Just wanted to let everyone know what's been going on lately. Knockoff ElDorado now has a handful of toons at max-level, and we're casually gearing up for hard-mode content. We've got some excellent crafted items available, a nice cash-cushion, and plenty of up-and-coming alts.

If you follow any gaming/mmo news, I'm sure you've heard both extremely positive and fairly negative reviews of the game. As GM of Knockoff ElDorado, I think this is a good opportunity to toss in my 2 credits.

The Old Republic is a really great game, missing some of the polish that most of us are used to. If you've been on the fence about trying it, but were turned off by a negative review, I'm telling you: You MUST try this game out. Buy it and play for a month. It is absolutely worth the $60 asking price if that's all you ever do with it. Practically none of the issues people are whining about will affect you in the slightest in that first month.

On the other hand, if you're both sick of WoW and you don't give a rat's ass about the Star Wars universe, The Old Republic probably doesn't have a lot to offer you aside from some of your KE friends. If you're an AH junkie and absolutely must play the economy for all its worth, you're going to be frustrated until they improve the UI. 

I've found the questlines and stories to be a heck of a lot of fun. Combat isn't worlds different from WoW, but I find a really nice variation in the skills and abilities you use on a regular basis. There's no auto-attack! It sounds like a small thing, but that really engages players like me who are constantly tweaking/perfecting their combat rotations.

Actual quests are often "kill 10 rats" like other mmo's as you've probably heard, but here's what I think makes it engaging: Approaching each pack of mobs requires a bit of thought and tactics. You're generally facing 3-6 mobs on each pull (with some difficult pats later in the game), and each mob is designated as regular, strong (semi-elite?), elite, or champion (boss). This means that even as you're soloing, you need to figure out who to cc, who to burn down, how to handle the healer, how to not get killed by the Strong, etc. It's a nice change from "Big Zone full of level 84 mobs".

Warzones (Battlegrounds) are excellent. There are currently three warzones: My favorite (as a stealther) is kind of a 3-node Arathi Basin. There's another with the same sort of attack/defend dynamic as Strand, and Huttball is like nothing you've seen in WoW. Looking forward to some pre-mades. Perhaps the coolest part is all warzones from level 10-49 are in the same queue. All your gear is scaled to max-level so you're on the same playing field (minus advanced abilities for the young-uns).

The other silly thing that I think is just a brilliant addition to an mmo are Space Battles. Around level 15 you earn your own starship. As you level up, additional 3-7 minute Space Battles become available, which are at their core just shooter arcade game thingies. But they get tough! You find little tactics and bonus objectives you can complete, earning cash, equipment, and starship upgrades. It's not earth-shattering, but it's the perfect way to break up your typical mmo grind.

There's a number of other things I've really enjoyed about the game. Rolling an alt is a much more engaging experience than in other mmo's I've played. The companion system is pretty slick, though not without its flaws; I really like their crafting system, especially once they add the end-game level patterns.

As you may or may not have heard, "The Jesus Patch" 1.2 is coming out in a couple weeks. This is going to address many of the issues people have had with the original release. For example: Target-of-target? Hello, that should have been there at launch. PvP gear progression and balance (really only affects max-level). Customizable UI. Stuff like that.

So, join us! Get your toon(s) started today, or wait for 1.2 as some of our early members are doing. Lith wants to heal you. I want to tank for you. We'll take you for a speeder ride.

I'll be out of town the week of the 5th, but lookin' forward to seeing you in-game(s) soon!