BioWare has announced SWTOR update 7.1.1. Jackie Ko, Eric Musco, and Chris Durel revealed details about the next batch of upcoming balance changes to combat styles and Galactic Season 3 plans.
There is no release date revealed yet for SWTOR 7.1.1, but we at least know now that this is the next game update in the works. BioWare brings more Combat Style Balance Changes to Operative/Scoundrel, Sniper/Gunslinger, Mercenary/Commando, Powertech/Vanguard, Sorcerer Sage and Assassin/Shadow. Along with these Galactic Season 3 will also begin with 7.1.1.
7.1.1 Combat Style Balance Changes list
Chris Durel announced a bunch of balance changes that will be coming to specific disciplines and combat styles in 7.1.1:
UPDATE: BioWare forgot to add a few changes coming to Sorcerer / Sage DPS and a tweak to the new AP / Tactics tactical. They have been added to this article.
Operative / Scoundrel
General
- Evasion / Dodge now additionally lowers threat by a moderate amount and lasts 1 second longer.
- Quick Countermeasures / Strategic Surrender and Sly Countermeasures / Sly Surrender now additionally grant 60% AoE damage reduction while Evasion / Dodge is active.
- This now additionally works with the Evasive Screen / Skedaddle mod.
Medicine / Sawbones
- Reduced the Kolto Burst / Medical Burst mod’s healing on secondary targets by 50%.
- The Kolto Stim / Underworld Tactics mod now additionally grants 10% increased healing to Kolto Injection.
- Reduced the healing received bonus given by Nano Mark / Kolto Mark mod from 20% to 10%.
- Redesigned “Defensive Injection” / Defensive Medicine mod, which is now called “Reactive Substance”, and does the following: Kolto Injection applies a reactive substance to the target for 10 seconds. If the target is dealt damage during this time, they are healed. Stacks up to 2 times.
Concealment / Scrapper
- Reduced the bonus critical hit damage while Stim Boost / Pugnacity is active from 20% to 15%.
- The Tactical “Acid Lash” no longer improves the damage of Acid Blade / Flechette Round.
- Increased the duration of the Advanced Stealth mod effect from 4 to 6 seconds.
- Increased the duration of the Tactical Critical / Upper Critical mod effect from 4 to 6 seconds.
- Increased the damage reduction per stack from the Defensive Stance mod from 3% to 5%.
- The Best Defense mod now adds a life steal component to Crippling Slice / Shank Shot.
- Increased the movement speed bonus granted by Quick Countermeasures / Strategic Surrender from 50% to 100%.
Sniper / Gunslinger
Marksmanship / Sharpshooter
- Target Acquired / Illegal Mods now generates a charge of Laze Target / Smuggler’s Luck whenever it is activated.
- Lazer Focus / Lucky Thoughts no longer relies on critically hitting the target to lower the cooldown on Laze Target / Smuggler’s Luck but instead has a 50% chance to do so whenever dealing damage.
Mercenary / Commando
Bodyguard / Combat Medic
- Increased the healing done by Rapid Scan / Medical Probe, Emergency Scan / Bacta Infusion, Progressive Scan / Successive Treatment, Kolto Missile / Kolto Bomb, and Kolto Pods by 2%.
- Increased the critical healing bonus given by Warden / Potent Medicine from 5% to 10%.
- Increased the healing bonus given by the Integrated Scanning / Integrated Probes mod from 3% to 5%.
- Increased the critical chance bonus to Healing Scan / Advanced Medical Probe from Critical Scanning / Critical Probes mod from 5% to 10%.
Powertech / Vanguard
Advanced Prototype / Tactics
- Magnetic Blast / Tactical Surge damage reduced by 14%.
- Power Burst / High Yield Explosives mod stacks damage bonus reduced to 4% per stack down from 5% per stack. (total of 16% damage bonus to thermal det down from 20%).
- Serrated Blades damage reduced to 5% down from 15%. (combined into Prototype Rail / High Friction Bolts)
- Blood Tracker / Triumph damage increase to bleeding targets is reduced to 3% down from 5%.
- Lingering Heat / Superheated Cells damage reduced by 50%.
- New Tactical: Powered Detonator (Burst) – Thermal Detonator / Assault Plastique remains dormant on the target for 12 seconds, and can be detonated by Magnetic Blast / Tactical Surge, Energy Burst / Cell Burst, or Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt. Depending on which is used, a different effect is applied:
- Magnetic Blast / Tactical Surge: Slows the target by 50% for 10 seconds.
- Energy Burst / Cell Burst: The cooldown of Rocket Punch / Stockstrike is reset and its next activation costs no Heat / Energy Cells.
- Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt: Your next Shoulder Cannon missile deals 20% more damage.
Pyrotech / Plasmatech
- Charged Gauntlet’s / Hyper Assault Cell’s critical damage bonus for Searing Wave, Flaming Fist, Scorch, and Immolate is now 10% down from 15%.
- Reduced the damage bonus given from Burnout to Immolate / Plasma Flare from 40% to 30%.
Sorcerer / Sage
Corruption / Seer
- Increasing the healing given by Penetrating Darkness / Clairvoyance to Renewal and Resurgence / Rejuvenate from 10% to 15%.
- Dark Heal / Benevolence now gains a 60% healing increase up from 50% from Dark Concentration / Altruism.
- Each stack of Corrupted Bastion / Resurging Power increases the healing done by Dark Heal / Benevolence, Rally / Keeper of the Peace, Dark Infusion / Deliverance by 5% per stack up from 3% per stack.
Madness / Balance
- New Tactical: Killing Field (AOE) – Death Field / Force in Balance slows targets it affects by 50%. Force Storm / Forcequake deals 15% more damage to slowed targets.
- As part of Disintegration / Critical Kinesis, Death Field / Force in Balance and Death Brand / Shifted Balance grant Vitiate’s Malice / ???, giving Force Lightning / Telekinetic Throw 20% Lifesteal for 12 seconds.
- Force Horrors / Drain Thoughts now increases periodic damage by 20% up from 15%.
- Lightning Barrage / Psychic Projection now reduces Force Lightning / Telekinetic Throw’s damage dealt by 20% down from 25%.
- Tempest of Rho now correctly applies a 50% chance for Force Lightning / Telekinetic Throw to trigger Creeping Terror / Sever Force down from 75%.
Lightning / Telekinetics
- The critical hit damage boost provided by Reverberating Force has been reduced to 12% down from 15%.
- Thundering Blast / Turbulence The second arc of damage from Thundering Blast / Turbulence provided by Forked Darkness / Mental Momentum deals 20% of Thundering Blast / Turbulence’s damage down from 25%.
- Stormwatch damage decreased by 4%
- The cast time of Halted Offensive / Power of the Force is now 3s up from 2.5s. Alacrity still affects cast time.
- Decrease Halted Offensive / Power of the Force damage by 15%.
- Convection / Clamoring Force now grants an additional effect: Thundering Blast / Turbulence grants Reserved Darkness / ???, making Dark Heal / Benevolence an instant cast and increases its healing by 30%. Stacks up to 2 times.
Assassin/ Shadow
Deception / Infiltration
- The damage done by the Awakened Flame tactical has been increased by 10%.
- Changed Severing Slash / Cleaving Cut to additionally grant damage reduction per target hit.
- Redesigned “May Cause Injury” Tactical to grant the AOE version of Discharge / Force Breach more often. It now reads: Gaining a stack of Voltage / Clairvoyance causes your next Discharge / Force Breach to arc to multiple targets.
Hatred / Serenity
- Changed the Two Time Trouble tactical so that it can no longer tick from Saber Strike damage.
- Fulguration / Rebounding Force now restores 5 Force when Lightning Charge / Force Technique deals damage, up from 3.
- Increased the damage bonus given by Pervasive Death / Pervasive Balance to Death Field / Force in Balance from 10% to 15%.
- Hungering Force / Longing Force now additionally grants a critical hit damage bonus of 5%.
- Increased lifesteal amount from Severing Slash / Cleaving Cut from 25% to 50%
Darkness / Kinetic Combat
- Changed the Severing Slash / Cleaving Cut effect for Darkness / Kinetic Combat to root its target for 2 seconds, followed by a 3-second slow. Severing Slash Cleaving Cut no longer grants damage reduction for this discipline.
7.1.1 Changes analysis and first thoughts
Like with the 7.1 changes, I plan to have detailed analyses of buffs and nerfs to individual combat styles in the coming days, but I wanted to go over some overall trends here first.
Overall, these changes should narrow the range between the high and low end in terms of DPS and HPS, though tanks haven’t really been addressed yet and there are some significant issues there especially with Assassin / Shadows compared to Juggernaut / Guardian and Powertech / Vanguard.
With healers, BioWare appears to be leaning more towards buffing Sorcerer / Sage and Mercenary / Commando healing to be more in line with what Operative / Scoundrel is currently capable of while Operative / Scoundrel had a lot of their ability tree choices rebalanced such that each choice is more about picking the right tool for the job and less about some options being clearly stronger than others.
With DPS on the other hand, BioWare seems to be leaning more towards nerfing the best-performing DPS as opposed to significantly the low-performers. In other words, mDPS won’t have quite as much of an advantage against rDPS when it comes to damage output because they’ll be weaker. This approach for DPS is particularly concerning given that NiM raids and IP-CPT already feature pretty tight DPS checks with 330 gear.
The Powertech / Vanguard DPS changes are a bit puzzling to me because it doesn’t seem like they’re overperforming, though I’ll have more to say about them (and the other balance changes) in standalone articles.
If you want more, check out the dedicated analysis articles about each combat style and their disciplines:
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Assassin and Shadow Changes Overview and Analysis
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Lightning Sorcerer and Telekinetics Sage Changes Overview and Analysis
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Madness Sorcerer and Balance Sage Changes Overview and Analysis
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Operative and Scoundrel DPS Changes Overview and Analysis
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Healer Balance Changes Overview and Analysis
- SWTOR 7.1.1 Powertech and Vanguard DPS Changes Overview and Analysis
Galactic Season 3 and new Strongholds details
We don’t have too much information about what Galactic Season 3 will contain yet other than that it’s coming with 7.1.1.
The dev team plans to go over the rewards in the coming weeks (offering some hints on the 7.1.1 release timeline) but Eric Musco clarified that GS3 will not be accompanied by a new Stronghold (source: SWTOR Forums).
He said that they’re “tentatively looking to add a new SH with GS4 next year“, but it sounds like it’s still in the early planning stages and it might not even be connected to Galactic Seasons. They have no locations to announce at this time either.
BioWare has catered to player desires with strongholds in the past. Alderaan was easily one of the most requested planets and we ended up with that gargantuan Noble Estate Stronghold.
Many players also wanted smaller places to decorate, so we got the Fleet Penthouses. According to a recent reddit discussion thread posted by u/Nocturne3750, it seems that some of the most popular future locations include Zakuul and Oricon.
A stronghold on Zakuul has been an insanely popular request basically since we got to visit Kaliyo’s apartment in Chapter X: Anarchy in Paradise, though it seems BioWare has been hesitant to return to Zakuul.
Some players have expressed a preference for taking over Vaylin’s palace, but given that she managed to sneak away in a new body at the end of Echoes of Oblivion, I think we would need to fight her for it.
Oricon would probably be easier to make since it could literally just be the conquered Dread Palace.
That said, the main room in the Alderaan SH with the gorgeous stained glass window is quite similar to the layout of the Dread Palace. Given that it’s one of the most challenging areas to decorate in the game, it may not be the best spot to have such a stronghold.
Of course, this is just speculation and I doubt BioWare has even made a decision yet. They could easily surprise us as they did with the Manaan Stronghold and Umbara Stronghold.
Will There Be Story Content in SWTOR 7.1.1
BioWare didn’t mention anything about story content with their announcements today. Back in 6.0, BioWare said they wanted to include story updates with all major updates (7.1, 7.2, 7.3, etc.), so 7.1.1 doesn’t qualify.
It’s possible they could include a single scene as they did for many of the smaller updates in 6.0 like the little Alliance / Hand of the Empire / Task Force Nova conversations with Shae Vizla and Jekiah Ordo, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
