SWTOR's First Expansion Raises Level Cap, Hutts

First those ding dang dern Triads and now Hutts? Jeez, what won't rise these days? I mean, at this rate, everyone and everything's going to start rising, and then that'll just be the new normal, non-risen plane of existence. Where's the fun in that? Oh well, though. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel: The Subtitling is now officially a thing, and it's coming soon to a galaxy near (read: far, far away from) you. But what will it entail? Am I finally about to get the Hutt crime empire management sim of my dreams? Cross your slimy slug fingers and head past the break for details.

As of now, the biggest feature on RotHC's rather scant feature list is a good old-republic-fashioned level cap increase. Come spring of next year, 55 will be the new end of the line.

"The Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel will send players to Makeb, a dual-faction planet where players will continue their battles with the merciless Hutt Cartel. During their journey, players will meet new allies, make new enemies and uncover the cutting-edge technology on this vibrant planet. Experience five new levels of story driven missions to an already expansive, epic online universe that will raise the level cap to 55."

So basically, more story, more levels, more Hutts - all of the MMO expansion pack essentials, in other words. This probably won't have the cataclysmic impact of, say, a WoW expansion, though. EA and BioWare are pricing it at $9.99 for subscribers and $19.99 for everyone else. Plus, it's digital-only - all of which adds up to suggest that the Hutt-centric slice of content probably won't be Hutt-sized.

Who knows, though? Maybe BioWare will surprise us. And regardless, more is more. In a game as story-dependent as SWTOR, this type of thing is definitely much-needed. The question, however, is whether or not even that'll be enough. Many of SWTOR's flaws are systemic - as are those of many modern content-driven MMOs - but it clearly hasn't done enough to separate itself from the pack. I guess what I'm trying to say is, give me my goddamn Hutt crime empire management minigame already.