Battle for Echo Base Begins in Star Wars Galaxies

Star Wars Galaxies, the MMO created by LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment, is getting a major new content update in the form of the Battle of Echo Base. The addition to the title offers gamers a chance to play one of the most iconic battles featured in the Star Wars original trilogy, the battle for Hoth.

As you might remember from Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Rebels, with their backs to the wall, are forced to defend the base they have on the ice planet Hoth as the Empire is trying to take them out and capture the leaders of the insurgency.

The players can engage in combat on either side of the conflict when the update is live. The big news is that players can now hop on vehicles, like the Rebel used snowspeeder or the Imperial AT-ST, in order to crush the other side. Initially, the combat will take place in North Field, where the Rebels try to take out the landing forces of the Empire and, as the battle evolves, the action will move to the Evacuation Point, where Empire troops will try to stop as many Rebels as possible from escaping. The mission leading to the Battle of Echo Base will be available at the Adventurers' Guildhall in Aurilia.

The commanders of the two sides will be General Maximilian Veers on the Imperial side and General Carlist Rieekan on the Rebel. There's a chance that players will encounter Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 will need to evacuate Echo Base with as much manpower and material as can reasonably be preserved.

Following the announcement of The Old Republic, the new Star Wars based MMO from BioWare and LucasArts, the future of Galaxies is uncertain, especially after the exodus of players caused by the significant changes brought to the title by the New Game Enhancements.