f13.net

Raises the level cap to 55 (yay, Mudflation), costs $20 ($10 for subscribers) and adds a planet, and the usual stuff, all fully voiced.

Not much other info I see, other than preorders before Jan 7 get a 5 day headstart.

I like how the cash shop is mentioned right in the title.

This is pretty much my breaking point. No story updates in (what will be) over a year, and the first one we do finally get, everyone has to pay for.

If the last four months of patches hadn't been half-assed rush jobs that seem to break more than they add (never mind the glaring class balance issues that haven't been touched since June), I'd probably be a little more amenable to the concept. Having a price tag attached is no guarantee of quality, especially with this understaffed dev team.

I'm not really going to get bent out of shape over a $10 expansion. With only a 5 level bump I'm guessing this is Makeb.

I wonder if they're going to bump the current endgame content up 5 levels? Because it seems unlikely this will provide an equivalent number of new FPs.

Price point doesn't look too bad to me. Them monetizing story content was kind of expected, after all.

But the level 85 thing doesn't look like a good strategy for them unless they plan to bump everything 5 levels / use some sort of as-yet-unrevealed-but-probably-based-on-WF-bolstering scaling tech. Will it include a gear reset? [noting that high-end epic gear is the equivalent of level 60 stuff already]

Wow, a whole 1 planet for an expansion?

Expansions since forever have only been a thirteenth month subscription to contribute to the content additions needed to keep you interested. So at $10 I'm not at all fussed, but do wonder if lack of new content is going to start to become a thing.

My guess is this is an extra 5 levels of planet trash quests that will probably only give us a couple more buttons to press and a free round of 140ish rated gear. But new gear can then be limited to level 55.

They don't mention any addition to the class stories. Assuming that is because there is no addition, I'll be interested to see how that how that goes down.

Evidence has been pointing toward more of a WoW-style overarching faction story as the way things are happening going forward instead of eight individual class stories. If we ever see individual class stories again, I will be stunned.

It doesn't help that top-end PvE folks aren't likely going to see a new raid until at least April either.

Kinda what happens when you fire like 2/3rds of your staff because the game dared to not score 11 million subs in 6 months.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=5600140#post5600140

Will my companions actually talk to me again?

Why the fuck do we need 5 more levels in this game?

I can't say I'm happy about this. As it is I don't care about level 50 stuff. If there's no class storylines I don't see why I'd bother. I didn't much care for Ilum (only played it with my sniper for a day or two) I don't see why this will be different.

Raising the level cap is dumb. This game, more than any other, doesn't need to raise the level cap to provide reasons for people to do the new fucking content. And I don't want any more fucking buttons. ><

Your companions probably won't talk until their F2P model takes off (if ever) and they can justify spending extra money on non-essential bells and whistles like that.

There are an extra 5 levels because they couldn't sell it as an expansion if it didn't add additional levels. This seems like patch content that was adjusted to meet the requirements to be called an "expansion". Imagine if Rift's Ember Isle patch included 5 additional levels and cost $10-20 and you're probably not far off.

Hmm $10 for five more levels and a new planet with voice-overs?  I'm OK with it.  How much do they charge for ME3 DLC's?  MoP was $30 for five more levels right? 

Right now I'm pretty happy they are adding a planet WITH v/o, I'd like to see that happen twice a year personally. 

But their bug-filled patches are annoying, you've got to wonder how buggy the new planet will be.  I don't think QA is a real high priority at Bioware.

Five more talent points is going to fuuuuuuuuuuck class balance. So Hard.


So fucking hard.

Assuming they give us 5 new talent points.

I'd be surprised if they do.

The extra levels won't do anything except gate any gear added to post expansion raids. And probably give Ingmar's JK another 4 buttons to moan about.

Why have god damn levels if you aren't going to use it to add stuff forward?

Now that I re-read it, the teaser page does say skill points.

TWENTY FUCKING BUCKS for the latest one. I skipped it.

Yes, they finally priced DLC for a Bioware game high enough that Sjofn didn't buy it.

Wow, didn't know it was THAT high!  So you gave us a shit ending and now want us to shell out $20 for DLC?  Be silent and seize my currency!

 

The paid one before that (the whoops, those endings DID fucking blow, our bad DLC was free) was ... $15? I think? I've already forgotten for sure, but I do remember thinking "man this is RIGHT on the edge of what I'm willing to pay versus what I get for it," and then they jacked the price up again for the Omega DLC.

That's a really unfair comparison. MOP launch added a new landmass with 8.5 new zones filled with quests (and plenty of new enemy models), 6 completely new dungeons, 4 remade dungeons, 7 scenarios (3-man minidungeons completely new to MOP), 2 new battlegrounds/warzones along with a new arena map, 3 raids, and two entirely new systems (pet battles and challenge modes... I guess the revamped talent system would count too). Also, if you want to look at how many levels an expansion adds, GW1 expansions never increased the level cap... and I don't think anyone thinks they were a bad deal :awesome_for_real:

Compared to that (or even 1/3 of that), this seems kinda... thin, and more like a content patch (RIFT's Ember Isle is probably a good comparison). I'm still OK with it, but raising the level cap is all kinds of stupid. What will the subber playerbase (which needs to be retained) do after hitting 55?

The rumor I've heard is they're going to bump all the current endgame content to 55, and also add hard modes for the flashpoints that don't currently have them (Athiss, Hammer Station, Red Reaper, etc.) So, endgame activities won't necessarily change although I'd also expect this to add a FP or two of its own.

I'd have no issue paying 20 bucks or more for dlc if it lasted longer than an hour or had production values at least a little stronger than a shitty fan mod.

Much more bothered by the half assed quality that dlc (and probably this) exhibits than I am by cost.

OK, I'll concede the point on MoP.  But $2 per level for five levels?  Acceptable. My point remains valid.  VALID!

The best MMO in the universe has to be Anarchy Online then, you get like 220 levels for free!   :why_so_serious:

Anarchy Online is the MMO I'd most like to see a sequel for  :awesome_for_real:

I'm most likely going to buy it, but this is really on the edge. I guess there's no money for more class story lines so a planet is all we'll get. Not that surprised by more levels, this a gear treadmill at its heart and you need levels. That you get level 60 gear now at 50 always seemed odd anyway.

Five more talent points, lets break the trees guys!  :why_so_serious:

Perhaps I wasn't clear, and in fact I am sure I wasn't. The reason the price outraged me was because I knew it wasn't going to be worth $20. Leviathan wasn't worth $15, and I knew Omega sure as fuck wouldn't be worth $20.

That's the reason I still haven't bought ME3. Unless they release a GOTY edition for like $30-40 with all the DLC for the game I'm never buying it.

Every class guaranteed more buttons!

Also skill trees being expanded.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=5607012#edit5607012

I am terrified of what they are going to do. I have like no faith in them to expand the trees or add new abilities.

Meh, its not like swtor combat is all that complex or that there is any chance of EA considering any kind of swingy or synergistic effect.

MOAR. BUTTANS. Fuck that synergy crap.

What happens if one doesn't buy the expansion? I'm assuming the level cap remains at 50 but I don't know.

Well yeah. That and LESS BUTTANS.

Fewer buttons? What kind of insane person wants fewer buttons? I can barely fill 4 hot bars as it is.

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/82533/lionking-ehhh.gif)

Video exists now:

http://www.swtor.com/info/media/trailers/rise-hutt-cartel-first-look-video

Data mining possible new class shit. As always, could be legit, could be totally out of someones ass and have no basis in reality at all.

http://www.darthhater.com/articles/feature/23065-game-update-1-7-datamined-information-updated-with


Some of that stuff seems very plausible at least.