This guide will show and explain how the Galactic Season’s Credit Catch-Up system will function in SWTOR and what you can do with it!
The First Galactic Season in SWTOR is underway at the time of this publication, What you will read below may not apply to future seasons.
BioWare launched the Galactic Seasons system with SWTOR Game Update 6.3. This system is designed to inspire players to play and replay content in the game on regular basis and earn complimentary rewards for their activities.
From the moment the system launched, you have been allowed to purchase Galactic Season levels with Cartel Coins. If you had the money/coins, you could unlock the entire season’s worth of rewards right away. I calculated how much you would need in my Galactic Seasons Guide.
What is the Credit Catch-Up system?
The Credit Catch-Up System for SWTOR’s first Galactic Season starts on May 28th*. From this day on in the next ninety-five (95) days one additional Galactic Season Level will become available for unlocking with the in-game currency – Credits. Starting May 28th, BioWare begins unlocking one Galactic Level per day.
* BioWare originally announced the catch-up system to launch on 27th of May. Shortly after that the developers discovered a calculation mistake in their tools and updated the starting date to be 28th of May. The Credit Catch-Up System actually launched on 28th.
This system is meant to help those of you, who do not participate in the Galactic Season’s activities regularly. If you have not been doing your Daily and Weekly Priority Objectives, you may need this alternative method of gaining levels to guarantee yourself full success when the season ends.
If you are a Subscriber, you earn Galactic Season XP much quicker than Preferred and Free-to-play. Still, the margin for inactivity during the season is not big.
If you are just joining the farm and if you are not a Subscriber on top of that, you will most likely desperately need some form of a catch-up system.
And let’s not forget – one of the main goals of the Credit Catch-Up system is to serve as a Credit Sink. BioWare designs systems like that from time to time in an attempt to balance out the economy in the game and to extract at least a portion of the crazy amounts of Credits generated by the players.
How Credit Catch-Up works?
After May 28th 2021 and in the next ninety-five consecutive days there will be one additional level available for you to catch up to with Credits.
On Thursday, May 28th at 12:00 pm GMT Level 1 of the Galactic Season becomes available. On May 28th at noon GMT Level 2 becomes available.
This means that if you have not been playing SWTOR and have not earned any Galactic Season XP. you will be eligible to unlock Level 1 with Credits starting May 28th.
Here is a quick break-down of the first few levels per day to give you a better idea:
- May 28th, 12:00 pm – Level 1 becomes unlockable with Credits
- May 29th, 12:00 pm – Level 2 becomes unlockable with Credits
- May 30th, 12:00 pm – Level 3 becomes unlockable with Credits
- May 31th, 12:00 pm – Level 4 becomes unlockable with Credits
- June 1st, 12:00 pm – Level 5 becomes unlockable with Credits
- This continues until Level 95 becomes unlockable.
The rest of the Levels up to 100 you will have to earn on your own if you want the rewards.
How to tell when which Galactic System level becomes unlockable?
When you can unlock a Level via the Credit Catch-Up system, it will show the Credit icon on the Level(s) with the phrase “Catch-Up”. When you click on that you will be asked if you want to spend Credits or Cartel Coins.
Who can use this System?
If you are above Reward Level 1 when Catch-Up launches (May 28th), you will not see any change in the Galactic Seasons UI for your characters. If you are new to Galactic Seasons starting on the 28th, you will see Reward Level 1 as an eligible Catch-Up.
Every day a new level unlocks. If at any point during the season you fall behind the current unlockable level, you will be able to catch-up using Credits.
Example: If you have unlocked the Rewards up to Level 12 in the Galactic Season on May 28th, you will not be able to pay with credits to catch up to a higher level on that day. If you remain Level 12 for, say, two weeks, you will then be able to pay with Credits to unlock a couple of new levels that are unlockable with Credits.
If you have been playing the game regularly, chances are you have also unlocked a number of Galactic Season Levels and claimed the rewards. This system will do nothing for you if you do your Priority Objectives and play the game regularly.
This system is intended as a means for players who find themselves coming in late to the Season or falling behind in the progression a chance to catch back up. If you never encounter it, you can rest assured that you are making ample progress in the Season!
How to pay with credits to earn Galactic Season Reward Levels in SWTOR
This is a simple step-by-step explanation of how to use your in-game Credits in SWTOR to pay to level up in the Galactic Seasons systems and earn the rewards attached to each level.
Instructions
- After you log in to SWTOR, open the Galactic Seasons tab. You can do that by clicking on the red button at the top of the vertical menu bar that pops up every time you log in to a character. Alternatively, you can use the main navigation menu (horizontal bar with icons by default) and click on the first icon (Character menu), then open the "Login and Seasons Rewards".
- Click on the "Catch-Up" button on the Galactic Season Level you want to unlock with Credits. Depending on when you do this, you may see a different number of levels available for unlocking with credits. Note that all levels are always available for unlocking with Cartel Coins.
- Click on the left-hand side where it says "Purchase with Credits". If the level you want to unlock cannot yet be unlocked with Credits, you will only see the option to "Purchase with Cartel Coins".
- Back in the Galactic Seasons tab, click to claim the reward that comes with this Level unlocked. Note that if you are not a subscriber, you will not have a guaranteed reward at every Galactic Season Level.
- The item should appear in your Inventory. You will also get a notification in the top center of your screen with an "Open" button when and if that is appropriate for the item you have earned.
Notes
Please read the full guide to get the best and most comprehensive information on how the Credit Catch-Up system works for SWTOR's Galactic Seasons.
How much does Credit Catch-Up cost?
The cost of each Galactic Level works in a similar way as with the Cartel Coins. The amount stacks and multiplies against a base cost. The base Credit cost is 175,000 Credits. Unlike the Jump Ahead cost, however, the cost of each additional Credit Catch-Up grows at an exponential rate.
Below is a list of the first ten Galactic System Levels you can unlock:
Catch-Up #1 = 175,000
Catch-Up #2 = 494,974
Catch-Up #3 = 909,326
Catch-Up #4 = 1,400,000
Catch-Up #5 = 1,956,559
Catch-Up #6 = 2,571,964
Catch-Up #7 = 3,241,045
Catch-Up #8 = 3,959,798
Catch-Up #9 = 4,725,000
Catch-Up #10 = 5,533,986
Note that these are not Galactic System Levels from 1 to 10. These are any first ten levels you use credits to catch-up to during the course of the season.
This guide is based on SWTOR’s David Staats’ forum post announcing the arrival of the Credit Catch-Up System and giving basic understanding of how it works.
For an in-depth course of what is the SWTOR Galactic Season system, check out the dedicated guide for it. If you have missed the most recent update, catch up on what SWTO 6.3 changed and introduces to the game.
