Star Wars: The Old Republic releases first expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel

Shamefully, I know very little about Star Wars. So maybe I'm off the mark when suggesting that surely the giant space slugs that are at the heart of The Old Republic's Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion could be easily dealt with using one giant silo of salt. Maybe from a salt planet. Does Star Wars have those? Maybe that's the Rise referred to in the title: their gooey insides bursting out and flooding the new planet of Makeb.

Or maybe not. However you resolve the new missions, Rise of the Hutt Cartel has now launched. In addition to the extra story, the expansion also bumps the level cap to 55, giving you access to the extra-hard operations and flashpoints introduced in the 2.0 "Scum & Villainy" update. You'll also gain access to new gear and tech, including "Macrobinoculars" and "Seeker Droids". Bioware are promising galaxy-spanning missions to secure the new loot.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel costs $9.99 for subscribers, and $19.99 for free players. Is anyone planning a return?

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.