• News

Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Onslaught expansion

Star Wars: The Old Republic is in line to get one of its biggest expansions yet, with the Onslaught expansion being revealed during this year's Star Wars Celebration.

Ozzie Mejia

April 15, 2019 6:30 AM

2

Star Wars Celebration has come and gone, with fans getting the best of the franchise from all facets of pop culture. For the gaming community, the weekend belonged to Respawn and the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. However, that wasn't the only Star Wars game to have a major presence at the convention. Star Wars: The Old Republic was on-hand, as well, and revealed what's next for the long-running MMORPG.

On Saturday, EA and BioWare revealed Onslaught, which will act as Star Wars: The Old Republic's next major expansion. The expansion will pick up on the continuing conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, with players caught right in the middle. Here's the story element of the expansion, taken verbatim from the Star Wars: The Old Republic website:

"War between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire blazes across the galaxy. Crucial resources dwindle as piracy and crime escalate dramatically. Amid this chaos, the Alliance Commander has the chance to tip the scales in favor of either faction, committing their elite forces to decide the fate of the galaxy.

"As the Sith Empire prepares to make a decisive strike against a newly-constructed Republic shipyard on the planet Corellia, members of the Dark Council see victory on the horizon and begin plotting against one another in anticipation of the spoils. Meanwhile, Republic forces must race against time to muster reinforcements from across the galaxy in order to defend Corellia from the Sith."

As noted, players will be in search of allies across the galaxy. Their search will take them to Onderon, a planet that will look familiar to viewers of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels television series. There, they'll travel to the planet's moon of Dxun and take part in a new Operation, as they ward off unwanted visitors. They'll also find a new Flashpoint mission on Corellia, along with missions on an all-new setting called Mek-Sha, a fueling station filled with smugglers and general no-goodniks.

In terms of gameplay, Onslaught will increase the level cap to 75, adding in a new ability for all Advanced Classes. A new playable species is being introduced, as well. They are the Nautolans, who Star Wars fans will recognize as the race of prequel-era Jedi Knight Kit Fisto. The expansion will also introduce an all-new item type called Tactical Items, which are said to alter player abilities and feed into specific playstyles. Tactical Items can be acquired through PvE, PvP, Galactic Command, or Crafting. Look for gear, as a whole, to receive a total overhaul with Onslaught.

#SWTOR Onslaught includes a major renovation of gear, new set bonuses, a new item type, and more! @charles_boyd: “Spoils of War is our plan to make gearing out your characters more fun, more accessible, and more customizable than ever before.”

— The Old Republic (@SWTOR) April 14, 2019

For those looking for something to help tide them over until Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, consider Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Onslaught expansion is set for a September 2019 release window.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?