The first major update has dropped on Star Wars: The Old Republic. With it comes bug fixes and game adjustments. But of course what everyone looks forward to is the new content. This patch, unsurprisingly, brings a new Flashpoint, a massively expanded Operation, and updates to Ilum – all of which are made for level 50.

The reason Malgus got so destroyed in the Hope trailer was because he was only level 32 at the time

Part of the reason for this is because of some people’s obsession with getting to level cap as fast as they can, and then finding little to do. All of a sudden you don’t have a story to go through and you are not shooting for a higher level. This is a big gap in content that you were once moving towards.

BioWare does a respectable job in trying to placate those bored at level 50. There are dailies, Operations, harder versions of Flashpoints, and now their own PvP Warzones to name a few. Of course they also put money sinks in like getting a level 50 speeder. All designed to keep the people at cap happy.

Invariably, that content will run dry and the masses will clamor for more. So BioWare, just like many other MMO developers, focuses on level cap content. Now before shenanigans are called on me, I completely understand the need for it. I am not writing to begrudge BioWare for making high level content. It not only gives the capped people more to do, but it gives others more incentive to reach level cap and participate in the content.

But there is another reason why future content may be slanted towards the top and it is somewhat unique to TOR. The Old Republic is extremely story-based. We’ve all known this from day one, but that boon can lead to issues with lower level content additions. If BioWare were to release a new planet at say, levels 25-29 range, invariably two issues arise. First, people will eventually level past the content or start too high for the content; in time making it less attractive. Second, how does this new planet fit in with the story? You can add more story to the end as much as you want but if you have an actual good story and try to jam something in the middle of it, things can get confusing and ultimately take away from what BioWare was trying to get across.

Feel the power of the level capped dark side!

So what is my point? Do I even have one? Has this been all an elaborate trick to get everyone to read to this point where I cackle menacingly? Probably. But I do have two points that might seem to conflict one another. Some people get to level cap way too soon and BioWare is right to focus on level cap content.

Now the second part I sort of already covered. There are people at cap who are now faced with a lack of content (relatively speaking), having lower level content might damage the story put in place by BioWare, the lower content might be too low for some people level-wise thus making it somewhat useless to them, and adding higher level content is sort of a carrot for lower level people to reach. All of these points are valid in my mind. I’m sure someone will disagree with me but that is how I see it.

My second point revolves around getting to level cap as fast as you can. There were people in the game who were level 50 before the end of Early Access. Now I don’t care how you want to play the game. If you style is to hammer though as fast as you can either because you are really into the content or because you feel a sense of accomplishment, then good for you. But before the actual release of the game? Come on.

Many of these same people are the ones who complain there is nothing to do at the end and that they are bored. Well sure, you finished the main content in a matter of days. You need to give BioWare time to get an expansion out there.

This Jedi Sage is ascending into the hypothetical yet obviously-coming-at-some-point world of level 51

I personally do not understand the need to hit level cap as quickly as you can. It just seems like more of a job than entertainment at that point. I am a slow leveler. In MMOs it takes me forever to get to level cap. In games like Fallout or Elder Scrolls I am playing the game long past when my friends beat it and yet have well over 100 hours put in. For games like Assassin’s Creed or Grand Theft Auto I spend countless hours trying to complete every objective and find every item. I play this way because I believe it is not about the destination but about the journey.

Waxing philosophical aside, I love to explore, look at the sites, read the Codex entries (how many of you really do that?), and take in the world that I am participating in. I want to be immersed as much as I can and that helps me be a part of the game’s universe and lose myself in the story. Maybe it’s because I’m an Adventure game fan (rare these days), but I feel the story is worth slowing down for and the world that surround the story is worth stopping and taking a look at from time to time.

One of my friends from back in the day was very much a power leveler. He would get a new game and have it beat the next day. If the game took him two days it meant there was a lot of meat to it. If he beat it within a week it meant the game would likely take me a half a year. When I would finally beat the game, I would talk to my friend about it to see what we each liked and disliked. Invariably, I would bring up details that he wasn’t aware of or parts where he completely missed the meaning. I would comment on a certain twist and he was surprised to find out it was a twist at all.

I will admit though, when you do hit level cap, you get to fight some ridiculously fantastical enemies

The point being, slow down. The Old Republic isn’t going anywhere. This game has been anticipated by many for years. Do you really want to have it finished within days? Now I know as an MMO a game is never truly ‘finished’ but there comes a point where the main story is over, at least for the time being. If you slow down and just take the time to enjoy the story, the environment, the locations, the characters, and the small details; I assure you that it will make it a much greater experience.

Like I said, it’s all about the journey. Reaching a destination is usually anti-climactic. Sure you feel a sense of accomplishment but then you are left with what to do. The beginning and the end of a good book are nothing without all that stuff in the middle. You may talk about those crazy endings, but try talking about them out of context. “Can you believe the cops knew Internal Affairs was setting them up the whole time?” Without the journey to that point, who cares about the cops and that hook?

Savor the journey to level 50. Maybe it takes you longer to get that new speeder or play that new Flashpoint, but I assure you that you will enjoy it more in the end. I can say with certainty that many (not all) of the people who take their time and enjoy the ride a little slower, will come to the end and say, “Wow, that was something.” But just like my friend who beat the games quickly, I assume the majority of you who race to level 50 will get to the end and simply say, “That’s it?”