Tag Archives: Star Wars

Happy Star Wars Day! Have a FREE Copy of BIRTHRIGHT!

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Birthright - Final Cover

BIRTHRIGHT is free today only. #MayThe4thBeWithYou

One of my life-long dreams is to become a Star Wars novelist. In many ways, Birthright is the kind of story I’d like to tell, a science-fantasy romp across multiple worlds with strong personalities, awesome powers, and spectacular adventure.

And as luck would have it, today is Star Wars day, so I thought I’d try another experiment with the KDP Select program, and see what happens if I offer Birthright for free to celebrate.

Ain’t I just awesome? So head over to Amazon and snag your free Kindle copy of Birthright. You’d better hurry, though–the book is only going to be free today, May 4th.

The only thing I ask in return is that if you read the book, you post an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. That’s the best thanks you can give an indie author. Thanks so much for all your support, and May the Fourth be with you. Always.

SWTOR PvP Guide – Valor Titles, Ranks, and Medals Explained

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SWTOR Sith Inquisitor Force StormOutside of the fantastic story you get while leveling up in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the most interesting part of the game for me is PvP. Unfortunately, it’s hard to jump right in because the system can be a little overwhelming.

Even so, it’s awfully hard to find a comprehensive guide to SWTOR PvP. So I thought I’d do my best to put one together. This entry is going to cover Valor Titles, Valor Ranks, and Medals earned while in Warzones.

 

Valor Ranks and Titles

First of all, you have to know what Valor is. Valor can be considered “PvP XP” because you gain it by completing Warzones (you can queue up for Warzones by clicking the faction icon on the lower-right of your minimap—but only after you reach level 10.)

As you gain Valor, you gain ranks, up to Rank 100. However, you cannot have a higher Valor Rank than your character level, so Ranks 50-100 can only be gained at max level.

SWTOR PvP TitlesFor every 10 levels of Valor you gain, you get a new, special title for your character.

The titles—up to Rank 100—are as follows:

  • Valor Rank 10 – Skirmisher
  • Valor Rank 20 – Duelist
  • Valor Rank 30 – Gladiator
  • Valor Rank 40 – Centurion
  • Valor Rank 50 – Champion
  • Valor Rank 60 – Battlemaster
  • Valor Rank 70 – War Hero
  • Valor Rank 80 – Conqueror
  • Valor Rank 90 – Warlord
  • Valor Rank 100 – Elite Warlord

 

Warzone Medals

SWTOR PvP Warzone MedalsAs you compete in PvP Warzones, you may notice that you gain medals. These medals increase your rewards for participating in the Warzone, but only up to a certain point. You can gain as many medals as possible, but you will only gain rewards for the first 8. These medals appear as a buff near your character’s lifebar.

For each medal, you gain the 250 Valor and 5 Warzone Commendations (used as currency to purchase PvP weapons, armor, and consumables).

While 8 medals may sound daunting, it’s really not. There are some 34 medals you can be rewarded.

  • Offense Basic – 1k Attacker Points
  • Offense Bronze – 3k Attacker Points
  • Offense Silver – 5k Attacker Points
  • Offense Gold – 7.5k Attacker Points
  • Offense Platinum – 10k Attacker Points
  • Offense Diamond – 15k Attacker Points
  • Defense Basic – 1k Defender Points
  • Defense Bronze – 3k Defender Points
  • Defense Silver – 5k Defender Points
  • Defense Gold – 7.5k Defender Points
  • Defense Platinum – 10k Defender Points
  • Defense Diamond – 15k Defender Points
  • Dauntless I – 10 Minute Victory
  • Dauntless II – 9 Minute Victory
  • Dauntless III – 8 Minute Victory
  • Dauntless IV – 7 Minute Victory
  • Dauntless V – 6 Minute Victory
  • Dauntless VI – 5 Minute Victory
  • Demolisher – 2.5k Damage Single hit
  • Annihilator – 5k damage from a single attack
  • Combatant – 75k Damage Dealt
  • Destroyer – 300k Damage Dealt
  • Commando – 10 Kills
  • Soldier – 25 Kills
  • Quick Draw – 1 Killing Blow
  • Assassin – 1 Solo Kill
  • Shield – 5k Defense
  • Protector – 50k Defense
  • Guardian – 2k Defense in 1 Life
  • Paladin – 10k Defense in 1 Life
  • Healer – 75k Healed
  • Savior – 300k Healed
  • Medic – 2.5k Single Heal
  • Trauma Surgeon – 5k Single Heal

In order to facilitate participation—i.e. no one AFKing their way through the Warzone—you must earn at least 3 medals in a Warzone to gain any reward at all.

I think that about covers it, but if I’ve missed anything or you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment, hit me up on Twitter, or shoot me an email.

Picture of the Day – “May the Fourth Be With You!” Edition

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When I was a teenager, Star Wars – Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was new and awesome. It, however, lacked one crucial feature: the ability to choose your character’s species. So I fixed that by modding my game files, and Kyle Katarn the human became Kyle Katarn the Chiss.

So when Star Wars: The Old Republic announced Chiss as a playable species, my hopes were high that I would be able to finally have my Chiss with a lightsabers. No such luck. Chiss were limited to non-Force-sensitive classes.

However, with the advent of Patch 1.2, the Legacy system allowed universal species unlocks, and my nerdy teenage dream became a reality. I now have a Chiss with not one, but two lightsabers. Awesome.

SWTOR Chiss Jedi Sentinel

May the Fourth be with you. Always.

 

Picture of the Day – “Best Family in the World” Edition

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During our last Dungeons and Dragons game, Grandpa Eskimo ran off with my “nuggets” (giant petrified turds I rolled a natural 1 on when searching for treasure). When my father passed away, I got a package in the mail from Grandpa Eskimo. In it, my nuggets had turned into the coolest cufflinks in the galaxy.

I love my family, and I had to share.

How much is SWTOR Worth?

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Me: “I don’t think I’m going to be sticking with The Old Republic.”

My wife: “Wait, you paid $150 for the stupid collector’s edition and aren’t sticking with it? Are you serious?”

The discussion then proceeded into her asking me if the extra stuff was worth it, to which I answered a solid.”Actually, no. It’s not.”

Now, I’ll get my money’s worth eventually.  I intend on playing SWTOR for a while (around 4 months to justify the cost vs. purchasing other games), but I can’t see myself playing for the seven years I dedicated to World of Warcraft.  Instead, I intend on playing Star Wars: The Old Republic as though it were Knights of the Old Republic 3, experiencing the various stories and classes with the endgame gear-grind only a tingle of a thought in the back of my mind.

If you’re like me, you’ve been fiending for BioWare to release KOTOR 3 for the better part of a decade.  So when they announced the MMO entry of the franchise, the online addict in me rejoiced.

As an MMO, SWTOR is every bit as polished as any other triple-A MMO (and more than most). But what about as a single-player game? I mean, it wouldn’t be a BioWare title if the storyline didn’t take precedence over anything else, right?

Well, yeah.  And the storyline’s are good.

So it’s KOTOR 3, then?  Or just as good as?

Eh…well, maybe.  Kinda.  Let’s just say that I’m torn on that particular point.

Having made my way to level 50 on my Sith Inquisitor, I can honestly say that the game’s leveling content is phenomenal. The class quests are brilliant, and each planet has its own enthralling narrative.  The flashpoints (instances) are hit or miss, with some being story-driven and others being WoW-style dungeon crawls.  Depending on your preference, there have to be a couple you’ll really enjoy.

The thing is, though, SWTOR is still a themepark MMO with straight-outta-Azeroth combat (don’t let the no autoattack fool you; it’s WoW combat with a laggier UI) and The Burning Crusade‘s endgame.  Only with lightsabers and a fantastic story.  If that’s not your kind of game, let’s just say these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

After having done a week’s worth of dailies and PvP, I’m tired of the game at 50.

I still have a lot of content to see (especially as my class quest bugged just a little into Chapter 3–I’ll have to finish it up once BioWare figures out how to fix me), but I’m having a hard time making myself log into my 50.  Instead, I’ve been playing a Jedi Guardian and Jedi Shadow, trying to decide which one will let me most enjoy the Republic’s storylines.

Given that I kind of dread logging into my main, I have to ask the question, is SWTOR worth it?  After splurging on the CE to my wife’s chagrin and setting up a subscription, is SWTOR worth the time and the money?

I think so, yes.

The leveling content is good.  Real good.  Awesome good.

While the gameplay mechanics may be old-hat and the endgame a carbon copy of The Burning Crusade, the narrative is solid BioWare.  And if  the developers are even half as good as Trion in producing regular updates, then you’ll definitely see a lot of value for your subscription. (The first patch they’ve announced already includes a new 4-person flashpoint and additional raid bosses, so they seem to be on the right track.)

If you’re a sucker for a good story, The Old Republic is worth every penny.

In fact, the more you can immerse yourself in the narrative and get over the fact that you’re repeating planet quests on alts, the value of the game skyrockets.  At just $15 a month, getting 200+ hours of gameplay (which is what BW estimated each playthrough should have) isn’t a bad deal.

But if you’re an endgame junkie, if min-maxing is your thing, and you have to grind for gear, points, progression, whatever, I’m not sure that The Old Republic is the game for you.  It’s probably not even close to worth it because the content just isn’t there yet.  It will be eventually, but right now, there just isn’t much variety for that playstyle.

Personally, my plan is to experience the stories, work through the Republic side of the planets, and hook up with friends whenever we can.  I’m not worrying about gear or progression or even seeing the raids and level 50 content just yet.  I am going to be playing other MMOs at the same time (F2P offerings, actually–Dungeons and Dragons Online and DC Universe Online are my current mistresses) and doing what I can to enjoy myself and not burn out.

As a game, SWTOR is worth it.  As one’s sole hobby, it’s not quite there yet.  You’ll have to determine how and why you play MMOs to see if it’s worth it to you.