SWTOR Power-Leveling Guide: Get Ready for the Upcoming Update

By now, every Star Wars: The Old Republic player knows the game is getting a new story update called the Pursuit of Ruin sometime in December. For a game that came out well over a decade ago, that’s pretty big news. Whether you’ve just started playing or are thinking about getting into the MMORPG, you probably want to know how to level up quickly so you can enjoy the new content when it drops. Below is a guide to help free-to-play gamers power level to make sure they’re prepared for the 7.8 update.

Choose Your Starting Path

First things first, you have to pick your class and your advanced class. While leveling up fast mostly relies on strategy, your character’s abilities can make a huge difference. Classes like Sith sorcerers or smuggler gunlingers have powerful AoE attacks that can quickly defeat multiple enemies. The faster you can defeat an enemy, the faster you can level up.

Again, the right strategy is the most effective way to level up quickly, but it doesn’t hurt to have a playstyle that increases your XP gains, too.

Class and Planetary Story Missions

The big draw of the 7.8 update is the new storyline it adds, so it makes perfect sense that you’d want to play your class’s story and the planetary missions ahead of the release. Luckily, these are also some of the most efficient ways to level up.

These missions are designed to naturally carry you from one level to the next while keeping you engaged with the plot. The class story missions also introduce you to new missions and features, like companions and abilities, which give you new opportunities for gaining additional XP.

Heroics

For more skilled players, heroics are a great way to level up. These are daily missions with increased difficulty that reward players with a ton of XP and high-level gear. While these missions are meant to be completed in groups, you can solo them if you have to. Skilled players should have no problem completing them alone, and they’re even easier with the right companion. Coupled with story and planetary missions, and you’ll be hitting your level cap in no time.

Flashpoints

Flashpoints are a bit of a hit-or-miss when it comes to leveling up fast. But when they hit, they really hit. Flashpoints are story-driven missions that you complete with a group of up to four players, and they offer a good amount of XP and some of the best gear in the game.

The drawback is that completion time largely depends on your group. Without a skilled team, the time-to-XP ratio is less than ideal. But if you can complete a flashback quickly, the XP payout is excellent. Couple that with the high-level gear you can earn, and you’re looking at a fast track to higher levels.

Exploration Missions

If you’re looking to pad your XP during lulls in the main story, exploration missions are perfect. You can pick up these missions naturally as you’re exploring a planet, completing the story, and then go back to them whenever you need some additional XP. Exploration missions are hidden by default from new players so that their maps aren’t too cluttered. You can make them visible by turning them on in your world map’s settings.

XP Boosts

As the name implies, XP boosts are great for getting additional XP to level up quickly. Even F2P players have a lot of options for getting boosts. You can earn them as rewards from certain missions, or you can buy them from the Cartel Market or Galactic Trade Network. Guilds also have passive boosts that can increase your XP, so make sure you join one as soon as you can.

If you’re a F2P player looking to level up quickly before the new update drops, you have plenty of options. The best part is, you don’t have to miss out on the story to get your character to a higher level.