Darth Drabek

As far as twitch gaming goes, I hated the turret game more than the swoop racing (probably because I could simply ignore the swoop racing aspect after Taris). There are a few spots in KOTOR 2 where you must man (or woman ) the turret, but I went through the whole game without ever mounting a swoop bike.

There are some robes, implants and lightsaber crystals that enhance your charisma.

I don't get it... those are pretty good. I never take the random names, because the ones I get are usually about 20 syllables and waaay too hard to pronounce.

I swear Sherruk had a critical threat range of 10-20. That guy was a killing machine. Did anyone else miss the trio of Dark Jedi you would always run across in KOTOR? There was a serious lack of force users in KOTOR 2. Now, I know that the storyline dictated that there weren't a lot of force users around. Still, I found the force resistance powers to be quite useless in this game. If you didn't invest in at least one level of that in KOTOR, you were going to get yourself choked by those guys, let alone what you'll get on the Forge. In KOTOR, if you didn't have that tree of powers or electrical resistance gear you were going to die by Malak's hand even if you were a big damage dealer. In KOTOR 2, even the bosses don't use the force against you enough to convince me to spend a power on force resistance.

Wishsong of Shanarra, I believe. Wielded two long swords, and killed some beast that only magic-users had killed before. Cool character. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You are correct, sir. He was actually known as "the Weapons Master" because, well, he mastered a lot of weapons (which makes him perfect for the prestige class). He's an interesting character to role-play, because he lived to seek out challenges in battle, but despite his professed neutrality he really was (in the parlance of Star Wars) a servant of the light. Definitely one of Terry Brooks' more inspired creations. You get all the cool points, but you should share the cookie with Kalfear.

In the end, it was only LucasArts bandwidth-killing site that saved me from your fate. I got the game over my university's winter break and played through it. My parents' house has dial-up, so rather than do 200 jumping jacks while the site loads every time I move somewhere, I just ignored the chronicle updates. That was a lot easier once I got the game, of course. I'm glad I already played through when I got back to school and my fast connection or I would have been privy to those massive spoilers, just like you were.

LS Male Sentinel/Watchman: Dylan Deschain LS Male Guardian/Weapons Master: Garet Jax DS Female Consular Sith Lord: Kyrie Elieson Kyrie Elieson is Greek for "Lord, Have Mercy," which I thought fit well because I always feel guilty playing dark side. Dylan Deschain is a combination of Bob Dylan and Roland Deschain from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. If you know who Garet Jax is, you win 100,000 cool points. And a cookie.

that sounds like a good explanation <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Naw, that is just a well put together excuse. Don't give me that crap. Just admit it. Obsidian used Nihilus only because he looked more appealing and same with Atris. So Obsidian felt that these two characters would open the eyes of the KOTOR fans. And to tell you the truth they prevailed. Everyone was talking about the Masked Sith and the White-Haired Jedi. Just like when they made that wallpaper of the two fighting each other. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, it's not an excuse for It is a logical part of the plot, as several have stated so far. I don't disagree with the fact that he was hyped up a lot, but as others have said, that's marketing. He looks pretty cool, and even if Atris never fought him (or never knew he existed, except as some vague, abstract threat) it gives the classic Star Wars symbolism of good vs. evil. Also, Obsidian probably took great pleasure in twisting that symbolism - especially after questioning your preconceptions of dark and light throughout the game.

This is the best poll I've seen in quite some time... I didn't really get into the MGS games so I don't know that Raiden, but I bet the clever author of this post is referring to the God of Thunder himself. Wow... thanks for a laugh and of course.... Have a nice day.

The randomness of it makes for some interesting playthroughs. My first playthrough I got the Zeison Sha intitate armor in the Telos military base - pretty early in the game. My second game, I didn't really get nice robes until near the end. I just started a third game, and I already got a padawan robe on the Harbinger. Well, Obsidian totally succeeded in making it very random. I found the Ossus Keeper robes in the museum in the Onderon palace, along with some other really nice stuff.

The game disappointed me in the end. I'm not saying that the ending was disappointing, I'm just saying that it didn't live up to my expectations by the time I was through with it. Now, this is probably my fault, because I have never waited for a game to come out with such anticipation before TSL. Before this summer, I had never waited (im)patiently to fawn over every new screenshot, every new post by a developer, every scrap of new information. Looking back, I set myself up for the fall by setting this game on an unattainable platform. It really would have had to soar above the original to satisfy me. But here's the kicker - while I probably would have been satified with an expansion pack, in essence, Obsidian's effort led me on. I was so hyped for the new features that I couldn't help but be disappointed when they weren't completely realized. There were so many great ideas that I couldn't help myself - I got excited. The worst part of the "unfinished" aspects for me was the character interaction. I have high influence with a character who just had a life-changing experience, a turning point in his/her life. The next time I talk to them, they damn well better have something to say about it! It just makes sense! Don't give me the same dialogue options he/she had when he/she first joined my party. The difficulty level: I planned attribute, skill, feat and power distribution for months before the game even dropped to give me the slightest advantage - I could have pulled a Jackson Pollack and spread my sh*t everywhere, it didn't matter for KOTOR 2. I could have randomly picked just about anything and still beat the game (on default difficulty). Overall the story is engaging, and the small fixes would make it hard for me to return to KOTOR. Now that the robes look good, the conversations have further reaching consequences and two separate weapon configurations are the norm, it would be hard (for me) to play KOTOR instead of KOTOR 2, just due to small changes..

Just to defend Obsidian (a stance that is unjustly becoming the devil's advocate around here), I thought I'd mention that Bao-Dur does make a statement on Telos about Cannoks and how they'll eat anything. If I remember right, the context was "Don't be surprised if you find some awesome weapon lodged in their gullet, because they eat just about anything they come across. And who knows, maybe the Cannoks devour their prey weapons and all. Maybe a absolutely terrible Jedi got chomped by one and it swallowed his/her lightsaber. What an embarrassing way to go. "

My first character was DEX-based, with the lightsaber finesse feat. I got around the low damage output by installing only upgrades that add to my damage. That ended up balancing him pretty well. In my opinion, low damage is a small tradeoff for high defense. With battle precognition adding my wisdom bonus to my defense, my character could sit there and swat at the Sith all day without fear of even getting hit. It sometimes sucks having low strength in the early game, though. I never want to invest in the melee finesse feat, because I know once I get that lightsaber it's not leaving my hand. So, my DEX-based dude got to test out the ranged combat in TSL.

Haha....exactly. I think I spent about 10 minutes at that forum once. Then I puked. After I cleaned my shirt, I resolved never to waste my time with that drivel again. :cool:

Seriously, would anyone expect to see Renaissance art on the LucasArts forums? And that's why I only frequent these boards. There are intelligent people here with the capability to form complex sentences and therefore, coherent arguments. Although the board has lost some strong personalities to "spoilerphobia," there is still intelligent debate to be had and many things to learn. There are too many forums out there that make me feel dumber just for visiting them. Luckily, this is not one of them.

That just about sums up the whole game. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh come on, it wasn't that bad.

Thanks dude... Say, friend, ya got any of that good sasssparilla? :cool:

I know for balance reasons they decided to have less lightsabers in this game. That was good, because in KOTOR, when you only had three Jedi in your party, it was still possible to accumulate lots and lots of lightsabers. Now that you are the "last of the Jedi," it makes sense for lightsabers to be rare. But I agree with the comments about the random item generator. I think it's fine for boxes and footlockers, but enemies should drop the same stuff every time. I can see minor variations, like sometimes you will recieve a short lightsaber instead of a regular, stuff like that. But the loot dropped should have some sort of correlation to the enemy (i.e. was he/she armored? jedi? ranged or melee? shielded? you get the idea). I really like getting random stuff out of containers. It was shocking to get an adrenaline stimulator, one of the best items in KOTOR, real early in KOTOR 2. My first playthrough I got the +4 DEF robes that allows a +4 DEX bonus and all force powers on the Telos surface. Haven't seen that yet this time and I'm pretty far into my second game.

Force Enlightenment is the three main buffing powers from KOTOR (Aura, Valor and Speed) all rolled into one power that you can cast for something like 35 FP. Here's the catch: It casts only the powers that you already have paid into - for instance, if you have master speed but nothing from the Aura or Valour trees, you're better off just casting master speed, because it costs less. So, it's a useful power if you have paid into it in advance, so to speak. I used it a lot during the endgame to instantly give me my master valor and master speed. I'm glad it works the way it does, because I'd be pretty ticked off if I got powers for free with force enlightenment that I chose earlier in the game. ....Of course, it would be a lot more useful if the defense bonuses from speed and aura actually WERE ADDED TO YOUR DEFENSE.

Dueling hasn't been improved in TSL, but single saber is definitely a viable path. My first character was a DEX-based Sentinel/Watchman. The defense bonus of getting the master dueling as fast as possible helped me stay alive through anything. When you add naturally high DEX to Battle Precognition and the Circlet of Saresh, Ossus Keeper robes (I found them in the museum in Onderon) and other DEX and WIS augmenting gear to the +3 defense from dueling, you become unhittable by anyone save Sion. Add in Master Valour (and master speed, if it worked like it was supposed to <_< ) and I was running through the Trayus academy with about 50 defense, dispatching assassins, marauders or anyone without incurring even a scratch. Also, the scarcity of lightsabers and crystals in this game made going single saber a better choice. There just isn't as much to go around, especially once you start training your companions. If you want to give them sabers, and have a decent one yourself, it's better not to spread your crystals over two sabers per character. In KOTOR, I always ended up going with two sabers just so I didn't have cool crystals sitting around unused. Overall, master dueling, master speed, high DEX and WIS, lightsaber finesse and master power attack make for an unstoppable character. I picked power attack, because it doesn't reduce my defense and the extra damage makes up for low strength. Also, that critical threat range bonus with master power attack does wonders for a keen saber. When I performed a master power attack with master speed activated, it seemed like one of my three attacks per round was always doing 100-150 damage. Ridiculous.

I was very happy to see that Adum Larp (pretty close on the spelling), the Rodian merchant with a "noble purpose," survived the bombing of Dantooine.

Wow that was fast.... talk about service! Thanks a lot Akari. :D I guess I'm just not used to the new menus yet.

Remember when you were in the menus in KOTOR, you could read through a recap of how the battle went. You know, the behind-the-scenes roll mechanics stuff. I don't think this feature is in KOTOR 2 - at least if it is, I can't find it. This kind of bums me out because that section was really helpful for me, as I really didn't know anything about the d20 rules when I started KOTOR. The "Feedback" section helped me learn how saves work, along with how feats like flurry or critical strike affect your attacks and how your stat modifiers affect your performance. I liked being able to see opponents defense and to hit ratings, and being able to see how my roll stacked up to theirs. The other night as I was playing, I opened a door and two souped-up Dark Jedi cut down a full-health Visas Marr in one turn. I thought "Hey, are these guys really that tough, were those critical hit flukes or should I be really worried right now for my remaining party members?" I know most video games don't give the gamer the ability to look at those behind-the-scenes numbers, but this is KOTOR 2, not a button-masher, so my expectations are a little higher. I understand that this is a really small part of the game; I also understand that many gamers would never even glance at that screen. Hell, most people probably didn't know it was in the first one. Still, if the engine keeps track of all that stuff anyway, why cut it out so we are unable to see it if we really want to?

(Coming up for air, 22 hours in) I think the NPC interactions were lacking in KOTOR; it always felt forced to me when we would stop running across a battlefield and I would hear "Hey, Carth - I've always wondered....." Whether it's Visas and the Handmaiden's rivalry, Bao-Dur's contempt for Mandalore or Atton's distrust of droids, NPC interaction seems more natural this time. I'm actually glad that my companions argue or discuss things (especially me) amongst themselves when I'm not around. It helps fill me in on a personal history that my character is aware of, but I am not - a plot device I think Obsidian used effectively. Also, the crew squabbles fit in with the tense atmosphere aboard a small vessel with a crew with serious fundamental development. I think, so far, the character development has been on par with the original and the story has great potential - I can't wait to find out what happens next! Time to dive back in. :D

So masteries are back eh? I haven't made up my mind about whether I like this or not - I had the Xbox KOTOR, so I have no experience with them. On one hand, I can see it as a reward for devotion to a specific ethos, but on the other hand, I don't want to have a weaker character just because my conscience is a little flawed. Stat bonuses are nice, but I don't think I'm going to be far enough to one extreme or the other to get the bonuses. My first playthrough is not going to be light or darkside, it's gonna be from the gut. I can't bring myself to kill NPCs for the hell of it, but I can rationalize my way out of some not-quite nice guy decisions (if the price isssss RIGHT!)