Friday Update: Imperial Agent Character Progression, Revan novel preview
The Friday Update this week gives us a new trailer in the form of the Imperial Agent’s character and armor progression. Take a look at how the Agent’s abilities and armor sets change as he levels up and chooses an advanced class.
Additionally, there is another preview of the upcoming novel Revan available. Previously, chapter 1 was available to read online; now chapters 3 and 11 are also available to read before it comes out. Revan is released November 15 and you can pre-order at Amazon.
Imperial Agent Character Progression
As you progress in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, your character will gain experience, growing more powerful and discovering new skills while also acquiring more advanced gear.
Through cunning, stealth, and ruthless tactics, the Imperial Agent has no shortage of ways to complete his objectives. Even so, as the complexity and importance of his missions increase, the Agent will have to acquire new skills and equipment to help him combat the ever-growing threat to the Empire. This video shows you a sampling of the many different armors and abilities the Imperial Agent can obtain as he travels the galaxy. (Official Forums)
Exclusive Preview: ‘Revan’ Novel
On November 15th, fans of Star Wars™ will finally learn the answers surrounding the mystery of what became of the redeemed Jedi Revan after the events of the first Knights of the Old Republic™. Drew Karpyshyn’s Revan picks up immediately after the events of the game, and follows the former Sith Lord as he travels beyond the Outer Rim to confront a danger that he can’t quiet remember, yet cannot forget.
To prepare you for the release of Revan, we are excited to present you with an exclusive look at chapters three and eleven of the book! (Official Forums)
Read an excerpt from Drew Karpyshyn’s Revan
Looking forward to the upcoming novel that will reveal all you ever wanted to know about the Jedi Revan? The book might be coming out on November 15, but if you can’t wait any longer and want to get a taste of what’s in store, look no further. Random House has posted an excerpt of the book’s first chapter on their website, free for anyone to read. Get a peek here. You can pre-order Revan on Amazon.
‘Revan’ Cover Art Revealed
Comic-Con is already rife with The Old Republic news and reveals, and the official SWTOR panel hasn’t even begun yet.
The official cover art for the upcoming novel set in the Star Wars: The Old Republic universe and penned by Drew Karpyshyn, Revan, has been revealed.
See the official synopsis of the novel here.
Drew Karpyshyn’s Revan Synopsis Revealed
Random House has released a synopsis for the upcoming novel based in The Old Republic era, Revan.
There’s something out there:
a juggernaut of evil bearing down to crush the Republic—
unless one lone Jedi, shunned and reviled, can stop it.Revan: hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior. A Jedi who left Coruscant to defeat Mandalorians—and returned a disciple of the dark side, bent on destroying the Republic. The Jedi Council gave Revan his life back, but the price of redemption was high. His memories have been erased. All that’s left are nightmares—and deep, abiding fear.
What exactly happened beyond the Outer Rim? Revan can’t quite remember, yet can’t entirely forget. Somehow he stumbled across a terrible secret that threatens the very existence of the Republic. With no idea what it is, or how to stop it, Revan may very well fail, for he’s never faced a more powerful and diabolic enemy. But only death can stop him from trying.
Revan will be released on store shelves and online on November 15. Preorders are available on Amazon. Thanks to Gurges-Ahter on LucasForums for the tip.
Friday Update: Drew Karpyshyn’s New Novel: Revan
A new novel in the Old Republic universe has been announced, Titled Revan and written by Drew Karpyshyn. The novel will explore what happened to Revan after the events of Knights of the Old Republic and through the story of KOTOR II. It is also revealed that in this book, fans will learn the true identity of the Sith Emperor at the time of The Old Republic. An interview with Karpyshyn has been posted at the official site.
Q: What other characters from Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II might we expect to see?
A: You can’t tell a story about Revan without also exploring his companions; they were such a key element of the KOTOR experience that it wouldn’t feel right without bringing some of them back. Of course it would be impossible to include all of them in a novel in a way that would make a cohesive and fulfilling story, so I focused on those who felt most directly relevant to what happened to Revan after the KOTOR games. I don’t want to give too much away, but Canderous, T3-M4, the Exile and Bastila Shan all have significant roles to play in the novel (along with some significant characters who appear in Star Wars: The Old Republic).
Revan will be on store shelves later this year.
Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is continuing to expand beyond the core game and into novels and comics. Del Rey Books has already published two novels in the Old Republic timeline, Fatal Alliance and Deceived, and last year announced that a third Old Republic novel was to be written by Drew Karpyshyn, Principal Writer at BioWare, and author of the Darth Bane series of Star Wars™ novels.
The Old Republic PAX Roundup
This past weekend saw Penny Arcade Expo happen in Seattle and Star Wars: The Old Republic was present with quite a bit to report on.
Perhaps most interesting to many, a new video has been released teasing what we will learn about Revan and Malak and the Jedi Civil War in The Old Republic.
The Jedi Civil War left many unanswered questions. In the difficult days following the showdown between Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the Jedi Order struggled to survive, leaving little time for investigations. Redeemed as a Jedi, Revan traveled into deep space in search of a mysterious evil. We now know that the source of this evil was the reconstituted Sith Empire, but that solves only a portion of the mystery…
Watch the teaser video shown at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) for a glimpse at what may be revealed as you journey through Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
There is also a new game systems page up for space combat after the reveal of that recently.
Blast your way through asteroid fields, enemy fighters, and a variety of other obstacles as you encounter fast-paced Space Combat missions in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. In these occurrences, you’ll fly your personal starship to various “hot spots” on the galaxy map and experience gameplay that will evoke memories of some of the great Star Wars™ space battles.
Watch the gameplay footage of Space Combat in the latest addition to the Game Systems section and learn more about the rewards players can unlock in Space Combat. Also check out the media section to see screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers portraying these heroic battles in space.
What was your favorite new bit from PAX?
New Holorecord: The Jedi Civil War
This week’s main Friday update is a new timeline holorecord, featuring backstory on Revan and Malak during the Jedi Civil War.
One of the greatest threats to the Republic preceding the Great War arose approximately three hundred years before when the Sith Lords Darth Revan and Darth Malak began the Jedi Civil War. Jedi Master Gnost-Dural’s historical investigation steps back to this era, and he examines new evidence which reshapes the Order’s understanding of the events surrounding Revan’s fall and his ultimate fate.
BTC 303 – Three hundred years before the Sacking of Coruscant, two prominent Jedi Knights pursued enemy forces into Deep Space at the conclusion of the Mandalorian Wars. When the two Jedi, Revan and Malak, returned to Republic space, they had fallen to the dark side. As Sith Lords, Revan and Malak began searching the galaxy for a powerful ancient artifact known as the Star Forge. During their dark campaign, however, Malak’s ambitions grew and eventually drove him to betray Revan, sparking the bloody Jedi Civil War. Though Revan was ultimately redeemed and restored peace to the galaxy, he disappeared afterward in search of a great darkness in Deep Space. Through his investigation, Master Gnost-Dural now confirms that this great darkness is the Sith Empire the Jedi Order battles today….
Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, The Jedi Civil War, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen.
You can also download a high resolution version of this video.
Daniel Erickson Clears Up Darth Revan Backstory
There has been much discussion on our forums as well as the official forums after Daniel Erickson, lead writer on SW:TOR, discussed Revan’s fate with GameInformer at a press event last month. Erickson has since made a post to clear up some misconceptions of what he said:
Wow. Great thread. It’s fantastic to see all the excitement around the KOTOR lore. There is much that we obviously aren’t revealing but I did want to clear up any misconceptions about what I was talking about in the interview.
- Revan and Malak went into deep space and met the Sith Emperor. They were turned and sent back to prepare the way for the return of the true Sith.
- Being Sith and away from the Emperor’s direct influence neither Revan nor Malak followed orders exactly as they were supposed to. Then, of course, Malak betrayed Revan.
- The Jedi took in Revan and returned him to the light, though as it was not a natural turn for him when he went dark, there was much they couldn’t undo and they decided to remove his memories and hopefully his taint with it. Yes, Revan’s return to the light (and his gender as male) are canon.
- Later Revan returned to deep space to confront what he knew was out there but how much he actually remembered and how clearly he remembered it is still a mystery, as are the events that followed. What we do know is that it took hundreds of years for the Sith to re-emerge as originally planned.
The rest is all speculation and have fun with that. For those of you convinced that somehow we’re going to destroy KOTOR, I ask you to remember that the creative team (including the lead writer and lead designer) that was in charge of KOTOR’s story is on this staff, working on this game. Trust us that our investment in this lore is at least as strong as yours.
