BioWare is ready with the final phase of testing for the next expansion to SWTOR called Onslaught. Update 6.0 is expected to introduce a very big change in how players progress through the tiers of gear and the methods of obtaining their end-game equipment. After two initial phases and a lot of smaller patches in-between, the last and most interesting Phase 3 is starting now. This article will help you understand what is new, what has been changed, how to access PTS, what can you play and what rewards await you for helping the developers shape up this expansion’s new system – the Spoils of War!
Phase 3 is the final segment of BioWare’s planned testing period that started a couple of months ago. It launched yesterday, but a severe bug that allowed players to access the final story chapter on Corellia, made the developers take it all down again and patch it up. The patch went live as of right now.First, Phase 3 is only going to be available on PTS for about two weeks. The release date for Onslaught is set for October 22. Before that BioWare would need a week or two for final testing and possible implementation of any last-minute updates or fixes based on player feedback or QA (quality assurance) members.
WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON PTS IN PHASE 3
What is currently available on PTS in Phase 3? Everything. Well, except for the new story from the Expansion, of course.
The Loot acquisition system is fully functional in all instances and aspects of the game. This includes the previously promised and announced as coming soon increase of loot gained among many other improvements compared to Phase 2.
The items that you receive from loot now take your current Discipline and Item Rating into account. This, unfortunately, confirms the fact that you will be forced to wear “green” gear to increase your chance of a higher tier item dropping for you. In some cases the old methods of gearing will still be valid. Like for example the Operations will drop loot based on difficulty. Same goes for Flashpoints and PvP as well.
You would be better off placing the “crappy” item into your character to increase your chances of a higher one dropping for you on your next run. The system is designed to slowly push you forward. Random loot drops (which are everywhere now) will take your current gear rating into account and roll for a slight increase in stats and rating for your next gear drop.
All other elements of Spoils of War are now fully implemented into the game on PTS as well. This includes all Tacticals, Amplifiers, the new system for deconstructing gear and a few new vendors. Some of these you have already seen in previous installments of PTS, but others will be new or fully functional ones that were simply a placeholder earlier.
The new operation on Dxun is also available in both Story and Veteran mode difficulties with its loot acquisition functioning (hopefully) normally. To start the new ops, your only way is to use the “bridge to nothing” from the Odessen Landing plaform. Be aware that this is only a temporary feature for PTS. This will not be how you enter the Operation on the live servers once the expansion is released.
Onderon! That’s right! One of the two new planets is available for exploration. Its story is not, of course. The Daily area and missions are functional, however. You do not need to complete anything to access the dailies. Simply go there, pick them up and start working towards their completion.You can explore the reputation vendors’ items as well to see what you will be able to earn and use to customize your characters on the live servers later this month. Some secrets are already in place for the most curious explorers.
The four new Datacrons that are known to be part of the two new worlds coming with Onslaught, may change their locations or pathways for the full release, but it’s nice to know that we have more Datacrons to discover in the game once again!
WHAT DOES BIOWARE ASK OF YOU AS A TESTER
The most simple thing you should do is log in to the game on PTS and just enjoy any activity. As you play your favorite elements of the game, solo or with friends/randoms, monitor your character’s development and progress. Notice how you acquire loot, how much, what items you get. Pay attention to any major differences or annoying bugs and share your feedback on the forums.
Here are the bullet-points that the official Phase 3 announcement shares in regards to player feedback:
- How is the balancing between Set Bonuses, Tacticals, Amplifiers, stats, and overall builds? Is anything too strong or too weak?
- Have you played through Dxun? Are there parts that are too easy or too hard? If so, where and how?
- How does PvE balance feel? In what ways would you adjust it? Do Story/Veteran/Master Modes reflect the proper difficulty in both new and old content?
- What about the balancing for PvP? Are there any abilities that should be adjusted? Should Amplifiers be enabled for Ranked PvP?
- Have you completed any of the Onderon Daily Missions? Are any of them too easy or too challenging?
- What about the Mek-Sha Heroics? With the proper amount of people, are any of them too easy or too challenging?
The most noticeable and interesting is the question where you want or not for the Amplifiers to be allowed and included as a factor in Ranked PvP. Originally BioWare declared that the Amplifier bonuses are above the targeted DPS and healing targets for each class and discipline in any respective tier of gear for Onslaught.
The Amplifiers system is a sea of RNG on top of more RNG with a big credits sink on the top of the chain. Before you answer with your thoughts, you should carefully consider… your luck! Ha!
HOW WILL BIOWARE REWARD YOU FOR TESTING SWTOR 6.0
If you have read my previous 6.0 PTS articles you know about the two achievements and the big reward for completing both of them. The catch here is that the Achievement from Phase 2 will still count in Phase 3. This means that if you missed to complete it for whatever reason, you can still log in to PTS in Phase 3 and complete both achievements to get the “awesome new log-mount”. It truly is… well… Breathtaking! No, I really mean it!
Its usefulness is, however, severely limited. The Log-mount looks very cool, but moves incredibly slow. It is only for show-off purposes and perhaps it might inspire some fun role-playing events. I don’t see any other benefits of it.
“In addition to the Achievement to complete five group activities added in Phase 2, we’ve added a new Achievement to complete ten group activities in this round of testing. If you haven’t earned the first Achievement, you still have time! Even though it was brought in with Phase 2 of PTS, you can still gain credit for it and the new Achievement by completing ten group activities.” – BioWare via SWTOR.com
Here are the rewards for each achievement:
- Complete the first PTS achievement – The Strike Team Specialist and Strike Team Commander Character Titles.
- Complete the second PTS achievement – The new Kai Zykken MK-85 Test Log Mount. Warning – Mount may move at the speed of an actual log.
The titles and mount will be delivered to you via an in-game mail on the live servers with the launch of Onslaught on October 22nd.
HOW TO GET TO PTS AND TRY ONSLAUGHT BEFORE LAUNCH
The main requirement to be able to install and access the Public Test Server of SWTOR is to be an active subscriber. From there on it’s simple. An extra bonus to being a subscriber right now is the fact that you will also get the Nautolan species for free on October 22nd as well.
Important to note is that the PTS is a separate instance of the game. This means that if you are installing it for the first time now, you will need to make sure you have a lot of free space on the same drive and be patient as it is basically a new installation of SWTOR that you have to wait out.
My easy-to-follow SWTOR PTS Installation Guide will lead you through all the steps so you can get on it and start playing and testing.
How do you feel about Onslaught? Do you count the days and hours before its release or are you patiently awaiting to see if the new story and content will be to your liking before you jump into the game?
