The delayed release date for SWTOR Onslaught resulted in a change to the Subscriber promotion BioWare was planning for the Nautolans in relation to the launch of the expansion. You will not have nearly two months time to get it on day one when 6.0 hits the live servers!
The week for all SWTOR fans started with an expected announcement – the delay of the launch date of Onslaught – SWTOR’s newest digital expansion. Also known as Update 6.0, this DLC will now go live on October 22, a month later compared to the initially announced launch plans for September.Because of that delay, BioWare had to deal with two arising issues – the Double Rewards event and the Subscriber promotion, involving the new playable species in 6.0 – the Nautolans.
Because the Double XP event requires patching and additional work, the studio has decided to not reactivate it again.
The Subsriber Reward will reward you with a free unlocked Nautolan species if you are an active subscriber to SWTOR at any given time from September 1st at 12:01AM GMT and October 22nd at 11:59PM GMT.
As a special thank you to our Subscribers, any player who is a Subscriber between September 1st and October 22nd will receive the playable Nautolan species at no additional cost! Full details here:https://t.co/hziyJvShoX pic.twitter.com/w46MaJlCXr
— The Old Republic (@SWTOR) August 27, 2019
Let me clarify! This does not mean you have to be subscribed the whole time. If your subscription expires before the launch of the expansion, but you have been an active subscriber at least for a day between September 1st and October 22nd, you will get the species as a gift on day one when Onslaught launches.
If you cannot or don’t want to subscribe before the release of 6.0, but still want to play with the Nautolans – the species will always be available as a separate unlock for Cartel Coins at the In-Game Cartel Market shop.
The Nautolans are a weird species in the Star Wars universe. My favorite too. Ever since I first encountered one of them on Coruscant way back in December of 2011, I wanted to have my own Kit Fisto double in SWTOR. The one huge downside back then (and still!) was the stiffness of the tentacles on their heads. The Species first appeared in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Time your subscription time wisely! If you are an active SWTOR Subscriber when Onslaught launches, you will get it for free too. This expansion will contain the following main features, among many other smaller ones:
- A New Storyline – The armies of the Galactic Republic rally to fend off the overwhelming forces of the Sith Empire as conflict reignites. Both sides are desperate to achieve victory. How far will you go to change the fate of the galaxy?
New Planet: Onderon – On the ancient world of Onderon, untamed jungles and savage beasts hide a conspiracy that could shatter this planet’s ancient allegiance to the Republic forever. - New Planet: Mek-Sha – Built in a mined-out asteroid once controlled by the Hutts, Mek-Sha has become a crossroads for the entire galaxy: a lawless den of smugglers, pirates, mercenaries, traders, and refugees where opportunity and danger can be found in equal measure.
- Corellia Flashpoint – The dramatic finale of the expansion storyline takes place in an all-new area on the classic SWTOR planet Corellia, where the Sith Empire and Galactic Republic are engaged in a brutal struggle around a key shipyard facility. Join the battle and explore this deadly battleground alone or as part of a group!
- Dxun Operation – Dxun, Onderon’s largest moon, is teeming with wild and vicious predators, drawing the attention of the unscrupulous Czerka Corporation as well as a band of fanatical Trandoshan hunters. Gather your friends and prepare for one of the galaxy’s greatest challenges!
While the Dxun Operation’s release date becomes more and more questionable, it will still be on par with the rest of the operations in the game when it comes to availability and limitations. The story content will remain yours to keep forever, meaning once you unlock the five additional levels (new level cap is 75 in 6.0) and the new story content, they will remain available to your future characters at any given point in time.
In case you are wondering if the Nautolans could be released sooner – the answer is a firm no. According to community manager Eric Musco: “Nautolans are tied directly into a lot of other work happening with Onslaught, so there is no opportunity to bring them (or anything else from Onslaught) out before launch.”
Not long ago BioWare announced that the game’s first two expansions also become free-to-play with the release of Onslaught. Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Shadow of Revan will allow you to level up to level 60 completely for free and experience the story content on Makeb, Rishi and Yavin 4 without paying a dollar for that. Of course, all other standard F2P/Preferred limitations will apply, as always.
To keep up with all news on SWTOR’s Game Update 6.0 and the new expansion, check this collection of articles, all under the “SWTOR Onslaught” tag.
If you are a subscriber, you also get access to the Public Test Server (PTS)… when it is active. BioWare brings various systems and features from Onslaught up for testing each week. The new storyline will never be accessible, that’s for sure, but nearly everything else will likely be added to PTS for you to check it out and give your feedback if you wish to.Keep in mind that PTS is literally a separate SWTOR installation. This means you will need to make sure you have enough space on your hard drive and you will also have to download it all first.
