Star Wars: The Old Republic – Rise of the Hutt Cartel

Lore & Background

Rise of the Hutt Cartel is set in the distant past of the Star Wars universe, more than 3,600 years before the events of the Star Wars films. The expansion's narrative takes place 300 years after the events of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. The pack adds a new world, Makeb, for player characters who have attained level 50, and extends the level cap to 55. Player characters, depending on their chosen faction, are placed in a particular role within an unfolding narrative on Makeb, which is divided into a series of rocky, temperate islands with panoramic views of Hutt palaces. The player character follows the expansion's story arc, which branches across a sequence of zones based on faction affiliation, with the option of completing side-quests and bonuses.

The expansion features the Hutt species, slug-like aliens who wield considerable influence as leaders in organized crime, as the story's main antagonists, attempting to become a galactic superpower. Makeb is noted as a beautiful world with towering geological formations, but has been ravaged by ecological disaster and is a hostile environment. Lead writer Hall Hood compared the pack to 'a huge summer blockbuster' and claimed that 'the choices that players are going to make are going to affect the larger conflict.' Senior designer Brian Audette indicated that the expansion would feature the 'most ruthless enemies' players have faced yet.

Reader's Guide

Rise of the Hutt Cartel is significant as the first expansion pack for Star Wars: The Old Republic, a game that had struggled to maintain its subscriber base after launch. The expansion introduced new gameplay elements such as macrobinoculars, which allow players to scan and uncover distant and hidden objects, and same-sex romance options, including Cytharat, a male Pureblood Sith Lord who could be romanced by male characters from either faction, and Lemda Avesta, a human female geophysicist who could be romanced by both male and female characters. However, these romanceable characters do not accompany the player character on their travels and do not appear outside of Makeb.

The expansion's handling of same-sex romance came under widespread criticism from both supporters and detractors. Critics noted that relegating same-gender romance to a single planet did not go far enough, and some felt it may have been better to wait for further content. Executive producer Jeff Hickman addressed the issue and apologized for how long it was taking for same-sex romance to appear in the game. Despite the controversy, both Cytharat and Lemda have been brought up in retrospective discussions about the historical portrayal of queer characters in the Star Wars universe as notable examples of the franchise's LGBT representation. The expansion received mixed reviews overall, with praise for new content but criticism for its limited scope and the lack of companion dialogue from the main game.

Did You Know?

• Same-sex romance options include Cytharat, a male Pureblood Sith Lord, and Lemda Avesta, a human female geophysicist.
• The expansion was later made free to subscribers of The Old Republic.