Star Wars: The Old Republic’s Masters of the Force Era Starts Later This Year

Broadsword has outlined Masters of the Force, the next major era for Star Wars: The Old Republic. It begins later this year with game update 8.0 and the new Galaxy in Chaos storyline, which picks up after Darth Malgus’ message reaches Force-sensitive beings across the galaxy.

According to the official post, the update will also send players to Ryloth, the Twi’lek homeworld in the Outer Rim. Expect trouble from the Hutt Cartel, new threats on the planet, and more Dynamic Encounters tied to the area.

• The level cap is going up to 85.
• All Disciplines are getting new abilities.
• Combat, progression, and gearing changes are planned.
• Overworld content will add Story, Veteran, and Master difficulty options.
• Ventures will let players make Classic or Expert characters for a separate challenge path with its own goals and rewards.
• A new eight-player Operation, Children of Nul, will launch with three bosses.

The new overworld difficulty settings sound like one of the bigger changes. Story mode is aimed at players who want a lighter combat experience, Veteran raises the challenge, and Master is meant for more experienced players. Broadsword says these settings apply individually, so players should still be able to group together even if they’ve picked different difficulties.

Children of Nul will take groups back to Darth Nul’s ship, the Enigma, to investigate what she left behind. Story and Veteran modes are planned first, with Master mode coming later.

Broadsword says more details on Masters of the Force are coming over the next few months, including livestreams. The studio is also tying the next stretch of SWTOR updates into the MMO’s 15th anniversary.