Star Wars: The Old Republic Adds a Secret Bonus Chapter This Week

Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting a secret bonus chapter that has you playing as an updated version of the beloved Knights of the Old Republic character HK-47. The DLC is available starting tomorrow, September 7, for all players who were subscribed to The Old Republic from January through August.

Shroud of Memory has players taking the role of assassin droid HK-55 as he chases a mysterious villain called the Shroud. The tone of the bonus chapter was indirectly influenced by the humor and fan service of the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC. HK-55 has a bit of a snarky attitude, which you could describe as being both rude and funny.

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Developer BioWare Austin focused on robot-inspired combat abilities and locations that would be considered unsafe for humans and other organic lifeforms. These include 300-degree lava tubes, the boundless ocean depths, and the vast unknown of space. Shroud of Memory is the first time BioWare has allowed players to play as a Star Wars character other than themselves. The total length of the chapter is about one to one-and-a-half hours.

The game's last 16 chapters have been developed on a month-by-month cycle, which has granted BioWare the ability to use fan feedback to adjust things like gameplay, combat difficulty, enemy attacks, and even the story at times.

Star Wars: The Old Republic's next expansion is Knights of the Eternal Throne. To celebrate its upcoming release, you can play Knights of the Fallen Empire's first chapter for free.

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The Old Republic started as a subscription-based MMO in December 2011, requiring you to pay to play every month. However, it switched to a free-to-play model in 2012, less than a year after its release.

[Editor's Note: This article previously stated that the next expansion is slated for this October. No release date has been announced, and that section has been edited.]