Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

To finance my ‘Vette: BioWare details pricing on Star Wars: The Old Republic’s first ‘Digital Expansion’

By
Star Wars: The Old Republic -- Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This morning the official website for BioWare’s massively multiplayer roleplaying game Star Wars: The Old Republic was updated to spotlight the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. The site breathlessly describes it as the game’s first “Digital Expansion” and is quick to point out the list of new features players can look forward to: the level cap of the game will be raised from 50 to 55, a new storyline heavily focused on the criminal machinations of the globular Hutt race is introduced, and both Rebel and Imperial players will soon find themselves battling over whatever dark secret is hidden on Makeb, a new planet introduced by this expansion.

That’s all very nice, but how much is this whole thing going to cost you? According to Star Wars: The Old Republic producer EA, though the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion is to be normally priced at $20, those who continue to pay subscription fees for the now free-to-play MMO will be eligible to purchase the expansion for a mere $10. Further, anyone who pre-orders the expansion will receive a handful of exclusive bonuses and in-game items. To wit:

Recommended Videos

All players that pre-order Rise of the Hutt Cartel will receive an exclusive Title, Holostatue, and Mini-Pet when the Digital Expansion launches.

  • The Dr. Oggurobb Hutt Holostatue: Train under the illustrious Hutt scientist Dr. Oggurobb with this portable training device that he created in his own image.
  • “Scourge of the Hutts” Title: Republic and Imperial forces that adorn this title will be feared and revered across the galaxy.
  • The Makrin Seedling Mini-Pet: Get your very own Makrin Creeper to follow you around and “creep” out your enemies! Possessing bark-like skin and grass-like nerve-rich tissues that blend in perfectly with Makeb’s environment, the Makrin Creeper has a distinguishing and eerie look!
Whether these items convince you to pre-order the expansion or not is a matter of personal taste, but we will point out that many free-to-play MMOs in the past have eventually added their otherwise for-pay expansions to the content pool of the original game, thus negating any purchase price players may have once been asked to pay. We don’t know that Star Wars: The Old Republic will eventually go this route, nor much else about EA’s future plans for the game, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re having trouble deciding between pre-ordering the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion and feeding yourself this week.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Earnest Cavalli
Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
What is DPS in gaming?
Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

Gaming is filled with jargon that sounds like complete nonsense to anyone not totally plugged into the space. Terms like Metroidvania and rouguelike/roguelite are rough enough, but when we abbreviate terms, it can be impossible to figure out what they mean, even when said in context. DPS is a term first used mainly in MMORPGs, but it has found its way into other genres like hero shooters and single-player RPGs, among others. It can, and is, applied to just about every game involving combat of some sort. If you've heard people complaining about their DPS, or see it listed as part of a weapon's stats, here's what it all means.
What does DPS mean?
DPS stands for Damage Per Second. It is shorthand for saying how powerful a weapon or character is by either listing its DPS as a number -- in which case the higher the number, the better -- or as its general role in a team. DPS on a weapon takes into account several things to make one more consumable stat, including how much damage it deals with each attack and how quickly it can attack. By dividing those numbers into seconds, you can equally compare how much any weapon or ability will do compared to another. For example, if one weapon hits every 2 seconds for 100 damage, the DPS would be 50, while a weapon that hits four times per second, but only deals 25 damage per hit, would have a DPS of 100.

In team games, DPS is often used to refer to one of the major roles. Tanks are characters meant to absorb most of the damage, healers heal, and DPS characters are the ones in charge of dealing the bulk of the team's damage. They are the team's aggressive killers, such as Soldier 76 in Overwatch 2 or the Black Mage in Final Fantasy 14. All their abilities and skills tend to be offensive-focused and need to rely on the other classes to support them.

Read more
Best gaming console deals: cheapest prices on PS5, Xbox S and X and Switch
father and son playing video games

While the latest generation of consoles had a bit of a slow start, things have heated up in the last few years, and for those who have been waiting to pick up a console, now is a pretty good time when it comes to games, accessories and the like. There are a lot of great Xbox Series S and X deals, PlayStation 5 deals, and Nintendo Switch deals for you to check out, and we've collected the best we could find below. That said, it's important to note that we're currently going through a bit of a deals drought, even when it comes to refurbished consoles, so there aren't a ton of options out there, although be sure to check back as we do regularly keep track of deals and will update this article as better deals appear.
Xbox Series S 1TB -- starting at $349, was $380

The Xbox Series S is the less powerful but cheaper option out of the newest generation Xbox line. When comparing the Xbox Series S versus the Xbox Series X, the Series S takes a hit in all the component categories. That means it's not quite as fast. But if you're not hung up on getting the optimal performance out of your system, you'll actually notice very few differences. The two biggest ones are the Series S's inability to play in 8K, and its lack of a disc drive. Most people don't even have 8K TVs, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're alright with downloading all of your games straight to the console's memory (and you have a separate DVD or Blu-Ray player), the Series S will work fine. It's quite a bit smaller anyway, and easier to fit on a shelf.

Read more
How to trade in Manor Lords
A medieval market in Manor Lords.

No matter what type of lord you want to be in Manor Lords, you will need to play nice early on. You will only have access to so many materials and resources in your village's early stages, so trading is essential for not only upgrading and advancing, but also keeping your loyal population happy. To sustain yourself in the early years, trading will grant you access to much-needed support, as well as a great source of income if you have a surplus of materials to sell. To make sure your storehouses are well-stocked, you will need to learn how to set up a profitable trade operation.

Read more