Free Game time? Yes Please..

For those of you playing SWTOR, you probably, like myself received an E-mail from Bioware letting you know you'll be receiving 30 days of free game time, as well as an in game pet. As long as you meet certain criteria.

From SWTOR.com (With all links still in place thank you very much!)

» Click to show News from SWTOR.com - click again to hide... «

Game Update 1.2: Legacy is finally here, bringing a wide range of new game features and playable content to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™! With Legacy, you can now create your very own Legacy family tree, sharing the skills mastered by one character with everyone in your family tree. You will also be able to experience new adventures, including the new Operation, Explosive Conflict, the Novare Coast PvP Warzone, and much, much more!
We appreciate the support of our community throughout the development of the Legacy game update. As a ‘Thank You’ gift, we are giving all active subscribers (as of April 12, 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT or April 21, 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT) the in-game Legacy reward: the Legacy Tauntaun Ram Pet*, sure to be your new best friend!

In order to make sure that you receive your in-game Legacy Tauntaun Ram, your account must meet the following criteria by April 12, 2012 ,12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT or April 21, 2012, 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT:

• You must have purchased the game and redeemed an official Game Product Registration Code at the Code Redemption Center.
• You must have signed up for a recurring subscription using a valid payment method OR redeemed a Game Time Code.
• Your account must not be banned.

Not an active subscriber? Purchase the game and activate your account on or before April 21st at 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT and you will receive the Legacy Tauntuan Ram pet*!

A SPECIAL GIFT FOR OUR LEVEL 50 PLAYERS – 30 DAYS OF PLAY TIME ON US!

As a thanks for being one of our most valued players, every active account with a Level 50 character as of April 12th, 2012 at 12:00PM CDT / 5:00PM GMT, will receive thirty (30) days of game time** in appreciation for your support and loyalty.
In order to receive your thirty (30) days of game time, you must meet the following requirements by April 12th, 2012, at 12:00PM CDT / 5:00PM GMT:

• You must have purchased the game and redeemed an official Game Product Registration Code at the Code Redemption Center.
• You must have signed up for a recurring subscription using a valid payment method OR redeemed a Game Time Code.
• You must have at least one level 50 character.
• Your account must not be banned.

FORMER PLAYERS COME BACK AND PLAY NOW ON US: APRIL 13 – APRIL 19

In honor of Game Update 1.2: Legacy, we are offering former subscribers the chance to come back and play on us.
Starting on April 13th, 2012 at 12:01AM CDT / 5:01AM GMT through April 19th, 2012 at 11:59PM CDT / April 20th, 2012 at 4:59AM GMT, former subscribers will be able to log-in to their accounts without having to re-subscribe!
In order to qualify for the seven (7) days of free*** gameplay, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must have purchased the game and redeemed an official Game Product Registration Code at the Code Redemption Center.
• You must have previously signed up for a recurring subscription using a valid payment method OR redeemed a Game Time Code. (This includes players in their first thirty (30) days of game time included with purchase of the game.)
• You must currently have an inactive subscription.
• You cannot have left the game in a banned status.

Plus, if you reactivate your former account on or before April 21st, 2012 at 12:00PM CDT / 5:00PM GMT, you qualify for our Legacy reward: the Legacy Tauntaun Ram Pet*!
For more information on these programs, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/legacypromotion.
Don’t forget to check out www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com regularly to keep up with the latest news and information about the game, and you can also join our community on Facebook and Twitter.
 
* FOR ACTIVE SUBSCRIBERS OF STAR WARS™: THE OLD REPUBLIC™ (“SWTOR”) AS OF APRIL 12, 2012 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT OR APRIL 21, 2012, 12:00PM CDT, 5:00PM GMT . OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. VALID WHEREVER SWTOR IS SOLD. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. VIRTUAL ITEM ONLY. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER ACCOUNT. ITEM WILL BE APPLIED IN-GAME TO ALL CHARACTERS UNDER THE USERS’S ACCOUNT.
** 30 DAYS GAME TIME STARTS AT THE END OF YOUR CURRENT BILLING PERIOD. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. VALID WHEREVER SWTOR IS SOLD. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER ACCOUNT.
PLEASE NOTE, WHEN YOUR 30 DAYS OF GAME TIME EXPIRES, YOUR REGULAR, PAID SUBSCRIPTION WILL RESUME AND EA WILL CONTINUE TO AUTOMATICALLY CHARGE THE THEN-CURRENT RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION FEE TO YOUR PAYMENT METHOD WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL ACTION BY YOU. ONCE YOUR REGULAR, PAID SUBSCRIPTION HAS RESUMED, YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL CONTINUE TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW UNTIL CANCELLED. YOU MAY CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED AT WWW.SWTOR.COM/SUPPORT/HELPCENTER/1876, OR BY CONTACTING CUSTOMER SUPPORT AT WWW.SWTOR.COM/SUPPORT. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PLAY UNTIL THE END OF THE SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD.
*** OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 19, 2012 11:59PM CDT / APRIL 20, 2012 4:59AM GMT. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. VALID WHEREVER SWTOR IS SOLD. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER ACCOUNT.
 

So what does this mean?  Well for those of us who have been paying our reoccurring fees even though we may find some fault in the game, we're getting rewarded.  EA (yes the same EA Consumerist declared "Worst Company in America") is obviously trying to bolster their image a bit and are giving everyone who meets the criteria a little perk for sticking with SWTOR as it goes through it's growing pains.

Why is this good news?  Well first off it shows EA/Bioware actually cares about the success of SW:TOR and are willing to do what they can to please the consumer base.  If you don't believe me think of how much money is being lost for that 1 month.  The latest figures on subscriptions had it around 1.7 million, even with some atrophy it's launch in new markets would keep that number close to if not stable, if not an increase.  So do the math.  $14.99 x 1,500,000 = $22,485,000.   Now add in the pets they are giving out, the Little Tauntan rams.  Blizzard sells non-mount pets for about $10, so go ahead and add another $15,000,000 in potential earnings via micro-transactions to the total (if 1.5 million people coughed up $10 for one) for a possible loss of $37,485,000.  Not a small sum by any measure.

Patch 1.2 didn't go off without a hitch though and emergency maintenance was necessary with the servers being brought back down for hours, so guess what we're all getting 1 day worth of game time credit to compensate.  That alone equates to $749,500 in revenue!  I'm glad to see the folks at EA/Bioware doing whats right for the company and not just what's right for their earnings report.


With that I'll say adieu until next time.

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SWTOR Patch 1.2 coming Thursday....My opinion.

Ok well patch 1.2 is coming Thursday, and I'm happy to see it.  Not only is it going to remove some of the restrictions that made no sense (non-tradable crafting materials anyone), but a lot of work is going into balancing the game.  Best of all, at least in my opinion is the Legacy System that is being introduced.

Before we get to that let me copy/paste the massive patch notes below, or read them here.  These notes are copied directly from the Bioware SWTOR Site so please by all means acknowledge this as their work and as is mentioned this info is still subject to change between now and April 12th.

» The Patch Notes are Massive. Click Here to Read, Click Here Again to Hide... «

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™
Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes

Last Updated: 4/6/2012

Highlights (New Features)

• Players can now unlock a wide variety of rewards by leveling characters and reaching new Legacy levels, including buffs for your characters, unlocking additional Species choices for every class, and upgrades for your personal Starship. Build your own Legacy with the new Family Tree!
• Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, is available for play! Having uncovered the sources of the Rakghoul plague outbreak in the Tion Hegemony, players must travel to Ord Mantell and confront Dr. Lorrick, the mad scientist who engineered this horrific biological weapon.
• Explosive Conflict, a new Operation, is available for play! The Trandoshan mercenary warlord Kephess has seized the planet Denova, a world rich in resources valuable to the war effort. Players must assault his war camp, situated atop a mountain in densely-wooded terrain, fighting Imperial defectors and heavy war machines along the way. 8- and 16-player Story and Hard Modes are currently available for this Operation.
• Novare Coast, a new objective-oriented Warzone on the planet Denova, has been added to the game. This Warzone, like Huttball, supports same-faction matches if there are not enough members of the opposing faction to be found.
• New repeatable high-level daily missions are available in a new area on Corellia, the Black Hole!
• Guilds now have access to a shared Guild Bank, accessible on the Fleets, with expandable storage.
• A new tier of gear has been added for both PvP and PvE.
• Ranked Warzones are here! Players can now queue up and participate in PvP matchups to rank themselves against the competition.
• Players can now customize their User Interface by moving and resizing UI elements!
• A new level 50 World Boss with a challenge for a well-coordinated 16-player Operation Group has been sighted in the Gormak Lands region on Voss.
• Players can now leave comments on entries in their Friends List in the Social Window.

General

• The Imperial Transportation Authority and the Galactic Republic Safety Council have authorized the use of vehicles in Orbital Space Stations and Spaceports.
• In-game rewards will be available to players who participate on the Public Test Server. Players will receive a title if they attain level 10 on PTS, and another if they complete Chapter 1.
• A new preference, "Character Texture Atlasing," is now available. Enabling this option increases the texture quality used when rendering character models.
• A new "Customize" option now appears on the character sheet. One of the features this button enables is the ability to color coordinate any individual piece of armor with the equipped chestpiece.
• A new preference, "Awareness Radius," allows players to adjust the number of characters displayed on-screen. Reducing this setting can improve performance in crowded areas on low-end machines.
• On planets with an Orbital Station, players can now travel directly from the planet shuttle on the surface to their ship.
• The Sprint ability is now available at level 1.
  
  General Bug Fixes
  
  • Cinematics throughout the game have been polished. A large number of cinematics have been improved to address incorrect camera angles, smooth out animation issues, and to correct Companion Characters that appear in the wrong gear or at the wrong time.
  • Cinematics and mission phases have been updated for consistency. For instance, several occurrences of NPCs appearing alive in a phase after a cinematic in which the player chose to kill them have been corrected.
  • Corrected many instances of misplaced geometry, visible seams, and incorrect collision with world objects throughout the game.
  • Many locations where player characters could become stuck on world geometry or fall through the world have been corrected.
  • Some visual effects and animations have been adjusted and fixed in instances where they played incorrectly.
  • Dark side appearance, if enabled, now appears correctly at character selection. *UPDATED 3/23*
    

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link directly to the Classes and Combat PTS Notes: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...66&postcount=2


Classes and Combat

Game Update 1.2. contains a significant number of changes and improvements to the overall class balance and combat gameplay in PvP and PvE based on player and guild feedback, focus testing, and more than two months of combat interaction data from our servers. Our overall goal is, as always, to create a level playing field for our players while ensuring that classes retain their unique playstyles and identities.

These changes are not limited to class abilities and skill trees, but also involve modifications to the underlying combat math (for example diminishing returns, additional augment availability, etc.), which has an impact on combat that is hard to capture in a list of patch notes.

Since our changes involve a number of skill changes for many classes, we are refunding all skill points to the affected Advanced Classes so players can adjust the distribution of their characters' skills as they see fit with the new changes in mind. As a reminder, players can reset any character's skill points in the Combat area on their faction's fleet for free once per week (additional respecs cost credits).

Based on community feedback, we have also added a number of improvements to combat gameplay, such as more reactive animations for certain abilities, better visual and audible cues for important effects, and quality of life changes such as more useful combat revival abilities.

For enthusiasts interested in the detailed mechanics of combat and optimizing their own character, we have added a combat logging feature, which writes a machine-parsable file to disk that can provide detailed insights into what really happens during a combat engagement.

General

• As a result of game balance efforts, many classes have had their skill tree layouts modified. Affected characters will have their skill points refunded on login.
• Visual effects for persistent ground-targeted player attacks now reflect the target area of effect more accurately.
• "Rest" abilities, such as Meditation and Recharge and Reload, are no longer interrupted by taking damage if the player is not currently in combat.
• The movement visualization when observing players with lower performance has been improved.
• Combat Training Dummies have been added to the game. Level 50 and 50+ Training Dummies can be found on the Gav Daragon and Ziost Shadow. Level 20, 30, and 40 targets can be found on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas. Level 10 targets can be found on Origin Worlds. Players can unlock Training Dummies for their personal starship through the Legacy System.
• In-combat revival abilities (Resuscitation Probe, Hearttrigger Patch, Revival, and Reanimation) now revive the target with 25% health (up from 5%) to make them generally more useful for their intended purpose.
• Several ability tooltips have been updated to include the correct values and information (these tooltip changes do not reflect changes to the ability; tooltips that previously displayed incorrect or incomplete information have been corrected).
• Several areas throughout the game that have had line of sight-related problems ("cannot see target") have been corrected.
• An issue that could prevent dual wield visual effects from playing correctly has been fixed.
• Players are now briefly stunned if they are dismounted forcibly from damage (instead of playing a fall animation). *UPDATED 4/5*
• Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause players to become stuck and unable to move after the expiration of a stun debuff.
• Corrected an issue that could cause players to appear to continue to be dead after being revived.
• The diminishing return formula for several stats (including expertise) has been adjusted.
• Special abilities for several classes have been updated to emit light based on their actual weapon color crystal.
• Minimum and maximum damage ranges now display correctly on the character sheet for all classes.
• Using a stun-breaking ability no longer keeps a player that was knocked down from standing up. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Medpacs can now only be used once per fight. When a medpac is used during combat, another cannot be used until after combat has ended. *UPDATED 3/23*
  

Combat Log

• Players may now choose to view victory and defeat messages in the chat window. This feature can be enabled in the new "Combat Logging" section of the preferences menu. This must be enabled for combat messages to appear in the chat window.
• The "Combat Logging" section in the preferences menu also allows players to stream all combat interactions originating from or directed at their character to a machine-parsable file. When this option is enabled, time stamped log files are written periodically to the Star Wars – The Old Republic\Combat Logs directory in the My Documents folder. Warning: This is an advanced feature. Constant combat logging may use a significant amount of disk space, and players may need to periodically delete old logs.
  

Jedi Knight

General

• Awe no longer costs Focus to activate.
• Dispatch can now be used on targets at or below 30% of maximum health (up from 20%).
• Force Kick no longer costs Focus to activate.
• Master Strike can no longer be interrupted.
• Force Leap now places a "root" visual effect on the affected target. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Master Strike damage has been increased by approximately 15%. *UPDATED 3/29*
  

Sentinel

• Due to changes in the Sentinel skill trees, Sentinels have had their skill points refunded.
• Crippling Throw's "Trauma" effect can no longer be cleansed.
• Force Camouflage now additionally reduces all damage taken by 50% while active.
• Pacify no longer has a Focus cost and is no longer limited by the global cooldown.
• Transcendence now affects all Operation Group members.
• Zen (while in Ataru Form) now additionally reduces the Focus cost and global cooldown of Cyclone Slash.
  
  Watchman
  
  • Focused Pursuit has been replaced by Focused Leap, which increases the Focus generated by Force Leap.
  • Force Fade no longer grants damage reduction while Force Camouflage is active. It now increases the duration of Force Camouflage by 1 second per point and increases the movement speed bonus of Force Camouflage by 10% per point.
  • Inflammation now applies a 50% movement speed reduction (up from 30%).
  • Valor is now located in Tier 1 of the skill tree and has replaced Quick Recovery. *UPDATED 4/5*
    
  
  Combat
  
  • Ataru Form damage effects (procs) now deal weapon-based damage instead of Force-based damage. The overall damage of these effects has been increased by approximately 10%.
  • Ataru Form now correctly triggers when fighting very large targets.
  • Fleetfooted now additionally increases the movement speed bonus granted by Transcendence by 15% per point.
  • Temperance has been replaced by Stagger, which increases Force Leap's immobilize effect.
    
  
  Focus (Sentinel)
  
  • Felling Blow is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect. The effect now lasts 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Force Exhaustion's cooldown has been reduced to 18 seconds. Its overall effect is unchanged.
  • Gravity now specifically affects Leg Slash and Force Exhaustion.
  • Inner Focus has been redesigned. It now requires 2 points in Singularity and causes Zen (while in Shii-Cho Form) to immediately grant 2 stacks of Singularity per point.
  • Master Focus now increases the damage of Master Strike instead of affecting Force Stasis.
  • Singularity's buff effects now last 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Swelling Winds is now located in Tier 1 of the Focus skill tree. It increases the damage dealt by Force Sweep and Cyclone Slash and reduces the cooldown of Force Sweep.
  • Unwavering Focus has been removed from the game.
  • Zealous Leap now immobilizes the target for 1 second.
  • Zephyr has been replaced by Zephyrean Slash, which allows Slash critical hits to have a chance to refund 2 points of Focus while the Sentinel is in Shii-Cho Form.
    

Guardian

• Due to changes to the Guardian skill trees, Guardians have had their skill points refunded.
• Added Focused Defense, a new ability that allows the Guardian to spend Focus to lower threat. While active, one point of Focus is spent each time damage is taken to heal the Guardian for a small amount. This ability is usable while stunned and is not limited by the global cooldown.
  
  Vigilance
  
  • Commanding Awe is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree. It increases the Guardian's damage reduction while Focused Defense is active.
  • Single Saber Mastery is no longer restricted to certain stances.
  • Stagger is now located in Tier 1 of the Vigilance skill tree.
  • Sundering Throw is now located in Tier 6 of the Vigilance skill tree.
  • Zen Strike now generates 2 points of Focus when it is triggered.
    
  
  Defense
  
  • Blade Barrier is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree.
  • Blade Storm no longer consumes stacks of Courage while the "Momentum" buff is active.
  • Command no longer reduces the cooldown of Challenging Call and is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree.
  • Dust Storm is now a 3-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Guardian Slash now generates 50% additional threat.
  • Momentum is now a 2-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Pacification is now a 1-point skill with a slightly reduced overall effect.
  • Shield Specialization is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree.
  • Stasis Mastery is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree.
    
  
  Focus (Guardian)
  
  • Felling Blow is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect. The effect now lasts 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Force Exhaustion's cooldown has been reduced to 18 seconds. Its overall effect is unchanged.
  • Gravity now specifically affects Freezing Force and Force Exhaustion.
  • Inner Focus has been redesigned. It now requires 2 points in Singularity and causes Combat Focus to immediately grant 2 stacks of Singularity per point.
  • Master Focus now increases the damage of Master Strike instead of affecting Force Stasis.
  • Singularity's buff effects now last 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Swelling Winds is now located in Tier 1 of the Focus skill tree. It increases the damage dealt by Force Sweep and Cyclone Slash and reduces the cooldown of Force Sweep.
  • Through Peace, a new 2-point skill located in Tier 6, has been added. It reduces the initial activation cost of Focused Defense by 1 Focus per point.
  • Unwavering Focus has been removed from the game.
  • Zealous Leap now immobilizes the target for 1 second.
  • Zephyr has been replaced by Zephyrean Slash, which allows Slash critical hits to have a chance to refund 2 points of Focus while the Guardian is in Shii-Cho Form.
    

Sith Warrior

General

• Disruption no longer costs Rage to activate.
• Intimidating Roar no longer costs Rage to activate.
• Ravage can no longer be interrupted.
• Vicious Throw can now be used on targets at or below 30% of maximum health (up from 20%).
• Force Charge now places a "root" visual effect on the affected target. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Ravage damage has been increased by approximately 15%. *UPDATED 3/29*
  

Marauder

• Due to changes to the Marauder skill trees, Marauders have had their skill points refunded.
• Deadly Throw's "Trauma" effect can no longer be cleansed.
• Force Camouflage now additionally reduces all damage taken by 50% while active.
• Obfuscate no longer has a Rage cost and is no longer limited by the global cooldown.
• Predation now affects all Operation Group members.
• Berserk (while in Ataru Form) now additionally reduces the Rage cost and global cooldown of Sweeping Slash.
  
  Carnage
  
  • Ataru Form damage effects (procs) now deal weapon-based damage instead of Force-based damage. The overall damage of these effects has been increased by approximately 10%.
  • Ataru Form now correctly triggers when fighting very large targets.
  • Erupting Fury has been replaced by Stagger, which increases Force Charge's immobilize effect.
  • Unbound now additionally increases the movement speed bonus granted by Predation by 15% per point.
    
  
  Annihilation
  
  • Ferocity has been replaced by Enraged Charge, which increases the Rage generated by Force Charge.
  • Phantom no longer grants damage reduction while Force Camouflage is active. It now increases the duration of Force Camouflage by 1 second per point and increases the movement speed bonus of Force Camouflage by 10% per point.
  • Seeping Wound now applies a 50% movement speed reduction (up from 30%).
  • Short Fuse is now located in Tier 1 of the skill tree and has replaced Quick Recovery. *UPDATED 4/5*
    
    
  
  Rage (Marauder)
  
  • Decimate is now located in Tier 1 of the Rage skill tree. It increases the damage dealt by Smash and Sweeping Slash and reduces the cooldown of Smash.
  • Dominate is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect. The effect now lasts 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Force Alacrity has been replaced by Overpower, which allows Vicious Slash critical hits to have a chance to refund 2 points of Rage while the Marauder is in Shii-Cho Form.
  • Force Crush's cooldown has been reduced to 18 seconds. Its overall effect is unchanged.
  • Gravity now specifically affects Crippling Slash and Force Crush.
  • Obliterate now immobilizes the target for 1 second.
  • Ravager now increases the damage of Ravage instead of affecting Force Choke.
  • Relentless Fury has been replaced by Berserker. It requires 2 points in Shockwave and causes Berserk (while in Shii-Cho Form) to immediately grant 2 stacks of Shockwave per point.
  • Shockwave's buff effects now last 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Unbreakable Rage has been removed from the game.
    

Juggernaut

• Due to changes to the Juggernaut skill trees, Juggernauts have had their skill points refunded.
• Added Enraged Defense, a new ability that allows the Juggernaut to spend Rage to lower threat. While active, one point of Rage is spent each time damage is taken to heal the Juggernaut for a small amount. This ability is usable while stunned and is not limited by the global cooldown.
  
  Vengeance
  
  • Deafening Defense is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree. It now increases the Juggernaut's damage reduction while Enraged Defense is active.
  • Rampage now generates 2 points of Rage when it is triggered.
  • Single Saber Mastery is no longer restricted to certain stances.
  • Stagger is now located in Tier 1 of the Vengeance skill tree.
  • Sundering Throw is a new Tier 6 skill that replaces Protector. *UPDATED 4/5*
    
  
  Immortal
  
  • Battle Cry is now a 2-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Crushing Blow now generates 50% additional threat.
  • Force Grip is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree.
  • Force Scream no longer consumes stacks of Revenge while the "Battle Cry" buff is active.
  • Heavy Handed is now a 1-point skill with a slightly reduced overall effect.
  • Quake is now a 3-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Shield Specialization is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree.
  • Sonic Barrier is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree.
  • Thrown Gauntlet no longer reduces the cooldown of Threatening Scream and is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree.
    
  
  Rage (Juggernaut)
  
  • Decimate is now located in Tier 1 of the Rage skill tree. It increases the damage dealt by Smash and Sweeping Slash and reduces the cooldown of Smash.
  • Dominate is now a 3-point skill with the same overall effect. The effect now lasts 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Force Alacrity has been replaced by Overpower, which allows Vicious Slash critical hits to have a chance to refund 2 points of Rage while the Juggernaut is in Shii-Cho Form.
  • Force Crush's cooldown has been reduced to 18 seconds. Its overall effect is unchanged.
  • Gravity now specifically affects Chilling Scream and Force Crush.
  • Obliterate now immobilizes the target for 1 second.
  • Ravager now increases the damage of Ravage instead of affecting Force Choke.
  • Relentless Fury has been replaced by Empowering Rage. It requires 2 points in Shockwave and causes Enrage to immediately grant 2 stacks of Shockwave per point.
  • Shockwave's buff effects now last 20 seconds (up from 15).
  • Through Passion, a new 2-point skill located in Tier 6, has been added. It reduces the initial activation cost of Enraged Defense by 1 Rage per point.
  • Unbreakable Rage has been removed from the game.
    

Jedi Consular

General

• Deflection's visual effects are now more noticeable.
• The Unity ability has been removed from the Jedi Consular class. A similar ability can now be unlocked through the Legacy System.
• Force Slow's visual effects now begin and end at the correct times.
  

Sage

• Due to changes to the Sage skill trees, Sages have had their skill points refunded.
• Corrected an issue with Force Armor that prevented its appearance from refreshing when its effects were reapplied.
• Rescue now modifies threat by the correct amount.
  
  Seer
  
  • Confound now refreshes properly when Weaken Mind is refreshed.
  • Conveyance no longer unintentionally allows its buff to be applied to more than one healing ability. Its effects have been slightly redesigned. It now increases the critical chance of Benevolence by 60% and reduces the Force cost of Deliverance by 30%.
  • Egress now requires Preservation instead of Valiance.
  • Resplendence no longer removes the health cost from Noble Sacrifice.
  • Salvation's tooltip now correctly mentions that this ability affects a maximum of 8 targets. The ability's functionality has not changed.
  • A display issue that caused the first and second tick of Salvation to appear on top of each other has been corrected.
  • Valiance now reduces the health spent by Noble Sacrifice by 2% per point (up from 1% per point). *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Telekinetics
  
  • Inner Strength now correctly affects Weaken Mind.
    
  
  Balance (Sage)
  
  • Critical Kinesis now increases the critical chance of Telekinetic Throw and Disturbance by 3% per point.
  • Empowered Throw now increases the damage dealt by Project, Telekinetic Throw, and Weaken Mind by 2% per point.
  • Presence of Mind now affects Disturbance and Mind Crush only. Mind Crush's periodic damage now benefits from the 20% damage bonus when it is used to consume the "Presence of Mind" buff.
  • Force in Balance no longer heals the caster if no targets are hit.
    

Shadow

• Mass Mind Control: Updated this tooltip to correctly state that the ability does not break stealth. The ability's functionality has not changed.
  
  Kinetic Combat
  
  • Kinetic Ward's appearance now refreshes properly when reapplied.
    
  
  Balance (Shadow)
  
  • Force Synergy's activation effects are now more visible.
  • Force in Balance no longer heals the caster if no targets are hit.
    

Sith Inquisitor

General

• Deflection's effects are now more noticeable.
• Electrocute's visual effects now occur more quickly after activation.
• Energize's effect now triggers a sound effect when it occurs.
• Force Lightning now correctly plays its sound effects when the initial application of damage kills the target.
• Force Slow visual effects now begin and end at the correct times.
• The Sacrifice ability has been removed from the Sith Inquisitor class. A similar ability can now be unlocked through the Legacy System.
• Shock sound effects have been polished.
  

Sorcerer

• Due to changes in Sorcerer skill trees, Sorcerers have had their skill points refunded.
• Corrected an issue with Static Barrier that prevented its visual effects from refreshing when its effects were reapplied.
• Extrication now modifies threat by the correct amount.
  
  Corruption
  
  • Force Bending no longer unintentionally allows its buff to be applied to more than one healing ability. Its effects have been slightly redesigned. It now increases the critical chance of Dark Heal by 60% and reduces the Force cost of Dark Infusion by 30%.
  • Conspiring Force now refreshes properly when Affliction is refreshed.
  • Fadeout now requires Efficacious Currents instead of Dark Resilience.
  • Force Surge no longer removes the health cost from Consumption.
  • Revivification's tooltip now correctly states that the ability affects a maximum of 8 targets. The ability's functionality hasn't changed.
  • A display issue that caused the first and second tick of Revivification to appear on top of each other has been corrected.
  • Dark Resilience now reduces the health spent by Consumption by 2% per point (up from 1% per point). *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Lightning
  
  • Electric Induction now correctly affects Affliction.
    
  
  Madness (Sorcerer)
  
  • Disintegration now increases the critical chance of Force Lightning and Lightning Strike by 3% per point.
  • Calcify now increases the damage dealt by Shock, Force Lightning, and Affliction by 2% per point.
  • Wrath now affects Lightning Strike and Crushing Darkness only. Crushing Darkness's periodic damage now benefits from the 20% damage bonus when it is used to consume the "Wrath" buff.
  • Force in Balance no longer heals the caster if no targets are hit.
    

Assassin

• Mass Mind Control: Updated this tooltip to correctly state that the ability does not break stealth. The ability's functionality has not changed.
  
  Madness (Assassin)
  
  • Raze's activation effects are now more visible.
  • Force in Balance no longer heals the caster if no targets are hit.
    

Smuggler

General

• Dirty Kick can now be used while moving.
• Players can now "Crouch" (but not roll into cover) while immobilized.
• Smugglers can no longer be pushed out of cover via the "cover integrity" mechanic, which has been removed from the game.
  

Gunslinger

• Due to changes to the Gunslinger skill trees, Gunslingers have had their skill points refunded.
• Flourish Shot now additionally inflicts trauma, reducing all healing the target receives by 20% for 9 seconds.
  
  Saboteur
  
  • Hot Pursuit has been redesigned. It is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree and makes Quick Shot cost no Energy for 6 seconds after leaving cover.
  • Incendiary Grenade has been improved. It now deals more of its damage in the first few seconds and snares affected targets. If the initial hit strikes a target affected by your Shock Charge, that target is stunned for 2 seconds.
  • Pandemonium is now located in Tier 2 of the skill tree.
  • Sabotage's range has been increased to 60 meters.
  • Shock Charge now resets its cooldown if the target is defeated while under its effects. *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Sharpshooter
  
  • Burst Volley has been redesigned. It now triggers from dealing damage with blasters and increases Alacrity and Energy regeneration for 10 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 30 seconds.
  • Deadeye is now a 3-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Holed Up is a new 2-point skill located in Tier 6 of the skill tree that reduces damage taken from area attacks by 60% while Hunker Down is active. This change allows the Sharpshooter to remain in cover more often in situations that force other classes to rapidly change locations.
  • Snap Shot's tooltip now correctly mentions that its effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds. Functionality has not changed.
    
  
  Dirty Fighting (Gunslinger)
  
  • Bombastic now correctly requires Shrap Bomb.
  • Hemorrhaging Blast no longer has an Energy cost.
  • Hold Your Ground's cooldown reduction for Pulse Detonator has been reduced to 2.5 seconds per point.
  • Holdout Defense now increases Blaster Whip damage by 4% per point.
  • No Holds Barred now increases critical chance by 1% per point.
  • Reopen Wounds now increases the critical chance of Wounding Shots and Speed Shot by 4% per point.
  • Wounding Shots now costs 25 Energy (down from 30). The weapon damage component of this ability has been reduced by approximately 15%, but bleeding damage remains unchanged.
  • Nice Try is a new Tier 6 skill that reduces damage taken from periodic effects and gives Vital Shot and Shrap Bomb a chance to apply a weaker version of the same effect when they end (even if they are cleansed). *UPDATED 3/29*
  • Quick Getaway has been replaced by Hold Your Ground, which additionally reduces the cooldown of Escape. *UPDATED 3/29*
    

Scoundrel

• Due to changes to the Scoundrel skill trees, Scoundrels have had their skill points refunded.
• Back Blast now has a 12-second cooldown and deals approximately 5% more damage.
• Diagnostic Scan's tooltip now displays the full amount healed over its duration.
• Shoot First now has a 7.5-second cooldown.
• Tranquilizer now gives an appropriate error message if used on Droids.
• Upper Hand no longer triggers a "laugh" sound effect when it occurs.
  
  Sawbones
  
  • Emergent Emergencies now additionally increases the maximum stack limit of Upper Hand by 1.
  • Healing Hand now also increases the duration of Upper Hand by 2 seconds per point.
  • Homegrown Pharmacology now additionally reduces the Energy cost of Kolto Cloud by 2 per point.
  • Kolto Cloud has been rebalanced. It now has a 15-second cooldown, heals over 6 seconds, and heals for approximately 10% more than before.
  • Patient Studies now additionally increases the speed at which Diagnostic Scan channels by 15% per point.
    
  
  Scrapper
  
  • Brawler's Grit is now a 2-point skill.
  • Flanking is a new 1-point skill located in Tier 3 of the skill tree. It reduces the Energy cost of Back Blast by 5.
  • K.O. no longer experiences a delay in its knockdown effect.
  • Sawed Off now increases the damage dealt by Back Blast. It is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree and requires Flanking.
  • Sucker Punch now costs 10 Energy (down from 15) and deals approximately 10% less damage.
  • Turn the Tables has been redesigned and is now a 2-point skill. It no longer increases damage dealt to bleeding targets, but increases the Energy gained by Pugnacity and the damage dealt by Sucker Punch and Flying Fists.
  • Underdog no longer increases Energy gained by Pugnacity. This effect is now part of Turn the Tables.
    
  
  Dirty Fighting (Scoundrel)
  
  • Hemorrhaging Blast no longer has an Energy cost.
  • Holdout Defense now increases Blaster Whip damage by 4% per point.
  • No Holds Barred now increases critical chance by 1% per point.
  • Nice Try is a new Tier 6 skill that reduces the damage taken from periodic effects and gives Vital Shot and Shrap Bomb a chance to apply a weaker version of the same effect when they end (even if they are cleansed). *UPDATED 3/29*
  • Quick Getaway has been replaced by Smuggled Defense, which additionally reduces the cooldown of Escape. *UPDATED 3/29*
    

Imperial Agent

General

• Debilitate's tooltip now correctly displays its stun duration.
• Players can now "Crouch" (but not roll into cover) while immobilized.
• Agents can no longer be pushed out of cover via the "cover integrity" mechanic, which has been removed from the game.
  

Operative

• Due to changes to Operative skill trees, Operatives have had their skill points refunded.
• Backstab now has a 12-second cooldown and deals approximately 5% more damage.
• Hidden Strike now has a 7.5-second cooldown.
• Sleep Dart now gives an appropriate error message if used on Droids.
• Tactical Advantage no longer triggers a "grunt" sound effect when it occurs.
  
  Concealment
  
  • Culling has been redesigned and is now a 2-point skill. It no longer increases damage dealt to poisoned targets, but increases the Energy gained by Stim Boost and the damage dealt by Laceration and Collateral Strike.
  • Inclement Conditioning is now a 2-point skill.
  • Flanking is a new 1-point skill located in Tier 3 of the skill tree. It reduces the Energy cost of Backstab by 5.
  • Laceration now costs 10 Energy (down from 15) and deals approximately 10% less damage.
  • Meticulously Kept Blades no longer increases Energy gained by Stim Boost. This effect is now part of Culling.
  • Waylay now increases the damage dealt by Backstab. It is now located in Tier 5 of the skill tree and requires Flanking.
    
  
  Medicine
  
  • Medical Consult now also increases the duration of Tactical Advantage by 2 seconds per point.
  • Medical Therapy now additionally reduces the Energy cost of Recuperative Nanotech by 2 per point.
  • Patient Studies now additionally increases the speed at which Diagnostic Scan channels by 15% per point.
  • Recuperative Nanotech has been rebalanced. It now has a 15-second cooldown, heals over 6 seconds, and heals for approximately 10% more than before.
  • Surgical Precision now additionally increases the maximum stack limit of Tactical Advantage by 1.
    
  
  Lethality (Operative)
  
  • Corrosive Microbes now functions correctly.
  • Lethality now increases critical chance by 1% per point.
  • Razor Edge now increases Shiv damage by 4% per point.
  • Weakening Blast no longer has an Energy cost.
  • Lingering Toxins is a new Tier 6 skill that reduces damage taken from periodic effects and gives Corrosive Dart and Corrosive Grenade a chance to apply a weaker version of the same effect when they end (even if they are cleansed). *UPDATED 3/29*
  • Vanish has been replaced by Escape Plan, which now additionally reduces the cooldown of Escape. *UPDATED 3/29*
    

Sniper

• Due to changes to the Sniper skill trees, Snipers have had their skill points refunded.
• Shatter Shot now additionally inflicts trauma, reducing all healing the target receives by 20% for 9 seconds.
  
  Marksmanship
  
  • Imperial Assassin is now a 3-point skill that provides the same overall effect.
  • Siege Bunker is a new 2-point skill located in Tier 6 of the skill tree that reduces damage taken from area attacks by 60% while Entrench is active. This change allows the Marksman to remain in cover more often in situations that force other classes to rapidly change locations.
  • Snap Shot's tooltip now correctly mentions that its effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds. Functionality has not changed.
  • Sniper Volley has been redesigned. It now triggers from dealing damage with rifles and increases Alacrity and energy regeneration for 10 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 30 seconds.
    
  
  Engineering
  
  • Calculated Pursuit has been redesigned. It is now located in Tier 4 of the skill tree and makes Overload Shot cost no energy for 6 seconds after leaving cover.
  • EMP Discharge's range has been increased to 60 meters.
  • Plasma Probe has been improved. It has new visual effects and now deals more of its damage in the first few seconds and snares affected targets. If the initial hit strikes a target affected by your Interrogation Probe, that target is stunned for 2 seconds.
  • Stroke of Genius is now located in Tier 2 of the skill tree.
  • Interrogation Probe's cooldown now resets if a target is defeated while under its effects. *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Lethality (Sniper)
  
  • Corrosive Microbes now functions correctly.
  • Cull now costs 25 Energy (down from 30). The weapon damage component of this ability has been reduced by approximately 15%, but poison damage remains unchanged.
  • Hold Your Ground's cooldown reduction for Cover Pulse has been reduced to 2.5 seconds per point.
  • Lethality now increases critical change by 1% per point.
  • Razor Edge now increases Shiv's damage by 4% per point.
  • Razor Rounds now increases the critical chance of Cull and Series of Shots by 4% per point.
  • Targeted Demolition now correctly requires Corrosive Grenade.
  • Weakening Blast no longer has an Energy cost.
  • Lingering Toxins is a new Tier 6 skill that reduces damage taken from periodic effects and gives Corrosive Dart and Corrosive Grenade a chance to apply a weaker version of the same effect when they end (even if they are cleansed). *UPDATED 3/29*
  • Vanish has been replaced by Hold Your Ground, which now additionally reduces the cooldown of Escape. *UPDATED 3/29*
    

Bounty Hunter

General

• Ability Heat costs are now displayed in skill tree and trainer windows.
• Death From Above now has a 5-meter radius to bring its range in line with other Bounty Hunter Area of Effect abilities, and it now begins dealing damage sooner after activation.
• Hydraulic Overrides now has improved audio and visual effects.
• Incendiary Missile audio has been improved.
• Jet Charge now places a "root" visual effect on the affected target. *UPDATED 3/29*
  

Mercenary

• Cure now generates 8 Heat (down from 16).
• Jet Boost now triggers snare visual effects on affected targets.
• Power Shot has been rebalanced. It now generates 16 Heat, has a 2-second activation time, and deals approximately 10% less damage.
• Tracer Missile and Fusion Missile's animations have been exchanged by popular demand from the community.
• Onboard AED is a new level 50 ability that allows the Mercenary to revive an incapacitated ally. It is usable in combat. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Power Surge can now be trained at level 46. *UPDATED 3/29*
  
  Arsenal
  
  • Barrage: The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly.
  • Heatseeker Missiles' damage output has been increased by approximately 10%.
  • Jet Escape now reduces the cooldown of Jet Boost by 2.5 seconds per point.
  • Muzzle Fluting no longer reduces Heat costs. It now reduces the activation time of Power Shot and Tracer Missile by .5 seconds.
  • Power Barrier now provides 1% damage reduction per stack.
  • Tracer Missile has been rebalanced in order to encourage more active gameplay rotations. It now generates 16 Heat, has a 2-second activation time, and deals approximately 10% less damage.
    
  
  Bodyguard
  
  • Critical Efficiency now reduces the cost of Rapid Scan by 8 (down from 16).
  • Cure Mind no longer reduces the cost of Cure. It now causes Cure to heal the target for a small amount.
  • Hired Muscle now increases critical chance by 1% per point.
  • Kolto Missile now affects up to 4 targets (up from 3), improving reliability in group and Operation situations.
  • Kolto Residue now increases all healing received by 3% (down from 5%).
  • Kolto Shell now builds 16 Heat when activated.
  • Supercharged Gas now vents 8 Heat (down from 16) when used and increases all damage and healing dealt by 5% (down from 10%). The shield applied by Kolto Missile now reduces damage taken by 5% (down from 10%).
  • Critical Efficiency's buff description now properly refers to Rapid Scan. *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Pyrotech (Mercenary)
  
  • Prototype Particle Accelerator now requires Combustible Gas Cylinder to trigger. The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly but cannot trigger more than once every 6 seconds.
    

Powertech

• Due to changes to the Powertech skill trees, Powertechs have had their skill points refunded.
• Quell no longer generates Heat.
  
  Shield Tech
  
  • Ablative Upgrades: The absorption amount gained from this skill has been slightly reduced.
  • Empowered Tech is now a 3-point skill.
  • Heat Blast is no longer limited by the global cooldown. Its damage has been reduced by approximately 15%.
  • Heat Screen is a new 2-point skill that causes Flame Burst and Heat Blast to build a stacking buff that increases shield absorption.
  • Oil Slick is no longer limited by the global cooldown.
    
  
  Advanced Prototype
  
  • Charged Gauntlets now triggers from damage dealt such that the bleed caused by Retractable Blade can trigger the buff. It now has a visual effect.
  • Kolto Vents has been replaced by Hamstring, which causes Retractable Blade to slow the target by 30% for 6 seconds.
  • Prototype Flame Thrower now is granted a stack when Immolate is used. In addition, stacks make Flame Thrower immune to interrupt and at 5 stacks Flame Thrower will now slow the movement speed of targets by 70%. *UPDATED 3/23*
    
  
  Pyrotech (Powertech)
  
  • Prototype Particle Accelerator now requires Combustible Gas Cylinder to trigger. The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly but cannot trigger more than once every 6 seconds.
    

Trooper

General

• Full Auto's attack animation now begins more quickly to improve reactiveness and faction balance.
• Mortar Volley's animation has been updated. In addition, it now has a 5-meter radius to bring its range in line with other Trooper Area of Effect abilities and it now begins its damage sooner after activation.
• Storm now places a "root" visual effect on the affected target. *UPDATED 3/29*
  

Commando

• Concussion Charge now triggers snare visual effects on affected targets.
• Charged Bolts has been rebalanced. It now costs 2 Energy Cells, has a 2-second activation time, and deals approximately 10% less damage.
• Cure now costs 1 Energy Cell (down from 2).
• Emergency Medical Probe is a new level 50 ability that allows the Commando to revive an incapacitated ally. It is usable in combat. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Tech Override is now trainable at level 46. *UPDATED 3/29*
  
  Gunnery
  
  • Charged Barrier now provides 1% damage reduction per stack.
  • Curtain of Fire: The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly.
  • Demolition Round's damage output has been increased by approximately 10%.
  • Grav Round has been rebalanced in order to encourage more active gameplay rotations. It now costs 2 Energy Cells, has a 2-second activation time, and deals approximately 10% less damage. *UPDATED 4/5*
  • Muzzle Fluting no longer reduces Energy Cell costs. It now reduces the activation time of Charged Bolts and Grav Round by .5 seconds.
  • Tenacious Defense now reduces the cooldown of Concussion Charge by 2.5 seconds per point.
    
  
  Combat Medic
  
  • Field Training now increases critical chance by 1% per point.
  • Field Triage now reduces the cost of Medical Probe by 1 (down from 2).
  • Kolto Bomb now affects up to 4 targets (up from 3), improving reliability in group and Operation situations.
  • Kolto Residue now increases all healing received by 3% (down from 5%).
  • Psych Aid no longer reduces the cost of Field Aid. It now causes Field Aid to heal the target for a small amount.
  • Supercharge Cells now restores 1 Energy Cell (down from 2) when used and increases all damage and healing dealt by 5% (down from 10%). The shield applied by Kolto Bomb now reduces damage taken by 5% (down from 10%).
  • Trauma Probe now costs 2 Energy Cells to activate.
    
  
  Assault Specialist (Commando)
  
  • Ionic Accelerator now requires Plasma Cell to trigger. The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly but cannot trigger more than once every 6 seconds.
    

Vanguard

• Due to changes to the Vanguard skill trees, all Vanguards have had their skill points refunded.
• Fire Pulse's visual effect more accurately represents its functionality.
• Riot Strike no longer costs Energy Cells.
• Animation timing issues with Energy Blast have been addressed.
• The hit timing delay on Explosive Surge has been improved.
  
  Shield Specialist
  
  • Ceramic Plating: The absorption amount gained from this skill has been slightly reduced.
  • Counter Attack is now a 3-point skill.
  • Energy Blast is no longer limited by the global cooldown. Its damage has been reduced by approximately 15%.
  • Power Screen is a new 2-point skill that causes Ion Pulse and Energy Blast to build a stacking buff that increases shield absorption.
  • Smoke Grenade is no longer limited by the global cooldown.
    
  
  Tactics
  
  • Combat Tactics now triggers from damage dealt such that the bleed caused by Gut can trigger the buff. It now has a visual effect.
  • Kolto Recharge has been replaced by Hamstring, which causes Gut to slow the target by 30% for 6 seconds.
  • Pulse Generator now is granted a stack when Fire Pulse is used. In addition, stacks make Pulse Cannon immune to interrupt and at 5 stacks Pulse Cannon will now slow the movement speed of targets by 70%. *UPDATED 3/23*
    
  
  Assault Specialist (Vanguard)
  
  • Ionic Accelerator now requires Plasma Cell to trigger. The chance to trigger this effect has been increased significantly but cannot trigger more than once every 6 seconds.
    

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Companion Characters PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...24&postcount=3


Companion Characters

General

• Companion gifts are now stackable.
• The cooldown associated with giving companions gifts has been removed. Giving a gift now has a 3-second activation time.
• Several game areas where Companion Characters would not reliably follow the player have been fixed.
• The C2 Droid Corporation and their competitors, the 2V Droid Corporation, have developed a series of new sensors for their products, the C2-N2 and 2V-R8 that significantly improve the Droids' Crew Skill efficiency and critical success chances. These products may be purchased via the Legacy Repair Astromech unit on the player's ship (once unlocked).
• Additionally, the C2-N2 and 2V-R8 Droids have had their personality matrices upgraded with an experimental emotional response chip, allowing them to accept gifts and tokens of appreciation. The Crew Skill performance of these units will increase upon acceptance of these goods.
• C2-N2 and 2V-R8 have been reprimanded and now vocalize less frequently on personal starships.
• Tooltips for the companion abilities "Burst," "Aimed Blast," "Swipe," "Wild Energy," and "Blaster Sweep" now correctly reflect ability functionality.
• All companion marriages are now removed appropriately if the marriage ends.
• Corrected an issue that caused weapons to display inappropriately beneath some Droid companions (like T7).
  

Companions

Akaavi Spar

• The Codex entry for this companion now lists the companion's correct primary weapon.
  

Aric Jorgan

• Corrected an issue that could allow a female trooper whose romance with him had ended to receive an additional romance conversation.
• New companion skins for Aric Jorgan are available as reward choices in the game.
  

Ashara Zavros

• Corrected issues that could prevent players from gaining or losing affection in the conversations related to the missions "Peace is a Lie" and "Silent Treatment."
  

Corso Riggs

• Corso Riggs's Harpoon ability has been converted into "Illegal Jet Pack". This ability causes Corso to charge towards the target, dealing damage and immobilizing it for 2 seconds. *UPDATED 3/23*
  

Doc

• Crazy Talk: Male characters can now consistently complete this conversation.
  

Elara Dorne

• Strange Circumstances: Corrected an issue that could prevent players from gaining or losing affection during this conversation.
  

Ensign Temple

• Some mission rewards intended for this companion that could not be used have been corrected.
  

Jaesa Willsaam

• Jaesa now uses the correct battle cries for her alignment (light or dark).
• Jaesa no longer teleports to her target if she uses Force Leap while wielding a double-bladed lightsaber.
• Jaesa now has the ability "Purity of the Light Side" or "Passion of the Dark Side," which passively increases armor by 30%.
  

Kaliyo Djannis

• Storm now has a 30-meter range and roots targets.
• It is no longer possible to break up with Kaliyo and still be eligible for romance conversations.
  

Khem Val

• Khem Val's Lightning Punch sound effects now terminate appropriately.
  

Kira Carsen

• Kira now has the ability "Purity of the Light Side," which passively increases armor by 30%.
  

Mako

• Corrected an issue that allowed players to remain eligible for unlocked romance content after losing romance status with Mako.
  

Qyzen Fess

• New companion skins for Qyzen Fess are now available as reward choices in the game.
  

Nadia Grell

• Nadia now has the ability "Strength in the Force," which passively increases armor by 30%.
  

Tanno Vik

• The Codex entry for this companion now lists the companion's correct primary weapon.
  

Vector

• Time to Think: this mission now properly rewards experience.
  

Xalek

• A Son's Duty: Corrected an issue that could prevent players from gaining or losing affection during this conversation.
  

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Crew Skills PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...65&postcount=4


Crew Skills

General

• Companions now use accurate voice responses regarding the success or failure of their Crew Missions when they return.
• The opportunity to add group members to your friends list no longer appears on Crew Mission rewards windows.
• Mission rewards now properly display when having more than one waiting in the queue with the window open.
  

Crafting Skills

• On critical successes, crafted Custom (orange) gear now receives an Augment slot.
• The [Exceptional], [Advanced], [Superior], and [Mastercraft] suffixes have been removed from crafted item names. [Augmented] will be appended as a suffix to crafted items that were a critical success.
• When crafting item modifications (mods, enhancements, etc), a critical success now yields double the quantity of modifications.
• Crafting materials obtained via endgame content now stack in the player's inventory. They no longer bind on pickup.
• Endgame crafting materials (Biometric Crystal Alloy, Self-Perpetuating Power Cells, Alien Data Cubes, and Rakata Energy Nodes) now drop less frequently but are freely tradable.
• Augments can now be crafted by several professions.
• The Crafting window now displays the correct number of items when crafting from a schematic that yields more than 1 item.
• Crafting Trainer tutorial missions can now be completed alternatively on the Fleets or on Coruscant or Dromund Kaas.
• Schematics are no longer consumed if a player attempts to use one that is already known. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Craftable Custom (orange) Battlemaster and War Hero PvP armor has been added to Synthweaving and Armormech. The schematics for these items can be purchased from Battlemaster and War Hero vendors. *UPDATED 3/30*
  
  Reverse Engineering
  
  • Players may now reverse engineer many endgame items to research schematics for items and mods. Tier 2 (new) endgame items can be reverse engineered, and players have a chance to learn how to craft these items up on reverse engineering them. Set Armorings do not provide schematics for crafters.
  • Players with the appropriate professions are now able to reverse engineer random drop items and acquire materials from them. This includes Operation materials from endgame items.
  • Reverse engineering Tier 2 items rewards Premium, Prototype, and Artifact quality crafting materials used to craft Tier 2 endgame items.
  • Random items, particularly armor, can now be reverse engineered by crafters based on the items' stats.
  • Crafted Vibroknives and shotguns can now be researched via reverse engineering. Reverse engineering Vibroknives and shotguns may now yield research variants for Armstechs.
  • Artificers can now reverse engineer relics, shields, generators, and foci.
  • Cybertechs can now reverse engineer all earpieces.
  • The chance of researching schematics via reverse engineering has been significantly increased.
  • Augments may now be reverse engineered for a chance to research their schematics by several professions (see below).
  • Players can now decide how many items from a stack they wish to reverse engineer.
    
  
  Armormech
  
  • Armormechs can now learn new schematics that allow the creation of Aim, Cunning, Shield, and Absorb Augments.
  • Augments can be reverse engineered for a chance to research Prototype and Artifact quality schematics.
  • A critical success while crafting Custom (orange) outfits now adds an Augment slot to the resulting item.
  • The Codex entry for Armormech has been updated.
  • Armormechs can now reverse engineer random armor with Aim or Cunning stats.
    
  
  Armstech
  
  • Armstechs can now learn schematics that allow the creation of Endurance, Surge, Critical, Accuracy, and Power Augments.
  • Augments can be reverse engineered for a chance to research Prototype and Artifact quality schematics.
  • New schematics to create Custom (orange) ranged and melee weapons have been added.
  • A critical success while crafting Custom (orange) weapons now adds an Augment slot to the resulting item.
  • The Codex entry for Armstech has been updated.
    
  
  Artifice
  
  • Schematics for color crystals in various colors (including endgame-quality varieties) have been added to the game.
  • Endgame-level Magenta Adegan Crystal Schematics may now drop from the World Boss of Voss and creatures in the new daily mission area on Corellia.
  • Mid-level Magenta Adegan Crystal Schematics may now drop from the World Bosses on Tatooine, Alderaan, and Nar Shaddaa.
  • Magenta Crystal Shards are now found on one planet in the game. They can be refined into Pristine Magenta Crystals used in the creation of mid-level magenta color crystals through obscure means.
  • The Magenta Adegan Crystal Schematic obtained from late-game World Bosses no longer binds on pickup.
  • New schematics for Willpower-based shields have been added (for use by Assassins and Shadows).
    
  
  Biochem
  
  • The number of Exotech consumables created per craft is now displayed correctly in the crafting UI.
  • Biochemists can now reverse engineer all implants.
  • Values on tooltips for Rakata reusable stims and adrenals now match the buff correctly.
  • Ice Scrabbler Jerky, a cantina food item with powerful out-of-combat health regeneration effects, has been added as a Biochem recipe. This recipe can be learned by finding the schematic or by reverse engineering Ice Scrabbler Jerky found on Hoth.
    
  
  Cybertech
  
  • Cybertech crafted vehicles no longer bind on pickup.
  • Cybertech vehicle and space schematic mission reward rates have been reduced.
  • Critical successes when crafting grenades now yield double the quantity of items.
  • The cooldown on Cybertech-built grenades has been lowered to 3 minutes.
    
  
  Synthweaving
  
  • Synthweavers can now learn schematics allowing the creation of Strength, Willpower, Defense, Alacrity, and Presence Augments. Augments can be reverse engineered for a chance to research Prototype and Artifact quality schematics.
  • Critical successes while crafting Custom (orange) outfits will add an Augment slot to the resulting item.
  • Additional lower-level light armor schematics have been added.
  • Material requirements for some Custom (orange) outfits have changed.
  • The Codex entry for Synthweaving has been updated.
  • Synthweavers can now reverse engineer random armor drops with Strength or Willpower stats.
    

Gathering Skills

• Many gathering nodes that were spawning in unreachable places (such as underneath the world) are now reachable.
  
  Archaeology
  
  • A perfect Upari Crystal Formation may now be found in the Belsavis Daily Heroic area.
    
  
  Bioanalysis
  
  • The Red Goo item tooltip now appropriately identifies it as a Grade 6 Biochemical Compound. Level 49-50 Bioanalysis Missions now have a chance to reward Red Goo.
    
  
  Scavenging
  
  • Enriched Durasteel nodes now spawn in the Belsavis Daily Heroic area.
    
  
  Slicing
  
  • Augments have been replaced by Sliced Tech Parts as a Slicing mission reward. These are consumed by Synthweaving, Armstech, and Armormech as a component for crafting Augments.
  • Slicing may occasionally yield Premium quality Augment schematics on critical mission success.
    

Mission Skills

• Mission Discovery items now indicate that they can only be used once.
• Players can now send multiple companion characters on a mission granted by a Mission Discovery if the player had more than one of that Mission Discovery. *UPDATED 3/23*
  
  Diplomacy
  
  • Diplomacy Mission Discoveries now correctly indicate whether they are a dark or light side mission.
  • The missions "No Redeeming Value" and "Desperation" are now appropriately labeled as moderate yield.
  • Diplomacy missions that previously indicated the player was assisting the other faction are now appropriately faction-restricted.
    
  
  Investigation
  
  • Investigation missions now have a chance of yielding Custom (orange) tech weapon schematics as a reward.
  • The chance for Investigation missions to yield schematics has been increased.
  • Red, Blue, Green, Orange, and Yellow power stat crystal schematics are now possible Investigation mission rewards.
    
  
  Treasure Hunting
  
  • Treasure Hunting missions now have a chance to yield Custom (orange) lightsaber schematics as a reward.
    
  
  Underworld Trading
  
  • The chance to receive schematics from Underworld Trading missions has been increased.
  • Tooltips for missions have been updated to reliably inform the player about expected yields.
    

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Flashpoints and Operations PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...08&postcount=5


Flashpoints and Operations

General

• The Exit Area ability is now interrupted when damage is taken.
• Emergency Fleet Passes can no longer be used in Flashpoints or Operations. *UPDATED 3/29*
  

Flashpoints

• Kaon Under Siege has been removed from the mission [WEEKLY] Galactic Conflicts. It is now part of a new mission combined with Lost Island: [WEEKLY] Rakghoul Conflicts.
• Lost Island is now part of the following missions: [DAILY] Emerging Conflicts V and [DAILY] Galactic Conflicts.
• It is no longer possible to share certain Flashpoint missions with party members who are on preliminary steps of that mission, as they could cause mission blocking issues.
• Random loot on some bosses in Normal Mode Flashpoints has been significantly improved.
• Lockouts have been removed from Hard Mode Flashpoints.
• You will no longer lose access to a Flashpoint phase immediately after defeating the final boss in Hard Mode. Access is removed upon completing the [FLASHPOINT] mission.
• The Cademimu and Colicoid War Games missions now update properly for the entire party when speaking to the Flashpoint Courier Droid. *UPDATED 3/29*
  
  Athiss
  
  • The Beast of Vodal Kressh's knockback effects now correctly check for knockback resistance.
  • The Prophet of Vodal's Dark Spirits now have a buff that provides more information about the fight mechanics.
  • The debuff "Crushing Death Field" is now visible.
    
  
  Boarding Party
  
  • Storm Squad's enrage timer in Hard Mode has been increased to 2.5 minutes.
    
  
  Colicoid War Game
  
  • The patrolling Droid in the hazard course now despawns when the sixth gate controller is used.
    
  
  Directive 7
  
  • Players can now receive the mission for "Flashpoint: Directive 7" without first starting "Immediate Vengeance" or "Violent Uprising."
  • Mentor's claw previously targeted the group's healer more than intended. It now focuses on its initial target.
  • Corrected an issue that could cause Interrogator to spawn more Cyborgs than intended. *UPDATED 3/30*
    
  
  Hammer Station
  
  • Reduced the frequency of knockbacks used by enemy NPCs.
  • 2R-CH no longer attacks players through walls and no longer grapples players in cover.
  • Battlelord Kreshan is now immune to interrupts.
  • The visibility of the "Unshakable" buff on DN-314 has been improved to better inform players that it cannot be interrupted.
    
  
  Kaon Under Siege
  
  • The health of KR-82 Expulser's probe Droids has been decreased significantly.
  • KR-82 Expulsor Droid now uses his grapple ability correctly. *UPDATED 3/29*
    
  
  Lost Island
  
  • Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, is available for play! Having uncovered the sources of the Rakghoul plague outbreak in the Tion Hegemony, players must travel to Ord Mantell and confront Dr. Lorrick, the mad scientist who engineered this horrific biological weapon.
    
  
  Red Reaper
  
  • An issue that could cause Lord Kherus to stop fighting under some circumstances has been addressed.
    
  
  Taral V
  
  • A Jungle Lurker encounter that attacked the players from an inappropriate distance has been corrected. *UPDATED 4/5*
    
  
  The Battle of Ilum
  
  • Players can no longer be bombed while inside a bunker.
  • Krel Thak's enrage timer has been increased to 2.5 minutes in Hard Mode.
  • Faction-appropriate friendly NPCs now spawn correctly at the beginning of this Flashpoint.
    
  
  The Black Talon
  
  • GXR5 now properly animates during Full Auto. Its Power Punch can now be resisted, and its stun can be broken. Power Blast now properly animates with the correct visual effects and deflection appearance. His basic attack no longer places a blank debuff on players.
  • Probe Droids spawned during the GXR5 fight now have the correct icon.
  • Sgt. Boran's Medic now animates properly when healing. His Sniper's Snipe ability now chooses targets more intelligently. *UPDATED 4/5*
  • Ghulil is now immune to interrupts in Hard Mode and uses backhand correctly in Normal Mode.
    
  
  The Esseles
  
  • Lieutenant Isric's Stockstrike now occurs less frequently, and the stun it causes can now be resisted. His Suppressive Fire now deals its damage over 6 seconds.
  • Ironfist's Jet Charge no longer knocks players down. Missile Salvo's tooltip has been clarified to expose the interrupt immunity gained during this phase.
  • ISS7's Head Smash can now be resisted.
  • ISS9 has been redesigned to be friendlier to melee combatants.
  • Vokk's Essence Drain can now be resisted, and its stun can be broken. Vokk no longer throws two lightsabers at the same target (unless no other target is alive).
  • Interrupting Ironfist's Headshot ability will no longer cause him to use it more often than intended. *UPDATED 3/23*
    
  
  
  The False Emperor
  
  • An issue that could prevent HK-47 from spawning correctly has been resolved.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the turrets to sometimes fail to damage Jindo Krey's ship. *UPDATED 4/6*
    
  
  The Foundry
  
  • A remaining small window in which the final boss of this Flashpoint could be rendered invulnerable has been corrected.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented the final boss encounter from starting if the players choose the "Attack" option.
    

Operations

• Normal Mode is now labeled "Story Mode" for Operations.
• Credit rewards for defeating Operations bosses have been significantly increased.
• Corrected an issue that could allow Operation bosses to resurrect during Nightmare Mode Operations.
  
  Eternity Vault
  
  • The "Unshakable" buff is now visible when targeting Soa.
  • Changed the location where Soa's Force Whirlwind drops the player in the second phase of the fight to prevent players from being dropped several hundred meters below when no platforms are remaining.
  • Soa's lightning balls are now destroyed when the platform phase begins.
  • Projection of Soa has been removed from the Mind Traps.
  • A previously malfunctioning escape pod no longer causes players to become stuck upon landing.
  • Eternal Guardians and Eternal Sentinels now spawn correctly in 16-player modes.
  • Eternal Guardians and Eternal Watchers have had their difficulty rebalanced in 16-player modes.
  • Eternal Wardens now perform their grapple ability correctly.
  • The Ancient Pylons puzzle has been reworked to improve reliability. The wheels no longer lock automatically when solved. Players must use the "Confirmation Console" to confirm their symbol selection.
  • Annihilation Droid XRR-3's "Burning (Physical)" damage over time has been renamed "Burning" to accurately reflect that it cannot be removed. *UPDATED 3/27*
  • Corrected an issue that could prevent Soa from spawning on the last platform after releasing players from Mind Traps. *UPDATED 3/27*
  • Killing Soa in Nightmare Mode now grants the correct Codex entries. *UPDATED 3/29*
  • An "Emergency Reset" button has been added to the Ancient Pylons encounter. *UPDATED 3/29*
  • Soa's Mind Traps now kill players who are stuck inside the trap for the full 2-minute duration. *UPDATED 3/30*
  • Cover classes can now take cover on platforms when fighting Gharj. *UPDATED 4/6*
  • The reliability of Soa's Ball Lightnings has been improved, and an issue that could cause them to deal damage twice has been addressed. *UPDATED 4/6*
  • Fixed an issue that prevented Soa’s shield from dispelling when hit by an obelisk while he was casting.*UPDATED 4/6*
    
  
  Explosive Conflict
  
  • Explosive Conflict, a new Operation, is available for play! The Trandoshan mercenary warlord Kephess has seized the planet Denova, a world rich in resources valuable to the war effort. Players must assault his war camp, situated atop a mountain in densely-wooded terrain, fighting Imperial defectors and heavy war machines along the way.
  • Explosive Conflict is the next tier of Operations, offering new rewards and greater challenges.
  • Four difficulty modes are currently available for this Operation: 8-player Story Mode, 8-player Hard Mode, 16-player Story Mode, and 16-player Hard Mode.
    
  
  Karagga's Palace
  
  • G4-B3 Heavy Fabricator's "Powerhouse" buff now correctly improves the damage of several of his abilities on 16-player Hard Mode.
  • G4-B3's health has been increased in 8- and 16-player Hard Modes.
  • G4-B3's mines will spawn with a small degree of random offset in order to reduce the frequency with which they spawn directly on top of one another. The actual number and relative placement of the mines remains unchanged. These mines now properly clean up post-combat.
  • An issue that could cause G4-B3 to become stuck in the ceiling has been corrected.
  • The Stimulant Dart ability used by Attack-Science Technicians and Mechno-Assault Specialists has been adjusted. It is now easier to control these enemies in an Operations group with less than three crowd control abilities.
  • Support Gunners no longer knock back other enemy NPCs.
  • Karagga's Immortal Guardians no longer leave a debuff on players when struck with Surge.
  • RL-4 no longer refers to story events that have not yet occurred.
  • The Gamorrean Guards that Bonethrasher attempts to eat now have boss immunities.
  • Players can no longer remain trapped "Carbonizing" by Jarg's Carbonizer Probes while outside of Karagga's Palace.
  • Bonethrasher's creatures no longer respawn after the group has killed Bonethrasher and reset the phase.
  • Bonethrasher now correctly performs his Smash attack during 16-player Hard Mode.
  • Corrected an issue that could cause Bonethrasher to be stuck in combat after he defeated the party, preventing players from re-entering.
  • The door to Karagga's Throne room now remains open after the group defeats Jarg & Sorno.
  • In Nightmare Mode, defeating each boss now yields a chest that contains Black Hole Commendations.
    

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Items and Economy PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...44&postcount=6


Items and Economy

General

• Loot drops from endgame activities, such as Operations and Flashpoints, now take group composition into account.
• The variety of stats and modifications for new endgame items is substantially higher compared to that of older endgame items.
• Orobird eggs of different types may now be poached in several locations. Those who can find means of incubation may find themselves in possession of loyal vanity pet soon.
• Tauntaun vanity pets can now be acquired on the planet Hoth, though the exact means of acquisition are a mystery.
• Several unusual crystal formations have been reported in the mountainous regions of Alderaan.
• The cost of several relics has been reduced.
• Several relics that were previously bound on pickup are now bind on equip.
• The required level of several relics has been reduced by 1.
• Items that are restricted by Valor or Social Rank can no longer be purchased until the player meets the rank requirements.
• Offhand weapons are now more clearly marked as such.
• Some pieces of gear that displayed incorrectly on character models have been adjusted.
• The Collector's Edition Training Droid can now be used on non-humanoid enemies.
• The required level for equipping the Imperial Trooper and Republic Officer outfits has been reduced.
• The Male Formal Suit can now be purchased from the Coruscant social vendor. The Female Elegant Dress can now be purchased from the Dromund Kaas social vendor.
• Sniper Rifles no longer drop for Republic players.
• Corrected some instances where two items could show the same Armor or Weapon Damage Rating but have different values. The values are unchanged - the ratings have been updated to reflect the correct values.
• An issue that caused some items to be unlinkable in chat has been addressed.
• The modified DTB-27 Bolt Pistol is now displayed as a Custom (orange) weapon. The properties of the item remain unchanged.
• The "Punisher" item no longer has incorrect stats on its Republic version.
• The cost of Tionese gear (in crystals and commendations) has been substantially reduced.
• A set of modifiable Techblades and Techstaffs has been added to the game.
• The Galactic Trade Network's commission for both neutral and faction-based terminals is now 6%.
• Campaign weapons and off-hand items are now available on the Crisis Point vendors on the Republic and Imperial Fleets. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Tooltips for off-hand weapons now indicate they cannot be equipped by Sorcerers and Guardians. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Modifiable items now have repair costs based on the level of their base modification. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Battlemaster gear now has more Expertise. *UPDATED 4/5*
  

Modifications

• Players can now remove Armoring modifications from items with set bonuses and transfer those set bonuses to Custom (orange) items. These modifications can only be transferred to an item that is equipped in the same slot.
• Some high-end item modifications are now restricted to particular item slots and may only be transferred into the same slot on a new item.
• A new modification set with Expertise for all item modification types has been added to the game.
• High-end weapons found on Operation bosses now come equipped with more common color crystals. The special color crystals associated with high-end Operations are now separate drops.
• High-end PvP weapons now come equipped with more common color crystals by default. Color crystals associated with specific PvP tiers can now be purchased separately from the PvP vendor.
• Players with the "Razer" Green-Black color crystal may upgrade to a high-end version of this crystal via a vendor on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas.
  

Vehicles

• New achievement missions that grant the Aratech Ice, Coral, Nightscythe, and Fire are now available on the Fleets.
• The Korrealis line of landspeeders have been removed from vendors. *UPDATED 3/23*
• The Tirsa Prime speeder has had its cost reduced and is now available from the VIP vendor.
• License costs for Vehicle Piloting rank 1, 2, and 3 have been reduced.
• While credit costs for all 110% speed vehicles have been increased, the overall total acquisition cost for speeder licenses and vehicles at level 50 has been slightly reduced.
• All vehicles that are not bound can now be sold on the Galactic Trade Network.
• Summoning a vehicle no longer benefits from Alacrity.
• The Aratech Dagger and Aratech Scythe vehicle items now grant the appropriate vehicle abilities upon use.
• The Longspur Recon vehicle is now an Artifact-quality item.
  

Vendors

• A Crew Skills trade vendor is now ready for business in the Corellia Spaceport.
• New items purchasable with Black Hole Commendations have been added to Corellia.
• The PvP items vendor now sells Baradium Flux, a grade 7 PvP crafting material used in the construction of Blue, Cyan, Purple, and Yellow Expertise color crystals.
• The PvP items vendor now sells a grade 6 crafting PvP box that randomly rewards crafting materials as well as Mission Discoveries and Expertise color crystal schematics.
• The Fleet commendation vendor now sells grade 6, 7, and 8 crafting material boxes that randomly reward crafting materials.
• Vendors that sell items for Marauders and Sentinels have been added to the Fleets.
• The Imperial Cantina vendors on Hoth now sell similar food items to their Republic counterparts.
• PvP vendors no longer sell Champion Bags.
• PvP vendors now sell the Recruit set, a new entry-level PvP set (for level 50 players), for credits.
• Battlemaster PvP vendors now sell Battlemaster gear pieces for Warzone Commendations.
• The Valor Rank requirement has been removed from Battlemaster earpieces and implants.
• New War Hero PvP vendors can be found on the Republic and Imperial Fleets. They sell the new War Hero and Rated War Hero PvP sets for Ranked Warzone Commendations and the equivalent Battlemaster piece.
• New Campaign vendors can be found on the Fleets. They sell Campaign gear for commendations earned in the new Operation: Explosive Conflict.
• Junk (grey) items no longer appear in the buyback window. *UPDATED 3/23*
• The vendor buyback window has been expanded to 12 slots. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Items to purchase with Unassembled Rakata Implants have been added to the Rakata vendors on the Fleets. *UPDATED 4/6*
  

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Legacy PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...57&postcount=7

Legacy

• Players can now unlock a wide variety of rewards by leveling characters and reaching new Legacy levels, including buffs for your characters, unlocking additional Species choices for every class, and upgrades for your personal Starship.
• Legacy Experience awarded for Warzone completion and Space Combat kills is now in line with rewards from other activities.
• Legacy names now display immediately once the player chooses one.
• Players with a Legacy can now send unbound and bound-to-Legacy items to other characters on the same account via in-game mail (even if the characters are not of the same faction). *UPDATED 3/23*

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Missions and NPCs PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...35&postcount=8


Missions and NPCs

General

• Many minor mission bugs have been fixed. Some respawn timers have been adjusted, group credit for mission objectives is granted in more missions, more enemies appear in some instances where too few were available, and many other minor adjustments have been made to improve the experience while completing missions. Not all of these minor adjustments have received an individual note.
• Some missions that have received updates (fixes for map notes, Story Areas, and some text fixes) have been reset. Players are only affected if a mission they had in progress has been changed in this way.
• Usable mission items can now be activated from the tracked mission log that appears on the right side of the screen.
• The chances for one player to win the majority of rolls in Multiplayer Conversations have been diminished.
• Many missions that were missing mission completion or codex images have been updated to include the correct image.
• Several missions that require the player to defeat a specific enemy NPC have been updated. In affected missions, the player can now interact with an object in the world to spawn the target (instead of needing to wait for a respawn).
• Several missions that had missing paraphrase dialogue options have been updated to include the missing text.
• Corrected many instances where text and voiceovers did not match.
• Corrected instances in the French and German clients where subtitles for alien dialogue progressed too quickly.
• Many instances where players could unintentionally leave Story Areas for missions have been corrected.
• Map notes for a large number of missions have been updated and are now more accurate, and many missing map notes have been added.
• Several bonus missions that previously were not removed from the mission tracker are now removed at the appropriate time.
• Corrected many mission conversations and mission-related items that could be re-initiated or re-used.
• Troopers now receive the Item Modification tutorial correctly.
• Fleet Passes are now rewarded to players that complete Chapter 1 and 2 of their class story, and new quick travel items are available as rewards for Inquisitors, Agents, Consulars, and Troopers, who must travel to the Citadel, Jedi Council, or Senate at the end of these Chapters.
• Mission and Flashpoint phases now cancel conversations if a member of the group is in combat. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Corrected a rare case where some rewards out of a group of mission rewards would not be received by a player with a full or almost-full inventory. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Players who have progress in the same phase are no longer prevented from grouping with each other if they did not use the /accept command. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Players can now continue to abandon and reset missions without restarting the game if they closed the abandon or reset confirmation dialogue by using the "x" button. *UPDATED 3/23*
  

World Missions

Alderaan

• A Spy in House Organa: An issue that could cause this mission to become blocked has been corrected.
• The Fall of House Cortess: If the player sides with House Cortess, the attacking Killiks no longer despawn and end the fight prematurely.
  

Balmorra (Imperial)

• Flight Plan: An issue that could prevent the player from interacting with the shuttle controls has been corrected.
• Step Lightly: This mission can now be abandoned.
  

Balmorra (Republic)

• The Hunt for Lord Tharsis: The stages of this mission that take place in the Heroic area are now correctly labeled and are balanced for 4-player groups.
• Trash to Treasure: Multiple bosses no longer spawn if players simultaneously activate the input panels or master controls.
  

Belsavis

• NPCs related to Belsavis daily missions are now level 50.
• Carving a Path: Mapnotes for this mission now direct the player to the correct location for the step "Scan the Transport Device." *UPDATED 3/23*
• Esh-kha Containment: Players who complete "Key to the Vaults" before completing this mission can now complete it properly.
• Lights Out: A mission step to defeat Field Commander Anhur has been added to this mission.
• Old Enemies, Lights Out, Open Communications, The Stasis Generator: These missions are now Heroic 2+ instead of Heroic 4. Their rewards are unchanged.
• Riot on Belsavis: Players who completed "Terror in the Flesh" can now proceed past the conversation with Commander Calum.
• Unintended Consequences: The Malfunctioning Guardian Droids now drop all 3 types of components for this mission.
  

Corellia

• Corsec Crackdown: This mission now progresses properly if a group member was not in combat when the other members of the group were defeated after using the Comm Array.
• Jaggalors on the Loose: Companion affection is now applied correctly during this mission.
• Prison Busting: Turrets no longer despawn completely from the world.
  

Coruscant

• Automatic Maintenance: Rogue Disposal Droids now engage players in combat correctly.
  

Hoth

• Unlikely Allies: Players can now complete this mission if they reset it.
  

Ilum

• A New Order: Repair Droids no longer repair shield generators even though they have been defeated.
• Cutting the Cord: Players are now credited with the correct amount of kills even if out of line of sight.
• Defend the Shipment: Corrected an issue that caused an interactive object to become unusable for 2 minutes if it was used in combat.
• Pilot Down: The Door Release now correctly starts its cinematic.
• Sabotage: Corrected an issue that could cause this mission to become blocked.
  

Korriban

• Dark Science: The correct follow-up mail is now sent for the light side choice in this mission.
  

Nar Shaddaa

• Back Alley: Corrected an issue that prevented players from receiving credit for fighting waves of enemies.
• Dead Drop: The Flame's assassin now spawns upon destroying the dead agent's corpse.
• Extermination: This mission now correctly recognizes past player choices.
• Sending a Message: Exchange X4-Z2 Battle Droids now apply to this bonus mission's kill count.
  

Ord Mantell

• Clearing the Air: Players in groups can now join the first conversation via Holocall.
  

Taris (Imperial)

• No Escape: Killing Thana Vesh with Force Push now properly defeats her.
• The Siege of Olaris: The Droid associated with this mission's objective now consistently exits his cage after being activated.
  

Taris (Republic)

• Chasing History: Corrected an issue that prevented players from starting the cinematic at the fourth cairn while in a group.
  

Tatooine

• Geonosian War: Players now receive proper credit for completing the final stage of this mission while in a group.
• Pre-Emptive Strike: This mission no longer resets if a player uses stealth.
• Timely Arrival: The Czerka Records Terminal can now be used by all members of a group.
  

Voss

• Into the Crosshairs: Players affected by a bug that allowed them to complete this mission without receiving "Primary Target" can now speak to Pevthak-Fra and receive the latter mission to continue the Voss Republic storyline.
  

Class Missions

Jedi Knight

• A Hero's Rest: Players can now use the Republic Fleet option on the Tython shuttle to travel there while on this mission.
• Desert Duel: Players can no longer block mission progression by knocking Lord Praven off the cliff.
• Doomsday: The chest attached to the bonus puzzle for this mission is now lootable upon solving the puzzle. Additionally, if the player is defeated near the forcefield doorway, they no longer become stuck due to reviving on the other side of the forcefield.
• Guided by the Force: Sith Harrowers now animate properly during combat.
• New Intelligence: This mission's rewards are now level-appropriate. *UPDATED 3/23*
• The Defector: This mission can now be acquired via the Holoterminal for Jedi Knights who completed the Taris and Nar Shaddaa class missions without receiving it.
  

Sith Warrior

• Check In: Players no longer receive a codex text error when logging into the game while on this mission. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Pendant of Bone: Corrected an issue that prevented some players from getting credit for defeating the Gormak Warmaster.
• Request an Audience: This mission now correctly recognizes past player choices.
• Seek Answers: Players on this mission now see the appropriate loading screen text.
• The Padawan Exposed: Additional light and dark side point opportunities are now available in this mission. This mission also now correctly recognizes past player choices.
• The Transponder Station: The player's companion is now knocked out for the boss fight as depicted in the cinematic, and the fight has been rebalanced to take this into account. Additionally, an issue that could cause players to become stuck in the elevator has been corrected.
• To Kill a Legend: Players are no longer killed when using an elevator associated with this mission. *UPDATED 3/23*
  

Jedi Consular

• Chaos and Harmony: An issue that could make it more difficult than intended to save the final boss has been addressed.
• Looking Out for the Little Guy: This mission no longer grants commendations for the wrong planet.
• New Horizons: This conversation now takes place in person instead of on the ship Holoterminal.
• The Summit: This mission's Holoterminal conversation no longer hangs indefinitely.
  

Sith Inquisitor

• A Map for the Future: Players can no longer become blocked on this mission if they dismiss Khem Val before clicking on the debris wall.
• Legacy: Players are informed that Khem Val is required for this mission if the Inquisitor on the mission is in a group.
• The Dark Council: This mission now grants light and dark side points correctly.
• Visions and Visionaries: Players now receive dark or light side point rewards for this mission correctly.
  

Smuggler

• Beast Mastery: Players who romanced Azalie now see the correct conversation upon returning to the Smuggler Hangar.
• Brotherhood: Players can no longer become stuck in this mission's phase if they leave it by entering a Warzone, logging out, or crashing.
• Illusions: Players can now complete this mission if they were previously unable to re-enter the phase after leaving.
• Landing Party: Players can no longer defeat ambushers before instructed.
• Modest Proposals: Ivory now only appears on the player's ship if they chose to recruit him on Belsavis.
  

Imperial Agent

• Defender of the Empire: Line of Sight issues when engaging 'The Eagle' on the bridge of his ship have been resolved.
• Epoch of Fear: This mission's boss no longer experiences Line of Sight issues.
• Heist: SCORPIO is now summoned immediately as a guest companion at the appropriate time.
• Hero of the People: Players in a group can no longer become stuck in the phased area for this mission of the Agent in the group leaves first.
• The Assassin's Fortress: Players who are defeated on this mission are now revived at the Outpost Zaroshe medcenter.
• The Star Chamber: It is no longer possible to explore the entire Star Chamber before the "Gather Information on the Star Cabal" step.
• Subverting Karrels Jarvis: Light side points are now awarded at a different time in this mission.
  

Trooper

• Battle of the Gauntlet: Corrected an issue that caused the bridges crossing the Gauntlet to retract unexpectedly and kill players. Players can now return to the Gauntlet before completing the mission without having to reset it.
• Catching Up: Players now correctly receive a mission item from Jaxo in the mail, and players who missed this mission will now have it granted if they are eligible. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Inconspicuous Valor: Party members can no longer plant the explosives and prevent mission progression. This mission now updates correctly when taking the shuttle from the Republic Fleet to Coruscant.
• Power Play: Players no longer remain stuck inside the phase if they log out in the phase after completing the step "Speak to Senator Evran."
• Public Relations: This mission now recognizes if the chamber is sealed before the step to seal it is acquired.
• Rescue Operation: The CL-A1 transfer coil is now correctly counted as a mission item.
• Return to Duty: Prellon Garn now becomes stunned during the escort (instead of dying). Prellon is also now present for the step "Escort Prellon to Safety."
• Revenge Served Cold: The Thul Cryo Dragoon is now responsive in combat.
• Stay Frosty: Players on The Shadow Fist mission will find it has been reset. This mission no longer remains in the mission log if it is not completed.
• Suppression of Hostilities: The count for bonus objectives now updates correctly.
  

Bounty Hunter

• A Dangerous Auction: Players no longer receive an incorrect post-mission mail.
• A Failure to Communicate: Players can no longer summon a companion devoted to guarding the area's entrance or advance further into the phase before progressing necessary mission steps.
• At Arm's Length: Corrected an issue in the French client that could block progression on the step "Accedere a l'holoterminal de la Republique." *UPDATED 4/6*
• A Thousand Pardons: Zale Barrows can no longer be knocked into the lava, preventing mission progression.
• Digging His Own Grave: Players can now progress this mission without waiting for the phase to reset if they answer their class holocall outside the story area.
• Finale: The final boss has been adjusted from level 48 to level 50 to provide the intended challenge level.
• Hail the Conquering Hero: Corrected an issue that could cause this mission to become blocked on the step "Speak to Crysta Markon." Also, players can no longer become stuck in a looping conversation during this mission while talking to the Huntmaster. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Honor or Glory: Corrected an issue that caused some dialogue options to be hidden.
• Imperial Bounty: This mission can now be reset if the player was unable to complete it.
• Number One with a Bullet: Corrected an issue that prevented some Bounty Hunters from seeing the correct loading screen text after completing this mission. A crash that could occur when speaking to Darth Tormen has been fixed.
• No Strings Attached: Corrected an issue that caused NPCs to vanish unexpectedly after a fight. For players who were in progress on this mission, the mission's progress has been reset.
• Some People Just Need Killing: The class story boss associated with this mission is now level 50.
• Target Rich Environment: This mission can now be abandoned.
• The Heart of Darkness: Players now receive credit for this mission if they travel to Dromund Kaas via the shuttle in the Imperial Fleet.
• The Spirit of Vengeance: Corrected an issue that could cause players returning to this area to become stuck in the air.
• To Walk in Dark Places: Torian no longer remains with the player if they exit the phase after he joins for the mission.
  

NPCs

• Strong and Elite humanoid enemies no longer throw grenades at or use Headshot on targets in cover.
• Master Marksmen on Hoth no longer instantly knock the player back after being attacked with Leap or Charge abilities.
• Republic Troopers and Officers protecting core Republic interests on Hoth are now properly trained to defend against level 50 players.
• The World Boss Gargath on Hoth now drops level 50 loot.
• Some enemies and NPCs that were previously invisible can now be seen again.
• Many NPCs that were positioned incorrectly or played inappropriate animations have been corrected.
• Many groups of enemy NPCs that previously evaded in combat or pathed incorrectly have been adjusted.
• The "Sticky Grenade" debuff now appears correctly when used by enemy NPCs.
• Grand Chief Keshk now always drops at least a Premium item.
• Several vendors and other NPCs that had missing or incorrect voice have been updated.
• A rather dangerous Wampa specimen has been observed on Highmount Ridge on Hoth.
  

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the PvP PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...16&postcount=9


PvP

General

• Aurak Base and outlying Republic-controlled areas on Hoth have received reinforcements in the form of PvP guards.
• Certain PvP abilities are no longer removed when a duel finishes.
• Republic Guardpost Beta on Belsavis is now entirely considered Republic territory.
• The throne room of Lord Jordan Thul is now considered Empire territory.
• The medcenter in the Lower Flamewood area of The Old Paths on Voss is now a Sanctuary.
• Republic Troopers now protect Ken-La Outpost.
• The buff for the PvP Overcharge powerup now has the correct tooltip.
• The Warzone Commendation cap has been increased to 2000 (up from 1000).
• PvP stats, such as kills, Group Rating, Solo Rating, MVP votes received, total Warzone wins, and more are now tracked and can be seen on the Warzone Window. Highest Solo and Group Ratings can also be seen on the Character page. Highest Solo and Group Ratings can also be seen on the "Who" list.
• High-level PvP Daily and Weekly missions now reward a combination of Warzone and Ranked Warzone Commendations. *UPDATED 3/23*
• PvP medpacs now have a 1.5-minute cooldown (down from 3). *UPDATED 3/23*
• Daily and weekly PvP missions now reward 99 Warzone Commendations. *UPDATED 4/4*
  

Warzones

General

• Players in Warzones may now flag another player on the team as potentially AFK by right-clicking their name in the Operation Group window and selecting "Vote to Kick from Warzone." Once enough team members have flagged a player in this way, the player is given a warning and a small window to begin playing or they are removed from the Warzone.
• The amount of Valor, Commendations, and credits awarded at the end of a Warzone is now based on your team's score, with a bonus for the winning team. Experience rewards are still based on the amount of time spent in the Warzone.
• Warzone daily missions while leveling have been condensed to one mission that is always equal to the level of the player.
• Players who are removed from Warzones for being AFK are now returned to their original locations (instead of to the Fleet).
• Vendors are no longer available inside Warzones.
• Credit rewards for Warzones have been rebalanced.
• The Scoreboard displayed at the end of a Warzone now displays the correct faction icons in same-faction Warzone matches.
• The Scoreboard's Objective column now correctly tracks a player's offensive and defensive objective contribution. Additionally, players now receive notification during the match when their actions have accrued offensive or defensive objective points.
• Level 50 Warzone daily and weekly missions now reward Warzone Commendations.
• New medals are now awarded to the winning team based on how quickly they win (up to 6 medals for the fastest victories).
• New medals are now awarded for offensive and defensive objective actions. There are now 6 offensive and 6 defensive medals awarded for performing Warzone-specific objective actions.
• The Warzone reward medal cap has been increased to 8.
• Rewards per medal earned have been rebalanced considering the new medals available.
• Players who earn few to no medals now have overall rewards reduced (for instance, an AFK player would receive no rewards).
• The amount of medals needed to perform a medal streak has been increased to 8, 14, and 18. *UPDATED 3/27*
  

Ranked Warzones

• Pre-Season One of Ranked Warzones has begun! Participate for more competitive matches and greater rewards.
• Level 50 players can queue solo or in a group of up to 8 players via the Queue Solo Ranked and Queue Group Ranked buttons in the Warzone Queue Window.
• After a Ranked Warzone has ended, your Solo Rating or Group Rating will be adjusted based on the outcome of the match and the ratings of all players participating.
• Players are rewarded Ranked Warzone Commendations based on performance; these Commendations can be used to purchase the new War Hero PvP gear.
• Players with high ratings can purchase Rated War Hero gear and vehicles. Rated War Hero gear has the same stats as War Hero gear, but has a more prestigious appearance.
  

Novare Coast

• The Republic and Empire are locked in a brutal conflict by air and sea on the new planet, Denova. An Imperial dropship has crash-landed near the Republic coastal base and quickly established a fortification.
• Teams need to turn the mortar cannons on the opponent's fortification to bring it down. However, both fortifications are shielded and one mortar cannon is not enough to disable the shield. A team must control at least two cannons in order to damage the enemy fortification.
• This is a majority 3-point domination map with tug-of-war style objective control.
• Control progress is saved when interrupted and can be resumed by a player on the same team or fought back by a player of the opposing team. The more players involved, the faster control shifts.
• A training simulation-themed variant of the Warzone supports same faction matches.
  

Alderaan Civil War

• Several performance improvements have been made throughout the Warzone.
• The objective cannons' rate of fire has been slowed down. The amount of damage dealt by the large turret blasts has been increased proportionally to maintain the same overall score rate.
• Empire-controlled objective markers now appear purple.
• Travel time for speeder bikes for the side objectives has been increased. The time it takes to interact with speeder bikes is once again instantaneous.
• The speeder bikes that transported players to the East and West turrets have been removed. *UPDATED 3/30*
  

Huttball

• Giradda the Hutt now sees to it that any player standing on the ball stand when the ball respawns are slain.
• The damage hazards deal is now a set percentage of total player health and is elemental damage.
  

Voidstar

• The Voidstar can now be played by two teams of the same faction.
• Players on the defending team are no longer placed on the speeder path if its duration would make them arrive late to the start of the match.
• The map on the loading screen for the Voidstar has been updated.
• In the case of both teams reaching the same objective in their respective attacking rounds, the team who reached the objective in the shortest time now wins the match.
• The game now ends as soon as the Round 2 attacker's progress exceeds the progress made by the other team in Round 1.
• Voidstar matches now wait until the pre-match is over before starting the countdown to close if there are too few players. *UPDATED 3/27*
  

World PvP

• Items with Mercenary Commendation purchase costs have been removed or converted to have Warzone Commendation costs. *UPDATED 3/27*
• Players can still trade Mercenary Commendations for Warzone Commendations. 10 Mercenary Commendations can be traded for 10 Warzone Commendations. *UPDATED 3/27*
  

  
  Ilum
  

  • The Battle of Ilum daily and weekly missions have been removed from the game.
    

  
  The Outlaws' Den (Tatooine)
  

  • PvP treasure chests on Tatooine now drop Warzone Commendations, with a chance to drop Recruit PvP gear. *UPDATED 3/27*
  • The Ilum PvP Territory Control Tutorial no longer displays. *UPDATED 3/27*
    

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Space Combat PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...8&postcount=10


Space Combat

General

• Visual effects for trajectory and impact on missiles have been improved.
• The Alien Energy Capacitor now has stats appropriate for its level.
• Transitions on entering Space Combat Missions have been visually improved.
• The Grade 3 Beam Generator tooltip now correctly displays a rate of fire of 7 shots per second.
• The experience rewarded for some "one time" Space Combat Missions (granted when a new tier of missions is available) has been rebalanced.
• Players who are away too long while in Space Combat Missions are now logged out.
• Kira will now speak during Jedi Knight Space Combat Missions after Doc has been gained as a companion.
• Large ships more readily display surface damage as the attached hardpoints are destroyed.
  

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the UI PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...6&postcount=11


UI

General

• New Functionality – Players can:
  
  • Load and save UI profiles as XML files. These profiles can be loaded on any character once created. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Enter UI editing mode by pressing the 'Edit Layout' button in the main menu (reachable by hitting ESC), or by hitting the small button next to the quickslots and choosing 'edit layout'. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Move some elements around while in edit mode by dragging on that element. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Resize elements of the UI while in edit mode. Elements can be resized individually, or grouped and resized together. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Flip some UI elements (like the minimap) horizontally or vertically while in edit mode.
  • Choose to turn off (i.e. hide) some UI elements in edit mode. Hidden elements are shown as a red shaded box in this mode. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Adjust the number of slots shown and their layout per hotbar. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Select from 3 pre-created default layouts. These cannot be saved over. You may, however, use them as a starting place for your own layout. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • Move around elements in other UI modes (such as Space Combat) by selecting these modes from the drop-down in UI Edit Mode. *UPDATED 3/23*
    
• Adjusted Functionality:
  
  • Some Operations frame customization was moved into the UI customization system, and must be edited in this mode. *UPDATED 3/23*
  • The ability to toggle/hide health on health bars was moved to the UI customization system, and must be edited in this mode. *UPDATED 3/23*
    
• Notification of contact from a Customer Service Representative in-game is now more obvious.
• Subtitles can now be toggled using the /subtitles command in the Chat Window.
• If a player attempts to use a shuttle with 3 or more pending mission rewards, the player is asked to accept those rewards before continuing.
• Tooltips no longer get stuck on slider UI components.
• Corrected an issue that could cause the UI to incorrectly register a drag when returning from ALT-TAB.
• The cancel and apply buttons are now grayed out on the item modification table until the player adds a pending modification.
• The loot window can no longer be drawn off-screen in some circumstances.
• Companion tooltips now properly reflect whether they are selling junk items or performing a Crew Mission.
• The language used in tooltips (when referencing damage types and other specific items) has been updated to be more consistent.
• The preference for "Show Sith Corruption" is now labeled "Show Dark Side Corruption."
• New tutorials have been added for Flashpoints, Operations, and Quick Travel.
• Shift-clicking a stack of items no longer links that item if the Chat Window is not active.
• The Social Preferences options page has been organized more clearly.
• Several minor text formatting and alignment issues have been addressed.
• Shift-clicking a stack of items no longer hyperlinks that item if the Chat Window is not active. *UPDATED 4/5*
• Bind Points now appear on the World Map as "locked" if they are not discovered. *UPDATED 3/23*
• An option to continue playing sounds when the game loses focus (via alt-tab, etc) has been added. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Certain chat commands and their corresponding messages have been properly localized in French and German. These commands include /ckick, /mute, /moderate, /channellist, and /list. *UPDATED 3/23*
• Character portraits no longer appear completely black in some instances while using the Very Low shader complexity option. *UPDATED 3/27*
• Corrected an issue that prevented some chat errors from displaying properly. *UPDATED 3/27*
• Paging a hotbar up and down no longer displays hotbars that are already displayed elsewhere. *UPDATED 3/29*
• The ESC key now properly cancels timer dialog windows. *UPDATED 3/29*
• Players can now add other players to their friends list even if they are offline. *UPDATED 3/30*
• Adding a level range argument to the /who command now correctly returns filtered results. *UPDATED 4/6*
• Corrected the icons for Imperial Agent Advanced Class selection. *UPDATED 4/6*
  

Crew Skills

• The mission reward panel no longer closes other UI panels.
• Crew Skill trainer windows no longer reopen after players move away from the trainer.
  

Social

• Hovering over the LFG column in the Social Window now displays a tooltip showing the individual's LFG message.
• "Reply" chat targets are no longer cleared upon area transitions.
• French and German chat commands for speaking in general chat now work properly.
• The /bow emote no longer loops when used.
• Base crafted items can now be hyperlinked in chat.
• A new option to suppress the Crew Mission reward window in Warzones has been added.
• Items will now compare against all valid equipment slots.
• Emotes no longer remove a player from stealth.
  

Codex

• The Codex entry for killing a player with a turret now correctly requires the player to complete that task.
  

Groups and Targeting

• Players can now choose to view the targets of their group members in the group UI. This is disabled by default but can be edited in the "Edit Interface" mode.
• Target of target can now be enabled for the player.
• Players can now invite other players to their group via right-click menu from the guild roster.
• Player class names now appear on the target frame.
• When characters become hostile or friendly to the player, nameplates are now turned on and off as specified in nameplate preferences.
• Dead characters and creatures no longer display a nameplate unless selected.
• Focus target visual effects are now more distinct and recognizable.
• Class icons now appear next to nameplates. This feature can be toggled off in the preferences menu. *UPDATED 3/23*
  

Galactic Trade Network

• The Galactic Trade Network interface now supports text-based searches without category restrictions.
• The Galactic Trade Network interface has been updated to support better filtering and faster paging.
• The rarity drop-down in the GTN interface now contains an option for Custom (orange) rarity.
• A "Slot" pulldown menu has been added to the GTN Interface for more specific item searches.
• GTN Terminals in Kaas City are now available again.
• Players can now compare items on the GTN or in mail to items equipped by their companion. *UPDATED 3/27*
• In-game mail messages generated by the Galactic Trade Network now contain more specific information about the item sold. *UPDATED 3/30*
  

Maps

• Players can no longer "click through" the Galaxy Map to interact with the main game UI.
• The map no longer becomes translucent when riding a taxi.
• Map transitions throughout the game have been updated - many instances where a map would incorrectly transition to another have been corrected.
• The Spaceport section of Coruscant can now be explored correctly.
  

Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes (Continued)

The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change.

The following URL will allow you to link to the Miscellaneous Bug Fixes PTS Notes directly: http://www.swtor.com/community/showp...1&postcount=12


Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

• The Jawa Balloon on Tatooine no longer occasionally disappears from underneath players.
• The Emergency Fleet Pass now takes Republic players to the center of the Republic Fleet instead of the Tython and Ord Mantell arrival hangar. *UPDATED 4/5*
• The camera now collides with water instead of becoming submerged.
• Opening a taxi terminal now cancels any active ability activation.
• Corrected an issue that allowed players to use personal Starship doors outside the appropriate range.
• The /stuck command no longer kills the player if they log out and back in on the ship Holoterminal (or other similar objects).
• Corrected a rare client crash related to companion weapons.
• Corrected several ambient conversations that triggered too often or too infrequently.
• Added musical triggers to some missions and encounters.
• Numerous spelling and grammatical errors in text throughout the game have been corrected.
• Corrected several localization errors in text and voiceover.
• The full area of Club Ufora is now considered a private area (where companions will talk with player characters).
• Players on Tatooine and Belsavis now only see their own faction's Quick Travel Points on the map.
• The Chiss social ability is now described correctly during character creation.
• Republic players can now access the Lower Office Atrium in New Venture Plaza on Nar Shaddaa without passing through Empire territory.
• The Aim Datacron on Belsavis is now obtainable.
• Cantina music now plays more consistently.
• The Imperial Panteer Hideout Bind Point is no longer visible to Republic players on the map.
• A Bind Point now exists at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
• The High Profile Ward in Shadowtown on Nar Shaddaa now has a medcenter.
• Players can no longer use Fleet Passes in areas that are Quick Travel restricted.
• Corrected an issue that caused windowed resolution to not be saved if the desktop resolution changed while the game was running.
• Clicking off-screen while in dual-monitor mode no longer causes icons to be accidentally dragged when focus is returned to the game.
• An issue that could cause character models to appear invisible while wearing some armor models with the very low shader setting enabled has been addressed.*UPDATED 3/27*
• Addressed some performance issues in the Overrun Machine Vault on Belsavis. *UPDATED 3/30*
• Corrected a rare issue that could cause character appearance to change when equipping certain items. *UPDATED 3/30*
• An issue that could prevent disconnected players from logging back into the game during Flashpoints and Operations has been corrected. *UPDATED 3/30*
• Corrected an issue that could cause players to get stuck in a falling state on some terrain. *UPDATED 4/4*

Now on to the good part, my opinions.  SW:TOR has suffered, not from as many believe being an unfinished game but more so at the hands of impatient, demanding, and egocentric subscribers who have a poor concept of MMO evolution.  They expected a game that would be as feature and content rich as SWG, or WoW right out of the box from day one.  To these people I say this, "Please stop playing MMO's, you don't understand the concept of a persistent evolving game world.".  Seriously I mean it cancel your sub, get off my interwebs, and quick clogging the forums with your endless whining.  You simply do not deserve to be heard by the developers working on this title or any other for that matter.  Your poor understanding of MMO development, mindless drivel, and 3rd grade reading ability, combined with the unfortunate knowledge of how to click "Post" on a forum has lowered the communal IQ by 25 points.  It took hominids 1.7 million years to go from mastering fire to developing a tool that took them from scavengers to the top spot on the food chain (the Atlatl).  Please quit trying to stupidify us back to living in caves.

So that may not be what you consider a "Good Part", though it did make me feel good... So here's some more opinions.  I like the concept of the Legacy System, it binds all your characters into one family and lets you get benefits from actually playing the game beyond simply credits, skills, and equipment.  It introduces a new element into MMO's where being a player is more evolved.  This system will remove one of the major gripes found in many MMO's, Class/Race restrictions for starters, it brings another element of freedom virtually no other game has.  Also going away is the Cross Faction mailing restriction something I will be looking forward to as this allows me to fully utilize my crafters.

Also 1.2 will bring us UI customization, while I am looking forward to this, I would love for player Skinning to be introduced in the future as we are still stuck with the stock UI.  At least now we can re-arrange it as we see fit and have a more traditional MMO layout we can pick as our default. We are also seeing the return of Unifying Colors, a feature removed late in the beta testing much to the disappointment of the testers.  This will allow you to have all your gear match the chest piece you are wearing, or specific pieces as you choose.

The New content is pretty good with a new Warzone, more daily mssions, and other goodies thrown in, it should help the "lack of content" whiners calm down a bit (Seriously folks with all the classes there is tons of content enjoy it!).  The big losers in this content update are the Open PvP fanboys, Ilum is still Ilum and not likely to change in the near future.

Class changes are looking pretty good as well, currently there is an over abundance of some classes and the alterations to skill trees and skills may make other classes more appealing to some players, as well as some of the lesser used skill trees.  Be sure to spend some time checking out these changes, there is no shame in re-specing.

That's all for now folks, I'll be posting more on 1.2 this weekend once I get some hands on with the Live version of it, and hopefully I'll have some video for you as well.

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