STAR WARS: The Old Republic: Complete Guide

A guide for new and returning SWTOR players. It covers account tiers, choosing a class and Combat Style, levelling, companions, and the endgame loop (Conquest, Galactic Seasons, Flashpoints, Operations, PvP), plus what Game Update 8.0 "Masters of the Force" changes.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Game Update 7.9.1c (September 18, 2026) and Galactic Seasons 11 "Light and Shadow"; Game Update 8.0 is on the PTS and launches later in 2026. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: SWTOR is developed by Broadsword and published by EA. The live level cap is 80. Game Update 8.0 "Masters of the Force" was revealed on August 13, 2026. It raises the cap to 85 and adds Ryloth as a playable world, the 3-boss Children of Nul Operation, overworld Difficulty Modes, Ventures (challenge-mode characters), Legacy Level 60, a new gearing system and class balance changes. Everything below about 8.0 comes from PTS posts and may change before launch.

Quick Start

Pick your story first, then your Combat Style. Since Legacy of the Sith (7.0), your Origin Story (for example Jedi Knight or Imperial Agent) is separate from your Combat Style. A Smuggler can play as a Sniper, and a Sith Inquisitor can play as a dual-saber Marauder, as long as the style fits your Force/Tech side.
A one-month subscription is worth it at least once. Free-to-Play accounts have real limits on credits, XP, and access to later content and gear. Compare the tiers on the official site before you start.
Keep your companion on Heal role while levelling. A healing companion makes solo content trivial on Story difficulty.
Story is the best part. All 8 class stories are fully voiced. You can use the in-game level boosts if you only care about endgame, but most players should play at least one class story through.
Quick Travel, Stronghold travel, and Guild Flagship save a lot of time. Buy a Stronghold early so you have a free teleport.
Use the Group Finder. Flashpoints, Uprisings, Operations and Warzones can all be queued from anywhere.
Join a guild. Guilds compete in Conquest, flagship perks can add Conquest bonuses, and many guilds are social on the larger servers.
Galactic Seasons runs alongside everything else. Do the weekly objectives for free cosmetics, mounts and companions.
Don't sell Cartel Market items unless you check the GTN price first. Some sell for millions of credits.

Account Tiers

Tier	Who	Key limits / perks
Free-to-Play	Never subscribed or bought Cartel Coins	Restricted credit cap, XP, quick bars, GTN listings and some content access. Fine for trying class stories
Preferred	Ever spent money (Cartel Coins or a past subscription)	Loosened limits, more slots
Subscriber	Active subscription	All expansions and content, full XP, Cartel Coin stipend, full Operations/Flashpoint access

The exact restrictions change over time. Check the official subscription comparison page before paying.

Classes and Combat Styles

Origin Stories

Republic	Empire
Jedi Knight	Sith Warrior
Jedi Consular	Sith Inquisitor
Trooper	Bounty Hunter
Smuggler	Imperial Agent

Jedi and Sith origins pick a Force Combat Style. Trooper, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter and Agent pick a Tech style. Republic and Empire styles are mirrors of each other with different names and animations.

Combat Styles and Roles (Republic / Empire)

Style	Roles available	Notes
Guardian / Juggernaut	Tank, Melee DPS	Durable, simple tanking
Sentinel / Marauder	Melee DPS	Dual sabers, high damage, raid utility
Sage / Sorcerer	Healer, Ranged DPS	Strong beginner healer, good off-heals
Shadow / Assassin	Tank, Melee DPS	Stealth, burst
Vanguard / Powertech	Tank, Ranged/Melee DPS	Close-range blaster fighter
Commando / Mercenary	Healer, Ranged DPS	Turret-style ranged
Gunslinger / Sniper	Ranged DPS	Cover-based, huge single target
Scoundrel / Operative	Healer, Melee DPS	Stealth, HoT healing

Each style has disciplines (specs). Once you've unlocked them, you can switch discipline freely outside combat.

8.0 note: the 8.0 PTS added new abilities for every discipline and rebalanced Sentinel/Marauder, Sage/Sorcerer, Vanguard/Power Tech, Guardian/Juggernaut, Operative, Scoundrel, and Assassin/Shadow. Expect rotations to change at launch.

Levelling Efficiently

Class story + planetary story arcs get you most of the way. Skip most side missions if you're behind the story curve.
Heroic missions give very good XP for the time. Get a group, or on Story difficulty take a healing companion.
Flashpoints on Solo/Veteran give XP and gear.
Level sync scales you down on lower planets, so you can do content anywhere and still get useful rewards.
Legacy perks (Legacy menu) include XP and quality-of-life perks. Check them once you have credits.
Legacy Level 60 arrives with 8.0, adding new perks like Medical Probe Affinity and Improved Rest and Recharge.

Level boosts

The game often gives out or sells character boosts that skip to the level cap and a chosen point in the story. They're great for alts, but a boosted character skips everything before the boost point, so use them on stories you've already played.

Companions

Companions have Influence ranks. Raise them with gifts or by doing missions together. Higher influence improves their effectiveness a little.
Every companion can be set to Tank, DPS or Heal role in the companion panel.
Your Alliance (from Knights of the Fallen Empire / Eternal Throne) recruits returning companions. Galactic Seasons also gives companions. Season 11 features Fen Zeil, and a September objective asks you to earn Conquest with Fen Zeil out.

The Endgame Loop (Level 80 in 7.x)

Activity	What you get	Notes
Conquest (weekly)	Gear and upgrade currencies, guild rewards	Hit the personal Conquest target shown in the Conquest window (per character) for the weekly reward. Many activities count
Galactic Seasons	Cosmetics, mounts, a companion, stronghold decor	Daily/weekly objectives, which count across your legacy
Daily Areas (Ziost, Yavin 4, Ruhnuk, and others)	Currencies, Conquest	Good solo farming
Flashpoints (4-player)	Gear upgrades, story	Veteran and Master modes are much harder
Operations (8/16-player)	Top-tier gear, achievements	Story, Veteran and Master difficulties
Warzones / Arenas / Galactic Starfighter	PvP season rewards	PvP Seasons run their own reward track
Dynamic Encounters (Tatooine, Dantooine Crash Site, etc.)	Currencies and rewards	Open-world events, easy to run solo

Tip: Conquest points are account-wide for Galactic Seasons objectives, but the per-character weekly Conquest reward only pays once per character. Spread Conquest across alts to multiply your gear currency.

Current Galactic Season (Season 11, "Light and Shadow")

Season 11 started with Game Update 7.9.1. Objectives rotate weekly. The September 15 – October 12 set includes Conquest point targets, Tatooine Dynamic Encounters, Ziost or Yavin dailies, Space Missions, world bosses (Lucky the Rancor on Corellia, Trapjaw on Tatooine, and Kithrawl on Ruhnuk, which needs a subscription or Legacy of the Sith), and the 7.x Operation boss Propagator Core XR-53. Patch 7.9.1c added Amity's "Pummeled Peace" weapon and Fen Zeil's Cybernetic Customization (Blue) to the Seasons vendor.

Events Calendar (recurring)

Rakghoul Resurgence (Tatooine, level 25+): THORN reputation, Merciless Seeker's armour, infected mounts.
Relics of the Gree (Ilum, level 50+): Gray Secant reputation and gear.
Hidden Chain Invasions: reactivated in 7.9.1c. They become inactive when 8.0 launches because of the 7.9 "Legacy Reborn" story events.
The official Events calendar is posted each month on the Steam news feed and swtor.com.

What's Coming in 8.0 "Masters of the Force"

Level 85 cap and the "Galaxy in Chaos" storyline.
Ryloth as a new planet with Dynamic Encounters.
Children of Nul Operation. Bosses 1 and 2 (the second is a Force Beast) are on the PTS.
Difficulty Modes in the overworld. Toggle between Story, Veteran or Master outside instances. It only affects you (damage taken, healing received, XP gains) and doesn't change things for your group.
Ventures. You create a new character locked to a difficulty: Classic (Veteran) or Expert (Master, coming later). They get unique enemies, loot, grenades, buffs and Venture-only quick travel. Venture: Classic is on the PTS for the Jedi Knight and Imperial Agent stories.
New gearing system. Expect your current gear to lose relevance at 8.0. Don't spend large amounts of credits on 7.x upgrades right before launch.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Picking a class for its combat and forgetting the story. Pick the story you want. Combat Style is flexible now.
Staying F2P for your first hundred hours. One month of subscription removes many headaches, and some benefits persist afterwards (Preferred status).
Ignoring companion Heal role. New players often die to Heroics that a healing companion trivialises.
Mashing abilities without rotation. At level cap, damage comes from correct rotations and procs. Look up a discipline guide or use the in-game guide once you're at cap.
Queuing for Veteran/Master Flashpoints undergeared. Use Solo or Story mode until your item rating catches up.
Selling rare Cartel items to vendors. Check the Galactic Trade Network first.
Doing Conquest on one character only. The weekly reward is per character.

Advanced Tips

Set up a Legacy of alts. Many unlocks (Legacy perks, the Legacy bank, Legacy gear) are account-wide, so alts gear up much faster.
Use Legacy gear and Legacy-bound items to pass tactical items and cosmetics between alts.
Build a guild flagship route. The Dantooine Crash Site is now reachable directly from the guild flagship (7.9.1b), which is fast for farming.
Outfit Designer is separate from stats, so wear whatever gear is best and show whatever look you want. The Best Dressed Contest (September 17 – October 11, 2026) rewards stronghold NPC decorations inspired by winning outfits.
Tactical items and set bonuses define builds at cap. Check a current discipline guide once 8.0 lands, because the new gearing will reshape them.
PTS access: subscribers can test 8.0 content on the Public Test Server (English only). It's a good way to learn new rotations early.

FAQ

Is SWTOR free to play? Yes, the base game and the 8 class stories are free on Steam. A subscription unlocks the later expansions and removes many F2P limits.

What's the current level cap? 80 in Game Update 7.x. It rises to 85 with Game Update 8.0, which is due later in 2026.

Which class is best for solo play? Healing-capable styles (Sage/Sorcerer, Commando/Mercenary, Scoundrel/Operative) and tanks are very safe solo. With a healer companion, any style works on Story difficulty.

Can I play with friends on the opposite faction? Class stories and most planetary quests are faction-specific. If you want to level together through the story, roll on the same faction. The 7.x era loosened cross-faction play for some group content, so check the in-game group finder, but same-faction is still the safe choice for a duo.

What is Galactic Seasons? A free seasonal reward track with daily and weekly objectives. Season 11 is "Light and Shadow".

Should I upgrade gear before 8.0? Only lightly. 8.0 brings a new gearing system and a higher cap, so heavy investment now will be replaced.

What are Ventures? An 8.0 mode where you create a character locked to Veteran (Classic) or Master (Expert) difficulty, with special objectives, loot and currency.