During a Star Wars: The Old Republic livestream this afternoon, Bioware revealed the details on the MMO’s next major expansion: Showdown on Ruhnuk.
The Old Republic continues to expand with Update 7.2, which will bring an entirely new planet, Ruhnuk, to the game. With the new planet brings new story to play through and this time the Mandalorians are getting the big focus.
Story Overview: Shae Vizla, Mandalore the Avenger, is in pursuit of the main base of operations of rogue Mandalorian Heta Kol which has led her to Ruhnuk, an inhospitable planet at the center of an electrical nebula.
A New Planet: Ruhnuk, a brand new planet to Star Wars that no one has ever seen before, is dry and arid but features many river valleys that cut through the desert-like landscape.
Ruhnuk’s Daily Area: The new story arc will have players assisting Mandalore’s forces in the aftermath of the main story mission where they’ll learn more about what’s important to the Mandalorians in Shae Vizla’s command. Players will help track down one of Field Marshal Heta Kol’s ruthless followers as he conducts secret experiments.
Player Interface & Experience Improvements:
A variety of player interface and experience improvements will be made in 7.2 including the ability to select multiple items to deconstruct and delete, custom utility bars, mini-map to streamline pathfinding and the introduction of the new colorblind mode.
PvP Revamp & New PvP Map:
PvP Revamp: PvP will now feature two queues, either 8v8 or 4v4 which will allow for more balanced matches and quicker matchmaking, offsetting the ability for win-trading and provide more agency to choose between Warzones and Arenas. Players will now also be able to join as 8 player groups.
PvP Progression: All players participating in PvP will be able to enjoy a new seasonal reward track, running in parallel to Galactic Seasons with three PvP seasons planned per year.
New 4v4 Map – Players will also be able to enjoy a new 4v4 Arena map set on Onderon called the Onderon Palatial Ruins.
Gear Progression Updates:
Power Ceiling Increase – Increased allowing players to obtain stronger gear by playing. Noble, Elite, and Supreme Decurion Gear from Conquest and Flashpoints as well as Tionese, Columi, and Rakata Gear from Operations will all be upgradeable to item rating 336. Thyrsian gear, available from PvP, will be upgradeable to item rating 332.
Power Floor Increase – The Power Floor has also been increased to reduce the time required for new players to catch up and participate in endgame activities. This will change the 318 for PvP and 320 for PvE content Power Floor to 322 for PvP and 324 for PvE. Rewards from Legacy of the Sith story missions have also been increased to item rating 322.
Showdown on Ruhnuk is set to arrive this year, Winter 2022.
