So far, things went easier than i thought they would be. In fact, way too easy, allowing me to keep Atton at level 3 (saving his levels for when he'll become a Jedi, thus getting unarmed combat feats). Here's some notes about Peragus, early Telos and about some plans for the future.

During the 1st time i was controlling T3-M4, when he was going solo, i didn't let him destroy any single droid, despite the fact that it'd be easy with his shock arm (which is a side weapon and thus is possible to use in this walkthrough). He just rolled past them all droids, which is not that hard at all. Thing is, experience gains from T3's actions when he's alone - are not applied to the main charactrer. For the same reason, T3 did not open any locked footlocker. Later, once Benny &Co entered the area, those droids and footlockers gave Benny several hundreds extra experience points.

The lab station on Hanbinger can and should be used to make few retinal combat implants, which are excellent early cheap items to provide critical hits immunity. Early in the game, few lucky crits by enemies can ruin your day, but not if everyone has those implants equipped. Without powerful implants available at this point (and quite much further) in the game, using Retinal Combat implants is obvious, but often "forgotten" thing to do.

Once T3-M4 joins your party, you can ask him to make more Computer Spikes. When opening decontamination chamber, it's thus best to use spikes (and not Parts) - and right afterwards, ask T3 for some more. It is even possible to return with him to a workbench on Harbinger, but interestingly, breaking Computer Spikes for components there - all Computer Spikes, - doesn't make T3 to give more Spikes.

After boarding Ebon Hawk, there is a choice: either use turret to kill Sith troopers, or let them board and kick their ass inside. Experience-wise, it seems to me that most possible experience here - is via killing ~5 troopers with the turret, allowing the rest to board the ship. This is because there is not enough space inside to have all ~29 troopers inside - only 25 max would fit in. Obviously, getting what little loot they drop is only possible inside the Ebon Hawk, too.

I had some doubts whether to do upgrades to T3-M4 now, or wait with it until Telos Academy. On one hand, making those upgrades early means some more experience later, via "higher levels a bit sooner" - this scales skill-based experience and, if it would allow to enter some map being 1 level higher, possibly also scales that map's enemies a bit. On the other hand, making those upgrades now, while there is no Kreia in party, means losing 7% extra experience from doing them, which is (250+250+500+500+750)*0.07=157 EXP loss in absolute numbers. Still, i decided to 'em now. Still too low Repair skill to make 3rd Repair upgrade, though.

In terms of loot, i finally got two pieces of light armor - the best of them being 5 defense +4 dex bonus suit. Used Harbinger workbench to upgrade it with 15% vs physical + attributes damage immunity overlay, and +10% vs energy underlay. Early in the game, extra defense from armor is quite helpful, and since i don't use active Force powers at all, there is no drawback in it. Later in the game, extra defense from armor won't be that useful as enemies attack scales up, but damage resistances from armor upgrades - will be.

One of early Telos fights - two thugs pressing a Sullustan outside the cantina - i picked, despite doing Dark Side (doing this fight gives LS point). For experience. With all equipment at this point confiscated by TSF, and no active powers' usage, this is slightly challenging fight, - but not so much, if one visits Telos merchants right before it and buys one Retinal Combat implant for the main character. Which is cheap (75 creds). Which is what i did. Poor Sullustan, of course, was the next to suffer... %)

Achieved level 10 after completing 1st Czerka's mission and enslaving Ramana in the Cantina. 900 creds for her 1st pay - at this point in the game, this is sure profitable. Dark Side has its uses, for sure. Thinking about future aligment, though, i am wondering if i'll decide to switch to Light Side after becoming a Sith class. In terms of aligment points, this is certainly possible per se, but what i would like to do - is to kill Jedi Masters on Onderon, Nar Shaddaa and Dantoine, and still have mastery. Which would be a bit trickier if it's Light Side mastery, of course.

As for the reason to switch to Light Side - it is because of Aligment bonuses. Sentinel + Marauder main character gets +3 Dex and 1-8 extra damage with Dark Side mastery, but +3 Con +3 Str with Light Side mastery - and the latter seems slightly better for unarmed combat late-game, to me. Plus, "redeemed sith" is simply interesting to play to me (never tried), and i like being Light Side in general.

It is my impression that i, somehow, am getting experience a bit faster than during my previous (LS, "normal") TSLRCM play. Which was also on hard. No idea why, the only difference is that i went Dark Side in this one, from the start. And i noticed experience difference as soon as level 4: in the LS walkthrough, i barely made level 4 in Peragus Tunnels, but this time, i made level 4 with most mines in tunnels still available for recovery and broken droid still not repaired. And these things gave more experience while being done with level 4, of course (skill-based experience scales with level).

Such is the subtle "scaling" at work: bit by tiny bit, extra bits of experience allow to get to higher level slightly earlier, but that in turn allows to get more "tiny extra bits" of experience, and the thing subtly snowballs. Which is why it's so important, in terms of experience, to take most experience possible at the start of the game - if one aims to achieve highest level possible. And i do, this walkthrough.

In fact, it is my intention to try to reach level 50 by the end boss. Which will only be possible if unlimited droid parts donation on M4-78 still works. Previous walkthrough, it was working, but i was playing 1.82 TSLRCM, while now i am playing current 1.83b. It should still work, though. Which is why i am planning to do Korriban ASAP, - to get to M4-78 as early as possible and donate droid parts en masse. That, plus vastly cheap health supplies in the Industrial Zone, which is credits-to-chemicals conversion (and if nesessary, components-to-chemicals conversion - make things with components, sell them, buy health supplies on M4-78, break 'em down). This means large supply of devastating plasma (damage) and poison (DC 100) mines, if i'll find them nesessary.

Being very high level (40...50) would complicate things end-game, since there is no unarmed combat progression past level 32 (no more levels of that perk, last one being stage 8, iirc), plus massive scaling of enemies' Vitality, Attack and abilities past level ~35. These things will make end-game much harder for Benny, - without extra attacks from Speed/Fury and without extra damage/stats from lightsabers' upgrades, she'll lag behind enemies in terms of damage output, and very much so. And it would make fights much longer, too. Still, it wouldn't be an "ultimate" walkthrough if i'd back off from this challenge, eh.