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Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic (PC)
Duelling Guardian Guide
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By DarthMuffin aka Coffee_Addict and many muffin/coffee names |
E-Mail : See Contact Info Section |
Created on : April 5, 2004 |
Posted on : August 17, 2004 |
Last Update : March 29, 2007 |
Version : V1.4 |
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- Warning : this guide was written by a Star Wars purist (!). I do make a
lot of role playing decisions here, since I can't stand playing a character
who is too far from the movies.
- This guide is based on the patched PC version of the game.
- To fully understand the guide, you better have some basic knowledge of the
game itself and the DnD rules. If you're reading this, however, I suppose
you're a Star Wars purist (or a veteran who wants to try something new) and
that you know what you're doing.
- 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. Again, it shouldn't be such a big deal because
it's probably not your first time through the game.
- 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.
I wrote this because the general feeling on the forums is that Single Sabre
should be used only by consulars. Since it does less damage than the dual
sabres or the sith sabre (aka staff), most people think that guardians +
single sabre = crap. And I'm here to tell you that it's not true.
You see, the first time I went through the game, it was with a Strength-based
Scout/Guardian wielding a single sabre. Guess what? I've actually beaten
the game! It's quite cool isn't it? Seriously, some people think that it's
impossible to go through the game with a single sabre guardian. Also...
-=SPOILERS=-
I didn't know the first time that you could just destroy the cells containing
the imprisoned Jedi to stop Malak from healing. So yes, I did beat him quite
a few times because he was healing over and over again. That's just another
proof that Single Sabre is not an sucky weapon, and a fine alternative to the
other styles.
-=END SPOILERS=-
This guide will cover the character creation process, what levels to take and
all the feats, skills and force powers. Finally, I'll (of course) cover the
freaking sabre itself.
Just a small note before we begin : I want you to understand that, no matter
how hard you try, duelling will never do as much damage as two-weapon
fighting (i.e., duelling will never be as efficient as two-weapon fighting).
However, I can assure you that it's possible to beat the game without any
problem with a single blade. Also, duelling is the most safe fighting style.
The problem is all in the feats themselves, since duelling doesn't offer
enough compared to two-weapon fighting (which neglects almost all penalties).
In any way, if you're a powergamer, this might not be for you. Of only
interest could be the Dexterity build for a crazy AC. So I'll say it again,
just to be sure everyone gets it : the Single Sabre Guardian is more of a
role-playing / movie purist build.
For those who read my Ranger guide (NWN:HotU), you probably know that I like
effective characters. So even though these are role playing builds, I can
assure you that they're playable.
Next to nothing. Some minor edits that have pretty much nothing to do with
the content.
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| TABLE OF CONTENT |
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Section A : General Information>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SAGI0:
1 – The Lightsabre................................................... :SAGI1:
2 - The Builds....................................................... :SAGI2:
Section C : Jedi Stuff>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SCJS0:
1 – When to Switch................................................... :SCJS1:
2 – Skills and Feats................................................. :SCJS2:
3 – Force Powers..................................................... :SCJS3:
4 – Creating your Lightsabre......................................... :SCJS4:
Section D : General Strategy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SDGS0:
1 – Killing Stuff (including equipment).............................. :SDGS1:
2 – Using Force Powers............................................... :SDGS2:
3 – Party Selection.................................................. :SDGS3:
Section E : Stuff from Readers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :SESR0:
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| SECTION A : GENERAL INFORMATION :SAGI0:|
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Just the general stuff you need to know about this character build.
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1 – The Lightsabre ---------------------------------------------------:SAGI1:
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Ok, so do you know what a lightsabre is?
You put some crystals in a hilt, and the energy generated by the energy cells
will go through the crystals and create a long blade of about one meter. We
could get into details, but let's keep that simple.
Knights of the Old Republic did a _superb_ job with sabres. Each sabre has 3
crystal slots : one for the colour, two for bonus properties. The colour
crystal is usually just for the look of the sabre, but...
-=SPOILERS=-
The Yavin IV base sells two special colour crystals (blue and orange/red)
which also give special bonuses. I don't remember the names, and I'm too
lazy to check them out. They're only available once you've recovered the
last Star Map (but before you go to the Star Forge system).
-=END SPOILERS=-
There are many different types of crystals to put in the other two slots, and
I'm sure that you can find all the useful info about this in another guide
(yes, I'm really lazy).
In general, there are three types of crystals : Damage, Defence and Special
bonuses. The choice comes down to your character build. Strength based?
You might want to add some blaster deflection power in your sabre. Dexterity
based? More damage could be a good idea. For the special bonuses (stun,
etc.), just use them if you want (most enemies will resist later on, if I
remember correctly).
For more information, please refer to Section 3.5 – Creating your Lightsabre.
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2 – The Builds -------------------------------------------------------:SAGI2:
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As far as I can tell, there are two builds for Single Sabre guardians :
Strength based and Dexterity based (not really complicated, isn't it?)
Strength Based Guardian
You will focus on strength, and will do generally more damage. Your Armour
Class will be lower, and that can become a problem if you don't have enough
Dex. You could wear an armour, but I generally keep robes for Jedi (and
armours limit force powers). You can help this by adding blaster deflection
crystals in your sabre, though it won't help you against Sith. This is a
build for those who like to do more damage. This is the first build I
played, and the game wasn't really hard.
Dexterity Based Guardian
This one will focus on Dexterity and Armour Class. You will do less damage,
but your AC can become crazy. With appropriate force powers and items, I
heard that you can even get it to the high 40s, which is a LOT. In fact,
most enemies won't be able to hit you. Because of the lower damage, you
might want to get those damage crystals in your sabre. This is a build for
more conservative players, and those who like to be safe most of the time.
I'm currently working my way through the game with this build.
For your first Single Sabre Guardian, I'd suggest the Dex based. It's the
most safe way, since your AC can become crazy with items and force powers.
Also, it breaks the monotony of Str based melee fighters.
Personally, I think that a Jedi should be Dex based. They don't need huge
strength since a lightsabre is not heavy (a simple hilt...) and they don't
need to hit hard either to kill. Of course as a CRPG, KotOR doesn't make it
so lightsabres kill in one hit. Like I said at the beginning, I try to stay
close to the movies, so if you're a powergamer, you can entirely ignore this
paragraph.
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| SECTION B : CHARACTER CREATON PROCESS :SBCC0:|
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I'll be honest : the only starting class I tried is the Scout. Here are the
reasons why :
The scout is nearly equal to the soldier. You get less Attack Bonuses and
hit points, but MUCH better saving throws, more skills and free implants
levels. Since I usually take up to level 4 with my starting class, the
differences of attack bonuses and hit points are not really critical. The
saving throws, however, are really nice. The extra skill points also let you
pump skills such as repair (if you want to use HK-47, that is), and the
implants are more useful than Heavy Armour proficiencies since you will most
likely wear robes later on. You might want to start as a Fighter only if you
want to use that special Dark Side only Sith Mask, which requires heavy
armour. I don't think the bonus are worth the lower saves and the loss of 2
implants levels though.
As for the scoundrel, I just don't know. I've never really liked rogue types
of characters, and for a guardian, I prefer having more hit points anyway.
However, I read on the forums that the sneak attack + guardian levels can
become really nasty. I just don't know, and frankly, I probably won't try
it.
I'm also a huge Ranger fan, and a scout is the closest thing I have to a
Ranger in the Star Wars universe (if that counts for anything).
So I'd go with a scout, though you can just choose which class you prefer.
At character creation, you have 30 points to spend in 6 different attributes.
However, the more points there is in an attribute, the higher the cost is.
You don't have to know how the system works, since you can just try your
builds in the game itself. Since I'm really lazy, I'll just copy and paste
the explanation from my awesome NeverWinter Nights Ranger guide (propaganda
O_o) :
---
Now, we were saying that you had to spend your 30 points. Since the coming
of the really crappy (personal opinion here) 3rd edition rules, you can't
just pump a crazy amount of points in one attribute. As you add more points,
the cost for each point goes up. For example, a human who wants to raise his
strength from 13 to 14 will cost him 1 point. If he wants to raise it again
from 14 to 15, it will cost two. Here's how it works :
The 6 first points cost 1 point each
The 7th and 8th points will cost 2 points each
The 9th and 10th points will cost 3 points each
The 11th and 12th points will cost 4 points each
Et cetera.
---
There you go.
Now, let's see what each attribute does.
Strength : Calculates the rolls for melee weapons. Lightsabre rolls are also
calculated with Strength if Str > Dex. All damages done by melee weapons
(including sabres) are calculated with strength.
Dexterity : Calculates the rolls for ranged weapons. Lightsabre rolls are
calculated with Dexterity if Dex > Str. Your dexterity bonus will also be
applied to your armour class. Armours can limit the maximum dexterity bonus,
and heavier armours can completely negate dexterity bonus. Finally,
dexterity affects your reflex saving throws.
Constitution : Determines how many hit points you get by levels. Your score
also affects your fortitude saves.
Intelligence : Determines how many skill points you get by level. Also
affects some skills.
Wisdom : Determines how many force points you get per level, and their
regeneration rate. Also affects the DC (difficulty class) of your force
powers. Affects your will saves.
Charisma : The charisma modifier is added to your persuade skills, and it
affects some force powers.
For a Guardian, we will (of course) focus on physical combat. If you feel
like you want to have a high wisdom / charisma, you better get a consular.
I will list the attributes I recommend for each of the two builds. These are
just my opinions, and feel free to submit yours.
Strength Based --------------------------------------------------------------
STR : 16 + levels
DEX : 14 + levels?
CON : 14
INT : 10
WIS : 12
CHA : 10
Put all your additional points (those you get each 4 levels) in Strength.
This build, like I said before, will do more damage but will have a lower AC.
You could drop a couple of points in Dex if you want a higher AC, but I
generally prefer to focus on a single attribute.
Dexterity Based -------------------------------------------------------------
STR : 14
DEX : 16 + levels
CON : 14
INT : 10
WIS : 12
CHA : 10
As you can see, it's the same thing, except that we changed the scores for
Str and Dex. For a higher AC, but less damage, this is it.
STR : 12 + levels?
DEX : 18 + levels
CON : 12
INT : 10
WIS : 10
CHA : 10
(Messing around with attributes made me realise how Bastila's attributes are
rigged)
If you really want to, you can toss most of your points in DEX. This will
give you 1 more AC and attack bonus, which is not that much considering the
loss of 20 HPs. I usually prefer the first build, but if you want to try
this one, it should work fine. However, I personally think that raising an
attribute to 18 at character creation is a waste of points.
Conclusion :
These are the basic builds. Feel free to modify them as you see fit. For
example, you might want to drop a few more points in charisma because you
want your character to have more personality. Remember : playing a single
sabre guardian is, before anything else, a role-playing decision. So do what
you like!
For a Guardian, skills are not that important. However, you might want to
consider a few things before tossing every points in a single skill. Also,
if you followed my advice and took a scout for your starting class, you'll
have some more skill points to use.
First off, you have to know if you want to use HK-47 as a party member. For
more information on him, see the Party Selection section, or another guide.
If you do want to use him, you'll have to raise your repair skills to 17 to
take full advantage of his abilities. Now, lets take a look at the skills...
Computer Use (Int) : Quite cool to use, and useful at the same time. You can
easily defeat many enemies by blowing up stuff, and that helps a lot,
especially at the beginning when you're still not a Jedi (well, in a certain
way). Also, downloading the area's maps is really useful, and unlocking
doors makes you save time. The first time I went through the game, I
developed this skill a lot. While useful, I found that in the rare cases I
really needed the skill, I could just leave the area, select T3 as a party
member, and use him to do the job. I would take the skill if you don't plan
on getting HK (because you won't need repair).
Demolition (Int) : This one is your traditional Disable Trap from DnD.
Except that in this game, mines are not as deadly as their DnD counterpart
(traps). For that reason, I don't think it's a wonderful idea to develop
this one. Perhaps if you're a scout, and you don't need repair and computer
use. Otherwise, I'd skip this one.
Stealth (Dex) : For scoundrels, I guess this one would be great. With the
Guardian's hit points and attack bonus, you could probably pull off some
quite decent sneak attacks. I personally leave this one, since it's not
crucial. But if you want a scoundrel, then I'd say go for it.
Awareness (Wis) : Let's you spot mines and hidden enemies. Quite useful for
the mines, so you can send someone like Carth to take the blow (^_^). I
don't remember getting in trouble with cloaked enemies though. A decent
skill, but don't forget that you can take it as a Jedi, and you might want to
take more important skills with your starting class (especially if you're a
scout).
Persuade (Cha) : This one is technically awesome, but I prefer to use force
persuade instead (and you don't have to worry about Bastila's warnings... as
long as you don't do evil stuff ("giving" the gizkas to someone) you don't
usually get Dark Side points). It's still worth pumping when you become a
Jedi (and before if you're a scoundrel) to use it in some situations,
especially at the end (!).
Repair (Int) : A great skill, and an alternative to computer use (those
repaired robots are amazingly powerful). However, the main use is to repair
HK so he kill stuff faster. You need 17, no more, no less. It's quite hard
to achieve this, but it's not that bad if you start as a scout. If you don't
plan on using HK, I'd say computer use is better (you can do more stuff).
Repair replaces Treat injury for droids, so pump HK's and T3's points here.
Security (Wis) : Lets you unlock stuff. This is probably the least useful
skill (in my opinion). In this game, everything can be bashed (as far as I
remember). So I'd skip this one.
Treat Injury (Wis) : This one is great. Even though you can use force heal
later on, it's always useful to cure huge amounts of hit points with a life
support kit (those red medical kits). Don't forget that you won't have a
consular's wisdom, charisma and force points, which makes heal a little bit
less useful (but it's still awesome, especially the upgraded version). I'd
pump this one.
Conclusion on skills for Starting classes :
These are the skills I'd consider talking.
Treat Injury
Computer Use / Repair (depending on what you want)
Stealth / Persuade (for scoundrels only)
Awareness / Demolition (if you have some spare points)
As usual, I'll list the whole thing, giving my opinion on the way.
Armour Proficiencies : Don't pick these if you're Dex based. As a Jedi, you
should wear robes. Even Str based should consider wearing robes for a simple
reason : a Jedi with an armour is just not right. In any way, as a Guardian,
you will probably end up with more feats than you need. If you're Str based,
it might be a good idea since robes are all about Dex. Beware for the force
powers though, and some of the restricted powers can make your AC far better
than if you use armours.
Weapon Proficiencies : You want lightsabre focus and specialisation. If you
want to role-play a specific character, you can then focus in something else.
Unfortunately, blasters aren't that powerful in KotOR (they're supposed to
make them better in KotOR 2. We'll see...). A Jedi who doesn't centre all
of his combat abilities on a sabre can be interesting.
Duelling : This is the one. Upgrade as soon as possible. It grants a bonus
to your armour class and attack bonus (+3 at level 3). That's as good as it
will get for single sabres. Like I said in my review for the game (here at
gamefaqs), I do think this one should be better (*hint* Obsidian *hint*).
The Dual Wielding feats in this game are way too powerful, which makes dual
wielding the most popular option. Anyway.
Two-Weapon Fighting : Aka dual wielding, this one is not for you. I'm sure
you can find a guide somewhere to help you with a two-weapons Guardian.
Conditioning : Upgrades your saving throws. Another great set of feats.
When you have the crucial stuff (duelling focus / specialisation and active
combat style), consider getting these.
Toughness : More hit points = good. Not much to say here, it's the same as
for conditioning.
Implants : Great to have, and if you follow my advice and take 4 scout
levels, you'll have the first two levels for free. Getting the level 3 is
not a bad idea either, since there are some very nice implants.
Critical Strike : These are interesting. Since you will do less damage, it
might be a viable option to risk a critical strike. Don't forget to pick the
right crystals (Nextor and Opila). With master critical and a Nextor, you
get a really good chance (50%, I think), and with the Opila, it gets really
interesting. Probably my favourite active combat style.
Flurry : Another interesting feat. Anything that lets you land more attacks
is good since you will never hit as much as one of those dual wielder. There
is a small defence penalty, but your duelling feats should take care of it.
I like to develop this one as a secondary active style, if I have enough
feats left after taking everything I need.
Power Attack : A popular choice for dex based characters in NeverWinter
Nights (to break physical resistances), this one can be good to make up for
the usually lower damage. Even Strength based may like it. I personally
prefer Critical Strike and Flurry, but I think it's more a personal choice.
Sniper Shot, Rapid Shot, Power Blast : For a Jedi, these are not useful.
Also, blasters are not that effective in that game (reminds me of Archers who
don't pick Arcane Archer in NWN... damn d20 system...). However, since this
guide is more about role-playing, a Jedi who decides to use blasters when
needed could be an interesting pick. Also great if you want to create a Luke
Skywalker character (!). Anyway, these should not be touched unless you
create a specific character for role-playing or pure fun purposes.
Caution, Empathy, Gear Head : If you've read my awesome Ranger guide for
NWN:HotU, you already know that I never really liked those feats that give
bonuses to skills. Usually, the bonuses are not worth it. This is also true
in this game (for your main character, that is), except for Empathy. It
gives a bonus to three important skills, so if you have extra feats, it might
be a good pick. And a small note about Gear Head : I'm 89.2% sure that the
bonus doesn't count when you try to repair HK.
Conclusion of Feats :
As usual, you should get the crucial stuff right away. As a Guardian, you
may end up with extra feats. You can then take feats like conditioning,
empathy or another active combat style. Here's the stuff I'd take.
Fighting Style : Duelling – Pick these as fast as possible
Primary Active Combat Style – I'd suggest either Critical Strike or Flurry
Passive Bonus Feats – Such as Toughness, Conditioning and Empathy
Secondary Active Combat Style – If you want, you may develop a second style
Implants – If you want
Of course you can't max everything. Be sure to have at least level 3
duelling and a level 3 active combat style. The rest is up to you, but I
like extra hit points or saving throws. A second active combat style could
be useful, and you don't have to max it.
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| SECTION C : JEDI STUFF :SCJS0:|
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At a certain point in the game, you will be trained as a Jedi. Nice. Let's
see what it does.
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1 – When To Switch ---------------------------------------------------:SCJS1:
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This is an important aspect of your build. For those who don't know what I'm
talking about, you can actually choose to "keep" your levels. For example,
lets say you're level 2 and you get enough experience to advance. You can
choose not to click the level up button. You still get experience, and the
levels will stack. Technically, since the Jedi classes are all stronger, you
could do a X 2/Guardian 18 (the game forces you to level at least once). It
is possible to get through Taris without too much problem with a level 2
(with a scout, at least). I had to load a couple of times, but it's not so
bad.
For a Guardian, however, you don't need to keep your starting class to a
minimum. Consulars want the highest DC for their force powers, but yours
will be mostly buffs anyway. Here's what I suggest.
Soldier : Anything you want, really. The early soldier levels are all the
same. I'd switch at 4, but that's just me.
Scout : Switch at 4. You will end up with 1 less (+3) BAB than a soldier, +4
to all saves, Uncanny Dodge I and Implant level II. This gives you very nice
abilities without hurting your character at all. This is my favourite build.
Scoundrel : I'd switch at 5 to get the 3d6 sneak attacks. You could also try
to get to 7 for 4d6 sneak attacks and a total of +4 bonus to defence.
Well, that's it.
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2 - Skills and Feats -------------------------------------------------:SCJS2:
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When you become a Guardian, you will get new class skills, but you will keep
the ones you had before (useful for a scout). If you don't have a high
intelligence (and I don't know why you would want a high Int for this build),
you will end up with a very small amount of skill points (1 (!) if you have
10 Int). The Guardian brings the following class skills :
Persuade
Awareness
Treat Injury
I would add my point(s) to persuade, and perhaps a couple in Treat Injury.
If you want HK, you'll have to pump repair until it reaches 17.
For the feats, you'll get :
Exotic Weapon Proficiencies : Lightsabre
Force Jump
Jedi Defence
Jedi Sense
I would get focus and specialisation in Lighsabres as fast as possible. The
others will upgrade by themselves, so just continue to upgrade duelling and
your active style(s). Later on, just follow what you decided to get.
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3 – Force Powers -----------------------------------------------------:SCJS3:
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What I really like about this game, is that even though you are a fighting
class, you can get decent spellcasting powers, which is quite hard to pull
off in games like NeverWinter Nights. Anyway.
As the protagonist, you get a special, unique feat which gives you +40 force
points. That's extremely handy for a Guardian, since they don't get a good
force point progression.
Since you have a lower charisma and wisdom than consulars, the DC of your
powers will be quite low. What the heck is a DC? DC stands for difficulty
class. It is compared to the enemy's save to see if your power will damage
and/or affect the enemy in any way. So we were saying that the DC of your
powers will be quite low. Therefore, picking powers that focus on harming
the enemy is not the best idea. That's why most of the powers I suggest are
buffs.
Here we go again...
- Core Powers -
Throw Lightsabre, Advanced Throw Lightsabre : You toss your Lightsabre at the
enemy like Darth Vader does in Return of the Jedi, doing damage based on your
level. In my opinion, that's probably not the best force power available.
However, being able to toss your sabre looks quite cool, so I usually end up
picking it. It's quite useful for the last battle in the game. Level 2 is
not a "must".
Burst of Speed, Knight Speed, Master Speed : These are awesome. Makes you
run faster, give bonus attacks and a quite important bonus to AC. I'd pick
these as soon as possible, and always cast it when you feel like it.
Force Push, Force Whirlwind, Force Wave : For me, every Jedi should have
this. I mean, being able to move stuff with your mind *is* the most popular
display of The Force. For personal role-playing reasons, I always pick
these. For a dedicated Guardian, however, it's probably not a "must".
Scoundrel based Guardian might like the stun effect from Force Wave (sneak
attacks galore!).
Force Resistance, Force Immunity : These offer a chance to neglect Force
attacks. The first time I went through the game, I wanted to try all the
"flashy" force powers so I didn't really care about these. Bottom line is
that they can be quite useful. A good pick if you have everything you want.
Energy Resistance, Improved Energy Resistance : These provide damage
resistance to various "elemental" attacks, such as lightning and sonic. To
be honest, I only used this one once (I took it during my first time
through), and that was against Malak. I'd take Force Resistance instead.
Affect Mind, Dominate Mind : Another Jedi trademark, these let you use force
persuade in dialogues. It's quite useful, and you can get some very
interesting choices if you go Dark Side. I'd pick these as soon as possible.
Force Suppression, Force Breach : It's just like the (surprise!) Breach spell
from DnD. It cancels active force buffs on the target. These are more
occasional spells. You don't need them to beat the game, but they can be
quite useful in certain situations (but such situations are rare).
-Light Side or Dark Side-
I personally think that you should go Light Side for this one. You get the
best buffing powers available, and you can heal yourself pretty good. Since
most Dark Side powers damage the enemies in one way or another, you need a
high DC to make them useful. However, the Dark Side Mastery bonus gives a
bonus to damage (or strength? I forgot), so it helps in a certain way.
- Light Side Powers -
Stun, Stasis, Stasis Field : These require a good DC, so I'd forget about
them. There's more important stuff anyway.
Stun Droid, Disable Droid, Destroy Droid : Same logic as for the Stun powers.
Force Aura, Force Shield, Force Armour : Now we're talking. At level 3, it
gives a +6 bonus to AC and Saving Throws. That's big. Get these as soon as
possible.
Force Valour, Knight Valour, Master Valour : Gives a bonus to all attributes
and saving throws. Another great set of powers, at level 3 it gives +5 to
everything. Get these when the crucial stuff is in.
Cure, Heal : Useful powers. You won't heal crazy like a consular, but it's
still great. The level 2 also offer poison curing, which is always nice.
- Dark Side Powers -
Wound, Choke, Kill : Like I said before, the DC will not be high enough to
make it useful. Still, if you choose to go Dark Side, this one is the
"trademark" DS power.
Slow, Affliction, Plague : I never tried these (I play mostly LS), but they
sound great. It's like the opposite of the valour powers. I'm not sure if
there's a save (I think there is), so I'd be glad if someone could give more
info on this.
Fear, Horror, Insanity : Same thing as for the slow powers. I need advice
from someone who actually play DS.
Shock, Lightning, Force Storm : Another quite cool power. The damage is
based on your level, so it can actually be good. Since you don't get the
awesome LS buffs, you might as well pick these.
Drain Life, Death Field : DS version of heal. Death Field also does damage,
so it's great. I'd pick these two as well.
Conclusion of Force Powers :
As you can see, I don't have any experience whatsoever with Dark Side melee
characters; my only DS was a consular. Even though I strongly encourage you
to be Light Side for this build (I'll say it again, the buffs are really
awesome), I'd be glad if a DS player could send me advice on good powers to
get for a fighting class.
If you go the X 4 / Guardian 16 way (probably with a scout or soldier) you
should get 17 force powers. For those who play scoundrel and get to level 5,
you'll end up with 16 powers. Let's see what you should take...
Core Powers
- Throw Lightsabre : kind of cool to use, and nice to have at the end.
- Force Speed (3 levels) : very important.
- Force Push (3 levels) : far from being a "must have". I just like them :)
- Force Persuade (2 levels) : Generally nice to have. Great for DS.
- Force Breach (level 1 should do it) : Not a "must". Might be useful.
If you don't want Force Push, I'd suggest Force Resistance (2 levels)
That's about 10 powers.
Light Side Powers
- Force Heal (2 levels) : Level 2 is great; very useful power.
- Force Aura (3 levels) : Awesome powers. Get them as soon as possible.
- Force Valour (3 levels) : Great powers. Level 3 is not a "must".
That's about 8 powers.
Feel free to do what you want, but I think these are the most important
powers for the build we want. If you want to max Valour, then cut Force Push
from the list. Actually, if you want something else, cut Push and maybe
Sabre Throw. These two are more for role-playing reasons. Just be sure to
get Speed and Aura.
Dark Side Powers
- Drain Life (2 levels) : I like Death Field :) Your healing spells.
- Force Lightning (3 levels) : "Trademark" DS power. Quite cool to have.
- Anything you want.
I'm sorry, but I just don't know what to do for this one. I guess adding
something like Plague could help... or perhaps choke if you want to be more
Darth Vader-ish.
So if someone has more advice, feel free to send them in. Especially for
Dark Side (though I really encourage you to play LS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 – Creating your Lightsabre -----------------------------------------:SCJS4:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, I don't feel like listing all the crystals and their effect. Also, there
are already excellent guide for this here at gamefaqs. So I'll just list
what I think could be useful for the Single Sabre build.
Crystals Rubat, Eralam, Upari, Krayt Dragon Pearl and Sapith : Provides a
damage and attack bonus. Nice crystals if you have nothing better, I guess.
Crystal Jenruax : +2 damage and +5 blaster deflection. If you're Dex based,
with a level 3 speed, level 3 Force Aura and this crystal, then most Ranged
attackers will not harm you. A great crystal for conservative players who
like to be ultra safe.
Crystal Nextor : Threat Range x2, Attack +1. For Critical Strike fans, this
is the one.
Crystal Opila : Damage +2, Massive Critical 2-12. Combine with level 3
Critical Strike and Nextor Crystal for some heavy damage. Helps a lot for
low damage Dex based.
Crystal Phond : Might be useful against those who are highly resistant to
energy. However, I found that using a simple Long Sword works better.
Crystal Solari : Damage +3, Attack +3, +1-8 versus DS. Great crystal for LS.
Even if you use Critical Strike, consider switching this one for Nextor. DS
can't use this one, and I don't think there is a similar crystal with damage
versus LS (most enemies are DS anyway).
The two special colour crystals of Yavin IV are also great. I'll have to
check them out again to see what each one does, but if I remember correctly,
they are both great.
Conclusion on Crystals :
For Critical Strike, I'd suggest either Nextor + Opila or Solari + Opila when
you reach Critical level 3.
For safe players, I'd go Jenruax + Solari.
And for general builds, I'd go Solari + What you want.
The only extra advice I can give is stay away from crystals like Bondar
(stun), since most enemies will save later on. When you have nothing better,
it's great though.
I really suggest you read a specialised guide on crystals... It helps a lot,
and they might have some juicy information I forgot to add. Browse around, I
get what you like.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| SECTION D : GENERAL STRATEGY :SDGS0:|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, there's not much to say here. This build is rather
straightforward. Also, since there are not a lot of skills in this game (and
they are not very useful later on, for a Guardian), I can't do like I did
with my Ranger guide and give tips for the gameplay. Anyway.
However, you might want to use your Active Combat Styles, such as Critical
Strike and Flurry. Don't underestimate normal attacks though. Sometimes,
they can be more effective. The animations are usually better, also.
It's sad, but there's nothing to add here. Especially since you're a
Guardian, you don't need a lot of strategy... you attack with your sabre and
that's it.
I figured I might talk a little about equipment instead, so let's start with
sabres.
Some people like to carry different sabres on them. One is for Critical
Strike, one defensive and one for general situations. That's actually a
great idea, though not very RP friendly. The only problem is that KotOR
doesn't have a feature like NWN or BG that lets you switch weapon right away.
So you have to go to the inventory screen each time you want to switch. Not
really cool.
For the armour, I generally keep robes. Why? First off, a Jedi in an armour
is just not right (I don't really like Vador...). Second, it limits some
force powers, including the great Force Aura and Speed. Strength based
characters might want an armour, but with Speed and Aura, I think your AC
would be better anyway. So I'd go with a Jedi robe, even though they don't
really look cool (the new robes we see in the Sith Lords trailer are
awesome!). For Robes, aim for the Quel'Droma and the Star Forge at the end.
DS are less lucky, and they will have to keep Sith Master Robes until they
get Revan's robes. I don't have much advise for those who want to use
armours, so I'll just add that Cassus Fett's Battle Armour is the best
available (beware the heavy armour feat requirement).
For the rest, just look for mods that you like. Strength and Dexterity items
are probably the most important, for both builds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 – Using Force Powers -----------------------------------------------:SDGS2:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's not very complicated here either. Anyway.
Force Speed is a very useful power. Technically, you could try to have it
activated most of the time. It provides a good bonus to AC, an extra attack,
and you move faster. Also great when you need to go somewhere fast.
Force Aura is your big AC booster. Even though it doesn't last very long, it
will make a Dex based and force speeded guardian nearly untouchable. The
saving throw bonus is also welcome. This one should be cast before important
duels (Bandon, Malak and a girl we all know) and blaster heavy fights (Calo,
Saul).
Lightsabre Throw is useful for talking out single targets without getting
close. However, it's best use is at the end of the game.
Force push is nice to use every time. If the enemies get stunned, you can
land a good number of attacks without getting armed. Scoundrels like it
because they can do impressive amounts of damage while the enemies are
stunned with sneak attacks.
Don't be afraid to use Force Persuade. As long as you stay good (i.e. you
don't make other people do what they don't want to do), you won't get DS
points. Persuading a Czerta guy to let you park without paying is fine, but
"selling" the gizka to someone is bad. Of course if you're DS there's a lot
of interesting options, and you shouldn't hesitate to use it anytime you
want.
Force and Energy Resistance are more for occasional uses. Force resistance
is only useful against Sith Masters, who aren't that common after all.
Energy resistance might sound more useful (because of the variety of grenades
you might have to endure), but in the end I only used it against Malak
because he was spamming Force Lightning too much. You can pick these if you
want to feel safe, but you should be fine with your saves.
The various DS powers are quite cool to use, but they might not be as useful
as their LS counterparts. Lightning should be used against mobs to soften
them up, and Death Field when you need health. Grip is more for the "tilt"
of using it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 – Party Selection --------------------------------------------------:SDGS3:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is more of a personal choice. But I figured I might talk about it a
little, because it can influence the way you build your character.
Carth Onasi :
Every time I hear his name, I laugh. I don't really know why, but I laugh.
Anyway. Even if you hate Carth, you'll have to include him in your party at
least twice. He's a quite decent ranged attacker, if you ask me. Since
blasters are not so powerful in this game, being able to wield two of them
makes him more powerful. He's also a fighter, so he can get that useful
weapon specialisation. During my first time through the game (with a
Strength Single Sabre), I used Carth all the time. Don't ask why, I just
don't know. He's a fine party member, but he gets less effective when you
start to encounter many Sith, i.e. at the Star Forge. The only good ranged
supporter for a LS party.
Mission Vao :
As with Carth, you need to include her at some point during the game. I
guess she's a fine scoundrel. Her sneak attacks are probably her biggest
advantage, though I admit I used her set traps skill a couple of time when I
went through Taris with a level 2 character. After Taris, I never used her.
Considering that a fighter such as Carth is having trouble defeating Sith,
then I figured that a scoundrel would have an even harder time. Sneak
attacks are great though. Try her to see if you like her style.
Zaalbar :
When I heard for the first time that you could have a wookie in your party, I
thought it was awesome. Unfortunately, Zaalbar doesn't have a great
personality like Chewie, and the fact that you actually know what he's saying
makes him far less entertaining than his movie counterpart. Anyway. Beside
the fact that he can't wear any armour, Zaalbar is still a powerhouse thanks
to his incredible stats (start with 20 strength and constitution...). Using
his bowcaster is a huge waste, on the powergaming side. Since he starts with
a +5 modifier in Strength, giving him a good blade is the way to go. I use
him on Taris if I need an extra meat shield (like I said before, I usually
stop at level 4 and some fights can be quite hard without Zaalbar's
strength).
Bastila Shan :
For story purposes, I always pick Bastila when I can. Besides the fact that
she whines a lot at the beginning, she's quite nice to have around. Also,
she doesn't whine that much after Dantooine. Being a Sentinel, she can fit
in every party because of her versatility (and I do think the designers
thought about that). She fights well, and you can develop different force
powers than with your character. I like to get the Valour powers with her,
since it affects everybody and I don't have to take them with my character.
Her stats are quite high too. Even though many people don't think so, I
consider her as one of the best NPC that can join you. And I'll say it
again, not picking her completely screws the story, in my opinion.
T3-M4 :
This guy can be extremely useful when you want to hack through computers.
It's a very good idea to pick him, hack a computer and download the maps,
blow up stuff and unlock doors. When you're done, switch back to someone
else; he's not a very good fighter.
-=SPOILERS=-
On an interesting side note, I used T3 to deliver my party from the cells in
the Leviathan during my first time through. It was quite funny, and it's
definitely worth trying just for the heck of it.
-=END SPOILERS=-
So T3 is a nice little guy who's useful to crack computers and blow up stuff
before taking over a sith base.
Canderous Ordo :
Having a Mandalorian in your party is really cool, in my opinion. However,
Canderous is far from Boba and Jango. I would have liked him better if he
was a dexterous marksman (a la Fett), but he's still great. His sucky
dexterity doesn't make him a good ranged attacker, so his repeating blaster
is quite useless. Give him a good old sword and watch as he slices
everything in his path. I usually use Canderous along with Bastila (some
funny dialogues!) until I get Jolee.
Interesting tidbit of info : Did you know that the name "Canderous" was used
by Bioware in their awesome game "Baldur's Gate"? During the prologue at
Candlekeep, the battle tutorial, which you can access by speaking to a guy,
gives you some NPCs to simulate a party situation. One of them is a human
cleric who goes by the name of Canderous.
Juhani :
I don't like Juhani. Sorry to all you Juhani lovers, but I just don't like
her. She's quite powerful though, and is obviously the best melee NPC that
can join you. Since I usually play with Guardians myself, I prefer having a
sentinel with more force points to cover my back.
HK-47 :
Probably the most funny character in any Star Wars game. Beside having a low
dexterity for a ranged attacker, that can be fixed if you have a high repair
skill (17 for all the upgrades). Upgrading him all the way gives a bonus to
defence (+2), life regeneration and +4 to dexterity. With the various droid
upgrades (such as flame-throwers), HK is one of the best ranged attacker in
the game. Actually, he's worth having only for the funny dialogue options
and replies.
Jolee Bindo :
This is it : the good stuff. Jolee is the best force user in the game, and
he's also the second most funny character (second to our friend the assassin
droid). Being neutral (but good at heart), Jolee can use both sides of the
force without heavy penalties (but without bonuses either). He starts with a
good dexterity score, which improves his defence and lightsabre skills. He
also has great wisdom and charisma scores (and you should upgrade the
modifiers in both as soon as possible). If I go Light Side, I go pick him as
soon as possible. Actually, he's worth having for a DS character too.
Conclusion :
The party I usually aim for is Bastila + Jolee.
If you want more brute strength, swap Bastila for Juhani.
For Darksiders, I'd keep the same party. However, for the Star Forge, you'll
have to get Bastila and possibly HK or Canderous.
But the same rule always applies : do what you want! If you want to go
through the Star Forge with T3 and Mission, go ahead! Part of the fun in
KotOR is watch how the NPCs will interact with each others. Try different
mixes each time you start a new game and stick to it to hear every dialogue!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| SECTION F : Stuff from Readers :SFSR0:|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the mails I received from people who gave me additional info or sent
their builds. Many thanks to everuone.
Like I said in the contact information (a section you should have read if you
sent me anything), I did not include the e-mail adresses who those people for
privacy. If that bothers you, send me a message asking to add your adress,
and I'll be glad to do it.
Comments by me are like this : ***Note : [text]***
Eveything else is posted as I received it.
-=Scott Steubing=-
(first message)
Hi,
I really liked your Single Sabre Guardian Guide. After playing thru KotOR
twice using the double-bladed lightsaber, I had decided to go the Dueling
route and had a build worked out just before I saw your guide.
My build is a Soldier 7/Jedi Guardian 13. I've been wanting to play a Scout,
so I was glad to see how you made a Scout/Jedi Guardian work.
While the outright damage of a double-bladed lightsaber using Master Two-
Weapon Fighting and Master Power Attack was hard to pass up, I've always
preferred having a higher Attack than higher Damage, so going the Dueling
route really appeals to me. (Besides, I think the Power Attack flip looks
stupid when done repeatedly. )
I do have a couple of questions:
1) How does a level 4 Scout take on Bendak Starkiller? Or survive the later
stages of Taris in general? Is it simply "Take Zaalbar"?
***Note : In my reply, I told him that I never took down Bendak with a level
4, and that it might only be possible with an abusive use of thermal
detenators and stim packs. For the later part of Taris, I didn't have much
problem. The most difficult fight was the Sith governor, but it was
manageable with the right force powers from Bastila and a couple of stims.
***
2) Going the Dex route and having a Wis of only 12, do you have enough FP to
routinely use Force Speed/Push/Aura/Valor?
***Note : Enough to use them for each fight : no. To use them when I need :
generally. I generally use speed all the time (and puch against hordes) and
keep the others when there are lots of enemies, or against a boss. ***
(second message)
***Note : Mr. Steubing also sent a second mail, in which we discussed the
viability of the sentinels. It was very interesting, but since this guide
focuses on guardians, I don't think it's appropriate to include the message
here. However, he does bring an interesting roleplaying point to the use of
single sabres. Here it is. ***
There's another RP reason for using a single lightsaber. In the
flashbacks/visions of Bastilla fighting Revan, Revan is using a single
lightsaber. Yeah, his mind was destroyed and reprogrammed, but it still
seems odd for the reprogrammed Revan to decided to dual-wield.
***Note : Mr. De Haan wrote a lot of useful and interesting informations.
Unfortunately, I lost his mail (don't ask how) So I'm very sorry, and if you
ever read this, well, perhaps you still have the mail somewhere and I'd
appreciate if you could it back. Thanks. ***
Hey
I was just looking through your walkthrough (KOTOR VX) in my spare time, and
i noticed something. You mentioned that you would like more info on some of
the dark side powers. On my first time through, i picked up the
fear/horror/insanity.
They worked pretty good. Im not sure about the technicals, or how you'd rank
them, but when Bastilla uses insanity on 1 enemy in a group, its seems like
a 50-60% chance that they all fall over in fright. Just cowering, easy to
kill. It doesnt work *quite* as well on dark jedi, but on groups its still
very effective.
***Note : Nice info for Dark Side users. Thanks! ***
My second run through the game was actually a single-sabre, dex-based, LS
guardian. I followed that with a neutral and a dark-side guardian of the
same type. I thought I would share a few things that I learned along the
way (note that I was playing the XBOX version where the space station
equipment is not available.)
1. Robes still have a dex limit imposed on your character. It's , of
course, listed but it is easy to forget since it's an impressive +8. However,
that means that any character with 27+ DEX (affective or 'natural') is
wasting points. The additional bonus will have no effect on combat rolls/
AC/ saves/ etc. This is more important than it looks. Through implants,
Equipment, stims and force powers you can easily get to 36+ DEX when fully
buffed out. This is, of course, not a good idea. Instead The goal should
be either 19 or 21 DEX near the end of the game. Why? Because with Master
Valor (which I take even for DS guardians... the penalty is very overcomeable)
you will hit your DEX max on 21. With MV and a light stim you will hit it
from 19. The rest can go where you like. This means that even a Max bonus
DEX guardian could have more STR than DEX by end-game depending on equipment.
Plan ahead with your DEX based on what implants and EQ you will be using so
as not to have wasted points.
***Note : Robes do have a Dex limit, but I think that it is not applied in
the game (in that case, call it a bug).
2. Force Kill and Plague are far FAR more useful than Lightning to a guardian.
This is mainly because plague imposes a MASSIVE save penaly and kill disables a
tough enemy while beating the snot out of them. Large groups of lightweights
are easily dispatched by simply dueling them to death with your sabre. The
really toughies are the Sith, rancors and those Dark-side vampire beasties
(whose name i forget at the moment) . Rancors are easily dispatched with 2
Force Kills while Plague makes EVERY boss fight in the game about 60% easier
by lowering all of the enemy stats. Force lightning on the other hand will
provide very little benifit to someone without the Consular's supply of Force
Points to spend.
***Note : Interesting info for dark siders! ***
3. Force Buffs work well with either path .. and even neutral. The only
difference is in cost and buffs are cheap anyhow. Role-playing should avoid
Heal with DS but the others are really not 'good' for roleplay purposes (You
really don't think Darth Vader would have used his powers to armor himself
if it would help him win?). The only really needed buffs are Force Immunity,
Speed, and Valor though. Armor is okay in a pinch but I usually was next to
unhittable already with 26DEX , speed, dueling and a battle stim. I rarely
even take heal as a LS Guardian since i routinely heal more with medpaks anyhow.
(Unless going solo... then I have to spend those skill points elsewhere).
4. The Fear powers are crap. They rarely work against anything you couldn't
butcher easily.
5. Critical hit is cool, most of the time. Early on tailor your Light Sabre
to do cool stun affects and such, but later on in the game those will generally
fail. Massive damage on critical stones are more useful. Either two different
+XDX crystals on critical or one and a +chance to critical crystal.
Unfortunately, some of the bosses appear critical imune so you might want to
carry a +damage +to hit sabre as a backup.
You can easily take down Darth Malak in 2-6 rounds per heal using any good/evil
Guardian if you set it up right. Even a one-sabre one. Generally with a one
sabre I fight a hard boss like so.
DS - Plague, (any buffs I don't have on ahead of time.. usually only force
immune), Cut his tits off
LS - Buffs, Kill mercilessly
Against rancor and their ilk .. and most sith I just use Force Kill as DS and
laugh a lot or Force Immune against sith and them cut them down.
I hope this information is useful.
***Note : Some great information overall. Thanks! ***
So that's it! Thanks to everyone, and my apologies to Mr. De Haan again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| SECTION F : CONCLUSION :SFCO0:|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you actually found some good tips and advice in this guide. But
most importantly, I hope that you'll now see Single Sabre Guardian as a
force in the game.
I guess that's it for this one. I know it's kind of late for posting
this, but I wanted to show people that Single Sabre Guardian is not as bad
as it looks. I'll still update this guide if people send me enough stuff.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 – Contact Info -----------------------------------------------:SFCO1:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
My E-Mail address is : dark_coffee@msn.com
Please use KotOR Guide V1.3 (the version you're reading) as the subject.
I should reply/add your ideas in the next version of the guide as soon
as I read the message. Please note that I will not reply to stupid
stuff, including flames, insults, and other stuff (you know what I
mean). No personal questions either (I will *not* reply to questions
such as "what other games do you play?, etc.). If you're asking me for
permission to use my guide on your website, be sure to include the URL.
Also, be sure to say if you want to be credited, and under which name.
By default, I will credit you as the name from whom I receive the
message, but I will not include the address unless you ask me to.
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 Duelling Guardian Guide by
DarthMuffin is available for free on the following websites :
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
GameSpot (www.gamespot.com)
DLH (http://dlh.net/)
The last version of this guide can always be found at GameFAQs.
V1.0 – Guide is complete. I'm going to update it if there are mistakes
or enough stuff from readers. Or if I feel like writing more info.
V1.1 - A What's New section, some mails I received, some info on Canderous
and some correcting. I also changed the name of the guide to "Duelling
Guardian Guide".
V1.2 - Current version (see What's New section at the beginning).
V1.3 – Added a navigation system to the table of content.
-Thanks to me for writing this (!)
-Thanks to BioWare for another great game, worthy of the BG saga this
time
-Thanks to you for reading this
-Thanks to everyone who sent their tips
-Thanks to George Lucas for creating Star Wars
