Darth Verus

I wasn't able to link directly to the page, apparenty they got tired of people doing that, but I was able to look around and find an influence guide, which was helpful. Looks like I have max influence with Mandalore then. It seemed like he had more to say, and he's a good character, so I'll keep him around and see if I can't get any more influence, or just funny lines. If not, maybe I'll take HK when I get him. Thanks Calax.

I recently started a game with the sole purpose of getting max influence and conversations with Mandalore, so this helps. Thanks. On Dantooine, you can repair the droids and have them help the mercs, if you want to get the experience for most of the defense quests and still do the planet dark side, in case anyone didn't know. Also on Onderon, in Iziz the first time, when you ask Dhagon Gent to set up a meeting with Kavar, make sure you have only Mandalore. When he says not to kill non-combatants, I agreed, because I'm pretty sure that you lose influence with him if you disagree. I got some LS points, no biggy. But when Tobin offers you an alliance with Vaklu (assuming you have done it that way), Mandalore will urge you to accept, saying that Vaklu is a "political animal", but his word is good. If you tell Mandalore that it would make your decision easier if he will vouch for Vaklu, then agree to the alliance, you will gain influence. On Nar Shadaa, where I'm at now, I was unable to gain any influence with Mandalore in the starting hub area, but if you end up helping the man who is being pushed around by thugs in near the pit (which you can get the thugs to jump into with Force Persuade), even if you weren't really trying to help, you wil lose influence. In the docks area, I was able to get influence for killing the Ithorian (which means you can't finish the air speeder in the Refugee Sector, be warned) and also for killing the Lunar Shadow crewmen (which you can't do if you find their captain for them). Doing the quests for them didn't cause me to lose influence, but I didn't try getting Odis a job with the Lunar Shadow. Hope this helps Mandalore fans. After this I ran into what I think is a glitch or maybe the maximum influence you can get for Mandalore, or the maximum you can get from non Mandalore-specific encounters, I don't know. After killing the Lunar Shadow crew, I had enough influence to ask Mandalore how he became Mandalore (which I believe is the third conversation you unlock based on influence). Then I went to Lootra to see what I could do there. I didn't lose influence from either getting Lootra to give up his search or from completing the quest. But when I killed Lootra, rather than giving me the expected "Influence Gained: Mandalore" blurb, there was a weird camera hiccup, and nothing happened. I reloaded the saved game and tried again, and the same thing happened. I figured it was no big deal, and went on to the Refugee Sector. Once there I tried some stuff with Geriel, the sick refugee. I lost influence for healing him, but when I convinced him to commit suicide, the camera did that weird hiccup again, and I didn't gain influence with Mandalore (who is my only party member). Since it happened after more than one encounter, I figured maybe there was a glitch or something involved with Mandalore's influence. Have I unlocked all of Mandalore's conversations, or do I have to wait until some situation where I can get influence only with him? Or is this a glitch of some kind? I have the game on Xbox, so I probably can't do anything to fix a glitch, but I would really appreciate knowing as much as possible. Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is a bit off topic.

It's possible the damage to Revan's mind also affected other parts of his brain, but you make a good point. Personally, I think that Revan would not have been trained in Sith combat techniques for exactly the reason you mention. And Revan was trained as a Jedi the first time around at about the normal age for new students, right? So it's not like there would be any real drawback to Revan from not training in Sith fighting styles. He would have been taught how to fight by the Jedi, thus learning their strengths and weaknesses from the source, which would be the point. And when you start the game, you don't get any special extra feats or anything, you don't even get "Force Sensitivity" until you retrain as a Jedi, so in non-game terms, I guess you could say that the fake persona (and the skills and feats that come with it) the Council gives Revan creates a subconscious block on other memories and activities requiring more complex physical coordination. After all, finding out you can use the Force all of a sudden is a little weird, but most people don't understand the Force. Finding out you can do things you never trained your body to do would be more of a give away. They apparently took measures to prevent either occurence, but Revan's connection was too strong to be permanently hidden or surpressed. Physical memories could probably come back to some degree or another as Revan remembers more and more of his real past.

Revan remebers more as time goes on, so it doesn't surprise me that the presence of the Star Map on Dantooine, like Bastila's proximity, triggers some memories but leaves others dormant. But I meant that I thought it highly unlikely that the Jedi Council could have just taken a stroll through Revan's psyche to look for and weed out memories. If they could do that, then they would have just found out where the Star Forge was, and the whole game would never have happened. Yes, secret indentities are very helpful. But I get the idea that taking a Sith name is more a sign of your arrival as a poweful dark Jedi. "Look at me, I'm so bad, this name no longer describes who I am. I am Darth -whatever-." Like an evil debutante ball or something. Still, in the absence of a meaning for "Sion", the idea that it is actually his real name can't be put aside. Not that I mind, I just thought Sion was supposed to be derived from a word that was fitting or meaningful. Oh well.

As early as the trial of the returning Exile, we can see that Atris is unforgiving and too easily swayed by her emotions. And she alone of the Council thinks the Exile has fallen to the dark side, though the other masters percieve the truth more fully. Perhaps, like Kreia before her, she had the wisdom to see that the Jedi Code didn't really cover all the bases. I also get the distinct impression that Atris deliberately leeked the information about the upcoming Jedi meeting on Katarr to the Sith in an effort to flush them out, entirely without the knowledge of the rest of the Council and apparently without considering the lives she placed in jeopardy. Sounds dark side to me. When that fails, she lets it out that there is an Exiled Jedi still running around somewhere in the galaxy. The fact that the Harbinger gets rerouted to pick up the Exile, and that Disciple knows the way into the Polar Academy, leads me to believe that Disciple and those like him searching throughout the Republic are working for someone in contact with Atris. An interesting idea when you consider that Carth doesn't die, even in the DS ending to KotOR. As for the holocrons, she probably first gathered them in order to learn of the Sith, "know thy enemy." Problem is, the Holocrons aren't just recording devices, they store the persona of the recorder, it seems, and apparently can even manipulate the Force. So in order to unlock all their knowledge, you'd have to appease the holocron in order to wheedle any information out of it.

I don't know if Vrook is the best master (although he is the toughest in combat, strangely) but he is a great character. I like him because he is so much like a normal person. Atris is well on her way down the dark path, but Vrook isn't really evil. However, of all the Jedi masters you seek out, he has the most glaring personal flaws. When the little blurbs pop up during loading and mention how some Jedi blame the Council for the Jedi Civil War, when Atton and Disciple talk about Jedi arrogance, I get the feeling that Vrook is supposed to embody those flaws, the removal of the Jedi from the "common people". In the LS encounter at the Enclave, he doesn't even consider that he could be wrong about the Exile and his relationship to the Sith assassins. Instead, he acts in wilfull ignorance. In a way he's like Kreia, he doesn't seem to ever doubt his assumptions too much. Even though you can make good arguements to Atris about going to the Mandalorian Wars against the Jedi Council's wishes, Vrook just says that the consequences prove it was wrong. He certainly has a point, you can't ignore the consequences, but I get the feeling that too many Jedi like Vrook were to quick to reject the idea that the Jedi should join the battle. Aside from Kreia, who was banished about that time, I don't remember hearing about any Jedi Masters going with the Jedi who followed Revan. If they had put aside their arrogance, their passivity, their fear even, then maybe they could have helped those Jedi who fought beside the Republic to resist the aweful toll of war and fight the call of the dark side. Indeed, it would have probably been impossible for Revan to create those dark side echoes without the Jedi Masters noticing. Instead Vrook and the other Jedi who stayed behind did nothing to help the Republic or their students, and we never hear if they even tried to find the shadowy threat that they felt was behind the Mandalorian aggression. Oops.

Kreia's such a great character. As good as most of the characters were in KotOR, many characters in TSL are even better, and Kreia is easily one of the best. She has dept and subtly, she lies to you and reveals deep truths to you, and she adds depth and choice to how you can play a dark sider character. Not to mention the voice acting. But she is distinctly different than Malak. There's no doubt that Malak made his choice when he went to the dark side, but at the LS end of KotOR, he seems to have a little regret for what he did. Not like Ajunta Pal, I don't think he was really redeemed, but he lamented the lost possibilities, at least. Kreia has not such doubts. One could definately feel sorry for her, for what happened to her, but we don't get any idea of remorse like we can from Malak and Sion at their deaths. She doesn't seem to regret anything about her life for even an instant. Even as she dies, she seems to have a total lack of doubt about anything she has done. After all the evil she has done, she still thinks she's right; a battered old woman so filled with the excuses for her own fall that she isn't even looking for a way out, a better way to live her life. Why wouldn't Dark Jedi join the Force? Every living thing contributes to the Force. Otherwise there wouldn't even be a dark side, would there?

Well, Baor-Dur's arm makes him pretty potent as an unarmed fighter, which is good when you first get him earlier on. Later it becomes less useful, what with better guns and lightsabers, but it's still cool. I just wish that they had made it a solid object, rather than putting the glowy light in the elbow. That way, I think that he could have used the same basic clothing/armor look, but maybe just with an oversized machanical hand taking the place of the glove that is normally shown. Then he might have been able to wear robes. Still, he looks bad-ass in Krath Holy Battle Armor, and he doesn't really suffer too much as a Jedi who can't wear robes, especially since he doesn't get a whole lot of Force powers, as a Guardian. The one thing that annoyed me about Bao-Dur as a dark sider is that I could never get him to stay that max dark side, even as a Dark Jedi guardian fully under my Sith Lord alignment warp. Every time I switched to him from a different character, and even sometimes when I talked to him on the Ebon Hawk, he went back to a slightly lighter alignment, with just black on his face. Is that just his natural resistance to the Sith Lord's influnce, as stated in the description, or does he do that for all classes? I never had trouble keeping him max light side.

You're assuming that the Jedi Council could have known that Revan had such memories. Carth says that the Force can "... wipe away your memories and destroy your very identity." Not that Carth is really the authority here or anything, but it seems perfectly plausible that when Revan's mind was destroyed by Malak and/or wiped by the Jedi Council, and then replaced, that there would not have been anything that the Jedi could identify. Indeed, I doubt that creating a new persona is something the Jedi would do without great need and deliberation, so it's not like you would expect them to have much experience and practical knowledge. Even if the memories were still there, I wouldn't expect them to find them, assuming that what they did to Revan even requires that they interact with the mind in such a way that would make that possible. Sith naming conventions aren't exactly rock solid evidence, it's just something I noticed, a difference that got me thinking. You could very well be right, but my idea fits so nicely with the theory of Revan being Sith from the beggining that I have grown a little attached to it. It hints at conspiracies and deeper meanings, and Darth Revan just makes so much sense as a Sith title. I was wondering what the heck Sion was supposed to stand for too. I suppose it could be a creative spelling of scion, but why change just one letter, especialy for such a weird title as "scion"? Something related to pain or his "broken" body would be cool, but I don't speak Latin, and nothing in English comes to mind. Weird.

I agree with Jediphile, one of the things I like the most about TSL is how it takes what sounded like clear-cut ideas form KotOR, including the apparent total victory of whichever side Revan ended up on, and introduced a "reality check" of sorts, bringing all manner of things back up for debate is a way that not only served the story, but also helped to build deeper characters. It makes you think about things, which is why I am obsessed enough to still be thinking about it and playing it months after I first finished it. I find TSL has more replay value than KotOR, quite an accomplishment. Anyway, back on topic. It is my personal oppinion that Revan knew about the True Sith since birth. I think that Revan's home, which Kreia tells us is in the Unknown Regions beyond the Outer Rim, is actually a Sith held world, and that Darth Revan went among the Jedi to learn from and of them, and then subvert and suplant them, through the Mandalorian Wars, which I believe were orchestratred for the dual purpose of removing the Mandalorian threat before they could get it into their heads to turn on their former Sith "allies", and to give Revan an opportunity to turn many Jedi and Republic soldiers to his/her cause. Whether Revan wanted to build a personal Empire from the Republic just for fun or to help claim power in the Sith Empire elsewhere, or just to weaken the Republic for an attack by a less-than-impresive Sith Empire, or what, I don't know. Not enough info. But remember, Revan didn't become evil just moments before seeking out the Star Forge. Kreia tells us that the Mandalorian Wars masked a war of conversion, that Revan knew how to make echoing areas in the Force from massive death tolls, to help that conversion. Did Kreia teach Revan this? Or is this perhaps knowledge that was taught to Revan for a specific purpose before Aren Kae ever took on her first Padawan? Also, something else to think about. Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow, Ludo Kressh, Tulak Horde, Adjunta Pal, Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma. All these Sith use their normal names. Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, Darth Tyrannus, Darth Plagus, Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion: these are titles. So why does Revan take a Darth in front of his/her normal name? We know Malak put a Darth in front of his name, and probably Darth Bandon too, but why would Revan, who taught Malak about the Sith, mix a Sith title with his real name? Unless it was not the assumption of a title, but the resumption of one earned long ago? Food for thought maybe.

Hanharr indeed rocks. I get the feeling he's Force sensative, but not enought to be a Jedi. In this game at least. What I really like is how your conversations with Hanharr lead to a fuller understanding of the Force (and Kreia too), and not just in the way that Kreia intends. From talking with Hanharr, I came to realize Kreia is wrong when she says that the Force has a will. It doesn't have a will, it has many urges, impulses. Like in KotOR, when Carth says to female Revan, that it almost seems like there is something out there stalking Jedi, waiting to turn them to evil. Those strong in the Force can perceive things. What they perceive is thoughts, emotions, impulses, events, the Force created by every living thing, based on proximity, strength, will, time and other factors. Hanharr felt the power of the predator/prey relationship in the Shadowland. He embraced the things that relationship system created in the Force as the totality of how one should behave, and with that as the guide of his behaviour, became evil. One of these days I'm gonna do Nar Shadaa dark side and try to redeem Hanharr. Anyone know just how dark side you need to be to get Hanharr instead of Mira?

Kreia embraced the dark side, and now you have no more Force bond? That doesn't make any sense, especially if your character is also steeped in the power of the dark side. I have to say I agree with those who feel that the Exile's bond with Kreia was never a fatal one. We know there is a Force bond, that's not really a question, what with the Force chain and mentor feats Kreia has. Indeed, it would be weird to argue that you can bond with a Force-sensative wookiee and a bevy of Lost Jedi, but not Kreia. But consider these ideas, if you will. Kreia tells us that Revan studied Force bonds specifically. As Revan's first and last Jedi teacher, and undoubtedly a valueable councilor during the Mandalorian War, it stands to reason that Kreia probably had a lot to do with such studies. And all throughout the game, Kreia plays head games with Atris, Kavar, and Disciple, only revealing herself when she feels like it. Now, Sion feels Kreia's presence on the Harbinger, faintly. He is her old student, after all, which may indeed give him the edge in sensing her, but I would think that would also apply to the Masters who were on the council with her. Even as Kreia is able to walk all around Sion while talking, he can't pinpoint her. Until she stops moving and talking, then whips out a sword, only to stand there until Sion senses her location and chops off her hand. Of course, we can't really know if Kreia was able to sneak away from her old apprentice, or if he let her live just to cause her more pain, but I'm pretty sure he intended to capture the Exile along with Kreia, and he's perfectly willing to risk destroying the Ebon Hawk to prevent its escape. Yet when the Ebon Hawk escapes, Kreia is there. You'd think Sion would grab her just so he could have her watch as he kills the Exile. And let's not forget that Kreia wants the Exile to kill her on Malachor. Given all this information, I wouldn't put it past Kreia to be willing to endure the pain of loosing her hand, which she will pointedly state was her choice (if you choose the approriate dialogue option when you talk about it), in order to force the agony through the very real Force bond she has with the Exile, just to manipulate him/her. Plus, it just seems kinda weak to say, "Oh the Force bond? Just wait 'til she falls to the Dark Side, then it'll be OK, even if you fall too."