Star Wars: The Old Republic Reveals Update 7.2 “Showdown on Ruhnuk”

The next major update for EA Bioware’s MMO STAR WARS: The Old Republic has been revealed during a special livestream from the developers.

Update 7.2 entitled “Showdown on Ruhnuk” will continue the story of the Mandalorian subplot (which started back in update 6.2). Players will work with Shae Vizla in order to put a stop to Heta Kol and her followers, this will take place over a three mission story arc, but it's not just a small boost in story content this time round. Players can expect a new daily area on a new planet; it does not hurt that the new planet (Ruhnuk) will also come with a new datacron to find and a new world boss to slay (Kithrawl).

From what we know of Ruhnuk it is a desert planet with many cliffs, valleys, and small rivers (think Grand Canyon like). The surface has been inhabited in the past by space faring species seeking to mine its resources. Strangely, according to the devs the planet is located inside an electric nebula that keeps it hidden from prying eyes. It is here that Heta Kol may have set up her main base of operations.

Desert Planet of Ruhnuk

Some nice changes are coming to the Player Interface in terms of customization. This will include the ability for players to create custom utility bars, new pathfinding via the mini-map, and a colourblind mode. Players will also now have the ability to select multiple items at once for deconstruction or deletion.

Hold up we aren't done yet.

A revamp of PVP can also be expected in this update. Two new queues have been added in the form of 8v8 and 4v4. It is Biowares' hope this will offset the ability to win-trade, as well as reduce wait times. Players who engage in PVP will now have a new seasonal reward track to work their way through. This works very similar to the game's Galactic Seasons track, you can expect three PVP tracks per year. Fans of sticking lightsabers through each over will also get a new place to do just that. A new PVP map based on the planet Onderon entitled “Onderon Palatial Ruins” will be dropping alongside update 7.2.

New PVP map "Onderon Palatial Ruins"

Several new cartel market items will be coming in update 7.2. These include some cool new weapons such as Master Orr’s Lightsaber (the Jedi Master from the Legacy of the Sith cinematic trailer), Ceremonial Beskad Blade, and Ri’Kans Vibro Axe. We also got a look at a new armour set called “Pike Syndicate Armor”. This is said to be based on the armour worn by the Pikes in the Book of Boba Fett.

Pike Syndicate Armor

Finally, players can expect a power ceiling increase, Tionese, Columi, and Rakata Gear from Operations will now all be upgradeable to item rating 336. Conquest and Flashpoint gear will be getting a similar treatment. Rewards from Legacy of the Sith story missions will have been increased to item rating 322. It is Bioware’s hope that these changes will make it easier for players to catch up and enjoy the end game content.

We do not yet have a set release date for Update 7.2 beyond it coming in the Winter months. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for everything the update has promised.