Two not-very-new newses.

Firstly, for the second weekend running, Prospective players can register a new account and play the first chapter of the game for free. That includes:

• The preludes for all 8 classes.
• The capitals for each faction (Coruscant and Dromund Kaas).
• The faction-specific flashpoints (Esseles for Republic, and Black Talon for Empire).
• PvP warzones.

The FAQ for the weekend pass can be found here: http://www.swtor.com/info/faq/game#q400211
The weekend pass sign-up page is here: http://www.swtor.com/weekendpass
The announcement is here: http://www.swtor.com/node/313991

Secondly, patch 1.2 is in the tubes.
And by tubes, I mean Public Test Server.
That’s just a small step away from everywhere!
It’s big, too. Check out the patch wall-of-text at: http://www.swtor.com/test-center/patchnotes/313976

This coming Monday, eager representatives of over 150 guilds from around the world will be heading to Austin, Texas to take part in BioWare’s inaugural Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Guild Summit.
During the summit, guild members will have the opportunity to speak with the development team, and see a preview of what the future holds for the game and you can view it live Here

1.1.2 was pushed to the Test server last night – Some great (and not so great) changes coming up, highlights include..

• Jedi Knight DPS Boost
• Biochem ‘Balance pass’
• A fix for one of SOA’s Reset triggers
• Rakata Weapons now have the correct (140) stats
• More tinkering with BattleMastar and Champion bags (In this case, Good for BM bags, Bad for Champion bags)

Read on..

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The 13th of January has come and gone, and for many players their 1st month in-game has been completed. Here I take a quick look at some of my highs and lows in SW:TOR

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Unlimited Power!Unlimited Power!

*Epic Music Score*

Feared. Devious. True masters of the Force.

These are but three of the phrases that come to mind when Sith Inquisitor is mentioned.

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Through stealth, cunning, guile and their discretionary use of violence, the Imperial Agent is tasked with performing the most sensitive and secretive assignments for the Sith Empire.

Progression video after the jump.

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This week Bioware updates the Official site with more information on PvP warzones in SWTOR.

Warzones in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ are specific areas outside of the main character story, where players face off against each other in exciting Player-vs-Player combat. In order to give you a more detailed look at each of the different Warzones, we’ve launched a new Warzones Game Systems page! This new page will allow you to learn about each of the different Warzones, and each Warzone breakdown is accompanied by a short video displaying how the Warzone looks in the game.

Star Wars the Old Republic is now on track to receive a Global (well, within the earlier designated launch territories at least) release on December 20th 2011, for EU residents this means you can now get your hands on the game a couple of days earlier than expected.

Today BioWare and LucasArts are excited to announce that the new global launch date for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will be December 20th, 2011. Updating from previously announced plans, the release will now be simultaneous in North American and European launch territories!

Those who have pre-ordered the game and redeemed their Pre-Order Code at the Code Redemption Center before the game’s official release are eligible for Early Game Access as well as an in-game ‘Color Stone’ to change the color of your weapon’s visual effects. If you haven’t yet reserved your copy of the game, be sure to visit our Pre-Order page and secure your place in the Old Republic now!

Additionally, be sure to check back to StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

As the Treaty of Coruscant dissolves, the galaxy finds itself back on the brink of all out war. Chaos and corruption run rampant, and the mighty armies of both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire prepare themselves for the inevitable showdown.

Watch the build-up to battle in the new Game trailer for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, Signs of War.

Trailer after the jump.
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On Saturday the 24th of September, during a scheduled Eurogamer Conference, BioWare’s Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk exclusively announced the release date of SWTOR.

SWTOR.Stratics was in attendence to cover the event and the evening Meet&Greet with SWTOR team members Steven Reid and Daniel Erickson.

Offical announcement after the jump, along with our audio recording of the Conference and a selection of images.

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