SWTOR: More Info On Terror From Beyond

Mega Garden Slug Will Slime Your Ass!

BioWare have posted a developer update on the latest piece of end-game content coming in Game Update 1.4: Terror From Beyond.

Here’s a brief snippet:

This Operation introduces the next tier of progression in Star Wars: The Old Republic, including a new set of PvE gear. The hard difficulty mode for Terror From Beyond is balanced for players wearing a full set of Campaign gear, which can be acquired from Operation: Explosive Conflict. Augments will become increasingly more important the deeper you get into Terror from Beyond. Story mode will be available for players who just want to see the sights, but it’s no walk in the park.

Read the whole thing here. There’s no word as to when this will be on the PTS but be assured we’ll let you know when it is.

Over to you: is there anything in this info that has you interested in particular beyond the fact it’s new end-game content? Share your thoughts!

Oceanic First Claim: Hard Mode Warlord Kephess

I had a note overnight from oceanic guild Remnants on their successful downing of Warlord Kephess, the final boss in the Explosive Conflict Operation that went live with update 1.2.

The details straight from Insurgent from Remnants:

Exciting news, after much hard work and some exceptional new recruits, Remnants were able to kill Hard Mode Kephess in our final attempt for the night.

The 11th hour strategy of including an extra tank to handle the final phase was the clutch move that secured this Server/Oceanic First.

We are very happy to secure this position after facing some stiff competition from some rival guilds. A very exciting raid to be a part of , the blood is still pumping.

I also had a follow note stating that its only the 27th downing of Kephess worldwide. So well done Remnants!

Here’s a pic of the kill (click on it for the full size):

As always, if your guild had achieved something big, let us know. It doesn’t have to be a first, we like to profile guilds and what they’re up to.

SWTOR Game Update 1.2 Patch Notes: Flashpoints and Operations

Now for some reams of info on Flashpoints and Operations:

Flashpoints and Operations

General

  • The Exit Area ability is now interrupted when damage is taken.

Flashpoints

  • Kaon Under Siege has been removed from the mission [WEEKLY] Galactic Conflicts. It is now part of a new mission combined with Lost Island: [WEEKLY] Rakghoul Conflicts.
  • Lost Island is now part of the following missions: [DAILY] Emerging Conflicts V and [DAILY] Galactic Conflicts.
  • It is no longer possible to share certain Flashpoint missions with party members who are on preliminary steps of that mission, as they could cause mission blocking issues.
  • Random loot on some bosses in Normal Mode Flashpoints has been significantly improved.
  • Lockouts have been removed from Hard Mode Flashpoints.
  • You will no longer lose access to a Flashpoint phase immediately after defeating the final boss. Access is removed upon completing the [FLASHPOINT] mission.

    Athiss

    • The Beast of Vodal Kressh’s knockback effects now correctly check for knockback resistance.
    • The Prophet of Vodal’s Dark Spirits now have a buff that provides more information about the fight mechanics.
    • The debuff “Crushing Death Field” is now visible.

    Boarding Party

    • Storm Squad’s enrage timer in Hard Mode has been increased to 2.5 minutes.

    Colicoid War Game

    • The patrolling Droid in the hazard course now despawns when the sixth gate controller is used.

    Directive 7

    • Players can now receive the mission for Flashpoint: Directive 7 without first starting Immediate Vengeance or Violent Uprising.
    • Mentor’s claw previously targeted the group’s healer more than intended. It now focuses on its initial target.

    Hammer Station

    • Reduced the frequency of knockbacks used by enemy NPCs.
    • 2R-CH no longer attacks players through walls and no longer grapples players in cover.
    • Battlelord Kreshan is now immune to interrupts.
    • The visibility of the Unshakable buff on DN-314 has been improved to better inform players that it cannot be interrupted.

    Kaon Under Siege

    • The health of KR-82 Expulser’s probe droids has been increased significantly.

    Lost Island

    • Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, is available for play! Having uncovered the sources of the Rakghoul plague outbreak in the Tion Hegemony, players must travel to Ord Mantell and confront Dr. Lorrick, the mad scientist who engineered this horrific biological weapon.

    Red Reaper

    • An issue that could cause Lord Kherus to stop fighting under some circumstances has been addressed.

    Taral V

    • Corrected a Jungle Lurker encounter that appeared in the wrong area in Hard Mode.

    The Battle of Ilum

    • Players can no longer be bombed while inside a bunker.
    • Krel Thak’s enrage timer has been increased to 2.5 minutes in Hard Mode.
    • Faction-appropriate friendly NPCs now spawn correctly at the beginning of this Flashpoint.

    The Black Talon

    • GXR5 now properly animates during Full Auto. Its Power Punch can now be resisted, and its stun can be broken. Power Blast now properly animates with the correct visual effects and deflection appearance. His basic attack no longer places a blank debuff on players.
    • Probe Droids spawned during the GXR5 fight now have the correct icon.
    • Sgt. Boran’s Medic now animates properly when healing. His Sniper’s Snipe ability has been altered slightly in function.
    • Ghulil is now immune to interrupts in Hard Mode and uses backhand correctly in Normal Mode.

    The Esseles

    • Lieutenant Isric’s Stockstrike now occurs less frequently, and the stun it causes can now be resisted. His Suppressive Fire now deals its damage over 6 seconds.
    • Ironfist’s Jet Charge no longer knocks players down. Missile Salvo’s tooltip has been clarified to expose the interrupt immunity gained during this phase.
    • ISS7’s Head Smash can now be resisted.
    • ISS9 has been redesigned to be friendlier to melee combatants.
    • Vokk’s Essence Drain can now be resisted, and its stun can be broken. Vokk no longer throws two lightsabers at the same target (unless no other target is alive).

    The False Emperor

    • An issue that could prevent HK-47 from spawning correctly has been resolved.

    The Foundry

    • A remaining small window in which the final boss of this Flashpoint could be rendered invulnerable has been corrected.
    • Corrected an issue that prevented the final boss encounter from starting if the players choose the “Attack” option.

Operations

  • Normal Mode is now labeled “Story Mode” for Operations.
  • Credit rewards for defeating Operations bosses have been significantly increased.
  • Corrected an issue that could allow Operation bosses to resurrect during Nightmare Mode Operations.

    Eternity Vault

    • The Unshakable buff is now visible when targeting Soa.
    • Changed the location where Soa’s Force Whirlwind drops the player in the second phase of the fight to prevent players from being dropped several hundred meters below when no platforms are remaining.
    • Soa’s lightning balls are now destroyed when the platform phase begins.
    • Projection of Soa has been removed from the Mind Traps.
    • A previously malfunctioning escape pod no longer causes players to become stuck upon landing.
    • Eternal Guardians and Eternal Sentinels now spawn correctly in 16-player modes.
    • Eternal Guardians and Eternal Watchers have had their difficulty rebalanced in 16-player modes.
    • Eternal Wardens now perform their grapple ability correctly.
    • The Ancient Pylons puzzle has been reworked to improve reliability. The wheels no longer lock automatically when solved. Players must use the “Confirmation Console” to confirm their symbol selection.

    Explosive Conflict

    • Explosive Conflict, a new Operation, is available for play! The Trandoshan mercenary warlord Kephess has seized the planet Denova, a world rich in resources valuable to the war effort. Players must assault his war camp, situated atop a mountain in densely-wooded terrain, fighting Imperial defectors and heavy war machines along the way.
    • Explosive Conflict is the next tier of Operations, offering new rewards and greater challenges.
    • Four difficulty modes are currently available for this Operation: 8-player Story Mode, 8-player Hard Mode, 16-player Story Mode, and 16-player Hard Mode.

    Karagga’s Palace

    • G4-B3 Heavy Fabricator’s “Powerhouse” buff now correctly improves the damage of several of his abilities on 16-player Hard Mode.
    • G4-B3’s health has been increased in 8- and 16-player Hard Modes.
    • G4-B3’s mines will spawn with a small degree of random offset in order to reduce the frequency with which they spawn directly on top of one another. The actual number and relative placement of the mines remains unchanged. These mines now properly clean up post-combat.
    • An issue that could cause G4-B3 to become stuck in the ceiling has been corrected.
    • The Stimulant Dart ability used by Attack-Science Technicians and Mechno-Assault Specialists has been adjusted. It is now easier to control these enemies in an Operations group with less than three crowd control abilities.
    • Support Gunners no longer knock back other enemy NPCs.
    • Karagga’s Immortal Guardians no longer leave a debuff on players when struck with Surge.
    • RL-4 no longer refers to story events that have not yet occurred.
    • The Gamorrean Guards that Bonethrasher attempts to eat now have boss immunities.
    • Players can no longer remain trapped “Carbonizing” by Jarg’s Carbonizer Probes while outside of Karagga’s Palace.
    • Bonethrasher’s creatures no longer respawn after the group has killed Bonethrasher and reset the phase.
    • Bonethrasher now correctly performs his Smash attack during 16-player Hard Mode.
    • Corrected an issue that could cause Bonethrasher to be stuck in combat after he defeated the party, preventing players from re-entering.
    • The door to Karagga’s Throne room now remains open after the group defeats Jarg & Sorno.
    • In Nightmare Mode, defeating each boss now yields a chest that contains Black Hole Commendations.

New Flashpoint and expanded Karagga’s Palace Operation announced

Talk about not resting on one’s laurels. Bioware’s James Ohlen has provided a sneak peek on some new content launching next month.

Not much is being given away about either but here’s Ohlen’s teaser:

Next month we’re going to be releasing a new Flashpoint and an expanded Operation. The new Flashpoint involves a plague that could have significant repercussions across the galaxy. It takes place on a brand new world and involves some pretty epic battles. I can’t go into much detail, but be prepared for something different. The expanded Operation takes the existing Karagga’s palace scenario and more than triples it in size. It includes three new boss monsters and some pretty epic set pieces.

The last boss of the Karagga Operation is pictured in this post. I haven’t checked out any of the current Operations yet, so talk about me needing to play catch-up!

On the SWTOR forums, there’s already some debate over releasing new content versus fixing bugs in current content. Stephen Reid has responded on that as well:

And so begins the eternal MMO battle between ‘more new stuff’ and ‘fix the bugs’.

The development team is large enough that essentially, we can do both. We have many people working on analysing, triaging, fixing, testing and deploying new fixes to ensure the game’s stability – and we also have many other developers expanding the game and creating new content.

How about you – are you keen on new content already?