Pilot Archive

Now the Rage of the Wookiees is in release, space has become crowded again with people who are trying to work their way through the various Pilot professions. This forum has many good guides and tips available for up-and-coming pilots, but one of the more common Smuggler's Alliance questions concerns getting access to the Tier 3 trainer inside Jabba's throne room without completeing the theme park. With the addition of the Clone War Armor Freelance quest, another means of access has been provided. However, many new players and long time crafters might not have the CL needed to complete the opening part of that quest which will allow access. As I was going through the Tier 2 phase of my training, I found a few hints and suggestions on this forum regarding the space mission that would allow me to visit the Tier 3 trainer, but nothing truly concrete. Having just finished this mission, I thought I might take some time to record my experiences so that other SA pilots might benefit from where I've gone before them. I hope this provided the information needed to make your transition from Tier 2 to Tier 3 as painless as possible.

To get it, contact the station controller as you would normally do so for landing or repairs. In his dialogue box, he'll mention that he might have some special work available for you. He should mention that your name is on a special list of possible employees. This is the sign that you're on the right track for getting this mission. The mission description is that Lady Valarian has a smuggler she'd like taken care of. Again, in the current thread regarding the palace access mission, I believe that it's written that Valarian has a Bounty Hunter she wants taken care of. This is one of the thing that threw me off initially. It's a smuggler, in fact. He's a male Chiss named Hortrix Steelarm. The controller will warn you that the mission is a little more difficult than what you're used to and that you might want to recruit some help. This isn't idle chatter, friends. This is a little tougher than your usual Tier 2 mission, but not impossible. Accept the mission and let's get flying!

Once docking is complete, he'll take a few moments to get his ship running again and then ask for an escort out of the Tatooine system. Follow him out, providing cover from the TIEs, TIE Interceptors, and TIE Bombers that spawn. They're mostly Tier 2, but the Interceptor is Tier 3. All in all, no problem though. Disable them or blast them to flinders until the Debris Smuggler makes the jump to the big "L". At this point, you'll receive an update about where to go looking for leads to the location of this elusive Hortrix Steelarm.

Make the jump to Yavin. Depending on where you come in, you might have a bit of a haul in order to reach your rendezvous destination. I'm not sure if if this rendezvous waypoint is random to the system, or limited to a certain area, but I will advise that I was closer when I jumped to Smuggler's Run. The Crimson Flare hyperspace waypoint put me about 13.5k away from the rendezvous. Yavin space station was a little closer to it, but I don't remember by how much.

Once you enter Yavin, you'll be given the waypoint for the rendezvous, but be on your toes! There are some nasty characters called the Vylukh Clan who don't want you to make this appointment. And they fly tiny, agile A-Wings. Oh, and they're Tier 3 and 4...

This is the part where you either need to be a decent pilot or have a wingman or two. Engage the Vylukh A-Wings, firing to disable them as you head towards the rendezvous. They spawn two at a time in each wave. I think I had to deal with 4 waves of them before I was able to finally leave enough of them drifting in space to boost my way to the waypoint. Luckily, the rendezvous is triggered by you reaching the waypoint, so you're not running against the clock...yet.

Once you reach the waypoint, a YT-1300 will drop into space. Dock with him to complete this step of the mission, but be careful. You'll face one more wave of Vylukh Elite A-Wings before you're done. As you're dogfighting them, you'll start picking up transmissions from a Valarian freighter in the area who's under attack by Hutt fighters. These transmissions seem pretty desperate and you'll probably start sweating that you're not disabling the A-Wings fast enough. Relax. From what I experienced, the frieghter is in no danger until you arrive at its waypoint. So wax the A-Wings and move on. Just try to do it with some alacrity...There may be a timer that I'm not aware of...

You're almost there. Maybe a little shot-up from the A-Wings but the rest is easy, so no worries. Head to the Valarian freighter waypoint. When you get there, you'll find five Tier 2 Hutt fighters around the freighter. Just start blasting them! The freighter captain will cheer you on and celebrate the destruction of each fighter. Kind of uplifting after the time you had with the Vylukh. Once all five are debris, you'll get your final waypoint. The location of Hortrix Steelarm.

There is a timer on this part, but since you're probably 2-3k away, it's not a huge threat. Head to the waypoint where Hortrix waits for you. He's the one you'll need to keep from getting away. He'll have two fighters as an escort, but I believe they're Tier 2 and Hortrix is Tier 3. You don't need to dock, inspect or disable anyone here. Just blast all three. I disabled Hortrix first, just to be safe, but you'll probably be able to just take then all down. Once he's gone, you'll have completed the mission and find a Palace Access Document in your inventory and 10k credits in your bank account. Just "Read" the document using the Radial Menus and be sure to sign your name when asked. You'll need to talk to the smuggler outside of Jabba's front door when you'r ready to startthe Tier 3 phase of your piloting career, but you can now land and access the palace without doing the themepark. Edit: Again, I speak from my personal experience with this mission. Some have reported not receiving the document in their inventory after completeing this mission. To be safe, make sure you have room available in your Inventory before undertaking this mission.

Clear Skies and Good Luck!