Getting through Taris at Level 4

[SovereignXII 25]

My go to for years has been to save all my levels for Dantooine, when I become a Jedi, as such I've always played the game on Easy. However I'm playing on Normal and I'm curious about how easy that is at level 2? I have a monster case of Restart-Itis and I keep going back to the Character Creator because I'm not sure if I've built my character right.

I'm planning on doing a Scout/Sentinel, probably level 4/16 (Although I'm open to other class combos), I'm also playing with the K1 Restoration Mod, and wondering if 4 levels as a Scout if enough to complete *literally* everything on Taris, kill every enemy (bar the Rancor), beat the dueling arena, including Starkiller and whatever else the restored content has in store for me. And if there are any general tips when going through Taris, the Arena etc.

As well as that, what stats should I go for? I ask because I was planning on a Soldier/Guardian using a build I found and I died on the Endar Spire... I was thinking 14/14/14/12/10/14?

 

Cheers :3

[Talyn82 84]

As a Soldier I can  complete Taris at level 3.  But Scouts are so bad they're not good at either combat or force powers.  As a Scout I usually have to level up all 8 levels in order to beat Taris, and don't get me started on Bendak Starkiller, he is nearly impossible to beat as either a low level scout or high level one.  My favorite combination is Lv3 Soldier then save the levels until I can get Consular.

[SovereignXII 25]

16 hours ago, Talyn82 said:

As a Soldier I can  complete Taris at level 3.  But Scouts are so bad they're not good at either combat or force powers.  As a Scout I usually have to level up all 8 levels in order to beat Taris, and don't get me started on Bendak Starkiller, he is nearly impossible to beat as either a low level scout or high level one.  My favorite combination is Lv3 Soldier then save the levels until I can get Consular.

I see, to be fair the only reason I picked Scout is because it has Repair has a Class Skill and I didn't quite feel like playing Consular this time since I play that a lot.

Mainly just concerned about fully repairing HK-47

[Talyn82 84]

10 hours ago, SovereignXII said:

I see, to be fair the only reason I picked Scout is because it has Repair has a Class Skill and I didn't quite feel like playing Consular this time since I play that a lot.

Mainly just concerned about fully repairing HK-47

Well when I played Scout and Sentinel it was so I could fully repair Hk-47.  But they are so bad in combat I had to go as a Soldier/Consular.  With Consular I was able to quickly raise up repair to 15 or 17, which is enough to fully repair HK-47.  I know you said you always play Consular, but Force wise their better at it too than Sentinel.  In KOTOR 2 they made the Sentinel better with improvements.

I too wanted to play Scout because out of the starting classes, scout seemed more appropriate for the main character.  But with Soldier/ Consular I was satisfied and got to hear all of HK's hilarious stories.

[SovereignXII 25]

17 hours ago, Talyn82 said:

Well when I played Scout and Sentinel it was so I could fully repair Hk-47.  But they are so bad in combat I had to go as a Soldier/Consular.  With Consular I was able to quickly raise up repair to 15 or 17, which is enough to fully repair HK-47.  I know you said you always play Consular, but Force wise their better at it too than Sentinel.  In KOTOR 2 they made the Sentinel better with improvements.

I too wanted to play Scout because out of the starting classes, scout seemed more appropriate for the main character.  But with Soldier/ Consular I was satisfied and got to hear all of HK's hilarious stories.

Would a Soldier/Consular get enough skill points to reach that 17 Repair, as well has have enough Persuade to get past the Hard checks? Because outside of CC wouldn't they only get 1 skill point per level? I know INT gives more points, but apparently you need to have at least 14 INT just to get +1 skill point per level. So most people recommend either 8 or 14 with no in between. 

If only KOTOR had a level cap of 25 or 30 instead xD

Edit: Just realised I have KOTOR Jedi rebalace mod that makes the Jedi classes the same as their KOTOR2 counterparts, so the Consular would have 2 points per level instead of 1, meaning they'd have 37 points at level 20 instead of 20. So they should have plenty to get both the Repair and Persuade

Never played Soldier before, so I guess I'll go Soldier/Consular xD

[Talyn82 84]

1 hour ago, SovereignXII said:

Would a Soldier/Consular get enough skill points to reach that 17 Repair, as well has have enough Persuade to get past the Hard checks? Because outside of CC wouldn't they only get 1 skill point per level? I know INT gives more points, but apparently you need to have at least 14 INT just to get +1 skill point per level. So most people recommend either 8 or 14 with no in between. 

If only KOTOR had a level cap of 25 or 30 instead xD

Edit: Just realised I have KOTOR Jedi rebalace mod that makes the Jedi classes the same as their KOTOR2 counterparts, so the Consular would have 2 points per level instead of 1, meaning they'd have 37 points at level 20 instead of 20. So they should have plenty to get both the Repair and Persuade

Never played Soldier before, so I guess I'll go Soldier/Consular xD

I use this mod which makes the classes closer to their K2 counterparts.

As a Soldier you get Persuasion as a character skill using the mod like in K2.  With the mod if you save levels you will have plenty of points to use for Repair and Persuasion.  If you want a build let me know and I will post mine which will let you destroy anyone in your path.

[SovereignXII 25]

18 hours ago, Talyn82 said:

I use this mod which makes the classes closer to their K2 counterparts.

As a Soldier you get Persuasion as a character skill using the mod like in K2.  With the mod if you save levels you will have plenty of points to use for Repair and Persuasion.  If you want a build let me know and I will post mine which will let you destroy anyone in your path.

Sure, I like to see other people's builds. Something I forgot to ask, is the reason you pick Soldier because of their high health gain, or something else?

The build I was thinking of was 15/10/16/8/12/14 at CC. Then 1 in STR at level 4 to make it 16, then the rest in WIS, so by level 20 it'd be 16/10/16/8/16/16 before any items.

[Talyn82 84]

Yes, one of the reasons I pick soldier is high health gain, the other is their good in melee combat.

My stats are:

Str: 12

Dex: 14

Con: 14

Int: 12

Wis: 14

Cha: 12

 

With the mod I suggested you can level up persuasion as a class skill when playing Soldier like in K2.

 

I find starting with two points higher in Dexterity than Strength makes the Soldier more effective in melee and harder to hit.  Also I never level Strength or Dexterity.  Their are plenty of items on Taris that boost those attributes.  Like Sith Power Gauntlets for strength.  Always try to keep your dexterity at least one or two points higher than your strength.

Whenever you get the chance to raise an attribute invest in wisdom.  High wisdom equals harder to resist Force powers.  On Taris try to level up Soldier up to level 3, the enemies don't increase in difficulty if you don't level your character.  But since I use the "Weapons of the Old Republic" mod.  Bendak is difficult to defeat but doable.  Just bring lots of advanced medpacks, and don't stay still or try to engage him in ranged combat.  The bastard throws deadly grenades. 

If you find the game difficult then gradually level up.  But if you want to get more Force powers when you become a Jedi try to save a couple of levels.  You can level up the rest of your party as normal.

I forgot to mention are you going light or dark?  The reason I ask is because the reason I play Soldier/Consular is for the darkside powers.  If playing lightside and focusing on buffs to yourself and party members.  You can go Soldier/Guardian and your powers will still be effective if you are just using them for buffing yourself and team.  In my head canon and since I first played KOTOR2 back when it first was released.  In my head canon and the canon I set for K2 is, Revan faked his amnesia and used the Jedi's and Republic's resources to get revenge on Malak.  So he is Darkside Male, since I can't stand Carth and don't want to see his mug in K2.  

[Ebony Moon 187]

If anyone doesn't mind a more cheaty mod to get more feats and powers, try this 3 powers, 3 cheats. https://www.moddb.com/mods/3-feats-3-powers-per-level

It affects the entire party, too. And you don't have to worry about holding back on leveling before training to become a Jedi, and you will get the most of both classes. And, at least to me, it feels like getting some of the benefits of K2 in gaining more powers and feats. 

A second mod- with the warning that it is OP- you'll want to up the difficulty of the game and it won't be every one's cup of tea.

All skills are class skills, even for your companions. But you'll start with what we used to call in Dungeons and Dragons flat stats- all 18s. But you'll be able to repair HK-47 to the max.

 

[SovereignXII 25]

16 hours ago, Ebony Moon said:

If anyone doesn't mind a more cheaty mod to get more feats and powers, try this 3 powers, 3 cheats. https://www.moddb.com/mods/3-feats-3-powers-per-level

It affects the entire party, too. And you don't have to worry about holding back on leveling before training to become a Jedi, and you will get the most of both classes. And, at least to me, it feels like getting some of the benefits of K2 in gaining more powers and feats. 

A second mod- with the warning that it is OP- you'll want to up the difficulty of the game and it won't be every one's cup of tea.

All skills are class skills, even for your companions. But you'll start with what we used to call in Dungeons and Dragons flat stats- all 18s. But you'll be able to repair HK-47 to the max.

 

I'm trying to avoid any overtly cheaty mods, the main mod I have that affects characters is the 'KOTOR 2 style rebalance for KOTOR' which makes all Jedi Classes match their K2 counterparts (feats, class skills, force power gains etc.). It also makes each class has the same Base Attack Bonus and lastly adds the out-of-combat Health Regen. I've personally modified the mods Skill.2da so Persuade is a Class Skill for each non-jedi class too, since it starts off as a Class Skill for each Player class in K2, and it can only be made use of by the PC anyway.

19 hours ago, Talyn82 said:

Yes, one of the reasons I pick soldier is high health gain, the other is their good in melee combat.

My stats are:

Str: 12

Dex: 14

Con: 14

Int: 12

Wis: 14

Cha: 12

 

With the mod I suggested you can level up persuasion as a class skill when playing Soldier like in K2.

 

I find starting with two points higher in Dexterity than Strength makes the Soldier more effective in melee and harder to hit.  Also I never level Strength or Dexterity.  Their are plenty of items on Taris that boost those attributes.  Like Sith Power Gauntlets for strength.  Always try to keep your dexterity at least one or two points higher than your strength.

Whenever you get the chance to raise an attribute invest in wisdom.  High wisdom equals harder to resist Force powers.  On Taris try to level up Soldier up to level 3, the enemies don't increase in difficulty if you don't level your character.  But since I use the "Weapons of the Old Republic" mod.  Bendak is difficult to defeat but doable.  Just bring lots of advanced medpacks, and don't stay still or try to engage him in ranged combat.  The bastard throws deadly grenades. 

If you find the game difficult then gradually level up.  But if you want to get more Force powers when you become a Jedi try to save a couple of levels.  You can level up the rest of your party as normal.

I forgot to mention are you going light or dark?  The reason I ask is because the reason I play Soldier/Consular is for the darkside powers.  If playing lightside and focusing on buffs to yourself and party members.  You can go Soldier/Guardian and your powers will still be effective if you are just using them for buffing yourself and team.  In my head canon and since I first played KOTOR2 back when it first was released.  In my head canon and the canon I set for K2 is, Revan faked his amnesia and used the Jedi's and Republic's resources to get revenge on Malak.  So he is Darkside Male, since I can't stand Carth and don't want to see his mug in K2.  

 

I'm trying to avoid any overtly cheaty mods, the main mod I have that affects characters is the 'KOTOR 2 style rebalance for KOTOR' which makes all Jedi Classes match their K2 counterparts (feats, class skills, force power gains etc.). It also makes each class has the same Base Attack Bonus and lastly adds the out-of-combat Health Regen. I've personally modified the mods Skill.2da so Persuade is a Class Skill for each non-jedi class too, since it starts off as a Class Skill for each Player class in K2, and it can only be made use of by the PC anyway.

I'm planning on going Lightside for this playthrough, it's my first with the K1 Restoration mod so I wanted it to be as close to 'canon' as possible this time around.

I few things about the stats: I think 12 INT is useless? Since the game round down your INT score by /2, so you'd need 14 INT to get just 1 extra skill point per level up. That's what I've read online, and people seem to suggest either going 8 or 14.

As for DEX, everything I've read online suggests that DEX isn't that useful because Armour/Robes, and other forms of defense outstip the DEX AC bonus in terms of protecting the player, and that's better to have a high CON instead. I know DEX will increase your chance to hit with a lightsaber if it's higher than your STR score, but I'm mostly concerned about Taris and worried that a low strength will gimp my ability to hit/kill enemies with melee weapons.

Of course this is in the context of a 'generally' vanilla KOTOR, I'm not sure how much the mods you suggested change the game so stat considerations would likely be different. Also, considering the mod makes each class have the same Base Attack Bonus, does that affect your recommendation of starting class at all?

[Ebony Moon 187]

Unless you want extra skill points or to repair HK-47, I wouldn't worry about intelligence. Also, when I played on console, I usually played soldier/guardian and I didn't worry about charisma, left it at 10, but always put a point in persuade in level up. Made most of the persuade checks, especially later in the game.

I had always wanted to take full advantage of soldier and guardian, specialized in melee and lightsaber, and having that Force Jump. And I wanted to repair HK-47. And have a couple more Force powers so I could get Throw Lightsaber in addition to the others I like. That means having Repair as a class skill, too, as I  always found the need to max out Persuade and Awareness.  And a relatively high intelligence. So I've been doing my tweaking.

Trying those cheat mods had been unintentionally hilarious, My lightside Guardian casting Force Lightning when I am controlling another character. Had to pick something on level up! Then go into KSE to delete anything I don't want him to have. 😄

So yeah, some individual tweaking might be in order, simply due to the hard level cap of 20. I don't see why Repair couldn't be a class skill for soldier/Guardian. They have to repair their own weapons and armor, right? And we have the example of Anakin Skywalker, the perfect example of a Jedi Guardian and could repair anything.

[SovereignXII 25]

1 hour ago, Ebony Moon said:

Unless you want extra skill points or to repair HK-47, I wouldn't worry about intelligence. Also, when I played on console, I usually played soldier/guardian and I didn't worry about charisma, left it at 10, but always put a point in persuade in level up. Made most of the persuade checks, especially later in the game.

I had always wanted to take full advantage of soldier and guardian, specialized in melee and lightsaber, and having that Force Jump. And I wanted to repair HK-47. And have a couple more Force powers so I could get Throw Lightsaber in addition to the others I like. That means having Repair as a class skill, too, as I  always found the need to max out Persuade and Awareness.  And a relatively high intelligence. So I've been doing my tweaking.

Trying those cheat mods had been unintentionally hilarious, My lightside Guardian casting Force Lightning when I am controlling another character. Had to pick something on level up! Then go into KSE to delete anything I don't want him to have. 😄

So yeah, some individual tweaking might be in order, simply due to the hard level cap of 20. I don't see why Repair couldn't be a class skill for soldier/Guardian. They have to repair their own weapons and armor, right? And we have the example of Anakin Skywalker, the perfect example of a Jedi Guardian and could repair anything.

That last part of my post was directed at Talyn82 but speaking of Soldier/Guardian. Since the 'Kotor 2 - K1 re-balance' mod makes each class have the same BAB I'm wondering if Scout might be a little better. Since they start with Implant Level 1, as well as a free +1 CON implant, it would mean I could start with a 15/10/15/8/14/14 and use the implant to get 16 CON at the start for 'free'. Since my skills.2da edit allows call classes to get Persuade as a class-skill, and the Scout already have Repair, Computer Use and Demolitions as a Class Skill, and they get far more skill points (3 vs. 1 per level for the soldier).

Things like being able to fully repair HK and freeding the captured Mando on Korriban are important for me, since once I finish the game I intend to switch over to K2 and probably won't pick up either game for a while afterwards, so I want to do as much as possible in this one playthrough.

[Talyn82 84]

6 hours ago, SovereignXII said:

I'm trying to avoid any overtly cheaty mods, the main mod I have that affects characters is the 'KOTOR 2 style rebalance for KOTOR' which makes all Jedi Classes match their K2 counterparts (feats, class skills, force power gains etc.). It also makes each class has the same Base Attack Bonus and lastly adds the out-of-combat Health Regen. I've personally modified the mods Skill.2da so Persuade is a Class Skill for each non-jedi class too, since it starts off as a Class Skill for each Player class in K2, and it can only be made use of by the PC anyway.

 

I'm trying to avoid any overtly cheaty mods, the main mod I have that affects characters is the 'KOTOR 2 style rebalance for KOTOR' which makes all Jedi Classes match their K2 counterparts (feats, class skills, force power gains etc.). It also makes each class has the same Base Attack Bonus and lastly adds the out-of-combat Health Regen. I've personally modified the mods Skill.2da so Persuade is a Class Skill for each non-jedi class too, since it starts off as a Class Skill for each Player class in K2, and it can only be made use of by the PC anyway.

I'm planning on going Lightside for this playthrough, it's my first with the K1 Restoration mod so I wanted it to be as close to 'canon' as possible this time around.

I few things about the stats: I think 12 INT is useless? Since the game round down your INT score by /2, so you'd need 14 INT to get just 1 extra skill point per level up. That's what I've read online, and people seem to suggest either going 8 or 14.

As for DEX, everything I've read online suggests that DEX isn't that useful because Armour/Robes, and other forms of defense outstip the DEX AC bonus in terms of protecting the player, and that's better to have a high CON instead. I know DEX will increase your chance to hit with a lightsaber if it's higher than your STR score, but I'm mostly concerned about Taris and worried that a low strength will gimp my ability to hit/kill enemies with melee weapons.

Of course this is in the context of a 'generally' vanilla KOTOR, I'm not sure how much the mods you suggested change the game so stat considerations would likely be different. Also, considering the mod makes each class have the same Base Attack Bonus, does that affect your recommendation of starting class at all?

If you're using a mod that makes the Scout/Sentinel class better.  Than by all means play as one.  I only tried the Scout class long time ago on Xbox.  That build I posted is the same build I used when I first played the game on the original Xbox and I had no trouble.  Of course at that time I was strictly Soldier/Guardian so I leveled both STR and DEX.  I'm not gonna lie I'm not an expert in D&D which the KOTOR games are loosely based upon.  All I do know as a Consular and with 12 in INT I get plenty of points to rapidly increase Repair.  

As a lightsider I only play Soldier/Guardian cause the lightside powers are better as buffs.  One power you should immediately get is Burst of Speed, and whenever given the chance upgrade it.  A feat that is good to invest in is Flurry, with Master Speed and Master Flurry you will take down foes quickly.  Force Valor is another good buff.  Heal is good for healing and curing poison.  Also since I go by Kreia's teachings in the sequel, I try not to use Force Persuasion as much as possible.  I try to use my natural persuasion.  But that's only as a lightsider as a darksider I don't give a damn and use Force Persuasion especially when dealing with the Sandral's and Matale's.  

[SovereignXII 25]

On 1/3/2020 at 12:22 AM, Talyn82 said:

If you're using a mod that makes the Scout/Sentinel class better.  Than by all means play as one.  I only tried the Scout class long time ago on Xbox.  That build I posted is the same build I used when I first played the game on the original Xbox and I had no trouble.  Of course at that time I was strictly Soldier/Guardian so I leveled both STR and DEX.  I'm not gonna lie I'm not an expert in D&D which the KOTOR games are loosely based upon.  All I do know as a Consular and with 12 in INT I get plenty of points to rapidly increase Repair.  

As a lightsider I only play Soldier/Guardian cause the lightside powers are better as buffs.  One power you should immediately get is Burst of Speed, and whenever given the chance upgrade it.  A feat that is good to invest in is Flurry, with Master Speed and Master Flurry you will take down foes quickly.  Force Valor is another good buff.  Heal is good for healing and curing poison.  Also since I go by Kreia's teachings in the sequel, I try not to use Force Persuasion as much as possible.  I try to use my natural persuasion.  But that's only as a lightsider as a darksider I don't give a damn and use Force Persuasion especially when dealing with the Sandral's and Matale's.  

I'm actually curious, because I can't find an answer online. Is there ever a (lightside) time where Persuade will never work but Dominate Mind does?

[Talyn82 84]

I can't recall.  But if you save your levels on Taris.  You'll have plenty of points to choose Force Persuasion and Dominate Mind, and still have points left over to choose other powers.  Just keep leveling persuasion along with Repair and Awareness, and select Force Persuasion and Dominate mind.  Oh and save before talking to an important npc and use persuasion.  If that doesn't work try Dominate Mind.  After all those two powers are not only for darksiders, it is a neutral power.  Remember Obi Wan uses it on the Stormtroopers in ANH.

[Ebony Moon 187]

2 hours ago, SovereignXII said:

I'm actually curious, because I can't find an answer online. Is there ever a (lightside) time where Persuade will never work but Dominate Mind does?

It depends on the situation. The game may not give light side/dark side points for some Dominate Mind choices, but for the element of rp, if you are into that, it can matter. If you are using it to take advantage of someone it could be dark, but to get past an obstacle the way Obi-Wan had with storm troopers for a end means of a greater good, it wouldn't be dark.

Force Persuading a Czerka official out of paying docking fees might be all right because you refuse to give credits to a corrupt and evil organization. However using Force Persuade to not have to pay Manaan their fees is a form of theft, so it should not be used there by a conscientious Jedi, though regular persuasion is fine.

One situation is where you can Force persuade Sharina Fizark on Tatooine to give the wraid plate to sell to Fasa, but that's kind of skeevy, imo, even if you were to give her the max of 700 credits after selling it. The better to normal persuade her into trusting you. Even my darksider prefers regular persuasion, unless it is to terrorize people with Dominate Mind. He a complete jerk anyways, lol.

Persuasion skill  is generally fair game because the other person's free will remains intact, and if you don't have the intention of exploiting them. A light sided Jedi should focus on persuasion, since Jedi are supposedly peace keepers and diplomatic anyways. Force persuasion should be used as a last resort, although you should always pick the two Force persuade powers because you never know what you are going to run into, like Obi Wan with the storm troopers.

Persuade is the most important skill in KOTOR, imo. And you can't neglect the two mind powers

[Talyn82 84]

I also forgot in K2 if you have Atton in your party and use Force persuasion.  Hey says if we can't do that without crawling into their heads.

[Ebony Moon 187]

Sometimes people are aware of you using Dominate Mind even if it works. Try it on Komad Fortuna in the hunting club and he gives you this look.

[Talyn82 84]

Yeah I remember.  Like the mercenary who kidnaps Vrook in K2.  When you try to use Dominate Mind on her.  She says something like "that's a Jedi trick!"  Before she attacks.  Remember Dominate mind only works on the weak minded.  If you have a strong will or been trained against those techniques like Azkul in K2.  You can resist it.