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Star Wars Galaxies: Trials Of Obi Wan Review: 5 Reasons to Buy

Toow Duel in Star Wars Galaxies

Star Wars Galaxies: Trials Of Obi Wan Review: 5 Reasons to Buy

Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan is a special treat for online Star Wars fanatics. It’s the expansion pack to the popular Star Wars Galaxy: An Empire Divided – but it was made exclusively for high-level characters. The expansion was developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. This is both a reward for players that have spent lightyears leveling their characters up to 60+ and an incentive for other players to reach these high levels.

Backstory to Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi Wan

Star Wars enter at your own risk cave entrance.
Enter at your own risk.

The planet of Mustafar is the reward for the true-blue fan. So far this is the most dangerous planet in the Star Wars galaxy. It’s literally teeming with killers including monsters, droids, aliens and humanoids. Mustafar looks like a young developing planet or a recently destroyed one. It’s harsh, barren and overflowing with treacherous lava. This is the planet where Anakin was almost burned to a crisp in the battle with Obi-Wan at the end of the third movie, Revenge of the Sith.

It can take a while to get anywhere on this planet. The going is slow in Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan. When characters have to continuously return to the mining complex to claim their reward it can get a little redundant having to cross all the lava bridges again. Players can’t use their own crafts to fly around the plant. Flying is still an option but it’s not the focus of the game. There is Dash Rendar’s YT-2400 that they can get your hands on in addition to an eight-passenger Skiff.

Main Goal of the Game

Battle with creature
Be ready for battles with otherworldly creatures.

Guided by the ghost of Obi-Wan, the ultimate goal is to harness the powers of the Old Republic and uncover the lost legacy of the Jedi Order. The artifacts, power and knowledge players acquire will help restore order on the planet and redeem the Order of the Jedi. But it will take a lot of work. Players should be a high-level character to attempt these missions in Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan. There are no space zones so flying is virtually out. All of the quests are ground-based although players can use vehicles such as the speeder bikes and a giant flea.

The first destination is the mining complex. It’s where the player will receive the majority of the quests when interacting with NPCs. The planet is scarred with lava lakes and rivers which divide the landmasses into islands which makes getting to some of the quests a pain in the butt. Gamers will have to use the bridges or try to jump the molten magma with the speeder bike. The lava is dangerous and if characters get too close to it, they’ll burst into flames. Eventually they will earn the use of the Lave Flea which will take them around the planet a lot more safely.

Challenging Solo but Fun Multiplayer

Mustafar midnight moon
Mustafar midnight moon

Jedis, entertainers, bounty hunters and crafters are all welcome on the planet in various groups. With the missions so much more complicated than before, going it alone is virtually impossible. Players are going to need a party to properly explore this planet. There can be some tension among groups when it comes to collecting loot, especially during the first few days. Other groups will try to claim some skills that they and their party have waited patiently for. In an effort to add a bit of fairness to Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan, a character can only enter the same dungeon once an hour.

At the same time there aren’t as many invisible barriers in this game as there were in the last expansion packs. Players will still find some impassable areas, but these are areas that lead to locations where future quests take place. Characters will eventually get to explore them, but they have to be led down the right path.

Missions in Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi Wan

Toow Mining Droids at work
Toow mining droids at work.

Missions include fetch quests, exploring and destroying enemies. They are well balanced and require some puzzle solving techniques, solid combat skills and teamwork. The planet is rife with enemies including giant insects, reptiles, Stormtroopers, Xandacs, Blistmoks, Black Guards and murderous treasure hunters. Using the mouse, you can fire away or hack and slash with the lightsaber by clicking the left button for single shots or holding it down for continuous fire/swinging. The enemies are tough and can require some finesse and forethought, especially if they are in groups. A lot of combat takes place on different planes with the characters shooting above and below as they use ramps, hills and buildings to make their stand. It makes things a little more challenging than just shooting ahead.

Collectables and Features

There are all kinds of goodies to collect. Some are class-specific which means you won’t be able to use all of them. Fortunately, players can trade most of them. Some weapons require that they be bio-linked to the character so that only they can use them. Entertainers are the least useful when it comes to combat. They will get things such as a new song and dance while Jedis will receive new robes and lava crystals for lightsaber construction. Players might want to dissuade an entertainer from visiting this planet.

Some key features of Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi Wan are discovering and defeating the legendary Separatist Droid army and the mysteries of the Old Republic. There are dozens of battles to look forward to while uncovering hundreds of new loot items. Lastly, exploring an all-new adventure planet featuring brand new environmental and graphical technology such as unique heat shimmer and lava effects.

Last Thoughts

Mustafar is a dark and volatile place with a foreboding landscape. The lava is positively alive as it pulsates, writhes and erupts with an iridescent reddish glow, reclaiming the planet’s surface by slowly turning it back into magma. Mountains in the distance reflect the frequent flashes of lighting betraying violent storms. With a blackened sky the colors are subdued and may be deemed as depressing after a few weeks of play. The characters look excellent and there are a lot of them. The sounds are pure LucasArt. All of the effects are perfect for their corresponding weapons from the blast of the lava cannons to the hum of the lightsabers. The story is good, and the voice acting is equally strong. If players are interested in anything Star Wars, then this is the game to get.

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