Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Dune Sea

Anchorhead
You exit Anchorhead on the northwest side of the Dune Sea. Czerka marker posts are dotted along the remaining boundaries:


 * Danger! Turn back.

If you try to cross these boundaries:

The view of the Dune Sea is dominated by the damaged in the center of it to the southeast, on the other side of which is the exit to ; the exit to the  is barely visible in the distance beyond the northeast end of the sandcrawler, on the left, where  closer to the gate you'll also see a man surrounded by droids.

Sand People
Unless you really hug the boundaries of the Dune Sea or travel straight towards the sandcrawler, you're likely to encounter several Sand People ambushes:


 * The closest occurs as you approach a refuse pile with random contents visible to the right of the gate, to the south.


 * Another occurs as you travel further along the southwest side towards the tail of the sandcrawler.


 * The last ambush on the southwest side occurs as you approach a corpse with random contents beyond the tail of the sandcrawler.


 * The closest on the northeast side occurs as you approach a corpse with random contents beyond Tanis Venn and his droids to the southeast.


 * The furthest on the northeast side occurs as you approach a refuse pile to the northeast of the head of the sandcrawler.

At character level < 12, the ambush consists of two melee Sand People Warriors and a ranged Elite Warrior:

Once Zaalbar is removed and all meatbag organic members of your party are wearing Sand People clothing then you'll no longer be ambushed.

At character level > 11, the ambush consists of a Holy Warrior and two Elite Warriors, all melee attackers using s:

Sand People Territory
The exit to ../Sand People Territory/ on the southeast side of the Dune Sea opposite Anchorhead is heavily guarded, with three melee Sand People Warriors and two ranged Elite Warriors: each Sand People Warrior killed results in another appearing from the dunes to the right of the exit, and these in turn are replaced so that you may have to kill 9 in total.

If you've been ambushed by at character level < 12 and received  from the remains of the ranged Elite Warriors then once Zaalbar is removed and all meatbag organic members of your party are wearing it you won't be attacked, unless you try to speak:


 * [Your disguise fails at short range. The warrior attacks!]

Whether you leave them alone or engage one at a time after speaking, this is much easier. Otherwise, it's best to approach from the left, and ideally start attacking from range to engage a few at a time without getting overwhelmed:

Each Sand People Warrior can use a, so if you're not in disguise then Zaalbar can actually make himself very useful by engaging them in melee combat. Elite warriors receive bonuses depending on your character level:

Thus at character level > 14:

There are two corpses to the left of the exit:

Aside from the Sand People guarding it, the exit to their territory is also mined:

Eastern Dune Sea
The exit to the ../Eastern Dune Sea/ is barely visible from, but it's to the left on the southeast, beyond the head of the sandcrawler. However, if you try to use it:

Before you can enter you need to receive a map of the Eastern Dune Sea from the Sand People chieftain in their enclave or the Jawa chieftain Iziz inside the gate of Anchorhead, both of which require you to enter and cross and enter their enclave.

Tanis Trapped
When you first exit Anchorhead, a woman named Marlena Venn awaits you. If you've already encountered her husband in Anchorhead's hunting lodge then you may have some idea what to expect (particularly if your character is female):


 * }

The man himself can be seen surrounded by his four droids on the left to the southeast. Sure enough, as you approach him it becomes clear he needs assistance:

If you try to interact with any of his droids before speaking to him:

If you try to speak to him at any time while wearing :


 * }

Otherwise:


 * }

You should ask him what he wants you to do:

After asking what happened here again:


 * }

You can tell him you're not doing anything for him and that he can rot here for whatever reason, and when he asks if you're kidding tell him you're not to move closer to the dark side of the Force:


 * }

The explosion inflicts 20 universal damage on you, and kills Tanis and his droids.

Although this moves you closest to the dark side of the Force, no experience whatsoever is received. Otherwise, you can help, or tell him that you want something in return. It's easy to persuade him to give up hunting with droids using skill or the Force, or you can tell him you'll help if he gives you credits:

Otherwise:

If you're not persuasive enough, aside from just telling him you'll help, you can tell him you'll do so if he gives you credits:


 * }

If you speak to him again before he's been rescued:


 * }

Interact with any battle droid to play back a special message from Marlena, check status of total Battle Droid group or get system specifications:


 * }

However, all that needs to be done is access system status and repair functions:


 * }

Automatic repairs are simplest: it will cost any character with rank 20-35 just one part each, or four in total (rank > 35 costs no parts). Entering diagnostic mode to try manual repair costs no parts:


 * }


 * }

If you're unsure then you can always return to previous system options or exit. Get it wrong, and the droid self-destructs: the explosion inflicts 10 universal damage and the experience received from this and any future successful repair is almost halved.


 * }

If you interact with a repaired droid:


 * }

Otherwise, move on to another:


 * }


 * }

If a second droid self-destructs, the explosion inflicts 20 universal damage and Tanis and all his droids are killed:


 * }

All that remains is to search their... remains to receive the items previously listed above. Otherwise:


 * }


 * }


 * }


 * }

No experience is received for the final repair, so a light side character should repair three droids and then make the last self-destruct to receive items from its remains (the KX-12b Battle Droid's Security Interface Tool sells for the most credits). If you interact with a droid after the final repair:

Speak to Tanis to receive any reward. He responds to a female character who asked him to give up his trade as though she never asked him for anything, but since you only receive kudos from and  if you speak to them in Anchorhead's hunting lodge for the former and credits for the latter, even a male gets no practical benefit from it:

It's hard to persuade him to give more:


 * }

If you fail, you can accept what you've been given or take more:


 * }

He uses an, then a Blaster Rifle at range and a in melee range:

Although his battle droids are almost identical, they use a variety of ranged and special weapons:

Search their remains to receive the items previously listed above.

Accident Site
Beyond the head of the sandcrawler to the southeast is the site of an accident: two speeders to the east appear to have crashed, while another speeder to the west seems intact. The first sign that all might not be as it seems is that the northern approach is mined:

Between the three speeders are three refuse piles. Those to the northwest and southeast contain the following:

Desert Ambush
The refuse pile to the northeast, between the two speeders, is booby-trapped. As you step between the speeders, you hear cries for help:

Before examining the refuse pile, it's best to step away from the speeders and enter Solo mode before returning with only your most robust party member. Once you interact with the northeast refuse pile:

The explosion inflicts 60 points of universal damage on Normal (90 on Difficult), and you're surrounded by the three Gamorreans Gurke, Narkal and Ugzak (who you might have already met (or at least been warned about) in Anchorhead's ../Hunting Lodge/):


 * }

They'll leave you alone if you pay (although they only take your credits if you can pay the full amount):

In the unlikely event you have no credits whatsoever:


 * }

If unwilling (or even unable) to pay, then it's hard to persuade them to leave you alone:


 * }

Appeasing them also loses you the respect of the hunters back in Anchorhead's hunting lodge: although this is of little consequence, you earn their respect if you successfully intimidate the Gamorreans after suggesting you could be dangerous. Much more importantly, this is both easier and more rewarding:


 * }


 * }

If persuasion fails then you're forced to fight, or you can prove you're dangerous by volunteering to do so:


 * }

This results in most experience being received at character level < 17; at character level > 16, more is received for intimidating them and then killing them back at the hunting lodge, but you must move closer to the dark side of the Force to do so.

Jagi's Challenge
Once you've encountered Jagi after speaking to ../Canderous/, Jagi will appear with two Rodian thugs behind the sandcrawler in the southwest corner of the Dune Sea when Canderous is with you:


 * }

You'll have multiple opportunities to end the dialog and engage in combat:

However, if you can be highly persuasive then you can receive much more experience later:


 * }

If persuasion fails or you use the Force, the dialog ends in combat. Otherwise:

The following responses also end in combat:

Otherwise:


 * }

You also receive the experience from his death that would have resulted from killing him in combat (in which he uses a at range and a  in melee range):

The two Rodian thugs always engage in combat, using s at range and a Vibrosword or in melee range:

The Rodian thug on the right also uses an and can make s:

Sandcrawler
Standing at the base of the sandcrawler on its north side is a mining team captain, flanked by a miner on either side: do not approach them if any member of your party is wearing clothing, as they'll attack rather than speaking to you.


 * }


 * }

Once you've spoken briefly to the mining team captain, four Sand Warriors attack from the northwest. At character level < 12 these are the same as those encountered in ambushes, otherwise they receive bonuses depending on your character level:

Thus at character level > 14:

Once the last warrior is killed, another four attack from the west; once the last of those is killed, the same thing happens.

If the miners survive the attacks, you can speak to them again:


 * }

You can ask the mining team captain about the Sand People:


 * }

There's a refuse pile to the right by the rear track of the sandcrawler:

You can return in Sand People clothing to kill them:

Wraid
Wraid are first encountered in the south corner of the Dune Sea, beyond the tail of the sandcrawler. At character level < 12 there are four Desert Wraid, whereas at character level > 11 there are four Hulak Wraid:

They stand and walk in a line, and it's best to approach and attack the head or tail from range, picking them off one or two at a time rather than being overwhelmed, unless you're able to use area of effect Force powers to debilitate and then damage them.

'''This is the incredibly dense bone skull plate cut from a desert wraid. They are rumored to have medical uses, but the market for them is very specific.'''

When you return to the area, a new group of wraid appears to the northeast at the head of the sandcrawler; the next group then appears to the northwest of its tail, and then their location returns to its original position.

By returning to the Ebon Hawk and then transiting back it's possible to efficiently hunt the wraid by following them around the sandcrawler in an anti-clockwise direction. The experience received can help to level up:

Although gaining experience exclusively from wraid hunting could be extremely tedious and unnecessary, it may help if you want to level up your character or party members a little before facing a particular challenge. It can also be somewhat lucrative, as Desert Wraid Skull Plates can be sold for 64 credits each on ../Yavin Station/, and 24 credits apiece elsewhere:

However, if you really need credits then the possibilities of trade, swoop racing and ../Pazaak/ should be exhausted first...