SWTOR goes Free to Play today!

[CrimsonStrife]

Star Wars The Old Republic is now Free to Play!

 

Quoted from swtor.com

 

11.15.2012

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Launches Free-to-Play Option Today

 

Award-Winning MMO from BioWare and LucasArts also adds New Content

AUSTIN, Texas – Nov 15, 2012 – BioWare™, a studio of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA), and LucasArts announced today that the new, Free-to-Play option for the critically-acclaimed, massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic is now live. Now players can experience the complete storylines of all eight iconic Star Wars classes, all the way to level 50 for free. This new option complements the existing subscription offering, providing players with maximum flexibility in how they choose to experience Star Wars: The Old Republic.

“We want to give our players the freedom to enjoy Star Wars: The Old Republic when and how they want,” said Matthew Bromberg, General Manager of BioWare Austin. “There has never been a better time to start playing with us.”

Also today, BioWare released Game Update 1.5: HK-51 Activated, which adds new areas to explore, a new Companion character and more, including:

• Get ready for an action-packed adventure to earn control of one of the galaxy’s most deadly Assassins, HK-51. Submerged beneath the icy surface of Belsavis lies a derelict ship and if you are brave enough to venture through the wreckage, you will embark on a mission that ultimately rewards you with a powerful new, yet familiar, ally the ruthless Assassin Droid, HK-51.
  
• Explore Section X, a previously untouched area of the prison world of Belsavis. The Dread Masters’ servants are searching for a powerful and ancient weapon. Fly to Section X and secure the target of their search to be richly rewarded.
  
• Travel to Denova to take on Operation: Explosive Conflict – now with a Nightmare Mode! Teams who complete in this new mode can earn the final pieces of the Dread Guard gear set and a brand new mount that will be sure to cause tank envy!
  

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-driven, massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with a Free-to-Play option from BioWare and LucasArts. Set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars movies, players team up with friends online to fight in heroic battles, explore a galaxy of vibrant planets, and experience visceral Star Wars combat, all set to a sweeping musical score. Players are asked to join forces with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent.

For more information on the different ways players can now experience Star Wars: The Old Republic, including the Free-to-Play option, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/FREE or Origin.com. As always, be sure to check StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com for latest updates and follow us on Twitter®, Facebook®, and YouTube®.

[therfiles]

It's about time they did this. Thanks for the update, may try it.

[CrimsonStrife]

I am hoping over to the EUR servers to play with @@Caelum today....but for future reference to anyone who wishes to play with me, I am on the NA servers.

[Guest Ory'Hara]

i was thinkin about gettin swtor when it goes f2p, but the mudducks are still bein too greedy, the f2p is heavily restricted from what i seen, so i'll pass, until they learn, lol.

[MagSul]

I find the greediness argument a touch invalid considering that they just allowed everyone to play and experience the bulk of the game for free. I think they've been incredibly fair about what they've done, personally. At the end of the day, if you're serious about playing, you'll pay for a subscription like you would for most other MMOs. If you'd rather just have a whirl through some of the story material, role-play or w/e, then you can get buy without all of the features that require cartel coins or a subscription.

[Guest Ory'Hara]

magsul, dont let the corporate empire blind you, they make it look free, in a sense. but it isnt truly free.

 

they heavily restricted the f2p setup, to attempt to draw in the free player cowd and keep it resrtricted so much, that you have to subscribe to get the full experience and gameplay of the mudduck mmo, lol

[Astral Serpent]

I agree, with Ory'Hara, too many chemtrails and government conspiracies.

 

[MagSul]

I know exactly what they're doing, and I'm sure that's the point of it, to draw players into to subscribing or to spend incredulous amounts buying the features that they want separately. But at the end of the day, players whom either can't afford or simply don't want to pay, can still experience a lot of good gameplay. That they let you play free at all is something I'm pretty thankful for. I'm really interested in the game, but can't afford to keep up a subscription right now. I'd be paying for it, if I could. Other MMOs simply toss you to the side when you're out of money. "Sorry, can't afford to pay each month? We're going to have to make your account inactive." whilst I'm sure it probably wasn't done out of the kindness of Bioware's heart, I'm happy to take what I can get. I don't really view the the multitude of missing features as a huge loss, since it hasn't really impacted my ability to play through the story so far.

[Guest Ory'Hara]

ye, i hear ya astral, the patreaus scandal is the big one goin down right now

 

nah, moondoggies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_slang

 

lol, magsul, you cant afford it, cause they still be lookin to rip people off with their over priced subs lol.

and in a sense, tor tosses you to the side too, they dont give you squat in F2p, you cant even make a guild, so

ya, i think i dropped my maul, breakler

[Guest Ory'Hara]

LOL, there's wanting money, then there's bein greedy, which the company is still bein, lol. their already making money from those who buy the game, their bein greedy by making users pay every month.

 

i say shame on that mess, squished, breaker

[MagSul]

MMOs are significantly different from other video games in ways which usually justify a monthly subscription fee. The content/game is forever being refined/updated as with all MMOs. You're not paying for nothing.

[Lilliandil]

I bought TOR when it first came out, for some reason it bores me now.

[Doby]

I was one of the people who pre-ordered it with excitement, played a few months and then quit. What bored me out was the low fps I had.

 

I really wished they wouldn't go free-to-play. I quit LOTRO because the f2p completely ruined the player base. I like MMO's better when it's simple and not like wondering around to see what is restricted to you.

It should be either completely free (improbable), or pay-to-play.

[MagSul]

I spent about £3 today on Cartel Coins and managed to get a hold of every feature I wanted with coins to spare. Once you make a purchase, you're upgraded to "Preferred Status" instead of F2P, which grants a few of the things a lot of people were complaining were missing. A one-off £3 versus a monthly subscription and people are still complaining what an evil corperation Bioware is. =/

 

I'll agree with @@Doby on the playerbase. Everyone I'd met prior to F2P was great. Since it came a long, I've come across a lot more pig-ignorant people who do nothing but fill the chat with complaints.

[Malkav]

Won't run on a bulldozer, it would seem.

[Guest Ory'Hara]

MMOs are significantly different from other video games in ways which usually justify a monthly subscription fee. The content/game is forever being refined/updated as with all MMOs. You're not paying for nothing.

 

disinformation, theres no difference. their just bein greedy, squished

[Guest Ory'Hara]

lol, quit makin more disinfo, i never said offering f2p was bein greedy. trapping people into a false and extremely restricted f2p that forces users to end up subbing anyways is bein greedy, squished.

 

more disinformation, my argument is against the monthly payments, squished. they be makin money from people just buyin the game, subs not needed, welcome to the real real world and the crushing maul of truth,

 

also, i can speak however i want, its extremely possible to take all that i say seriously, squished and i'm backquiet, breaker

[KDR_3XILE]

You have not much changed, Gep.

 

You are imposing your opinions unto others speaking as if your truths are the only.

 

It's been some time since the two of us held a discussion though I wonder if you aren't still able to look at something with a non-biased perspective.

 

People will continue believe what they want to believe, as it is their right and decision to do so, provoking them will not change that, it will only bring you down, my friend.

 

Food for thought.

[CrimsonStrife]

more disinformation, my argument is against the monthly payments, squished. they be makin money from people just buyin the game, subs not needed, welcome to the real real world and the crushing maul of truth,

The game isn't for sale since it went Free to Play...that's the whole point...subscriptions and cartel market transactions are now the only way they make money.

 

lol, quit makin more disinfo, i never said offering f2p was bein greedy. trapping people into a false and extremely restricted f2p that forces users to end up subbing anyways is bein greedy, squished.

They don't force anyone to subscribe...you can easily get the features any average player would use through the Cartel Market in the form of micro-transactions as opposed to a subscription. Also, use some logic...you can't "force" a user to subscribe anyway...if they want to play that bad, they'll pay for it...other wise, they'll deal with what they can get for free...it's called logic, use it.

 

Basically, do some fact checking and use common sense, rather than running around telling everyone else they are wrong.

[Astral Serpent]

Everyone I'd met prior to F2P was great. Since it came a long, I've come across a lot more pig-ignorant people who do nothing but fill the chat with complaints.

This is why I don't play F2P MMOs, they're full of assholes and idiots :|

 

[minilogoguy18]

Saying squished every sentence and total confusion of the words they're and their just shows total lack of intelligence.

 

Also, considering the amount of servers and the HIGH amount of players they can have online at once, do you really think something like that is cheap? The cost of the game discs alone would not cover that as well as the people that are employed to enforce rules on the servers, official forum moderation and the people they pay to make updates to the game.

[Guest Ory'Hara]

whatever, disinformation, i dont impose anything, i only open the eyes of others to the real truth. your eyes are closed, therefore you are squished. i dont provoke others, others provoke me, and i shall drop my maul, thyssel for thought

 

more disinfo, i drop the maul of truth on this too

http://www.gamestop....Republic Online

 

http://www.walmart.c...he old republic

 

http://www.bestbuy.c...he old republic

 

http://www.radioshac...ue=Role playing

 

all you are lying and blind, and that shows where the real lack of intelligence be, flame me all you want, but if you all ignore a maul this heavy, then i have no hope for thee

[Astral Serpent]

Sometimes I wonder if Ory'Hara is just a drug addict on a computer.

[KDR_3XILE]

He is an Elitist amongst a group of Elitists, fighting against other Elitists.

 

My take on TOR is that it is accommodating towards a specific group of gaming types, if obviously focuses on the MMO aspect and all other gamers will likely be disappointed. As far as it's take on the StarWars genre, I don't think it lives up to what it should be. I played the game for a week, enjoyed it at first but by the time I hit level 15 I was incredibly bored. Not because I lacked the abilities that exceed that level but I found the gameplay to be very similar to World Of Warcraft, which I love playing but TOR didn't bring anything new to the MMO scene.

 

That said, I'm not going to troll those who do enjoy it. If it's your kinda game, go nuts and by all means enjoy it.

 

Maybe then the people who made it won't be so embarrassed by the result of their works after being forced to bring out the F2P version.

 

Happy gaming everyone.

[spior]

Hey look, @>I KDR Exile I< isn't formatting his posts anymore.