Bordering the Mid Rim and the Expansion Zone is a small, strategically unimportant sector of space, located near the Bothawui and Hutt systems. Only three habitable planets make up this sector:

Bogeril, the capital world, is an agriworld rich in farmland and associated manufacturing.

Swindle, a planet whose strange name was given by the original colonists who believed it to be fertile, and purchased land shares only to later discover harmful chemical compounds were native to the ground water. Early crop failures and resulting famine nearly decimated the entire population.

Grit, the smallest planet of the system, is a dry, cold, and rocky world suitable only for mining.

These worlds had joined the Republic just a few years short before the sudden return of the Sith Empire. Finding it hard to ensure decent representation under three separate worlds, they joined together as a conglomerate and were represented by a single Sentor in the Galactic Senate.

3,671 BBY

During the First Battle of Bothawui, the Bogeril system was offered limited protection by the strained Republic military, and it was under constant threat of attack from the Sith Empire. After a time, Republic forces would regain the upper hand and bring a small measure of security with a military presence.

However, an outbreak of Hive Virus would once again prove the Republic’s lack of interest, as they recalled military units and quarantined the entire sector. Medical aid from the Republic was slow in coming and largely ineffective to combat the outbreak.

3,661 BBY

Even as the Republic fought the Sith Empire to a draw during the Second Battle of Bothawui in the neighboring region, the people of Bogeril were suffering under political corruption and criminal organizations that had formed to corner the black market on the limited supply medicine and vaccines. Even as the outbreak finally subsided, local security forces were overwhelmed by riots and looting than ran unchecked in the streets. The situation would only worsen during the Mandalorian blockade of the Hydian way.

It was at this time that a wealthy mining industrialist from Grit named Caldric Sol used his wealth and influence to restore order. Along with his son Kivan, a former captain in the Republic Navy, they spent a great deal of time and money consolidating the separate security organizations into one force.

Calling itself the Sol Militia, they brought swift and unforgiving justice to the system using confiscated ships, weaponry, and contracted mercenaries.

3,660 BBY

At the end of the Mandalorian blockade, representatives from Republic worlds that had endured material and food shortages came to Bogeril and demanded resources at insultingly low prices. Now a recently elected Senator, Caldric Sol knew that his people were rebuilding and could not afford to lose raw materials. He appealed to the Senate for help, but was ignored. Too busy with the war effort, the Republic once again turned a blind eye to the plight of the Bogeril system.

Pirates from nearby worlds began raiding Bogeril convoys and any attempt by the Sol Militia to thwart their efforts was labeled as an act of piracy itself. Unable to prove these raids were officially sanctioned and funded by Republic worlds, Caldric soon came to the realization that his system would be picked clean and unable to recover.

3,657 BBY

After enduring years of political turmoil and backlash for defending themselves against piracy, the system officially separated from the Republic. Concerned and angered, Republic worlds that were prospering from the raids quickly put up a blockade. It would only be lifted if the Bogeril system agreed to become part of Bothan controlled space. It was only a matter of time before they would have to give in to these demands, so the Bogeril government began working in secret to open a new hyperspace route towards Hutt space. Cobbling together what ships and probes they could, they began to delve deep into star fields once thought impassable. At the great cost of credits and lives, they finally succeeded.

The new supply route was open, however it was quickly discovered by agents of the Empire. Knowing that the Empire would soon exploit this new route as a backdoor into Republic space, Caldric Sol made a deal with the Sith. He would swear allegiance to the Sith and provide a supply of fresh troops and resources in exchange for protection and assurance that the system could operate much as it had before the war. The Sith agreed.

Pouring through the newly opened door in a bold surprise attack, the Sol Militia fought alongside Sith forces and made short work of the Republic blockade. The battle ended in another deadlock, in addition to the costly death of Caldric Sol. With new lines drawn, this alliance splintered Republic forces and lead to new victories elsewhere for the Sith Empire. Devastated by the loss of their patriarch, the people of the system unofficially renamed it “The Sol Confederacy” in honor of him.

3,653 BBY

After the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, Kivan Sol was appointed Moff by the Sith Empire. New supplies and technology began to come in, and troops set up garrisons to help maintain order. Kivan walks a fine line between loyalty to the people of the Sol Confederacy and his duty to the Sith, all the while knowing there are those who conspire against him. He rules with caution.

Creating a policy of “Distant Victory”, he works to provide aid to the Sith elsewhere in galaxy by keeping attention away from his own fledgeling system while at the same time, trying to prove its worth to an Empire that would otherwise run it under a heel if it felt the whim. The Sith have transplaneted many agents and emissaries in order to keep the Confederacy in check.

In “Choose Your Side,” members of the SWTOR development team debate the merits of the various in-game classes to see who will truly reign supreme.

The first installment in this four-part series, the noble Jedi Knight squares off against the nefarious Bounty Hunter.  In support of the Jedi Knight is Senior Writer Hall Hood and Designer Austin Peckenpaugh, while Senior System Designer Pete Warner and Writer Randy Begel defend the Bounty Hunter:

BioWare and LucasArts are pleased to announce that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will launch on December 20, 2011 in North America and on December 22, 2011 in the European Launch Territories!

About a month ago, there was some speculation that the game would be released around the holidays.

Turns out those rumors were true!

The Imperial Agent is a smooth character.  If an Agent has done his job right, his enemies will know when it’s too late, or they might never know the Agent was there at all.

The Imperial Agent class from Star Wars: The Old Republic is a class of range, stealth,  cover and cunning.  The primary weapons of the Agent are blaster rifles and energy Knives.  Also at their disposal are a number of high tech gadgets.

Contents

• Gameplay
• Abilities
• Weapons & Armor
• Advanced Classes
• Specializations
• Combat Tactics

Gameplay

The combat style of the Imperial Agent is getting the drop on your enemy.

The SWTOR Imperial Agent has three specializations rather than the advertised two, each of which has dramatically different gameplay.  One specialization allows for melee combat, another for healing, and a third specialization focuses in on the ranged aspect of this class.

Whereas stealth is the modus operandi of the Operative, the Sniper is more heavily into range and the cover mechanic.  Agents also have a medic line, within the Operative Advanced Class.  This brings in the interesting possibly of the stealth healer.  Check out the Imperial Agent’s class video:

The Sniper specialization seems to be the most pure ranged DPS class in the game, but players will have other options to choose from when fleshing out their character.

The Agent’s X-70b Phantom-Class Prototype is obviously inspired by the Naboo royal starship seen in Episode 1, but has elements reminiscent of Imperial Star Destroyers.  This is the best looking ship in the game.  Other classes envy it’s sleek lines and sexy appeal.  Let those others have their flying Junk heaps and cargo shuttles.

The Imperial Agent will bring victory to the Empire and do it with style and finesse!

Abilities

Rifle Shot (Rank 1)

• Instant
• Range: 30m
• Fire two quick shots resulting in medium damage

Take Cover (Rank 1)

• Instant
• Evasion increases against targets in your cone of cover while taking cover

Shiv (Rank 1)

• Instant
• Energy: 40
• Range: 4m
• Stab the target with your energy blade for moderate damage, additional light damage over 3 seconds

Recuperate (Rank 1)

• 15 seconds: Channeled
• Cooldown: 1 minute
• Catch your breath, recovering your Health and Energy over 15 seconds. Only usable out of combat

Snipe (Rank 1)

• 1 second: Channeled
• Energy: 15
• Range: 30m
• Rifle shot that does heavy damage.  Only usable while in Cover

Explosive Probe (Rank 1) – Requires Level 6 – 160 Credits

• Instant
• Energy: 20
• Cooldown: 30 seconds
• Deploy an explosive probe that travels to the primary target.  The probe will arm after 3 seconds, and automatically explode.  Moderate damage in a 5m radius to up to 5 targets.  The effect expires after 20 seconds.  Only usable while in Cover

Weapons & Armor

The Imperial Agent’s weapon of choice is the rifle.  The Agent is akin to the Rogue class in other games, and as such, utilizes light armor and relies on certain skill sets (such as Cover) as opposed to damage absorption and mitigation through heavy armor.

Advanced Classes

Choice of an advanced class takes place at Level 10, after the Imperial Agent leaves his starting planet of Hutta for the next planet in progression: Dromund Kaas.  As of this writing, this decision cannot be reversed, so choose wisely.

Operative

Technically, the Operative is a single Advanced Class.  In reality, there are two very different choices which we will discuss in more detail in the next section.  The Operative will likely be very decisive vs. casters in PvP, as it contains many snares, roots, and interrupts.

• Stealth
• Close to mid-range DPS
• Melee skills
• Healing

Sniper

The Sniper is all about range and cover.  The two specialization trees offer options on the same theme: getting enemies dead fast and beyond arms reach, and calling down heavy fire from orbit.  Snipers will be able to entrench themselves in order to prevent knock backs and other similar abilities.

• Cover
• Ambush
• Orbital Strikes
• Mid to long-range DPS

Specializations

The specialization UI is similar to other games, with three trees (one shared, two unique) of passive and activated abilities that you spend points in – earned as you level up – to progress through the tree, unlocking stronger abilities and additional passive effects.  There are a limited number of skill points available, so you will not be able to activate all of them.

The shared tree for the Operative and the Sniper is “Lethality”.  If you like poison then you will like this one, adding venom to your ranged and melee attacks.

Operative

• Concealment – For Agents more interested in Rogue/Thief style gameplay, the Operative can gain Stealth and Backstab abilities here, along with access to melee vibroblade weapons.
• Medic – Allows the Agent to become a full-fledged healer class.

Sniper

• Marksmanship – This tree focuses mostly on increasing range and damage done by attacks.  The downside is that most of them are only usable in Cover.
• Engineering – Adds a variety of traps, bombs, and probes to your arsenal.  Send hurt and confusion to your enemy while harassing them with your rifle.

Combat Tactics

Since the game isn’t live yet, it would be kind of silly to suggest tactics for playing the character.

Be sure to bookmark this guide and check back later!

Bounty Hunters are some of the most iconic and storied professions in the Star Wars universe.

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Bounty Hunter is a class that relies heavily on technology to do its job.  Blaster pistols, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, and jetpacks are all tools at your disposal, even early on in your career.

The Bounty Hunter is probably best described as a hybrid class: able to tank, deal damage (DPS) from both melee and range, and heal.  Only Sith Inquisitor offers more adaptability in both solo and group play.  Depending on how you look at it, that’s either a good or bad thing.  It means being able to fill a variety of roles, but not doing any single one of them to its fullest potential.

Contents:

• Gameplay
• Abilities
• Weapons & Armor
• Advanced Classes
• Specializations
• Combat Tactics

Gameplay

SWTOR Bounty Hunter in one word: versatile…and that’s very fitting for this profession.  BioWare has modeled the class after power suit wearing hunters, such as the Mandalorians.  There is a heavy emphasis on using wrist-mounted rockets and other gadgetry to quarry your prey.

If you’re a fan of Boba Fett, SWTOR has some abilities and animations that will make being a Bounty Hunter a very rewarding experience.  Check out this short gameplay video:

A Bounty Hunter’s starting planet is Hutta, homeworld of the notorious gangster slugs.  The planet itself has a greenish color cast to the atmosphere from the gaseous and almost swamp-like environment.  It’s full of gangs and thugs…perfect for a Bounty Hunter.  The starting planet is shared with the Imperial Agent class.

The main story arc is called “The Great Hunt”.  Your fledgling hunter will have to prove himself in order to get sponsored into the event, so that you can gain some notoriety and get higher paying jobs.  Very early on, you will meet part of your team, including Mako, who later joins as a Companion.

Gameplay Facts

Via the official SWTOR forums, developers have confirmed that there will not be a player bounty system (PvP option) at game launch.  However, there will be a bounty hunter terminal where the player can accept quest (NPC) bounty missions.

Developers have confirmed the existence of a KOTOR-like system where player responses can earn them lightside/darkside points.  There will be alignment items and gear available as well.  There are usually three responses to storyline interactions for the Bounty Hunter:

• Sympathetic – Light
• Efficient – Neutral
• Merciless – Dark

In regards to the Bounty Hunter story:

If you want to talk tone, you have a western…the Bounty Hunter is the bad guy with a gun who is going to roll into town and try to show the entire galaxy that he is the best that has ever lived.

- DarthHater interview with Daniel Erickson

Erickson also says that Bounty Hunter is the only class in the game that will be able to accept missions from both the Empire and the Republic.  That should make you greedy SOB’s happy…I know I am!

The bounty hunter utilizes a heat system.  Rather than having to worry about energy or “mana”, the Bounty Hunter must maintain a low equipment temperature.  Vent Heat is an ability to help control overheating weapons to allow for their continued use.

Abilities

Electro Dart (Rank 1) – Requires Level 4 – 100 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 45s
• Range: 25m
• Fires an electro dart out of your bracer at the target that causes them to be overloaded with electricity and stunned for 5 seconds.

Rail Shot (Rank 1) – Requires Level 6 – 160 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 5s
• Range: 30m
• Fires a shot at the target that deals heavy damage.  Only works against vulnerable (stunned, sleeping, burning) target.

Death From Above (Rank 1) – Requires Level 8 – 220 Credits

• Channeled: 6s
• Cooldown: 1m
• Range: 5m-30m
• Bounty Hunter flies to a safe distance and lobs missiles.  All targets in the area take damage.  The first rocket knocks all targets to the ground.

Flame Thrower (Rank 2) – Requires Level 10 – 280 Credits

• Heat: 50
• Channeled: 4s
• Cooldown: 10s
• Range: 10m
• The player torches everything in a 10m cone in front of him with a flamethrower, inflicting low damage every second for a maximum of 4s.  Lesser enemies are stunned.

Power Shot (Rank 1) – Requires Level 14 – 380 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 8s
• Range: 30m
• Special blaster attack that does heavy and moderate damage.

Energy Shield (Rank 1) – Requires Level 18 – 500 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 1m 30s
• A shield surrounds the Bounty Hunter absorbing a percentage of incoming blaster fire energy damage.  Lasts 30s.

Determination (Rank 1) – Requires Level 18 – 500 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 1m 30s
• Removes all impairing effects.

Chaff Flare (Rank 1) – Requires Level 20 – 560 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 30s
• Range: 30m
• Fires several flares at your target area revealing any stealthers.  Flares last 10s.

Oil Slick (Rank 1) – Requires Level 24 – 660 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 30s
• Range: 10m
• The Bounty Hunter fires oil out of his left bracer and comes out in a cone in front of him.  Targets affected are snared, having their elemental resistance lowered.

Electric Shield (Rank 1) – Requires Level 28 – 780 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 1m 30s
• A shield surrounds the Bounty Hunter that returns a small electric charge as damage to attackers.  Effect can only occur once every 2s.  Lasts 30s.

Rocket Punch (Rank 1) – Requires Level 32 – 880 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 20s
• Range: 5m
• Close range attack that knocks down target back and does light damage.  Useful when enemies are close and the Bounty Hunter needs to establish range.

Interceptor Shield (Rank 1) – Requires Level 40 – 1120 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 1m
• Range: 30m
• Bounty Hunter engages his shield generator to lower his threat on any targets that hit his shield.

Thermal Detonation (Rank 1) - Requires Level 46 – 1280 Credits

• Instant
• Cooldown: 20s
• Range: 5m-25m
• Lob a thermal detonator at your target, sticking to them and exploding for high damage when they die.  Target must die within 15s for the explosion to happen.

Weapons & Armor

The Bounty Hunter’s weapon of choice in SWTOR is the pistol.  There is heavy reliance on the hunter’s power suit/armor, which also contains weapons and gadgets.  It would be very difficult to access your wrist rockets while holding a two handed weapon.

This is the class for someone who wants to run into combat guns blazing, but have gadgets to fall back on in emergencies.

There are many different armor and weapons available, but it remains to be seen if there is enough variety in the game so that players don’t look exactly alike.  Developers have confirmed that you will be able to wear the same armor all the way up to max level, so it might be worth holding on to a few sets once you outgrow them just for the sake of variety when socializing with other players.

I haven’t seem much regarding the implementation of slicing/reverse engineering weapons and armor, but it is a likely game mechanic.  The Bounty Hunter is supposed to be a class that utilizes the latest in black market gear according to the official Holonet data entry.

Advanced Classes

Choice of an advanced class takes place at Level 10, after the Bounty Hunter leaves his starting planet of Hutta for the next planet in progression: Dromund Kaas.  As of this writing, this decision cannot be reversed, so choose wisely.

Powertech

The Powertech offers more in the way of defense and heavier armor, with a focus on AoE (area of effect/cone) attacks with the flamethrower.  As with most versatile classes, Powertech is an excellent choice for the solo Bounty Hunter because of increased survivability.  However, because this option is not a pure melee-based tank, it may be more difficult to find a place in some groups.

• Close to mid range DPS, tanking
• Passive shielding/defense
• AoE attacks
• Focus on flamethrower

Mercenary

This advanced class offers the Bounty Hunter the ability to trade in the more powerful flamethrower abilities for a second weapon.  Mercenaries are pure ranged DPS with lighter armor and active healing skills.  It may be difficult to juggle healing while also worrying about heat from attacks.  Mercenaries will probably be easier to group with because they are a more traditional ranged nuking class.

• Mid to long range DPS, nuking
• Dual-wield pistols
• Healing
• Focus on missiles

Specializations

The specialization UI is similar to other games, with three trees (one shared, two unique) of passive and activated abilities that you spend points in – earned as you level up – to progress through the tree, unlocking stronger abilities and additional passive effects.  There are a limited number of skill points available, so you will not be able to activate all of them.

“Firebug” is the shared skill tree between Powertech and Mercenary.  The majority of this tree is dedicated to upgrading current skills (as opposed to unlocking new ones) and increasing weapon damage.

Powertech

• Shield Tech – Invest in this tree if you are looking for more of a tank build.  There are more damage mitigation skills here as well as threat-generating attacks at both close and mid-range.
• Advanced Prototype – Here we find more of a focus on offensive abilities, especially with the flamethrower.

Mercenary

• Bodyguard – Talents (aka skills) found here are of the healing variety.  Not something you’d expect from a Bounty Hunter, but you have the option to go full support class with this line.
• Arsenal – For a pure DPS build, here are your missiles and ranged damage.  PvPers will likely go this route for the burst damage.

Combat Tactics

Since the game isn’t live yet, it would be kind of silly to suggest tactics for playing the character.

Be sure to bookmark this guide and check back later!

It has long been a tradition of Sol Confederacy to develop images for use in the signature section of our forums, and also those of the main gaming sites.

Our Star Wars: The Old Republic  “sig pic” takes cues from the SWTOR logo and Holonet graphics in addition to featuring the player’s avatar.  Since the game has not gone live yet, these avatars are taken from screenshots available in the SWTOR Fan Site Kit.

All members of Sol Confederacy will be able to receive a customized sig pic for their own use.

There has long been speculation about the release date of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The game has been in development for several years, and BioWare has always remained tight-lipped about any projected release date.  Last spring BioWare announced that 2011 was their “target time frame”, which has been their only official statement issued on the matter.

Earlier this year, DarthHater reported that during the Electronic Arts (EA) Q4 Earnings meeting, this time frame was widened to include late 2011/early 2012.  During the San Diego Comic Con, this information was updated and the release date was again changed to “Holiday 2011″, which would likely include November 2011-January 2012.

On July 26 of this year, EA held their Q1 Earnings meeting and confirmed that an official release date would be announced in September 2011, with shipment to occur 4-8 weeks later.

Let’s all hope Santa comes a bit early this year.

Here’s the latest info on SWTOR Bounty Hunters, complete with in-game action and skill path selection.  It will be interesting to see how many players will choose Mercenary (offense) over Powertech (defense).

Hunter, seeker, killer for hire

Countless enemies stand in the way of the Sith Empire’s drive for domination.  The Empire spares no expense eliminating these threats, offering massive bounties to employ the galaxy’s most lethal hunters. Earning a death mark from the Empire means a life spent in fear, constantly looking over one’s shoulder.  It’s never a question if a Bounty Hunter will find you…only when.

Both infamous and anonymous at the same time, Bounty Hunters are far more than mercenaries for hire—they’re heirs to a professional legacy—an ancient brotherhood with a glorious history.  Tracking elusive targets across multiple star systems requires expertise, especially when the targets can be prominent, powerful, and often prepared for confrontation.  Thrill seekers from all walks of life set out to become Bounty Hunters, but only the most hard-boiled survive in this competitive and deadly business.

The Bounty Hunter’s path lies along the edge—the stakes are always high—and the path only leads two places, to a life of infamous glory…or to a quick and ignominious death.

Imperial Relations

Though the Empire disapproves of the Bounty Hunters’ fierce independence, exceptions are made for those who get results.  Few individuals in the galaxy have the gall and the stomach to deliver on the delicate and grim tasks in which Bounty Hunters excel.

Nonetheless, no one is irreplaceable in the Empire, and even the most proficient must repeatedly prove their worth.  In the bounty business, one’s name is everything, and with each mark a Bounty Hunter takes down, his reputation grows, as does his price.

Affiliations and Loyalties

Bounty Hunters are far from a homogeneous lot—they come from all races and affiliations and each pursues his quarry in his own unique way.  Some Bounty Hunters adhere to the rugged Mandalorian code of honor while others answer only to their own moral compass.  Some work only on behalf of organizations they agree with, while others have no sense of loyalty.

Despite being kindred spirits, fellow Bounty Hunters cannot always be trusted—among the profession’s most notorious members, competition turns colleagues into the most ruthless of enemies.  Even the Bounty Hunters’ employers harbor hidden agendas; the tables are turned quickly when complications arise…and they always do.  Shifting allegiances, unbeatable odds, and deadly showdowns are common in the occurrences in the life of a Bounty Hunter.

Champion of the Dark Side

An unstoppable force of darkness, the Sith Warrior is entrusted with the task of destroying the Empire’s enemies and enforcing Sith domination across the galaxy.  The Warrior channels the destructive emotions of fear, anger, and hatred to purge weakness from body and mind and become a being of pure, brutal efficiency.

Destined to eradicate the incompetent chaos created by the Jedi, the Sith seek to rule the galaxy through power and intimidation.  The armies of the Sith Empire are trained to accomplish this task, but they require the leadership of bold Sith Warriors—loyal and mighty overlords—who will drive them to conquest and victory.

These cold-blooded conquerors waste no time with cunning manipulations and carefully-crafted plans.  Sith Warriors crush their opponents and stride toward their goals with dreadful determination, leaving ruin and annihilation in their wake.  Emanating awe and terror at every step, they accept nothing but absolute obedience from their followers.  In turn, Sith Warriors can serve as loyal subjects to their own dark masters, often surprising enemies and allies with their rigorous honor and perfect discipline.

Whether they align their ambitions with those of the Dark Council or become renegades in pursuit of their own goals, they are never far from the action.  Their fierce hatred of the Jedi keeps Sith Warriors at the forefront of any conflict with the Republic.

The passion to eradicate the Jedi Order fuels many of their actions, but that does not make them single-minded fools.

Ultimately, the destiny of any Sith Warrior is his own to choose… and woe to those who would stand in his way.

Working with Others

A natural leader in any context, a Sith Warrior inspires both fear and undying loyalty into his followers and allies.  Though they rarely exercise patience for incompetence or indecisiveness, Warriors have realized the importance of strength in numbers in their war with the Jedi, and have learned to accept and sometimes even encourage their comrades, whether they are like-minded Sith, ruthless Bounty Hunters, or others who embrace the darkness.