SWTOR course corrects for patch 5.8a, overhauls the cash shop with direct-purchase items

Star Wars The Old Republic’s 5.8a patch is live today with a bunch of tweaks to last week’s far bigger update. In fact, many of the changes are happy nerfs: Expect reductions in guild invasion requirements and multiple conquest targets and objectives, plus new conquest objectives and reverted rewards for warzones. Can anybody say course correction?

But probably the biggest news for SWTOR players today is the changes going into the cartel market (cash shop).

“Over the last year we’ve changed how we operate the Cartel Market based on your suggestions, including increasing the number of items and the frequency in limited time, direct purchase sales,” says BioWare. “Our goal is to give you more freedom to choose how you get your items. Want to get them out of packs? You still can! Want to get them directly? Now you can do that, too. Starting with the Spring event on Tuesday, March 27th players will begin to see changes take shape in three key areas: direct sale of items, new items, and the next Cartel Market (CM) pack.”

The studio puts that plan in motion today with new direct-sale saber today as well as a three-week direct sale on “almost every Cartel Market item.” A new “ultimate pack” lockbox is live as well, though it’s cheaper than previous packs and comes with a more GW2-esque apportionment.

“Each pack contains 4 slots. Slots 1, 2, and 3 can contain any item ever released on the CM, including the new items coming in ‘Command Authority’ (Game Update 5.8), and any future items. Slot 4 will then contain either scrap, Companion Gifts, or a Dye Module. Dyes being in slot 4 is a big change from how it worked in older packs.”