Bioware Needs to Be Cautious
Recently there was a post by Bioware Lead Designer Bruce Maclean (who unfortunately seems to be my favorite punching bag). It said a lot of stuff about events and such, but the final paragraph read as follows:
Game Update 2.4 is also in the pipe and being worked on for an October release. Even though our mantra is smaller more frequent patches this particular update is shaping up to be very big, with tons of new content and big PvP updates especially targeting Ranked play. We’ll start sharing details next month. If you absolutely *have* to glimpse the potential future, enter a Force trance and focus on these key phrases. Oricon. Warzone Arenas. Dread Masters.
Now, I look at this and the first thing I think is “Warzone Arenas?!?! AWESOME!!!”
The second thing I think is “what the heck do Oricon and Dread Masters have to do with PvP?”
Oricon is a moon in the outer-rim known for its connection to Darth Vitus during the Great Sith War.
The Dread Masters are of course the driving force behind the raids Terror from Beyond and Scum and Villainy.
So what are two, very clearly story-driven things doing in a PvP patch? PvP isn’t about the story, though I do love the story in the game. How many times have you actually watched the intro in Voidstar or Novare Coast. Don’t get me wrong, I like how Novare Coast and Explosive Conflict go together on the planet Denova and how Terror From Beyond and Ancient Hypergate go together on the planet Asation, but the story isn’t why people do PvP. It needs to have repeatable content.
To me, Warzone Arenas are a huge thing, absolutely. I am VERY excited. However, if they haphazardly put Warzone Arenas in the game without working out the kinks in other areas, then we will have a huge problem. To me, I see two out of three things that are not related to PvP in a PvP patch, which means that resources they could apply to PvP wholeheartedly are being devoted elsewhere.
October will be 10 months since the last piece of PvP content was released, Ancient Hypergate. If they don’t fully devote all of their resources to PvP, just so the PvE folks have something to do because they are already bored with their Nightmare modes they are getting this month, then it could have disastrous results in the PvP community. I am already worried about how many PvPers will continue to play until 2.4, and if the patch fails…I just don’t know what will happen, but it won’t be good.
Another thing that is pretty exciting is the addition of a new event called the Bounty Contract Event. This sounds EXACTLY like what people have been wanting: Open World Bounty PvP. Only problem is that as of now, everything they have mentioned is that it is PvE-based. I don’t know if there will be any PvP at all. It could just be that they haven’t talked about it yet.
In both Update 2.4 and the new Bounty Contract Event, I urge Bioware: Be Cautious. You have a few lifelines left to save your PvP community. Many of us have renewed interest in the game because of the hint of Arenas. Don’t screw this up.
Rhekk
Geldarion
Torvox
The Fanatical Swordsman 
I think you’re reading too much into the fact that they mentioned two keywords that are story-related, without knowing any more details.
(Also, the Ancient Hypergates are on Seline, not Asation. :))
While I agree that maybe he is reading too much into that, Bioware has shown that they favor PVE over PVP and I wouldn’t put it past them to have half of a “PVP” patch be a new PVE operation and PVE flashpoint.
Stupid crap like that is why this game is losing its core pvp community.
Also, they said 2.2 would be “mostly focused on guilds” and they only added a single guild feature. I think it understandable to worry about them not doing a good job on the “PvP patch” because, like a PUG, they have focusing issues.
Huh, I thought AH was on Asation, but come to think of it, I may have assumed that from the look of the planet. See how much I care about the lore of the WZs? 😛 Proved my point.
I may have read too much into it, but that is why I am trying to urge caution on their part. After the fiasco that was Bolster, they need to focus on the mechanics more than the story for PvP content.
With wildstar months away and launching with battlegrounds, arena’s, ranked and cross server q’s, I think its too late for swtor.
And WARPLOTS, which are by far the coolest PvP feature to come out in a long time. Fortress battles? Heck yes. The PvP community in SWTOR will dwindle to only casual PvPers when Wildstar comes out, that is for sure.
Dude Oricon has NOTHING to do with the new pvp arenas comming out… Oricon will be a new planet/moon whatever you want to call it which will feature a new operation for PVE CONTENT. The new warzone arenas are going to be 4 on 4 deathmatch arenas which will put in place to reduce ranked warzone ques and there will also be unanounced major pvp changes as well. There will be 3 new warzone arenas included in the patch.
First off, thanks for commenting!
Yes, we know that now, this article was written two months ago LOL. I am excited about the Warzone arenas, and while my mind knows that PvE content doesn’t reduce PvP content per se, my gut said that focusing on PvE content too much would anger the PvP community, which was somewhat clairvoyant, if I do say so myself.
On your other comment about new area like Ilum, I like that analysis of it. I think you are probably right. Oricon could be something a little less like Section X and CZ-198, and something more like Ilum. I would also like a Ilum Bonus series or something, similar to Belsavis.
Yeah The 2.4 pvp arenas are live on the pts now. The other side of the coin there is if they focus to much on pvp and not enough on pve than the hardcore raiders will get pissed off. They need a good balance of both. I personally am tired of seeing TFB and S&V over and over and over again would like a new operation. And as far as PVP goes the same warzones over and over and over again gets old as well so a good update on both sides would be just what the doctor ordered! If i find out any more news i will post it, i got a few friends that go to the cantina events so ill let ya know.
That would be awesome! I am hoping for more in the future (like season 1), so here’s to waiting!
Also there will be a new storyline arch on Oricon that involves the dread masters. Most likely this area will be like ilum was when it first came out and be lvl 55 only content with a main story arch and a daily area.