============================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords (PC) Duelling Jedi Guide ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================= -------------------------------------------------------------- By DarthMuffin aka Coffee_Addict and many muffin/coffee names | E-Mail : See Contact Info Section | Created on : January 21, 2004 | Posted on : March 4, 2005 | Last Update : May 13, 2007 | Version : V1.4 | -------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | NOTES | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - This guide is based on the PC version of the game. - I suggest reading a specialised guide on the 3.0 DnD rules, such as DSimpson’s 3.0 DnD Guide, since the SW d20 rules are roughly the same. It helps to understand how the system works. I would also like to shamelessly plug my NeverWinter Nights : Hordes of the Underdark Ranger guide, in which I have written a complete section intended for newbies that covers the basic rules. - This guide may contain some SPOILERS. I’ll try to avoid huge spoilers, but if it’s your first time through the game, be careful when you see the word SPOILERS before a paragraph. - When I refer to hit points, I mean vitality points. I’m just more used to DnD. - Also, please note that English is not my primary language, so there are probably some mistakes here and there. I try to be careful though. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | WHAT’S NEW? | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- V1.4 Deep inside, I always knew that my Reader’s Submissions system was messed up. What I ended up doing was to leave things in that section that really should have made it into the guide proper. Tyrael pointed about a few holes in my guides, some of which had been somewhat covered in the mail section but not in the guide proper. So I tried to patch up the holes and this is the result. In truth, not much has changed. It’s pretty much a few details in the skills and companion sections. Anyway, in any future guide I write, I will use a different approach which will hopefully be better overall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | INTRODUCTION | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, here we are. Knights of the Old Republic II : The Sith Lords was *finally* released on the PC (and LucasArts had promised a simultaneous XBOX/PC release...). It’s a great game for sure. Lots of improvements, new stuff, more party interactions, prestige classes, etc. KotOR II : TSL (henceforth referred as TSL) has it all. Before I go into details, I must first introduce the guide properly. This guide covers the creation, development and gameplay of a combat-focused Jedi using a single lightsabre. Even from the depths of my ultra-secret HQ (i.e. my bedroom), I can hear you ask : “Why in the nine hells would I use a single sabre if I am to fight in melee???”. A fine question indeed. DSimpson (probably the best RPG Guide writer around) states in his great walkthrough that the bonuses from the Duelling feats aren’t worth it. My opinion? The duelling feats are useful, especially with the coming of the Lightsabre Combat Forms. True, the bonuses aren’t breathtaking. And I *really* think that the Two-Weapon Fighting feats are unbalanced in the KotOR games, especially with the new ones in TSL. Anyway. Check the “Why Duelling” Section (:SAGI1:) to see why it is a valid choice to go the single sabre route. So read on, and I will make sure you’ll have a great time playing with your character. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | TABLE OF CONTENT | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section A : General Information>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SAGI0: 1 – Why Duelling.................................................... :SAGI1: 2 – Sides of the Force.............................................. :SAGI2: 3 – Analysis of the Classes......................................... :SAGI3: 4 - The Builds...................................................... :SAGI4: Section B : Character Creation Process>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SBCC0: 1 – Starting Classes................................................ :SBCC1: 2 – Attributes...................................................... :SBCC2: 3 – Skills.......................................................... :SBCC3: 4 – Feats........................................................... :SBCC4: 5 – Force Powers.................................................... :SBCC5: Section C : Character Development>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SCCD0: 1 – Prestige Classes................................................ :SCCD1: 2 – Forms of Lightsabre Combat...................................... :SCCD2: 3 – Creating your Lightsabre........................................ :SCCD3: 4 – Equipment....................................................... :SCCD4: Section D : General Strategy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SDGS0: 1 – Fighting (and Killing) Enemies.................................. :SDGS1: 2 – Using Force Powers.............................................. :SDGS2: 3 – Party Selection................................................. :SDGS3: Section E : Stuff From Readers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SFSR0: Section F : Favourite Character>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SGFC0: Section G : Conclusion>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SECO0: 1 – Contact Info.................................................... :SECO1: 2 – Copyright Stuff................................................. :SECO2: 3 – Versions........................................................ :SECO3: 4 – Self Promotion.................................................. :SECO4: 5 – Thanks.......................................................... :SECO5: Navigation : Copy (ctrl-c) the code at the end of each line, use the find command (ctrl-f) and paste (ctrl-v) the code to quickly jump to a specific part of the guide. Please let me know if one of the does not word. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION A : GENERAL INFORMATION :SAGI0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will start by listing the reasons why Duelling + single sabre is a good choice in the game. Then, we will decide which classes to use to create our Jedi. I will start by discussing which side is the best for the build, then move on to the starting and prestige classes. Finally, I will list the possible builds for the choices we will make. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 – Why Duelling -----------------------------------------------------:SAGI1: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a number of valid reasons to pick a single sabre instead of duals or the overused sith sabre. These are : - Every damn Jedi in the movies use a single sabre, except for Darth Maul and Anakin. And I will not say anything more about this, since I could easily start a huge rant on this subject (something I once did on the forums, and I got blasted by an amazingly high amount of Darth Maul fans). I know, I know, Grievous uses four sabres in Revenge of the Sith. But notice how Obi-Wan just owns his droid arse. - Lucas had first decided that single sabres would be the weapons used in the Jedi’s epic duels. He later screwed his idea by putting Darth Maul in, probably to give more “hoomph” to The Phantom Menace. Critics attacked TPM really hard, but, for my part, I actually liked it. However, the desert duel is, for me, so much better than the later one. On it’s side, wielding two sabres was born as a curiosity; again to make people say “wow!” when they see the duel. Fortunately, our good friend Dooku managed to end this with a single swipe. - Consider this : A dual wielding Jedi is really skilled, of course. But so is the dueller who can defend himself successfully and attack others without missing, all using a single blade. - Let’s check numbers now. Duelling will, once you master it, give you +3 to attack bonus and +3 to defence. In other words, you’ll hit more often and the enemies will hit you less. Does it really make a difference? At lower levels, it obviously does. Later on, I still noticed that my main character could hit more often that Visas, who had a sith sabre and the three two- weapons fighting feats (and yes, she had finesse : lightsabre). So from my experience, it does make a difference. - TSL brings Lightsabre Fighting Styles. These styles often come with penalties to AC. Those can usually be completely negated by Duelling. Using Form III with Duelling will make you very hard to hit by blaster-wielding enemies. Look, I *give* you the permission to use a single sabre... so do it! As a single sabre master, you’ll become as good as Dooku at duelling, and as good as Obi-Wan at defence. You’ll also look like an actual Jedi from the movies. If you’re interested in role-playing a little, then going the duelling way is good for you. But to tell the truth, I’m pretty sure that about 70% of the people who will read my guide do not give a damn about roleplaying. Therefore, I am forced to do some number crunching again : Taking the two-weapon fighting feats will negate (most of) the penalties for wielding a second weapon, i.e. to get an extra attack per round. The duelling route will give you more attack bonus and more defence. So to make a long story short, a dual wielder will have an extra attack, while a dueller will hit more often, and will be harder to hit. If you have some basic knowledge of the rules, you probably know that the scarier enemies usually have a high attack bonus and high defence. Therefore, a dueller will generally do better against “bosses”, while a duel wielder will be more efficient against the mobs. The Lightsabre Fighting Forms of TSL really bring the debate to another level, in my opinion. Most forms, especially the more specialised ones, come with great penalties and bonuses. The duelling feats will often negate any defence penalty. Lets take Form VII as an example. It gives a –4 to defence and a –4 to saves, but a +2 to defence against your target, an extra attack per round, and a great bonus to critical strikes. With the duelling feats, you’ll end up with +1 to defence against your target, and –1 against other enemies. Most importantly, you’ll also get an extra attack per round, bringing you on par with those dual wielders. The only downside is the saves penalty, but nothing is free. Another example would be Form II. It gives +3 to attack and +3 to damage, but a –5 to blaster deflection and –2 to saves. The blaster deflection is not really a problem; with your feats, you already have a free +3 to defence. The bonuses, coupled with duelling, will net a +6 to attack bonus and +3 to damage. If you have decent attributes, it is most likely that you’ll hit almost everything that wields a sabre. Force powers can also bring the numbers even higher. The same thing can be said about Form III. This time, however, we are aiming for maximum defence. -=SPOLIERS=- I have heard about some people who have some trouble beating the final boss(es), i.e. the three flying sabres. Even DSimpson states in his guide that this is a tough fight. Well, my duelling Guardian/Weapon Master could melee them with no problem. Just so that you may know, I used Form II for this battle. Generally, you want Form VII for a boss, but since I was attacked by multiple opponents, the defence penalty was getting serious. Form II made sure I hit while still enabling the +3 to defence from duelling. -=END SPOILERS=- I **know** that TSL encourages dual wielding even more with the new feats. But what I’m trying to say is that the single sabre way is certainly a potent choice, especially when the duelling bonuses are coupled with the fighting forms. Just as an example, one of the “boss” you fight in the late game fell in one normal attack (i.e. no flurry) by my single blue blade (I used Form VII). Not bad for the underused and underestimated dueller. So be cool a little, and use a single sabre. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 – Sides of the Force -----------------------------------------------:SAGI2: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyone who has seen at least one Star Wars movie knows that there are officially two sides of the Force. I use the word “officially” because some well-known Expended Universe characters see the world in grey. Notable examples include Jolee Bindo from KotOR I and Kyle Katarn from the Dark Forces series. Add to this the fact that your character can choose to stay “neutral”, and you can possibly say that there are actually 3 sides. But then, you could say that the EU’s viability is debatable; such as the “Jedi can’t love” vs “Nomi Sunrider was married” curiosity. Anyway, I’m steering too far from the subject. For the purpose of this guide, we will stick to the traditional “two-sided Force”. In game terms, Light Side = buffs Dark Side = damage Since we are going for a melee fighting class, then (for me, at least) Light Side makes more sense. The point is that what we really want is to become stronger when hitting things with our lightsabre. Also, as a warrior, we put more emphasis on strength, dexterity and constitution. Not focusing on wisdom and charisma cuts the difficulty class of your force powers significantly. In other words, the enemies will easily make their saves against your damaging Dark Side powers. For these reasons I believe that it’s a better idea to go Light Side with this build. Of course playing Dark Side is also fun, and you should do what you want. I admit, however, that I find it very difficult to play evil, so I’m a little biased on this. The problem with Dark Side is that it involves the “stupid-evil” answers, which goes completely against the movies. Sith are supposed to be manipulators, not dumb like orcs! Whatever your choice might be, we will discuss each force power later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 – Analysis of the Classes ------------------------------------------:SAGI3: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before we even start, we need to make something clear. Each of the classes has the same Base Attack Bonus progression, i.e. a BAB equal to the character’s level. Why do you need to know this? Since the BAB is really half of the melee combat (the other half being hit points), Jedi Guardian is no longer the obvious pick for a starting fighting class. In other words, Jedi Sentinel makes a very decent choice as the starting class. Jedi Consular is less attractive, because of the lower hit points. As far as prestige classes are concerned, you should either stick to the pure melee with Weapon Master (Marauder), or going for more skills and abilities with Watchman (Assassin). This will be discussed later. Conclusion : What we want to do is fight in melee. Two of the three classes have the potential of being good starting classes : Jedi Guardian and Jedi Sentinel. With Guardian, you will have more hit points (remember : hit points are half of melee combat; you can’t kill enemies if you’re dead) and slightly more feats. As a Sentinel, you will have more skills and more force points. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 – The Builds -------------------------------------------------------:SAGI4: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you followed my advises this far, you now have the following : A Light Side Jedi Guardian -or- A Light Side Jedi Sentinel With Jedi Weapon Master (Marauder) or Watchman (Assassin) as the prestige class. The next choice you must make is slightly linked to the attribute choice we will make later : Do you want to be strength or dexterity based?? Basically, a strength based warrior will do more damage, while a dexterity based will have a higher armour class. Also note that you now have to choose the Weapon Finesse feat if you want your dexterity modifier added to your attack rolls, unlike in the first game. Back in my guide for KotOR I, I praised the use of a high dexterity. For TSL, I used to go for a higher strength for the following reasons : -Lightsabre Forms : Form III notably comes with a good bonus to defence. -Duelling Feats : The +3 bonus represents a score of 16 in dexterity. -Force Powers : They can really help your AC significantly (speed and armour) -A Jedi’s defence naturally goes up at certain levels -More customisation possible for the lightsabre -=SPOILERS=- -Handmaiden : She can give you a power that adds your wisdom modifier to AC Note that the Handmaiden is only available to male characters. Note that this power is restricted by armour. -=END SPOILERS=- ***However*** Going for a high dexterity also has it’s advantages. Yes, lightsabre forms and the duelling feats helps your defence, but a high dexterity really makes it skyrocket, which is great. The debate really comes down to damage versus defence. At this point, it is entirely up to you. I now favour dexterity. I must point out however that playing a dexterity build is a little harder at the beginning (since you will most likely not pick finesse in melee weapons); or it could just be that the game is indeed harder in the difficult mode (never tried strength in anything but normal). We now roughly know what our Jedi will look like. So lets proceed to the character creation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION B : CHARACTER CREATION PROCESS :SBCC0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here we will finally create our Jedi. I will start with the classes and the attributes, then move on to which skills, feats and powers to choose during the process, and discuss each one of them in detail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 – Starting Classes -------------------------------------------------:SBCC1: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just an in-dept look at each of the starting classes. Jedi Guardian --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 10/level Skill points : 1/level Force points : 4/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Demolitions Strong Saves : Fort and Reflex Weak Saves : Will Feat progression : 1 at every odd level, plus another at level 2 Force Power Progression : 1 every level, 2 at level 1 The Jedi Guardian is your basic melee warrior. They have the most vitality points of the Jedi classes and more feats than others. The force points progression is fine if you stick to buffs. As far as skills are concerned, you won’t go far with a Jedi Guardian. This class is best suited for melee fighting, supplemented by buffing force powers. For the template we are going to create, Jedi Guardian is probably the most obvious choice. But lets look at the others first. Also, in case you wish to create a movie-like character, you should note that Obi-Wan, Anakin, Dooku and probably Luke are all considered Guardians by Wizards of the Coast (official pen and paper SW RPG). Jedi Sentinel --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 8/level Skill points : 3/level Force points : 6/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Computer Use, Security, Stealth Strong Saves : Fort and Reflex Weak Saves : Will Feat progression : No clear progression; slightly slower than Jedi Guardian Force Power Progression : 1 every level, 2 at level 1 The class that people blasted the most when KotOR I came out. The popular forum saying was : “Sentinels fight like consulars and cast like guardians”. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always liked Sentinels, though I used to prefer Guardians. With the coming of TSL, all classes have the same Base Attack Bonus progression. Therefore, the *only* melee disadvantage for the Sentinel is the lower vitality points. But then, 2 less than Guardian per level is not much. Therefore, considering that the Sentinel offers more skill points (and more class skills) and more force points, it makes sense to see this class as perfectly viable for a melee character. Jedi Consular --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 6/level Skill points : 2/level Force points : 8/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Repair Strong Saves : Fort and Will Weak Saves : Reflex Feat progression : 1 every level that is a multiple of 3, 1 at level 1 Force Power Progression : 2 every level that is a multiple of 3, 2 at level 1 and 1 every other level The Jedi Consular is the “spellcasting” version of the Jedi classes. What they do best is to use force powers to kill enemies, and to buff allies. It now has, like the Sentinel, a BAB equal to his/her level. However, 6 vitality points per level is a little low for the melee character we are trying to create. Therefore, I do not think it’s the best class to start with (for our build). After doing some forum lurking, I realised that many people considered the Consular/Weapon Master combo as one of the most powerful class combination. Try it if you wish, but I prefer playing the extremes (all fighting or all casting). Besides, a Light Side Guardian/Weapon Master will have all the force he needs to cast his buffs. Conclusion : To be honest, I’d say choose the class that you like the most; I don’t think it will dramatically influence the build, unless you start with consular. Just keep in mind that vitality points are very important, but so are skill points. Of course you can have a sentinel with high constitution, or a guardian with high intelligence to create more rounded characters. In that case, I would choose the Guardian with higher intelligence simply because intelligence seems to show up more often in dialogues than constitution (never saw it, actually). Just mess around with the attributes, and find a combination that you like. I generally choose Jedi Guardian as my starting class. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 – Attributes -------------------------------------------------------:SBCC2: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are familiar with the way the d20 rules work, you might know that it’s better to spread your points at the beginning, and later focus on the attribute you want. Why? As you toss points in a certain attribute, the cost to increase the said attribute goes up. Experiment yourself, or check a specialised guide for more information. Still not convinced? Let’s look at it with an example. Raising strength to 16 will cost 10 points and give you +3 to attack and damage in melee. Bringing both strength and dexterity to 14 will cost 12 points, but give +2 to attack bonus, damage and defence. It is most cost-effective that way, in my opinion. The attribute number only serves as an indication. What really matters is the modifier, which goes up by one for every even number, with a +0 for 10 points in a specific attribute. In other words, you get absolutely nothing more for having 15 instead of 14 in a said attribute. Here’s a table for the basic modifiers : Attribute Modifier 8 -1 9 -1 10 +0 11 +0 12 +1 13 +1 14 +2 15 +2 16 +3 Et cetera. The modifier determines how the attribute will affect your character. For example, a score of 16 in strength, which gives a modifier of +3, will give your character a +3 to attack bonus and damage in melee. At every level that is a multiple of 4, you can spend another attribute point where you wish. Generally speaking, four candidates are possible for the template we are trying to create. The first is strength, for more attack bonus and damage. The second would be dexterity, should your character be dexterity-based. The third is constitution, since, to take an old Diablo saying, “you can never have too many hit points”. From my experience, this rule applies to most RPGs. The final candidate is wisdom, for more juicy Force points. The decision should be based on your playing style. You must also consider things such as Force Mastery bonuses (such as the guardian and weapon master each giving a +3 to strength, for a total of +6). For the melee Jedi we want, I would suggest sticking to either strength (or dexterity, if you are dex-based) or constitution. Upgrading wisdom is also a possible option though, and worth considering if you want more force powers. For more information, consult a specialised guide, or my NeverWinter Nights : Hordes of the Underdark Ranger guide for a section on how all the rolls are calculated. Let’s start by checking what each attribute does. Strength (STR) Strength determines the attack bonus in melee, as well as the added damage. Basically, if you wield a melee weapon, then your strength determines everything; unless you choose the “weapon finesse” feat. Very important for a melee character, since they are dependant on fighting to dispose of their enemies. Dexterity (DEX) Dexterity is used to calculate the attack bonus when using ranged weapons. If you choose the “weapon finesse” feat, then dexterity is used to determine the said attack bonus with the chosen weapon category. Damage, however, is always determined by strength. Dexterity also affects your defence rating (which can be limited by armour) and the reflex saving throws. Useful for a Jedi since you will want to wear robes (a Jedi in armour is just stupid). Constitution (CON) Constitution gives hit points. Basically, you get an extra vitality point per level for each modifier in constitution. Quite important to have for a melee character. Constitution also affects your fortitude saves, and which implants you can wear. Intelligence (INT) Intelligence is used to determine how much skill points you get at character creation and at each level. Other than that, it affects some skills. Intelligence also brings up new dialogue options. It is an important attribute for anyone who wishes to use skills, however. Wisdom (WIS) Used to determine your Force points and the difficulty class (DC) of your offensive Force powers. Important for any Jedi character, especially for guardians. Why? Guardians do not get many Force points per level, and their will saves are not that impressive. Therefore, it makes sense to get a bonus where your character is the weakest. It also adds a few dialogue options. -=SPOILERS=- Also, Handmaiden can give you a power (restricted by armour) that adds your wisdom modifier to your defence. Quite useful if you bothered tossing a few points at character creation. Only available to male characters. -=END SPOILERS=- Charisma (CHA) Charisma is used to lower the cost of Force powers of the opposite alignment. It also influences the DC of your saves. Finally, charisma influences the persuade checks, one of the most important skill in the game. Let’s check some attribute spreads now. This is the point spread I used for my first character, a Light Side Guardian. Strength - 14 (+2) Dexterity - 14 (+2) Constitution – 14 (+2) Intelligence – 12 (+1) Wisdom - 12 (+1) Charisma - 12 (+1) In my opinion, this is a great spread for a well rounded melee Jedi. By having 14 in both Strength and Dexterity, we start with a +2 modifier in each. Therefore, we have +2 to AC and attacks with ranged weapons as well as +2 to attacks in melee and damage. Having 14 in Constitution gives us more hit points; more hit points mean that you’ll last longer. It also determines which implants the character will be able to wear. Intelligence gives more skill points; I brought it up to 12 so that I get 2 skill points per level. This way, I can focus on persuade at each level, while still developing other skills (demolitions and treat injury come to mind, since they don’t require an enormous amount of points to be useful). Wisdom has two important uses : more force points and better will saving throws. Will saves and force points are lower on a melee Jedi class, so it makes sense to get a bonus if we can. Finally, Charisma also helps in force powers, and improves your persuade checks. It’s main use, however, is to reduce the penalty from using force powers of the opposite side. Since you will most likely not go force-heavy with a melee character, it might actually be better to reduce charisma to 10, and upgrade wisdom to 14. As of now, I’m still happy with my initial point spread. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alternatively... Strength - 14 (+2) -or- 14 (+2) Dexterity - 12 (+1) 12 (+1) Constitution – 14 (+2) 14 (+2) Intelligence – 12 (+1) 10 (+0) Wisdom - 14 (+2) 14 (+2) Charisma - 12 (+1) 14 (+2) ...which allows the development of another class skill, at the expense of 1 AC –or- more Force juice for the same –1 to AC. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A powergamer could lower Intelligence to 8, and raise Charisma to 14. But like I said, a dumb Jedi makes no sense to me. In that case, the point spread would look like this : Strength - 14 (+2) Dexterity - 14 (+2) Constitution – 14 (+2) Intelligence – 08 (-1) Wisdom - 14 (+2) Charisma - 14 (+2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You could also raise your primary attribute (either Strength and Dexterity) to 16 and lower Wisdom, Charisma and/or Intelligence. I still maintain that it’s a better choice to spread your points at the beginning. Anyway, it would be like this (choose either strength or dexterity) : Strength - 16 (+3) or 14 (+2) Dexterity - 14 (+2) or 16 (+3) Constitution – 14 (+2) Intelligence – 10 (+0) Wisdom - 12 (+1) Charisma - 10 (+0) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- One may choose to put more emphasis on skill points. In that case, I’d suggest cutting wisdom and/or dexterity in favour of intelligence. This is the point spread I would use for a sentinel. Strength - 14 (+2) Dexterity - 12 (+1) Constitution – 14 (+2) Intelligence – 14 (+2) Wisdom - 12 (+1) Charisma - 12 (+1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion : You should just choose your build accordingly to your playing style. For a balanced, all around Jedi, I’d go for the first build. The two alternates are variant builds. The third is like the first, though only powergamers would possibly want to play a stupid Jedi. The fourth is for more emphasis on combat; I’m not sure if the +1 attack is really worth the loss in force points. The last is for someone who likes to use skills; great with sentinel as a base class. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 - Skills -----------------------------------------------------------:SBCC3: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Skills are much more important in TSL than they were in KotOR I. The best example would be awareness. In KotOR I, it is only used to find mines. In TSL, it also occasionally appears in dialogues. That’s great, in my opinion. Of the three starting classes, the Sentinel gets the most skills, followed by the Consular and the Guardian. Therefore, you must plan this section while keeping in mind which starting class you chose earlier. I will start by listing and discussing each skill, and I will make my recommendation for each class after. Apparently, all the skills are used in dialogues. Awareness (WIS) Awareness is used, just like in KotOR I, to spot mines. In TSL however, it also makes new dialogue options to occasionally pop up (your character becomes “aware” of something strange). I guess you could spend some points here for the added dialogue options, and mines are easy to find anyway. Computer Use (INT) Back in KotOR I, I liked to develop this skill with my scout-based characters. Before you could get your Jedi levels, it helped to defeat hard enemies (by blowing up stuff), and downloading area maps. In TSL, it also influences dialogues. Additionally, it can be used to improve T3’s attributes. If you intend to use T3, then development of this skill with the Exile is recommended. Otherwise, other party members (T3 being the best contender) should take care of the slicing. Demolitions (INT) This one lets you disable and set mines, as well as recovering them if so is your desire. This is actually a very potent skill to toss some points in, since, from my experience, most mines can be disabled with a low score. So you could very well develop it at lower level, then move on to something else later. Disabling mines give you some XP, though you will not get a pop-up saying so. You should not need more than 8 or 10 points here; you probably won’t disable the nastiest mines, but at higher levels you can simply take the damage. Persuade (CHA) This is the most important skill to have, hands down. Only your character, the Exile, can develop it, which is just another good reason for tossing points in this one. It really does help in dialogues, which play a major part in any RPG, especially TSL. Always, ALWAYS, put points here when you can. Repair (INT) Used to repair droids and such. It is also used to determine how many components you get by breaking items. The only reason, in my opinion, to develop this skill in KotOR I was to repair HK-47 and get the best bonuses. As far as I know, this won’t happen in TSL. However, you can use it to repair T3, and thus give him important attribute bonuses. Finally, repair is used in the creation of several items at the workbench. Tyrael points out that, when breaking parts at a workbench, the game will use the PC’s repair skill to determine how many components you will get, no matter which character is at the bench. Apparently, maximal yield is achieved when you have at least 20 in repair. So it might be a good idea to raise repair if you intend to do a lot of crafting. Security (INT) Someone might say : “why use security when you can bash?”. Well, security gives some small experience, just like demolitions. Also, if you bash containers, items inside will occasionally break, making them useless (and only worth one component). For doors, the new “use lightsabre” will do fine. I don’t really recommend getting it with your character; party members (such as Mira or Atton) should be able to handle this. Stealth (DEX) There are some situations (I can remember two) in the game when using stealth can be profitable. Other than that, I would only get this if you want to become a Jedi Watchman or Sith Assassin, in order to start a battle with sneak attacks. If that is the case, be sure to pick the feat that allows you to run while invisible. Treat Injury (WIS) Used to determine how many vitality points you will recover from using a medical kit, and to create various medical-related items and implants. Since you start out as a Jedi this time, you can access force heal quite early. Therefore, the only good side is the ability to mess with the lab stations in the game (especially the implants creating side). Like for repair, the PC’s skill is used to determine how many chemicals are received from breaking down items with any character. Conclusion : Like I said, skill points play a much larger role in TSL. A Sentinel with higher intelligence should consider learning most of the skills, while a Guardian of a Consular would rather focus on two or three (one, if you have low intelligence). So for a Guardian, I would recommend the following : Persuade (always max) Demolitions/Awareness (if you have higher intelligence; I would say split your points between the two.) For a Sentinel with high intelligence (be sure to take “Class Skill X” for the skills you want that are not class skills (repair, demolitions)) : Persuade Repair Computer Use Awareness Demolitions Stealth (if you want to go Assassin or Watchman, but I am steering too far from my guide so I will pass on these.) However, you really should develop your skills accordingly to the type of character you want. Check out what I did in my Favourite Character section. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 – Feats ------------------------------------------------------------:SBCC4: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are 4 types of feat. Bonuses to skills, Special Attacks, Weapon proficiencies and miscellaneous bonuses (such as running while stealthed or toughness). Basically, you generally want to focus on one type of weapon and one special attack. In our case, we want to focus and specialise in lightsabres, master duelling and at least one special attack (probably flurry or critical strike). Other feats should be taken when you have the above first, except for the “Class Skill X” feats, which you should obviously take as soon as possible. I will list each feat and discuss it. Core Classes feats ---------------------------------------------------------- -=Skills Feats=- Caution, Gear Head, Empathy : In all my other awesome guides, I have always stated that the bonuses are not worth it. I still maintain that idea, unless your character is a sentinel with a huge emphasis on skills. Anyway, you should first focus on getting the crucial stuff in, and even those “class skill X” feats if you are a sentinel. -=Proficiencies feats=- Armour Proficiencies : Do not pick these. There are in fact a number of very potent robes in the game. Additionally, the robes look cool this time, and it is a waste not to use them. And I will say it again : a Jedi in armour is just not right. If you bothered going the duelling route to look like a Jedi from the movies, why would you wear an armour anyway? The Jedi in the movies have robes! Melee Weapon Proficiencies : Three levels here : Proficient, Focus, Specialisation. The first level lets you use the weapon, the second gives a +1 attack bonus with it and specialisation, which is only available to the guardian and prestige classes, give a +2 bonus to damage. As a melee character, you want the three levels in lightsabre. However, since you get your sabre so late in this game, it can wait. Just be sure to eventually pick them. Blaster and Blaster Rifle Proficiencies : For the Jedi we are, ranged weapon are not the main focus. There are more important feats to get if you plan on using a sabre more than anything else. However, a blaster-wielding Jedi would surely be an interesting build. Experiment yourself. Lightsabre Proficiencies : You should get this tree when you have time. The specialisation is only available to guardians and prestige classes (as far as I know). The final bonuses (+1 to attack, +2 to damage) are useful, but I would max duelling and your special attack first. Duelling : Yippy! Duelling! Max this one as soon as possible! In case you have not read anything before this point, duelling adds +1 to attack and defence for each level. So when you have the three, you get +3 to attack and defence. This is as good is at will get for us duellers. Two-Weapon Fighting : Stay away! Feats for the weak, these are. So sayeth Yoda the Green. -=Special Attacks=- Flurry : This is probably the most used special attack. It grants an additional attack per round, at the expanse of a small defence penalty (which is easily absorbed by duelling). For a conventional fighting machine, this is the one. The new animations help to make it more visually impressive (with a single sabre, at least). This should be the special attack of choice for most players. Critical Strike : Interesting feats. This one is more for the connaisseur player. Basically, it increases your chances to land a critical hit, and will stun the enemy if they fail their save. With the right crystals and parts, these feats can be really powerful, especially with Forms IV, V or VII. Keep in mind that, in order to get the most out of these feats, you need to craft an appropriate sabre first. Power Attack : Gives a fixed bonus to damage at the expanse of attack bonus. Not terrific, in my opinion. I would rather have an additional attack (flurry) or risk a critical strike. I guess it is more of a personal choice, however. At least it is way better than the DnD version. Rapid Shot : Same as for flurry, but applies to ranged weapons. Your main character should focus on being a sabre master first. You can use blasters when you see fit, but you will not use them often enough to justify taking such feats. Unless, of course, you build a blaster Jedi (which is a very interesting choice). Sniper Shot : The Critical Strike version of blasters. See info in the flurry section. Power Blast : The Power Attack version of blasters. I used this one with HK-47, and I found that it’s actually very potent, possibly better than rapid shot (since blasters generally do less damage). You might want to consider this one if you want a blaster-Jedi. Kyle Katarn, anyone? -=Miscellaneous bonuses=- Conditioning : Gives a bonus to saving throws. Useful to have, but you should max other feats first. In the later parts of the game, when you have everything you want, this is a decent pick. Toughness : Gives additional vitality points and damage reduction. If you do not see the use of these feats, you really should shut down your computer, go to your room and meditate on this a little. Stealth Run : For a sentinel who plans to go Watchman/Assassin, then this is a great feat. Sneak attacks come in as very useful when you can start a battle by launching one. The most civilised way of doing this is to enter stealth mode and backstab someone. Without this feat, you will have to walk. Force Points Regeneration : In the earlier parts of the game, you might be tempted to take it, especially for a guardian. To tell the truth, I had more force points than I could spend at the end of the game. Therefore, I do not recommend getting it. Standing still a minute or two to regenerate your force points never hurt anyone. And you can also use the first force form (which everyone gets). Vitality Points Regenerate : This one might actually be decent for Dark Side characters, since they cannot heal themselves outside of combat. For Light Side, its use is greatly diminished because of the force heal tree. Not crucial, but it is certainly a better pick than force points regeneration. Finesse : Melee Weapons For the exile, this one is just useless. When you fight in melee, it should be with a sabre. Of course you get it quite late, but wasting a feat that will only be useful for the early parts of the game (which are not really hard anyway) is quite bad. Finesse : Lightsabre This feat is obviously crucial for those who maximise dexterity. You can afford delaying it until you’re done with Telos. Close Combat : If you want to play a blaster-wielding Jedi, then picking these feats is mandatory. Giving a bonus to the enemies is as dumb as it will ever get. Dual Strike : Gaining a bonus against enemies that are being attacked sounds cool? Well, it is not. As a melee character, you are the one who is supposed to be on the front. Might be useful for sneak attacks though... Precise Shot : These great feats add damage to your ranged attacks and reduce the deflection abilities of the Jedi/Sith you are shooting at. For a character focusing on blasters, this feats are excellent. So if you want a ranged Jedi, you should pick these as soon as possible. Otherwise, skip them. Unarmed Specialist : These feats improve as you gain levels. No need to bother. Jedi Defence : These selectable feats give a bonus to your deflecting power. Since deflecting is actually useful (it does kill enemies), investing in these is a good choice, in my opinion. Conclusion on feats : You should master one special attack and one weapon proficiency. I suggest the following : -Duelling (3 feats) -Either Flurry or Critical Strike (3 feats each) -Toughness (3 feats) -Lightsabre specialisation (3 feats) -Finesse : Lightsabre (if you go dexterity) -Jedi defence or others, according to what you want ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 – Force Powers -----------------------------------------------------:SBCC5: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Force powers are nifty little “spells” that you can use to transform your character in a fighting machine (such as Yoda in Episode II) or wreck some havoc on the mobs (Palpy!). I will discuss each force power separately, and list the ones I recommend taking at the end. Since my guide is focused more or less on roleplaying, I thought it would be a good idea to list the powers that we actually see in the movies, should an extremely purist player decides to do a movie build. Force Speed (TPM) Force Jump (TPM, AotC, RotS, ESB, RotJ) Force Persuade (TPM, AotC, ANH, ESB, RotJ) Force Push (TPM, AotC, RotS) Sabre Throw (AotC, RotJ) Battle Meditation? (RotJ) Force Lightning (AotC, RotS, RotJ) Force Choke (RotS, ANH, ESB, RotJ) Mind Trick (ANH) Beast Trick (AotC) Breath Control (TPM) Force Deflection (ESB) ***From GunSlinger*** That the ones I can think about right now. If you remember others, please tell me! I will list the 2 or 3 powers of each tree, and put the “general name” of the tree in parenthesis. Core Powers ----------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Lightsabre, Advanced Throw Lightsabre (Sabre Throw) : Sounds cool, looks cool, but is not that useful. Most people will want to stay clear from this one for the single fact that it does not do enough damage. However, sabre throw is still one of the “powers” we see in the movies. I decent pick for a roleplayer. Burst of Speed, Knight Speed, Master Speed (Force Speed) : Force speed will probably be the power you will cast the most. It makes you run (and walk) faster, gives a defence bonus and an extra attack. It is worth having just for the faster run speed, actually. I would pick these as soon as possible. ***Note : As of now, it seems that the Speed powers are broken; they do not give the proper defence bonus. Since a patch is supposed to be coming soon, we can expect a fix on this. Why they did not fix it for the PC version is beyond my understanding. *** Force Push, Force Whirlwind, Force Wave (Force Push) : Every single Jedi (to start with an Episode 3 quote (!)) should have these powers. Sure most strong enemies will save to our guardian, but push’s real use is to distract the mobs, and it does it nicely. Pick these when you have time. Force Resistance, Force Immunity (Force Resistance) : Gives you a chance to negate force attacks. I guess it could be useful. I do think there are more important powers out there, and if you want to take this tree, you should postpone it until the later parts of the game. You will not fight many Sith/Jedi early. Energy Resistance, Improved Energy Resistance, Master Energy Resistance (Energy Resistance) : Really great powers. Basically, they absorb energy damage. And energy damage is done by lightsabres and many blasters. These are the two most common attacks you will encounter. It is great to take these early on; quite useful on Peragus against the weak lasers of the mining droid. Affect Mind, Dominate Mind (Force Persuade) : Allows the use of Force Persuade dialogue options. Truly a Jedi trademark power, these are also very useful. You will not need them on Peragus, but it is good to have at least the first one for Telos. Force Suppression, Force Breach (Force Breach) : Strips an enemy from his force buffs. Not terribly useful. During my two times through the game, I never really felt out-manoeuvred by enemy buffs. Might be useful for the Dark Side character against the Council Members. Battle Meditation : Nice powers. They basically act like the Prayer spell from DnD : they add various bonuses to your allies and penalties to the enemies. It is generally a good idea to develop these with a supporting character, but near the end of the game, you will have so many powers that you will not know which to take. In that case, Battle Meditation is a fine choice. Mind Trick, Force Confuse (Force Confuse) Prestige Class only : Do not confuse these with the “affect mind” powers. Basically, this one will let you distract enemies, just like Obi-Wan did on the Death Star after shutting down the tractor beam. A great concept (more movie stuff = good), but you do not *have* to sneak around in order to complete the game. Sentinels do not need this one either, since they can just enter stealth mode. Force Confuse, however, makes the targeted enemy attack other enemies. Not bad, but you still need to beat his saves. Not a really great pick, in my opinion. Only take it for role-playing reasons. Beast Trick : It is the same as Mind Trick, except it works on beasts and your character automatically get it on Dxun. I tried it a couple of time, and it never worked... I guess my DC was just bad. Anyway, you get it for free. I would not bother using it though. Breath Control : You get it automatically on Nar Shaddaa. It makes your character immune to poison for a limited period of time. Whether it is useful after the specific scene of Nar Shaddaa is debatable. Force Body, Improved Force Body, Master Force Body (Force Body) : These powers divide the cost of your force powers between your force points and your vitality points. The first gives a 50/50 ration, while the others actually reduce the cost. I personally think that these powers are bad, since wasting your vitality when you have plenty force points is pointless. Force points can always regenerate, but if you run out of hit points, you are no longer there. Force Deflect, Force Redirection (Force Deflect) : Force Deflect lets you deflect blaster bolts even without having a sabre. So the bolts just “bounce” on your body. Redirection sends the bolts back at the enemies. But this power is pointless since you are a Jedi with a lightsabre, right? Well, you get your sabre pretty late... You still have to get through Peragus and Telos without one. However, once you have a sabre, it is useless. I do not recommend it for the Exile, but if you turn Mira or Atton in Jedi, and want them to wield blasters, then this power is good for them. Light Side Powers ----------------------------------------------------------- Cure, Heal, Master Heal (Force Heal) : Probably the power you will use the most often with a Light Side character. It heals a great amount of damage, even with a low wisdom. It also cures diseases starting at level 2. Really great to use both in and outside combat. Pick these powers as soon as possible. Force Aura, Force Shield, Force Armour (Armour) : Great powers that give a bonus to saving throws and defence. What is really great is that it can be activated at once along with speed and valour with Force Enlightenment. Being such a useful power, it is crucial to develop it. ***I heard that these powers are currently broken; they only give the saving throw bonus. It will probably be fixed in the upcoming patch (see Speed for info). *** Force Valour, Knight Valour, Master Valour (Force Valour) : Gives a great bonus to your attributes. Like Armour, it can be activated with the other most powerful buffs using Force Enlightenment. Truly useful powers, and they affect your whole party to! Stun, Stasis, Stasis Field (Stasis) : These powers require your to have a powerful difficulty class for your powers. In other words, you need a high wisdom and the force focus feats of a consular. Therefore, I do not think it is a good pick for the template we are trying to create. Stun Droid, Disable Droid, Destroy Droid (Disable Droid) : These powers are just like Stasis, except they are aimed toward droids. Not a good pick, in my opinion. Read the Stasis description for more information. Force Barrier, Improved Force Barrier, Master Force Barrier (Force Barrier) : Force Barrier gives you resistance to slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage. I would rather get Energy resistance, since blasters are more commonly encountered. Not a bad pick, since some enemies (like the Sith Assassins) use non-powered weapons. Revitalise, Improved Revitalise, Master Revitalise (Force Revitalise) : This one is basically “Raise Dead” or “Resurrection” from DnD. It lets you raise an incapacitated ally. The higher levels also heals them more. For our melee characters, there are more important powers out there. Force Enlightenment : You get this special power near the end of the game. For an obscenely small force points cost, it activates speed, armour and valour, i.e. three of the most powerful buffs in the game. When you get it, there is no reason not to use it anytime you want. Dark Side Powers ------------------------------------------------------------ Force Shock, Force Lightning, Force Storm (Lighting) : So you want to look like old bad Palpy? This is it. These powers are ridiculously overpowered : generally, storm will clear a room full of enemies in one or two shots. Since Dark Side does not get any impressive buffs, you should get these one as soon as possible. Force Choke, Force Wound, Force Kill (Choke) : Probably the only power Anakin/Vader can use. In the game, it is not that powerful and useful. Great for incapacitating a single enemy while you work on the others. Other than that, there is no point in taking them apart from roleplaying choice. Do not forget that you get Force Crush later on... Force Drain, Death Field (Drain) : The Dark Side version of heal, it damages enemies for a small amount of damage and transfers the life to you. Death Field works on everyone around you, so it heals even faster. Pick as soon as possible. Slow, Affliction, Plague (Force Plague) : These powers lower the attributes of your enemies. They basically act like force valour, since it makes your attributes greater than the enemies’. Apparently, force plague has a DC of 100, so it does not matter if you have high wisdom and charisma. A great debuff overall. Fear, Horror, Insanity (Force Fear) : The enemies will panic and run away from you. Not terribly useful, if you ask me. First, the game is so easy that you will hardly need to make enemies flee anyway. Second, if you are Dark Side, a Force Lightning will just do the same by cleaning the entire room. And a low-wisdom guardian will not have a DC powerful enough to bypass the saves... Drain Force, Improved Drain Force, Master Drain Force (Drain Force) : Drain Force lets you (surprise!) suck force points out of enemies. Quite useful in boss battles, but that’s about it. Apart from these bosses, the only force wielders you will encounter are at the end of the game. Certainly not a bad pick, but I would get Lightning and (Life) Drain first. Force Scream : Simply put, these are like a toned down version of Force Lightning, except you can get the powers earlier. I have not really tried them, but people told me that it is actually pretty good. Conclusion of Force Powers : These are the powers I would pick : Core Powers (i.e., for everyone) -Force Speed (3 levels) -Energy Resistance (3 levels) -Force Persuade (2 levels) Light Side -Force Heal (3 levels) -Force Valour (3 levels) -Force Armour (3 levels) Taking Valour and Armour for a Light Side character is crucial. Your Force Enlightenment power, which you will automatically get near the end of the game, will activate the two of them along with speed in a single cast. When it is done, you can really go tear some arms and legs. Force Heal is always great to have, for use in both in and out of combat. Dark Side -Force Lightning (3 levels) -Force Scream (3 levels) -Force Drain (2 levels) I do not have a lot of experience with Dark Side melee characters, but I think this should be it. Force Lighting is just a trademark Dark Side powers, and it is ludicrously overpowered in this game. Even if the enemies save against your low DC, they will still take plenty of damage. Scream is supposed to be a potent power, especially since you can get it earlier than Lightning. Finally, Force Drain should help you stay alive. But do you know what is missing? A good Force Throw power just like in Jedi Knight. I mean, it is definitely another trademark power (Maul (TPM), Dooku (AotC), Palpy (RotS) and Vader (ESB)), and it would make the game much more interactive. Anyway... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION C : Character Development :SCCD0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 – Prestige Classes -------------------------------------------------:SCCD1: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TSL brings prestige classes to the world of KotOR. What is a prestige class? Basically, it’s a special class that you can’t pick as your starting class. You generally have to meet a specific requirement to choose the class. It brings special abilities to help your character in a specific way. The Light Side prestige classes are the following : Jedi Weapon Master – Combat Jedi Jedi Watchman – Skilled Jedi Jedi Master – Spellcasting Jedi The Dark Side prestige classes are : Sith Marauder – Combat Sith Sith Assassin – Skilled Sith Sith Lord – Spellcasting Sith The Light and Dark classes are basically the same, except for some special abilities. The requirements for any of those prestige classes are : -Achieving level 15 in your starting class -Having Visas Marr in your party (i.e. being significantly Light or Dark) -Speaking to Kreia once the above is done Additionally, Light Side characters can only pick LS prestige classes (the same goes for Dark Side, of course). Since we want a combat focused Jedi, then Sith Marauder or Jedi Weapon Master makes the most sense. Mixes with other prestige classes can be quite profitable, and you really should try what you want. However, the goal of my guide is to make people play as a duelling fighting machine. Therefore, for the purpose of the guide, I recommend WM or Marauder. Movie characters seem to like the spellcasting prestige classes, however. Of special note, both Darth Vader and Count Dooku have a Jedi Guardian/Sith Lord class mix (according to the SW D20 rules). Dooku is, for example, Guardian 15 / Sith Lord 3 at the beginning of Episode II. Mace Windu is Guardian 15 / Jedi Master 2. So if you want to create a movie character, keep that in mind. Jedi Weapon Master ---------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 10/level Skill points : 1/level Force points : 6/level Class skills : Awareness, Treat Injury, Persuade, Demolition Strong Saves : Fort Weak Saves : Will and Reflex Feat progression : 1 at every odd level, plus another at level 2 Force Power Progression : 1 every level, 2 at level 1 Bonus Feats : Deflect, Greater Prestige Sense, Increase Melee Damage I Bonus Powers : None The name “Weapon Master” is absolutely ridiculous. For a DnD game, it is fine. But for a Star Wars game, ouch. Anyway. The Weapon Master is basically a Guardian with more force points each level and a couple of new feats. When I picked this class for the first time, I was just mad to see that they had added new dual-wielding feats and no new duelling feats. In my opinion, the designers *really* got messed up (to use a polite term) on this one. In any event, the Weapon Master only makes your character stronger in melee, and there are no reasons whatsoever to continue as a Guardian once this class is available to you (in other words, as soon as you hit level 15, go have a little chat with Kreia). Jedi Watchman --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 8/level Skill points : 3/level Force points : 8/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Computer Use, Security, Stealth Strong Saves : Fort, Reflex and Will (!) Weak Saves : None (!) Feat progression : No clear progression; slower than Weapon Master Force Power Progression : 1 every level, 2 at level 1 Bonus Feats : Sneak Attack I, Greater Prestige Sense Bonus Powers : Force Camouflage The Watchman is basically a Sentinel with more force points and the ability to land sneak attacks. Should a Jedi be able to do such “backstabs”, to take an old DnD term, is debatable. It should also be noted that the Watchman has excellent saving throws; the best of any class, actually. Going Watchman is the natural progression for the Sentinel who wants to keep his high skills, or a Guardian who wants better saves and skill progressions. Jedi Master ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 6/level Skill points : 2/level Force points : 10/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Repair Strong Saves : Will Weak Saves : Fort and Reflex Feat progression : 1 every level that is a multiple of 3, 1 at level 1 Force Power Progression : 2 every level that is a multiple of 3, 2 at level 1 and 1 every other level Bonus Feats : Regenerate Force Points, Prestige Sense, Light Side Enlightenment Bonus Powers : Inspire Followers I More force points and a handful of bonus feats and powers, at the expanse of a huge hit on saving throws. With all your force points however, you should be able to keep a armour up to boost those saves. Inspire followers turns your party members’ alignment to match yours, if you have a high disposition with them. If not, it tends to push them to the opposite. Sith Marauder --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 10/level Skill points : 1/level Force points : 6/level Class skills : Awareness, Treat Injury, Persuade, Demolition Strong Saves : Fort Weak Saves : Reflex and Will (the later being especially weak) Feat progression : 1 at every odd level, plus another at level 2 Force Power Progression : 1 every level Bonus Feats : Weapon Focus : Lightsabre, Greater Prestige Sense, Increased Damage Bonus Powers : Fury The Sith Marauder is just like the Weapon Master, except it has more damage- oriented abilities (feats and the fury power). Also, it has quite terrible will saves. I personally think that the Weapon Master is superior, but people have pointed out that Fury is more useful than the Deflect line. Sith Assassin --------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 8/level Skill points : 3/level Force points : 8/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Computer Use, Security, Stealth Strong Saves : Reflex Weak Saves : Fort and Will (the later being especially weak) Feat progression : 1 every 3 levels, 1 at level 1 Force Power Progression : 1 every level Bonus Feats : Sneak Attack I, Greater Prestige Sense, Weapon Focus : Lightsabre Bonus Powers : Force Camouflage Dark Side does not go far, heh? The Assassin is a Watchman with terrible saving throws and crappy feat progression, but they gain better sneak attacks sooner. Not really worth the trade, if you ask me. Sith Lord ------------------------------------------------------------------- Vitality : 6/level Skill points : 2/level Force points : 10/level Class skills : Persuade, Treat Injury, Awareness, Repair Strong Saves : Will Weak Saves : Fort and Reflex Feat progression : 1 every level that is a multiple of 3, 1 at level 1 Force Power Progression : 2 every level that is a multiple of 3, 2 at level 1 and 1 every other level Bonus Feats : Regenerate Force Points, Prestige Sense, Weapon Focus : Lightsabre, Dark Side Corruption Bonus Powers : Crush Opposition I The Sith Lord is much like the Jedi Master, except that his abilities are more oriented toward harming the enemy. Corruption is a dark side version of the Jedi Master’s Inspire followers. Conclusion : So, from my experience, the Light Side prestige classes are better. Like I said, however, I admit being somewhat biased on this. I had a lot of fun playing with a DS Consular/Sith Lord, but for a melee fighting class, I would really go Light Side. For our build, I would go for Weapon Master, though Watchman is a quite interesting class for a Sentinel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 – Forms of Lightsabre Combat ---------------------------------------:SCCD2: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally, someone developed the Seven Forms of Lightsabre combat. I have no idea if this is official or not, but the first time I heard about them is in the Episode II Visual Guide by LucasBooks (so I guess it does have some viability). They are back in the Episode III Guide, and they even have the same names as in TSL. For instance, Obi-Wan is said to use Ataru (IV) and Soresu (III). Even the Ep3 novel uses the TSL names... Anyway. In TSL, you can learn a total of seven forms out of eleven. There are (of course) the seven lightsabre forms, and four force forms. Guardians learn Forms I-V, VII and Force Focus; Sentinels learn Forms I-VI and Force Focus; Consulars learn Forms I-III and the four force forms. Note : When I say a form is available to, say guardians, it is actually available to guardians, weapon masters and marauders. Form I – Determination (Shii-Cho) Attack : +1 Defence : +3 Defence vs Current Target : -3 (Guardian, Sentinel, Consular) The Clone Wars book “The Cestus Deception” states that Kit Fisto is using this form. This is supposed to be the Form that every Jedi learns first. As a matter of fact, it is the first form you learn, at level 11. In the game, it’s a basic style which helps your attack a bit, and offers some defence against enemies that are not your target. A decent form, but you will want to switch to better forms when they become available. If you do not like to have penalties, and not a Sentinel, then stay with this one. Form II – Contention (Makashi) Attack vs Lightsabre wielding enemies : +3 Damage : +3 Blaster Bolt Deflection : -5 Saves vs Force Powers : +2 (Guardian, Sentinel, Consular) The amazing form used by Dooku. It’s a great style for sure. The attack bonus, coupled with the duelling bonus, will make sure you hit (almost) every time. The damage is always nice to have, so is the bonus to force saving throws (which you need as a melee class). Of course the blaster deflection is a problem, but that’s what Form III is for... Form III – Resilience (Soresu) Defence vs Current Target : +2 Blaster Bolt Deflection : +4 Weapon Threat Range : -1 (Guardian, Sentinel, Consular) Used by everyone’s favourite (light side) Jedi, Obi-Wan. With the +3 bonus from duelling, you will be very hard to hit, especially against blaster- wielding enemies. A great form to use anytime (except in duels; in that case you switch to Form II). The game tells you that it’s not good when outnumbered... I do not understand why, since the penalty is only for critical strikes. Form IV – Aggression (Ataru) Defence : -2 Defence vs Current Target : +5 Blaster Bold Deflection : -4 Weapon Threat Range : +1 (Guardian, Sentinel) Form used by Yoda, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan before Qui-Gon’s death. The penalties are hard, but the +1 to threat range helps if you use Critical Strike. Not one of my favourite, but I guess it’s a great form for critical strike users when they face a boss. Form V – Perseverance (Shien) Attack : +2 Defence vs Current Target : -5 Blaster Bolt Deflection : +2 Critical Multiplier : +1 (Guardian, Sentinel) Used by Anakin. One thing to know is that the +2 attack bonus is added to Blaster Bolt Deflection, so the bonus is actually +4. The defence penalty hurts (though it can be lowered by duelling), but the Critical Multiplier is great for those who use Critical Strike. Form VI – Moderation (Niman) Attack : +1 Defence : +1 Blaster Bolt Deflection : +1 Saves vs Force Powers : +1 (Sentinel) Form VI is known as the Diplomat’s form. Most of the Jedi in the prequel era were trained to use this one, as it is a “jack of all trade” form. However, it does not excel in any domain, and is thus considered the weakest. In TSL, it gives some small bonuses, but no penalties. Therefore, it can be quite a great form to keep “on” most of the time. Form VII – Ferocity (Juyo) Defence : -4 Defence vs Current Target : +2 Saves vs Force Powers : -4 Attacks per Round : +1 Critical Hit attack bonus : +4 (Guardian) The Form used by Mace Windu. The defence penalty is almost completely negated by duelling, so the only real downside is the –4 to saves. The additional attack helps us a lot. I still haven’t figured if the last bonus is actually a threat range bonus. If it is, then it’s the dream form for critical strike users. Force Channel (Force Form) Force points regeneration : +50% (out of combat only) Force power damage : +3 Saves vs Force powers : +2 (Guardian, Sentinel, Consular) A basic form that everyone learns, use this only out of combat when you need to quickly get more force points in order to buff or heal. Otherwise, keep a lightsabre style. Force Potency (Force Form) Force power damage : +30% Force power cost : +20% (Consular) For a Dark Side consular, this is the one. But since you should not be a consular, I leave it there. Force Affinity (Force Form) Force points regeneration during combat (Consular) Again, consular only. During my play as a DS one, I found that Potency was superior. Force Mastery (Force Form) Force powers duration : +50% Opponents’ saves vs Force powers : -2 Saves vs Force Powers : -4 Force Powers cost : +20% (Consular) The penalties are hard, but the duration bonus is great for buffs and especially speed. As the others, however, this is consular only. So what are the best forms? It’s more a matter of liking the bonuses/penalties spread or not. So I guess everyone can have their own “best” from. Just choose the forms that work well with your fighting style and your selected feats. For example, it makes sense for a critical strike user to pick Form IV or VII. What are my personal favourites? I favour Form II when duelling and Form III against blaster-wielding enemies. Form VII also helps us duellers a lot, giving an extra attack per round (though you get it late). You have to be careful if the enemy is a heavy force-user though; in that case, switch to Form II. For most of the game, I keep Form III on, since blaster wielding enemies are common, and the defence bonus is never wasted anyway. About Force Forms, you should only get the first one if you followed my advises and stayed away from consular. Use it after a battle to quickly heal up. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 – Creating Your Lightsabre -----------------------------------------:SCCD3: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before going in crystal/sabre parts frenzy, you must first create the actual thing. Basically, you will find all the parts on the first planet you do after Telos. Which planet is the fastest to get your sabre? I cannot really say. I would say Dantooine, since it is so small. You can also get the “charname” crystal there, so it is a plus compared to the other planets. I think that Nar Shaadaa is also a fast one (dance for the Hutt and give juma juice to the hounds). Anyway, once you have built the thing, you can upgrade it with 2 crystals, 1 emitter, 1 energy cell and 1 lens. One of the crystal slot should obviously go for the “charname” crystal. The other should generally give the best bonus you can find. For a dueller, I would recommend a damage bonus, since you do not really need more attack or defence. For the other parts, you will not find many of them during the game. The best way to get some is to build them (if you have the skills) or just use a party member (Bao-Dur seems especially talented at creating those). During my first time through, I used parts like fencing emitter and anything that gave more damage. I will add more in this section once I am more experienced with the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 – Equipment --------------------------------------------------------:SCCD4: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will not go into details and list the properties of items. Generally, you should just equip the best stuff you find. But there are still some things that you should consider, and I will try to cover them in this section. Headgear : The full helms and masks are quite ugly, from what I have seen. Therefore, I recommend something that does not cover your face, for pure aesthetic reasons. Anyway. Just look for properties that you like. I favour bonuses to saves and resistance to force powers. I spent most of the game with a Rakatan Meditation Band that gives a bonus to wisdom and resistances. Implants : I figured that an implant that protects against critical strikes would be useful, but it does not seem to matter much. Early on, a +1 to constitution would be welcome, since it would stack with the Exile’s armband. Later on, just look for what you need. Strength and dexterity seems the best. Gloves : Bonuses to skills are great if you are a Sentinel. Otherwise, something that adds strength would probably be your best bet. I also ran into some gloves that give a damage bonus. Might be a good idea. Armour : Robes, robes and robes. You bothered going the duelling route to look a little like the Jedi in the movies, and you would put on a smelly armour? No way. Robes come with nice bonuses, especially to attributes like wisdom or charisma. I found a robe that also gives resistance to energy; great since lightsabre and blaster damage is energy. Sith robes also seem to be upgradable. And finally, the robes ***actually look like robes from the movies!!***. And that’s probably the best aspect... Thanks to the developers for this! Shields : What I generally do is keep one energy shield (blocks lasers and lightsabres) and one melee shield (blocks physical). However, I don’t remember using them a single time with my main character. I would say keep your armband and mix it with another +1 constitution for more hit points early on. Belt : I never really bothered looking for great belts. I just equip what I find the best. If I remember correctly, I used one with bonus to saves for most of the game. Weapons : Your first slot will obviously be your lightsabre (which is covered in the appropriate section). I used the second slot for a plasma torch until I got my sabre (sabres tend to be good at bashing stuff open...). After that, I just equipped a rifle that bypasses damage reduction (forgot the name). I must have used it once through the game, but hey, you are an exile who lived many years without a sabre... it makes sense to carry a trusty blaster with you at all times. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION D : GENERAL STRATEGY :SDGS0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 – Fighting (and Killing) Enemies -----------------------------------:SDGS1: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basically, you bash stuff with your sabre. If you are Light Side, you will also use some buffing powers once in a while. If you are Dark Side, you might want to occasionally choke or fry someone. And remember that both sides have access to force speed, which makes “city crawling” quests a lot easier. It might be worthwhile to carry a blaster as your secondary weapon. A normal blaster will not go far, but one of those disrupter rifle (or something similar) that does unblockable damage can potentially be useful in some situations. It is not like you have anything better to do with your second slot anyway. Of course you can carry a second sabre specialised in killing droids, but this is extremely crappy as far as role-playing is concerned. Most of the time, you should use your special attacks (probably flurry or critical strike). Don’t forget that force jump is a nice way to get to the enemies faster. For the lightsabre fighting forms, I recommend keeping Form III active most of the time. It gives a bonus to defence (which is never wasted) and the deflection bonus is useful since the only enemies that can attack you before you can attack them have blasters. When you face a single lightsabre wielding enemy (a “boss”), switch to Form VII. When facing multiple sabre wielding enemies, or an enemy “spellcaster” (Consular/Master/Lord), switch to Form II. A critical strike user should stay with Forms IV, V and VII, though I do not have enough experience with critical strike to comment on this. Probably in a future update (and do not be afraid to send me stuff you know!). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 – Using Force Powers -----------------------------------------------:SDGS2: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are basically to types of powers : buffs and damage. Core powers include some buffs (speed) and some damage powers (push, sabre throw). Light Side powers are generally buffs, though disable droid and stasis can be considered as harming powers. Dark Side is entirely damaging. The power that you should cast the most often is speed. Dark or Light Side, everyone benefits from this one. The speed aspect is alone a good reason to cast it whenever you feel like it. The other buffing powers, like armour and valour, should only be cast when you enter huge or boss battles. It is kind of pointless to spend 10 seconds casting buffs when you can kill most enemies in one or two strikes. If you are Light Side, you can just cast Enlightenment whenever you want. As far as damaging powers are concerned, push is a great power to use when there are many enemies. Even though most of them will save, it helps if you can knock a few down. The use of stasis and disable droid (if you have them) is up to the situation. For Dark Side powers, well, once you get lightning level 2 or 3, you can clear whole rooms in a shot or two. For bosses, you can get them in “crush lock” (when you get Force Crush). Quite cheap, but very effective. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 – Party Selection --------------------------------------------------:SDGS3: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I huge part of the fun in TSL is to interact with the different members, and also see how they interact with each others. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to create your own party combinations. In any event, I will list here the members and briefly discuss them. Do not expect number crunching here; it’s only my opinion concerning the character in general : his/her personality, in-combat and outside combat effectiveness. I will also say how I like to develop them. Kreia (Jedi Consular)-------------------------------------------------------- Kreia is the first party member that you will meet. Besides being blind (and seeing through the force), she has a quite nice ability that works in conjunction with your character : force chain. Whenever you cast a buffing power, she will also be affected by it, and vice-versa. Quite nice, since you can buff two people for the price of one. Other than that, she is just like any other consular : weak in melee, but powerful in the force. Her neutrality also makes her an effective dual-side force user, and her clearly overpowered attributes should keep her alive most of the time. Another useful ability she has is to make the party gain more experience for each kills. Therefore, if gaining levels is your top priority, having her whenever it is possible is a good choice. As far as her personality is concerned, I hate her. I just don’t like the way she acts with the other members, and I don’t like the idea of having someone telling me what I should do. But I guess this is a personal choice. Kreia is also one of the main characters (kind of like Bastila in KotOR I). The few times I use Kreia, I put her in Jedi support mode with a single lightsabre/vibroblade (it is not like you can give her anything else...). Have her cast buffs (which will also buff your character because of Force Chain) and offensive powers like Wave and Storm. Atton (Scoundrel)------------------------------------------------------------ You will meet Atton early on, and he’s one of the main characters (much like Carth was back in KotOR I). On the good side, he has a nice personality (in my opinion), is funny sometimes, and actually has an interesting story. As a scoundrel, his main ability is to backstab. With the items you get, you can raise his dexterity really high, making him an effective sniper (and backstabber with a lightsabre, if you train him and give him the finesse in lightsabres). He also has nice skills, so he is quite useful to have around. Atton can be trained to become a Sentinel, and is a romance option for females. While the most common way of developing him would be the traditional dual wield, I actually prefer to keep him with a single blaster (and a single lightsabre if I turn him). It just does not make sense to me to have a scoundrel with two pistols (picture yourself Han Solo). Anyway, this is more of a personal choice. T3-M4 (Expert Droid)--------------------------------------------------------- The little droid is back, with an actual personality this time. In my opinion, the designers really succeeded in making him more like R2-D2, his (yes, I make him a living being) movie counterpart. T3 is the guy to use when you want to crack, repair or open something. He is also “alright” in combat, due to its shock arm upgrade (which has unlimited uses). T3 might not be the one you will use to accompany you every time, but he is very useful for his outside combat abilities. The way I develop T3 is quite straight forward. Basically, I maximise all the skills I can with equipment (and keep the other utilities with bonuses to various combat bonuses for HK). It would also be a good idea to equip him with good plating and shields, since it will make your job easier when you play him solo. Bao-Dur (Tech Specialist)---------------------------------------------------- This faithful Zabrak who served under the Exile during the Mandalorian Wars is the master of skills in the game. Even though he has a low defence (he cannot equip most of the armours), he is a very valuable party member outside combat due to his high skills. His shield-breaker special attack may be useful sometimes, but your character will generally do enough damage to break any shield quite fast. Of course if he is in the party and you run in a group of shielded enemies, then use it; but it is not crucial to your success. You may be let down by his combat capabilities, but once he becomes a Jedi, he is much more powerful. He remains a very useful companion if your character does not know many skills. As far as personality is concerned, he is a great companion, and obviously has a lot of respect for your character. Bao-Dur can be trained to become a Jedi Guardian. Because of his really bad defence, I generally have him shoot people from afar, beside his low dexterity. Turning him to a Jedi will greatly improve his defence, and so he will be able to go melee with a sabre. Bao-Dur is also the guy I use to create most upgrade parts for lightsabres and rifles. Therefore, equipment to maximise his skills are never wasted. Handmaiden (Soldier) Male Characters Only------------------------------------ One of the Echani sisters, she is part of Atris’ crew. She has some good attributes, and a unique feat that improves her unarmed damage. She also comes equipped with a good robe. She gets more interesting if you train her (and give her the lightsabre finesse), since a plain soldier with a low strength and high charisma does not go far. She is a Light Side character, and will react accordingly to what you do (though she often looks a little over-zealous). She also has great voice acting (by the same voice-actress who does the voice of Padmé in most LucasArts game), but she has *extremely* short hair, which I do not like (I know, this is not a very constructive comment but hey, I am allowed to drop my opinion once in a while, am I?). Handmaiden can be trained to become a Jedi Guardian, and is a romance option for males. The only advice I can give about her development is to give her weapon finesse and focus on dexterity. I generally have her wield her staff and a sith sabre later on. Visas Marr (Jedi Sentinel)--------------------------------------------------- Sent to kill/capture you once your character has stewed enough crap to attract the attention of the freaky-guy-with-a-mask-who-cannot-speak, also known as Darth Nihilus. As a sentinel with high dexterity, she reminds me of Bastila. Of course she starts evil, but can be converted completely to the Light Side in one single conversation. Picking lightsabre finesse for her is a must. As far as the rest is concerned, she is just another jack of all trade character, bringing melee power, skills and force powers. For her personality, I cannot really say since I did not use her much. I will pick her the next time I go Light Side, and add more comments. I did use her to lead my second group on Dxun, and I was satisfied by her performance. Visas Marr is a romance option for males. Once again, weapon finesse in lightsabres is a must, as well as the toughness line of feats. I generally give her a sith sabre or a two-bladed vibroblade. You can focus on her dexterity for more attack bonus, or constitution if you think she dies too easily (and she does, trust me). Mira (Scout) Good and Neutral Characters Only-------------------------------- Mira is the wannabe Fett bounty hunter of the game. Besides being really good with pistols (scouts get free feats for them), she has a wrist launcher that can shoot grenades, darts and rockets. When she is in lead, the party cannot set off mines. Under normal circumstances, this may not sound crucial. But in a certain part of the game (at the end of Nar Shaadaa), it can save you a load of time. Mira is a great character as a scout, but can be trained to give your party more force hoomph. Finally, she’s a great character for skills, and is therefore quite useful outside combat. Mira can be trained to become a Jedi Sentinel, but is not (as far as I know) a romance option (though a male character can hit on her in some conversations). I always have Mira dual wield pistols à la Jango Fett. Give her the two- weapon fighting feats and the rapid shot line, and keep her skills high. If you turn her, I suggest giving a sabre as an alternate weapon and set her AI to Ranged. Hanharr (scout) Evil Characters Only----------------------------------------- Hanharr is just an evil wookiee. I haven’t used him much, so I can’t really comment on him. What I really liked, however, was to literally break him as a Dark Sider. In my opinion, this is just the best Dark Side option in the game, as it involves manipulations with words an all. If only the other options were similar, instead of the usual “bully” approach. As a character, Hanharr is, quite literally, a beast of melee combat. The most obvious way to develop him would be to have him dual-wield blades. His lack of armour can become problematic, but the use of shields can fix this up. According to a few mails I have received, there is apparently a bug during the conversation mentioned above that allows you to raise his strength up to 255 while lowering his intelligence to 0. However, this obviously remains a pretty big glitch, and if you intent to stay legit (and you should) you should not even consider doing this. (Thanks to Tyrael) G0-T0 (Expert Droid)--------------------------------------------------------- Correct me if I am wrong, but I personally think that this is the most insignificant character who joins you. As an evil droid, I’d pick HK over G0-T0 any day. As a skill expert, I would sooner take T3 or Bao-Dur. I did not even bother bringing him out of the Ebon Hawk. The only good part of having him is to hear HK “fat one” line. HK-47 (Combat Droid)--------------------------------------------------------- Everyone’s favourite psychotic assassin droid. HK is just like he was in KotOR I, except this time he (yes, I make him a living being) has a special line of feats that gives him more damage. You have to repair him first (though it doesn’t require any skill) and find the four missing parts. To get him as soon as possible, you need to go through Nar Shaadaa first. This is my favourite character in the game, simply because of his lines and his personality in general. You need to be Dark Side to really enjoy having him, but he is a nice member to have with a Light Side too. Always maximise his dexterity and combat abilities. Give him the power blast or rapid shot feats (I prefer power blast) and possibly the close combat feats. When they are in, concentrate on the precise shot tree. I have him wield a fully upgradable rifle, which I have customised with the most damage- adding parts (constructed by Bao-Dur). When I get Mandalore, I generally take his repeating rifle, swap the upgrades on and give it to HK. Disciple (Soldier) Female Characters Only------------------------------------ Disciple can only be recruited by female characters – male getting Handmaiden instead. Disciple starts out as a soldier with rather good physical attributes. Because of his higher dexterity, it might be better to have him use pistol(s) instead of melee weapons. If you turn him into a Jedi, he becomes a consular. The big problem here is that he has an abysmal wisdom score, which does not help him in his new profession. Just like T3 can be used as a workbench, Disciple can be used as a medical lab. Tyrael points out that despite all of this, Disciple has a great personality and is easily converted. Powergamers will probably not want to use him instead of Kreia, but he remains an alternative if you want to use a new character. Mandalore (Soldier)---------------------------------------------------------- I would have expected a more bad-ass look for the great Mandalore, but he does a fine job anyway. His armour is much like Fett’s, but the jet-pack is missing, and he has two weird tubes going from under his mask to his back. Idea for the developers of a possible sequel : give the next Mandalore a jet- pack that could do something similar to force jump; it would be kind of cool. Mandalore has nice attributes, and is very powerful in melee. I would leave ranged combat to Atton, Mira or HK though. He also has 4 types of implants to boost his attributes even higher, or to regenerate his vitality points. I have received a countless number of mails telling me that Mandalore is Canderous from KotOR I. Guess what? I knew it before even playing the game. I did not explicitly say it since I did not want to spoil it for people who did not know it yet. I am just tired of receiving mails about this one, so to hell the spoilers. I have him dual wield blades or a two-bladed vibroblade. Be sure to drop a point both in strength and constitution to increase the modifiers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION E : STUFF FROM READERS :SFSR0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE: Looking back at what I did here, I now realise that the whole thing is a big mess. I ended up not updating/correcting some parts of my guide because I had posted it here instead. So to put it bluntly, I am fully aware that I got seriously messed up with my “new system”. Needless to say, I will never use such a thing in future guides. If I find the courage to do it, I might clean it up. Again, sorry for the mess... I have decided to adopt a somewhat different approach than in my other guides. Instead of just copying the whole (or so) message below the name of the contributor, I have decided to break down the section in several general topics, and include what each contributor has to say about the said topic. Before going in, I need to specify some things : 1. I did not include every single mail I received. Some were questions, which I answered personally, and I did not think it was relevant to include (most of) these mails in my guide. 2. Sometimes, I receive similar strategies from different people. There is no real point in saying twice the same thing, so I did not include 4 mails about force power X. 3. I have read *every* mail I received, and replied (at least once) to *everyone*. If you sent me something and never got a reply from me, then your mail never reached me, plain and simple. Re-send it, and I will be happy to answer any question and discuss anything. 4. There are some mails that I haven’t included yet, but will do so as soon as possible. I keep receiving more and more mails, but at some point I decided to go on and publish what I had received up to a certain date. That being said, I received quite a lot of mails. It *is* possible that I forgot about a great tip that someone sent me (I can’t say my inbox is well organised, nor that my readers are very disciplined as far as subject is concerned...). I will go through my box again in the near future to make sure the nice stuff is in the guide. You will notice that some names appear quite often. Some people had very interesting stuff to say, and explained it very well. Of course my personal laziness also played a part here. If you desperately want your name and tip/strategy in my guide, and that I have not included it, do not panic! Follow these simple steps : -Take a deep breath, like Obi-Wan would say -Check this section again, just to make sure that your contribution is indeed missing -Before harbouring a vicious hatred directed at my humble person, consider that it is possible that I just forgot to add your tip; I make mistakes too. Also, you must realise that someone else might have expressed a strategy similar to yours in a better, more structured way, and that I have decided to add his instead of yours. No offence intended. -Send me an e-mail, asking –politely- to put your tip/trick in. I will immediately do so (I keep every mail I receive). That being said, let’s get going. Please note that the mails are not organised in any particular order. My comments will be preceded by ***. ======== Watchman ======== From N P -------- Anyhow, I wanted to throw out that I find the Jedi Guardian/Jedi Watchman to be more effective than the Jedi Guardian/Jedi Weapon Master combination. I personally love to make use of skills and didn't really like the Guardian until I figured out a way that I could gain the needed skills in Repair and Computer Use to fully repair T3-M4, so I tried this combination and found that it is also highly effective for a master duellist. Although the Weapon Master has a few nifty abilities over the Watchman, such as increased damage and a bonus for deflecting blaster shots, sneak attack makes for a great edge in combat. It's a great way to start a fight, attacking from stealth for extra damage, but also gets a lot of use from using stunning attacks, such as critical strike, various force powers and lightsaber modifications, or having one of your teammates running interference and either distracting your enemy or stunning them with one of their own attacks. And, as you say in your description, the Watchman is excellent for giving a Guardian extra skill points and better saves. ***This is actually a superb idea, in my opinion. N P’s mail made me realise ***that the Weapon Master’s main bonus was the improved dual-wielding feats, ***something that we duellers do not need. Giving additional force points ***only at the expanse of some hit points, I now maintain that Watchman is ***quite probably the best prestige class for a dueller. Note that if you ***intend to use critical strike, then going Weapon Master is a better idea ***since you want or have Form VII. ======== Form VII ======== From N P -------- I also wanted to let you know that in Form VII, it's critical hit attack bonus isn't added to threat range, but to the confirmation roll to score a critical hit. So if you roll a 20 on your attack while using the Juyo style, you get a +4 bonus on the second roll to see if you actually score a critical hit or just a normal attack. At least I think it is. If they use the pen and paper rules for critical attacks, then that's most likely what it's adding the bonus to. From Adam Celli --------------- I was looking through your guide and i know what the phrase "Critical Hit attack bonus : +4" means that a character gets a +4 bonus on the check to see if their critical hit is actually a critical. It was explained in an errata for a DnD book i have. Just thaught i'd point it out to you. ***The mystery of Form VII lies unresolved. ========================== Dexterity Based Characters ========================== From N P -------- Anyhow, I was reading through your guide and you made mention of strength as opposed to dexterity as being your primary attribute. I have played through as a more dexterity based character, and here's my feelings on the issue. From a certain angle, dexterity does have some more value than strength for a lightsaber duelist. Such a character is more defensive, and, with all the dueling and lightsaber finesse feats, can very difficult for enemies to hit while landing more attacks. Now, both strength and dexterity are easily increased with some special equipment, such as infiltrator gloves or a power implant, or with an armor underlay. A Guardian/Weapon Master with lightside mastery gains a +6 bonus to his strength, whereas only having darkside mastery as a Sith Assassin grants a bonus to dexterity (+3). However, a high dexterity can increase your defense to levels that make you very difficult to hit. With the finesse feat, you can add that same bonus to your attack rolls, making you hit just as often, if not more frequently, than a character with a high strength. The only other variable that strength influences is your damage, and strength is easily upgraded to provide a bonus by achieving lightside mastery. My last character was a Consular/Weapon Master, and when he achieved lightside mastery, his strength was at 20, while his dexterity was at 23. At that time, he could inflict 13 to 45 damage with a normal attack, using the character crystal from Dantooine and a Barab Ore Ingot crystal without any lightsaber upgrades that increase damage, and he was at level 17. That five extra damage he deals because of his strength is almost insignificant, as the lightsaber does most of the work. Besides, I prefer to play a character I enjoy roleplaying, and in every RPG I've been a part of I always played a character that was more agile than strong, more precise than brutal. It's simply the way I like to play my characters. Hell, I even prefer to give my character flaws, such as only raising his combat feats to improved and using all three rather than focusing completely on power attack, flurry, or critical strike. I like to vary my combat and use the one that works the best. I might take the master level feat in one or more of these later on, but I am one of those that likes to actually play a role in an RPG rather than cutting through it as fast as possible. ***Once again, N P has convinced me to try a dexterity based fighter. ***Judging from what he says, it is probable that dexterity is as good, or ***even better than strength. I’ll have to refine my strategies. From Sean Holland ----------------- I also wished to mention that under your stat suggestions, Having a higher Dex and getting Weapon Finesse as a Guardian is not a bad choice. The higher dexterity allows you to have a higher defense and both your dexterity and strength can both go up with alignment boosts and items, with them close, you hit easier, your harder to hit and you do a decent bit of damage. ***Confirms N P’s analysis. From Jadon ---------- I started as a Jedi Guardian, female, with the following ability scores; Str: 14 Con:14 Dex:14 Int:12 Wis:12 Cha:12 After leveling up to level twenty two as a Jedi weapon master, my scores now look like this. Str:25 Dex:25 Con:15 Wis:18 In:12 Cha:17 My armor class is by default, 27, and I am wearing the Advisor armor witht he Armorply overlay mark III and strength underlay mark II enhancements, I am wearing the Automation gloves (dex +3) I am also weaing the Imitator belt (dex +3) I maxed out power attack, two weapon fighting, both normal and supiror, flurry and standard weapon focus and also took finesse lightsabers. In powers I maxed out Force speed for relivent power info. So in essence, when I use all my powers and my hefty Sith saber as you called it, I have a defense of 27 +4 (force armor)+4 (master speed) plus two or three depending on my Saber load out,a defense of 38. and I can hit an enemy around six times in one attack for an average damage blow of 45 HP a hit and my attack bonus stands at 32/30 for primary/off hand attacks. six times 45 my friend, on ONE ATTACK. I can wade into the highest level eneimes by myself and get hit once at this point if my luck is bad. Dex characters preform excellent, I have never died int he entirity of playing, and they look damn impressive if I do say so myself. ***More arguments and a build this time. Nice info. =============== Guardian Master =============== From Sean Holland ----------------- I also wanted to toss a character type you may wish to try when you get some time. The alignment doesn’t matter really, but a Jedi Guardian/Jedi Master (Sith Lord) is really a great class combination. If you wait till Level 20 with the Guardian, you get and get a decent amount of Lightsaber feats, you will hold your own in melee combat, and the JM/SL class will provide with a ridiculous amount of force powers. ***For such a template, it is better, in my opinion, to go Consular/WM. ***Consular levels will make your powers harder to resist (force focus), ***while Weapon Master will make you a fighting machine. Of course, every ***build is good as long as you enjoy it. ==================== Dark Side Corruption ==================== From Grand Commander13 ---------------------- What I did was this: I got to level fifteen, and made a saved game just outside the ship with Bao-dur and Kreia in the party. I used the addlightside or adddarkside cheat to put me to light or dark mastery. I then noted where Bao-dur's alignment was, using a piece of paper to compare the bottom of the little bar it used to indicate position to the word on the right of the character sheet. Then I chose Sith Lord or Jedi Master, and noted where the alignment fell after I leveled up. My character had 10 charisma, and Bao-dur had some influence level I could look up, but is probably about 70. DARK SIDE MASTERY: With no prestige class (or Sith Maruader, which I used as an extra "control" just to be sure), Bao-dur's alignment was at the level where it would cut the word "Fortitude" in half. With Sith Lord, it was just above the word "Reflex" on his character sheet. A noticable movement downwards. LIGHT SIDE MASTERY: With no prestige class (or Weapon Master, which was light side's extra "control" class), his alignment was cutting the word "Wisdom" in half. With Jedi Master, his alignment was just above "Wisdon" on the sheet. Smaller than the change Sith Lord gave, but still, a change I measured a few times. CONCLUSION: Sith Lord and Jedi Master do indeed move allies in the direction of your chosen alignment. I'll probably later test what they do in the case of opposite alignments (like DS Mastery on a Jedi Master), but since I doubt people would be have alignment opposite their prestige class, it may be a while before I check that. ***Great information for sure. I guess I was kind of wrong when I wrote that ***these abilities were broken. ====================== Duelling and “Casters” ====================== From Handy Owen Alexander ------------------------- My reason for e-mailing is to impart another reason for duelling. If you choose a jedi consular to jedi master, or (especially) sith lord as the path to follow in the game duelling is just about the smartest move you could make. In early levels where your powers are pitiful compared the mass enemies you are going to face it is a necessity to be able to hit your opponents and keep them from either hitting you or keep the damage to a minimum when they do. Many times I have found myself running out of force power while beset by enemies and had to make do with a lightsaber. Plus if you happen to go unarmed the bonuses carry over (mind you one of my characters went unarmed for much of the game because, between duelling and the unarmed combat feats which are learned for free, there was no lightsaber that hit for more damage than my fists and ignored shields like fists). Being of the consular persuasion I also did not truly require the extra hit on most enemies toward the end of the game due to the fact that if they could reach me they were well on their way to becoming one with the force anyhow. ***Nice arguments. Now that Consulars get the same BAB than Guardians, ***people started using duals with casters too. They haven’t learned ***anything... =================== Lightsabre Crystals =================== From Iwan Sulaiman ------------------ A little addition for your FAQ, the wisdom bonus of the "char name" crystal and a second crystal (ie. Kasha) doesn't stack. Don't know weather this is a bug, but I think it should be noted as it is my only complaint when creating a dueling Jedi. ***That’s quite odd, and I think it could be a bug. Nice warning. ======== Sentinel ======== From Steven Scougall -------------------- Guardian vs Sentinel: It must be noted that the Guardian's class features are tied into using a lightsaber, and so are useless until you get one. Whereas the Sentinel's features (immunities) are immediately active. Though, I'm playing through with a Sentinel, and I haven't noticed my immunities coming into play at all... ***Force jump only works with lightsabres, so yeah, a sentinel is advantaged ***early on. I still think that one should decide according to skills and ***hit points differences though. ====== Skills ====== From Steven Scougall -------------------- Awareness skill: I noticed the my character could spot the Sith Assassins on the Harbinger while they were stealthed. This could have been because of my maxed-out Awareness skill, which is supposed to let you see stealthed opponents. ***I do not think this is true. From what I understand, the assassins are ***spawned when you enter a specific area, and I could detect them with all ***of my characters. From CJ Williams ---------------- Sorry for bugging you, but in the skills area, you said that Repair and Computer Skill are useless for the main character, as there are no HK47-like abilities to fix things. This is false. You can actually perform repairs on T3 (I think that's the small droids name, I forget...) using these abilities. Simply start talking to him, and a little while in, it will give you the option. I do not know what it does yet, but might as well find out... ***Huge mistake on my part. Thanks for the clarification! From Tempest Stormwind ---------------------- Repair/Computer Use can be used to upgrade T3, and if he's fully upgraded (three stages with each of Repair/Computer Use, requires T3 Influence to have successful options, but not much) you gain the option to practice moving meditation on him (you may have noticed he tells you that you blanked out for a minute when working on him... this is what it leads to). Talk to him if he's hurt -- you'll fully repair him and restore your force points instantly. During the repairs, you'll also not only boost his Intelligence [Computer Use] and Constitution [Repair] to some truly impressive levels (I couldn't spend the skill points fast enough!), but you'll also get a minor boost to your maximum Force Points (rare events). Could prove useful for a few guardians I know. ***Very interesting, considering that T3 can eventually become a fighting ***machine. ======== Disciple ======== From Steven Scougall -------------------- He starts as a level 6 Soldier, and comes with at least two of the two-weapon fighting feats. He starts with a strength of 14 and a dexterity of 16, so he can go either ranged or melee with few problems. Despite the way he's presented in the game, his wisdom and charisma are 10, so he doesn't seem like good Consular material. ***Great information from Steven Scougall, and it just encourages me to keep ***playing with a male. ***I will add more of the info I received via e-mail about disciple. I do ***not intend to go through the game as a female (cuz I’m a man =P), and the ***only information about Disciple in this guide will most likely come from ***here. ===== T3-M4 ===== From Anonymousplayer0 --------------------- Firstly, T3 is the only droid to be able to have (as far as I know) special droid features and shields. The shield is gained on Nar Shadaa via the quest given by the utilities droid in the repair shop(I have forgot the name of the lil' blind alien who works there as it is his shop). This shop is used in the main quest when you need the ??pass card??? to gain access to Goto's yacht. The special droid attachment comes with T3. These give huge advantages in combat: T3 now has a weapon that will hit every time and cannot be worn out and T3 has a shield that cannot be worn out. As I don't have a copy of the game in front of me, I do not know the amount of damage the shield can endure before being deactivated, however chances are that it includes energy. This infinite energy shield makes T3 a powerhouse against most lightsabres (I am not sure if the opponent's sabres have attachments that may do other types of damage... ie electric) and gives him a weapon that will always do some damage regardless of the opponent's DEX rating. If a player goes with the "skills T3" (where all attributes and feats go to something that will benefit a skill) this becomes invaluable. However, I would recommend the vitality regeneration feat so that if T3 fights a character wielding a melee weapon, another with a lightsabre and another with blasters, he can kill the melee with the shield on so as not to take damage from the lightsabre and blasters, then "hide" under the shield and recover vitality while disposing of the lightsabre and blasters. T3 will take minimum damage and recover it quickly while taking out 3 tough opponents for a non-force, non-exile. The shield can be accessed every turn from the start menu. Press start, then to the items menu, then to the current character inventory screen, and select T3's shield. This can only be done once a turn. T3 now has become a skillful powerhouse. This is a good additive to a consular or guardian who does not have good skills as now T3 rarely ever dies and kills almost everything and then can do almost all of the skill inserts in the game. Such as repairing a droid or slicing a computer. As a test for this I had T3 go on the mission with Visas/Handmaiden on Duxn. I then went into solo mode and did about 95% of the mission with just T3.(The final battle I admit I needed handmaiden because 3 dark jedi at once got through the shield every turn and did damage. However as T3 is not a combat droid, getting through 1 and 1/2 dark jedi is pretty good. Also when you add some decent pistols and the duel-wielding feats, T3 can become even more versatile. ***I am a huge R2-D2 fan (the little guy is probably my second or third ***favourite character in the whole saga), and I was really interested in ***reading about a guy who turned R2’s game counterpart as a fighting ***machine. Extremely great information in this one, and I will definitely ***check this out in game. All the better if you can repair him to the max ***beforehand (to do so, you can use a Guardian/Watchman (personal fav.) ***or Sentinel/something). ===== Kreia ===== From Anonymousplayer0 --------------------- Also...Keria is most effectively used (in my opinion) by giving her all of the force powers of the opposite side (aka if your DS give her powers like Barrier) because this evens out the exile's offense with Kreia's buffing. And the most effective party configuration that I have used is -Exile (Male DS Sentinel-Assassin with lightning, scream, etc.) ... a ranged character such as Atton( who, if you stick with ranged weapons and change into a jedi, can become very effective) or Mandalore(ranged configuration) or any other character that you make ranged ... and either Kreia (for dialog and storyline reasons), Handmaiden ( who is a fricken powerhouse if you hold levels and then convert to a jedi .... She is in my opinion very underrated as she is generally melee and with a lightsaber/force ...very friggen powerful) or a droid. Bao-Dur I never really used because I had skillz and he sux at combat. ========== Handmaiden ========== From Tempest Stormwind ---------------------- Battle Precognition. The ability Handmaiden teaches the Exile. Two points, one a nitpick, the other an observation -- it's a power, not a feat, and you don't note that it only works with robe-level equipment (i.e. it's a force power that's restricted by armor). [For the record, handmaiden's Jedi levels don't stack with her Soldier levels for determining Unarmed Specialist, which came as a shock to me since I used her unarmed. In the end, I did something interesting with her -- gave her upgraded Mandalorian Assault Armor and an assortment of powers that weren't restricted by armor (such as Energy Resistance, Disable Droid, Force Whirlwind, and so forth). As a secondary Jedi, it's startlingly effective.] ***Important to know, since you can’t use it with an armour. Also great info ***on Handmaiden. ================ Dark Side Powers ================ From Anonymousplayer0 --------------------- Lightning is probably the mast potent power in the game, especially at higher levels. If someone is going DS...this power is a must have. As a Male DS Sentinel-Assassin, the best way, in my experience to fight is to unload with force lightning once or twice and then rush in with my exile and flurry anything that's left. Also if one chooses the DS path, towards the end one receives force crush... this power will not only deal a s**tload of damage but will knockdown opponents. Therefore you can force crush Scion forever. ( As a Male Sentinel-Assassin at level 25 or so, I had about 500 force points... no cheats, no joke) Another very handy power to have at low levels as a DS character, force scream. This is like lightning but is available at low levels. ( force shock and the tier2 or this don't his a very large damage radius) The next best thing to this was Kill. ***Great info, and a proof that Crush and Lightning are a little... ***overpowered. To crush a boss forever is what I call “Crush lock”; ***the boss will never be able to attack you, and you will deal massive ***damage. Perhaps a cool-down system like in Diablo 2 or Guild Wars ***should be implemented in a possible sequel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION F : FAVOURITE CHARACTER :SGFC0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The character depicted in this section represents the sum of everything I said in this guide. I do not claim this is the best character, but I can assure you that it is powerful. I also have valuable arguments to support my theories. Note that this character should just serve as an example. If you want to play through the game with a carbon copy, I would be honoured. However, a huge part of the fun (for me, at least) in TSL comes from creating your own character, and watching him/her become more powerful as you choose feats and skills that fit your needs. Starting Class : Jedi Guardian Like I have stated before, two of the three possible starting classes can qualify for the template we are trying to create (in my opinion). These two classes are of course the Guardian and the Sentinel. While we could start a deep analysis to choose which class is the best, I think we can just make the following assumption : A Guardian is a better fighter A Sentinel is more skilled Of course this statement can be attacked in many ways. The Guardian’s physical prowess is barely better than the Sentinel’s (hit points and feats being the only differences). But to keep things to a decently simple level, let’s say that the above theory is true. I chose the Guardian for three reasons. First, I wanted my character to have the most hit points available, because of the prestige class I will choose later on. Second, I wanted the additional feats in order to take Class Skill X feats in Repair and Computer Use (this will be discussed later, when I describe which skills I take). Finally, I wanted my character to be a warrior more than anything else, for role-playing reasons. Gender : Male Of course this is a purely aesthetic reason. Being a man myself, I find it hard to play as a female character. I am stating this however since that means that this character will get Handmaiden’s power that adds his wisdom modifier to AC. This is not crucial to the build though, since it only adds +1. Attributes : Strength - 14 (+2) Dexterity - 14 (+2) Constitution – 14 (+2) Intelligence – 14 (+2) Wisdom - 12 (+1) Charisma - 10 (+0) These attributes are for a balanced, all-around Jedi. However, I cannot hide the fact that there are some role-playing reasons behind this point spread. First off, I wanted my character to have some good physical abilities. Thus, I went for a 14 in strength, dexterity and constitution. A 16 is also an interesting option, but costs a lot of points. Like I already said, I strongly believe that it is a better idea to spread your points at the beginning. The score of 14 in intelligence is for two reasons. First, It gives my Guardian two more skill points per level, which is crucial since I intend to develop multiple skills. Second, from the point of view of both a Star Wars fan and a movie purist, a Jedi should not be stupid. Then there’s wisdom and charisma. I chose to put more points in wisdom since it would give my character a +1 to AC from Handmaiden’s power. Also, a Jedi should be wise. The extra points I receive go in dexterity. With lightsabre finesse, dexterity adds both to your attack bonus defence. I think this is great for duellers, since you can make your defence really high with the duelling feats and force powers. Skills : As a Guardian with 14 intelligence, I ended up with 3 skill points per level, and (3*4)=12 at creation. I spent my initial points in persuade, demolition and awareness. Like I said before, persuade should be developed whenever you get the chance. Demolitions is quite useful early on; first off, there are many mines on Peragus, and disabling them not only makes your job easier, but also gives you some much needed experience points. Finally, a constant focus on this skill is not required to make it useful even later in the game, and it just makes sense to me to toss some points there right away. Awareness spawns some interesting dialogues options, and is crucial to turning Mira in a Jedi. Since I had planned to use her (good ranged support and skills), development of this skill was needed. As I advanced in levels, I took the Class Skill : Repair and Class Skill : Computer Use feats. I then tossed some points in both, developing them at the same rate. Of course I did not neglect persuade either. I did this for two reasons. First, I intend to use T3 as a party member. I am a huge R2-D2 fan, and I wanted to see what his game counterpart was made off. Those two skills are needed to improve T3’s attributes. Second, skills are, in a whole, extremely important in this game, providing extra dialogue options and thus additional experience points. Role-playing wise, it is also nice to be skilled with computers and mechanics. I occasionally come back to awareness and demolitions. The goal is to cover as many skills as possible. One can argue that a Sentinel is a better choice for such a character. Perhaps it is. I just wanted my character to be a Guardian. It is going very well though. I did not develop security and treat injury (stealth is coming in a sec). Security is, in my opinion, not that important. Of course it prevents items from breaking, but you can easily assign a party member to this task (T3 and Mira are two good contenders). For the item creation, well, just drop to Nar Shaddaa or any other planet of your liking, and have T3 work on a workbench. Treat injury is really less useful than in KotOR I, the reason being that you have access to heal earlier. Of course you don’t have much force points at the beginning, and you will most likely use a couple of medical kits at some point during Peragus and Telos. However, with a long term point of view, it’s not that useful. From my experience, even as a Guardian/Weapon Master with low wisdom and charisma, you will have more force points than you can spend later on. Treat injury is used to create medical items and implants. You can safely leave this job to another member. And as far as healing is concerned, you can always switch to a member with high treat injury and use a medical kit on the wounded character. For stealth, I start dropping points once I take my prestige class, Jedi Watchman. It is also crucial to take the stealth run feat, since walking gets boring really fast. More on stealth later. Feats : The first priority is to get the class skill feats. Why? To allow the development of those skills as soon as possible. Like I said earlier, I chose class skill : repair and class skill : computer use. The next step is to take the duelling feats, which will give you your combat bonuses, and picking your special attacks feats. I chose flurry. The other contender would be critical strike, but since I won’t get Form VII, I decided that flurry would be better for my character. Also, I don’t have the headache of crafting an appropriate sabre for use with critical strike. As the character matures, you can choose feats such as toughness. However, priority should be put on upgrading duelling and your special attack. It is also important to remember that you have to take lightsabre finesse if you focus on dexterity. Don’t take the finesse on melee weapons though, since it would be a huge waste. You don’t have to take it right away though; just make sure to have it once you leave Telos. When I get near level 15, I pick up stealth run. Force Powers : When creating a character that focus on combat, I always go for Light Side. Even though this is quite strange from a role-player’s point of view (a Jedi not being supposed to focus on brawling and all), this is really the way to go. The reasons being that the light side powers have the best buffs, and the dark side powers require more force points to use, as well as a higher wisdom to improve the difficulty class. The powers I focus on are all buffs : Armour Valour Speed When you get Force Enlightenment, you will be able to activate all three at once. I also get the heal powers, for obvious reasons. As minor attack spells, I pick the force push line. It is also great to have the force persuade powers (Affect and Dominate Mind). Don’t be afraid of using it; as long as you don’t make people do evil things, you should not get Dark Side points. For example, it is perfectly fine to force persuade people for more information. Prestige Class : The prestige class I choose is the Jedi Watchman. The Weapon Master of course brings some excellent feats and abilities for a melee character. However, the greatest asset is the improved dual wielding feats, something that my character has no need for. Improved weapon focus is not that great, and you should be able to hit stuff with the duelling feats anyway. The Watchman, however, brings some interesting abilities. First off, you get more skill points and more force points, for a (very) small penalty to hit points. The 15 Guardian levels I took helps to compensate for this. The Watchman also has the best saves in the game. Finally, it also brings sneak attacks, which is a great boon for dexterity based characters. I maintain that multiclassing with a “different” type of class (i.e. a warrior going skilled, for example) is a good idea, especially when going with the warrior class first. The reason being that, early on, you need hit points and better BAB (though the latter is meaningless in TSL, all classes having the same BAB). The only exception I can think of is the Guardian/Master versus Consular/Guardian. Both builds work out well, but the consular class is superior because you get the force focus feats, which allow you to use offensive powers successfully. Therefore, I think that the Watchman makes an excellent prestige class for the duelling character I want to create. Lightsabre Forms : As a Guardian/Watchman, I get the first 6 lightsabre forms and the first force form. My favourite is Form III : it provides a decent defence bonus and some great blaster deflection power. This is the form I keep “on” most of the time. Against lightsabre-wielding enemies (which only happens later in the game), I generally switch to Form II. The other forms are mostly geared toward improving the use of critical strike, something I don’t really care about for my build. Form VI is also decent, though I prefer Form III as a resting form. Equipment : You probably know it by now, but I will say it again. I’m not the kind of guy who likes to list what piece of equipment is useful for each situation. My philosophy is to use the best stuff I can find. There are some key points however : -I always wear robes, mostly for role-playing reasons. I do think however that robes are great, especially those who reduce energy damage. -Headgears or gloves that improve skills such as computer use and repair are great. -Always have energy shields equipped. Ideally, you would have one that protects against energy, and one against melee damage. Protection to elemental damage is nice, but not crucial. -Talking about energy shields, don’t be afraid of using them (especially early on, when you can’t protect yourself with your sabre). The most basic version are plentiful and cheap, and you can activate them 10 times before they collapse. -Implants are generally nice to boost your attributes, or to improve your character with some sweet immunities. -Don’t bother with stealth belts on your main character. There’s absolutely no point in going stealth in this game if you can’t backstab; and once you gain this ability, you can go in stealth mode without a belt. -Early on, an implant that gives +1 to constitution can be used in conjunction with the charname’s armband to give your character a +1 constitution modifier, which results in one additional hit point per level. -Since you can now have two sets of weapon, use them. Before you get your sabre, the first slot should generally be a vibrosword of some sort. The second slot should be occupied by a plasma torch, until you have Atton to open doors and chests. When you get your sabre, it will most likely sit in the first slot. Since you can now open doors easily, I recommend a blaster of some sorts for long range damage. Disrupter rifles are especially interesting since they inflict “unblockable” damage. For the lightsabre : Once again, I’m not the kind of guy who likes to study every single possible configuration of crystals, emitters, cells and lenses. I generally aim for the best I can afford (well, the best Bao-Dur can create). I favour damage bonuses, since I can already hit and defend well with duelling, and I don’t use critical strike. Of course, charname’s crystal is always in there. There you have it. That’s currently my favourite character to play with. Like I said at the beginning, this should be mostly used as an example. Mix feats and skills with different attributes to find a character of your liking. After all, this is all that matters. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | SECTION G : CONCLUSION :SECO0:| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I guess that’s it. My real goal with this guide is to make people understand that a character in TSL, even with the new dual wielding feats, does not need to be a dual wielder. Without the Star Wars movies, this game would not even exist. And in the Star Wars movies, all the Jedi use a single blade. It makes sense for your character to do so. In any event, I hope to have persuaded you to see the duelling route as viable, or at least make you consider it. Thanks for reading, and I hope to receive comments from you soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 – Contact Info -----------------------------------------------------:SECO1: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let’s get something clear right at the start: I don’t mind criticism. I actually received quite a few mails about people who did not agree with my (unusual) role-playing theories and the like, but still acknowledged certain sections of my guide. If you hated the whole thing, please do not bother telling me to stop writing “mediocre” guides like this. Yes, I received a mail that basically said that. And I did not like it that much. Remember: it’s your right to disagree, but it’s mine to like and encourage role-playing. My E-Mail address is : dark_coffee@msn.com Please use “TSL V1.2” as the subject. It might sound stupid, but it really does make my job easier. Since I seldom receive mails about this guide anymore, I probably won’t add any reader-submitted builds/info in the guide (unless I made a big mistake or something like that). It actually takes time to add things, and I do think that what had to be said is already in the guide anyway. However, I am still happy to read and reply to mails sent to me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 – Copyright Stuff --------------------------------------------------:SECO2: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document is copyright (c) 2007 to DarthMuffin. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. The Knights of the Old Republic II : This Sith Lords Duelling Guide by DarthMuffin is available for free on the following websites : GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) GameSpot (www.gamespot.com) The last version of this guide can always be found at GameFAQs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 – Versions ------–--------------------------------------------------:SECO3: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- V1.4 – Thanks to Tyrael, I patched up some areas and corrected a few mistakes, especially in the skills section. V1.3 – Minor edits. V1.2 – Extremely minor edits. V1.1 – Added tips, tricks and strategies I received via e-mail, as well as a complete Favourite Character section, which sums up everything I described in this guide. Some minor fixing/editing throughout the guide. V1.0 – First complete version. Everything is in there, except the stuff I received from readers. V0.6 – The guide lacks some important sections (Character Creation (parts of it), Development and General Strategy. They are all coming soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 – Self Promotion ---------------------------------------------------:SECO4: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can see all the guides and reviews I have written on gamefaqs.com. http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/23429.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 – Thanks -----------------------------------------------------------:SECO5: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Thanks to me for writing this (!) -Thanks to Obsidian for giving us a decent sequel to KotOR (please do no rush it next time!) -Thanks to you for reading this -Thanks to George Lucas for creating Star Wars Semi-Useless Trivia : Did you know that the Telos cantina music was featured in the underrated “The Phantom Menace” game by LucasArts? It is the cantina music in the Mos Espa Arena level, after you meet with Jabba.