As a reminder, in the early hours of tomorrow morning (December 22nd), we will be taking both the game servers and SWTOR.com offline for maintenance. This maintenance will begin at 2AM CST (12AM PST / 3AM EST / 8AM GMT / 9AM CET) and is expected to last until 6AM CST (4AM PST / 7AM EST / 12PM GMT / 1PM CET).

Get Ready to Play

After this maintenance period is completed, in order to continue playing Star Wars: The Old Republic you will need to have completed the following steps:

1) Create an account on SWTOR.com (if you have not already done so)

2) Within the 'My Account' section:

• Complete your contact information
• Add between three and five security questions on your account
• Redeem an official Game Product Registration Code (not a pre-order code; see below)
• Sign up for a subscription or enter a Pre-Paid Game Time Code

Once you have completed all of these steps, you'll be ready to play once the servers come back up. You can complete these steps at any time before the maintenance begins, or afterwards if you prefer. Right now, approximately half of those who played in Early Game Access have completed these steps and are 'ready to play', so we'd encourage all of you to complete these steps as soon as possible.

If you have issues completing any of these steps, please contact Customer Service via support@swtor.com for assistance.

Forums 'Read Only' During High Load Period

When we bring SWTOR.com back up after maintenance, we're expecting to see very high load as users complete their 'ready to play' steps as outlined above. As having everyone complete these steps and getting them back into the game is our highest priority, we have decided to keep the official Forums in 'read only mode', hopefully just for a few hours, until load subsides. (In other words, you will be able to read the Forums, but not make posts.)

If we experience unexpected load, we may take the Forums offline for a period. Remember, when we switch the Forums back to normal, you will not be able to post unless you have completed the steps listed above.

Here are answers to some questions you might have regarding the process:

What's a 'Game Product Registration Code'?

The Game Product Registration Code is the code provided with your retail or digital copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This code should be found inside the packaging of any retail edition of the game, or would have been emailed to you from Origin.com if you ordered a digital Standard or Deluxe Edition.

If you have purchased a retail copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic and find the Product Registration Code missing or unreadable please email support@swtor.com with the following details:

• The subject "Product Code Proof" in your email title.
• A detailed description of your problem.
• Attach a scan of your proof of purchase (receipt). Please write the name of the account holder on the receipt. Please make sure that your name is clearly readable on the scan.
• Customer Service will get back to you as soon as they can.

If you have purchased a digital copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic and find the Product Registration Code missing or unreadable please email support@swtor.com with the following details:

• The subject "Product Code Proof" in your email title.
• A detailed description of your problem.
• Attach a scan of your proof of purchase (receipt). Please write the name of the account holder on the receipt. Please make sure that your name is clearly readable on the scan.
• Customer Service will get back to you as soon as they can.

Why do I need to sign up for a subscription?

You first 30 days of Game Time are included in the purchase of any edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but you must add a valid payment method to activate your account. This method of payment varies by country, but includes most major credit cards plus ELV and Paypal (in some territories). Please visit our Billing and Subscription FAQ for more details. You can also activate your account using a Pre-Paid Game Time Card, available at most major retailers.

Whenever you activate your account, your 30 days of free Game Time will begin. When using a credit card, ELV or Paypal, you will not be billed for your second month of play until your 30 days of free Game Time is complete. You may cancel your subscription at any time in your first 30 days of play. Your unused Game Time will still be available on your account and you can still play until this expires.