Star Wars: The Old Republic Going Free to Play

MMOBomb Staff
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EA just announced that the Sci-Fi MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, or SWTOR for short, will be going Free to Play this November.

It appears that EA plans to offer two different options for players, the base "Free" version and then a Subscription option. Those that opt to not pay anything will have full access to all class driven story content up to level 50 but will have limited access to some areas and be completely restricted from doing any of the games "Operations" (SWTOR's term for Raids).

EA did say they would introduce a new currency called Cartel Coins, which players could purchase with real money. This currency will be used to remove some of the restrictions imposed on F2P users but no word as to what yet exactly. Besides removing restrictions, the currency will also be used to purchase in-game items, gear, and other standard cash shop items. Unlimited access including higher-level content and new features will be available through a standard subscription option.

Check the official SWTOR site http://www.swtor.com/free/features for the full list of subscription vs. free features and let us know what you think of them in the comments below!

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In this article: SWTOR.

Discussion (83)

emoneko:3 11 years ago
ugh (/_-) EA you dumb fatcats give up already you failed again.

Whippylash 11 years ago
Sorry I made a fool about myself, and the comment said.
The game sucks, simple as that.

Big download, rest of my majority is Pay to Play.

Now I find it hard to recycle cans and bottles cause I have none.

Whippylash 11 years ago
Don't understand all these hate comments.

If you do not like it then do not play it.
It is as simple as that isn't it?

You get to play the majority of the game for free.
Some content is still locked but if you really want to unlock it just pay.

Look at it like an extended trial instead of it going free to play.
And it is not hard to get money for a subscription, i could even make enough from just recycling cans and bottles.

Darksavior 11 years ago
hmm..guess EA just never learns what real f2p is eh...so sad oh well
they'll crash and burn soon enough...-hopefully-

Nathan 11 years ago
Still not worth playing in my opinion...

godpk 11 years ago
ughh i was hoping EA wouldnt do the bs that sony did with both of the everquest games (free to play with major limits) at least swtor will at least let us play all the classes XD cause atm im running 2 15 dollar subscribtions XDD ( WOW , TERA , )and recently pre purchesed GW2 (:

Lawliss 11 years ago
Sounds like EA is getting ready for another EPIC FAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLL

Playa 11 years ago
Jude star = €A = Pay2Win

Playeronesvk 11 years ago
€A = pay2win

chefmadness 11 years ago
I really like the game but for free to play they really need to fix the chat & social panel restrictions. That really sucks. They make it so hard to party up & chat with players & what the hell is up with not being able to chat in general for free to play, that's just plane retarded.

drezzle 11 years ago
EA just give up and give out the game for free i love the game but i won,t pay =_= give it free ore go shoot your self in the head

ScardyFarts 11 years ago
hmmm nice~ i always wanted to try that game ^___^

Teldon 11 years ago
It seems EA is fallowing in the footsteps of Jagex.

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Kiara 11 years ago
"story content up to level 50"
So what? You can't get passed 50 to the max level? Or you can, but the Story Content just ends at 50?
I prefer the 2nd then the 1st one, lvl50 max sucks.

Vinvoro 11 years ago
lol, quite similar to DCUO, champion bah bah..
when they open new lv cap, the free players will be discarded like trash
and see wht happen to DCUO anyway ??

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DClassiC 11 years ago
swtor f2p. i guess most of the people called it already :D
those restrictions r unnecessary indeed. but i think, in my opinion, that soon after the swtor "f2p" release they will go fully f2p.
but i guess the moment that happens, the ingame shop will kill it...

Reepy 11 years ago
Ok , this is bullshit , and even worse when those unlockables arent permanent .

Anikinatom 11 years ago
This is a good game. I will for sure download it and do a YouTube video. Check me out at youtube.com/anikinatom

cacalips 11 years ago
DEMO.
We need to learn the definitions in the mmorpg community. There is a difference between MMO; MMORPG; MOBA; etc.. There exists a difference between a persistant online DEMO vs an actual free to play model.

Terranova667 11 years ago
@bogdanul you can at the moment download and play a free trial but it's only up until lvl 15 it's not until the fall when they change to their so called free option with the increase to lvl 50 and the rest of the stuff they mentioned.

Bogdanul 11 years ago
Its free to download?

Sytro 11 years ago
I knew this before this game was even launched.

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King Jamm 11 years ago
EA Trolling free users.

0lly 11 years ago
Warhammer Online Unlimited Trial = SWOTR F2P

Barack Obama 11 years ago
Yeah, after reading some posts, games like these should be called trial games, cause you are not really playing everything, or enjoy everything where some games they are accessed by default or necessity to the story or essence of the game. You just like having a limitless trial, how tormenting is that?

Its more like an endless trial anti-virus, trial Microsoft word, trial plants vs zombies, trial zuma, etc.

F2P>P2P> (all other random/odd models) >trial games with pay.

I think SWTOR has one of the worst models ever, you'll just be pissed cause u can't raid, can't hunt on a restricted area with OP drops, or quests or events only(mostly) held there, and the ol OP cash items.

If you are thinking why F2P is on top, reason, League of legends, HON, DOTA2(I think), but im pretty sure about LOL and HON, with no cash influence, purely purely cosmetics.

Mystika 11 years ago
Ouch. So Mmobomb, you're going to do a first look right?

Barack Obama 11 years ago
I wish someone would come up of another phrase for 'Free-to-play', companies like these are abusing the 'essence' of the word Free-to-play, and IMO no respect to people, cause in some degree/range is a kind of form of SCAM.

I haven't thought of a good phrase yet, I wish someone can, I think I can call it Free-to-drool(in the essence that u get jelly of other ppl), or Fraud-to-play(in the essence that it may be free, but u will only get the good stuff if u pay)

okoice 11 years ago
Forget about this game, Go to GW2 ! xD

reivax200 11 years ago
I f**** hate EA, they f***** up Battlefield 3 with the premium and now puts this shit f2p.

Smight 11 years ago
The end game is what makes people stick with the MMO and pay money, so they thought it was good idea to limit it for free players, EA is definite proof that there is no limit to human stupidity

sdfsdfsd 11 years ago
p2p games that go f2p are killing the f2p model. they are turning f2ps into trials

Name (Required) 11 years ago
EA is actually turning one of their p2p games f2p? Well shit. Hopefully they do the same for WAR.

IHateMMOs 11 years ago
A free to play game published by our beloved EA that's nothing but a reskin? Yeeeeaaaaah, no thanks. Guild Wars 2 is all I need.

ContraQ 11 years ago
I log in, check classes, play game for 10-30mins, then uninstall, fck u EA i better pay for something worth it...

Yuen 11 years ago
Limitations remind me of Wakfu's trial version.

rArcangel84 11 years ago
Wow I saw this coming, but I didn't know it was going to be this soon...

70calories 11 years ago
WOO look at all that limited access!

Phillippus 11 years ago
EA being EA.

KaiNinja 11 years ago
So im hopeing they will upgrade that ftp offer before i play the guile theme to party becuse like whats been said with out raid an all but to many liments does not count as free to ply iv been waiting for this and it beeter progress

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Zeronoz 11 years ago
I tried the trial (Up to Level 15) but I always find myself questing alone. I think I`m still going for Guild Wars 2, the dynamic event thing looks sorta fun! + I love helping others.

Sebastianated 11 years ago
It's better then WoW's so called F2P. Lol.

ki11joyace 11 years ago
I laughed out loud when I saw the title of this article. I don't know exactly why, but I did.

Magicman 11 years ago
EA literally called Star Wars a "Miss" on their Earnings call today. They kept talking about Battlefield 3 Premium making up for Sw:ToR. I wish we hadn't recorded the Free to Play Cast last night! lol This will have to wait a week. Exact Quote from the earnings call,

"We couldn’t be more pleased with how the diversity of our business allows us to make up for a miss on one franchise with a big hit on another."

-Magicman

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Saex_Conroy 11 years ago
I told you...

nubcandy 11 years ago
"Game Login
Subscribers will always be in login queues ahead of free players."

They're dreaming of login queues with these restrictions lmao. Such a failure...

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jdrew2000 11 years ago
bad move ea

click 11 years ago
wish people would stop calling game like this free to play it's not
it free to try with limits
free to play 100% of the game with cash shop
free to try limited classes... areas..... lvl ..... ect
dont let the game company say free to play when it not

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zoren 11 years ago
EA quit wsting our time

asdfasd 11 years ago
wouldn't play this trash for free

Smither 11 years ago
EA don't understand that nobody wants to pay for this game or any of it's content, it's just that mediocre

ps. I'm also waiting for raiderz, bring on august 8th!! woot!!

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TheGamer 11 years ago
Hmmm, why you guys are angry?I alredy know that SWTOR is going F2P, and ITS EA, of course it will have like 70% (at least) of game content blocked

MyonTsun 11 years ago
The limitations make me sad honestly. I was looking forward to returning to this game and bringing my friends in finally, but with these restrictions it just feels pointless really. I wish it was more like GW and just was Buy and play (with a small cash shop on the side maybe?) I don't know much about how online games work but its just sad when you have all these restrictions... EA just doesn't know how to please people it seems.

SNAK4ATER 11 years ago
yay! finally, But it sucks to wait until november.

Aaron 11 years ago
NOPE. F**ck off EA!

Bomberman 11 years ago
God I hate EA -__-

roflalot 11 years ago
why would i pay for late content when GW2 come soon :)

Echoman 11 years ago
Money

thomas 11 years ago
why cant they just make it free to play -.- =(

NeOeN 11 years ago
nice. :(
play the story and uninstall the game if u dont want to use real money.

@CliX only Eu Aion had this limitations, how i know.

im waiting for RaiderZ (CB 09.08), hope PW dont destro it with the cash-shop.

GL and HF.

Echoman 11 years ago
Screw this tiered content, possibly gona try it, but had played DC Universe so don't think its gona keep me for long.
P.S. this game was called WOW killer, but falled down and will become freemium... anyways THIS IS BULLSHIT. :(

Tofer 11 years ago
If you can't even raid at 50 without paying 15$ a month then what the hell is the point...? Please someone tell me.

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CliX 11 years ago
@Sabin Last time i checked aion had some limitations as well. NO use of action house and no traading with other people. This is less worse then what EA is doing. Raids is like a key point to keep playing the game

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Demencjor 11 years ago
Poor ea :>

Sabin 11 years ago
Free to play limiting content? EA just doesnt know when to give up do they?


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