Tech tutorials, howtos and walkthroughs

Star Wars: The Old Republic has burst unto the MMO scene and is already enjoying a healthy following. Reviews and opinions so far have been mixed but slightly more positive. Many gamers know that an MMORPG is never really truly “complete” and it is up to Bioware, EA and their teams to ensure that they game receives regular updates, fixes and fresh content to keep the players satisfied. I have been playing SWTOR since I received my early access email in mid December and below are some quick tips for players new to Star Wars: The Old Republic.

  • Rested XP – Rested XP is a mechanic used in many MMOs that allows players to gain experience points above the normal rate for a period of time after logging off in a safe zone or city. In Star Wars the Old Republic rested XP can be gained from logging off in a cantina, your ship or space station. When the player logs on again they will be “rested” as represented by a green bar along their experience bar at the bottom of the screen.
  • Put your minions to work often – The evil sith in me calls them “minions” but SWTOR calls them “companions”. As you play through the game you will start acquiring these companions through various means. They are able to do various tasks such as crafting, looting and even selling unwanted/useless items.
  • Spacebar to skip cinematics – From reading and watching a myriad of beta reviews and previews I am amazed at the number of people who complain about the cinematics and story telling in this game. Don’t want to see them? Simple… just hit spacebar to skip them but I don’t see the sense as you’ll be missing out on a major feature of this game and I for one is very happy that a MMO finally cured my allergic reaction to a wall of text at the beginning of each quest.
  • Good Gaming Habits – Since my days an a avid strategy gamer I have grown lazy. Don’t be like me and actually click on abilities with the mouse or fail to learn or customize shortcut keys. I’ve decided to foster good SWTOR habits and ditched my laziness, If you were like me, this new game is a perfect opportunity to break those bad (and lazy) habits.
  • Be Social – SWTOR is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game, so that means you will running around with hundreds if not thousands of other SWTOR players. Why not help them out if they have questions because believe it or not you’ll need some kind of help too. Speak to those if your group, join a guild and be a social butterfly – not matter if you are sith or jedi flavored.
  • Communicate during PvP Warzones – At this time of this post there are 3 PvP warzones available in SWTOR; Huttball, Voidstar and Alderaan Civil War. All of these require players to communicate and work TOGETHER to achieve the various objectives. So communicate, give/follow instructions in order to win which means more XP, credits, valor and other rewards.
  • Search for Holocrons – Holocrons in Star Wars lore are ancient “lockers” which the Sith and Jedi used to store important information. In SWTOR Holocrons are scattered all over the Galaxy to be discovered by players as they explore. These holocrons when discovered provide permanent stats boosts and useful items that will aid the player so keep an eye (and and ear) out for holocrons, they are definitely worth finding and unlocking.
  • Choose the right server RP PvE PvP – PvE (Player vs Environment) – Players will have to manually flag themselves if they wish to engage in PvP outside of designated Warzones and Open World PvP areas. PvP (Player vs Player) – Players are automatically flagged for PvP outside of the designated ‘safe’ areas. RP Players are encouraged to roleplay and act ‘in-character’ while playing on an RP server which may be PvP or PvE servers.
  • Dont Ovedose – I’m a casual MMO player with very little MMO experience under my belt but I’d suggest not to go crazy playing SWTOR for dozens of hours on end. For one it can’t be enjoyable to do so and secondly the game isn’t going anywhere. Players get 30 days playing time when they buy the game which is plenty of time to play the game to see if it is right for you instead of squeezing every playable hour of every day. Feel like playing more when that initial 30 day period is up? Then pay for your subscription for as long as you want. Overdosing makes the game become a chore and less enjoyable.
  • Quick Travel points – I’m not sure if it’s the noob in me or oversight but during the SWTOR beta but I failed at using the quick travel system. So don’t make the same mistake I did and be sure to the interact with the little consoles or “ATM Machines” in around major SWTOR settlements and cities for quick travel options that will save your toon from running/driving everywhere. Just remember there is a 30 minute cooldown between each use to don’t quicktravel to the neighbor next door.
  • Map Options – The map screen in SWTOR is something that players will be looking at a lot and you can tell that a lot of attention went into the details and option on the map screen. Players can toggle on or off various map options such as vendors, class trainers, quests and more. The map also turns transparent when the player moves with it open which is a nice touch that I first saw in Rift.
  • Specialty Vendors – commendations and social points are different kinds of currency that players will earn. Especially at early levels gear gained from spending these points will offer better protection and look MUCH better than gear from mobs or even bosses. So be sure to use them as commendations are not transferable to different planets and become useless if not used.
  • Gear Preview – So you looted, found or about to buy a new piece of gear that you want to know how it will look on your character. Like most MMORPGs SWTOR has a gear preview feature, but unlike other games where you press “control” and right click to preview in SWTOR it is “control” left click so be careful, many a player has lost credits by doing the wrong click!
  • SWTOR.com – Stay up to date with news and happenings on the game’s official website. The community page is especially useful as it provides information about maintenance, server status, system alerts, message boards, patch notes and more.

Have you been playing SWTOR? Have any tips you want to share? Or new to SWTOR and have any questions? Leave a comment below!

About the Author

Read more on Geezam.com

One response to “Quicks Tips for new Star Wars: The Old Republic players”