SWTOR finally arrived officially to Steam and with some Steam-related bonuses too. Learn everything you need to know about SWTOR on Steam!
As of July 21st 2020 Star Wars The Old Republic, BioWare’s Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, is available officially on Steam. In this guide you will learn what Steam is, how to install SWTOR on Steam and why would you want to do that – what are the benefits!
The launch of SWTOR on arguably the most popular gaming platform – Steam – means a large influx of new players. And BioWare’s nine-year old MMORPG can greatly benefit from that boost right now.
If you are someone, who has never before played it, welcome to VULKK.com, your home of Everything SWTOR! If you are a veteran of the game, but wish to learn what the Steam version of SWTOR has to offer, stick around!
In this guide I will go over all possible elements of why should you install SWTOR on Steam, what benefits you will gain, how to fully enjoy this game (sub vs f2p) and what happens to your account if you already play SWTOR, but want to move over to Steam.
Let’s get to it!
Table of contents
- What is Steam and why is SWTOR there now
- How to Subscribe to SWTOR and should you
- SWTOR original vs SWTOR on Steam
- How to install and play SWTOR on Steam
- How to trick Steam to install SWTOR quicker
- SWTOR Steam Requirements
- Benefits of playing SWTOR on Steam
- Your progress is cross-saved
- Steam exclusive SWTOR rewards
- Trading Cards
- Emoteicons
- Steam Backgrounds
- SWTOR Steam Achievements
- SWTOR Steam Bundles
What is Steam and why is SWTOR there now
Steam is most likely the biggest and most popular video games platform currently. It offers tons and tons of small and big games of all kinds.
SWTOR has been around for nine years. The MMO launched on December 21st, 2011. It is a PC exclusive MMORPG.
Nine years later, as part of EA’s initiative to put a number of its titles on Steam, SWTOR finds its way there as well. Good move, EA! This way these games will reach an even wider audience. SWTOR needs that boost.
Steam is more than a marketplace for video games titles. It allows players to communicate with each other outside of the games environments.
Many of the titles also come with a bundle of additional and optional perks like trading cards, emoteicons, Steam-specific achievements and more.
SWTOR offers all of the above and I have a detailed breakdown and overview of all features and extra purchases you can make as well as all the additional bonuses you can earn.
Chances are if you are here, you know what Steam is and you want to know why should you play SWTOR on it. Unless you actively use Steam for its other aspects – outside of just launching your games – the bonuses SWTOR has to offer you may not seem like a big deal to you.
You can check out the quick review I wrote for SWTOR on Steam. It attempts to inspire new players to check out the game as it has a lot to offer, but I also mention some of the flaws the game carries on its shoulders.
How to Subscribe to SWTOR and should you
To play SWTOR you don’t need a monthly subscription. But you can get one any way if you can afford it, if you want to support the developers and if you want to have the premium features unlocked.
Based on your local currency it may differ slightly, but the general price is about $15 for 30 days of Premium Player gameplay time.
There are several Subscription bundles available from places like Amazon and Origin, which will allow you to purchase your subscription a little cheaper and/or with special gifts, based on where you shop from.
The benefits of being a SWTOR Subscriber are considerable, although the game does offer a lot of its classic gameplay mechanics, features and content for free.
BioWare continues to make changes to the game’s financial model pretty much each year. In 2019 another two expansions went free, allowing you to level up to 65 without having to subscribe at all.
The EndGame and certain quality of life or gameplay-improving features remain locked behind the paywall of a monthly subscription.
If you decide to play SWTOR on Steam you have the option to purchase your subscription directly from within the Steam client. The classic option of visiting swtor.com is still viable as well. Note: there are currently ongoing issues with subscriptions. If your status does not change immediately, I suggest you contact BioWare’s customer support.
The pricing models do not differ at all. The amount you would pay if you purchase your Sub from swtor.com is exactly the same as if you get it from Steam.
- 30 days Subscription time – 12.99€
- 60 days Subscription time- 26.99€
- 90 days Subscription time- 35.97€
- 180 days Subscription time- 65.94€
You can get one month, three months or half an year worth of a subscription in one purchase. These are all recurring, meaning that they will renew once your time expires and you have not opted to cancel your subscription.
You can purchase a non-recurring 60-Days Game Time card from Steam, which at the time of this publication retails to the standard price of €26.99.
SWTOR’s F2P is very limiting once you have tasted what the Premium access feels like. However, if you are just starting now, there is so much story and other content you can go through before you feel the need or pressure to subscribe.
SWTOR’s real-life money in-game currency, called Cartel Coins, can also be purchased from Steam directly. The price of the Cartel Coins bundles is exactly the same there as is on swtor.com.
- 250 Cartel Coins Pack – 2.40€
- 450 Cartel Coins Pack – 4.00€
- 1060 Cartel Coins Pack – 8.00€
- 2400 Cartel Coins Pack – 17.00€
- 5500 Cartel Coins Pack – 35.00€
Cartel Coins can be used to buy premium decorations, outfits and other appearance-altering items for your characters from the in-game store – the Cartel Market.
Please note that pricing may differ slightly depending on your local currency.
SWTOR original vs SWTOR on Steam
If you have been playing the game so far, you have two options – continue using the original client or install the game again from Steam.
To play SWTOR on Steam you need a Steam account and a SWTOR account first. Then you need to install SWTOR on Steam. Even if you have the game installed, to be able to play it on Steam will require you to have a new separate installation.
Here you have two options, again – install SWTOR on Steam the normal way, which may take longer or trick the Steam installer by copy-pasting files to save yourself some download time.
The second method only works if you already have the original version of the game installed, of course. Let’s take a closer look to both processes.
I installed SWTOR from scratch using the first method (the normal one). I did not delete the old client while installing the new one. All of my personal preferences in-game carried over. All my shortcuts, my UI, my graphics, sound and other settings – everything is as I left it.
You do not need to delete the old client to install the new one, but you also can’t run the two launchers at the same time, of course.
How to install and play SWTOR on Steam
Time needed:2 hours
This method of installing and playing SWTOR on Steam is simple, yet time consuming, because you would have to download the full game and install it from scratch. It is the officially supported one.
- Start the Steam client and log in with your Steam account.
If you don’t have Steam, install the Steam client on your machine first.
- Find SWTOR’s page and install the game’s launcher.
Visit SWTOR’s Steam page. Start downloading the launcher. This is a short process as the launcher is quite small in size. Based on how your Steam client is configured, you may be prompted to choose installation folder. The default one is usually “C:\Program Files (86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Star Wars – The Old Republic“.
- Start downloading SWTOR.
The next step is the longest – wait for the game to be fully downloaded and installed. The download speed may vary depending on your internet connection and the server stability and load.
- Log in with your SWTOR account to start the Game.
After opening the Launcher, type in your account credentials to log in. Accept EA’s Privacy Rules and EUALA.
- Jump into the action and start your own Star Wars adventure in The Old Republic
That’s it. The wait is over. Log into SWTOR and start leveling your first character or continue playing your already existing characters if you are not a new player, but are transferring over from the classic SWTOR client to the Steam one.
Once you install SWTOR on Steam your Steam and SWTOR accounts will be connected automatically. If for some reason you want to break that connection, such an option is available on swtor.com.
- Visit SWTOR.com and log in with your account
- Open https://account.swtor.com/user/steam
- Click on the “Unlink Account” button on the right side
- Your Steam and SWTOR accounts will be unlinked.
The full game is about 43 GB in size on my disk after a fresh new install is completed via Steam. However, the very next patch may change that, so don’t take this number as very solid for future reference. In comparison, my original game folder is ~88 GB in size, but it includes the full PTS.
How to trick Steam to install SWTOR quicker
This is the second method, which is a lot quicker, but is not officially supporter. For this to work you need to already have SWTOR installed the normal way. In other words this method will not work for new players.
- Start installing SWTOR from Steam.
- Launch it from the Steam client.
- As soon as it starts downloading the game files, close the launcher.
- Copy the following files and folders from your old game installation folder to the Steam SWTOR folder:
– Assets (Folder)
– Movies (Folder)
– assets_swtor_en_us.version
– assets_swtor_main.version
– assets_swtor_test_main.version
– movies_en_us.version
The default pathway of your Steam games library and the SWTOR game folder is:
C:\Program Files (86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Star Wars – The Old Republic.
If you do not have the non-Bitraider version of your SWTOR Original installation, you may not have all of the files listed above. In this case the Steam client will download them anyway.
It is possible that your character keybinds may not carry over. If that happens, just go to [user]\AppData\Local\SWTOR\swtor\settings\Keybindings and copy the .XML file. Place it in the Steam’s folder in the same location and start the game. Same goes for the UI files.
Special thanks to my friend Manfred and his guildies for confirming that this method works. Note that it may not work for you. Please, do this at your own risk. If something fails, you do not need to worry about your characters and game progression.
I would like to once again remind you that this is not the officially supported way of installing the game on Steam.
Either way you will still end up having two installation folders – one for the original client and one for the Steam version. Following the steps listed above will only shorten the time you need to finish the download process.
SWTOR Steam Requirements
If you are new to SWTOR, you might want to check out the game’s minimum system requirements for PC. They are nothing impressive.
- OS: Windows 7 or later
- Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better/Intel Core 2
- Duo 2.0GHz or better
- Memory: 3 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD 3000 or better/AMD Radeon HD 7450/Nvidia GeForce 610
- Storage: 50 GB available space
It’s been a while since I tested the game on a low-end machine, but thanks to the poor and aged engine of the game frequent framerate drops and visual lagging, stuttering and other bugs might occur for you from time to time. The FPS issue is more noticeable in group content – Operations and Warzones.
Keep in mind that these are the officially listed on Steam minimum PC Hardware requirements. I have a decent powerful machine and even it struggles in group content often.
Benefits of playing SWTOR on Steam
The obvious one is convenience. If you enjoy Steam and play other games on it, if you communicate with your friends using that platform, or if you simply want to show off with some cool SWTOR-related fluff on Steam, then make the switch!
Below I have a full breakdown of all Steam rewards, sourced from the official announcement.
Your progress is cross-saved
Yes. Your account data, all of your progress and achievements in SWTOR are saved and kept by BioWare.
It doesn’t matter if you continue playing SWTOR via its original client or opt to install it fresh from Steam – all of your progress, all of your characters and items you have earned or purchased, all of the unlocks – it will all carry over.
Same goes into reverse – if you decide to stop playing SWTOR on Steam and go back to the original launcher, your progress from Steam will be saved and nothing will be lost no matter how often you switch platforms.
Steam exclusive SWTOR rewards
The game launched on Steam offering Steam-specific perks. Those are not in-game items, but traditional Trading Cards, Emoteicons and Steam Backgrounds.
These are all items you can use to spice up your Steam adventure. They have no real value or effect in-game at all.
Trading Cards
Many of the Steam titles offer this feature. The unique and cool-looking virtual Trading Cards are available in SWTOR on Steam as well.
They can be crafted into badges that grand Steam-related rewards.
There are eight Trading Cards available at first. They are all based on iconic characters from SWTOR’s rich Storyline which spans over a decade now.
Collect a set of cards to earn items (like emoticons and backgrounds) you can use to customize your Steam profile and account.
Trading Cards, along with emoticons and backgrounds, can also be bought and sold on the Steam Marketplace.
Trading Cards can be obtained via In-Steam purchases and by playing the game or by visiting the Steam Market.
When you collect a full set of Steam Cards, you can trade them all for a badge and level up. Here is what my Level 1 Outside Badge looked like and the prizes I received:
Emoteicons
Emoticons are small symbols or pictures given to a user once they have crafted a badge.
On Steam, there are a few basic emoticons that everyone can use, but most are only available if you own the emoticon.
For SWTOR, there will be five Jawa-themed emoticons available to collect at first (possibly more later). To see which game-based Steam emoticons you own, you can check your Steam inventory page.
Steam Backgrounds
Steam Profile backgrounds can also be earned when completing a SWTOR Steam badge.
These are displayed on your Steam profile page and add an extra level of customization for your Steam presence.
There are a total of six unique backgrounds available to collect.
If you have earned multiple backgrounds, they can be changed at your discretion.
SWTOR Steam Achievements
At launch SWTOR’s Steam version does not have Steam-specific Achievements available yet. These will be added by the end of the Summer with Game Update 6.1.3.
All of the Steam achievements will be exact copies of their SWTOR counterparts, meaning Steam will not have exclusive or unique achievements.
Achievements will be retroactive! For example, if you have 23 achievements already unlocked in-game, those same achievements will all unlock on Steam when you launch SWTOR through the platform for the first time.
UPDATE: BioWare released the full List of all SWTOR Achievements. All 191 of them! Take a look and see if you are missing any. Some of them are quite simple and most of them are related to the class stories that you are going through or have likely gone through already anyway.
Check out the SWTOR Roadmap for 2020 for the full details on what comes when.
SWTOR Steam Bundles
There are currently five available bundles of cosmetics combined in a Sith and Jedi themes and the fifth one is a Leisure Bundle.
Each faction gets a regular bundle and a Deluxe edition. The deluxe edition contains all of the items from the Standard one plus more.
The items in these bundles are not exclusive to Steam. You can find them on the Cartel Market available for a direct purchase or get them as a random reward from the Cartel Packs.
Here are the bundles and their pricing:
- SWTOR Jedi Bundle – 24.99€
- SWTOR Deluxe Jedi Bundle – 59.99€
- SWTOR Sith Bundle – 24.99€
- SWTOR Deluxe Sith Bundle – 59.99€
- SWTOR Galactic Leisure Bundle – 4.99€
Check out my in-depth Jedi and Sith SWTOR Bundles review to see the full contents of these packages and determine if it’s worth purchasing them.
And don’t forget to look at the Galactic Leisure SWTOR Steam Bundle as well for a different set of cosmetics that will attempt to entertain you and those around you.
There is currently no information how long will they be available on Steam as a bundle and when they might disappear.
I hope you found this introductory guide on how to play SWTOR on Steam and should you switch or keep playing on the original client useful.
If you have any questions or want to share more discoveries that you have made, please, leave a comment below the article and share your personal experience! Thanks!
If you are new to SWTOR, check out the SWTOR Guides section here on VULKK.com. Here are some useful resources to start with:
- SWTOR Ultimate Beginners Guide, Updated for 6.0+
- SWTOR User Interface: The Complete Guide
- SWTOR Beginners Guide to all Classes and Disciplines
- SWTOR In-Depth Class Guides List
- SWTOR Crew Skills and Crafting Guide
- How to Level Up in SWTOR: Beginners Leveling Guide
- SWTOR Guide to Damage Types and Mitigations
- Check out the SWTOR drop-down section in the main menu at the top of the site for more links to useful highlighted tutorials and guides!
