Star Wars: The Old Republic is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game that is set in the Star Wars universe. Despite being frequently overlooked in conversations about which MMOs are worth playing, SWTOR is a fantastic game that has a lot to offer. Its free trial is generous, giving you access to all eight class stories, and a one-time subscription unlocks all expansions. With a variety of classes and a fantastic combat system, Star Wars: The Old Republic is enjoyable for both casual and hardcore gamers. The game uses tab target combat, where you use a variety of abilities associated with keys on your keyboard. Each class has unique abilities and rotations, making playing alts an enjoyable experience. Solo content is often easy, but there is challenge to be found in group activities and some solo encounters. SWTOR also has a very hands-off design philosophy, with low pressure reward systems that don't require you to log in daily or weekly. Overall, SWTOR is an excellent MMO that is definitely worth playing.

• Without the pressure and obligation of a subscription
• Plenty of content
• Gearing system 
• Floatwork
• An amazing array of cosmetic options
• Strongholds, Housing
• Monetization
• Players in SWTOR
• Final Thought

Without the pressure and obligation of a subscription

SWTOR is a great game for players looking for an enjoyable experience without the pressure and obligation of a subscription. The game utilizes evergreen rewards and intrinsic motivation to encourage players to work towards their goals at their own pace. All content is evergreen, meaning old content isn't invalidated by new content, which allows players to experience all the game has to offer anytime. The game also offers a lot of content to explore, such as flashpoints - the game's version of dungeons. While flashpoints generally provide a great experience, there are some issues such as skips that require specific paths and a lack of challenge on master mode. Despite these minor issues, the overall experience is still enjoyable and makes for a great game for casual players.

Plenty of content

From Flashpoints and Operations to Daily Hubs and World Bosses, there's something for everyone. Flashpoints are well-designed and fun, while Operations offer a higher level of challenge. Although Operations can be slow to come around due to their rarity, they are still a great way to experience a more challenging raid-like experience. Daily Hubs are great for their thematic strength and the rewards you can get for ranking up your reputation. World Bosses are a bit more difficult to find groups for, but the spectacle of the battles can be quite enjoyable. The PvP in SWTOR is also great, with Arenas and War Zones offering a variety of objectives to complete. War Zones are particularly enjoyable due to the combination of capture and deathmatch-style gameplay. The new seasonal reward track adds an extra layer of enjoyment to PvP and adds a bit of grind to the game. While the community can be toxic, it's still possible to have a great time with the content that SWTOR has to offer.

Gearing system 

The new gearing system in Star Wars: The Old Republic is a bit complicated, but once you understand it, it's not too bad. It is deterministic, meaning that gear will be the same for everyone, and it's relatively easy to get your alts to item rating 336 gear. However, there are a few downsides to the system. One of the main issues is augments. Augments are crafted stat bonuses that you slot into your gear, and they are not required for most content, but they can be used to min-max your character. The problem is that augments have become increasingly expensive due to inflation on the Galactic Trade Network, with single pieces of the Callus Conquers armor set selling for 850 million Swtor Credits. It now costs 95 million credits to apply an augment to a piece of gear, and 2.4 billion to fully augment a single character. Augments aren't necessary for most content, but their high cost may be driving potential players away from the game.

Floatwork

It offers a variety of endgame content, including Augments, Crew Skills, PvP, and Galactic Seasons. Augments used to be affordable for everyone, but recently their cost has skyrocketed, making it difficult for new or average players to get them. While it's not necessary to have them, it does feel bad to know that your character isn't at its full potential. Crew Skills are fairly standard but still rewarding, as they can help you make money and unlock cosmetics. Playing alts is great, as the game is very alt-friendly and there is a Conquest system that rewards you for hitting a certain number of conquest points each week. Galactic Seasons offer a battle pass system that encourages players to take part in activities they normally wouldn't and offers rewards ranging from cosmetics to cash drop currency. Lastly, the game's cosmetics are fantastic, with a huge array of options to choose from.

An amazing array of cosmetic options

Players are able to customize their characters to their heart's content with armor pieces, emotes, titles, toys, and more. The game also features an Outfitter system, allowing you to save any combination of items in an outfit slot, and swap between them for free. Furthermore, you can use the Unify Color feature to match all of your gear to the color of your chest, allowing for more mix-and-match options. Dyeing your chest also allows for a totally new look.

Strongholds, Housing

The game also features Strongholds, or player housing, where you can purchase multiple Strongholds to decorate. With countless decorations, you have complete freedom in how you design your home. Though some of the cosmetics are locked behind the cash shop, they can be traded amongst players so you don't have to pay to get the items you want. Additionally, there are plenty of cosmetics to work towards in-game, and Conquest is a great way to make credits.

Monetization

The monetization of the game is also great, as you don't have to buy expansions and don't even need to be subbed to the game. The cartel market isn't the best, but it gets points for making cartel market items tradable. The two most predatory aspects of monetization are that dyes are consumed on use and buying a cosmetic doesn't unlock it for your entire account, meaning you have to pay a second fee in order to unlock it for all your characters. Despite these issues, the game has a great value-for-money proposition, and the cash shop helps keep the game alive.

Players in SWTOR

Despite its age, the game is still supported and updated by its developers, although the cadence of updates is relatively slow. The game does not have a large player base, with only around 4,500 concurrent players on Steam, but this doesn't reflect the overall population of players who use the official launcher. Despite the small population, it is still easy to find groups and queues for content pop quickly. With its challenging endgame content and immersive storyline, SWTOR is a great game to play short term. However, with the slow content updates and lack of frequent changes, it may not be the best choice for players looking for a more long-term, committed game. Nevertheless, the game has a welcoming community, and with its low-stakes, hands-off nature, it can be a great game to come back to and enjoy.

Final Thought

With its intense combat and a wealth of content, this game offers an engaging, immersive experience. Its brilliant design and philosophy make for an engaging progression system and plenty of options for player expression. Whether you're a fan of intense action, creative exploration, or philosophical discussion, Software has something for you. With its exceptional content and features, SWTOR is an MMO that is absolutely worth playing in 2023. So if this sounds like something you'd be interested in, go ahead and subscribe and join the community.