Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Ashe. I come bearing gifts from my talk with Bioware, on Knights of the Fallen Empire. A mix of both fairly new and very new details. A couple things mentioned during the Cantina fan event at San Diego Comic Con, but everything else? Completely new. I hope you enjoy - onto the news!

NEW LEVEL 60s

If you don't know, once Fallen Empire hits this October, players will have the opportunity to get an instant level 60 character. Here is what you need to know.

Your character will be, of course, equipped with gear powerful enough to deal with chapter one.
You won't start with money right off the bat, because the devs want to avoid scammers grabbing more credits and unbalancing the whole system.
As it's been confirmed, players won't be able to choose past decisions for these new characters. But now we know - your class will determine the default choices for your character. Bioware based it similarly like Mass Effect 2, where there's a default (and please forgive me for using this word) there's a default canon for decisions made. If you play a Jedi, for example, it's expected that your character chose dominantly light side decisions. For Sith, dark side.
Those who grab new level 60s will also get another character slot. So don't worry about deleting any of your previous characters. They're safe.

STORY

Bioware's focus is giving the players something that has been asked for quite some time: story. The devs feel like they neglected the story, and with end-game content, and they want to make said content relevant no matter what happens down the line, all the way until the last chapter. They want to make something that hits the heart, something reminiscent of Knights of the Old Republic. For those who are trying out TOR for the first time or are looking to come back after a long hiatus, this expansion is for you. The expansion is way bigger than Shadows of Revan. Your character is central to the plot. As the Outlander, you'll be fighting an "impossible" threat and your choices that you have made throughout the progression of your class story, as well as the previous expansions...well, you will see how your choices have affected your allies, your friends, and your loved ones.

ROMANCES

Emphasis on loved ones, because I got a couple new details regarding romances. One of the qualms that players had was the lack of communication or even reaction when romancing say Theron or Lana, when you're in a pre-existing relationship or even already married. In Knights of the Fallen Empire, there will be overlap with relationships, and while there necessarily won't be a duel in the street, your companion knows. Your love interest knows. Expect some choice words.

I will say though that with Fallen Empire, the devs stated that there is not enough time with the new characters to "get hitched" (their words, not mine), however, the ultimate goal with the romances is to make a decision, to commit one way or another. That's where things will go. And considering the possibility that you might kill a companion, choose wisely.

EPISODIC CONTENT, INCLUDING CHAPTER 1

Now, for a little bit of background on the episodes. To remind you, the episodic content is free for subscribers, as a reward for those who have stayed loyal to the game. And the game will reward greatly. There's at least, let me reiterate, at least one hour of story content per Chapter, per month. Some of the chapters are shorter than others, some noticeably longer. How long you actually play each chapter will, of course, depend on your own playing style, but there's a lot of meat to fill you up.

Episode 1 is going to start technically as a tutorial, where the abilities are a bit restricted so newer players can get familiar with the rotation, and from there more and more abilities will be added. It doesn't feel like a tutorial, however, as Bioware calls their solution to the new player situation an "elegant approach to the UI" so that it simply offers accessibility, and doesn't hinder the experience. New players will have a fun time easily catching up, while older players scoff and laugh, running smack right through to enjoy the story.

OUTLIERS

Now these are purely outliers, because while these are very important, I'll be discussing them at a later time, which I'll get into later.

As you well know, the level cap is being raised to 65. New abilities will come.
Fallen Empire will have one epic story, but no specific class missions.
Flashpoints, as you may know, will now have story modes, so you can finish them solo.
In the next game update 3.3, not only will Yavin 4 be a stronghold, which everyone already knows, but Togruta are very much joining this update as well.

And the most important one - besides the flashpoints, the operations, galactic starfighter, the main story, and all the rest...in Fallen Empire, there will be new content. And let's just say that in regards to how different this new content is compared to everything I just named, Bioware is being very tightlipped until closer to the release.

LONG ROAD AHEAD

More to come! Thanks for watching. Now, here comes the real news. My good friend MD, known for her own Mass Effect and Dragon Age vids - the two of us will be talking about everything we just discussed, in much greater detail, in a new monthly series that will have its first episode next week.

This is an opportunity to really dive into what Knights of the Fallen Empire is all about, but more relevant to your interests, we want your feedback every episode, because your best ideas will go straight to the developers. This is a chance not only to get your questions answered, but to get what you really want out of a Star Wars title. MD and I are so ridiculously focused on story, and we strongly believe that Fallen Empire is practically the KOTOR 3 we never had, so we want you all to be there with us. Monday. Subscribe to me. Subscribe to MD. And be ready, because this is the beginning of a very long ride.

New Level 60s, Romances, and Chapter 1 in Knights of the Fallen Empire