The Glade 4.0

WELCOME HOME!
As the war between the Empire and the Republic rages, the galaxy’s greatest heroes have expanded their influence by acquiring STRONGHOLDS, customizable bastions of personal luxury. In a bid for power, these heroes must also join together to launch their own GUILD FLAGSHIPS.
Customize and expand your Strongholds to show off the power of your Legacy in the new Free-to-Play Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Digital Expansion,

GALACTIC STRONGHOLDS.

• GET BONUS CARTEL COINS!

• SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER* – DON’T MISS OUT!

• BE A SUBSCRIBER BY APRIL 2ND TO RECEIVE 500 BONUS CARTEL COINS.

• BE A SUBSCRIBER BY MAY 4th TO RECEIVE 1,000 BONUS CARTEL COINS.

• Be a Subscriber by May 11th to MOVE INTO NAR SHADDAA EARLY*!

• Receive a luxurious NAR SHADDAA SKY PALACE with THREE ADDITIONAL ROOMS UNLOCKED – Valued at 1,500,000 Credits!

• Subscribers get Early Access starting June 24th!

Also receive:

• Stronghold Label: "Galactic Stronghold"

• Character Title: "The Illustrious"

KEY FEATURES*

• Customize Your Strongholds

• Display trophies earned in battle, craft state-of-the-art furniture, and unlock all-new rewards across the game. Then customize your Strongholds with hundreds of unique decorations to express your personal style.

• Live on Multiple Planets

• Choose a prestigious apartment in the heart of your faction’s capital world, or live in style among the high-rollers of Nar Shaddaa or both – your Legacy can own multiple Strongholds!

• Launch Your Guild Flagship

• Rally your guild aboard your own Guild Flagship and join the renowned ranks of your faction’s starship fleet.

• Invite Your Friends – Show off your latest collection to friends as you take a moment to relax before your next big adventure.

• Gain Prestige – Increase your character’s “Prestige Score” each time you add a decoration to your Stronghold – earn top ranking on the public Stronghold
• Directory and make a name for yourself among the galaxy’s elite.

• Legacy Stronghold Storage – Unlock access to a new type of storage that is shared across your entire Legacy!

• More details to come!

NOTE: Not all features will be available during the Early Access period. See the FAQs for more info.

CHECK OUT THESE SPECIAL OFFERS:

• Subscriber Early Access

• June 24 – July 28, 2014

• EARLY ACCESS Starting June 24th

• NAR SHADDAA SKY PALACE STRONGHOLD (Value: 250,000 Credits)

• Stronghold Label: “Galactic Stronghold”

• Character Title: “The Illustrious”

• Preferred Early Access

• July 29 – Launch in August 2014

• EARLY ACCESS Starting July 29th

• Stronghold Label: “Galactic Stronghold”

• Character Title: “The Illustrious”

• Also available to Subscribers during this period. Players gain Preferred Status by purchasing anything from the online store. Former Subscribers are automatically granted Preferred Status.

Official Launch

• August 2014

• Start of Free-to-Play Access

• Character Title: “The Illustrious”

• Available to all players with a SWTOR account during this period.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Q1: WHAT IS THE LAUNCH DATE FOR THE DIGITAL EXPANSION, GALACTIC STRONGHOLDS?

The official launch date for Galactic Strongholds has not been announced yet but it is coming August 2014. Stay tuned to http://www.swtor.com[1] for an official launch date. Subscribers gain Early Access and an exclusive complimentary unlock of the Nar Shaddaa Stronghold starting June 24th through July 28th. For a limited time, Subscribers as of May 11th receive THREE ADDITIONAL ROOMS ALREADY UNLOCKED with their Nar Shaddaa Stronghold (no purchase necessary – a value of 1,500,000 credits)! Subscribers can also gain access to Strongholds on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas. Preferred Status Players gain Early Access beginning July 29th and will be able to gain access to Strongholds on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas. Preferred Status Players will not be able to gain access to the Nar Shaddaa Stronghold until the launch in August 2014. Free-to-Play Players will gain access to Galactic Strongholds at launch in August with the ability to gain access to Strongholds on Coruscant, Dromund Kaas and Nar Shaddaa.

• Q2: WHAT FEATURES WILL BE AVAILABLE DURING THE EARLY ACCESS PERIOD?

Subscribers will be able to procure Strongholds on their faction’s capital worlds as well as on Nar Shaddaa beginning with Subscriber Early Access beginning June 24, 2014. Guild Flagships and Legacy Stronghold Storage will be available to players as part of the official launch of Galactic Strongholds. Stay tuned for more information on these features!

• Q3: IS GALACTIC STRONGHOLDS A PAID DIGITAL EXPANSION OR A FREE-TO-PLAY DIGITAL EXPANSION?

Galactic Strongholds is a Free-to-Play Digital Expansion.

• Q4: CAN MY GUILD FIGHT OTHER GUILDS IN SPACE PVP WITH OUR GUILD FLAGSHIP?

No, this Digital Expansion does not include a PvP combat experience for Guild Flagships. More information about Guild Flagships will be revealed in the coming months.

• Q5: HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO GAIN OWNERSHIP OF PERSONAL STRONGHOLDS IN THE GAME?

You will be able to purchase ownership of Personal Strongholds with credits you earn in-game or with Cartel Coins in the Cartel Market. For a limited time, Subscribers as of May 11, 2014, receive a complimentary unlock of the luxurious Nar Shaddaa Stronghold plus THREE ADDITIONAL ROOMS ALREADY UNLOCKED (no purchase necessary – a value of 1,500,000 credits)! Subscribers as of June 24th gain a complimentary unlock of the Nar Shaddaa Stronghold (minus the additional rooms) through July 28th.

• Q6: HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO COLLECT FURNITURE AND DECORATIONS IN THE GAME?

You will earn a set of starter decorations when you purchase your first Stronghold. Many decorations will be available on existing vendors throughout the game as new rewards for Reputations, PvP, Crew Skills, and more. While some of these decorations will be available for credits and other currencies, many will require components created by crafters. Decorations can also be obtained as loot drops from Flashpoints and Operations. Finally, a variety of unique decorations can be purchased with Cartel Coins on the Cartel Market.

• Q7: WHEN WILL I RECEIVE BY BONUS CARTEL COINS FOR BEING A SUBSCRIBER ON APRIL 2, 2014 OR MAY 4, 2014?

Subscribers as of April 2, 2014 at 11:59PM PDT / April 3, 2014 at 6:59AM GMT will receive 500 Bonus Cartel Coins by April 3, 2014 at 11:59PM PDT / April 4, 2014 at 6:59AM GMT. Subscribers as of May 4, 2014 at 11:59PM PDT / May 5, 2014 at 6:59AM GMT will receive 1,000 Bonus Cartel Coins by May 5, 2014 at 11:59PM PDT / May 6, 2014 at 6:59AM GMT. You can access your Bonus Cartel Coins from inside the Cartel Market by clicking the Cartel Coin icon located on the user interface in-game. You will notice that your total, shown on the lower left side of the Cartel Market screen, has been increased by the additional Bonus Cartel Coins!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Key Features: Not all features will be available during the Early Access period. Subscribers will be able to procure Strongholds on their faction’s capital worlds as well as on Nar Shaddaa beginning with Subscriber Early Access beginning June 24, 2014. Guild Flagships and Legacy Stronghold Storage will be available to players as part of the official launch of Galactic Strongholds. Stay tuned for more information on these features!

• Bonus Cartel Coins Offer: Subscribers as of April 2, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / April 3, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT will receive 500 Bonus Cartel Coins by April 3, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / April 4, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT. Subscribers as of May 4, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / May 5, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT will receive 1,000 Bonus Cartel Coins by May 5, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / May 6, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT. You can access your Bonus Cartel Coins from inside the Cartel Market by clicking the Cartel Coin icon located on the user interface in-game. You will notice that your total, shown on the lower left side of the Cartel Market screen, has been increased by the additional Bonus Cartel Coins.

• To qualify for the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace Stronghold with three additional rooms unlocked, your account must be in active subscription status on May 11, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / May 12, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT. The Nar Shaddaa Stronghold with three additional rooms will be unlocked in your Stronghold Management window at the start of Subscriber Early Access on June 24 2014. The Nar Shaddaa Stronghold will be available for unlock to all players at Official Launch in August 2014.

• To qualify for the Subscriber Early Access in-game rewards, you must be or become a Subscriber between June 24, 2014, (at the start of Subscriber Early Access) and July 28, 2014, at 11:59PM PDT / July 29, 2014, at 6:59AM GMT (prior to the start of Preferred Status Early Access on July 29, 2014). The Nar Shaddaa Stronghold along with the “Galactic Stronghold” Stronghold Label will be unlocked in your Stronghold Management window and the “Illustrious” Character Title will be delivered via in-game mail at the start of Subscriber Early Access on June 24, 2014, or within two hours of becoming a Subscriber. To qualify for the Preferred Status Early Access in-game rewards, your account must be or become a Subscription or Preferred Status account between July 29, 2014, (at the start of Preferred Status Early Access) and prior to the official launch in August 2014. The “Galactic Stronghold” Stronghold Label will be unlocked in your Stronghold Management window and the “Illustrious” Character Title will be delivered via in-game mail at the start of Preferred Status Early Access on July 29, 2014, or within two hours of becoming a Preferred Status Player or a Subscriber. Players gain Preferred Status by purchasing anything from the online store. Former Subscribers are automatically granted Preferred Status.

• To qualify for the Free-to-Play in-game rewards, you must have a SWTOR account. The “Illustrious” Character Title will be delivered via in-game mail beginning at the official launch in August 2014 or within two hours of creating a SWTOR account.

Ok, so what server are you on? It might be time for me to move.

04.23.2014
Producer Letter – Galactic Strongholds
Hi everyone!

For the past year, we've made it our goal to share updates and information on what’s happening in the studio and our upcoming plans for the game. We got the message that you appreciate transparency and want to know what we are working on. With that in mind, we wanted to share a change in plans to our most recently announced digital expansion, Galactic Strongholds.

We have been listening to what you, our players, were hoping to see from the Galactic Strongholds expansion. When playing early builds of Galactic Strongholds it became that clear that our June Early Access date was simply not enough. For this to truly feel like an expansion, it needs to include the full set of features, including those originally coming later in the year. So what does this mean? We are moving the start date for Subscriber Early Access from June 24th to August 19th in order to deliver to you the most features at the highest level of quality. The result will be a far more compelling experience, including additional features such as the ability to place your vehicles and pets in your Stronghold and for Guilds to conquer planets . To conquer a planet, Guilds must complete weekly Conquest events earning points to place at the top of the Guild Leaderboards. Conquering a planet gives the Guild special perks and rewards. This means that Subscribers will be the first to play the full slate of expansion features (everything!) at the start of Subscriber Early Access, a month before everyone else.

This additional time allows us to add:

• Conquest Events: use the power of your Stronghold to dominate these events and earn rewards

• Guild Flagships will now offer expanded functionality for Guilds:

• Provide powerful buffs to Guild members from orbit

• Transport entire groups to your personal coordinates instantaneously

• Compete in Conquest Events to conquer entire planets

• New Stronghold: Tatooine Homestead

• Vehicles, Mounts, Pets, and Companion Characters can be placed as decorations in Strongholds

Combine that with the original feature list…

• 3 unique Player Strongholds, one on each Capital World plus the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace

• 2 faction-specific Guild Flagships (Valor-class Cruiser for the Republic and Harrower-class Dreadnaught for the Empire)

• Legacy Stronghold Storage

• Ability to gain Prestige tracked on Prestige Leaderboards

• Hundreds of Decorations to discover and collect

…and the result is an expansion that’s worth waiting for!

The additional features and time shift means some adjustments in other parts of our plan:

May 4th remains the Subscriber deadline for Bonus Cartel Coins Grant to the sweet tune of 1000 Cartel Coins!

May 11th is no longer the deadline for Strongholds Early Access rewards but as a thank you to all of our Subscribers as of this date, we are giving you the following rewards:

• Exclusive Subteroth minipet (delivered in Update 2.7.2)

• Two Character Titles “The Intrepid” (delivered in Update 2.7.2) and “The Illustrious” (delivered in Game Update 2.9)

• A sprawling Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with five additional rooms unlocked

• Stronghold Name "Galactic Stronghold"

July 15th is our new deadline for Subscriber Rewards for Early Access, and you must be a Subscriber by this date to claim the Subscriber Early Access Rewards:

• The luxurious Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three additional rooms unlocked

• Stronghold Name "Galactic Stronghold"

• Character Title "The Illustrious" (delivered in Game Update 2.9)

• August 19th is Game Update 2.9: Galactic Strongholds Digital Expansion Subscriber Early Access!

Preferred Early Access and the Official Launch will follow in September and October. Be sure to visit http://www.swtor.com/galactic-strongholds for more specific dates and details.

Our goal is to keep you informed, so stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for an update on the summer roadmap, including Game Update 2.8. For all of us working on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, we appreciate your support. We’re extremely excited about Galactic Strongholds and can’t wait to share it with you. Keep the feedback coming! See you in-game!

Bruce Maclean
Senior Producer