Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Duel Ring

Duel Ring
Each duel is announced as follows:

The arena door in the north wall of the dueling arena cannot be opened once a duel has begun:

You'll have no choice but to fight until one of you drops. Each duel ends as follows, depending on the outcome:

You return to the lobby. There's no need to heal if you duel again, since you always begin each duel fully healed. You can speak to Ajuur again:

The rewards for winning each duel are as follows:

Although the Upper City cantina may be the third area you visit after leaving your hideout, and you may be able to win the first couple of duels even if you're still level 2 and playing on Difficult, it's better to return after completing the search for Bastila and meeting Canderous Ordo here about escaping Taris. Exploring Taris up to that point allows you to get many items that make later duels more manageable, particularly if you're saving levels:


 * Energy Shields absorb up to 20 points of energy damage and have up to five uses, and all but Marl may use blaster pistols (Twitch and Bendak favor them).
 * Retinal Combat Implant has Immunity: Critical Hits to counter the threat of Marl's Master Critical Strike and Bendak's Master Sniper Shot. However, it requires character level > 3 and the first two Implant feats. One can be found in Igear's inventory in the Outcast village in the Undercity, and bought for 562 credits.
 * Republic Mod Armor with Mesh Underlay has Immunity: Mind-Affecting, preventing you from being debilitated by Marl or Bendak. It can be found in the sealed strongbox in the west Lower City apartments, while the upgrade can be found in the armory of the Black Vulkar base.
 * Brejik's Arm Band has Damage Resistance: Resist 5/- vs. Slashing, which reduces damage when slashing weapons are used in melee combat (Marl uses nothing else). It can be found on Brejik's remains after killing him on the swoop platform after the race.
 * Plasma Grenades are 80% more damaging than the more common Frag Grenades and Sonic Grenades, and three can be found in the footlocker in the pool of the Black Vulkar base, while five can be found in the strong box in the loading bay of its garage.

If you pause game the second the duel announcer finishes and you enter the arena, combat mode won't have engaged yet and you can use your Energy Shield and as many stimulants as you deem necessary (unfortunately they always expire after a duel). Otherwise, you can only use one item in each combat round (remember to do so using the Inventory menu rather than wasting a round using the action menu).

You may have low chance to hit your opponent, particularly if your character isn't combat-oriented or you're saving levels, or both. If this is the case, ranged weapons are advised since a future Jedi Consular or other Force user may have neglected Strength entirely while having moderate to high Dexterity as a secondary attribute.

If you move close enough to your opponent, the Close Proximity Ranged Bonus adds 10 to your attack roll (check Feedback to confirm that you're close enough). Of course, the same bonus applies to a ranged opponent, or a melee opponent receives a melee on ranged bonus adding 10 to their attack roll. It's possible to be close enough to receive the bonus without prompting a ranged opponent to draw a melee weapon, and you can use Energy Shields to absorb blaster fire.

Your chance to hit your opponent can also be improved by debilitating them with a Concussion Grenade. All duelists are Soldiers, which means their Will save is their lowest:

If their Will saves fail, they're debilitated for 9 seconds or 3 rounds, during which time a debilitated penalty of -4 is included in defense, and Dexterity modifier is excluded:

If you're a Scoundrel, this is a perfect opportunity for Sneak Attacks. Once debilitated, Dexterity modifier is also excluded from their Reflex saves:

This will make them less likely to save against the damage of Frag and Plasma Grenades. Their low Will saves also make them less likely to save against Sonic Grenades, which apply -6 Dexterity for 30 seconds: this results in -3 Attack (with ranged weapons), Defense and Reflex saves, and the effects of multiple Sonic Grenades can stack, making it even less likely that they'll save against Frag and Plasma Grenade damage.

Using grenades of any kind is only recommended against ranged or debilitated melee opponents, since active melee opponents either run out of their area of effect in the interval between throwing and exploding, or you'll be within the area of effect as well.

If you're too fragile for melee combat, you can maintain distance by running around the arena perimeter: every quarter revolution, pause game and fire, then resume running before repeating. You should avoid using Power Blasts or Sniper Shots as their longer animation outside the framework of combat rounds gives your opponent much more time to close, but otherwise you should be able to maintain distance without needing the 20% speed bonus of a Adrenal Alacrity stimulant (although +4 Dexterity adds 2 to your attack roll).

If you have the Demolitions skill, setting recovered or store-bought mines is another option against melee opponents, although only Marl is exclusively melee (all the others have ranged options, which they'll use in preference to chasing you when you're too far away). Rank 14 is required to be absolutely certain of setting Minor mines in combat, and those set in earlier duels will remain there for later ones, allowing you to prepare for Marl if you want.

Deadeye Duncan
What Marl and duel spectators say about him:

Speak to Ajuur and tell him you're ready for a duel:

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Even at level 2 on Difficult, you shouldn't lose to him unless you're actually trying to throw the match (maybe because you feel sorry for him?). If you do lose:

Deadeye Duncan's reaction will quickly extinguish any pity:

If When you win:

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

It's your turn to gloat, should you feel like it:

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Speaking to other duelists and duel spectators will put it in perspective, though:

Gerlon Two-Fingers
What Marl and duel spectators say about him:

Speak to Ajuur and tell him you're ready for a duel:

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He's more damaging in melee combat, so maintaining distance is advised unless melee combat plays to your strengths as well. However, he shouldn't be difficult to beat even if saving levels on Difficult. If you lose:

If you win:

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

If you speak to Gerlon Two-Fingers afterwards:

Ice
What Marl and duel spectators say about her:

Speak to Ajuur and tell him you're ready for a duel:

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Her ranged and melee abilities are fairly balanced, so play to your own strengths. However, if you remain at range then this may be the first duel where using an Energy Shield is advisable, particularly if saving levels or playing on Difficult. If you lose:

If you win:

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

If you speak to Ice, other duelists or duel spectators afterwards:

Marl
What duel spectators say about him:

Speak to Ajuur and tell him you're ready for a duel:

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Marl is an exclusively melee fighter who attacks twice in each combat round. However, although he can hit hard he isn't particularly accurate: if you decide to go toe-to-toe with him equipping a melee weapon of your own, a Republic Mod Armor with Armor Reinforcement (found in the supplies of the Vulkar gang boss in the west Lower City apartments), > 13 Dexterity and a Adrenal Alacrity stimulant give you 20 Defense, enough to give Marl just 35% chance to hit with his first attack (20% if he uses Power Attack) and only 5% chance with his second.

The same armor with Mesh Underlay has Immunity: Mind-Affecting, eliminating the threat of being debilitated if he uses Master Critical Strike. This also allows you to try to debilitate him, since a Concussion Grenade thrown at point-blank range won't affect you. Alternatively, if you're too fragile to risk being in melee range, you can run and gun. If you lose:

If you win:

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

If you speak to Marl, Gerlon Two-Fingers or duel spectators afterwards:

Twitch
What Marl and duel spectators say about him:

Speak to Ajuur and tell him you're ready for a duel:

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Twitch favors two Heavy Blasters and he can use Rapid Shot, so closing to melee range and obliging him to draw his vibroblade is recommended. However, if you're saving levels or have low chance to hit, you may prefer to maintain distance, using Energy Shields to negate his blaster damage and grenades to inflict it: save any Plasma Grenades for Bendak, and start with Sonic Grenades since they're just as damaging as Frag Grenades but may also apply -6 Dexterity for 30 seconds, resulting in -3 to his ranged attack rolls, defense and Reflex saves each time his Will save fails. 5-9 Sonic or Frag Grenades (6 on average) should do the job. If you lose:

If you win:

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

If you speak to him again:

If you speak to Twitch, Deadeye Duncan or duel spectators afterwards:

Bendak's Bounty
What Marl and duel spectators say about him:

Once you've become Taris Dueling Champion, you can go to Bendak in the northeast corner of the Upper City cantina's Pazaak room and agree to meet him in a deathmatch, giving you an opportunity to kill him and then collect the bounty from Zax in Javyar's cantina in the Lower City.

To save time, you should follow him out of the cantina and then return, before speaking to Ajuur:

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If you speak to him again without leaving the cantina:


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If you speak to the remaining duelists or duel spectators:

Speak to Ajuur after returning to the cantina:

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You're not committed to the death match until you make the following response:

The first thing Bendak does is throw his Plasma Grenades. He'll stop once you're in melee range, but if you're too fragile to go toe-to-toe with him then keep moving around the arena until he's thrown all three.

Although, like Twitch, Bendak's ranged attacks look stronger, on balance it's probably better to keep your distance, using Energy Shields to negate his blaster damage and grenades to inflict it. Don't worry too much about trying to conserve them for later: once you've become a Jedi on Dantooine, you or any other Jedi in your party can select Energy Resistance and Improved Energy Resistance at level 9 to replace shields, and other Force powers replace grenades as the saves of your enemies increase to the point where they rarely, if ever, fail to save against them.

Don't bother trying to pause game and use anything before combat mode engages: instead, throw a grenade, then move, pause, throw another and repeat until Bendak has thrown all three of his: this allows you to damage him for three rounds without taking damage yourself, sparing your shields.

However, Bendak's Mandalorian Armor has Damage Resistance: Resist 25/- vs. Sonic, so Sonic Grenades won't damage him and a Concussion Grenade has the same 40% chance to reduce his Reflex save against Frag or Plasma Grenades, but by -4 rather than -3 (although multiple Sonic Grenades may stack). You could have 8 Plasma Grenades of your own, and on average 6-7 will do the job (you may want to start with a Poison Grenade for 4 damage every 3 seconds for 30 seconds, or 40 damage over 10 combat rounds, although there's still 40% chance that Bendak will save and no damage will be applied at all).

Speak to Ajuur to receive your percentage of the purse:

The number of credits you receive depends on how persuasive you are, or your willingness to move closer to the dark side of the Force:

Otherwise:

Should you speak to him again:

Now all that remains is to go to Zax in the bounty office of Javyar's cantina in the Lower City to collect Bendak's bounty...

If you speak to the remaining duelists or duel spectators afterwards:

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