SWTOR has announced the release date for their latest expansion: 8.0 The Ring Forge of Morrod, Set to release in December 2023!

The Ring Forge of Morrod is SWTOR’s first Cross-Server and Crafting Expansion, with a high impact focus on a new Origin Story Class, Planet, Cross-Server PvP Battlefields in a Crafting focused Expansion!

Story Expansion

Not much is known about the Expansion yet, as many content creators are waiting for the PTS to come online before creating guides and other content.
All that we know currently is that there will be a new level cap of 85, a new planet: Morrod, a new Class for Tech Users, a Crafting overhaul, and a brand new Cross-Server Warzone known as The Battlefront.

Taken from the datamined swtor.com page:

Two Returning Souls:

the galaxy is in peril once Again. The dreaded Sith Emperor Valkorion and the legendary Jedi, Revan have both reemerged to conquer all. Their target is the mysterious planet Morrod, home to the Ring Forge. Legends say that only two souls linked by hate and power can forge a ring that grants unimaginable abilities and eternal life. As the Empire and Republic battle it out for control of Morrod, it’s up to you – leader of the Eternal Alliance and the Mandalorians – to decide your fate.

Will you join forces to save the galaxy or succumb to the allure of ultimate power and craft the ring for yourself? Choose wisely, and let the fate of the galaxy rest on your shoulders!

Welcome to the new expansion for Star Wars The Old Republic: The Ring Forge of Morrod, coming with Update 8.0

While not much is known about the upcoming expansion storyline, we have been told from dataminers that it will take place on Morrod and will involve some character named Syl using Darth Nul’s holocron to pull Valkorion and a corrupted Jedi Revan from the mindscape of Satele Shan and back to the Galaxy!

Completing the storyline should be enough to level your character to 85 and will require completion of all 7.0 Story Content as there will be no skip/boost option available.

Concept art from swtor also indicate that Tarre Vizsla, the legendary Mandalorian Jedi will be a temporary companion during the final Quest on Morrod.
I reached out to some swtor dataminers and they told me that supposedly he first appears as a Boss fight as a defender of Revan at level 82. Once you defeat him, he rejoins the Jedi and you must help him craft the first Darksaber in the Ring Forge of Morrod around level 85.

Unleash your inner artist with our new companion customization feature in Game Update 8.0! Give your favorite villain a fresh new look, or even spruce up your stronghold with unique designs. Get your hands on the hottest customization items through missions or in the cartel market. Express yourself like never before!

New Class: Vehicle Operator

Get ready to take control of the battlefield with the new Vehicle Operator Origin Story and Combat Style!

This exciting addition to update 8.0 lets you unlock a whole new level of power for 1,000 Cartel Coins. With a unique class story for both the Sith Empire and the Republic, you’ll explore the inner workings of the military and master the art of operating massive war vehicles like the R3-MU5 Attack Walker. Don’t miss out on the chance to become a true force to be reckoned with – unlock the Vehicle Operator soon!

The Vehicle Operator is SWTOR’s first Melee-using Tech class, meaning that once you have unlocked the Combat Style you can play a Melee using Bounty Hunter or Trooper!

Not much is known about the Vehicle Operator as the story is hidden, even to dataminers. However datamining indicates that the class will make use of Combat Probes whom you can manage to attack your enemies, shield yourself from damage or heal allies.

Dealing enough damage or support with your Probe Droids will charge your yellow energy meter, letting your Probe Droids die will reduce your yellow energy.
Should you charge the bar to 100% you will be able to Summon a Combat Vehicle such as the new R3-MU5 Attack Walker to use in Flashpoints, PvP or even Operations!

Planet: Morrod

The new planet that the spirits of Valkorion and Revan that they have become tethered to is named Morrod, dataminers believe it to be located at the exact center of the Galaxy.

Supposedly once you complete the major Expansion storyline there will be a Daily Area and Reputation on the planet. I have also been told by Dataminers that the Ring Forge will be the only place on Morrod that level 85 Gear can be Crafted, as it must be done on Morrod instead of the Companion Skills window.

Crafting Overhaul

The crafting skill has been increased to 750 with Tier 12 Crafting available on Morrod.
Unlike prior planets that involve gathering materials and using companions to craft, Morrod requires playing basic click and temporary hotbar minigames within the Ring Forge itself with other players of different Crafting Skills in order to forge powerful new equippable level 85 items.

A leaked image from PAX shows the new ‘Ring Slot’ that players can equip powerful new Set-Gears, as well as a new tier of Gold Augment and item Rating.

We dont know what the requirements will be however the Ring Forge appears to only be enterable after completing the new Story so I assume that only level 85 characters will be able to gain access.

Cross-Server Warzones: Battlefront

Get ready to experience the thrill of battle like never before and unleash your artillery power on our extra large PvP map, specially designed for epic 16 vs 16 cross-server battles. Command NPC armies and show no mercy to your enemies on this massive warzone “Battlefront”. Available for all classes! Stay tuned for more information!

Preview Video

RemusGT , a German SWTOR content creator was able to access the Expansion Page on swtor.com early by datamining the website, he has compiled a video of the soon to be released expansion info.

This entire page is a complete fabrication and utterly false, not a single thing on it is true whatsoever, this is an April Fools joke created by RemusGT.
All concept art images were made with MidjourneyAI and all ‘gameplay pictures’ were screenshots taken from already available ingame characters, armor sets and locations that have been heavily edited in Photoshop.