Star Wars: The Old Republic’s DirectX 12 UI Is Now Functional

The team is rebuilding shaders, character customization, particle effects, and stability ahead of a future technical test.

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SWTOR moves from Legacy Reborn into 8.0 planning

Star Wars: The Old Republic’s user interface has been ported to DirectX 12 and is functional, clearing the biggest obstacle the technical team had identified in its upgrade work. In the Q3 2026 executive producer letter, the team said it is now restoring core features and working on stability. A technical test is planned for the future, but no date was announced.

DirectX 12 work moves past the UI

Bringing the interface over required updating its older DirectX 11 version and reworking it to handle the game’s data. The team also moved Scaleform’s DirectX 12 rendering to Frostbite RenderCore2 and ported hundreds of differences into the updated version. Minor visual issues remain under repair.

Next, the developers are restoring essential shaders and systems that support character appearances, including skin and hair colors, tattoos, cybernetics, scars, complexions, and outfit colors. Particle hueing and general stability work are also in progress. The team plans to share details about when players can see the work for themselves and help test the new client in a future update.

Game Update 8.0 continues on the test server

Game Update 8.0, titled Masters of the Force, has no announced release date. Its planned features include the Galaxy in Chaos storyline, Ryloth and its Dynamic Encounters, Ventures in Classic and Expert forms, Difficulty Modes, the Children of Nul Operation, level 85 with new abilities and balance changes, and quality-of-life improvements.

Subscribers can test the first two Operation bosses, Ventures: Classic, Difficulty Modes, and Combat Style updates for Sentinel/Marauder, Sage/Sorcerer, Vanguard/Powertech, Guardian/Juggernaut, Operative/Scoundrel, and Shadow/Assassin. The expanded lineup follows an earlier 8.0 test phase with overworld Difficulty Modes and class balance testing. The team says it will continue updating the Public Test Server so players can give feedback before the features reach the live game.

October 1 stream and community reminders

The next SWTOR Let’s Play stream is scheduled for October 1 at 1:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. UTC on the game’s Twitch channel. The team also expects to hold another Game Update stream focused on the Galaxy in Chaos story, with spoilers avoided.

Players can submit entries to the Best Dressed contest through October 11, 2026. The Gladiopodling minipet code GETRDY4MOTF is available through December 26, 2026, and can be redeemed on the SWTOR code redemption page.

Which part of SWTOR’s DirectX 12 testing are you most interested in seeing? Follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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