Thoughts on 7.2: The Good, the Bad, and the Eeehhhhhs

As I have expressed before, I'm not a big fan of Mandalorian-themed stories at the moment. They are rather over-exposed, being prominent in no fewer than four television shows across the past decade and having a sizable presence in The Old Republic. 

All that is fine if you are a huge fan of the culture, and the sort of exposure they're getting would, I imagine, be idyllic if you've always been a huge Mandalorian fan. I, however, am not. 

Alas, with Mandalorians now becoming a prominent force in the main storyline of The Old Republic, this is one instance where I cannot just put said content to the side and focus on the stuff that does interest me more. Patch 7.2 continues the storyline started technically back in 6.0 before 6.2 really got going with it; the growing rift between Shae Vizla - Mandalore the Avenger - and several clans who are disgruntled with her leadership and uniting under one banner.

Last time we saw them, these clans had united behind she of the inconsistent voice and armour colour, Heta Kol, and they attacked The Spirit of Vengeance II - Shae's flagship - in both a show of force and in a successful attempt to steal the banner of Clan Cadera. After that, they disappeared to parts unknown. Well, now we've found said parts unknown, and it's time to take the fight to them.

Along the way, courtesy of the Digging Deeper story update with 7.1, we're also being treated to more story about the Kateen siblings. Sa'har's brother, Ri'kan, being in-league with Heta Kol was a twist that really caught me in particular off-guard, and it succeeded in giving me something of an anchor point to be interested in where that element was going. 

Then there's also the new PvP season, something which I have not yet had any personal experience of, and some new and exciting indications for SWTOR's future.

All-in-all, while 2022 might not have started well for SWTOR, it's certainly trying its damnedest to end it on a bang. What are my thoughts on all that we got this patch? Read on and find out!

The Spirit of Vengeance

Mandalorians. An ever-present community in Star Wars lore, they have seen many iterations across films, games, and TV shows. Few of these interpretations have been particularly interesting, and I feel it has been years since the last time any content featuring or focusing on them has been anywhere near "good".

So it is that SWTOR is now turning back to them now that the war between the Empire and Republic is taking somewhat of a backseat and the Emperor is dealt with. Again. Shae Vizla, the current Mand’alor, is of course standing by our side as an ally and potential companion of the Alliance, but as this story delves into she has a fair bit of opposition amongst the other clans.

This is the focus of 6.2’s secondary storyline. A new faction of Mandalorians, known as the Hidden Chain, has emerged to challenge Vizla’s right to rule. The Chain is made up of a rogue’s gallery of Mandalorian clans – clan Varad return after almost nine years having last been seen under the thumb of Mavrix in Mandalorian Raiders, while both the Ash’ad and Dar’manda were last seen on Onderon and Mek-Sha, respectively.

The three clans are united under Field Marshal Heta Kol, who has a personal vendetta with Shae for turning the Mandalorians into “servants”. We shall have to wait and see whether there is more to it, of course, but for now this is all we know.

This storyline takes place in the form of a new Flashpoint, this being the third such instance to be themed around Mandalorians. 

Joy.