14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at BioWare might be focused at the moment on the development of a new Dragon Age: Inquisition and the future Mass Effect, but the company still has a solid division dedicated to Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is getting ready to launch a new expansion called Galactic Strongholds.
The official announcement from the studio states that “As the war between the Empire and the Republic rages, the galaxy’s greatest heroes have expanded their influence by acquiring Strongholds, customizable bastions of personal luxury. In a bid for power, these heroes must join together to launch their own Guild Flaghips and conquer planets across the galaxy.”
The player-created location can be used to gather a variety of content, including trophies earned during combat, new furniture with a different style for each faction, and there are other items that can be unlocked in the MMO as well as decorations that can be acquired.
A player Legacy can own more than one home and the development team emphasizes the luxurious quarters that can be built on Nar Shaddaa and the interesting layouts seen on Tatooine.
A galactic-wide directory will track the Prestige Score of all those who have a Stronghold, creating an element of competition inside the community.
Many of the battles of Star Wars took place in space and BioWare is keen to simulate that aspect of the universe by adding a new Guild Flagship, which players can use in order to boost the power of their group, offering direct support to players who are fighting on the surface of contested planets.
In Galactic Strongholds, gamers will be able to conquer planets every week, to get access to perks and glorious items.
Other players can also be invited to the Guild Flagship to visit before battle and pets and other items can be showcased.
Early access to the new content will be opened to all those who are still paying a monthly subscription for Star Wars: The Old Republic on August 19, and those who subscribe will also get a unique title that can be displayed in the MMO and some more money to spend.
When the BioWare and Electronic Arts MMO launched, many predicted that it would not find a stable audience, but since the business model was switched to free-to-play the two companies are saying that the player base has expanded significantly.
