Swtor Crew Skill Slot
There are three different ways to play Star Wars: The Old Republic when it comes to subscribing to the game: free to play, preferred, and subscribed. In this video, we’ll be going over what those three different playstyles are like at a high and low level, the restrictions and perks, and some info about when you should choose to subscribe or unsubscribe.
Contents
SWTOR Crewskill Crafting Chart There are three categories of Crew Skills: Gathering Skills, Crafting Skills, and Mission skills. There are three Crew Skill slots and you are allowed to have more than one Gathering or Mission Crew Skills but you are only allowed one Crafting Crew Skill.
- What are the differences?
- Preferred and Free-to-play Comparison Chart
- What can I do as a Free-to-play player?
- SWTOR Referral Code (free stuff if you are preferred!)
- Solved Crew Skill Slot (Account) not unlocking third crew skill for whole account! Customer Service (Read-Only).
- Artifice is one of six Crafting Skills which involves the crafting of Jedi and Sith artifacts. 1 Description 2 Crafting materials 3 Crafting list 3.1 Lightsabers and Saberstaffs 3.2 Wieldable (offhand) items 3.3 Relics 3.4 Item modifications 3.4.1 Color crystals 3.4.2 Lightsaber hilts 3.5 Dye modules 3.6 Artifice bonded attachments 3.7 Stronghold components 3.8 Conquest items 4 Recommended.
- SWTOR Classes - Dominate with the most powerful specializations! SWTOR Crew Skills - gathering, crafting, and mission skills explained; SWTOR Companions - know your crew in Star Wars: The Old Republic; SWTOR Credits farming - Get rich in no time with these methods! Comments (0) post new comment.
What are the differences?
Here’s a quick over view of the different ways to play.
Free-to-play
When you first download the game, you start off as a free to play player. That means you haven’t invested any money into the game, and are trying it out as a demo to see if you like it.
You can access so much of the game while playing for free, including all eight of the original class stories, and the first two expansions are now also free. The drawback to playing free is that there are lots of small annoying restrictions like only being allowed to hold so many credits, not getting the best armor, and being locked out of some of the endgame high-level activities, but as far as things go, SWTOR has one of the best free demos out there.
Some of the biggest drawbacks of being a free-to-play player is that there won’t be a lot for you to do once you complete you class storyline and the first two expansions and reach the free-to-play maximum of level 60.
Subscriber
Subscribing is when you pay monthly for the game, at about $15 a month. Subscribing gives you access to 100% of the game’s content, including all of the expansions and no restrictions. When you subscribe, you unlock all the current expansions and can play them forever, even if you choose to unsubscribe the next month.
Preferred
There’s also an in-between state called preferred. Preferred players have a few less restrictions than free-to-play-players, and you can become a preferred player by spending at least $5 on the game either by subscribing for at least one month or by buying some cartel coins. Most preferred players are players that subscribed in the past, but are not currently subscribing. If you subscribed in the past, you’ll keep any expansions you had before, but won’t be able to play any newly released ones until you subscribe again. If you’re currently a preferred player, and are unable to progress all the way to level 75, you will need to subscribe to unlock the most recent expansion.
Low-level
As a low level character, a majority of the free-to-play and or preferred restrictions you face will be convenience-based. None of them will stop you from playing and enjoying the main storyline for free, and as you play you will have to decide if you are willing to put up with the restrictions and continue playing without having to pay, if want to subscribe to remove the restrictions, or if you want to instead go play a game with a different subscription model. Most veteran players believe that the free-to-play model offers a lot in the way of hundreds of hours of gameplay and is worth either subscribing to or putting up with the many convenience restrictions as a free player, while other players do not like that the game has convenience restrictions at all and would rather play a true unlimited free-to-play game.
Personally, I have played over 50 hours on my free-to-play account, and I found the restrictions to be quite mild in return for the story game-play I got to enjoy for free. I could even run more than enough low-level group content to satisfy my more casual playstyle, where I played for a few hours a few times a week. However, after somewhere between 100-200 hours of gameplay playing casually, once I reached the end of the second expansion and reached my level cap of 60, I would probably have to decide what I’d like to do next, as my level would lock me out of most endgame activities, and I’d have played all the story content offered to my character at that point. If I didn’t want to subscribe, I could of course go start a new character from scratch level 1 and see an entirely different set of story quests.
High-level
At a high level, the game becomes more restrictive if you decide to play free-to-play. You will not be able to progress past level 60, you won’t be able to access the expansions and their stories, and a few of the convenience restrictions, like the credit cap and the artifact authorization, will become a lot more frustrating. At this point, if you’ve played the amount of time it takes to reach level 60, I highly recommend to subscribe for at least one month. This will unlock five expansions worth of story for you, which will remain unlocked even after you unsubscribe.
However, if you unsubscribe after and decide to play as a high-level preferred player, you will still run in to some frustrating restrictions, including the credit cap, the artifact authorization, the inability to run 8-person Operations, and being unable to run unlimited Player-vs-Player matches or run Ranked PvP at all. However, if you’re willing to forgo those fun group activities, the game still offers a lot for solo and story players.
Should I subscribe to SWTOR?
- If you are new to the game and are enjoying it, it’s almost always recommended that you subscribe at least for one month to unlock all the expansions and upgrade your account to preferred.
- If you are a returning player who has not subscribed in a while, it is also recommended you subscribe for at least one month to unlock the most recent story and level expansions so you can catch up.
- If you are a low-level and still feeling out the game, you really don’t need to subscribe yet. You’ll want to subscribe eventually if you keep playing, to unlock the expansions, but you don’t have to subscribe right away!
- If you are on a tight budget, I do not recommend subscribing. The game has a lot to offer for free if you are willing to work around the restrictions. I’ve got another video about tips for free-to-play players!
- If you are level 60 and have completed your class story and the first two expansions, you will absolutely want to subscribe for at least one month so you can unlock the later expansions. Whether you want to stay subscribe after that month is up to you. If you are mostly a solo player, you can play a lot of the game as a preferred player by continuing to explore all the planet storylines, the dailies, and by creating new characters.
- If you want to play PvP on a regular basis, I highly recommend subscribing so you can queue for unlimited matches and work on upgrading your gear at level 75. Don’t forget though, you can queue for unlimited matches as a free-to-play or preferred player if you queue up with a subscribed friend, or you can run 10 per character per week otherwise so you can simply hop between characters to continue playing when you reach your limit. If you want to play Ranked PvP you must be subscribed.
- If you want to play Operations at level 75, you must subscribe. Operations, sometimes known as raids in other games, are not available to free-to-play or preferred players.
Preferred and Free-to-play Comparison Chart
That should give you a good idea in general about the differences between free-to-play, preferred, and subscribing, and whether or not you should subscribe or not. If you’re looking for more information, I’ve got a link in the description of this video to a full breakdown of the convenience restrictions, and what types of gameplay are available to free-to-play, preferred and subscribed players.
Content Restrictions
Hover over the info text for more information about the content restrictions and potential work arounds.
Content | F2P | Preferred | Subscriber | Info |
---|---|---|---|---|
Class Stories | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players can play all 8 original class stories, all original planetary stories, and all original exploratory stories. |
Expansion 1: Rise of the Hutt Cartel | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players have access to the first expansion. |
Expansion 2: Shadow of Revan | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players have access to the second expansion. |
Expansion 3: Knights of the Fallen Empire | No | Maybe | Yes | Knights of the Fallen Empire is only available to Preferred players who have subscribed since the expansion was released in 2016. |
Expansion 4: Knights of the Eternal Throne | No | Maybe | Yes | Knights of the Eternal Throne is only available to Preferred players who have subscribed since the expansion was released in 2017. |
Expansion 5: Onslaught | No | Maybe | Yes | Expansion 5: Onslaught is only available to Preferred players who have subscribed since the expansion was released in 2019. |
Operations | No | No | Yes | Only subscribers can play Operations, the 8-man and 16-man endgame content in the game sometimes known as raids for level 75 players. |
PvP | 10 per Week | 10 per Week | Yes | Players are limited to 10 Player-vs-Player matches per character per week. However, even free-to-play and preferred players can urn unlimited warzones if they queue up with another player who is subscribed. |
Ranked PvP | No | No | Yes | Only subscribers can participate in the competitive player-vs-player Ranked PvP matches. |
Space Missions | 10 per Week | 10 per Week | Yes | Players can run a maximum of 10 solo space missions per character per week. Space missions are a fun minigame and are not a part of the main levelling experience. |
Uprisings | No | No | Yes | Uprisings are similar to group Flashpoints but offer less story and more mechanics. They are only available to subscribers. They are not played very often compared to normal Flashpoints. |
Galactic Starfighter | Yes | Yes | Yes | GSF is available to all players starting at level 1. subscribers earn currency which can be spent on upgrading ships at a much faster rate than free-to-play and preferred players. |
Questing | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players have access to questing across the galaxy and on different planets. More quests are unlocked by unlocking the expansions. Players with more expansions unlocked will have access to more planetary, daily and weekly quests than free-to-play players. |
Player Housing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free-to-play and Preferred players are limited to more basic housing due to the credit cap, but can fully unlock the Coruscant and Dromund Kaas strongholds over time. All players can decorate their strongholds with a large variety of decorations that can be earned, bought or crafted. |
Reputation | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players can work on their Reputation, a progression track geared towards solo players at endgame that offers cosmetic rewards. Free-to-play players have access to less Reputation tracks than players who have unlocked the expansions. |
Events | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players can participate in limited-time events. |
Endgame Gearing | No | Limited | Yes | Free-to-play players can no longer level up once they reach level 60, which means they do not have access to the current level-75 endgame gear, and they do not have a true track when it comes to upgrading or progressing their gear. Preferred players who have not unlocked the latest expansion and are locked between levels 60-70 will face a similar issue. Preferred players who are level 75 will be able to gear up, but much slower. They do not have access to Operations or Ranked PvP to gear up with, can only run limited Warzones for gear per week, and only get 25% of the Renown XP. They do however have access to every other way to gear available in the game. All free-to-play and preferred players will also struggle with gearing as they will not be able to equip any artifact level gear they come across without first buying the artifact authorization unlock. Level 75 Subscribers have access to the full gearing system and all the ways possible to earn gear. |
Fashion | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players have access to numerous ways to dress up their character, including the Outfit Designer which allows players to create outfits to wear over their real armor that does not affect their stats. Free-to-play and Preferred players will mostly be limited for fashion when it comes to their credit cap as they can not buy anything that costs over 1,000,000 credits. However, there are many vendor, reputation, and crafted armors the player can earn, and many crafted and cartel market armors players can buy from other players for under a million credits. |
Achievements | Yes | Yes | Yes | Achievement hunting is available to all players. Players will only be limited when it comes to achievements that are tied to expansions they do not have, or content they do not have access to. A large majority of achievements can be earned even on free-to-play accounts by exploring the planets and participating in the different types of content in the game. |
Collecting | Yes | Yes | Yes | There are many different collecting routes including armor, weapons, mounts, pets, decorations, crystals, etc. Some items are earned in-game, some are crafted and some are from the Cartel Market. Players will be limited to what they can purchase with their credit cap and to what expansions they have been unlocked, but there is a lot to collect even on a free-to-play account and a huge amount to collect on a preferred account. |
Convenience Restrictions
Hover over the info text for more information about the convenience restrictions and potential work arounds.
Unlock | F2P | Preferred | Subscriber | Info |
---|---|---|---|---|
XP | Normal | Normal | 20% faster | Subscribers receive XP 20% faster after level 20, until then all players earn it at the same rate. Note that the current rate of leveling is extremely fast even without the extra 20% boost. |
Artifact Gear | No | No | Yes | Players who are free-to-play will rarely come across purple-bordered Artifact gear except in Flashpoints at a low level, but more purple gear starts showing up in the expansions. Preferred players can usually continue wearing any purple gear they already have equipped, but will not be able to equip any new purple gear they earn. The unlock for free-to-play and preferred players costs 1,200 CC for one character or 2,700 CC for the account, but does not allow players to earn any extra gear - it only allows them to wear any they have picked up, so this unlock is not recommended for free-to-play players who get very little purple gear. |
Credit Cap | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 4 Billion | Free-to-play and preferred players can only hold 1,000,000 credits. Any credits you earn beyond that point will be thrown into an escrow - a bank that holds your excess credits that you will be returned to you the next time you subscribe. You can also buy escrow unlocks with cartel coins that will grant you a chunk of credits from your escrow and temporarily bump your credit cap, but won't permanently make your credit cap higher. The Credit Cap is bay far one of the largest convenience restriction for high-level characters, but it will not affect low-level characters for a long time. Subscribers can hold up to 4 billion credits at a time, but it's a technical limit, not a subscription limit. Players of all types can place infinite credits in to their Legacy Bank to keep them from going in to escrow, though they will only ever be able to withdraw up to their credit cap limit. |
Hide Head Slot | No | No | Yes | Free-to-play and preferred players can not choose to hide their helmets or masks. Often, the game has a bug where the player's helmet or mask gets hidden on accident, even if the player does not have the unlock. The unlock for free-to-play and preferred players costs 280 CC per character or 750 CC per account. Alternatively, the player can choose not to wear a helmet at all for easier content, to wear a helmet or mask they like the look of, or wear smaller headpiece like a circlet. |
Unify Colors | No | No | Yes | Free-to-play and preferred players can not choose to unify the colors of their armor so all pieces automatically look good together and match. Often, the game has a bug where the player's colors become unified, even if the player does not have the unlock. The unlock for free-to-play and preferred players costs 210 CC per character or 750 CC per account. Alternatively, the player can choose pieces that go well together without being unified, or use dyes in each individual piece to make them match each other. Preferred players who were previously subscribed can also get the unify colors unlock for free for all character by using a referral link. |
Chat | Yes, once a minute | Yes, small timer | Yes | Players can use chat to speak to other players on the planet. Free-to-play accounts are limited to one message per minute, and preferred players have a short time limit of one message every 15 seconds. This is to help prevent spam. I have also heard some free-to-play players can not chat and are prompted to subscribe - this is confusing, and I am unsure why it's happening - you may have to reach level 25 to chat (this was a restriction that has been removed but may still be applying for some accounts?) |
Credit Cost | Normal | Normal | Less | Subscribers pay slightly less credits for most in-game purchases from the user interface or from in-game vendors. There are also some things that normally cost credits, like respecialization, which are free to subscribers. |
Credit Gain | Normal | Normal | More | Subscribers gain 20% more credits than free-to-play players. |
Crew Skills | 1 | 2 | 3 | Free-to-play players can only have 1 crew (crafting) skill per character. Preferred players get 2, aand subscribers get the max of 3. However, if you are a former subscriber and are currently preferred, you can unlock a third screw skill for your character by using a referral link from another subscribed player. Free-to-play and non-previously-subscribed preferred players can purchase additional crew skill slots at 420 CC per crew skill per character or 950 CC per crew skill for every character on the account, for a total of 3 crew skills per character. |
Crafting Queue | 1 | 1 | All | Free-to-play players can only craft a single item at a time per companion, while subscribers can queue items up 5 to be crafted per companion. |
Character Slots | 4 | 12 | 24 | Free-to-play players can have 4 character per sever, for a total of 20 characters across all servers. This more than enough to try a variety of classes. Preferred and subscribers may have more unlocked through promotions, character unlock slots, or Outlander / Commander tokens. Additional characters lots can be unlocked at 600 CC per slot on each server for a max of 100 slots per server. |
GTN Slots | 2 | 5 | 50 | Free-to-play players can only sell 2 items at a time on the GTN player market per character, preferred players can sell 5, and subscribers can sell 50. More slots can be purchased at a cost of 10 slots for 100 CC per characters or 10 slots for 280 CC for every character on the account. |
Inventory Rows | 6 | 6 | 8 | All players get 3 inventory rows for free. Free-to-play and preferred players can purchase 3 additional rows with credits, while subscribers can purchase all 5 additional rows with credits. An additional row of inventory unlock can be purchased for 170 CC per character or a row for every character on the account for 390 CC. Preferred players who were previously subscribed can also get one free inventory row per character by using a referral link. |
Personal Bank | No | Maybe | Yes | Players can store bound items in their Cargo Hold, sometimes known as their green bank. Free-to-play and Preferred players can unlock access to their cargo hold, but do not have access by default. The unlock costs 470 CC per character or 1,050 CC for the entire account. Preferred players who previously subscribed retain access to their bank and bank tabs they got while subscribed, but can not buy any new tabs with credits. Subscribers can buy additional tabs with credits. Additional Cargo Hold tabs can be purchased at 470 CC per tab per character by all players, or 1,050 CC per tab for every character on the account for a total of 6 tabs per character. [[I think preferred players that did not subscribe may receive a single tab Cargo Hold, but I am not sure.]] |
Legacy Bank | Yes | Yes | Yes | All players have access to the yellow legacy bank, including free-to-play and preferred players. All players can store unlimited credit funds in the legacy bank. |
Guild Bank | No | No | Yes | If a player is in a guild, they will not be able to access the guild bank even if they are of the correct rank if they are on a free-to-play of preferred account. An unlock to access the guild bank inventory can be purchased for 600 CC per character or 1,080 CC for the entire account, but it still does not grant access to the guild credit fund, including the ability to summon which costs credits. |
Receive Only | Yes, but not credits | Yes | Players can send mail with credits and items between their characters and to other players. Free-to-play players can only receive mail, they can not send it at all. Preferred players can send mail with a limit of one item attached, and can not mail credits at all. Subscribers can send mail with credits and up to 8 items attached per mail. This is to prevent spam. | |
Sprint | Level 10 | Level 1 | Level 1 | All players access the Sprint ability which lets them run faster. Subscribers and preferred players get it at level 1, and free-to-play players get it at level 10. |
Mount | Level 25 | Level 25 | Level 10 | All players can get a mount which allows them to move faster, subscribers get it at level 10. All players can purchase the ability to use a mount as early as level 1 with an unlock that costs 450 CC per character, or purchase a legacy unlock that requires legacy level 2 and 40,000 credits. |
Quickbars | 3 | 5 | 6 | Quickbars are where players store their abilities during combat. Free-to-play players can access 3 quickbars (36 abilities), preferred players can access 5 (60 abilities) and subscribers can access all 6 (72 abilities). Most players should be able to store most of their combat abilities across 3 bars even at higher levels, and use the additional bars for useful abilities that are not used during combat. Additional quickbars can be unlocked at 200 CC per character, or 540 CC for an additional quickbar for every character on the account for a total of 6 quickbars. |
Renown | No | 25% | 100% | Players who reach level 75 have the ability to earn extra gear through the Renown system, which gratns a random box of gear based on xp you earn after you reach level 75. Preferred players can continue to earn gear this way even after they unsubscribe, but at a reduced rate. Preferred players who do not have the later expansions unlocked can not access the level 75 Renown system. |
Flashpoint Drops | Limit 10 | Limit 10 | Yes | Players who run Flashpoints receive many rewards for running them, from xp to credits to items. Free-to-play and preferred who run group flashpoints will be limited to rewards from 10 of the last Flashpoint bosses per week. They will still get the other rewards. |
Rest XP | No | No | Yes | Subscribed players can end their day at a cantina or other rest area and earn xp faster the next time they log in. |
Species | Limited | Limited | More Options | All players can make a Human, Cyborg or Zabrak character. Subscribers will have some additional choices available per class, but can not automatically make any species for any class.
To unlock additional species, for example to play a Pureblood Sith as a Jedi Knight, players will need to unlock that species through legacy or through an item unlock. Additional species unlocks cost 600 CC, or 1,500,000 credits and any level 50 character (subscribers only), or requires you to level 50 on one of the above listed combinations for that species (subscription required to create the character without the unlock, but you do not need to maintain the subscription after). Togruta, Cathar and Nautolan all require a Cartel Market 600 CC unlock and can not be unlocked the normal ways. |
Trade | No | After Level 10 | Yes | Free-to-play players can not trade, preferred players can trade after level 10, subscribers can trade normally. This is to prevent spam. |
Valor | Normal | Normal | 20% faster | Valor is a type of rank earned through PvP. Players earn Valor 20% faster if they are subscribers after level 20. |
Outfit Designer | 4 | 5 | 16 | All players receive one free outfit slot. Free-to-players can purchase up to a total of four slots with credits, preferred can purchase up to the 5th, while subscribers can purchase up to the max of 16 with credits. Additional outfit designer slots can be purchased by all players at 120 CC per slot per character or 300 CC for a slot for each character on the account, for a total of 16 slots per character. |
Companion Customization | No | No | Yes | Players can customize the way their companions look with companion customization skins. Free-to-play players can not customize their companions by default. The ability to customize your companion can be unlocked for 320 CC per character or 720 CC for all characters on the account. |
Commander Token | No | No | Yes | Players who subscribe for the first time in recent years receive one free Commander Token, which allows them to create a level 60 or 70 character of their choice, which auto-completes previous storylines and allows players to jump in to their choice of the newer expansions. |
Character Title Display | No | No | Yes | Free-to-play players can not choose to display any titles they receive above their character name. The unlock to display titles costs 90 CC per character or 200 CC for every character on the account. Preferred players who have subscribed in the past can get this unlock for free by using a referral link. |
Legacy Name Display | No | No | Yes | Free-to-play players can not choose to display the legacy name they choose at level 20 near their character name. The unlock to display legacy name costs 50 CC per character or 200 CC for every character on the account. |
Guild Leader | No | No | Yes | Players who are subscribers and choose to unsubscribe will have their guild leadership automatically passed down to the next senior member who is a subscriber. The only exception is if all players in the guild are not subscribed, free-to-play guild leaders can only run free-to-play guilds. |
Who Function | Not Available | Yes | Yes | Players can use the /who function to looks up other players and guilds. Free-to-play players can not use this to help prevent spam. |
Support | Limited | Limited | Full | All players have full access to support when it comes to these problems, and it is highly recommend that players call support if they run in to these types if issues: login issues, password issues, billing issues, refund issues. However other types of support, like technical support, bug reports, or in-game issues, are limited to subscribers, who can call, email, or submit and in-game ticket. Free-to-play and preferred players do not have any access to the in-game ticket system. |
What can I do as a Free-to-play player?
If you’re a preferred player, you might be asking yourself what you can do after you finish all the story content you available, if you aren’t able or interested in subscribing. The game still has a lot to offer!
Class Stories
Many players start a brand new character. Each of the eight classes offers an entirely unique storyline, and each faction has a completely different set of planetary and exploratory quests to try out.
First Two expansions
All players now have access to the first two expansions for free, the Rise of the Hutt cartel expansion and the Shadow of Revan expansion. The rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion actually has a completely different story Republic and Imperial side, so I highly recommend playing it once on each faction.
Flashpoints
Free-to-play and preferred players also have access to a majority of the flashpoints in the game, so you can group up with others and try out the 4-man group flashpoints. Most flashpoints also now have a solo version available that you can play by yourself.
Space Missions
You also have access to space missions, an on-rails shooter that you can access near your ship’s galaxy map, but you are limited to 10 space missions per week per character.
Space PvP (Galactic Starfighter)
If you want to try flying in space battles against other players, Galactic Starfighter is available even to free-to-play players.
PvP (Warzones)
Don’t forget as a free-to-play player you can also hop into pvp – player vs player warzones – just make sure to grab a subscribed friend to group with if you want to do more than a few matches. You’ll be locked out from q’ing yourself, but if your friend q’s up your group you will be able to do unlimited warzones with them.
Strongholds
Other things free-to-play players can check out are: stronghold decorating, crafting and collecting.
The basic strongholds of Coruscant and Dromund Kaas only cost 5,000 credits for their initial unlock, and you can save up credits to unlock the rest of the stronghold over time.
Heroics
Heroics are one of the best ways to make credits, even as a free-to- player. There are over a hundred heroics spread across all the planets and they are repeatable daily!
Dailies & Reputation
Players can complete daily quests to work on their Reputation and earn cosmetic rewards. Free-to-play players who have completed all the expansions they have available will have access to these dailies and weklies:
- Corellia Black Hole Daily Area (no Reputation)
- Voss (Reputation)
- Macrobinocular & Seeker Droid GSI Quests (Reputation)
- CZ-198
- Oricon (Reputation)
- Rishi (Reputation)
- Yavin 4 (Reputation)
- Ziost (no Reputation, but similar rewards)
Events
If there are any limited-time events going on, even fre-to-play players can participate in them!
Crafting
Crafting unfortunately is severely hindered for fre-to-play and preferred players, as you can only queue up one crafted item per companion at a time instead of queuing up many items and allowing your companions to craft them over time even if you are away from the computer. The good news is if you are crafting for fun and for yourself, rather than as part of a crafting production line, crafting as a free-to-play or preferred player is very viable, especially if you buy the unlock which allows you to have all three crew slots available.
Just keep in mind as a free-to-play or preferred player with a 1,000,00 credit cap, you’ll be severely hindered in any activity that involves buying items!
Roleplay
All players, from level 1 to level 75, can also try out roleplaying – it’s a free activity that’s not supported directly ingame, but something that a lot of players enjoy. Roleplaying is a way of acting as your character, and interacting with other players as if you are your character in chat – you could roleplay as a serene jedi, a hardened trooper, or even an imperial mechanic!
What can I do as a Preferred player?
Preferred players will have a lot more options available on top of all those F2P activities, depending on what the last expansion they unlocked was and what level their characters are. Preferred players can check out all the same activities as free-to-play players, but they might also have access to story expansion quests and additional planets and reputation tracks. What exactly you have available will depend on what the last expansion you unlocked was.
- If you’re stuck at level 60, you’ll have the same options as described above for Free-to-play players.
- If you’re stuck at level 65, you can replay all the Knights of the Fallen Empire chapters including on the Veteran and Master modes. You can do all the Star Fortress missions and grow your Alliance headquarters through Heroics. You can complete many Alliance alerts to earn companions. You can work on the Eternal Championship on Zakuul.
- If you’re stuck at level 70, you can do the above, plus play the harder chapters of Knights of the Eternal Throne, complete even more alliance alerts, run the Iokath storyline and dailies, have access to the three repeatable Traitor arc flashpoints that drop some special rewards and decorations, and run the planet of Ossus dailies.
- If you’re stuck at level 75, you have access to all the above, plus the Onderon dailies reputation track, and the repeatable Mek-sha quests.
Subscribing to SWTOR
Subscribers can do everything free-to-play and preferred players can, but also have access to the newest expansions, all the daily areas, unlimited warzones, operations, no credit cap, no restrictions, and they also get 500 cartel coins a month.
In general, everything is a lot smoother if you are subscribed to the game, but it’s not impossible to play as preferred or free to play player, depending on what you want to do. If you enjoy the game, and have the money, I definitely recommend to subscribe as long as you are actively playing and enjoying the game.
SWTOR Referral Code (free stuff if you are preferred!)
Before you go, if you are currently a preferred player, make sure to watch my video about my referral code – you might be able to get 7 days of free subscription and some other goodies. If you’re completely new to the game and don’t even have an account yet, there’s some goodies there for you too.
My Referral Code Link: http://www.swtor.com/r/lvbKCY
Use my referral link to possibly get free stuff! Please note it’s a bit buggy and may or may not work for your specific account. Here’s what SWTOR.com says you can get..
“New players can play free up to Level 50 with no time limit and also receive the Jumpstart Bundle with boosts and items for faster leveling.”
- 1x Quick Travel Pass
- 5x Minor XP Boost
- 1x Inventory Module
“Previous Subscribers enjoy seven days of subscription level access with unlimited access to missions and features up to Level 50 plus the following:”
- Unlock: Inventory Module
- Unlock: Crew Skill Slot
- Customization Control: Display Titles
- Customization Control: Unify Colors
- One Complimentary Character Transfer for the lifetime of the account.
“Previous Subscribers who participate in Friends of SWTOR cannot be referred again for 90 days.”
(Though people have been reporting that it works if you have used one within 90 days sometimes… and sometimes it even works if you are subscribed. How exactly it works is a mystery. Note if you have not subscribed recently you may still be locked at level 50, 55 or 60 if you were before.)
This does NOT unlock the expansions – you must subscribe to unlock expansions and level to max level.
YES I get free stuff if you use my link. It’s very nice and I appreciate it and can use the cartel coins towards the my projects… and just for fun. If you subscribe I get 100 cartel coins for every month you are subbed as a bonus. Thanks! 🙂
If you want more information, details and restrictions of the refer-a-friend program: http://www.swtor.com/info/friends
IF THE CODE/LINK DOES NOT WORK THIS MIGHT BE WHY
- The system is finicky and does not always work.
- You are completely free-to-play, never paid for anything
- You are preferred, but you never subscribed (ex you bought cartel coins or an expansion instead)
- You have been referred too recently within 90 days.
- You are currently subscribed (this sometimes works though)
- You have subscribed already too recently within 90 days (this sometimes works though)
- You are a new player, but already had an account then used the link. You need to make your account ON THE LINK, not have it beforehand. When we found this bug me and my friend just made a brand new account so he could use it
- 7How to Upgrade My Account?
Free-to-Play, or F2P, is a play option that was introduced with Patch 1.5.0. Players who choose this option do not have to pay a monthly subscription fee. Characters can be played up to level 50, but there are gameplay and grouping restrictions. Any combination of these restrictions can be lifted through purchases from the in-game Cartel Market, which would automatically upgrade the account to Preferred Status. Free-to-Play includes:
- 8 distinct class stories, each with three chapters across 12 planets
- Each planet has optional unique side Planetary Quests and Exploratory Quests, which are different on the Imperial and Republic faction
- Repeatable Heroics (2+ player content that can be completed solo), which are different on the Imperial and Republic faction
- Level 1-50 Flashpoints (aka 'dungeons', 4-man group content with a solo version available)
- Warzones (player-vs-player content)
- Galactic Starfighter (space player-vs-player)
- Galactic Strongholds (player housing)
- Space Missions (solo space content)
Unlocking Expansions and Level 51-70[edit edit source]
For new players, access to levels 51-70 is obtained by subscribing for one month. All expansions and levels 51-70 will be unlocked for all characters and all new characters for the life of the account. This includes access to the 3 Flashpoints that are a part of the expansions.
You only need to subscribe for one month to unlock the current expansions forever. If you unsubscribe after one month, you will lose your subscriber perks and status, but will keep your expansions and ability to reach level 70. Once you unsubscribe, you will be a 'preferred' player - you will have access to more perks than a free to play player, but less than a subscriber.
Expansions[edit edit source]
Previous players may find that they already have access to some or all of levels 51-65:
Rise of the Hutt Cartel (aka 'Makeb'): Access to Level 51-55 was obtained by purchasing the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, the Shadow of Revan expansion, or by subscribing for 1 month after September 2013. This expansion is unlocked for the duration of the account even if you unsubscribed.
Shadow of Revan: Access to Level 56-60 was obtained by purchasing the Shadow of Revan expansion. If you subscribed 1 month after October 2015, you have this expansion for free. This expansion is unlocked for the duration of the account even if you unsubscribed. This expansion includes 2 Flashpoints: 'Blood Hunt' and 'Battle of Rishi.'
Knights of the Fallen Empire: Access to levels 61-65 can only be obtained by subscribing for at least one month after October 2015. You will receive all chapters for Knights of the Fallen Empire released until you unsubscribe; these chapters will be unlocked for the duration of the account. (Example: You unsubscribe after chapter 10 is released. You will keep access to chapter 10 and levels 61-65 for the life of the account, but will not have access to chapter 11 onwards.) This expansion includes the 'Star Fortress' Flashpoint.
Knights of the Eternal Throne: Access to levels 66-70 can only be obtained by subscribing for at least one month after December 2016. You will receive all chapters for Knights of the Eternal Throne. Note that the Galactic Command system, Dark vs. Light Rewards, and Uprisings are only available to subs.
Free-to-Play, Preferred and Subscriber Differences[edit edit source]
Each of the limited options below can be opened up through the Cartel Market.
Item | Free-to-Play | Preferred | Premium/Subscription |
---|---|---|---|
Arifact Gear (Certain items are unrestricted for all.) | Conflicting Reports4 | Conflicting Reports4 | Unrestricted |
Augment Slots Cost - Improving endgame gear | Higher | Higher | Lower |
Bank (Cargo Hold) | Access must be unlocked (See 'Legacy Bank') | Access granted, must use Unlocks to unlock | Access granted, can use Unlocks to unlock or purchase directly from Cargo Hold |
Cartel Coin Grant | None | None | 500 or more / Month |
Cartel Coin Grant - Security Key | 100 / Month | 100 / Month | 100 / Month |
Character Slots (Unlocks available) | 4 | 12 (13-146 for some previous subs) | 24-266 |
Chat | Restricted tells and General Chat on a 1 minute timer after level 25 for some characters; No access for others5 | Full General Chat and /who, but on a few seconds timer after level 25; Unlimited other chat | Unrestricted |
Credit Cap (Without Escrow Transfers) | 1 Million | 1 MIllion | Unlimited |
Credit Gain | Normal | Normal | 20% Faster after level 20 |
Crew Skills (Unlocks available) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Dark vs. Light: Participation | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
Dark vs. Light: Rewards | No | No | Unrestricted |
Digital Expansion: Galactic Starfighter | Free | Free | Free |
Digital Expansion: Galactic Strongholds | Free | Free | Free |
Digital Expansion: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Other features | None | None | Free |
Digital Expansion: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Solo chapters and level increase | Must Subscribe for 1 Month | Must Subscribe for 1 Month | Free |
Digital Expansion: Knights of the Fallen Empire | Must Subscribe for 1 Month | Must Subscribe for 1 Month | Free |
Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel | Free | Free | Free |
Digital Expansion: Shadow of Revan | Free | Free | Free |
Endgame Gear | Cannot acquire | Cannot acquire | Unrestricted |
Flashpoints below maximum level (If done with a group) | 3 of certain rewards1 from the last boss per week | 3 of certain rewards1 from the last boss per week | Unlimited |
Fleet Quick Travel | Normal 3 hours | 1.5 hour reduction | 1.5 hour reduction |
Galactic Command | No | No | Unrestricted |
GTN Slots | 2 | 5 | 50 |
Guild Bank (Unlocks available) | Access must be unlocked, no ability with withdraw or deposit credits | Access must be unlocked, no ability with withdraw or deposit credits | Unrestricted depending on guild's settings |
Guilds | Join Any, Lead F2P Guilds only | Join Any, Lead F2P Guilds only | Unrestricted |
Inventory | Unlock with Unlocks only | Unlock with Unlocks only | Unlock with Unlocks or directly from Inventory |
Legacy Bank (Legacy Stronghold Storage) | Yes, 1 bay only without Unlocks or Credit Escrow | Yes, 2 bays only without Unlocks or Credit Escrow | Yes, up to 5 bays |
Receive Only | Can Send with 1 attachment but cannot send credits | Unrestricted | |
Mod Removal Cost | Higher | Higher | Lower |
Mounts (free without low cost Unlock) | Normal | Normal | 5-10 levels earlier |
Operations | No access | No access | Unlimited |
Quick Travel | Normal 26 minutes | 20 min reduction | 20 min reduction |
Quickbars (Unlocks available and only really need 2-3 to play) | 3 | 5 | 6 |
Respecialization | Very Low Cost | Very Low Cost | No Cost |
Rest XP | No | No | Yes |
Revive | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Security Key Setup - Mobile or Physical | Available | Available | Available |
Space Missions | 3 per week | 3 per week | Unlimited |
Species for Character Creation3 (Unlocks available) | Human, Cyborg or Zabrak unless already unlocked | Human, Cyborg or Zabrak unless already unlocked | All species that are available for a class besides Cathar and Togruta unless already unlocked |
Sprint | Level 10 | Level 1 | Level 1 |
Story Content | Full Class Story Levels 1-50; 51-60 with Expansions | Full Class Story Levels 1-50; 51-60 with Expansions | Full Class Story Levels 1-55; 56-60 with Expansion |
Support | Email, Phone, and Forum only | Email, Phone, and Forum only | Email, Phone, Forum, and In-game Ticket |
Trade | No | After Level 10 | Unrestricted |
Uprisings | No | No | Unlimited |
Valor Rate | Normal | Normal | Faster after level 20 |
Vendors | Regular price | Regular price | Discounted price |
Warzones - Ranked | None | None | Unlimited |
Warzones - Regular, Group | Unlimited2 | Unlimited2 | Unlimited |
Warzones - Regular, Solo | 5 per week | 5 per week | Unlimited |
XP Rate | Normal | Normal | 20% faster after level 20 |
1'Rewards' does not include credits, some reputation tokens, and XP gained from defeating the last boss. All players, even F2P, have unlimited access to these. 'Rewards' only include gear, decorations, mounts, pets, some reputation tokens, non-reputation tokens, and crafting materials. Note that you only get these rewards if you win the loot roll against other players. You can also get an unlimited number of these if you do it solo.
2Unlimited when grouped with, and queued by a subscriber. Otherwise subject to Solo Warzone limits.
3If you already have a character with that species, you can still play with them as a Preferred player. You can unlock any species for any class with Cartel Coins, credits, or getting a character of that species to level 50. Some customization options are locked for certain classes until you unlock the class using the previous methods. Subs can only make the following species for the following classes unless unlocked:
- Humans and Cyborgs: Any class
- Zabrak: Any Republic class can be a brown Zabrak; Any Empire class can be a red Zabrak.
- Chiss: Bounty Hunters and Imperial Agents
- Miraluka: Jedi Knights and Consulars
- Mirialan: All Republic classes
- Rattataki: Bounty Hunters, Imperial Agents, and Sith Inquisitors
- Sith Pureblood: Sith Warriors and Inquisitors
- Twi'lek: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, and Sith Inquisitor
- Cathar: Must be unlocked
- Togruta: Must be unlocked
4There have been conflicting reports about Artifact Authorization after 4.0: some F2P players mentioned that are able to use them, others mentioned they could not.
5The 5.1.2 Patch Notes mention 'Free-to-Play chat restrictions have been adjusted in order to help address third-party service advertisement spam.' We currently do not know that that means yet: we've seen multiple players around level 20 mention that they cannot access chat still.
6Those that subscribed between November 2015 and December 2016 get 1 extra character slot. Those that subscribed between December 2016 and now get another character slot. Those that were subscribed at anytime during both time periods get 2 extra character slots: 1 for each time period. Note that many promotions give out free character slots too.
Free-to-Play[edit edit source]
- 200,000 Credit Cap (anything above this amount is saved in an Escrow account)
- Escrow Account Credits can now be transferred out with a Cartel Market Consumable
- These only transfer credits from the Escrow Account to existing credit balance.
- Escrow Transfer items ignore the credit cap when used, but do not make permanent changes to the credit cap.
- Small Package - 50k - 40 Cartel Coins
- Medium Package - 150k - 80 Cartel Coins
- Large Package - 600k - 240 Cartel Coins
- Access to 1 Crew Skill
- Access to 2 Character Slots
- Access to 2 Galactic Trade Network slots
- Access to 2 Quickbars
- Access to 3 Species for Character Creation
- Access to 5 Medical Probes (In Field Revive) per Character
- Bank (Cargo Hold) Access must be unlocked (However, Legacy Bank is available to all that have 1 character at level 15+.)
- Can only receive Mail
- Cannot Trade items
- No Access to Priority In-Game Support - Only has access to email, phone, and forum support
- No Access to Rest XP
- No Login Priority - Only an issue right after a patch
- Restricted Chat functions
- Below maximum level: restricted to 3 Flashpoints Rewards from the final boss per week
- Restricted to 3 Space Missions per week
- Restricted to 5 Warzones per week
- Unlock must be purchased to use most Artifact (Purple) gear. Some Artifact gear may be used without an unlock.
- No access to any Operations
- No access to the Galactic Command system, thus no access to endgame gear.
- No access to Dark vs. Light rewards
Preferred[edit edit source]
Preferred accounts offer a bit less restrictions than a Free to Play account.
To qualify for a preferred account, the account has to have met any of the following conditions:
- Previously subscribed to SWTOR using any method, including subscribing once or re-occuring on swtor.com, buying a subscribtion package from swtor.com that includes bonus items, 60 day time cards and subscription time codes from buying the physical copy of the game, purchasing the origins pack, or purchasing game time from Amazon
- Purchased anything through the the SWTOR Official Store.
- WARNING: For some reason the 250 Cartel Coin pack ($2.99 USD) may not qualify users for preferred status. If this issue crops up, it is recommended that support is contacted.
- This method includes buying a Cartel Coin Card from a different website or store and applying it to your account.
- This mainly includes buying Cartel Coins, Subscription Time, or Subscription Time Packs with bonus items - anything you buy with real money, not in-game
- Have purchased the Shadow of Revan expansion (there is no longer a need to purchase it - simply subscribe to unlock all expansions)
- Purchased the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion (there is no longer a need to purchase it - simply subscribe to unlock all expansions)
Preferred accounts have more benefits over a F2P account:
- 350,000 Credit cap total (anything above this amount is saved in an Escrow account)
- Escrow Account Credits can now be transferred out with a Cartel Market Consumable
- These only transfer credits from the Escrow Account to existing credit balance.
- Escrow Transfer items ignore the credit cap when used, but do not make permanent changes to the credit cap.
- Small Package - 50k - 40 Cartel Coins
- Medium Package - 150k - 80 Cartel Coins
- Large Package - 600k - 240 Cartel Coins
- Access to 1 additional Crew Skill
- Access to 2 additional Quickbars
- Access to 8 additional Character Slots
- Access to Bank (Cargo Hold)
- Access to Sprint at Level 1
- Access to Trading Items after Level 10
- Mail Restricted (only 1 attachment & cannot send credits)
- Medium Login Priority - Only an issue right after a patch
- Still no Access to Priority In-Game Support - Only has access to email, phone, and forum support
- Almost unrestricted Chat: Only restriction is a timer between General Chat uses
- Reduced cooldown on quick travel options
Note that some previous subscribers that are now Preferred get the following benefits:
- Access to all Artifact Quality Gear you have worn
- Access to Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion content if you subscribed after September 2013.
- Access to Shadow of Revan and Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion content (Free for Subscribers) if you subscribed after October 2015.
- Access to Knights of the Eternal Throne chapters if you subscribed after December 2016.
- Characters that exceed the Preferred number of characters cap will remain 'Inactive' until Character Slots are bought or the player resubscribes. The player chooses which ones are 'Inactive.'
Subscriber / Premium[edit edit source]
A subscriber or premium member pays a monthly fee of around $15 to access and play the game.
Subscribers / Premium members have none of the restrictions that the other account types have.
Here is a short list of the Subscriber and Premium benefits over pure F2P players:
- Access to 12 additional Character Slots + 1 - 2 additional Character Slots for the life of the account (depending on when you were a subscriber)
- Access to 48 additional Galactic Trade Network Slots
- Access to 4 additional Quickbars
- Access to all Artifact Quality Gear
- Access to Priority In-Game Support
- Access to Rest XP
- Access to Two additional Crew Skills
- Access to Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion content (Free for Subscribers)
- Starting October 27, 2015: Access to Shadow of Revan and Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion content (Free for Subscribers)
- Free Unlimited Re-specializations
- Higher Experience Point Rate over Level 20
- Higher Login Priority
- Monthly Cartel Coin grant
- 500 base subscriber grant (or more based on number of months bought)
- 100 for any account with an authenticator
- No Chat Restrictions
- No Credit Cap
- Reduced cooldown on quick travel options
- Unlimited Flashpoints End Boss Rewards
- Unlimited Medical Probes
- Unlimited Mail
- Unlimited Operations
- Unlimited Space Missions
- Unlimited Warzones
- Unlimited Uprisings
- Access to the Galactic Command system (at max level)
- Access to Dark vs. Light rewards
How to Upgrade My Account?[edit edit source]
Preferred[edit edit source]
Your account can be upgraded to a Preferred status by making any purchase from the SWTOR Official Store.
Subscription / Premium[edit edit source]
Your account can be upgraded to a Subscriber or Premium status by purchasing a subscription from the SWTOR Official Store.
Subscriptions are currently available in the following plans:
Game CD key for 30 days - Various - One Time Purchase (Note: you now do not get anything else for using a game CD key.)
- 60 Days - $29.99 USD - One Time Purchase
- 30 Days - $14.99 USD (Billed Every 30 Days) - Recurring Purchase
- 90 Days - $13.99 USD Per Month (Billed $41.97 USD Every 90 Days) - Recurring Purchase
- 180 Days - $12.99 USD Per Month (Billed $77.94 USD Every 180 Days)- Recurring Purchase
After your subscription has ended, you become a Preferred player.
F2P Updates[edit edit source]
5.5.1 - 11/8/2017
- F2P players will have a default of 4 characters per server (up from 2)
- Preferred players will have a default of 12 characters per server(up from 6)
- Subscribers will have a default of 24 characters per server (up from 12)
5.2 - 4/18/2017
- Free-to-Play now can open all lockboxes
Swtor Crew Skill Assignment Slot
5.1.2 - 2/28/2017
- Free-to-Play chat restrictions have been adjusted in order to help address third-party service advertisement spam.
5.0 - 11/30/16
- Weekly passes removed from the game
- Added Uprisings as subscriber-only content
- Removed loot drops at maximum level for all players. All loot at max level now comes from the Galactic Command system, which is subscriber only.
- Added Dark vs. Light 'hourly' event. Rewards for this event are restricted to subscribers.
- Additional 2 character slots if you subscribe after Nov 30, 2016 (Cumulative 4 extra slots with the 2 extra slots from 4.0.)
4.0 - 10/20/15
- Additional 2 character slots if you subscribe after Oct 20, 2015
October 2015
- SWTOR support forum moved to EA Answers forum and is now available to all users. Email and phone support will still be available to all users; in-game priority ticket support will still be subscriber only.
June 2015
- Security Key app is now available for all users to setup.
3.2.0 - 4/28/15
Swtor Best Crew Skills
- The cooldown on the Quick Travel ability has been reduced. For Subscribers and Preferred players the cooldown is now 6 minutes, and for Free-To-Play players the cooldown is now 26 minutes.
- The Legacy Travel I, II, and III unlocks now reduce the cooldown of the Quick Travel ability by 2 additional minutes each.
- The cooldown on the Emergency Fleet Pass ability has been reduced. For Subscribers and Preferred players the cooldown is now 90 minutes, and for Free-To-Play players the cooldown is now 180 minutes.
- The Legacy Fleet Pass I, II, and III unlocks now reduce the cooldown of the Emergency Fleet Pass ability by 30 additional minutes each.
3.0.0 - 12/2/14
- Reduced costs for respecialization for F2P and Preferred (Not mentioned in Patch Notes.)
2.3.2 - 9/4/13
- Experience and Valor penalties for Free to Play players now apply beginning at level 20 instead of level 10.
2.3.1 - 8/21/13
- Free-To-Play players can now train Sprint at level 10.
- Free-To-Play players are now granted the Emergency Fleet Pass ability at level 10.
- All players now have access to all event rewards.
2.1.0 - 5/14/13
- Escrow Credit Transfers are now available for Free–to–Play and Preferred Status Players. Package denominations are available for 50K, 150K, and 600K . Each Package is a consumable that will immediately transfer the Package's set amount of credits from the existing Escrow Balance as listed in the Currency tab of the Inventory Window to the Inventory credit balance. This transfer does not affect Inventory Credit Caps. Therefore, newly acquired credits will go into the Escrow Balance as normal. For example, if the player has a Credit Cap is 250,000 / The player has 100,000 in their Inventory. The player purchases a 600K escrow package bringing their Inventory credit total to 700,000. Until the credits in the player's Inventory drop below 250,000 (the Credit Cap), the newly acquired credits will be funneled into Escrow. Cost:
- Small Package – 40 Cartel Coins
- Medium Package – 80 Cartel Coins
- Large Package – 240 Cartel Coins