Star Wars: The Old Republic, commonly known as SWTOR, launched back in December of 2011 and recently celebrated its 13th anniversary in December. A Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) that has been around for that long has seen its fair share of updates, and luckily, Star Wars: The Old Republic fans don't have long to wait till the next big update hits.
On March 11, Star Wars: The Old Republic will receive update 7.6.1, which will see the return of the Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival and the launch of Galactic Seasons Eight.
Let's break down everything in the Star Wars: The Old Republic update 7.6.1.
Dantooine Festival
The Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival launched back in May of 2024 for Star Wars: The Old Republic and will be making its return when update 7.6.1 drops on Tuesday. For those who missed out the first time, the Dantooine Spring Abundance Festival is an annual seasonal event which will run from March 11 to April 7, 2025. Similar to other seasonal events, the events are more low-stakes, with players getting to fish, plant and harvest crops, and bake food among other things. Broadsword confirmed on the SWTOR forums that there will be new rewards for this year's event.
Galactic Season Eight, Uprisings, and Story
One of the main headliners for the newest update is Galactic Season Eight. Galactic Seasons are similar to battle passes, where players earn rewards for completing certain objectives. Each Galactic Season has also had themed rewards, such as gear inspired by shows like The Acolyte, Ahsoka, and more. As revealed during Broadsword's livestream on Twitch, Galactic Season Eight will have some Andor-inspired rewards.
Another one of the main headliners for update 7.6.1 is Uprisings. Uprisings have been part of Star Wars: The Old Republic since 2016, but the newest update is bringing some changes to them. One of the major changes Broadsword is doing for this season is lowering the level requirement from level 70 to level 10! Another major change is that free players can also get access to Uprisings, which is pretty cool. They're also adding temporary weapons to them with effects such as every fifth enemy defeated will explode, small Czerka droids will swarm a target, and a lightning buff that acts as an AoE attack.
Due to the continued SAG-AFTRA voice actor strike, there won't be any new story or Date Night content for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Cartel Market and Other Content
The Cartel Market will be seeing some changes once the new update hits on March 11. Starting with weapons, any weapons in the cartel market that are under the sale tab will be retired after two weeks. For anyone who has checked the Cartel Market in Star Wars: The Old Republic, it can be quite overwhelming due to all the items which has been released on it over the last 13 years. This will continue for every category of items, such as armor, crystals, mounts, pets, etc. While FOMO is never fun, this could be a good way to earn credits from the Galactic Auction House in the game. Buying an item before it's retired and then throwing it on the Galactic Auction House might net some neat profits for players.
Besides the content listed above, the 7.6.1 update will also have achievements added to specific Dynamic Encounters. Bessie the Basilisk droid will be receiving four new customization options that players can learn by completing training modules for her. Dynamic Encounters will also be getting their own Bessie/B3-S1 training modules.
Twitch Drops
The release of update 7.6.1 will also see a new Twitch drop in the form of the AC-10 Disruptor Mount, a new purple and silver speeder. There's also an in-progress Twitch drop for the game called the Stronghold Deco: Ord Mantell. It's of a framed stronghold on Ord Mantell and is obtainable until March 12. Players who want the painting will need to watch one hour of a drops-enabled channel livestreaming Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Final Thoughts
It's unfortunate that there still isn't any new story content, but the situation is understandable. The Andor-inspired items for the upcoming Andor Season 2 will be pretty cool to grind for. Uprisings being available for free/lower-level players is also a welcome change. The FOMO from the Cartel Market change definitely stinks, but they won't be retired forever, which is a decent silver lining. All in all, these changes for SWTOR, for the most part, sound pretty awesome.