5 Best Tips for New Star Wars: The Old Republic Players in 2022

by Mike Alexander / Game Guides, Tips & Tricks / 22 Feb 2021

There are plenty of MMOs available that unleash their players in a massive world full of deep lore and interesting characters, but few of them come close to matching the grandeur and spectacle of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game, which is a spinoff of BioWare’s incredibly successful Knights of The Old Republic games, allows players to create their own Sith or Jedi and follow paths that may not completely fall on either side.

It is this “gray” area between the Dark and the Light side that makes The Old Republic such an intriguing concept. Veteran players who have been deep into the game and its expansions since its original launch in 2011 are in possession of crazy powerful characters, some of which might even give Darth Vader himself a run for his money if they were around in the same age.

Players having that much power might make it a little daunting for new players to get invested in the game, and they do have quite a bit of ground to cover before they can stack up to the OG players, but with the tips in this guide, you should be up and running in no time.

Pay Attention to Story Quests

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a heavily story-based game, even for an MMO. If you’re already a fan of the Star Wars franchise, there will be a ton of content and lore for you to enjoy here, but even if you aren’t, you should still take the time to sit through and absorb the story cutscenes. The Old Republic in particular has been responsible for countless new Star Wars fans getting immersed in the movies and shows thanks to its incredible writing, so if you skip these scenes you are really missing out on one of the best features of the game.

Get a Subscription

The Old Republic is, in fact, a free-to-play game. However, it offers a few tiers of service for its players. First is the free account, which allows you to play up to level 60 and through the Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Shadow of Revan expansions. Then there is the Preferred tier for former subscribers and players who have purchased Cartel Coins, who receive fewer restrictions. Finally is the paid Premium tier, which gives players access to everything. Unlike some MMOs and other games, you will be able to keep any items and upgrades you receive as a result of your Premium subscription, so it is worth trying it out even if it’s only for one month.

Select a Mount

Once you reach level 10 as a paid subscriber (other tiers have to wait a little longer), you will be able to pick out a mount. You’ll need to go to a trainer in order to learn how to use speeders (which is what mounts are called in The Old Republic). Your level of training will also determine how fast you are able to travel on speeders, so if you want to zip around the planets you’ll visit, you should spend some time and resources at the trainer to pump those skills.

Level Your Legacy

One of the many systems in The Old Republic is the legacy system. If you press the Y key, you’ll bring up the legacy menu which will show you all of the acts and achievements you’ll get to level up your legacy and gain experience. Many of these achievements will be unlocked just by playing the game, but you can use the legacy menu to track achievements that are worth more points and focus on those. Your hard work will be rewarded with your legacy surname that appears over your character’s head, and many unlockable quality of life features that are only available to certain legacy levels or those who purchase them through microtransactions.

Fast Travel

Getting around the galaxy can be quite time-consuming, especially when you’re juggling multiple side quests at different locations. One easy way to get to and from a location quickly is to use The Old Republic’s fast travel system. Many games tie this feature to a limited resource or item, but this game makes fast travel abilities part of your character’s skills. It is even possible to bind these skills for quick and easy access by pressing the P button and going to general, where all of your other skills are listed. With fast travel skills bound to a single key, you won’t waste any time picking through menus to get to where you need to go.

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
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