biochem efficiency, +10 bioanalysis efficiency

M1-4X - Gained on: Nar Shaddaa
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +5 cybertech efficiency, +5 scavenging critical

Tanno Vik - Gained on: Balmorra
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +5 armormech critical, +1 underworld trading critical

Yuun - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 research efficiency, +10 slicing efficiency

Sith Warrior:

Vette - Gained on: Korriban
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 underworld trading efficiency, +5 treasure hunting critical

Malavai Quinn - Gained on: Balmorra
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 armstech efficiency, +10 diplomacy efficiency

Jaesa Willsaam - Gained on: Hutta
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 archaeology efficiency, +5 synthweaving critical

Lt. Pierce - Gained on: Taris
Romance: Sort of
Crew Skills: +10 cybertech efficiency, +2 research critical

Broonmark - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 scavenging efficiency, +2 bioanalysis critical

Sith Inquisitor:

Khem Val - Gained on: Korriban
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +15 artifice efficiency, +5 investigation efficiency

Ashara Zavros - Gained on: Taris
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 synthweaving efficiency, +10 diplomacy efficiency

Andronikos Revel - Gained on: Tatooine
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +2 underworld trading critical, +2 slicing critical

Talos Drellik - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +5 treasure hunting efficiency, +5 archaeology critical

Xalek - Gained on: Voss
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 bioanalysis efficiency, +2 scavenging critical

Imperial Agent:

Kaliyo D‘Jannis - Gained on: Hutta
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 armstech efficiency, +2 underworld trading critical

Dr. Eckard Lokin - Gained on: Taris
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +15 biochem efficiency, +10 investigation efficiency

Vector Hyllus - Gained on: Alderaan
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 bioanalysis efficiency, +5 diplomacy critical

Ensign Raina Temple - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 scavenging efficiency, +2 armormech critical

Scorpio - Gained on: Belsavis
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 cybertech efficiency, +2 slicing critical

Bounty Hunter:

Mako - Gained on: Hutta
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +5 cybertech efficiency, +15 slicing efficiency

Torian Cadera - Gained on: Taris
Romance: Yes
Crew Skills: +10 investigation efficiency, +2 bioanalysis critical

Gault Rennow - Gained on: Tatooine
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 underworld trading efficiency, +2 biochem critical

Blizz - Gained on: Hoth
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +15 armormech efficiency, +1 armstech critical

Skadge - Gained on: Belsavis
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +10 scavenging efficiency, +2 treasure hunting critical

New companion!:

HK-51 - Your very own HK droid has come with Star Wars: The Old Republic update 1.5! You will need to complete a mission as a level 50 toon to get HK-51. Currently only available on the Public Test Server!
Gained on: Belsavis to start then Tatooine, Taris, Coruscant, Dromund Kaas, Hoth, story mode flashpoint False Emperor and Hardmode flashpoint Maelstrom Prison/Foundry
Romance: No
Crew Skills: +5 mission efficiency, +1 crafting critical

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Posted in: Bounty Hunter , Imperial Agent , Jedi Consular , Jedi Knight , Sith Inquisitor , Sith Warrior , Smuggler , Star Wars The Old Republic , Star Wars The Old Republic companions , SWTOR , Trooper

'Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn' Part 2

"Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" just released part 2 of the live-action webseries today! Hit the jump to check it out and stay tuned for the rest of the series. I'll be updating for every new part until the release of "Halo 4".

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Posted in: Halo , Halo 4 , Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

'Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn' Part 1

"Halo 4" will be released soon, and to tame those "Halo" cravings some may be having, the Machinima Youtube channel has released the first part of the live-action webseries, "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn".

One new part will air every week until the release of "Halo 4".

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Posted in: Halo , Halo 4 , Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn