SWTOR Executive Producer Letter – Q3 2026 (and a DX12 update!)

Hi folks!

Checking in again to let you all know what’s been happening with SWTOR the last few months as well as with DirectX 12!

Game Update 8.0 content

For those who may have missed previous updates with 8.0 content, we revealed that the next Era in SWTOR is called “Masters of the Force.” Keep an eye on that page as it will be updated over time as we release more details.

We also announced the core features that will be coming in 8.0:

• The “Galaxy in Chaos” storyline
• Ryloth, the Twi’lek homeworld (coming with Dynamic Encounters)
• Ventures: Classic & Expert
• Difficulty Modes
• Children of Nul Operation
• Level 85, New Abilities, and Balance
• Quality of Life Improvements

We’ve also opened our Public Test Server so Subscribers can get their hands on:

• The first and second bosses of the Operation
• Ventures: Classic
• Difficulty Modes
• Combat Style Updates:
  • Sentinel/Marauder
  • Sage/Sorcerer
  • Vanguard/Powertech
  • Guardian/Juggernaut
  • Operative/Scoundrel
  • Shadow/Assassin

Iterations of the Public Test Server will continue so players can provide their feedback on these features before they go live.

We have not announced a release date yet for 8.0, but we are continuing development and will share more launch details in due time.

Developer Streams

I’m also happy to see the positive reception to the recent Developer Game Update and Let’s Play livestreams. We anticipate a few more Let’s Play streams and another Game Update livestream where we’ll go into the “Galaxy in Chaos” storyline (spoiler-free, of course!)

Our next Let’s Play stream will be October 1st at 1pm CT / 6pm UTC on our streaming channel. Stay tuned for more details!

DirectX 12 Update

Since our Spring Update we’ve continued to receive enthusiastic questions about what’s coming next. I pulled in the Technical Team and they have provided the update below:

Hey SWTOR players!

Technical team here to get you up to speed on our most recent progress with DirectX 12. The last time we saw each other, we were explaining that the UI was the one feature that posed the largest obstacle for us. 

We’re happy to report that the UI has been ported to DX12 and aside from minor visual differences being fixed, it is fully functional. Pulling back the curtain a bit, we had to upgrade our old version that only supported DX11 and re-architect it so it would work properly with our data. We then changed Scaleform’s DX12 rendering to use Frostbite RenderCore2 and work properly within our engine. For the more technical folks, we also had to port over hundreds of divergences to the new version and once we could verify that everything worked properly, we could move on to DX12. 

With the UI in place, we are focused on adding features back into this “DX12 version” of the game to get it looking like the SWTOR you’re familiar with, and lay the groundwork for future additions. This means updating essential shaders, ensuring characters appear with proper customization (skin color, hair color, tattoos, cybernetics, scars, complexions, outfit colors), re-implementing our particle hueing systems, and much more. Lastly, general stability work and other feature additions are ongoing, so we are making fantastic progress. 

The next time you hear from us we’ll share an update on when you can see the progress for yourself, and help us with a critical stage of testing for this new client! Thank you for your enthusiasm and support as we continue on the road to modernizing SWTOR!

Keith here again. And there you have it! All of us are pretty excited to get a technical test for our players in the near future.

Before I head out, I want to share some reminders to everyone!

 

Best Dressed Contest

Our newest community contest is underway! If you are a collector of armor and think you have all the pieces to make an outfit worthy to be displayed for all to see, you will want to enter our Best Dressed contest! Submissions are open now and being accepted until October 11, 2026. Read all of the details on how to enter here!

Gladiopodling Minipet

FREE Gladiopodling pet to celebrate new expansion name announcement! August 13 – December 26, 2026

We have an active minipet code right now and it’s available until December 26, 2026. Redeem code “GETRDY4MOTF” on this page to get your very own Gladiopodling!

Finally, I want to encourage you again to check out the 8.0 content available on the Public Test Server, and get your hands on it if you can. We appreciate your feedback and the time you spend playing on PTS!

Thank you for playing SWTOR. We’ll see you in the next livestream!

-Keith