BioWare announced the changes planned for the next patch coming to SWTOR 6.0 Onslaught PTS some time next week. The loot acquisition is being expanded with new loot drops and vendors arriving to the server. The main goal is to adapt the Spoils of War gearing process and respond to the massive player feedback requesting less RNG and more options being available for direct loot drops and more straight-forward vertical progression!
The goal before the SWTOR dev team was for this week to push out a new PTS patch. Unfortunately, some delays caused it to be postponed for “early next week” (I understand this as Tuesday, but it could be Monday).
The good news is that it’s almost Saturday (at the time of this publication… in my area) and the next week is close enough. The sad news is that Phase 2 of PTS feels like it’s being delivered much slower than what I was personally hoping for. October 22 is right around the corner, damn it!
The rest of this post is nearly full copy of what community manager Eric Musco announced today on the forums. He posted a very long message detailing the changes as best as possible. Some of them might seem or feel strange and confusing to you. If so, don’t worry. The Onslaught testing session is kind of a mess. BioWare is rushing to deliver as many of the new Spoils of War systems and mechanics as soon as possible. This results in a lot of chaos and uncertainty in many players with what is available, where and how to get/test it.
The developers promised they have listened to players’ feedback: “We talked about this in the last post but just to reiterate: we hear your concerns about gear dropping too randomly and so we are introducing mechanisms to work towards exactly what you want (with one change from last post).”, said Musco. Here is what you should expect in the next PTS patch:
- New vendors will sell almost every set tactical and set bonus for tech fragments and credits.
- The only items not included on the vendors are set bonus and tacticals that drop directly in Corellia and Dxun, crafted sets and tacticals, and the Onderon Reputation vendor set.
- Corellia and Dxun items can still drop as personal loot anywhere in the game, but they are direct bonus drops in their respective content.
- The Corellia and Dxun items will be added to the vendors in a future patch.
- New items in the future will also appear as targeted drops before appearing on the vendor. These new items can sometimes coincide with new content, other times will just be used to give new drops to existing content (this can include anything: Warzones, Ops, FPs, Heroics, Events, etc)
- Kai Zykken will sell a sampling of set bonuses and tacticals at a reduced price, so you have a reason to check his wares every week.
- In addition, almost every content type in the game has targeted drop tables. The bonus loot that drops from that content pulls from a specific set of items.
Corellia – These items will be bonus drops (in addition to personal loot) from killing any boss in the Flashpoint. Drop chance increases based on difficulty.
- Preserver’s Set (each piece drops individually)
- Luck Always Changes Tactical
Dxun – These items will be bonus drops (in addition to personal loot) from killing specific bosses in the Operation. Drop chance increases based on difficulty. The following sets drop from Dxun bosses:
- Operative / Scoundrel – Authority
- Sniper / Gunslinger – Outlaws
- Merc / Commando – Apex Predator
- PT / Vanguard – Veteran Ranger
- Assassin / Shadow – Rebuking Assault
- Sorc / Sage – Endless Offensive
- Jugg / Guardian – Flawless Riposte
- Mara / Sentinel – Culling Blade
Specific slots drop as follows:
- Boss 1 – Chest
- Boss 2 – Boots
- Boss 3 – Gloves
- Boss 4 – Helm
- Boss 5 – Pants
- All bosses – Belt and Bracers
Following yet another popular community demand – the one for more moddable gear and variety of mods dropping as loot, there are a few changes coming next week that attempt to resolve these issues with the vertical progression.
“We know many of you use modded armor pieces (often with augments) and so will have a desire to move mods around through your gear. This is especially true for weapons since they are currently not in appearance designer.” – Musco said and added the following bulletpoints to illustrate what exactly is being changed:
- All weapons will now be moddable, and drop with mods included.
- This includes both drops and purchased weapons.
- Takatta will now sell mods by type.
- Reminder that anything you purchase from Takatta will always be for your current Discipline and of a higher rating than your character’s current average.
- The starter gear you receive for completing the Onslaught story (full 268 set) was previously static, it will now be moddable with mods included.
- More mods will be dropping in general.
As you know probably already, Onslaught brings back personal loot and cranks it up to eleven. Most of the items you obtain will come through personal loot, which will be more or less tailored to your character, spec and current gear. This may cause a lot of gear and mods swapping, but BioWare is standing their ground and keep repeating that the vertical progression through the many new tiers of gear will be fast and easy.
Personal loot can be any item that is not unique to crafting professions or the new Onderon sets and tactical items. On the Spoils of War live stream Musco and Boyd announced that the goal before the devs is to allow you to play whatever you want and not farm specific content to get the loot you desire. Well, this is not going to be entirely true, of course, but it seems they are getting closer with each patch.
For a finale, let me dump on you the few lists Musco shared. These are items that will drop in crates from dailies, conquest, Flashpoints and Ops bosses and Warzones.
LOOT DROPS FROM DAILY AND WEEKLY CRATES
These items will be available in the crates earned for completing daily and weekly missions anywhere in the game.
Sets
- Probe Tech
- Squad Leader
- Taskmaster’s
- The Final Breath
- Trishin’s Retort
- Stationary Grit
- The Entertainer’s
- Soulbender’s
- Descent of the Fearless
Tacticals
- Durasteel Wall
- Biorhythm
- Greased Lightning
- Rolling Boil
- Reliquary of Time
- Artistic Insights
- T0-R0 Ionic Discharge
- Sniper Siege
- Ultraviolet Blast
- Power Cycle
- Flying Fists
- Friend of the Force
- Storm’s Succor
- A Healing Hand
- Ticking Force Bomb
- Slow Mercy
- Leviathan’s Hide
- No Time for Fools
- Spiteful Saber
- Defel Gene Splicing
- The Prosecution
- Perseverance
LOOT ITEMS AVAILABLE IN THE CONQUEST CRATES
The following items will drop in both the personal Conquest as well as the Guild Conquest crates.
Sets
- The Slow Road
- Tactician
- Precise Targeter
- Hunter Killer
- Tech Medic
- Right Price
- The Victor
- Amplified Champion
- Dire Retaliation
- Efficient Termination
- Death Knell
- Saber Master
- Empowered Restorer
- Revitalized Mystic
- The Undying
Tacticals
- The Life Warden
- Chant of Regeneration
- Higher Focus
- Hidden Power
- Jettison
- Surgical Shiv
- Sonic Heal
- Kolto Bombardment
- An Explosive Return
ITEMS AVAILABLE AS LOOT FROM FLASHPOINTS
Bonus group loot drop, typically off of the last boss. Increased drop chance based on difficulty.
Sets
- Preserver (Corellia only)
- Stimulated
Tacticals
- Luck Always Changes (Corellia only)
- Explosive Cells
- Catalyzed Toxins
- Regenerative Waves
- Ward of the Continuum
- Blade of the Elements
- Severance Pay
- Ruthless Interrogation
- Hord’s Masashi Strike
- Syn’s Second Amulet
- Cut to Pieces
- B-0 Differential Targeting System
- Airborne Agents
- Burning Bright
- Thirsty Blade
- Fanged God Form
- Rocket Fuel Vapors
- Thermal Nuclear Fusion
- HP-5 Dart Device
- Magnetized Shrapnel
- Energized Charges
- Flame Detonation
- Superheated Fuel
- Acid Lash
- Synox Shots
- Diagnositcs Probe
- Hotswap
- Ancient Tome of Wrath
- May Cause Injury
- Two Time Trouble
- Energized Blade
- Flame Dissipation
- Thermal Screen
- One For All
- Refraction Point
- Element Convention
- Tempest of Rho
- Hemophilic Slash
- Stormwatch
- RSVP: Plus One
- The Rushdown
- Malmourral Mask
- Tomb of Smashacre
- Enrage Crush
- Force Barter
LOOT FOUND IN OPERATIONS
Bonus group loot drop, can drop from any boss. Increased drop chance based on difficulty (typically a higher bonus on the last boss).
Sets
- Authority (Dxun Only)
- Outlaws (Dxun Only)
- Apex Predator (Dxun Only)
- Veteran Ranger (Dxun Only)
- Rebuking Assault (Dxun Only)
- Endless Offensive (Dxun Only)
- Flawless Riposte (Dxun Only)
- Culling Blade (Dxun Only)
- Aggressive Treatment
- Established Foothold
- Notorious
- Double Time
- Berserkers
- Shadow Purger
- Gathering Storm
- Lord of Pain
- Dashing Blademaster
Tacticals
- Shroud of a Shadow
- The Awakened Flame
- Quick Escalation
- Jaw Breaker
- Joiner’s Pressure
- A Vicious Cycle
- Internal Strike
- Andeddu’s Malevolence
- Running Rapid Restoration
- Primed Ignition
- Continuous Fire
- Volatile Strike
- Viral Elements
- Critical Surgery
- Powerlode
- Explosive Weaponry
- Oil Fire
- MG-2 Polygrade Dispersal Caps
- Agitating Energies
- Exploited Weakness
- All for One
- Elryin’s Haste
- Mystic’s Ruthless Blade
- Cauterized Coronary
LOOT FROM WARZONES
Bonus drop in addition to your personal loot, rewarded in your crate from completing a Warzone of any kind.
Sets
- Quick Thinker
- Debilitator
- Repositioning
- Game Plan
- Concentrated Fire
- Strategist
- Avenger
- Decelerator
- Murderous Revelation
- Perfect Form
- Nimble Master
- Tormented
Tacticals
- Double Cloak
- Rancor’s Tail
- Grevious Wounds
- Cool Your Jets
- Augmented Holocomm
- Second Contract
- CS-3 Velocity Holo-Dampener
- Endless Barrier
ITEMS FROM THE NEW ONDERON REPUTATION VENDOR
Set
- Dying Precision
This really is a lot of info all at once. Still, though, the Phase 2 is far from completed based on the studio’s original announcement and Phase 3 shapes up to be quite short, despite the fact that it should be the most popular and longest one.
Onslaught launches on October 22, 2019. It delivers five new levels, two new planets, a new Operation and Flashpoint, complete revamp of the gearing system and a lot of other changes.
I was very excited about Onslaught, because of its return to the classic Empire vs Republic narrative and storytelling. However, the troubles that are brewing with the Spoils of War and the tons of RNG being thrown back into the game after we fought so hard and long to get rid of it, all of this makes me feel uneasy and uncomfortable with the new gearing system. BioWare may claim to be listening to our suggestions, but there simply isn’t enough time for all of this to be done properly, so we don’t suffer another “Galactic Command v2.0” disastrous launch.
Are you excited for the expansion? Do you think BioWare will manage to deliver a bug-free product? How do you find the Spoils of War gearing system? I am waiting to hear your things in the comments below!
