Star Wars: The Old Republicfor Windows

Step into your own Star Wars™ journey in Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare’s latest development of its ongoing PC game series may be a small part of the Star Wars extended canon, but it is definitely the most important. Set three thousand years before the events of A New Hope, the galaxy of SWTOR is light years away from the established Star Wars universe. An exciting new narrative. Amazing dialogue. Thrilling combat. It's both a generous free-to-play model and an awesome MMORPG that stands out in the genre of sci-fi adventure.

Call the shots

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a pure achievement.

If you’ve played massively multiplayer games before, SWTOR will not be any different, making you feel at home from the get-go. You’ll begin with selecting between the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire, then building a character using one of the RPG classes like Republic Trooper or Sith Inquisitor. Though there are fewer than MMOs like World of Warcraft and Guild of Wars 2, the classes are given the opportunity to specialize in one of two sub-classes. Choosing this can let you perform multiple roles in a firefight. At this point, the choices you make will dictate your role, gears, and abilities that will be available to you as you progress.

Once you and your character are all set, the game springs you right into the battlefield. The cinematic opening scene, as well as a brief introduction to SWTORs dialogue system. set the context of your goals. Expect familiar hotkey-based combat, quick skill cooldowns, and AOE attacks. BioWare did its best in setting SWTOR apart from other MMOs. The story-driven gameplay, full voice acting, and morality system make your journey throughout the galaxy an enjoyable experience.

Expand your horizons

This online game is of the most accessible titles that offer its players a free-to-play option. The free version allows you to advance your characters all the way to level 50. At this point, you will have to decide how much you want to invest in the game. If you choose to pay a monthly subscription, you will be able to explore The Old Republic’s six expansions. You get this and unlimited access to all challenges, as well as a regular supply of the game’s currency. The downside to this is that you will be barred from - what is commonly considered - basic content. For example, you’ll have to pay Cartel coins - the microtransaction currency of the game - before you can participate in playable races. A bit unfair really, given that you’ve already paid, but this is a minor inconvenience. Fully understanding the payment systems is not critical to experiencing the best components of what the game has to offer.

Where can you run this program?

You’re going to need a powerful rig to go on an adventure in a galaxy far, far away:

Processor:
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
Operating System:
• Windows 7 or later

RAM:
• Windows 7: 3GB RAM
Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a 1 GB -minimum of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:
• Intel HD 3000 or better
• AMD Radeon HD 7450
• Nvidia GeForce 610

Is there a better alternative?

Similar to the SWTOR, Guild Wars 2 presents a fantasy world that is responsive to your actions. A role-playing game and MMO rolled into one, it presents a dynamic event system that challenges the traditional questing. You get all the joy of playing in the world you helped create without  the cost of subscription fees. The game requires a one-time purchase to install the game, and voilà! It's your to enjoy.

Our take

It had a rocky start when it launched in 2003, but it has now become one of the greatest MMOs available today.

Should you download it?

Download it, you must.