Star Wars: The Old Republic's Legacy update prepares to build your dynasty

Bioware's preparing to release Star Wars: The Old Republic's Game Update 1.2, bringing with it a substantial amount of changes and improvements to the title. Most prominent for players in for the long haul, the update features substantial expansions to the game's legacy system, tied together by the ability to bind your characters together within a single, persistent family tree. Let Bioware explain what this means for the future of The Old Republic in this new Developer Dispatch.

The Legacy upgrades may be this update's signature improvement, but plenty more features will go live when the patch comes online soon. There'll be significant additions to the Crew Skills system, which will come in handy when taking on the update's new content. This includes a new Operation, an added Warzone, and the continuation of the existing Kaon Under Siege Flashpoint.

If all of this is going over your head somewhat, though, EA also has news for those yet to experience The Old Republic. Today kicks off the game's second Free Pass Weekend, which you can join as long as you don't have an existing game account. The Free Pass Weekend will run until 2:00AM CDT Monday, and can be accessed at the game's page. Considering this may be how you begin your Legacy, expect to spend at least the first night trying to come up with the perfect player name. You don't want your character getting teased at Sith School, after all.