The Star Wars Galaxies Restoration project, a community-driven effort to revive the 2003 MMO, has received a significant update dubbed 'A New Dawn.' This latest patch brings substantial visual enhancements, including DirectX 12 support, alongside a comprehensive overhaul of various game mechanics and content.
The 'A New Dawn' update stems from a collaborative approach, with thirteen new team members contributing to features they are passionate about. This has resulted in a wide array of improvements, both large and small. The headline visual upgrade enables the game to leverage DirectX 12, introducing features such as volumetric fog, clouds, and atmosphere. Players will also notice a new water shader, significantly improved terrain draw distances, and support for upscaling technologies like DLSS, FSR, and XeSS.
Two major in-game areas and systems have received substantial reworks. Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, has been updated with new and revamped instances, along with a rebalancing of content originally introduced in 2005. The Scout and Ranger professions have also been significantly improved, now featuring new traps, advanced creature tracking, and expanded camp functionalities, including a new prestige system.
Further enhancements in the 'A New Dawn' update include quality-of-life improvements for pets and mounts, with the reintroduction of mounted combat for both melee and ranged attacks. Creature taming has also been made more interactive. Player cities can now be upgraded to a higher tier, and the Doctor profession has seen adjustments to make it a more active role. A practical addition for players is a new drag-and-drop interface for furniture placement, removing the need for coordinate-based adjustments.
The Star Wars Galaxies Restoration project is free to play, and the 'A New Dawn' update is available now via the project's official website.