SWTOR opens Game Update 8.0 on the PTS: a new operation and adjustable difficulty
Broadsword pushed Game Update 8.0 to the public test server and previewed Update 7.9.1: a new operation, adjustable open-world difficulty, level 85, and Galactic Season 11.
In its summer livestream, Broadsword ran through what's coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic on two fronts. First, Update 7.9.1 — the first content drop since June's 7.9 Legacy Reborn — which arrives on August 11. And then the big Game Update 8.0, already playable on the public test server (PTS) so subscribers can put it through its paces ahead of launch.
GU 8.0 is now on the PTS
This is the first phase of testing, and it doesn't hand over everything at once. To get going fast, the PTS offers a terminal that boosts your character to level 85 with item-rating 370 gear — the new cap the expansion introduces. On top of that you can test three concrete things: the first boss of the new operation, three rebalanced combat styles, and several quality-of-life features. Broadsword laid out everything in this phase on the official site.
Children of Nul, the new operation
The Children of Nul operation takes place aboard Darth Nul's ship, the Enigma, and will feature three bosses. The first, already available on the PTS, is fought in a circular room split into a dark half and a light half — a detail that hints at mechanics tied to moving between the two sides. At launch it will ship in Story and Veteran modes; Nightmare mode follows later.
Adjustable open-world difficulty
The most ambitious change in GU 8.0 is open-world difficulty. There will be three modes — Story, Veteran and Master — that you can swap at will while roaming a planet. Cranking the difficulty adjusts the damage and healing your character takes as well as XP gains. On top of that sit the new Ventures: replaying class stories in Veteran (Classic) or Master (Expert) for players after a solo challenge.
Quality of life and combat
On the quality-of-life side, GU 8.0 adds over 500 armor sets and weapons to Collections via Fitted Items, turns toys into permanent ability unlocks, and makes stronghold decorations keep their last state when you return. On the combat front, every discipline gets a new ability and a new passive — for instance, Marauder/Sentinel get back Frenzy and Valorous Call, and Sorcerer/Sage pick up Force Lightning and Telekinetic Throw — with abilities and passives beginning to unlock as early as level 83.
Before GU 8.0: Update 7.9.1
As a bridge to the expansion, Update 7.9.1 arrives on August 11. It brings a new Accessories category to the Cartel Market for individual pieces, sets up the fall event Feast of Prosperity (slated for October 6), and — most notably — kicks off Galactic Season 11: Light and Shadow, which begins on August 18, blending rewards from earlier seasons with new cosmetics.
Game Update 8.0 is targeting a Holiday 2026 launch, so there's still plenty of testing ahead: Broadsword noted that future PTS phases will gradually open up the rest of the update, including the difficulty options and the solo Ventures system. For now, subscribers can already jump onto the test server and share feedback before any of this is final.
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