- "The Hutts will not be allowed to expand their dominion at our expense."
- ―Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel, simply known as Rise of the Hutt Cartel, is the first digital expansion pack to the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, released on April 14, 2013 as part of Game Update 2.0.
Contents
Plot summary[edit | edit source]
In the wake of Karagga's death, the Hutt Toborro seizes the leadership of the Hutt Cartel, establishing himself as the new Supreme Mogul with Szajin, as his right-hand man. Seeing the Empire weakened, Toborro decides to continue Karagga's campaign of expansion, but with the planet Makeb at the heart of a new era of Hutt conquest—for Makeb is home to deposits of the incredibly rare and powerful mineral known as isotope-5. Isotope-5 is capable of warping electromagnetic and gravitational fields, and a gram of the substance can generate immense amounts of power. Toborro therefore pays off Makeb's defense force, the mercenary army known as the InterStellar Regulators, to help the Hutts conquer the world, and the Cartel blockades the Makeb system as Toborro begins to mine the isotope-5 in Makeb's core without any regard for what it would do to the planet.[7]
Republic[edit | edit source]
Talaos City
Upon learning of the Hutts' actions, Chancellor Saresh consults with the Jedi Order and learns that the Hutts will likely try to continue their conquests if they are not stopped, so she pledges Republic aid to the citizens of Makeb.[8] Saresh's forces make contact with Shalim Avesta, leader of the Makeb resistance and the planet's de facto Head of State, and help him rescue his niece Lemda, who is a geophysicist who was captured by the Regulators after she discovered that Toborro's drilling will cause the planet to break apart.[9] After breaking into the Hutt Embassy in Makeb's capital Talaos City, the Republic forces and the Makeb resistance learn of the Ark, an enormous vessel being constructed inside the hollow Giant's Spear mesa that will ferry Toborro, the other Cartel personnel,[10] and their isotope-5 stores off of the planet when the planet begins to break apart. The Republic and resistance forces promptly seize the Giant's Spear and the Ark, repurposing the vessel to carry Makeb's civilians as a true ark to safety.[11]
A furious Toborro unleashes the Regulators against the Avesta Plantation, but the Republic forces head off the Regulators on the Fingers mesa and also destroy the Storm Carrier warship, killing the Regulator Vice-Commandant Grevin in the process.[12] Toborro then reveals that the Ark is powered by isotope-5 before sending his Regulators to attack the settlement of Tarlam along with isotope-5 droids, powerful war droids powered by isotope-5, though the Republic and the resistance evacuate Tarlam's civilians to the Ark.[13] Desperate for a fuel source to power the Ark, the Republic and resistance forces assault the Sanctuary research complex in order to locate Dr. Juvard Illip Oggurobb, a Hutt scientist and the creator of the Ark and the isotope-5 droids. The Republic forces are able to successfully locate Oggurobb with the Hutt's help in bypassing the Sanctuary's security systems, as Oggurobb wishes to defect to the Republic because he has realized Toborro has gone insane.[14]
Promotional art for Rise of the Hutt Cartel
Oggurobb confirms that Toborro possesses the fuel rods, but warns the Republic that the Hutt leader has increased mining operations to maximum levels—an action that will result in the destruction of Makeb long before the civilians are evacuated. Republic forces then disabled several mining platforms and vented the planet's core, reducing the buildup of heat and the seismic activity, giving them more time.[15] Around the same time, most of the leaders of the Hutt Cartel, having come to recognize that Toborro has gone insane, approach Shalim Avesta and the Republic with a request to board the Ark. The Republic convinces Avesta to allow the Hutts aboard the Ark in exchange for an alliance between the Hutt Cartel and the Republic, gaining the Republic a new ally in the ongoing war. Using a secret entrance provided by Oggurobb, Republic forces infiltrate Toborro's Palace and search for the fuel rods, confronting the mad Cartel leader. Toborro unleashes a powerful isotope-5 droid known as Toborro's Glittering Fury upon the intruders, but after it is defeated, the Hutt commits suicide by igniting his isotope-5 stockpiles in an attempt to kill the Republic forces. However, the Republic forces escape with the fuel rods before the palace's destruction and return to the Ark, where the fuel rods are installed and the Ark is launched just as the Giant's Spear collapses.[16]
The Hutt Cartel is ordered to supply a new home and credits to the people of Makeb as part of their alliance with the Republic,[16] but the Republic is surprised to see that Makeb's destruction did not come to pass—unbeknownst to them, Darth Marr's Imperial strike team was able to prevent the planet's destruction.[17] As the crisis passes, it is discovered that Regulator holdouts are still alive down on the surface with thousands of civilians who were believed to be dead, leading Supreme Commander Malcom to devote Republic forces towards rescuing the people and securing the still-valuable world.[18]
Empire[edit | edit source]
Around the same time, the Dark Councilor Darth Marr learns of Makeb's valuable isotope-5 resource and dispatches a small strike team to secure the isotope-5 reserves for the weakening Empire.[19] The team crashes on the planet due to Makeb's violent atmosphere. They are contacted by an Imperial agent who tells them to take control of Gravity Hook 7 to secure Imperial transport on- and off-world. Once they do so, they meet the Imperial agent in person, who introduces herself as Katha Niar, formerly of the Ministry of Logistics. She introduces the rest of her team as Lord Cytharat, their tactical advisor; Doctor Nadrin Tro, a Neimoidian scientist; and the Cathar Hanthor and Sergeant Bedareux.
The Imperial team goes to the resort of Solida Hesk, a Makeb collaborator with the Hutts. They learn from Hesk that the isotope-5 is being held at a facility called Stronghold One. In order to gain access to the stronghold, they decide to foment a rebellion against the Hutts to distract them. They track down the rebel leader Pollus Avesta and convince him to attack the Hutts. With the Regulators distracted, they attack Stronghold One. However, they find that the Hutt Archon Szajin has already processed all of the isotope-5 stored there into battle droids. They report back to Darth Marr, who is displeased with their failure. They decide that the only way to acquire isotope-5 is to secretly stabilize Makeb's core, allowing the Empire to take control of the abandoned planet. First, they travel into the planet's core via a mining shaft to locate the deposits of isotope-5 using an energy pulse. Doctor Nadrin finds a way to stabilize the core, but they require Makeb engineers to operate the drilling lasers. They rescue one group of engineers from the Regulators and abduct others from a Republic refugee convoy. They then enact their plan by attacking the drilling platforms to secure them from Hutt forces. The scientists and engineers accelerate the destabilization of the core, allowing it to settle into a new equilibrium before the mantle cracks.
Darth Marr congratulates them on their success. They return to Niar, but find she has been captured by Szajin's forces. They assault Szajin's Palace and rescue Niar, however it is too late, as now Szajin knows about Makeb's stabilization. They confront Szajin, who fights them in an isotope-5 powered mech. After Szajin is defeated, he orders his mercenary leaders to transmit the truth to the Hutt Cartel, but they use the mining lasers to provoke a massive groundquake that kills most life on Makeb, assuring the secret will be kept. They kill Szajin, and Niar dies from her injuries.[7]
Seeker droids[edit | edit source]
During this time, the forces of the Dread Masters acquire the Seeds of Rage—powerful dark side machines constructed by the Sith Lord Fulminiss—when they convince a guard to help steal them from the Arcanum, the Sith Emperor's secret storehouse of Sith artifacts and dark side experiments. The Dread Masters bury the Seeds on planets across the galaxy so that they can sow fear and darkness as the Seeds warp the environments around them, prompting both the Arcanum's keeper Darth Acina and the Jedi Master Cedral Gend to recruit help in locating and recovering the Seeds. However, the Sith Lord Tagriss leads a raid on the Arcanum after learning of the station's location, wreaking havoc and making off with the powerful Darkstaff.[7]
Macrobinoculars[edit | edit source]
The mysterious spy known only as The Shroud threatens the Republic and Imperial capital worlds of Coruscant and Dromund Kaas.[7]
Features[edit | edit source]
Major additions[edit | edit source]
Makeb[edit | edit source]
Rise of the Hutt Cartel's central theme is a new planet, Makeb, to both the game and the Star Wars canon. This will introduce a new story in which the Hutt Cartel conquers Makeb in order to rival both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire in power.[20]
Operation: Scum and Villainy[edit | edit source]
Rise of the Hutt Cartel also adds an all-new level 55 operation, Scum and Villainy. The operation entails the players heading to the planet of Darvannis to prevent a Hutt army of mercenaries from forming. Also included in the expansion is a level 55 nightmare mode version of the Terror From Beyond operation.
Operation: Toborro's Courtyard[edit | edit source]
In addition to the main Operation, Scum and Villainy, the digital expansion also adds a mini-operation, Toborro's Courtyard, which can be accessed on Makeb.
Level 55 Hard Mode Flashpoints[edit | edit source]
Included in the purchase of Rise of the Hutt Cartel is the addition of Hard Mode Level 55 versions of flashpoints such as Cademimu V and Hammer Station.
Makeb loading screen
Feature improvements[edit | edit source]
The expansion also features the long-awaited increase of the level cap from 50 to 55.[1]
Reception[edit | edit source]
Credits[edit | edit source]
| Cast | Crew |
Cast
Crew
Appearances[edit | edit source]
| Characters | Creatures | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Dramatis personae
Other characters
|
|
Creatures
|
Droid models
Events
Locations
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|
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
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Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Rise of the Hutt Cartel on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Press Release on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- ↑ Developer Profiles: Star Wars: The Old Republic. HeroEngine.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved on February 14, 2013.
- ↑
SWTOR Amazon STAR WARS Bundle Pack on Amazon.com (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic
- ↑ Using information from the novel The Old Republic: Annihilation and Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire, the events of Game Updates 2.0 through 3.3 for Star Wars: The Old Republic can be placed in the time period between 3640 BBY and 3637 BBY. According to The Old Republic lead designer Charles Boyd (screenshot), the game's events can be assumed to occur in a timeline matching that of their real-time release. Therefore, the events of Game Update 2.0 and the Digital Expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel can be placed in approximately 3639 BBY.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
- ↑
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Trouble in Paradise" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Shelter from the Storm" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Failsafe" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "The Ark" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Hitting the Hutts" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Old Feuds" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Consulting the Expert" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Planetary Surgery" on Makeb
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Taking on Toborro" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Imperial Mission: "A Cure for Armageddon" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Mass Exodus" on Makeb
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Republic Mission: "Countdown to Doomsday" on Makeb
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Augustine, John (2012-06-04). The Old Republic announces upcoming level cap, new species, new planet, and free trial. PCGamer.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved on February 8, 2013. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "PCGamer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 21.0 21.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic - Rise of the Hutt Cartel. GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved on December 4, 2013. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Metacritic" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic - Rise of the Hutt Cartel Review. Gamespot. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved on December 4, 2013.
- ↑ Johnson, Lief (2013-04-21). Star Wars: The Old Republic - Rise of the Hutt Cartel Review. IGN.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved on December 4, 2013.
- ↑ 24.000 24.001 24.002 24.003 24.004 24.005 24.006 24.007 24.008 24.009 24.010 24.011 24.012 24.013 24.014 24.015 24.016 24.017 24.018 24.019 24.020 24.021 24.022 24.023 24.024 24.025 24.026 24.027 24.028 24.029 24.030 24.031 24.032 24.033 24.034 24.035 24.036 24.037 24.038 24.039 24.040 24.041 24.042 24.043 24.044 24.045 24.046 24.047 24.048 24.049 24.050 24.051 24.052 24.053 24.054 24.055 24.056 24.057 24.058 24.059 24.060 24.061 24.062 24.063 24.064 24.065 24.066 24.067 24.068 24.069 24.070 24.071 24.072 24.073 24.074 24.075 24.076 24.077 24.078 24.079 24.080 24.081 24.082 24.083 24.084 24.085 24.086 24.087 24.088 24.089 24.090 24.091 24.092 24.093 24.094 24.095 24.096 24.097 24.098 24.099 24.100 24.101 24.102 24.103 24.104 24.105 24.106 24.107 24.108 24.109 24.110 24.111 24.112 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel—Credits
