Darth Hater

When BioWare first introduced fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic to the idea of companions, it was a shock to many. "Why would I bother grouping if I already have a helper?" some asked. "Won't this trivialize solo content and make group content mind numbingly boring?" others wondered. "Now idiots will have even more reason to be loot ninjas," even more exclaimed. The truth is that the companion system, despite all its flaws, brings so many benefits to the table that I truly don't think the game would be anything close to what it is now without them. That doesn't mean everything is perfect on the minion front, however.

Choosing which class to play is a big decision when starting an MMORPG, but for Star Wars: The Old Republic it goes hand-in-hand with choosing your faction. The classes on both factions are essentially a reflection of one another, but their aesthetic and animation differences can be big determining factors for some players. For other players, it’s about the stories, the lightsaber, and the voices that make the difference. Here are a few reasons why playing the Republic faction might appeal to you.

Ilum issues persist after patch 1.1.2.  Players are flooding the Official Forums with accounts that kills in Ilum are not registering towards Daily and Weekly Quests.  Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez acknowledged the issue, saying the following:

Joveth Gonzalez

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give you all a quick update. The dev team has been investigating the cause of this issue and they're closer to figuring out a solution. As mentioned before, we'll keep you updated with any new developments. Thanks again for your patience on this.

As always, Darth Hater will provide updates on this issue as more information becomes available.

UPDATE - 02/08/2011 4:45pm ET: Joveth Gonzalez has posted on the official forums that the issue will be addressed in a patch tomorrow:

Joveth GonzalezHi everyone,

I wanted to let you know that we will be deploying a patch tomorrow (details coming very soon) with the following resolutions:

Killing players on Ilum will now consistently grant Valor and mission credit as intended.

Once again, thank you for your patience.

Yesterday we took a look at the stat changes in 1.1.2 and 3D models for the Imperial versions of Rakata weapons. By popular demand, here is a look at the Republic weapons.

As mentioned yesterday, models for additional armor pieces and weapons are available for viewing through the PTR version of DarthHaterDB. Please note the model viewer is a brand new feature and is still undergoing some minor tweaks and adjustments. 

Darth Hater currently has several open positions for those seeking to become a part of our team, get some potential exposure in the gaming industry, or just want to lend some time helping us follow Star Wars: The Old Republic. As we all have day jobs, all positions require a minimum 4-6 hour weekly commitment. We all work as a virtual team and use various web services to track time and the status of projects we work on, so you must have a reliable high speed internet connection as well as a working microphone. You must be at least 21 years old, and willing to sign and uphold confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.

Send an e-mail with the position you are applying for as the SUBJECT line to jobs@darthhater.com, and include the following information, as well as examples of your work to fulfill the description requirements:

• Full Name
• Official Forum Name
• Registered Darth Hater Name
• Time Zone
• Date of Birth
• Phone Number
• Email Address

Update 1.1.2 was applied to the Star Wars: The Old Republic live servers today. The patch notes included a line item talking about upgrades that were done to the Rakata weapons:

• Rakata weapons are now correctly rating 140 and are fitted with mark 25 modifications. These items were previously less powerful than intended.

See a full comparison of the changes between the 1.1.2 and previous versions of these weapons after the jump, along with a sneak peek at a new 3D model viewer. Models for additional armor pieces and weapons are available for viewing through the PTR version of DarthHaterDB.

Contrary to what some players may believe, the Sith Juggernaut is not a tank-only Advanced Class. Those who wish to do damage while still retaining the ability to respec into a tank, or those who simply just don't want to flail around with two lightsabers, can make themselves very much at home with either the Rage or the Vengeance skill tree. We'll be discussing the Vengeance tree today, and some of the skills, tactics and concepts that players may want to consider to get the most out of this offense-minded specialization.

BioWare completed weekly maintaince of the game today; in doing so they've updated the client to version 1.1.2.  Take a look at the patch notes after the jump.

Edit: 1.1.2 data is now available on the DB

BioWare announced today the beginning of a new series of videos to help guide new players in their journey in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Social Media Coordinator Eric Musco shows how new players can select their server, faction, and character from the moment players first boot the game up to the second they are in the game world. BioWare also announced a two new weekly community blogs: a Q&A and a summary of DevTracker posts from the official forums. The Q&A will be 10 questions chosen from a thread on the forums that closes on Tuesday at 2PM CST. You can read the full announcement and watch the first Quick Start Guide video after the jump.

Grab your lightsaber as this week’s DevTracker Highlights is all about PvP. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez hints at future updates to game’s launcher. Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid addresses concerns about stifling the community’s voice during server maintenance and patching. Senior Community Coordinator David Bass assures players that discussions at the Guild Summit will be in-depth, unlike those at conventions. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller talks PvP bags and the rate at which players acquire PvP gear. Lead PvP, Operations & Flashpoints Designer Gabe Amatangelo follows up and attests that players will see a less sporadic rate at which gear is acquired. Hit the jump to dig in and see all the highlights.