Check out the Changes Highlights and the full patch notes for SWTOR Game Update 7.3.1, which releases on September 6th, 2023. Find out what this update brings to the game!
Update 7.3.1 Highlights
Since this is an X.X.1 patch, don’t expect any major new content, unless you would put a Galactic Season in that category. The update includes Galactic Season 5, further adjustments to the credit economy, balance changes for DPS and tanks, and some Quick Travel UI changes.
Many of the smaller changes are focused on cosmetics, whether it be fixing bugs, or improving quality of life (QoL).
Galactic Season 5
The biggest thing coming with 7.3.1 is Galactic Season 5 “Confidence in Power”, which is getting a few big changes including no new companion. There will still be a little storyline like there was with the companions, but it sounds like the conversations won’t be fully voiced since your main point of contact will be an astromech droid named 3V-1L.
The reward slots in the track that were related to customizing the companion in past seasons will be replaced by a third version of the armor set and some extra personnel decos that wear popular armor sets from the Cartel Market.
There will also be changes to existing objectives, new group content-oriented objectives, and more objectives available to subscribers, though the 7-per-week limit is not changing.
Visit our in-depth guide for a full breakdown of Galactic Season 5 in SWTOR.
Credit Economy Changes
We’re getting several excellent changes credit economy changes coming with 7.3.1, and I’m gonna save the (IMHO) best for last.
First, Quick Travel costs are gonna take your toon’s level into account such that things are cheaper for players at lower levels and scale up to match the existing costs by the time you hit 80.
Second, trade and mail taxes are now driven by the item’s live median sale price on that server, as in what the item actually sells for on your server, rather than the static values they use currently. They have mentioned making this data available to players in the future as part of their GTN overhaul.
Third, they’re FINALLY increasing the GTN Buyout Price (max price per listing) from 1 billion credits to 3 billion! Given that the increase remains below the existing 4.2bil credit cap for a single toon, I get the impression that they may not be planning to change that limit or are making some other bigger change later on.
I know some people like being able to have a separate allowance for each toon, but I would strongly prefer a Legacy-based approach for all credit transactions. Let me list things on the GTN with my legacy, have the mail go to whichever toon I log into next once it sells, and have a single wallet with all of my credits so I don’t need to faff around with the Legacy Bay.
Of course, that part is just speculation, and they could just be keeping the caps “low” because they don’t want the credit economy to be so ridiculously inflated that those limits matter to so many people.
Quick Travel UI Changes
Quick Travel is now going to be dealt with directly through the map UI by clicking on the icon directly. The ability button will still work and pull up a specific view that’s tailored to Quick Travel, but it’s a lot more like a shortcut now instead of something mandatory. It’s a nice QoL improvement for those with limited space on their bars or those that are after a more modern-feeling fast travel experience.
I want to note that this sort of change may feel like a waste of dev resources to many of you. A lot of players have complained about past similar-scale modernizations, or at least a vocal minority have framed it in such a way that they’re wasteful, but they’re not 100% correct.
I don’t mean to dismiss your frustrations, but when you look at and experience these modernizations in the aggregate, you end up with an experience that is far more approachable and accessible to new players. They don’t have to spend extra time learning and tolerating the antiquated system that was built over a decade ago and are better able to focus on figuring out how the game actually works.
SWTOR is also in a bit of “modernization debt” because they really haven’t been keeping up with gameplay and interface modernizations in order to stay relevant, so they’re having to play catch-up right now and dedicate more resources than they would have had they been making constant efforts all along.
Unless the writing is truly on the wall (and SWTOR’s move to Broadsword doesn’t mean support is ending), the devs aren’t ever gonna operate under the assumption that the game is dead either until they get their pink slips and official notice that the game is going into maintenance mode.
Since knowing something is ending often has a gargantuan negative impact on productivity, the higher-ups probably aren’t gonna tell the devs until the decision to enter maintenance mode has been made. Thus, the only way that the devs can behave is by assuming that support will continue for the foreseeable future
This is a little more out there, but I expect that when (or if) we ever get 8.0, we’ll get it once the bulk of the modernization debt has been paid, a significant chunk of which may happen with the actual release of the expansion, so they can market said expansion as offering a more fully-modernized experience for returning players.
At the same time, I would highly recommend you make your peace with occasional modernizations because, in all likelihood, they’ll only decrease in frequency, they’ll never fully go away.
Cosmetics Changes
Quite a few of the changes in 7.3.1 pertain to Space Barbie. They’re repackaging Kai Zykken, adding an “Inspired By…” tab to collections, and bug fixes particularly pertaining to holsters and sheathes.
Kai Zykken Repackaging
Make sure to say goodbai to Kai because he’ll be leaving (or perhaps fleeing) the Fleet once 7.3.1 arrives! Given how much the devs love Mr. Zykken, I doubt this will be the last we see of him.
Broadsword is replacing Kai Zykken with a new vendor that will sell all of the full sets of set bonus armor in crates that each contain a specific full set of armor (again, that’s sets of set bonus armor). Each box will cost 10k Tech Frags and 1mil credits, so no more weekly cycling or gambling. The schematics for tactical items and set bonuses will also remain available for 2k Tech Frags and 1mil credits.
Hopefully, they plan to do something similar with the other bloated vendors like Specialty Goods on each planet and the one on the Fleet that sells the weapons and armors from Galactic Command in 5.0, but Broadsword hasn’t said anything on that front.
“Inspired By…” Cartel Market Tab
There will be a new “Inspired By…” tab on the Cartel Market that will house all of the items that have an appearance that is based more directly on some other piece of Star Wars. It will include the upcoming Expatriate armor set and lightsabers inspired by Ahsoka, and I suspect it would also include things like all the armors, weapons, and decos from the Mandalorian as well as the “modern” Jedi robes.
Bug Fixes
A lot of the bug fixes seem focused on addressing the various issues that exist with some of the more advanced cosmetics. They stopped short of saying that holsters and sheaths have been fixed outright, but they did list specific fixes for a lot of weapons with that sort of thing, which while it may not look like it, is considered VFX.
They also mentioned that these components should no longer be seen floating in areas, by which I think they are referring to piling up in front of elevators and clickable doors.
Normally, I wouldn’t include things like this in the highlights, but I know a lot of people care about it and have probably spent their hard-earned money on one or more of the affected items.
Balance Changes
I was surprised to see these since they weren’t announced on the Forums in advance, but there are some small, yet still impactful, balance changes coming to the healer rDPS combat styles and tanks.
The healer rDPS combat style changes are focused on turning the cast/channel while moving effect (Force Mobility and Thrill of the Hunt / Force March) to a baseline effect for the DPS disciplines specifically, not healers, and filling that new void with something that tends to bolster rDPS survivability with the new ability tree buff being primarily useful in PvP.
In essence, this change widens the gap between healer and DPS survivability. Operatives and Scoundrels likely weren’t affected because the devs made changes in a similar vein in an earlier patch by giving adding AoE RDT to the Evasion (Countermeasures) / Dodge (Surrender) ability tree buffs for DPS specs.
Operatives and Scoundrels still arguably need another, more comprehensive, survivability pass that reduces the massive disparity in survivability between each discipline as well between PvE and PvP. I think it will have to involve a new choice that lets all disciplines pick between Revitalizers / Surprise Comeback and Shadow Operative Elite / Slippery Devil.
I am personally THRILLED to see that Plague Master / Teachings of Rajivari is finally getting fixed (and that I managed to get this far into the article without bringing it up), but I’ll cover that in much greater detail along with the rest of the DPS changes in a dedicated article that should be out later today or sometime tomorrow.
I can’t speak to the practical implications for the tank changes, but they mainly boil down to rebalancing some choices and tacticals such that the existing options are more competitive. In particular, the tank tacticals they adjusted (Oil Fire, Hord’s Makashi Strike, and Ancient Tome of Wrath), seem like they’ll be more viable, but take what I say with a grain of salt as my understanding of tanking is purely theoretical.
It’s striking to see how tacticals are getting the same treatment as the ability tree choices. Given that almost no discipline has more than 3 tacticals that are actually usable, I continue to be perplexed as to why Broadsword hasn’t opted to just convert them into a level 78 choice. Perhaps that’s what they plan to do with 8.0 (if we ever get it :crying emoji:) along with more interesting ability tree choices for the specs that didn’t get as much love with the switch to ability tree choices in 7.0 proper.
If you are a Madness Sorcerer or Balance Sage enthusiast, you can read my detailed breakdown of the Madness and balance changes from 7.3.1.
Cloud Server Migration
Cloud server migration isn’t directly connected to 7.3.1, but it’s been happening at the same time. So far, the EU servers have been migrated to the cloud (AWS), but Broadsword hasn’t given us a date on when NA servers, Star Forge and Satele Shan, will be making the move.
We still don’t know if an NA server merge is in the cards or if there will be any kind of load balancing done to prevent divergent server populations in the future. Broadsword hasn’t committed to adding a dedicated APAC server yet either.
Cartel Market Items
There will be a host of new Cartel Market items, though Broadsword has only shown off Ahsoka’s Expatriate armor set and lightsabers as well as announcing the existence of an armor set inspired by Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Full Patch Notes
Below you can read the full official patch notes for Update 7.3.1, as they were published on September 5th, 2023.
General
- Players who obtained both “A Cantina in Crisis” and “Unwelcome Visitors” missions will now be able to reset the Old Wounds mission and progress through the storyline as intended.
- Decorations will now drop when killing enemies in the Interpreter’s Retreat area.
- The sound effect for the Dark- attuned Weapon Tuning has been fixed
- “Pickled Space Worm” can be used as a crafting ingredient again. The Cantina Hoth vendor now sells a craftable version of this item. Players who acquired the item recently will need to repurchase the item from the vendor.
- Fixed an issue that prevented the companion Z0-0M from spawning while another chapter is active.
- The Stationary Grit Headgear voice modulation now works as intended.
- Unlocking the Flameshell Mewvorr now correctly unlocks the corresponding decoration.
- The debris piles for the mission “It’s Really Piling Up” now respawn as expected.
- Fixed a typo in Advanced Terminator Droid and Suppression Droid text.
- Ladra should now only identify players as a Sith Pureblood if they are a Sith Pureblood.
- Players now receive an Implant from Cellvanta for killing Grathan.
- Fixed an issue where players could one-shot Beelzlit during the Sith Warrior quest.
- The Ri’Kan’s Vibro-Axe is sheathed into the correct off-hand slot when equipped in the character’s off-hand.
- The Force-Imbued Object will now only grant the “Light Triumphant” Alert for Master Ranos.
- The Rocket Boost VFX appears properly attached to the player character when using the Legacy unlock “Rocket Boost” or Regeneration ability for the Veteran Boltblaster’s Chestguard MK-2 chest piece.
- Fixed an issue where weapon part VFX could be seen floating in areas.
- Corrected typo in the Amplified set bonus description.
- Players can now interact with the Voss Cantina vendor.
- The Rampage Achievement Boost now works properly in the Interpreter’s Retreat.
- The Thermal Grenade Ability now works properly when used on Rakghouls.
- Equipping the Hermit’s Vigil will now only display a holster for the hand in which it is equipped.
- The Payday Blaster pistols’ left holster no longer disappears after cinematics have played.
- Ancient Force-Imbued Blade’s holsters are now properly restored upon exiting cinematics and when traveling between Strongholds.
- The maximum number of Dark/Light alignment points is now 10,000 (down from 100,000).
Credit Economy Initiative
- Quick Travel costs will now scale with the player’s level.
- Trade and Mail fees when trading items are now based on the value of recently completed Galactic Trade Network transactions.
- When listing an item on the GTN, the default listing value will be based on recently completed transactions, if available.
- The Galactic Trade Network Buyout Price Limit has been increased from 1,000,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 credits.
Cinematics
- Fixed various 7.3 Old Wounds Cinematic bugs including the NPCs clipping during the conversation with Oggurobb.
- Fixed clipping in a Blood Hunt Flashpoint cinematic
- Sound and visual effects occurring outside of the Secrets of the Shrine cinematic scene no longer impact the cutscene.
- Players who reset the Old Wounds story mission will no longer be granted a duplicate Work Amok mission.
- When progressing through the mission “Arm Yourself’ Sith Warriors can now choose between the Practice Blade and a new Battler Warblade, with the appearance of the previous Sith Warblade.”
- The Mission markers for “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” and “Hidden Signals” are now properly displayed.
- The “[HEROIC 2+] A Droid Defiant” mission can now be completed as intended.
Flashpoints
- Fixed a floor texture in the Shrine of Silence where players could unexpectedly fall through.
- All shrubs in the Athiss Flashpoint have been fixed.
PvP
- All group members can now see they are queued.
- The queue icon now only glows when the group is queued for Warzone and PvP Arena matches.
Galactic Seasons
- Galactic Seasons 4 Rifles and Sniper rifles now appear in the correct weapons categories in Collections.
- Moon Pilgrim Belt and Armored Messenger Belt icons now show the correct belt
- Resolved the issue that blocked Republic players from being granted the ability needed to complete “The Cheating Algorithm” mission.
Combat Style Balance Changes and Fixes
Assassin and Shadow
General
- The Resolute Guerilla’s Dualsaber blade animation now works properly when using “Clairvoyant Strike” or “Voltaic Slash”.
Darkness and Kinetic Combat
- Redesigned Ancient Tome of Wrath tactical and renamed to Tome of Exar Kun, which grants damage reduction as well as shield absorption whenever you gain a stack of Redirected Wrath / Redirected Retribution.
Sorcerer and Sage
General
- Force Speed is now granted at level 25 (down from 27).
Lightning and Telekinetics
- Force Mobility is now baseline for Lightning / Telekinetics.
- Torturous Tactics / Staggering Stratagem replaces Force Mobility as a level 51 utility choice.
- Torturous Tactics / Staggering Stratagem – Lowers the cooldown of Electrocute / Force Stun by 10 seconds. In addition, targets stunned by your Electrocute /Force Stun deal 25% less damage for 10 seconds when Electrocute / Force Stun wears off.
Madness and Balance
- Force Mobility is now baseline for Madness / Balance.
- Torturous Tactics / Staggering Stratagem replaces Force Mobility as a level 51 utility choice.
- Torturous Tactics / Staggering Stratagem – Lowers the cooldown of Electrocute / Force Stun by 10 seconds. In addition, targets stunned by your Electrocute / Force Stun deal 25% less damage for 10 seconds when Electrocute / Force Stun wears off.
- Shifted Critical Movement / Enhanced Force Speed to level 27 Row.
- Shifted Cloud Mind to level 43 Row.
- Teachings of Rajivari mod now deals the correct type of damage.
- Plague Master mod now deals the correct type of damage.
Mercenary and Commando
Arsenal and Gunnery
- Signature Shot / Gravitating Bolt has been redesigned. It now reads:
- Targets affected by your Heat Signature / Gravity Vortex take 50% more damage from Priming Shot / Vortex Bolt and 10% more damage from Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt.
- Thrill of the Hunt / Forced March is now baseline for Arsenal.
- The passive is now set to hidden and is granted when the player gets Unload.
- Thrill of the Hunt / Forced March has been replaced by Tag and Bag / One Many Army as a level 64 choice.
Innovative Ordnance and Assault Specialist
- Thrill of the Hunt / Forced March is now baseline for Innovative Ordnance.
- The passive is now set to hidden and is granted when the player gets Unload.
- Thrill of the Hunt / Forced March has been replaced by Tag and Bag / One Man Army.
Bodyguard and Combat Medic
- Thrill of the Hunt / Forced March has been renamed to Mobile Protection /Frontline Medic.
Powertech and Vanguard
Pyrotech and Plasmatech
- Boiling Point / Reactive Plating now appropriately deals Tech damage.
Shield Tech and Shield Specialist
- Increased the damage reduction gained from the Oil Fire tactical from 2% to 3%.
- The Counter Attack / Defensive Armor level 23 mod choice has been redesigned. It now reads:
- “Shielding an attack grants Counter Attack / Defensive Armor, increasing the damage of Firestorm / Ion Storm and Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt by 10%. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds, lasts for 20 seconds, and is removed once you deal damage with Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt.”
- Updating the tooltip for Target Rich Environment / Pointman for clarity.
Juggernaut and Guardian
Immortal and Defense
- Reduced the damage bonus given to Crushing Blow / Guardian Slash by Crushing Mark from 50% to 40%.
- The Hord’s Makashi Strike tactical now increases damage reduction by 7% when it triggers (up from 5%).
UI/UX
General
- “Inspired by” tabs have been created for the Cartel Market to help players easily find special items
- Priority Transport: Personal Starship can no longer be used in Warzones or Arenas.
- Fixed issue where Galaxy Map would blink for new players before they had a ship.
- The Launch buttons are no longer cut off in the World Map Mission Tracker
- The “All” and “Cartel Rarity” dropdowns now order items alphabetically in the Cartel market Item Stash
- Content shown in the preview window now displays the proper ratio.
- Daily Resource Matrices will no longer appear in the currency window.
- Opening the Galaxy Map is no longer removing the topography of the Overlay Map
- The Mouse cursor coordinates are showing the correct values again
- The Instance pulldown menu will no longer remain on the screen if the player closes the World Map.
Quick Travel
- The Quick Travel map has been removed. The Quick Travel ability will now open the World Map, filtered with quick travel points, available missions, current missions, and party member missions.
- Quick Travel filter for the World and Area map will be on by default.
- Tutorial has been fixed to now pop up when the player first uses the ability
- Fixed an issue where some areas would not allow Quick Travel or Stronghold Travel.
World Map
- Party mission icons have had their size slightly reduced.
- Exploration Mission filter will be moved under filters, and will continue to be off by default.
- Updated the map background for better readability.
- Moved Magnify Cursor to an icon button, and next to coordinates.
- Added travel abilities and their legacy upgrade counterparts.
- Moved Galaxy Map button to be in line with travel abilities.
HUD Overlay Map
- Will have click interactions disabled while in combat
- Enemy red dot icons are no longer overlapped by player and party icons.
Map Tooltips
- Mail mouse over will now display how many unread mail players have
- Mission NPCs will now display their name, and what missions they offer
- Mission Terminals will now have a list of what missions are offered (up to 10
Known Issues
Decorations
- Players can get stuck in the “Imperial Training Statue” decoration when jumping toward the lightsabers.
- The “Resilient Warden Gladiator” decoration’s blade slashes through the NPC model.
- The “Outer Rim Drifter Gunslinger” NPC decoration’s jacket flickers continuously at the bottom.
Galactic Seasons 5
- A dialogue line is grayed out in the Chains of Freedom story mission for the Trooper Origin Story
