SWTOR 8.0 Hits the PTS With Difficulty Modes, Ventures, and a New Operation Boss

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Star Wars: The Old Republic’s 8.0 update is now on the public test server, giving subscribers an early look at some of the MMO’s next major changes. There’s no release date for 8.0 yet, but this first PTS phase includes a new Operation boss, class updates, and a couple of quality-of-life changes.

Before that arrives, update 7.9.1 is set to launch Galactic Season 11, “Light and Shadow,” on August 18. The season will bring back rewards from Seasons 2 and 4, including companions Fen Zeil and Amity, alongside new mounts, titles, armor, Stronghold labels, and companion customizations.

Patch 7.9.1 will also add an Accessories category to the Cartel Market. A 30-day Twitch Drops event is planned too, with a Ruhnuk Poster Decoration available after watching one hour of SWTOR content and the Vectron Colette EM4 Mount after five hours.

The bigger shift is coming in 8.0. Difficulty Modes will let players adjust non-multiplayer phased content, such as story missions, daily missions, and world bosses. Story mode keeps the current tuning, Veteran is meant to feel closer to SWTOR’s original launch difficulty, and Master is aimed at players who want a harder solo or overworld experience.

Ventures are another new piece of 8.0. These are subscriber-only solo challenges built around difficulty modes. Players will need to create a fresh character for Ventures and choose either Classic, which lines up with Veteran, or Expert, which lines up with Master. Once picked, that difficulty is locked until the Venture is finished.

According to the official recap, the current 8.0 PTS build includes:

  • The Nul Acolyte, first boss of the “Children of Nul” Operation, in Story and Veteran modes.
  • Level 85 balance changes for Sentinel and Marauder, Sage and Sorcerer, and Vanguard and Powertech.
  • New abilities starting at level 83 for some classes.
  • Quality-of-life updates, including Toys becoming abilities and fitted items appearing in Collections.

Broadsword says this is only the first phase of testing, so more of 8.0 should roll onto the PTS before the update goes live.

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