Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta

On December 22nd 2011, the wishes of a million ardent Star Wars fans will finally come true as they get a chance to become one with the most enduring sci-fi franchise of all time with the launch of epic MMORPG The Old Republic!

Ok so this has happened before, with the ill-fated Star Wars: Galaxies, which actually closes its blast doors for good just a week before TOR arrives. The big difference this time is the choice of developers; genre and franchise veterans Bioware. They’ve worked on masterful RPG’s like Knights of the Old Republic, as well as redefining the genre with Mass Effect.

Here, they’ve set their sights on crafting the definitive Star Wars experience for millions of fans to enjoy at once. The story takes place long before the movie series, at a time when the resurgence of the evil Sith forces has been slowed, while the galaxy enters a period of fragile peace. The Jedi have fled to a remote planet called Tython to regroup when a new enemy and new conspiracy threaten all life on the planet.



For those unused to MMORPG’s, The Old Republic is the ideal introduction. It bears many of the hallmarks of a regular Bioware game – a stunning opening presentation, full voice work, dialogue wheel and a finely wrought web of main missions and sidequests.

It’s possible to play The Old Republic as a straight forward RPG, which is good news considering the hundreds of hours of missions available. The first learning curve for non MMO players is combat. For the most part, you’ll be selecting an enemy and frantically right clicking on them until they expire. Your basic attack earns Focus, which you then expend on more advanced attacks arrayed across the number keys. It’s not the most dynamic system for action fans but there’s more skill involved than you might think, particularly as the game tends to throw groups of foes at your willing light sabre.

But you needn’t fight alone; players can earn a companion early on – we grabbed a droid – who can help in combat and much more, including the game’s crafting mechanic. Companions can seek out resources and make new artefacts, all while you are busy doing your own thing. It’s a neat system which removes the frustrating fetch and gather of other MMO’s.

Naturally, you can also team up with other real life players in story based co-op missions called Flashpoints and more conventional PvP arenas. Otherwise, you’ll only be able to recognise other players by the blue text above them and, certainly during beta time, it’s possible to go for many minutes without seeing anther (real) soul.



We’re only allowed to talk about the Republic in these early previews, and I settled on a Padawan trainee which brings its own magical Star Wars moments to enjoy, like earning your first light sabre and finally even your own spaceship, which will allow for on the rails space sections. Apart from the Jedi Knight you can also play as a Jedi Consular, Trooper or Smuggler, with each having the chance to specialise in an advanced class after level 10, as you head out into the galaxy in pursuit of the villainous types threatening the Republic’s peace.

With less than two months til The Old Republic arrives on PC, it’s already approaching a level of polish which eclipses other MMO’s, while only the basic stylised graphics mark it apart from a regular Bioware RPG’s. But there are literally hundreds of hours of game time to be found here, plus social (and competitive) interactions with other real players and, no doubt, plans to further expand the universe in the future. We’ve got a good feeling about this...

Star Wars: The Old Republic is out exclusively on PC from the 22nd of December 2011. Monthly subscriptions will cost around €15 or cheaper in bundles, with 30 days free included in the box.