As it celebrates its tenth anniversary on December 20, the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic gets a new major extension, called " Legacy of the Sith ». We were able to discover it in preview, before its release on December 14.
" It still exists ?! “, we could exclaim when reading the title of this preview. Yes: the MMO Star Wars: the Old Republic will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary. For the occasion, the studio Bioware Austin will also offer players a new major expansion, where the war between the Republic and the Empire is played out on the planet Manaan.
Manan back!
If it has lost its luster over the years, the title that can easily be described as a "single-player MMO" now offers gargantuan content. A little over two years after "Onslaught", during which Bioware Austin did not turn the shoots, the studio presents for the anniversary of its title an extension which takes us back to a long-requested planet: Manaan.
The one that we had already been able to discover in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and through a disputed zone of the MMO is now available more widely, with the key to many new challenges. The most connoisseurs will find familiar elements there, but the story takes place several years after our first visit to Manaan...
Visually, the planet offers expansive environments that are quite diverse, but also darker and snowier than we were used to. These places contain the formidable secret of an ancient Sith lord, of which we still know nothing. It is also on Manaan that we will find Dark Malgus, very interested in this secret. We will then have to understand the reasons for his presence and, of course, undermine his plans. On the Republic side, it will be a question of destroying the Sith once and for all, when the Empire will seek to seize what it is looking for.
New operation and new Flashpoint
The expansion also introduces Anomaly R-4, a new operation, available as part of the scenario, which features a cult based in an asteroid containing an Empire base. Close to the dark side (and very close indeed), this cult uses questionable methods to recruit new followers… and it is precisely to prevent that that you are here!
A new Flashpoint will also be available. If you're not familiar with Star Wars: The Old Republic, let's say it's a dungeon, which you can do solo (for the story), or in a group at different levels of difficulty , with powerful items at stake. Bioware does not want to leave anyone behind and addresses these objects to as many people as possible.
Returns expected
If the studio was careful not to go into the details of the scenario of “Legacy of the Sith”, we were still able to see some of the characters who will be in the spotlight of this new extension.
Players will benefit from the return of Major Anri, Arn Peralun (who has become a Jedi Knight for the occasion), but also Lana Beniko, who we saw joining our team of companions during the expansions on the Eternal Empire. There will also be newcomers, especially on the Empire side, and more neutral characters, like Colonel Gallo, who doesn't seem motivated to trust either the Empire or the Republic. Note the presence of a protagonist of whom we know nothing (in the center of the artwork visible at the top of the article) Bioware only indicating: “we keep his identity secret until the release of the extension”.
As usual, moral choices will have to be made in the many dialogues punctuating the scenario, so much so that you can still accentuate your taste for the Dark or Light sides of the Force... But still not enough to change faction in progress of road.
What about new players?
This is the complexity of the equation: how to bring back old players while interesting a new audience? To this question, Charles Boyd, game director of the game, answers that it is now possible to start with a character at level 70 in the “Onslaught” scenario, to finish in “Legacy of the Sith”.
No big changes apart from this pass, and we will still advise neophytes to start from scratch, especially to experience the story of one of the classes in the game and those of the expansions of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The content to be grasped is indeed enormous, and we are also surprised to note that no real effort has been made to facilitate entry into the MMO, even 10 years after its release, and even if it does not. would not have the success of a Final Fantasy XIV Online.
“The adventure has only just begun! »
With "Legacy of the Sith", Bioware Austin nevertheless tends to lay the foundations for the future of the MMO, as confirmed by Keith Kanneg, responsible for the game's live content:
“With Legacy of the Sith, we want to show what players will experience in hopefully the next 10 years of Star Wars: The Old Republic! The adventure has only just begun! »
Bioware's ambitions are in any case particularly important since it is neither more nor less than "the most ambitious extension ever developed for Star Wars: The Old Republic", promises us Charles Boyd. Of which act.
