Ranking All KOTOR 1 Companions

[Sgt.Winters]

10. T3-M4

If he wasn't necessary for the advancement of the story, I would have excluded him. Seriously, unless you are going for a skill-centric group (WHY), he functions as a weak R2. He exists solely to open a fucking door into the Sith base, and literally nothing more. While none of this is exactly his fault, as he is a utility droid, they could have done SOMETHING else (except maybe selecting him for the Leviathan). 20 INT is good only if you value skills, which, for the average player you aren't going to put much investment into beyond persuade and repair. You can destroy pretty much any door, so security is never mandatory, and neither is computer use unless you love spiking. Anything he does, any other companion can do better AND be efficient in combat. Overall, T3 just doesn't bring much to the table in either strategy or story. Probably would have been better off being blown up while repairing the Ebon Hawk's power conduits. Luckily for this astromech, he is redeemed in KOTOR 2, but his initial appearance still leaves much to be desired.

If you enjoy humorous builds, T3 can be quite the tank, so he has that going for him at least.

Boop beep beep boop beep boop?

9. Zalbaar

I consider this one a Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions. To begin, our furry friend starts off with massive STR and CON, making him an early game wrecking machine. Slap twin vibroblades with two-weapon fighting and watch him go to town. Being a scout gives him free implants, another useful boon for making sure his roles are put to good use. So, where does he go wrong? Unless you have him running like a fucking berserker into melee (even this does not work most of the time), or have him sit in the back with his bowcaster, he is going get annihilated past Dantooine. Considering his walking carpet status, Zalbaar is incapable of equipping armor, meaning his large CON stat isn't going to mean shit once the Sith acolytes start rolling in. Even if you heavily invested into CON early, it still won't account for much damage reduction to the simply fact of no armor. On top of that, his dexterity is also low, so say goodbye to any hope of him dodging anything beyond Kath Hounds. He just falls apart, and there isn't any reason to use him much when there are far better melee companions available.

Zalbaar serves little to no purpose to the story until you get to Kashyyyk (which is really the only time you want to bring him). Prior to this quest, any interaction with him results in him reciting his life debt to you, which gets really fucking dull. Depending on your order of planets, he could remain this way even halfway through the game and beyond. Of course, being the exile that he is, our Zalbaar spends the majority of his side quest being held captive by his brother while you go and look for their father, all the while desperately trying to remember which Wookie is which since they all look the same. Luckily his side quest is one of the more entertaining ones (unless you decide to leave him there), so he is saved from utter obscurity. Perhaps my strong dislike of Kashyyyk in KOTOR affects my view of him, but I will conclude that his placement is justified.

I must also add that your dialogue options during Zalbaar's quest make it far more enjoyable. Make sure to have him kill Mission if you go down the dark path as well.

8. Juhani

This character has always felt, at least to me, to be very awkwardly inserted. Upon your first playthrough, you might just be tempted to just cut her in half for those juicy dark side points. On the other hand, you can persuade her from the edge (btw how did she get a red lightsaber?) and gain a decent Jedi guardian. She isn't terrible, but she isn't really great either. Easily the worst of the Jedi batch that you can use, but that still makes her leagues above any other melee character. My main gripe with her is that she just isn't a particularly interesting character. Juhani represents the typical force user conflicted on her actions and past, all the while juxtaposing certain moral principles in regards to her emotional state. Her screwed up past makes for a decent setup, but the payoff is underwhelming. While it is hilarious to just have her kill Xor at the end of the side quest, KOTOR's heavy reliance on black and white morality make the either choice not particularly compelling. As stated above, she just feels out of place for the entirety of the game. An emotionally unstable force user usually makes for a good story arc, but this one falls flat. Beyond her occasional dialogue and quest, I can't say for certain on whether this character was something I would have agreed to putting into the game. If she were more emotionally conflicted throughout the many interactions you have (provided that you actually bring her along), then maybe.

7. HK-47

Perhaps my most controversial placement. Besides being of great comedic value and having a robust robotic personality, HK really doesn't add much else. Hell, just getting further along his quest involves you putting points into repair (which you need a lot of), and even then you probably don't want to be upgrading intelligence to help boost it along. Despite claiming to be great at butchering meatbags, he dies too fucking quickly and is outclassed by most of the other companions in virtually everything. Buying him is probably the least demanding of his quest, so long as you have done the swoop races on Tatooine. Can't recommend him being in the party unless you want entertaining dialogue and a massive boon towards lore, which might just be your style. I'll have to replay KOTOR 2 soon to see if he was any better.

He does have the best quotes in the game though:

Translation: He requires proof of good faith. We must make a contribution to his people that shows we are not a threat...shall I blast him now, Master?

Commentary: Your former pupil is brutal and efficient, even for an organic. I rather liked him when you first introduced me to him. If I had known what he would do to you, master, I would have gladly removed his entrails, right then!

Explanation: Two per cent probability that the miniature organic is simply looking for trouble and needs to be blasted. That may be wishful thinking on my part, master.

Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope... Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds.

6. Carth

[sOmEThInG SeEmS tO bE bOtHeRiNg cArTh.]

To me, Onassi represents the epitome of a Star Wars character just being outright fucking annoying. It's a shame since he is propped up be one of the Republic's heroes. Gameplay wise, he actually excels at his job of being a blaster user. Theres really nothing wrong with him when enough DEX is leveled, and his crit can come in handy in every part of the game. His involvement in the story is where he starts to grind my gears. At any given moment during the game, he becomes extremely defensive and inconsistent when it comes to the Mandalorian Wars, practically stuttering his way through the conversation. He then proceeds pulls a complete 180 when it goes on for long enough. This is followed by him giving you the silent treatment for an extended period. His romance option isn't great, and the revelation about his son just kind of comes out of the blue. It's almost as if Bioware forgot to give Carth a quest late into development, so they threw in the Korriban storyline last minute. (This is one of the more forgivable aspects of the character, as we really aren't given much else that would have made even the slightest sense). His conversational skills are a solid 3/10, as they unfortunately descend into one of the more poorly written ones of the game. If he couldn't fly the Ebon Hawk, I would have put him lower.

5. Canderous

This grizzled Mandalorian veteran is one of the more entertaining characters. Despite a terrible will save, he adds perhaps the most in terms of non-lightsaber users. A great start in terms of armor feats and vitality, with potential to use any blaster category to great effect makes him a good frontliner even without a melee build. His dialogue regarding war stories is actually quite good, though they can feel at times like an old man reliving his glory days. They can drag out for too long, and his quest isn't really all that great. You have to get a healthy amount of points into persuade in order to get the most XP out of it, and the alternative isn't all that climatic, so I'd save this quest late so you have the best chance of making the most of it. His banter with Carth and Bastilla is among the best, and sticks true to his word about being quite the bastard in terms of morality. Like T3, Canderous becomes much, MUCH better in KOTOR 2. It really isn't even a fair comparison, as he has evolved heavily into something far more fleshed out than before. Oh and he builds stims too, which is nice.

4. Mission

She could have easily been the whiny brat that Star Wars has the bad tendency to have in nearly ever story. Luckily, Bioware pulls off a kind-hearted companion who is memorable in every way. She differs from nearly every other character's cynicism with a more upbeat personality. Furthermore, she contrasts the often convoluted explanations someone like Bastilla or Carth would give, instead stating opinions on certain matters with more layman terms. It works surprisingly well, all things considered. Her character is a 14 year old thief caught up in the middle of a galactic conflict, and somehow doesn't collectively lose her mind (I guess Taris is just that fucked up). Her sneak attack and crits are also absurdly fun. If you get bored of a pure Jedi party and have to patience to develop another build, Mission can be by far the most unique blaster user. Although it does take certain situations to use her full potential, it's well worth it to see the turn play out in full. A much welcome change to the pure (and often bland) lightsaber combat that dominates the game from Dantooine onwards. She also doubles as a Pazaak punching bag, so if you enjoy Star Wars blackjack, she is your go to. I heavily recommended bringing her along for Kashyyyk, as she adds heavily to the dialogue in terms of Zalbaar's quest line. Fuck Griff though, he is lame.

3. Trask

He helps you through the Endar Spire, teaches you the basic fundamentals of the game, AND sacrifices himself to hold off Darth Bandon. What else could you want from a guy? Solid bro tier.

2. Bastilla

She doesn't stand out in terms of gameplay, but still a Jedi is a Jedi. Slap a fully upgraded flurry and watch her melt virtually anything that she comes across. Force powers are alright on her, but being a Sentinel and all, she is better off with a more balanced approach. Her dialogue is the most extensive of the companions, and is also the optional romance for the male character. Bastilla's development as a character is linked directly to Revans, so she really serves more as a secondary protagonist, the only companion to do so. She is rather doubtful of her own powers, thus leading to Malek causing her to crack. It's also funny to see her blush when the player presses her with certain dialogue options. Unfortunately, she can come off as a bit whiny, and while the player can poke at her insecurities about potential, it doesn't change the final outcome all that much. Her paths during either a Dark or Light playthrough are enjoyable (with the former arguably being better), as her character is one of the few that actually gets a full arc. Her side quest tugs at the heart strings somewhat, though it isn't anything extraordinary. Being hot is a bonus, so she's got that going too.

1. Jolee

The wise uncle of the group, who doubles as the most proficient Jedi companion. He has the best starting Force powers, most Force points, (with 17 more to go), and can excel at crowd control right off the bat. Being a bit of a Grey Jedi, his neutral opinions regarding the war and ongoing struggle between Dark and Light are wholly different from the rest. His years living as a hermit has given him more of a naturalist stance, all the while functioning as the best source of wisdom the game has to offer. Jolee's backstory, while probably littered with bullshit, is by far the most intriguing, as it offers a perspective on matters that Star Wars doesn't often dive too deep into. Having been disillusioned with the Jedi order after the Great Sith War and the death of his wife, he had resolved to explore the galaxy, eventually crashing down in Kashyyyk. While he is aware of what is at stake, he also doesn't consider our involvement to be the most important in galactic history. His side quest on Manaan is also leagues above the rest. Not only can you fuck the Sith over in the trial, but you are also presented with a difficult choice when faced with the truth of Sunry's guilt. It is well thought out, developed, and leaves the player conflicted on whether if it's better to stay true to their moral code, or to give false information for the betterment of the Republic. As if he wasn't already good enough, Jolee makes for the most entertaining choice on the Leviathan. Those Rodians make me giggle every time. It makes me sad to have to kill him when I do Dark playthroughs, but it a necessary step towards achieving galactic dominance.

Spoiler

[close]

[Vegi.]

shut the fuck up

[Runepkyz]

shut the fuck up

Nou

[✠ Connor ✠]

Bastilla is the best for obvious reasons

[DrunkenSpartan]

Whoever wrote this had some problems with their gameplay style that become apparent once you nerd the fuck out over KOTOR like a few of us did back in the early 00’s. It’s pretty visible in their writing IMO.

[Sgt.Winters]

Whoever wrote this had some problems with their gameplay style that become apparent once you nerd the fuck out over KOTOR like a few of us did back in the early 00’s. It’s pretty visible in their writing IMO.

I can't say I've done every playstyle the game has to offer. I played the game about 7 years after it came out so I had to spend a bit searching old forums for the most meta builds. RPG games are incredibly exhausting for me, as I've only done a full play through of his one about 11 or 12 times. 4 times for different paths, and several for blaster/vibroblade exclusive runs. I tried a (for the most part) hard solo run recently and it got incredibly boring by the time I got to Korriban, which is always do last. My initial playthroughs were generic light saber builds with a tilt towards Force powers. I'm also terrible at understanding tabletop combat mechanics, so I've had my fair share of fuckups when it comes to leveling up and not saving right before.

[Eamon]

He sorts reddit posts by controversial and copies them in here

[Sgt.Winters]

He sorts reddit posts by controversial and copies them in here

I sure hope I didn't, else that would make me very sad.

[DrunkenSpartan]

From memory. Forgive me if I didn’t use a “meta internet build”, those were in their infancy in 2003-2007 and tbh there is no one universal character for all missions, your choice is heavily situation-dependent:

1) Bastila Shan - The “Heroes of the Republic” characters are built to be versatile. Bastila edges out even Jolee, though, due to end game meta. You can bring her to the Star Forge on a Dark Side play through, and this helps immensely for the “average player” IMO. Just remember to level her CON and use her as a healer hybrid

2) Jolee Bindo - powerful but squishy, don’t forget that he is also a pain in the ass

3) Mission Vao / T3-M4 - Skills are valuable, spiking computers and hacking doors should definitely not be neglected IMO. Mission might have a slight edge on T3 just because she’s a more fleshed out character, though.

4) Carth Onasi - Bumped for his versatility early in game. The “average” player would find it hard to make it off Taris or Dantooine without him.

5) Everyone else - Poor HK-47, he ranks last on my list IMO even though his dialogue is by far the best in the game. He has one or two useful features though.


Should be noted that this is for the “average” player. Advanced players will notice that I’ve completely neglected to mention mines, demolition, and a few other really OP aspects of the game.

[Shadey]

Ok but who asked

[Sgt.Winters]

From memory. Forgive me if I didn’t use a “meta internet build”, those were in their infancy in 2003-2007 and tbh there is no one universal character for all missions, your choice is heavily situation-dependent:

1) Bastila Shan - The “Heroes of the Republic” characters are built to be versatile. Bastila edges out even Jolee, though, due to end game meta. You can bring her to the Star Forge on a Dark Side play through, and this helps immensely for the “average player” IMO. Just remember to level her CON and use her as a healer hybrid

2) Jolee Bindo - powerful but squishy, don’t forget that he is also a pain in the ass

3) Mission Vao / T3-M4 - Skills are valuable, spiking computers and hacking doors should definitely not be neglected IMO. Mission might have a slight edge on T3 just because she’s a more fleshed out character, though.

4) Carth Onasi - Bumped for his versatility early in game. The “average” player would find it hard to make it off Taris or Dantooine without him.

5) Everyone else - Poor HK-47, he ranks last on my list IMO even though his dialogue is by far the best in the game. He has one or two useful features though.


Should be noted that this is for the “average” player. Advanced players will notice that I’ve completely neglected to mention mines, demolition, and a few other really OP aspects of the game.

Im my experience, the situational aspects of the game only matter heavily on two conditions: build and difficulty. YMMV though depending on how you like to play and what items are available to you.

Only Easy/Normal, you can run through the game easily enough with three Jedi and a few points pumped into lighting (and a few other things of course). There are few (if any) hackable doors that can't be broken through melee. Spiking computers is something far more useful, which is where the average player should invest in along with demo. If you don't know what you want from your party, or simply lack the knowledge on how to build, these two come in handy. The two exceptions that always stand out in my mind are Malek and the cloaked Mandalorians on Kashyyyk, though I know there are a few more.

It's when you crank the difficulty up that strategy should be put into more consideration, rather than just brute force. Knowing how each grenade and mine works is essential before the enemy can get their turn in. Force resistance is also incredibly useful on hard.

Have you played K1R? If so, there is an impossible difficulty setting that makes this even more important than it already is. You can't really spam flurry and expect to come out on top. A sustainable approach is far more effective, as well as FP conserving.

[DrunkenSpartan]

From memory. Forgive me if I didn’t use a “meta internet build”, those were in their infancy in 2003-2007 and tbh there is no one universal character for all missions, your choice is heavily situation-dependent:

1) Bastila Shan - The “Heroes of the Republic” characters are built to be versatile. Bastila edges out even Jolee, though, due to end game meta. You can bring her to the Star Forge on a Dark Side play through, and this helps immensely for the “average player” IMO. Just remember to level her CON and use her as a healer hybrid

2) Jolee Bindo - powerful but squishy, don’t forget that he is also a pain in the ass

3) Mission Vao / T3-M4 - Skills are valuable, spiking computers and hacking doors should definitely not be neglected IMO. Mission might have a slight edge on T3 just because she’s a more fleshed out character, though.

4) Carth Onasi - Bumped for his versatility early in game. The “average” player would find it hard to make it off Taris or Dantooine without him.

5) Everyone else - Poor HK-47, he ranks last on my list IMO even though his dialogue is by far the best in the game. He has one or two useful features though.


Should be noted that this is for the “average” player. Advanced players will notice that I’ve completely neglected to mention mines, demolition, and a few other really OP aspects of the game.

Im my experience, the situational aspects of the game only matter heavily on two conditions: build and difficulty. YMMV though depending on how you like to play and what items are available to you.

Only Easy/Normal, you can run through the game easily enough with three Jedi and a few points pumped into lighting (and a few other things of course). There are few (if any) hackable doors that can't be broken through melee. Spiking computers is something far more useful, which is where the average player should invest in along with demo. If you don't know what you want from your party, or simply lack the knowledge on how to build, these two come in handy. The two exceptions that always stand out in my mind are Malek and the cloaked Mandalorians on Kashyyyk, though I know there are a few more.

It's when you crank the difficulty up that strategy should be put into more consideration, rather than just brute force. Knowing how each grenade and mine works is essential before the enemy can get their turn in. Force resistance is also incredibly useful on hard.

Have you played K1R? If so, there is an impossible difficulty setting that makes this even more important than it already is. You can't really spam flurry and expect to come out on top. A sustainable approach is far more effective, as well as FP conserving.

Build is a bit of a moot point. KOTOR has great companions compared to certain other games from this era, but you are ultimately the linchpin. Your character has to carry the team, which, given who they are in the story (no spoilz thnx), makes sense. Even though Jedi rank highly on my "list", I wouldn't recommend two Jedi companions. There are too many things Jedi weren't ideal at in the game, and typically if I were going for the most meta-build possible, I would select 1 Jedi (personal preference Bastila, for her hybrid potential vs Jolee's "Mage" build) and 1 skill-based support character like Mission Vao. I have no idea what the Reddit fanboy battalion has to say about meta builds, but there's mine. Landmines are the most overpowered weapon in the vanilla game until you reach the period where you can spam AOE DS powers towards the end game (IIRC, Unknown World stage and further). It isn't close, either. Spending some points on Mission's demo and stealth will pay off big when laying an ambush for multiple enemies. Force powers, as great as they are, will not give you as much mileage (until the end game) as a well-thought out ambush, although the caveat is that you need the credits to amass a good collection of mines in the first place. Mines, grenades, flamethrowers if you are using a droid, and finally force powers will win the day for you in my experience. Notice how most of those traits don't have super specific prerequisite builds with the exception of droids for flamethrowers and Jedi for force powers.

I don't know what easy difficulty is like in KOTOR, but I might give it a glance now to see if it's really broken and "tutorial" level. Normal was appropriate for newer players. Hard was too easy for advanced meta-slaves like myself. Impossible was challenging at first, but ultimately if you've played the game for a significant length of time you'll probably make short work of it like I did. You are correct, however, when you say that "sustainable [approaches] are far more effective, as well as FP conserving". Developing a working strategy of conservative use of disposable weapons (grenades, mines, stims to an extent, etc.) as well as a strategy of replenishment is critical to freeing you up to enjoy the other aspects the game has to offer. Additionally, until the end game, FP conservation is a major factor.

One more thing: hacking doors isn't useless, though I can understand the temptation to think so. It's not as useful as it should be. There are a few doors, however, that cannot be broken through melee. Also, melee is RNG even moreso than hacking, so a few well-spent points on the required skills/attributes can save you some time in a combat situation. Not really an issue for advanced players, since they'll know how to survive against bad odds long enough to have 1 party member break through the door via melee, but something that is useful for the average player. There was also a stealth element that came into play with hacking doors vs melee, but I don't recall the specifics of it.

Just my thoughts on it. I'm kinda surprised people have online "meta builds" for that game tbh. We all just did it by trial and error, and shared our thoughts with each other in forum discussion format, but I don't recall a major "walkthrough" around the time I played.

[Sgt.Winters]

From memory. Forgive me if I didn’t use a “meta internet build”, those were in their infancy in 2003-2007 and tbh there is no one universal character for all missions, your choice is heavily situation-dependent:

1) Bastila Shan - The “Heroes of the Republic” characters are built to be versatile. Bastila edges out even Jolee, though, due to end game meta. You can bring her to the Star Forge on a Dark Side play through, and this helps immensely for the “average player” IMO. Just remember to level her CON and use her as a healer hybrid

2) Jolee Bindo - powerful but squishy, don’t forget that he is also a pain in the ass

3) Mission Vao / T3-M4 - Skills are valuable, spiking computers and hacking doors should definitely not be neglected IMO. Mission might have a slight edge on T3 just because she’s a more fleshed out character, though.

4) Carth Onasi - Bumped for his versatility early in game. The “average” player would find it hard to make it off Taris or Dantooine without him.

5) Everyone else - Poor HK-47, he ranks last on my list IMO even though his dialogue is by far the best in the game. He has one or two useful features though.


Should be noted that this is for the “average” player. Advanced players will notice that I’ve completely neglected to mention mines, demolition, and a few other really OP aspects of the game.

Im my experience, the situational aspects of the game only matter heavily on two conditions: build and difficulty. YMMV though depending on how you like to play and what items are available to you.

Only Easy/Normal, you can run through the game easily enough with three Jedi and a few points pumped into lighting (and a few other things of course). There are few (if any) hackable doors that can't be broken through melee. Spiking computers is something far more useful, which is where the average player should invest in along with demo. If you don't know what you want from your party, or simply lack the knowledge on how to build, these two come in handy. The two exceptions that always stand out in my mind are Malek and the cloaked Mandalorians on Kashyyyk, though I know there are a few more.

It's when you crank the difficulty up that strategy should be put into more consideration, rather than just brute force. Knowing how each grenade and mine works is essential before the enemy can get their turn in. Force resistance is also incredibly useful on hard.

Have you played K1R? If so, there is an impossible difficulty setting that makes this even more important than it already is. You can't really spam flurry and expect to come out on top. A sustainable approach is far more effective, as well as FP conserving.

Build is a bit of a moot point. KOTOR has great companions compared to certain other games from this era, but you are ultimately the linchpin. Your character has to carry the team, which, given who they are in the story (no spoilz thnx), makes sense. Even though Jedi rank highly on my "list", I wouldn't recommend two Jedi companions. There are too many things Jedi weren't ideal at in the game, and typically if I were going for the most meta-build possible, I would select 1 Jedi (personal preference Bastila, for her hybrid potential vs Jolee's "Mage" build) and 1 skill-based support character like Mission Vao. I have no idea what the Reddit fanboy battalion has to say about meta builds, but there's mine. Landmines are the most overpowered weapon in the vanilla game until you reach the period where you can spam AOE DS powers towards the end game (IIRC, Unknown World stage and further). It isn't close, either. Spending some points on Mission's demo and stealth will pay off big when laying an ambush for multiple enemies. Force powers, as great as they are, will not give you as much mileage (until the end game) as a well-thought out ambush, although the caveat is that you need the credits to amass a good collection of mines in the first place. Mines, grenades, flamethrowers if you are using a droid, and finally force powers will win the day for you in my experience. Notice how most of those traits don't have super specific prerequisite builds with the exception of droids for flamethrowers and Jedi for force powers.

I don't know what easy difficulty is like in KOTOR, but I might give it a glance now to see if it's really broken and "tutorial" level. Normal was appropriate for newer players. Hard was too easy for advanced meta-slaves like myself. Impossible was challenging at first, but ultimately if you've played the game for a significant length of time you'll probably make short work of it like I did. You are correct, however, when you say that "sustainable [approaches] are far more effective, as well as FP conserving". Developing a working strategy of conservative use of disposable weapons (grenades, mines, stims to an extent, etc.) as well as a strategy of replenishment is critical to freeing you up to enjoy the other aspects the game has to offer. Additionally, until the end game, FP conservation is a major factor.

One more thing: hacking doors isn't useless, though I can understand the temptation to think so. It's not as useful as it should be. There are a few doors, however, that cannot be broken through melee. Also, melee is RNG even moreso than hacking, so a few well-spent points on the required skills/attributes can save you some time in a combat situation. Not really an issue for advanced players, since they'll know how to survive against bad odds long enough to have 1 party member break through the door via melee, but something that is useful for the average player. There was also a stealth element that came into play with hacking doors vs melee, but I don't recall the specifics of it.

Just my thoughts on it. I'm kinda surprised people have online "meta builds" for that game tbh. We all just did it by trial and error, and shared our thoughts with each other in forum discussion format, but I don't recall a major "walkthrough" around the time I played.

Most meta builds that would be recommended to players nowadays aren't really based around cost-effectiveness or long term planning. It mostly boils down to min-maxxing strength or dexterity while praying that the die rolls in your favor, coupled with offensive force powers. It's really weird to see now when compared to say 5 or 10 years ago. Barely anyone would recommended force speed on a melee focused two-handed character (which is strange). Others would call awareness one of more essential skills to get mid-late game. I don't know about you, but I haven't ever tossed more than 4 points into it. You are likely right on the ambush and stealth mechanics. My experience with them is extremely limited and I never found them to be much fun. I might have just been doing it wrong, but who knows. As for the must fun I've had in terms of party builds, all blaster groups would be my pick.

Difficulty wise, I do consider easy to be just that. Easy. If you want a cinematic experience and want to focus purely on the storytelling, then easy difficulty is the way to go. Taking on Bendak in the arena at level 2 is even a joke. This is why playing the majority of combat situations on solo mode is far more enjoyable; the game can just get too easy and dull when once you finish the Leviathan (or even before that) with three people. If you haven't done so already, I would refrain from using the Yavin station vendor (with the exception of cashing in your Tatooine swoop tickets) for the entirety of your playthrough. It doesn't make the game astronomically more difficult by any means, but it is a nice change of pace when you can't rely on the exclusive crystals and armor for the end game.

In terms of hacking doors, I will have to take note of that during my next playthrough, as I cannot recall any quintessential locked doors that required hacking. It might be based on difficulty, but I can't be certain. You'd have to list off the specific doors. In terms of time management on the other hand, hacking is indeed the better alternative. 

I don't think it's that surprising that there are meta builds for this game. It is still the best Star Wars game produced (imo), and while it hasn't aged particularly well, that hardly takes away the enjoyment you can have. I recall by dad writing down builds he had for ES Daggerfall, some of which I can only assume he gathered from online. So it wasn't entirely trial and error for most. Then again, Daggerfall came out over 20 years ago, so maybe they were entirely developed of his own experiments and whatnot.

[DrunkenSpartan]

Spoiler

From memory. Forgive me if I didn’t use a “meta internet build”, those were in their infancy in 2003-2007 and tbh there is no one universal character for all missions, your choice is heavily situation-dependent:

1) Bastila Shan - The “Heroes of the Republic” characters are built to be versatile. Bastila edges out even Jolee, though, due to end game meta. You can bring her to the Star Forge on a Dark Side play through, and this helps immensely for the “average player” IMO. Just remember to level her CON and use her as a healer hybrid

2) Jolee Bindo - powerful but squishy, don’t forget that he is also a pain in the ass

3) Mission Vao / T3-M4 - Skills are valuable, spiking computers and hacking doors should definitely not be neglected IMO. Mission might have a slight edge on T3 just because she’s a more fleshed out character, though.

4) Carth Onasi - Bumped for his versatility early in game. The “average” player would find it hard to make it off Taris or Dantooine without him.

5) Everyone else - Poor HK-47, he ranks last on my list IMO even though his dialogue is by far the best in the game. He has one or two useful features though.


Should be noted that this is for the “average” player. Advanced players will notice that I’ve completely neglected to mention mines, demolition, and a few other really OP aspects of the game.

Im my experience, the situational aspects of the game only matter heavily on two conditions: build and difficulty. YMMV though depending on how you like to play and what items are available to you.

Only Easy/Normal, you can run through the game easily enough with three Jedi and a few points pumped into lighting (and a few other things of course). There are few (if any) hackable doors that can't be broken through melee. Spiking computers is something far more useful, which is where the average player should invest in along with demo. If you don't know what you want from your party, or simply lack the knowledge on how to build, these two come in handy. The two exceptions that always stand out in my mind are Malek and the cloaked Mandalorians on Kashyyyk, though I know there are a few more.

It's when you crank the difficulty up that strategy should be put into more consideration, rather than just brute force. Knowing how each grenade and mine works is essential before the enemy can get their turn in. Force resistance is also incredibly useful on hard.

Have you played K1R? If so, there is an impossible difficulty setting that makes this even more important than it already is. You can't really spam flurry and expect to come out on top. A sustainable approach is far more effective, as well as FP conserving.

Build is a bit of a moot point. KOTOR has great companions compared to certain other games from this era, but you are ultimately the linchpin. Your character has to carry the team, which, given who they are in the story (no spoilz thnx), makes sense. Even though Jedi rank highly on my "list", I wouldn't recommend two Jedi companions. There are too many things Jedi weren't ideal at in the game, and typically if I were going for the most meta-build possible, I would select 1 Jedi (personal preference Bastila, for her hybrid potential vs Jolee's "Mage" build) and 1 skill-based support character like Mission Vao. I have no idea what the Reddit fanboy battalion has to say about meta builds, but there's mine. Landmines are the most overpowered weapon in the vanilla game until you reach the period where you can spam AOE DS powers towards the end game (IIRC, Unknown World stage and further). It isn't close, either. Spending some points on Mission's demo and stealth will pay off big when laying an ambush for multiple enemies. Force powers, as great as they are, will not give you as much mileage (until the end game) as a well-thought out ambush, although the caveat is that you need the credits to amass a good collection of mines in the first place. Mines, grenades, flamethrowers if you are using a droid, and finally force powers will win the day for you in my experience. Notice how most of those traits don't have super specific prerequisite builds with the exception of droids for flamethrowers and Jedi for force powers.

I don't know what easy difficulty is like in KOTOR, but I might give it a glance now to see if it's really broken and "tutorial" level. Normal was appropriate for newer players. Hard was too easy for advanced meta-slaves like myself. Impossible was challenging at first, but ultimately if you've played the game for a significant length of time you'll probably make short work of it like I did. You are correct, however, when you say that "sustainable [approaches] are far more effective, as well as FP conserving". Developing a working strategy of conservative use of disposable weapons (grenades, mines, stims to an extent, etc.) as well as a strategy of replenishment is critical to freeing you up to enjoy the other aspects the game has to offer. Additionally, until the end game, FP conservation is a major factor.

One more thing: hacking doors isn't useless, though I can understand the temptation to think so. It's not as useful as it should be. There are a few doors, however, that cannot be broken through melee. Also, melee is RNG even moreso than hacking, so a few well-spent points on the required skills/attributes can save you some time in a combat situation. Not really an issue for advanced players, since they'll know how to survive against bad odds long enough to have 1 party member break through the door via melee, but something that is useful for the average player. There was also a stealth element that came into play with hacking doors vs melee, but I don't recall the specifics of it.

Just my thoughts on it. I'm kinda surprised people have online "meta builds" for that game tbh. We all just did it by trial and error, and shared our thoughts with each other in forum discussion format, but I don't recall a major "walkthrough" around the time I played.

Most meta builds that would be recommended to players nowadays aren't really based around cost-effectiveness or long term planning. It mostly boils down to min-maxxing strength or dexterity while praying that the die rolls in your favor, coupled with offensive force powers. It's really weird to see now when compared to say 5 or 10 years ago. Barely anyone would recommended force speed on a melee focused two-handed character (which is strange). Others would call awareness one of more essential skills to get mid-late game. I don't know about you, but I haven't ever tossed more than 4 points into it. You are likely right on the ambush and stealth mechanics. My experience with them is extremely limited and I never found them to be much fun. I might have just been doing it wrong, but who knows. As for the must fun I've had in terms of party builds, all blaster groups would be my pick.

Difficulty wise, I do consider easy to be just that. Easy. If you want a cinematic experience and want to focus purely on the storytelling, then easy difficulty is the way to go. Taking on Bendak in the arena at level 2 is even a joke. This is why playing the majority of combat situations on solo mode is far more enjoyable; the game can just get too easy and dull when once you finish the Leviathan (or even before that) with three people. If you haven't done so already, I would refrain from using the Yavin station vendor (with the exception of cashing in your Tatooine swoop tickets) for the entirety of your playthrough. It doesn't make the game astronomically more difficult by any means, but it is a nice change of pace when you can't rely on the exclusive crystals and armor for the end game.

In terms of hacking doors, I will have to take note of that during my next playthrough, as I cannot recall any quintessential locked doors that required hacking. It might be based on difficulty, but I can't be certain. You'd have to list off the specific doors. In terms of time management on the other hand, hacking is indeed the better alternative. 

I don't think it's that surprising that there are meta builds for this game. It is still the best Star Wars game produced (imo), and while it hasn't aged particularly well, that hardly takes away the enjoyment you can have. I recall by dad writing down builds he had for ES Daggerfall, some of which I can only assume he gathered from online. So it wasn't entirely trial and error for most. Then again, Daggerfall came out over 20 years ago, so maybe they were entirely developed of his own experiments and whatnot.

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It's sad to discover that min-maxxing became popular over long-term strategy and logistics planning. I experimented with min-maxxing when I revisited KOTOR on the PC and it was very bland to me compared to even simply "hybrid-ing" all characters. Aside from the flaws of overspecialization, in my opinion the real tragedy is that people are maximizing STR, CON, and DEX over WIS, INT, and CHA. Ask anyone who rates Jolee high to explain the importance of the latter three attributes and you'll get a decent argument about why you should choose those over STR and CON. Dexterity is the exception that proves the rule, except for Bastila where her meager 12 CON (IIRC) needs to be built up a bit before she realizes her full potential.

Also, from the perspective of an older KOTOR player, I don't find it odd that older guides would have recommended avoiding force speed. I think running used to dampen awareness, and I definitely remember "force-speeding" myself into land mines where the DC was too high for me to check. Burst of Speed, or whatever it was called, was something for the player character to have in order to cross long stretches of terrain easily, but its use in a hostile environment was largely negligible if you start playing more methodically and analytically. In any case, a guardian's Force Jump will usually serve well in such a situation over Burst of Speed.

Awareness is a critical meta skill, but not a critical casual skill. High awareness + high stealth + high demolitions = a surplus of powerful mines to recover and redeploy against your enemies. You can actually "one shot" some pretty powerful characters in the game with enough mines placed strategically. Other than that though, I'm not sure how effective the awareness skill would have been for the average player.

Ambush mechanics are pretty meta and really enjoyable if you like planning operations on a tactical level. Basic method is some variation of this: Stealth to scout the opponent. Find strategic choke points that won't be interrupted by pathing errors. Set mines. Retreat. Alert enemy with grenade spam to soften them up. Weaken them with flamethrowers or force powers. Wait for them to reach the mines. Repeat. Any NPC with enough power to survive gets engaged by Bastila at close range while I continue the pattern with my PC. Mission (or T3) stays out of the close fight and pretty much just uses dual blaster pistols at range. Cassus Fett's + Mandalorian Heavy Blaster Pistol preferred.

Difficulty is a bit of a joke if you've played the game for nearly two decades. I haven't worried about any lightsaber crystal in about 7 years; I don't need them or lightsabers. If you're finding Impossible difficulty easy, I would recommend Solo w/ Short Sword challenge. No parties, no force powers, no gear aside from basic clothing/jedi robes. No mines or grenades, either. Just you, a pair of robes, and a sharp piece of metal. Good luck.

I don't remember which specific doors needed hacking. I last played the game in July 2019, and in any case I peaked in 2007.

As a side note, I don't know your dad, but it is possible that he used his own ideas for Daggerfall experiments. I remember writing down working combinations, by hand, as well as faulty ones while messing around with KOTOR. Word was a thing in '03 but pen and paper were still more useful for "brainstorming", believe it or not.

[ShintoSkookum]

imagine not putting mission vao #1 you fujcking retard fFUCK UOU FCUK YOU FUCVK YUOU