Everything Cool in Update 7.6 ‘Galactic Threads’ in SWTOR!

Update 7.5 is now out! Here’s everything cool, interesting, or a change in ‘Desperate Defiance’.

Update 7.6

What’s in Update 7.6?

• Dynamic Encounters
• Propagator Core XR-53 Lair Boss
• New Twitch Drops
• Cartel Market
• Remote Trading Post
• Comlink
• New Augments
• PvP Season 7
• Life Day 2024
• Companion and Minipet Mounts
• Meirm Cicada Subscriber Reward
• Name Purge
• Character and Planet Modernization

Watch Video

Where’s the story?

Originally, Update 7.6 was supposed to include the next main story update. Sadly, likely due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA Video Game Voice Actors Strike, the developers have had to delay the story part of this update to an undetermined date. This is an issue almost every major game studio is facing – to release content without voice acting, or to delay it until the strike has been resolved. Read more here.

Companion Mounts

The first mounts that allow you to have your companion or pet (or both!) ride beside you are being added to the game with Update 7.6!

Free Companion Mount to Subscribers

As a thank you to players who have consistently stuck with and supported SWTOR, the Meirm Cicada mount will be FREE to any player subscribed in the very near future – November 29th – January 4th. The mount will be delivered to players in the mail December 10th and later.

Dynamic Encounters

Dynamic Encounters are a new type of activity I’ve really been enjoying playing. In short, they’re a large batch of quests that range from more classic quick combat-oriented quests, to mini boss fights, to silly adventures like tauntaun sledding and running around as a GONK droid. These quests are very casual friendly, and are pretty enjoyable to do either alone or in a group.  Dynamic Encounters Guide

Dynamic Encounters Guide in SWTOR

There’s also some really cool rewards including some high-quality unique armor sets, and two new pet-mounts tied to Dynamic Encounter achievements.

This update has somewhere around 100 encounters on Tatooine and Hoth – I didn’t even wind up managing to see all the new encounters while playing over multiple days on the test server!

Propagator Core XR-53 Lair Boss

I got to test the new boss quite a few times on the test server – the first few iterations were not very fun, but by the time they’d tweaked it a bunch ,I was really enjoying the fight both on Story and Veteran mode. If you like group content, players will likely be running this often to get the new augments and crafting materials – and it will likely be a good way to make credits by selling the materials. I’ve put together some information about the new boss in the SWTOR Propagator Core XR-53 Guide!

SWTOR Propagator Core XR-53 Guide

New Augments

There are three new tiers of augments to craft for level 80, and some of the materials and schematics only come from that new XR-53 boss. How to Craft Augments Guide

SWTOR How to Craft Augments Guide

PvP Season 7

PvP Season 7 will be running December 10 – March 31, 2025! It comes with a new emote and some feathered-themed rewards. PvP Seasons Guide

SWTOR PvP Seasons 7 Guide and Rewards

Cartel Market

New items! 7.6 Cartel Items

New Cartel Market Items with Update 7.6! Remote Trading Post, Mysterious Rogue Armor, Fearless Buccaneer weapons, New Cartel Market Hair

New Free Hair

This hair was seen on an NPC character in the game – it is one of the existing hair styles but with missing parts. Players requested we could get it on our characters and the developers obliged and added it as a free hair starting in 7.6!

Events

There is a RIDICULOUS amount of events going on in the same month as 7.6 launch.

PvP Season 7 Dec 10 – Mar 31, 2025

Promotions and Free Stuff

Twitch Drops Free RewardDec 10 – Jan 6, 2025

SWTOR Master the Fight: Starbolt Edition Bundle – November 15 – January 14, 2025 – $99 for 180 days sub time, 5,500, unique mount and metallic dyes

Sales

Collections 50% Off SaleDec 13 – Jan 7, 2025

• The Rename: Character Name Consumable item will be 90% off from December 10 to December 17. [This is related to the character name purge happening December 10th].
• Character re-customizations will be 90% off from December 10  to January 7, 2025
• The 50% off Collection Unlocks sale will run from December 13 to January 7, 2025.
• Life Day items (except the Tirsa mount and Ornate Robes) will be 25% off from December 10 to January 7, 2025.
• The Double XP event will run from December 22, 2024 to January 2, 2025.
• More popular items on the Cartel Market will rotate through the Daily Sale with discounts between 50-80% off throughout the holiday season.
• Cartel Market Dye Sale and Future Changes to Dyes

Life Day

Life day starts December 10, the same day as launch of 7.6

New Reward: Tirsa G1-F7 Mount (present speeder!)

New Reward: Ornate Life Day Robes (dyed version on right)

Graphics Updates: Planets

You will notice a whole host of art modernization. There’s some pretty sizable stuff on Tython and Korriban and then a bit lesser but definitely also some art modernization across Hoth and Ilum as well. 

Graphics Updates: Characters

Watch Video

The top line goal was to improve the fidelity of characters across the game, while making sure that your character stayed uniquely yours. We actually attacked it from basically four different directions – first up targeting character textures, ocular specularity (which is the white spot in the eye), and then lighting improvements and shader improvements including skin and hair shader improvements.

The important thing here is that the character textures specifically apply to Humans, Chiss, Cyborg, Miralukan, Mirialan, Togruta, Rattataki and Zabrak (not Twi’lek, Nautolan or Cathar)

Our goal is to get continue this modernization. This would impact any character across the entire game that uses the same model that player characters do. The only exceptions here would be like Lana, that is, that’s a unique model. She wouldn’t necessarily see these improvements. She would see some improvements from like maybe like lighting changes and stuff like that and shader, but she wouldn’t see the texture changes because that would only affect the player, and anyone that uses the player characters