Newbie SWTOR FAQ: What You Need to Know

So you’re new to SWTOR and you’ve got questions; we have the answers. Whether you are afraid to ask in general chat or don’t trust the answers you might get, we’ve got your back so don’t worry about it. This guide is meant to be a simple newbie FAQ for SWTOR. While it’s not meant to answer every question you may have about the game or to cover every aspect of it in detail, it’s a great overview for the new player. Even if you’ve played other MMORPGs (such as WoW), you’re going to find some differences in SWTOR that will make a difference from the very start. For example, while the UI and controls are familiar, there are other aspects of the game that are different enough that you might find yourself making some big mistakes early on if you don’t take the time to read up on what…

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Hoth Datacron Locations

Hoth was the sixth planet of the remote Hoth system. A desolate world covered with ice and snow, located in the Anoat sector, a rarely-traveled portion of the Outer Rim Territories, it became famous as the one-time location of the Alliance to Restore the Republic’s Echo Base during the Galactic Civil War. It was discovered in 3 ABY by the Empire, causing the Battle of Hoth, a major engagement that destroyed the Rebels’ base and gave them heavy casualties. Hoth’s existence was known throughout the galaxy as early as 4,000 BBY. The swamp wampas of Dromund Kaas were proven by scientists to be descended from the wampas of Hoth. It is possible that wampas were brought to Dromund Kaas during the Great Galactic War though the truth remains a mystery. Indeed the Republic suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Empire during that conflict. The two fleets included…

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Dromund Kaas Datacron Locations

Dromund Kaas was the third planet in the Dromund system, a colony then the capital of the Old Sith Empire and later the lasting base of the Prophets of the Dark Side, whose Dark Force Temple contained such power in the the dark side of the Force that most weapons, excluding lightsabers, malfunctioned on the planet’s surface. The site of a major battle during the New Sith Wars under Kaan’s Brotherhood of Darkness, for millennia the planet’s location was known only to a few, very select Sith Lords, falling almost completely out of the public eye. Read all about Dromund Kaas here, and check out the datacron locations below: 18 – [Yellow Matrix Shard] X: -187 Y: 738 Z: -110 This datacron requires a trek through the Heroic area south of the WALL Warp point.  Cross the inital bridge from the wall and run straight ahead and follow the first wall to the…

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Korriban Datacron Locations

Korriban, originally known as Pesegam during the reign of Xim, was the sole planet in the Horuset system, located across the galaxy from Koros Major. It was the original homeworld of the Sith species and a sacred planet for the Sith Order, housing the tombs for many ancient and powerful Dark Lords of the Sith, and containing tremendous dark side power. Read all about Korriban here, and check out the datacron locations below: Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic Korriban 15 – [Endurance +2] X:  153  Y: 81  Right next to the shuttle that takes you off world, on a metal platform. 16 – [Willpower +2] X:529 Y:65 You’ll see this one from the air if you take the taxi from the Academy. Simply follow the path around the Wilds area and you’ll eventually get to it. 17 – [Red Matrix Shard] X: -54 Y:378 From the shuttle, head West towards the temple. Hang…

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Friday Update: Sith Inquisitor Character Progression

Yesterdays Friday update brought us the last remaining character progression video, featuring the Sith Inquisitor. This is kind of a historic update, as it is the last update before early access begins. As you progress in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, your character will acquire new skills and abilities that complement their more powerful weapons and armor. Feared across the galaxy for both their mastery of the Dark Side of the Force™ and their ability to manipulate those around them, even those within the Empire know to watch themselves when in the presence of a Sith Inquisitor. Some acolytes who complete the trials use their newfound powers to channel the Force into devastating mental and lightning attacks. Others command the Force to deceive their enemies both in conversation and on the battlefield.

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Intergalactic Intel: Bounty Hunter and Jedi Knight

“This is the last one before your posts go back to normal right?” “Yep!” I was excited to finish this last article, new ideas, the podcast, so much to do. “Did you figure out a name for the podcast?” I nodded. “Not a pun like Kai wanted, but still good. Galactic Transmission.” As stated there is a lot to do. Just a few reminders before we begin as always, this is a simple review and the classes can change greatly towards the end of their levels. Tomorrow a video of myself and a few friends killing the SD-01 boss with commentary, and strategy will be up. Finally I would like to welcome my good friend and my brother Curoar to the podcast team. Next week I’ll have our first live show of Galactic Transmission, on Friday. Without further ado, the Bounty Hunter and Jedi Knight. Bounty Hunter: Story: I highly…

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Know your Lore: Yuthura Ban

Yuthura Ban was the Twi’lek apprentice of the Sith Master Uthar Wynn, the head of the Sith Academy on Korriban during the Jedi Civil War. Even though she herself was an apprentice, Yuthura was also a lead instructor and mentor at the Sith Academy. She respected initiative and cunning in her students and was not short of either herself. Like most of the Force-sensitives at the academy, she wore the uniform of a Sith officer as opposed to robes. Originally from Sleheyron, Yuthura was a slave to Omeesh the Hutt, a cruel Master who tortured his slaves regularly. Craving vengeance and determined not to simply be “nothing,” Yuthura maneuvered herself into a position to strike out at her master, slitting “the drunken worm”‘s throat while in his bedchamber. As she fled Sleheyron by stowing aboard a cargo ship, it was inevitable that she would be discovered by the crew. They…

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Know your lore: Uthar Wynn

Uthar Wynn was a Sith Master and the leader of the Sith Academy on Korriban during the Jedi Civil War. His Sith Apprentice was Yuthura Ban. Uthar Wynn was created as a villain for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Wynn was voiced by veteran voice actor Tom Kane. Wynn later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, which was released in 2008. There are multiple choices for the player to make in Knights of the Old Republic regarding Uthar Wynn’s fate. Revan could side with Ban and kill Wynn. Once completed, Ban would turn on Revan. After her defeat, Ban would plead for mercy and Revan would spare her life and allow her to assume the position of the Academy Headmaster. A second choice involves Revan not allying with either Wynn or Ban; both Wynn and Ban attack him and are killed. A third option has…

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BioWare’s Zoeller: In-Depth Advanced Classes Reveal

For fans wanting to know more about advanced classes in SWTOR, Bioware’s Gerog Zoeller is giving more details in an interview with MMORPG.com. This is exciting news as the interview contains exclusive, in-depth coverage and reveals of the advanced classes that has not been previously revealed. In the interview, MMORPG.com asks Zoeller the following questions: How will players get to the advanced classes system? Once unlocked, how much customization will players find within the advanced class they choose? The Sith Warrior can become the Juggernaut or the Marauder, can you give us some examples of skills that make up these two advanced classes? The Bounty Hunter has a similar design with the Mercenary and Powertech, can you tell us about skills that define the offense and defense of these two specializations? The Jedi Knight offers players the Sentinel and Guardian, what are the main differences when playing these classes? What…

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Know your lore: Warb Null

Warb Null was a dark side apprentice and King Ommin’s armored commander of the Naddist forces during the First Battle of Onderon in the Freedon Nadd Uprising. Originally named Shas Dovos, Null was formerly an aspiring young student of metalwork, though when a sinister Sith spirit tricked him into constructing a tainted suit of armor, he became a mindless servant of the dark side. The spirit resided in the very pages of an ancient Sith book discovered by Dovos in the wilds of his native planet Onderon, and eventually the spirit fused Dovos to the dark armor and renamed him Warb Null. Null became the leader of the Naddists who raided the city of Iziz during the Freedon Nadd Uprising. They defeated the Onderonian forces, as well as a team of Jedi sent by the Galactic Republic, and successfully recaptured the sarcophagi of Ommin’s late wife Amanoa, and the former…

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Know your Lore: Noab Hulis

Noab Hulis was a Jedi Master prior to the Great Sith War. He was the father of Krynda Hulis, later known as Krynda Draay, and her two sisters, as well as the husband of a Human female. Noab Hulis was first mentioned in the Tales of the Jedi Companion, published in 1996 and written by George R. Strayton. Twelve years later, the character made his first appearance, in flashbacks of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series issue Vindication, Part 2. He was also rendered for the first time, by Bong Dazo. In the issue, Hulis is shown to cover his useless Miralukan eyes, whereas in the Tales of the Jedi Companion, he is said to leave them exposed. Biography Noab Hulis was a male Miraluka who served the Jedi Order. In time, he sired two daughters, both of whom entered the Jedi Order, and then a…

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Know Your Lore: Tott Doneeta

Tott Doneeta, also known as Tottdon’eeta, was a Twi’lek Jedi Knight who was an apprentice to Master Arca Jeth, together with his Jedi brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, on Arkania. He assisted in ending the crisis on Iziz and fought in the Great Sith War. He was a competent pilot, and learned to fly one of the Beast Rider’s war beasts. Doneeta was present at both the Jedi Convocation on Exis Station and the Convocation at Mount Meru. Tott Doneeta was also present when his Jedi brother Ulic fell to the Dark Side, and the subsequent action of Nomi Sunrider’s robbing Ulic of the Force. Later, he saved Vima Sunrider by grappling onto her escape pod as it drifted towards a star, due to his delayed arrival at the latter Convocation. Later in life, he attempted to help Cathar Jedi Sylvar free herself from her anger; however, he realized he…

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Know your Lore: Queen Amanoa

Amanoa was the Queen of Onderon from 4,018 BBY until her death at the end of the Beast Wars between the rulers of Iziz and the Beast Riders from the planet’s wilderness. The wife of King Ommin and the mother of Galia, Amanoa’s reign saw drastic changes for Onderon’s role in the Galaxy. Together with her husband, Amanoa was beguiled by the specter of the long-dead Dark Lord Freedon Nadd, and became an apprentice of him in her final years. However, when she requested help from the Jedi Order in bringing the conflict on her planet to an end, Amanoa’s clandestine activities under Nadd’s tutelage came to light. Jedi Master Arca Jeth and his apprentices ultimately triumphed over the Dark Lord’s influence and helped to negotiate peace between the factions of the Beast Wars. The once-proud Queen of Onderon joined her Sith master in death and exile in a burial…

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Know your Lore: Arca Jeth

Arca Jeth was an Arkanian male who was a Jedi Master and Watchman of the Onderon system during the time of the Old Republic. He was known to have been one of the wisest Jedi of the Old Republic era, and trained Barrison Draay, Haazen, Ulic Qel-Droma, his brother Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi’lek Tott Doneeta in the ways of the Force. He was also one of the first known Jedi to use the ability of battle meditation. In 4,050 BBY Master Jeth was part of a Jedi/Republic task force which was sent to the Hapes Cluster to eliminate the threat of the Lorell Raiders, who had been preying on Republic shipping lanes for decades. Following the defeat of the Lorell Raiders, Jeth took part in the Hyabb-Twith Campaign and helped drive the Nelori Marauders from the Hyabb-Twith Corridor. He served the Galactic Republic on Coruscant during the Great Droid…

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Know your Lore: Cay Qel-Droma

Cay Qel-Droma was a Jedi Knight during the Great Sith War. Born to a great warrior family on Alderaan, Cay and his brother, fellow Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, were instructed by Master Arca Jeth at his training compound on Arkania. Cay’s first mission came in 4,000 BBY, when, along with his brother and fellow trainee Tott Doneeta, he was sent to Onderon to put down an uprising of the savage Beast Riders. The Jedi succeeded; however, Cay’s career in combat was just beginning. He fought in the Great Sith War not long after, a galaxy-spanning conflict that started when the Krath attacked Onderon, home to the dark side-using Naddists. During the war, Ulic turned to the dark side, becoming a Sith, and second-in-command under Exar Kun. In 3,996 BBY Cay was forced to duel his brother on Ossus. Ulic killed Cay; however, this act stunned Ulic enough that he abandoned the…

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Friday Updates: Environmental Polish and Class Q&A

BioWare returns this week with a two-part update for Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). The first part of the update goes behind the scenes with Senior Environmental Artist Robby Lamb, who details how the game environments evolve and transform. Lamb details the creation and polish of environments in SWTOR and how he works and re-works the content to make it as epic as possible while maintaining the best game performance. The second part of the update comes in the form of a Community Q&A, which addresses a number of different questions from the community. To summarize, each class will have a number of companions from each archetype. Players can choose which of those will become their main companion and can enhance them through the use of kits. Bounty Hunters will not be able to use jetpacks outside of battle and the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior will have no…

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Know your lore: Dor Gal-ram

Dor Gal-ram was a Sith Lord in the years leading up to the Great Hyperspace War, 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. A member of the Sith species, Gal-ram was native to an area of space known as the Sith Empire. After the death of Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos, Gal-ram sided with one of the contenders for the title, Ludo Kressh. Kressh’s main rival was Naga Sadow, a progressive Sith Lord with expansionist ambitions. In 5,000 BBY, Sadow staged an attack on the Sith Empire, meant to appear like a Galactic Republic assault, and used this opportunity to declare himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. This led to a schism between Sadow and Kressh, with Gal-ram siding with Kressh. Sadow then staged another raid, this time leaving evidence that he was actually complicit; upon seeing this evidence, an angered Kressh ordered Gal-ram and a…

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How Stuff Works: Valley of the Dark Lords

The Valley of the Dark Lords, also known as Valley of the Sith Lords was a valley and burial ground of Korriban’s Sith Lords. The Sith Great Temple was located in the valley. A number of different layouts and appearances have been given to the valley in various publications. This is, in the case of video games, mostly due to memory restraints and practicality. For instance, its appearance in Knights of the Old Republic lends itself to being easily traversed and places less demand on hardware than a full scale valley. In Darth Bane: Path of Destruction it was found that the road from the Academy to the Tombs was actually quite long and the area that the actual Valley was barren and harsh, hard to travel through for even the Sith Lords. In Jedi Academy, on the other hand, the valley is designed similar to the appearance of the…

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Know your Legends: Horak-mul

Horak-mul was a Sith Lord who sided with Ludo Kressh after the death of Marka Ragnos. The prosethic he used as replacement for his right eye was a Sith artifact. Biography Horak-mul was a Sith Lord in the years leading up to the Great Hyperspace War, and was native to a region in the galaxy known as Sith Space. In 5,000 BBY, longtime Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos died after a century of iron-handed rule; two Sith Lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh stepped in to try and fill the power vacuum. Horak-mul supported Kressh, the more conservative Sith Lord, over Sadow, an ambitious Lord who wanted to expand the Sith Empire’s boundaries. During the Funeral of Marka Ragnos, a ship coming from the Galactic Republic, the Starbreaker 12, landed in the Valley of the Dark Lords, and its crew, two Humans, Gav and Jori Daragon, were detained….

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Know your Lore: Azkul

Azkul was a Sith veteran of the Jedi Civil War who later became a mercenary of the Exchange. If the Exile helps Azkul invade Khoonda, he later appears on Citadel Station, aiding the Telos Security Force in their fight against the Sith forces. The Exile can also manipulate Azkul into thinking that she will help him, which will be admired by Kreia. Mandalore the Preserver would give caution on how Azkul knows who to trust because he knew his kind. Teammates who have very strong senses in justice will despise such an act, though, while Brianna will instantly despise joining Azkul to where which response results in being influence-related. This act will not lead to a Dark Side shift, but no Light Side shift either. Biography Azkul served under Darth Malak during the Jedi Civil War as a Sith Commando part of an elite Sith Special Forces detachment. A good…

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How Stuff Works: Vibroblade

Vibroblades are the galaxy’s main cutting weapon of choice. Though they come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from knives to longer swords, vibroblades are all equipped with a compact ultrasonic generator in the hilt. This causes the blade to vibrate at enormous speeds, thus giving the weapon its name. Because of this ultrasonic vibration, even the slightest glancing blow become a gaping wound. It could be fitted with cortosis weave, allowing it to parry the blows of lightsabers and energy swords. As it is quieter than a blaster, the vibroblade is popular among assassins, but it can also be easily carried as a secondary weapon for close-range fighting. In the past these weapons were often minted containing a weave of the rare material cortosis, which allowed blade to parry even lightsaber strikes, a property that made the vibroblade a weapon of choice among Sith assassins. However, this practice…

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Know your Lore: Lonna Vash

Lonna Vash was a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. She was one of the Masters who banished the Jedi Exile from the Jedi Order. Lonna Vash’s role was bigger in the original vision of the developers, Obsidian Entertainment, but like many other incomplete things it had to be cut because of the forced premature release of the game. She was planned to be found by the player on M4-78, a planet populated by droids, where she came searching for the Exile with her Padawan, Kaah Ohtok. The corresponding conversation the Exile has with Vash was even recorded and put in the game file, but, like the incomplete planet, was never used in the actual game. However, as Vash was a Council member shown in an important cut scene, the developers placed her dead body on also-incomplete Korriban to…

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Know your Lore: Zez-Kai Ell

Zez-Kai Ell was a male Human Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the Mandalorian Wars. He wielded a violet double-bladed lightsaber and fought with double-bladed variants of Ataru, Shien, Niman, and Juyo. He had also mastered the advanced Force forms. He was also close friends with fellow Jedi Master and Council member Kavar. Zez-Kai Ell was more thoughtful and introspective than many of his fellow Masters, and was quick to point out that the Council’s inaction led to Revan’s fall—even going as far to say that blame was not solely on the Jedi who left to fight, but on the Council as well. After the Jedi Civil War, he no longer considered himself a Jedi, claiming to have left the Order in disgust with both the Jedi Order and himself. Indeed, when the Exile met him, he appeared to have fallen into a brooding depression, displaying…

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The Great Hyperspace War

Over the millennia, the Galactic Republic has faced no greater threat to its existence than the brutal invasion instigated by Sith Lord Naga Sadow. It was a time in history when the original Sith Empire had reached the height of its power, and the Republic was poorly prepared for a conflict of such magnitude. Master Gnost-Dural looks back at the Great Hyperspace War and identifies the controversial decision that drove the Sith into exile and set the stage for the Empire’s campaign of vengeance against the Republic. BTC 1347 – When two hyperspace explorers stumbled onto the remote world of Korriban, they never could have guessed the chain of events they were setting into motion. Over the previous centuries, the Sith Empire had grown in size and strength, and Korriban was the very heart of its dominion. The reigning Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos, had just died, sparking a brutal power…

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