Following up on the sizeable 1.2 Legacy content update, BioWare has revealed plans for the version 1.3 patch, called Allies. The highlight here is a much requested group finder feature, giving you an automated way to link up with others to quest and head into Flashpoints and Operations.

Though BioWare is working on new content for companion quests as well as world quests that arent tied to dungeons, that type of thing wont be ready for 1.3. You will get the ability to transfer between servers, though, as well as changes to gear customization and crafting. Considering the recent news that Star Wars: The Old Republic lost 400,000 subscribers, it should be interesting to see the reaction once 1.3 goes live, as well as BioWares plans for 1.4 and beyond.

For more detail on 1.3, check out the answers provided by BioWare lead game designer Daniel Erickson.

IGN: First off, what was the reaction like to 1.2? Did you find a lot of players returned to check out the content? Did more players check out the high level dungeon content or go back and create additional characters to take advantage of the Legacy updates?

Daniel Erickson: Although there were the expected small stumbles that go hand in hand with a content release this large the reaction was extremely positive. We saw a huge uptick in concurrent players as people rushed around to see all that had changed since launch. Legacy was the biggest hit by far and Tython specifically saw a large influx of Sith Pureblood Jedi recruits.

IGN: The recent Rakghoul Plague Outbreak was the first world event in The Old Republic. How did you expect players to react, and how did that compare with the actual reaction? What are your plans for future world events?

Daniel Erickson: We were hoping for three things: to surprise the players, to create community interaction, and encourage open world PvP on the PvP servers. All three were far more successful than we had any right to hope for. The community really took the event and made it their own. Were keeping future plans and alternate ideas under wraps right now. If events stop being surprising we lose what makes them special.

IGN: The group finder has been a requested feature since The Old Republics launch, though there seemed to be some initial resistance against the idea because it would disrupt the flow of exploration. Why is now the right time to implement it? And does it support cross-server play?

Daniel Erickson: In the early days post-launch we wanted players to be discovering the game for the first time and forming natural social groups. A huge wave of players come in all at once in the beginning and finding a group is never really a problem for the bulk of players. Now players have spread all across the leveling curve and the Legacy system is causing players to roll new characters like never before which means we need a simple, flexible system to put players together with other players in their level band. We still want to respect the communities that have developed on servers so it does not support cross-server play.

IGN: Most servers seem to be light or standard population density these days, are you considering implementing server merges in the near future so its easier for players to find group members?

Daniel Erickson: Character transfers for select servers are coming first and we are open to any and all options after that. The important thing is that players can play with their friends and with the type and size of community they enjoy.

IGN: Whats the intended player behavior you hope to see with the additional Legacy system updates? Can you give any hints as to where the Legacy system might be headed next?

Daniel Erickson: The next step for Legacy is customizing how you play your characters. Want extra XP for space missions or for PvP? Want to get your speeder license early or have a fast pass to the free-for-all PvP area on Tatooine? Game Update 1.3 is about enabling each new character to be an expression of play style as well as a new story. If you really like warzones, the Legacy system offers perks that give you experience bonuses for doing just that. If you're a hardcore PvPer, this makes it much less necessary for you to do that other content you don't like so much in order to advance your character.

IGN: The armor customization system has undergone quite a few changes over the past few months, what are some of the latest for 1.3?

Daniel Erickson: 1.3 brings a couple of big changes. First off is Adaptive Gear, which causes each piece of social gear to scale to the armor needs of the wearer. That means a heavy armor Sith Warrior can finally wear that slave outfit into a high level raid. In that same spirits of letting players wear what they want, the second big change is Augment Tables. Now any outfit in the game above green rarity can have an augment slot added to it via an Augment Table and a crafter-created kit.

IGN: Will any additional upper tier armor sets be added in 1.3? Have you found theres a specific timing that works best for releasing new armor sets?

Daniel Erickson: New armor sets come with new sets of content difficulty. 1.3 will not introduce any new armor sets.

IGN: What about the crafting system, will there be any significant alterations made for 1.3 or beyond? What are some of your priorities for crafting right now, and how do you see the system developing beyond 1.3?

Daniel Erickson: The most significant 'crafting' feature in 1.3 is the addition of Augment tables that allow players to add Augments to any items. These augment slots were previously only available as a result of 'crafting crits'.