A Boy and His Wookiee

This week's Friday update gives us a number of "smuggler secrets", though I'm not sure if a Wookiee as one of the Smuggler's companion NPCs really counts as a secret. We also get the last issue of Blood of the Empire, wrapping up the storyline (but in such a way that it's bound to come back up again in various ways in the game itself). Here is the official news for the comic:

Blood of the Empire™ reaches its twelfth and final issue, and Teneb Kel must face the aftermath of his actions. Exal Kressh is defeated, but the Emperor and the Dark Council will have further plans for their servant. What fate is Teneb prepared to carve for himself? And what will he do about Maggot?

Check out the latest issue of Blood of the Empire now.

With Blood of the Empire finished it makes one wonder... how are they going to fill every other Friday now?

Maybe they'll fill it with more updates like the Smuggler update we got this week. With some details on the advanced classes for the Smuggler, information on the Twi'lek species that you can play as a Smuggler, details on the Smuggler's Wookiee companion (to make the Han Solo fantasy complete), details on the Smuggler's starship and even the Smuggler video (which was already released exclusively by Machinima last week) it's definitely some heavy-duty Smuggler information that they smuggled in. Here is the official news:

No two Smugglers are exactly alike, and you’ll be able to customize your character to fit your play style. You’ll face many choices in how your Smuggler develops as you explore the Old Republic galaxy. One of the most important decisions will be which Advanced Class to pursue—whether you want to become the fastest draw in the Outer Rim as a Gunslinger, or whether you prefer to specialize in some of the Smuggler’s more cunning tactics as a Scoundrel. Both paths have their own rewards and more choices within their various disciplines, but you’ll have to choose what style suits you best—or better yet, maybe you’ll want to try them both!

If you’re interested in playing something just a little more exotic than human, you might want create a Twi’lek Smuggler. Learn more about this species and get a closer look on the Twi’lek Inhabitants page.

No Smuggler would be complete without a Wookiee companion, so we’d like to introduce you to Bowdaar, the mighty Wookiee warrior. You can learn more about this known associate on the Smuggler page or by accessing Bowdaar’s biography.

A Wookiee’s not the only necessity. A Smuggler wouldn’t be able to do much smuggling without a personal starship. Check out the new Starship section of the HoloNet, and make sure to look at the Smuggler’s Corellian XS Stock Light Freighter. It’s the ship that can make the “Balmorra run” in just a handful of parsecs, and if you choose to play the Smuggler, it will be yours.

Finally, if you love the Smuggler as much as we do, we can guarantee you’ll enjoy the new Smuggler Class Gameplay Video. This video captures the spirit of how the Smuggler plays in the game, and if you look carefully, you might even see something you’ve never seen before.

Enjoy!

Finally, on a slightly different note, Massively reports that Hasbro is apparently making a line of The Old Republic action figures. As the article puts it: "To have action figures made meant that you had 'arrived' in Star Wars fame". Here's the full text:

If you're anything like the other billion Star Wars fans in the world, then you most likely harbor a deep-rooted affection for the action figures (NOT dolls!) that became synonymous with the film experience. Ever since Kenner started the toy line in 1977 (and Hasbro after that), kids and grownups alike have decorated their bedrooms, offices and private sanctuaries with hard plastic likenesses of Luke, Leia and Chewie.

Star Wars action figures have not been confined to just the movies; sets such as Evolutions, Clone Wars, and Shadows of the Empire have all received their own lines. To have action figures made meant that you had "arrived" in Star Wars fame, which is why The Old Republic fans should rejoice to know that their as-of-yet unreleased MMO will become immortalized in Hasbro's lineup.

TTH reports that Hasbro's Derryl DePriest confirmed TOR action figures are in the works for the 2012 roster. DePriest said on ForceCast.net, "We're going to have to work in some of those great characters." Just which TOR characters will be made into dolls, er, ACTION FIGURES is anyone's guess at the moment, but there are already several possibilities in the characters we know from the cinematic trailers and the Holonet.

I have to agree with that last line; it is indeed likely that they'll include characters such as Darth Malgus and Satele Shan. I'm also kind of expecting Hylo Visz (the Smuggler who broke through the Mandalorian blokade as per the Timeline) because she has such a distinct appearance. But we'll see.

Anyway, that's the entirety of today's post. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid.


[link] to action figures news at Massively.