TOR Legacy Patch Overview

                The Old Republic 1.2 patch has been live for over a week. The largest patch yet released for the MMO, the changes to the game have affected each of the approximately 1.7 million subscribers. The patch changed and refined each class and sub-class, streamlined the UI, fixed and expanded the legacy system, removed various bugs, updated the graphics, introduced a new server-wide event and added a new flashpoint, operation and warzone. The patch, named Legacy, was so massive that a trailer and making-of video were made to cover its release.

                The new event, Rise of the Rakghouls, immerses the Star Wars universe in a zombie-like plague. Characters can become infected with the disease and later explode, infecting anyone nearby with the plague as they do so. Daily quests are available where the character is tasked with infecting as many others as possible, gaining various rewards as they do so.

                “It is a freaking blast, it’s a very dynamic event and they are adding to it each day,” said Scott Taylor, who has been playing the game since beta. “It’s immersive. On the main hubs for both planets there are announcements of health warnings, newscast cut scenes. It’s just a very well put together, immersive event.”

                Alyssa Taylor, Scotts’ wife, has also enjoyed the event.

                “It’s fun,” Alyssa said. “I like exploding on people.”

The new flashpoint, Lost Island, has a group of players banding together to confront Dr. Lorrick, the mad scientist who created the biological weapon. The flashpoint offers a variety of rewards for completion, most notably a Rakghoul pet that will follow the player around.

The new operation, Explosive Conflict, has a larger group of players, usually around 40, come together to wrest control of the planet Denova from the warlord Kephess. A new tier of raid gear is available on the operation.

The most personal of the changes were those made to the classes, which affected how each individual plays the game. Bioware said that the changes were carefully thought out “based on player and guild feedback, focus testing, and more than two months of combat interaction data from our servers,” furthering their overall goal “to create a level playing field for our players while ensuring that classes retain their unique play styles and identities.”

Scott said that while some of the changes were inconvenient, he could see the need for a change as he played the game.

“They were necessary mechanics changes to make the gamer more enjoyable,” Scott said. “It was at the point where various abilities were broken in one way or another, either too powerful or too weak. While not homogenizing the classes, the patch made them all more viable.”