From the Developer Diary - Roadmap Update:
Venture to the new planet, Nar Shaddaa, a dense and dynamic mini-planet where you’ll experience Grakkus the Hutt’s reign. Your adventures will lead you to steal or learn from Grakkus’ collection of Jedi relics with the help of Vima-Da-Boda, engaging his business associate Olag Greck to enter the belly of the underworld, and enjoying all the tourism district can offer, including Casinos, Nightlife, and the challenges of Grakkus the Hutt’s Arena (which can also be rented to host large events).
Planet Description
"Well, here we are... the smuggler's moon. It's the gaping maw of Nal Hutta, swallowing all the cargo and space port thugs the galaxy has to offer."
― Atton Rand
Nar Shaddaa, commonly called "Smuggler's Moon", was the largest moon of the planet Nal Hutta, homeworld of the Hutt species. The entire moon was covered in one large city, an "ecumenopolis", its city lights were visible from space.
Nar Shaddaa is quite similar to Coruscant, but with a dark twist: the Hutt influence transformed this planet into a haven for smugglers, bounty hunters, pirates, and other elements of the criminal underworld. The cities of the moon were known to be rundown, heavily polluted and filthy.
The Smugglers Moon was located in the Hutt Space region of the Outer Rim; its remote location from the core worlds and lack of law enforcement or any kind of galactic government allowed crime to run rampant in the sector. Lots of aspiring criminals, such as smugglers and pirates, traveled to the moon to start their careers.
These factors contributed to making it one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy.
Many visitors to Nar Shaddaaa ignored the dangerous aspects of the moon in favor of the entertainment and opportunities it had to offer.
- Casinos, swoop racing, nightclubs and other forms of nightlife were prevalent on the planet.
- Black Market and various forms of smuggling rings had "merchandise" that was not available on other worlds, such as exotic technology and spice.
- Career options. It was easy to get a job as a mercenary, enforcer for the crime lords, cargo ship pilot, etc.
Another common reason for visiting the moon was to quickly vanish from the galaxy or temporarily settle in.
War veterans and refugees came to seek shelter on the moon to try and start a new life after losing everything in the conflicts.
Game Information
Nar Shaddaa is planned to be a part of
Publish 2.0. You can read more about it in the Developer Diary below.
Staff Teases
Developer provided teases, confirmations and vision of the planet.
Why Nar Shaddaa?
"A fun fact about our decision to choose Nar Shaddaa: When we started to research options, there were a lot completely coincidental of callbacks to SWG, such as Vima-Da-Boda's storyline, she's known to have been on Nar Shaddaa, but is also a descendent of Nomi Sunrider, who of course is the namesake for the Sunrider's Destiny lightsaber crystal, and Olag Greck was actually intended to be in a questline in-game on Corellia but was cut by SOE. So after we just kept coming up on things like that it seemed like a good match."
― Aconite
"Sorry I was talking about nar shadaa (or how ever it is spelt visual / style) I just wasn’t very clear" ― D.
"oh, yes, i mean, there's not much else to reference (which was part of our criteria really) because we wanted to just be able to go ham
our number one thing on building new worlds was basically nothing iconic/prominently featured in movies, etc. so players would be expecting to see all the places from the movie and having to make everything 1:1
[...]
we very intentionally wanted to be not in the spotlight" ― Aconite
Revamped Contraband System?
"Will contraband scans be getting revamped for Syndicate? Sorry if it's been asked already" ― J.
"i'd imagine so" ― Aconite
New ways of spending and earning credits.
"there will be COPIOUS amounts of sponsorship opportunities on Nar Shaddaa
I may even let people buy into THE casino for a profit share"
― Aconite
More information about Etinoca realty can be viewed on this
page.
"there will be some Etinoca realty opportunities"
― Aconite
PVP Fights with bets?
"Will there be PVP gambling?" ― R.
"yes I’m open to this" ― Aconite
Swoop Racing bets.
"swoop race bets?" ― R.
"yes that’s already planned" ― Aconite
Soundscape and music.
"we actually just started talking about the soundscape on nar shaddaa
Yerk was the name of a style of music popular on Nar Shaddaa. Traders would often sell Yerk music cubes on the black market; Gliz was a technological yet swinging genre of music very popular in the Outer Rim. It was not to be confused with glitz.
we're excited to play with some new styles"
―
Aconite
"there will be plenty of jizz on nar shaddaa i promise we've already got people working onit"
― Aconite
Cityscape
"Welcome to Nar Shaddaa: towering buildings kilometers high and miles deep, with canyons so wide you could have a dogfight in them.
Word of warning - watch where you step or you'll fall for hours."
― Atton Rand
In-game screenshots of the planet, information about planet size, structures and more!
Nar Shaddaa Ecumenopolis | Nar Shaddaa Landing Dock |
 |  |
"So many questions! Which I'm sure will be answered down the road soon...
Player Structures?
NS planet size?
..." ― J.
"probably no on player structures, to give you a very specific answer on the other, the map's total area is 3072m" ― Aconite
"is there grass on Nar Shadaa ?" ― C.
"interesting you bring this up
ill share one of the things from our design journal as an early sneak peek"
―
Aconite
"For Nar Shaddaa, cubic meters would come into play here, no?
or will it remain horizontal only?" ― E.
"well i suppose i didn't consider that yes there will be different levels/stories you can go up and down so that's not really factored in" ― Aconite
Reign of Grakkus the Hutt
Venture to the new planet, Nar Shaddaa, a dense and dynamic mini-planet where you’ll experience Grakkus the Hutt’s reign. Your adventures will lead you to steal or learn from Grakkus’ collection of Jedi relics with the help of Vima-Da-Boda, engaging his business associate Olag Greck to enter the belly of the underworld, and enjoying all the tourism district can offer, including Casinos, Nightlife, and the challenges of Grakkus the Hutt’s Arena (which can also be rented to host large events).
Stay tuned for more updates!
Characters Involved
Lore information about these characters.
Character Name | Media Appearance | Details |
|---|
Grakkus the Hutt |  | Grakkus the Hutt was a Hutt crime lord who lived on Nar Shaddaa during the Imperial Era. Grakkus controlled Hutta Town, the capital of Nar Shaddaa. Like other Hutts, he had an extensive network of smugglers, bounty hunters and other criminal assets. But what set him apart was his hobby, he had an interest in collecting Jedi relics and other antiquities.
Using his wealth, Hutt acquired numerous Jedi artifacts, his collection was so vast that he proclaimed it to be all that remains of the Jedi. In his possession were an Aethersprite-class Jedi starfighter, an entire room of Jedi lightsabers, dozens of holocrons and even the bones of the dead Jedi. He wears a necklace of lightsabers around his neck, displaying his status as a collector.
Grakkus also had other interesting relics, such as IG-100 MagnaGuard droids.
Grakkus stored his artifacts in a palace, inside which he owned an arena. Inside the arena, Hutt hosted events where his captive victims fought numerous deadly beasts to death.
Arena fights were quite popular, as numerous crime lords, thugs and other criminals came to see the matches.
Grakkus was more physically active, unlike the other Hutts. He had a muscular build that gave him immense strength. With this strength, Grakkus could break the neck of a human being with one hand. Grakkus the Hutt also had a set of cybernetic legs that enhanced the speed of his movement. |
Olag Greck |  | Olag Greck was a businessman who lived during the Imperial Era. A Gammorean henchman named Xob accompanied Greck in his shady dealings.
Olag ran a series of illegal operations on Hosk Station, an important trading center. One such operation was the droid arena, where droids fought one another. Greck brought IG-88B to the station so it could fight in the arena. Ultimately, IG-88B escaped by stealing a ship, making a mockery out of Greck in the process.
At some point, Olag was a partner of a shipbuilder, Baron Pitareeze. Greck betrayed the shipwright by stealing his cruiser plans, which he later used to produce faulty knock-off copies of the cruiser. Greck often begged the Baron for assistance in improving the ships, but the Baron always refused. Furious, Greck kidnapped Baron's grandson, forcing him to fix the ships. With the assistance of C-3PO and R2-D2, the grandson was saved.
His final operation on the station was an attempt at stealing a large amount of ash ore. Greck planned to destroy the entire station to avoid the persecution. C-3PO, R2-D2 along with other droids prevented the detonation. However, Olag still managed to escape.
With ore in his ship cargo hold, he ordered Xob to plot a course for Nar Shaddaa, where he was going to meet his acquaintance... |
Vima-Da-Boda |  | Vima-Da-Boda was a female human descendant of the legendary Jedi Vima Sunrider. Vima-Da-Boda had a lightsaber that was 10,000 years old, it was a gift from her master during her Jedi years.
In the past, Vima-Da-Boda was a prominent Jedi Knight serving the Force for over a hundred years, during which she raised and trained her daughter, Neema.
Neema's impatience and eagerness to learn more about the Force led to her falling to the dark side. Despite her mother's protests, Neema married an abusive warlord who was going to fed her to the Rancors. Using the Force, Neema sent a plea to her mother, but Vima was too late to rescue her. Giving into her rage, Vima slew the warlord with her lightsaber.
As the feelings of rage were replaced by despair, Vima realized that not only had she lost her daughter, but her connection to the force began to wane.
Unable to cope with failing her daughter and herself, she became a vagrant, traveling across the desolate and backwater planets of the galaxy before settling in on Nar Shaddaa, where Vima-Da-Boda survived the Great Jedi Purge. The dense population of the planet, in addition to her weak connection to the Force, was crucial in evading the Empire's wrath. |
The Syndicate Swell
A new Criminality System led by Smugglers with opportunities for criminality or heroism and potentially dire consequences will allow certain less than reputable organizations to gain footholds in the galaxy.
Stay tuned for more updates!
New Player Species
Make your criminal character look the part with additional New Player Species, including Nikto, Weequay, Dressellian, and two other additions voted on by the community.
You can read about all upcoming species for 2024 in this developer Diary.
"...mostly we thought about what iconic characters were known for and how that would tie into things so we looked at like oh we want an additional species for the entertainers, so Bith makes sense, and oh we want Jedi, etc"
― Aconite
Lore information about Publish 2.0 species.
Species Name | Media Appearance | Details |
|---|
Dressellian |  | Dressellians were a tall, thin, humanoid species with elongated, hairless skulls and wrinkled skin.
The Galactic Civil War forced them to abandon the peaceful and isolated lifestyle on their homeworld, Dressel, to come into contact with the rest of the galaxy, mainly as supporters of the Rebel Alliance.
Dressellians valued personal freedom above everything else, rarely forming groups to accomplish a common goal, after which they went their own separate ways. This strive for independence often came as an obstacle to the group performance. However, the Imperial occupation of the Dressel united this species in their fight against the invaders.
The war prompted many Dresellians to become experts in guerilla warfare.
Invasion of their homeworld influenced many of the species to become more xenophobic, particularly against humans.
Notable Dressellian:
- Orrimaarko, alias "Prune Face", was the first Dressellian given command of a Rebel SpecForce unit. He participated in the Battle of Endor under General Solo's command.
|
Nikto |  | The Nikto were a reptilian humanoid species with leathery skin sometimes covered in spikes and horns. Their eyes were black and covered by a thin transparent membrane, protecting them underwater and during sandstorms on their brutal homeworld, Kintan.
The harsh nature of their home united and strengthened the Nikto people, making them exceptional survivors.
In the past, the Nikto species were terrorized by the religious Cult of M'dweeshu. The Hutts used their cunning minds to enslave the species by destroying the cult and posing as saviours for the people.
Since then, the Nikto species has worked and died for the Hutts as mercenaries, enforcers and personal bodyguards.
The Nikto species had numerous secret societies, one of which was the Morgukai. The Morgukai cult trained incredible warriors who were renowned Force user killers. These warriors were always male and consisted of the Kajain'sa'Nikto species.
Notable Nikto:
- Ima-Gun Di was a Kajain'sa'Nikto Jedi Master. During the Clone Wars, at the battle of Ryloth, he had a valiant last stand while protecting the retreating Twi'lek militia from CIS forces.
|
Weequay |  | Weequays were humanoids with a rough leathery skin that ranged in color from tan to dark brown; it could also be black or gray. This thick skin made them resistant to blunt trauma, cuts, burns and even blaster fire. Their eyes were slightly recessed into their skull. These features, as well as their nomadic lifestyle, were developed in response to the environment of their homeworld. Sriluur was an arid planet covered in deserts, acidic seas and volcanoes.
Weequay lived for their clan, members of which had no names and no value, they were often disposed of for the survival of the clan. They were religious people and worshipped a multitude of gods.
The only time Weequay took a name was after joining the galactic society. They often worked as smugglers, pirates, bodyguards, mercenaries and bounty hunters. Many were employed by Hutt crimelords.
When Weequay leave their homeworld, they most often go in small groups.
Weequay males who lived off-world had a tradition of growing and secluding one braid for each passing year of their planet as a tribute to their homeworld. They would shave their braids after returning to the home.
Female Weequay were usually bald and did not follow this tradition.
Notable Weequay:
- Hondo Ohnaka was a leader of the Ohnaka Gang, a Weequay pirate group that had a base of operations on the planet Florrum. As an honorable businessman, he had a talent of conducting profitable deals no matter the situation.
|
??? | - | Will be voted on by the community. |
??? | - | Will be voted on by the community. |
Vehicle Customization
When you can’t find a podracer, try for the next best thing the underworld can offer. An expanded Vehicle Customization System allows you to highly customize speeders and swoops for Drag Racing with many potential prizes and perils.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Assumptions
Following sections are series of assumptions and theories based on the knowledge and use of the Star Wars materials.
Logo and Possible Inspiration
The Syndicate Swell emblem has a small "tusk" bit that is quite similar to the one displayed on the
Zann Consortium insignia.
The Zann Consortium logo itself resembles a spider.
The implication here could mean that the Syndicate Swell will corrupt (poison) the galaxy through aggressive actions (tusks).
The Syndicate Swell has the possibility of being a subdivision of the Consortium or a new organization inspired by it and its means of gaining galactic influence. Controlled by “neutral” players that do not want to declare a faction officially.
The death of Xizor in 3 ABY, who was the leader of Black Sun, left a vacuum of opportunities for illegitimate business that our new organization can fit quite well in.
Read more about the Zann Consortium below.
The Zann Consortium was a crime syndicate led by Tyber Zann at the time of the Galactic Civil War. During the course of the war, the Consortium managed to increase its galactic presence by using its extensive crime networks to corrupt, sabotage and influence the other two major factions. Eventually becoming a considerable opponent for both the Empire and the Rebellion.
The Zann Consortium influenced the opposing factions by using a multitude of shady methods with the help of Defilers, undercover Consortium agents. These agents could disrupt important operations, steal credits and even cause civil unrest on the planets.
Many worlds were caught in the web of illegal operations ran by the Consortium. It dealt in piracy, slavery, bribery, racketeering jobs, as well as intimidation or abduction of individuals who defied the organization. It was a common practice for the Consortium to construct palaces on various worlds to serve as its financial centers.
The access to black market allowed Tyber Zann to purchase unique technologies such as buzz droids, stealth generators and disruptor weaponry that could evaporate flesh. The Consortium also hired bounty hunters to eliminate certain threats.
Methods of Corruption
The way the Zann Consortium gained ground in the galaxy is quite different from the Empire and the Rebellion. While the latter two invaded and took control of planets and systems with their ground or space forces, destroying the opposing faction, the Consortium used more subtle means. They corrupted officials and institutions while leaving the plant under the control of another faction, which proved to be quite profitable.
The Consortium used special undercover agents, "Defilers", to corrupt planets. These agents used their skills to wreak havoc in the system, kidnap officials, install black markets, and perform sabotages on the planet.
Corrupting a system allowed Consortium members and combatants to freely move throughout systems and perform their business deals, provided they paid a "fee". All forms of corruption come with a credit price.
Methods of corruption involved:
- Racketeering
- Instalment of a Black Market
- Bribery
- Piracy
- Corrupting Militia
- Slavery
- Intimidation
- Kidnapping
Gear and Technology
The use of black market is quite common for criminal groups. Due to the nature of Black Market, which provides a variety of things that are exotic, stolen, never seen before, or antique, there are countless possibilities for new items and ways to improve existing ones.
These may include:
- Armor
- Droids
- Droideka Pet
- B1 Droid Pet
- Gear and Technology Enhancement
- Droid Module Expansion
- Advanced Vehicle Customization
- Modifying Ships
- Layered Clothing
- Illegal Components used in Crafting
- Starships
