That keening sound you can hear, that you can’t quite place, that’s your modem having a bit of a cry. Because it knows you’re going to update an MMO, and that means it’s going to be force fed internet until you’re satisfied that it’s juicy modem-liver is going to be properly swollen and tender. Then you’ll update your MMO, and use all that juicy internet to play all the lovely new features. Today’s MMO is SWTOR, and today’s update is a big one.
1.3, which is out in the wild now for you to hunt down and apply to your base game, has been named ‘Allies’ by BioWare, because it does all sorts of things to make your game much more fun to play with people. Some are just useful, others are fun, but they’re all going to make galavanting around with lightsabers and jetpacks just a little more enjoyable.
The big addition is a Group Finder, which means you don’t have to spam chat nearly so much with LFG or LFConsular all the damn time. Instead you can just state which role you want to play, which Flashpoint or Operation you want to take on, and then just wait for the slots in your team to fill up. Easy as levitating an orange with your mind.
Legacy Perks have been expanded too, giving you more options to bolster the way you want to play, whether it be Warzones, personal story or space missions. The idea is to make those more rewarding so that you don’t get forced into a playstyle that you have no interest in. There’s also some perks that give you droids and speeder skills, but that’s not nearly so interesting.
The other major change is in letting you accessorise and coordinate your wardrobe without sarcificing battlefield nous. Your magic pants might protect you from blasters and grenades, but they’re a horrible lurid yellow, and they make you feel like less of a man, right? Well now you can merge those stats into some stylish leather trousers, and dance your way to victory. The examples BioWare gave were less interesting than that; Sand People or Republic Pilots.
And the stats themselves have become more impressive, with the ability to create kits that unlock the modification slot on items, which will mean you can bolster on a bit of extra oomph in your favourite lightsaber. Every lightsaber needs a bit of extra oomph. It’s what makes them crackle and pop.
1.3 is out now, and you should be able to cow your modem into submission just by starting up the launcher and letting those fat pipes start feeding that content right down the line.