After this week’s exciting news about the first SWTOR expansion headed our way in Spring 2013, the official forums were abuzz yesterday with questions, concerns, and a fair bit of fun speculation. Allison Berryman took the time to respond to various threads, adding a bit of developer insight on matters such as the lore and content awaiting players on Makeb, the method that new gear and stats will be introduced in Rise of the Hutt Cartel, and how many new class skills we’ll be seeing.

First, some hints as to how gear progression will work:

Originally posted by AllisonBerryman (Source)

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Hi everyone! While we can’t address every concern raised in this thread right now, we can reassure you that the gear you’ve obtained in our current endgame will continue to be relevant after the expansion is released, and it will provide a great bootstrap into the higher-level content offered by Rise of the Hutt Cartel. You won’t be replacing your Dread Guard gear with gear you pick up as you level, and thanks to improvements in the way item power is calculated, we won’t be handing out any entry-level gear at the new level cap. You’ll hear more about RotHC as we approach its launch, and we’ll continue to answer questions and provide more details!

For the rest of these dev tracker updates, hit “Continue Reading.”

In sharp contrast to the Jedi and Sith who exist separately from the militaries, the armies of the Republic and the Empire have no mystical force to rely on. Their prowess and cunning come from training, discipline, and oftentimes a willingness to do things that a Jedi would cringe at. These front line troops have far more to lose than their Force wielding counterparts, and they know it. Whether they enlist for patriotism or power, to walk onto a battlefield and know that facing down a Jedi or Sith is a possibility takes courage that many in the galaxy don’t have. To come out victorious is an even bigger task.

The men and women in the militaries of Star Wars find themselves facing Rakghouls, Sith and almost every terror the galaxy has. Jump past the cut to learn more about these incredibly soldiers.

What use is it calling yourself the “Protectors of the Galaxy” if you keep yourself from fighting? How can a galaxy at war train a Jedi to learn of peace and knowledge with the threat of impending doom over their heads? While the Jedi Order portrayed in The Phantom Menace and the beginning of Attack of the Clones was one that had flourished in peace, the Great Galactic War breeds an entirely different mindset for these paragons of the Force.

Jump past the cut to read how war can turn a philosopher into a warrior, and if the Order can really uphold its standards while fighting a brutal war.

The Old Republic’s portrayal of the Sith Warrior and the Jedi Knight brings with it the use of lightsaber forms. Each advanced class has the opportunity to specialize in some of these forms, each with its own benefits. Though the game gives us no visual difference between the forms, each fighting style brings its own style that can say a lot about a character’s personality. Iconic characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker had styles that mirrored their own personalities. Your Sith Warrior or Jedi Knight’s style can often say more about your character than their back story can.

Jump past the to see how some of these lightsaber styles can form a great foundation for a new character.

Players of MMORPG’s can oftentimes take the act of healing for granted. Whether it be in roleplaying or simply in-game, the fact that another person can be healed with a few presses of a button and that overall health is represented by a linear green bar can easily skew a person’s view of how difficult the process can be. Even in the Star Wars universe wounds take time and work to heal, whether it be through the power of the Force or through carefully applied kolto and a droid surgeon.

In fact, there are many miraculous and interesting types of medical technology available to both the Republic and Sith. Jump past the cut to learn more.

It is no secret that Star Wars has captured the imaginations of millions of fans across the globe. The plight of the Rebel Alliance, the noble Jedi and vile Sith, and the exciting dog fights in space all contribute to a sci-fi universe that spawned more books and video games than most intellectual properties can even dream about. The Old Republic, for example, only uses the basic framework of the universe and sends us far into the past, yet it still captures the heart of what Star Wars is.

Roleplayers use this setting and take it to the next level by creating their own stories within it. With such a wide open universe, there is plenty of room for these stories. But what makes Star Wars such a fantastic setting for roleplayers and non-roleplayers alike? Jump past the cut to find out how.

What do a noble race of feline humanoids, a horned red-skinned species and a species known for its intricate head-tails and orange skin have in common? The potential for new races in The Old Republic. These three species fit the criteria of being humanoid enough for Bioware to consider including them, unlike the Wookies or Trandoshan, and are also featured in the game heavily enough to warrant consideration.

Jump past the cut to explore a bit about each of these races, and how they might be included. Minor spoilers as to the names of companions will be below.

The galaxy is plagued with all manner of creatures, but few are as dangerous as the Rakghoul. Mindless, feral, and vicious, the Rakghouls have been a plague on the planet Taris for millennia. A literal plague, as a bite or scratch from one of these beasts will gradually turn the victim into one, leaving him wishing he had died from the encounter instead. KOTOR fans will remember these creatures during their debut, and since then their origins have been slowly revealed.

In the Rakghoul’s return in SWTOR, there are numerous hints as to their origin during the Taris quest lines, which may leave players with plenty of questions as to where they came from. Jump past the cut to explore what the Rakghouls have in store.

With The Old Republic’s huge emphasis on good and evil choices, it is easy to divide the galaxy amongst those lines. The Sith follow the dark side, and are evil; the Jedi follow the light side and are good. Even the Jedi tend to view the galaxy with this lens and place all Force users into those two categories. But what of the morally ambiguous path, or those who wish to operate outside of these orders and their goals? These men and women are called the Gray Jedi.

Beholden to no Jedi or Sith code and answering to no one but themselves, this combination seems as though it would lead its followers down the path to the dark side. The Jedi renounce it and the Sith call it weak, but there are those who know better. Click past the cut to find out more.

The Force works in mysterious ways, drawing people together and setting in motion the events that shift the balance of power in the galaxy. This special segment of The Galaxy is Yours will shed light on people, places and events to explore some of the rumors that float around. After all, there are no coincidences or luck; only the will of the Force.

Darth Nihilus and the Sith Emperor never inhabited the same space during their respective reigns, with Nihilus at the forefront of the Great Jedi Purge around 3950 BBY and the Emperor ruling over the hidden Sith Empire for millennia. Despite this, the two share a common theme that may link them to a powerful, yet unexplored technique of the Dark Side. Click past the cut for more, but do note that there are slight spoilers from the Revan novel about the history of the Emperor.