SWTOR Apologizes For Issues Caused By Companion Nerfing

Recently, Bioware made some adjustments to players' companions in the free-to-play games Star Wars: The Old Republic. The changes were intended to cut back on companions being so overpowered that players could effectively let them handle all the combat.

However, while the developers were trying to bring the gameplay surrounding companions in line with their intended goals, they apparently did not realize how players were really using them. More importantly, they didn’t realize that by cutting back on the companions’ power, they were effectively denying players access to content they had -- since the launch of Knights of the Fallen Empire. Namely, Heroic 2s. With the overpowered companions, players with lower skill and gear were still able to take part in Heroic 2s without having to find someone to go with them. Culling the companions’ powers put a stop to that... And as a result upset a lot of players.

Going forward, Bioware will be increasing the power level of companions in an effort to meet the following goals:

• Companion healing has been increased by roughly 48%. (Influence level and character level will determine exact amount.)
• Companion damage has been increased by roughly 15%. (Influence level and character level will determine exact amount.)
• Companion base stats have been increased by about 15%. (Influence level and character level will determine exact amount.)

In addition to the companion changes, Bioware also addressed the confusion surrounding the title of Heroic Star Fortresses, saying it gave players the wrong idea of what the content was intended to be and that the name will be changed in order to clarify.

More details on these changes are available in the official post on the forums.