Posts Tagged ‘Planets’

Taris

Taris in the time of The Old Republic is a world sought by for the Republic, for nothing more than a symbolic victory. With their forces stretched thin across the galaxy it is surprising that such a costly endeavour was undertaken, but evidently re-colonising yet another world is worth the many Jedi and technicians working on the job.

Three hundred years before the events of SWTOR, Taris was laid waste to by the Sith, and they conducted genetic experiments on the planets wild life.

This is where we find Taris today. There are mutant critters running around, which are still highly contagious. This has meant the demise of many jedi, and will surely continue to do so in The Old Republic. Republic bases and military outposts account for all of the civilised life on the planet, although if the planet has its way this will change quickly.

There are rumoured to be deadly viruses, which in the past were contained in the lower levels of the surface’s run down metropolis. However, with recent rebuilding and discovery efforts there have been occasional outbreaks, and the ever present threat of the virus escaping in a transport ship off planet is always in the back of the settlers’ minds.

Taris will be a predominantly Republic controlled adventure world. Players will have a chance to gleam some experience against the diverse yet deadly wild life. Perhaps Taris was only added due to its featuring role in the KOTOR games, which explains the lack of content on its surface. Regardless, we expect so see many references to the older games, and perhaps opportunities to visit many sites players will remember.

Korriban

Korriban has long been the ancient home world of the Sith order. Generations lived in the hot and arid environment, as they pondered the ways of the force, and gradually grew stronger, generation by generation, until they were ready to challenge the Republic in what would be come the Great Hyperspace War.

Most players of SWTOR will recognise Korriban from KOTOR one and two, as it was the planet on which Revan and Malak turned to the dark side. This was helped greatly by the planets great Sith heritage, which makes it an incredibly focused location of dark side energy.

At a number of points in time Korriban was completely deserted by the Sith order as the conducted inquests out into the Galaxy. However, for every time they left there has been a return, and the wayward Sith always seem to be able to stumble back again to the planet which nurtured their ancestors.

Korriban is a world incredibly important to any Sith, so as such it is one of the most heavily aligned and fortified in the galaxy. Although it holds minimal strategic value, the Republic would love to possess it no other reason than to crush their opponents morally.

Korriban will be the starting planet for Sith Warriors and Inquisitors. It is located in the Outer Rim, so it is by no means a great galactic crossroads. As it is so tightly in the grasp of the Sith there would be minimal petty crime on the surface, however the number of political and honour-bound assassinations is surely astronomical.

Players that have played Bioware’s previous games set in The Old Republic will be familiar with the planet, and we can expect to see many of the features from those games. This will mean a grand Sith Academy along with Ancient tombs, and perhaps if we are lucky some invisible lizards waiting at every turn…

Hoth

Where would we be without Hoth. This entirely unremarkable planet has been central to Star Wars galactic events over the millennia, and it seems this will be no different in Star Wars The Old Republic.

According to Old Republic lore, Hoth was the location of a major battle of the great law, which saw many damaged ships finding themselves crashing into the surface of the planet. However, when space craft in the Star Wars universe begin uncontrolled descents straight down at a planet’s surface they survive mostly in tact, so there is now a wealth of advanced technology all over the planet’s surface. This has been preserved to an extent by the cold, so it is now ready to be salvaged by any prospecting marauders that just happen to be passing through the system.

Evidently, this is what happened, and a major pirate operation went under-way (they are organised now??) to reclaim this abandoned technology and sell or use it for whatever nefarious purpose they see fit.

After the treaty of Coruscant, with the Republic and Empire no longer officially at each other’s throats, both sides decided they had enough resources to spare to make a move on Hoth to reclaim whatever they could find.

Regardless of any peace treaties, this brought war to the planet between the two major super powers, and the poor innocent pirates caught in the middle. This will make Hoth both a good PvP and PvE zone. Players will undoubtedly have quests focused around salvaging items, as well as defending good quality junk from the opposing factions. There are also likely to be missions conducted against the Pirates, in order to re claim some of the loot they accrued whilst the major factions were beating each other up at the other side of the galaxy.

Hoth looks very similar to what it did in the Star Wars Saga, so you can expect ice, snow, and blizzards. We at SWTOR Republic feel this is kind of disappointing. It would have been nice to have seen a lush green Hoth, the precursor to that which had been afflicted with an Ice Age two millenniums into the future.

Alderaan

Alderaan will unsurprisingly be one of the most important and affluent worlds in The Old Republic. Since the early days of galactic government, it’s long line of nobility has been at the forefront of inter-system politics. However, the Treaty of Coruscant did not sit well with many of the nobility, and this saw the planet’s withdrawal from the Republic. Unfortunately this opinion on intergalactic politics was not shared by vast swathes of the population, so consequently decades of civil war were to follow.

Alderaan still has an environment that is just the way it has been for millennia, which is quite a rarity during the times of The Old Republic. It’s environment is a peaceful one, devoid of many of the large predators found on other more treacherous worlds. The planet’s tranquillity attracts many tourists, and is perhaps what inspires their political traditions of peace and understanding.

During the Great War Alderaan was temporarily invaded by the Empire, but this occupation has left its mark on the environment, as well as the people. Some of its noble families have since adopted parts of the Empire’s mentality, which has sparked a number of problematic recent events.

More and more we are seeing both the Republic and Empire lend their support to the noble families of the planet which is only throwing more fuel on the potential blaze that is Alderaan during the events of SWTOR.

From the video Hope we are already aware that Alderaan will be one of the major war zones of TOR. There will be large Jedi and Sith forces on the ground, with many opportunities for both player vs player and player vs computer combat. This should make Alderaan a very popular locale for advanced players, although the thought of huge amounts of combat happening at a world famous for its peaceful ways may seem odd to many.

Throughout all Star Wars literature a large focus has been on Alderaan and it’s inhabitants, so it really came as no surprise when it was included in SWTOR. Lets just hope that the developers can portray the mythical planet in all its glory, as never before have fans really had the opportunity to explore it.

Ord Mantell

Ord Mantell is another planet which has featured in many Star Wars Books, Comics and Games. In The Old Republic it is like most of the galaxy at the time, a very violent planet. Decades of civil war have laid waste to its environment, and the fighting between Republic troops and the separatists resisting their rule does not look like it shall cease in the foreseeable future.

 

Ord Mantell was apparently settled during the early days of the Republic by Corellian colonists, so it is another very humanised world. Also like Corellia, it became something of a breeding ground for Smugglers, Bounty Hunters and other even less classy characters.

The signing of the Treaty of Coruscant marked the start of Ord Mantell’s civil war, as many underground groups wanted to see the planet pry itself free of the controlling hand of the Republic. Ord Mantell is currently the starting planet for Republic Troopers and Smugglers, so it will most likely be a low level world providing many missions for them to train on. They will get a chance to face off against less organised separatist factions whilst still on planet before their journeys take them out into the Galaxy to join the fight against the Empire. This should make it an ideal place for these players to learn their trades, as it will simulate the war torn environment that is most of the Republic during the events of SWTOR.

Before SWTOR Ord Mantell appeared in Star Wars Galaxies, although only as a space zone. Players were able to travel there to accept various pilot missions, although their ships were restricted to landing at the orbital space station.

Corellia

Corellia has always been one of the galactic centres of commerce, trade and humanity. It was one of the founders of The Galactic Republic, and continues to play a major part in galactic affairs during the events of SWTOR.

Many Corellians have gone on to achieve galactic fame during The Old Republic, as well as in later eras such as the Galactic Civil War where the Corellian Han Solo played a major role.

The capital of Corellia is Coronet City, which is one of the few galactic centres able to rival the grandeur of the Coruscant skyline. Additionally, it is a more refined and organised city, with park lands and public spaces in space of the rotting sub levels and basements which make up the Coruscant underworld.

Although Corellia is supposed to have unswerving loyalty to the Republic, during SWTOR it appears that something has happened to cut off a majority of it’s communications with the outside galaxy. Prior to the communications blank many unsubstantiated rumours circulated detailing increasing Imperial presence on the planet, as well as the possibility of corrupt Sith influence in the highest levels of government.

Recently Holo-vids from the planet’s surface have shown violent riots and skirmishes across the capital Coronet. Although they are not obviously caused by Imperial forces, terrorism is rather the apparent protagonist, the sly hand of the Sith is suspected to be pulling many of the strings.

As Corellia is a major player in intergalactic politics, the Republic will stop at nothing to protect its interest there, and we can expect an impending occupation by their forces.

In SWTOR Corellia will present an interesting battleground between Republic and Imperial forces, as well as whatever terrorist organisations may be present. It is a world famous for its disregard for the law, so we will undoubtedly see the Han Solos of the old republic plying their trade there.

Balmorra

Balmorra is another politically independent planet in the SWTOR galaxy, although it is occupied by the Empire during the events of the game.

Balmorra has a history in advanced weapon and droid development, making it an incredibly valuable asset for either side. As Balmorra had for a long time been under the control of the Republic it came as no surprise that a Sith invasion force arrived to take control.

The republic are said to have fought long and hard, until the last man, however their stretched military forces could not keep the Empire at bay forever. After signing the Treaty or Coruscant, and officially declaring peace, the Republic was politically forced to withdraw its last garrison from this now Sith world.

Although the Republic had left, the citizens of Balmorra were not going to let the Sith take complete control. Resistance groups dotted all over the planet began to spring up, and many attempts were made to fight back against their oppressive imperial government.

Many years later after a number of successful campaigns in the war the Republic returned some troopers to Balmorra, but they were met with hostility by not only the Sith, but the Balmorrans too. They had been abandoned when they were on the brink of defeat, and were not about to forgive or forget.

Balmorra should prove to be an interesting planet in SWTOR. We know it is not a starting planet for any class, so it is likely to hold many upper level missions and quests. There should be some three way fighting between the Balmorrans, Sith and Republic forces. This will not only provide a lot of combat action, but It will present many opportunities for more unscrupulous players to turn a hefty profit. As it is also a droid and weapons research planet, we will also see many opportunities to take advantage of advanced technology, for whatever nefarious purposes the players decide.

Although the jury is still out on just exactly what Balmorra will give to players, we can be sure that It will be an exciting planet and a prime destination for anyone looking for adventure, or just a fight.

Belsavis

Belsavis is a cold and predominantly ice covered world, with the occasional temperate zone due to volcanic activity.

According to SWTOR lore, Belsavis is a prison world developed by the Rakatan Empire many centuries ago. It is said to be home to many alien predators and ‘nearly unstoppable droids’ (regardless of the fact that they must be hundreds of years out of date).

After the Republic stumbled upon the world and found these super-prisons in increasing states of disrepair, they did the only responsible thing they could do and started sending their own prisoners of war there. This added Mandalorians and Sith Lords to the fray, leading to quite a volatile free for all.

Of course, the Empire was not happy to have their fearless warriors locked away, especially in an under-ice prison with all kinds of other riff raff. It is no surprise then that they searched for and found Belsavis (nothing ever seems to stay hidden), then sent in a small army to try and liberate their captive brethren.

This brings us nicely to when the events of SWTOR are set, the Empire is attempting to free their fellows, and the Republic is trying to hang on to and subdue their prisoners.

This makes Belsavis another major theatre of the war in SWTOR. It is likely to present players with a combination of PVP (Player versus Player) and PVE (Player vs Computer) combat, as well as numerous missions revolving around restraining or breaking out prisoners. Outside of the Republic and Empire outposts, most of Belsavis will be as it is naturally, along with ruins of the prisons and other Rakatan relics scattered around.

Belsavis should prove to be an interesting field of battle against both opposing factions and marauding escaped prisoners bent on causing mayhem.

Quesh

Quesh is one of the most environmentally challenging planets planned for SWTOR. It is evidently full of naturally occurring poisons that both sides of the war seem bent on obtaining, in order to turn them into healing and stimulating substances of some kind. They are hence very valuable, so we may see many prospecting players heading there with the hopes of obtaining (or stealing) these resources.

According to the SWTOR ‘history’ the useful nature of these chemicals was discovered by a Republic scientists, which prompted the Republic (in league with the Hutts) to start up bases to harvest them. Things were getting along rosy and fine, however some other Hutt clans, in league with the Sith Empire, decided that the resources were too good to let fall into Republic hands and launched a full scale attack on the planet, which rages on during the events of Star Wars The Old Republic.

From this background, it seems that Quesh will be one of the battle hubs of the galaxy. It is a fairly un-developed world, however there are evidently cities scattered around which could provide bases for the opposing factions. There will undoubtedly be PvP zones in which players can contend for these mysterious green chemicals, and there also appears to be at least some life native to the planet which players could attack (or fall prey to). Perhaps there will be an additional need for the smugglers of the galaxy to transport these chemicals back to fortified Republic worlds, and where there is a need for smugglers, there will be a need for bounty hunters to chase them down and prevent their slipping into the relative safety of hyperspace.

All in all Quesh looks like a good choice of battle ground as it combines both open plains and fortified areas, and seems (at least from the concept art) to have a nice ‘mining outpost’ feel to it.

Coruscant

If there is a dark center of the SWTOR galaxy, then Coruscant is the place farthest from it.
Coruscant is, as I am sure you know, the capital of the Republic and the location of its central government.

The planet embodies all that is Star Wars, with a surface covered in endless skyscrapers and industry. As our trusty canon has it, due to the constant construction that has been taking place on Coruscant for thousands of years, the surface of the planet has long since been left behind. Instead, there are layers upon layers of abandoned buildings, sub levels and foundations inhabited by the things that go bump in the night.

Due to its endless cityscape, Coruscant is a big, fat, technological monster, which more than anything needs to be fed. With a population of over one trillion, and approximately zero square kilometres set aside for agriculture, Coruscant needs to import huge amounts of food, water and natural resources. While this does fuel a huge trade industry, it also makes the planet incredibly vulnerable to any kind of siege, something which the Sith can, have, and will ultimately take advantage of.

Because of its highly industrialised nature, Coruscant is unlikely to have many open spaces. This will make it a hub of trading and quest assignment for players in the SWTOR galaxy, rather than a battleground or training area. As depicted in the films, almost all transport on Coruscant is of the airborne variety, so perhaps we may (hopefully!) see some kind of atmospheric flight in SWTOR for getting around (even if we ARE constricted to lanes between high-rises).

In SWTOR, as in the Star Wars universe, Coruscant will be the galactic hub of honourable (and not so honourable) trading, and will undoubtedly be full of players setting up groups, organising guilds, and preparing to venture out into the galaxy.