With Star Wars: The Old Republic launching a new expansion pack in just a few weeks, many players are returning to the game to check out the new combat style system the game is implementing. When Reddit user Marcoalexander, an old Star Wars: The Old Republic player and streamer, returned to the game, he discovered thousands of Cartel Coins waiting for him, thanks to an authenticator he bought years ago.

Cartel Coins are an in-game currency acquired by spending real money, or given as a part of maintaining a premium SWTOR subscription in the otherwise free-to-play MMORPG. Cartel Coins can be exchanged for any number of special cosmetic items and items that loosen the restrictions on free-to-play accounts, granting them access to Premium and bonus features.

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SWTOR also gives 100 Cartel Coins a month to those using a second form of authentication, either through the phone app or a physical device. Marcoalexander purchased an authenticator when The Old Republic first launched 10 years ago, but dropped off of the game shortly after. After recently logging in again, he discovered he had over 12,000 Cartel Coins–nearly $100 dollars in value–waiting for him from the monthly authenticator bonuses, which hadn’t stopped accumulating over his hiatus.

Marcoalexander’s fellow players were jealous to hear of his substantial savings, especially with a special account-wide unlock sale occurring soon in the Cartel Market in celebration of Legacy of the Sith's launch. Many other players shared similar stories of accumulated Cartel Coin wealth, with another player sharing how they forgot to unsubscribe to the game for years, leaving them with over 30,000 Cartel Coins after their return–close to $250 dollars in value.

However, many players lamented how little Marcoalexander’s newfound wealth could actually take him. While not an insignificant amount, even with the ongoing sale, Marcoalexander realized his Cartel Coins would very quickly diminish if he didn’t plan carefully. The fact players have ways to accumulate Cartel Coins over time is the only reason many are able to afford items in the Cartel Market, though many wish the stipend for premium memberships and authenticators was higher, given the prices. Still, many are satisfied to be able to play The Old Republic for free, even with restrictions.

With Legacy of the Sith launching in a couple of weeks, it isn’t surprising Marcoalexander decided to check out what the MMO has to offer. Most notably among its changes is the new character creation system, which allows characters in SWTOR to choose a seperate Origin Story and Combat Style, which can be mixed and matched between other Force or Tech using classes respectively. Now is a great time for players to see how the game has changed over the years–and see if they have a Cartel Coin nest egg of their own to spend.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is available for PC. Legacy of the Sith launches on December 14.

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