Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Ranged

It is possible to successfully run through the game as a dual wielding, blaster-favouring Jedi. If gunning down Dark Jedi with one round of attacking appeals to you, read on. The ultimate goal of this guide is for you to end up with a powerful, dual wielding blaster pistol, light sided, Jedi Counselor, scoundrel.

Character Stats
Stats can make or break a character. Knowing what the various stats do, and where to place your stat points are of paramount importance. Please read the following carefully.

Strength
Strength adds to your to-hit and melee weapon damage. Since we are using pistols, we can ignore this stat. Either leave it at base 10, so you don't incur a penalty, or put it to 8 so you may use those two points elsewhere. 8 points is recommended.

Dexterity
Dexterity adds to your to-hit and ranged weapon damage, as well as adding to your defense rating. This is the "money" stat, for not only does it help to hit and damage opponents with ranged weapons, it also adds to defense. 16 points is recommended for starting.

Constitution
This stat determines how many hit points your character receives per level. Since we will be a ranged attacker, we will be out of danger for a good portion of the game. I recommend 10 points as a base for this stat. There's no reason to incur a negative penalty in this stat by placing it at 8; by the same token any more than 10 can be considered overkill for normal difficulty. With all of the enhancements your character will receive from items and force powers, your ending HP should be quite sufficient with this amount of stat points.

Intelligence
Widely regarded as a waste of stat points. Intelligence raises the amount of skill points you receive. Since all skill points are relatively useless, we will leave this at a base of 10, as to not incur a negative penalty.

Wisdom
Wisdom raises the amount of force points you receive as well as determines how effective you are at using and resisting force powers. This is the other 'money' stat for this build. We need to be able to effectively use our force powers on the enemy without them being resisted as well have the ability to avoid the enemies force powers. Think of wisdom as force dexterity. I recommend putting 16 points into this stat. Combined with items, you should be able to resist most of the dark Jedis' attempts to strike you down with force powers, while dealing out a beating yourself.

Charisma
Charisma determines how amiable you are; how well you interact with others. The higher your charisma, the better you'll be at being able to persuade. There are plenty of persuade options in the game, none of which are truly critical.

In addition to being correlated with your persuasion skills, charisma also adds to the amount of force points your character will have; and to a lesser extent, the power in which you use the force. Charisma does not have as profound an effect on your force abilities as wisdom, but the effects are evident, nonetheless. For example; the more points you put into charisma, the more force points you'll have available to you for casting force abilities. In addition, the power in which you use those abilities, will be greater than if your charisma was lower. I recommend putting 12 points into this stat initially, and boosting it with various equipment throughout the game.

Note: if you plan on having your character only use the treat injury skill (described below in greater detail; section 3), you could drop your intelligence to 8; then using those skill points in charisma, boosting it to 12. If dexterity or wisdom is more of a concern to you, you could also use those two points to raise them a point, to 17.

My starting stats looked like this: STR: 8 DEX: 16 CON: 10 INT: 10 WIS: 16 CHA: 14 Every subsequent stat point you receive should go into getting both your dexterity and wisdom to 20. Because of all the +dexterity equipment you can get throughout the game, I recommend getting your wisdom up to 20 before your dexterity.

Starting Class
Choose the Scoundrel as your non-Jedi class; this is because this class eventually receives the feat Sneak Attack. Sneak Attacks allows you to do extra damage to stunned or unfocused opponents. Master sneak attack (level 3) adds 3-18 damage to each successful attack, which may not seem like much at first. Keep in mind, however, that you will be using skills and enhancements that will allow you to attack multiple times per attack round.

Along with sneak attack, you also receive Scoundrel's Luck, which increases your defensive rating. Since your character will not have a lot of hit points, you'll need to take all the defense you can get.

Skills
As a scoundrel, we get more skills than the other classes. Unfortunately, not many of these skills are worth while. I recommend that you max Treat Injury at every level. The higher your proficiency in treat injury, the more health you'll gain from medical packs.

With your leftover points, you should do one of two things. Add the points to Persuade, which if you get high enough, could allow you to put your charisma stat down to 8. With those two extra points you've saved, you could then move the points into something more useful, like wisdom, dexterity, or constitution. You could also, add the points into Repair. The main reason for doing so is that you may be able to unlock the functions of HK-47 when you purchase him. Make the choice after determining if you're going to use HK-47 as one of your main NPC allies or not.

All other skills can be performed masterfully by your allies.

Feats
As a scoundrel, we get the fewest feats of the bunch, so we have to make them count. I will list the feats you should consider getting, in order of importance, highest to lowest.

Two Weapon Fighting
Maxing this skill will greatly reduce the penalty of wielding your dual pistols. Without this skill, you are penalized -6 for your chance to hit with your main weapon, and a -10 for your chance to hit with your secondary weapon. When maxed, this skill will reduce that penalty down to a -2 per hand. A must have for this build.

Rapid Shot
Rapid shot allows you to engage in an extra attack per round at the cost of defense and chance to hit. At the maximum level you lose 1 defensive point and 1 to-hit point. Well worth the penalties for that extra attack.

Blaster Pistol Weapon Proficiency
You need level one to use blaster pistols, but scoundrels already start with this feat. At the maximum level, this feat adds +1 to your to-hit and a +2 on top of your damage dealt.

Implants
Depending on the level invested, will allow you to use level 1, 2, or 3 implants; which in turn can grant bonuses such as mind-immunity and +dexterity.

Jedi Class
The Jedi Counselor will be our class of choice for two reasons. The first reason is that we get an extra four force abilities as we progress, compared to the other Jedi classes. The second reason is that we obtain Force Focus. At master level, force focus gives us a +6 bonus in both dealing and defending against force powers.

Force Alignment
I have only gone through this build as a master light-sided Jedi, and I believe this is the best alignment for this build. I'm positive that it can be done as dark-sided, but the force powers that accompany a light-sided Jedi are much more aesthetically pleasing to this build. After all, we're supposed to be a blaster wielding scoundrel that shoots his way out of a fight, not a dark counselor who prefers to use the force to do his dirty work. I suppose one could remain neutral in alignment, but I don't honestly believe that there are any dark-sided powers to use that warrant the penalty of being aligned as neutral. The choice is yours, but I will only out line light-side force powers in the next section.

Force Powers
As a light-sided force user, you will use these powers to enhance your fighting and defending abilities to their upper tiers. I will list the more optional force powers toward the bottom. As always, it is your preference as to which ones you'd like to get.

Force Heal
Heals you and your party members. This force power also nullifies any poisoning you or your party members may have. Use this instead of medical packs whenever possible. This will help you to save money and stock pile the medical packs, which you will most likely need on the Star Forge.

Stasis Field
At master level, this power has the chance to stun groups of enemies for 12 seconds. This should be your most used skill. Not only will your opponents be unable to move or attack after a successful casting, but because they are stunned, every successful attack you perform on them will result in your sneak attack feat taking place. Take into consideration that you will have an extra attack per round from the rapid shot feat, and up to two more attacks per round possible from force speed (covered in detail below, section 7.3).

If your normal attack and all three bonus attacks hit during your round of attacks, that's an extra 4 * (3 to 18), or 12 to 72 damage you'll dish out on top of your blaster damage!

Force Speed
At level one, this power increases your movement speed and defense for its duration, 38 seconds. At level two, you gain an extra attack in addition to extra defense gained. At its master level, this force power will grant you two extra attacks per round, a +4 to defense, and the faster movement speed. Try casting this before and during every battle. You may also wish to cast this power to simply increase your movement speed. Sometimes you have to tediously run back and forth through certain areas in the game. Cast this to reduce the time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Force Valor
Master valor grants the caster and his/her party a +5 to all attributes and saves. In addition, it also grants the recipients immunity to poison. There are two drawbacks to this skill which makes it optional in the minds of many. Drawback one: the duration on this spell is pitifully short; 20 seconds. Drawback two: it's an expensive power to cast; and because of it's duration you'll want to cast it often. I believe, however, that this spell is worth getting to master level. The temporary boost it gives you in your stat points can give you up to a +2 modifier on everyone in your party. Not only that, but the +5 to saving throws is huge; adding to your already high defense. I highly recommend using this power before and during large group battles, mini-bosses and Malak. Add this power on top of taking stims, and you'll be nigh unstoppable.

* Any spell I list below here, you should consider optional in maxing, or getting altogether.

Affect Mind
Selecting this power opens up a new dialog option: force persuade. Get this power if your persuasion is low, but be careful as many of the persuade options are inherently dark-sided in nature. Try to avoid using this on any of your allies, as they'll usually know when you're using the power on them. I would avoid dominate mind altogether as affect mind serves its purpose well enough. As a light-side user, you shouldn't need to force anyone against their will.

Force Breach
At master level, this will remove all helpful force powers on the target. Since every Jedi you encounter is dark (Bastilla aside), there aren't many buffs to breach. All beneficial force powers are light sided, minus one: force immunity. The dark Jedi who use force immunity are few and far between. If you're concerned, however, with breezing through the star forge and your final battle with Malak, this wouldn't be a bad choice.

Force Armor
At its master level, this force power gives its caster +6 to defense and saving throws. The major drawback to this power is, like force valor, that its duration is only 20 seconds. By the time you cast valor and armor on yourself, your window of benefits isn't very long. A good way to use this skill is have one of your Jedi allies cast master valor while you cast this on your self. You will, however, not be able to do this during any of the important solo battles that take place during the game. In such instances, you'll have to cast both valor and armor yourself and reap the benefits in a very short time frame.

Destroy Droid
Not only will this force power deal damage to a droid(s), it will stun them for a period of time as well. At master level, this power turns enemy droids into free experience. Normally, I allocate this power to one of my Jedi allies; Jolee can easily get this to master level.

One compelling reason to get an initiate point in this power is for the end battle with Malak. As a light-sided force user, you will not be able to kill/neutralize the captured Jedi without this power. If you simply don't have the patience to duke it out with Malak for 15 minutes, put a point in this skill.

Allies
I won't explicitly tell you who to use in this section, but rather gloss over the party members, who I feel, benefit you the most during your journey. Remember that you are a ranged attacker that benefits from stunned or pre-occupied opponents. Jedi party members can fill both roles, but certain non-Jedi members bring some other, much welcomed, benefits to the party.

Jolee Bindo
Jolee is a neutrally-aligned Jedi counselor. He is helpful in many regards. If you fail to stun one or two opponents Jolee can chime in with a stasis field of his own. When you encounter mini-bosses, Jolee can use Force Kill on individual targets or Force Lightning on groups of targets; making your life much easier. If you're tied up in battle, or simply don't have the force reserves, he can cast force heal or force valor in a pinch. Let's not also forget that this game has many, hard-to-kill droids. Have Jolee get Destroy Droid, and you can cake-walk past their broken hulls.

Juhanni
Juhanni is a light-sided Jedi guardian. As a guardian, Juhanni should be used as a melee combatant, engaging opponents while you work your game. Give her force speed and force healing, and she can be force to be reckoned with.

Bastilla
As a light-sided Jedi, you will have to battle Bastilla on both the unnamed world, and the star forge. For these reasons, I recommend developing her as little as possible. It doesn't hurt to do her side-quest or romantic story, but the star forge battle may take longer than if you hadn't. Make sure you strip her of all equipment before you run into Malak on the Leviathan.

Mission
Mission is a non-Jedi scoundrel. At first glance, Mission doesn't seem like a very competent combatant. She is, however, quite the opposite. Mission shines for one reason and one reason only; sneak attack. Unlike your character, Mission's sneak attack ability can increase to level 9, which can deal massive damage on top of her attacks. You can equip her in a plethora of attack options such as a melee combatant, rifle user, or blaster pistol user.

There are many good melee weapons in the game, and some can come close to being as powerful as finely crafted light-sabers. Have Mission use a double bladed weapon with flurry on stunned opponents, and she will probably kill faster than even you. The downside to Mission as a melee combatant is that she has a low hit point pool. Boost her constitution with equipment, implants, and force valor to keep her going.

Another route to take with Mission is one similar to your own. As a dual pistol wielder, she can sit back with you and eliminate stunned enemies at lightning speed. The problem with this setup, obviously, is that you have to split your limited pool of good blaster pistols with her. To avoid that problem, you can set her up with a good blaster rifle or heavy blaster. This will also free points from the dual wielding feat.

Zalbaar
You can't assume that because someone is a Wookie that they should use a crossbow. One look at Zalbaar's stats and you should be able to tell that he is befitting a melee warrior. Equip him with some of the great double bladed weapons throughout the game and use him as a high hit point tank. Raise his already high strength to do some extra damage, or raise his constitution to help him live longer. Make sure you get him the level 3 implant feat since he cannot equip armor or headgear. Because of his high hit point pool, make sure you put all of his skill points into treat injury; otherwise you'll be using a lot of force heal and medical kits to get him back to full health.

HK-47
If you've taken the time, and invested the points to repair HK-47's latent abilities, he can become a very helpful ally. A good heavy blaster, and flame thrower will serve him well. He has a high hit point pool, but can only be healed by using repair parts. He is also very expensive to upgrade. If you wish to use HK, brush up on your Pazaak skills to get some easy money.

Carth, T3, Canderous Ordo
I will skip these teammates because I feel the other allies listed above do their job better. Your character and Mission wield pistols better than Carth. T3 is the weakest combat character. HK-47, Mission, and Zalbaar can all competently replace Canderous in battle, as well.

Leveling
There are many viable options as to how you level up your character. Do you save a majority of your levels until you become a Jedi, or do you level up as a scoundrel before becoming a Jedi?

There is no definitive right or wrong answer. If you save your levels until you become a Jedi, you will have more force powers to use, but a much lower damage output from sneak attack; level 1 (1-6), level 2 (2-12). If you choose to level up more as a scoundrel, you will probably end up with level 4 or 5 sneak attack (4-24 and 5-30 damage respectively), but will have less force powers to allocate once you become a Jedi.

If you're into making your character streamlined toward one end of the spectrum or the other, by all means, go for one of the above strategies. For a more balanced approach, I recommend getting to a level 5 or 7 scoundrel. At level 5 you get sneak attack 3 (3-18 damage); a level 7 scoundrel gets sneak attack 4. The damage doesn't increase much between level 3 and 4 sneak attacks, but you can still get all of your core force powers, including extras, as a level 7 scoundrel.

Equipment
I will list, briefly, in this section what my final character was wearing. The equipment you use can be open to so much debate, that to think that any one setup is the definitive, would be silly. I was under much duress as to which equipment I used; I hope you take as much consideration.

Implant
I mainly used +dexterity implants throughout the game. At endgame, my character was using the Advanced Alacrity, level 3 implant. Dexterity +5.

Headgear
I can't think of a better headpiece to wear than the Circlet of Saresh. It grants a +5 to wisdom. If you use this headgear, you could leave your wisdom at 19; the +5 from the helmet will put your end statistic at 24, for the extra +2 bonus.

Left Arm
I used various shields throughout the game on both arms. Use them before engaging Sith, droids or Mandalorians to absorb the blaster damage.

Left Hand
My offhand. Believe it or not, I was still using a fully upgraded Bendak's Blaster up to the last battle. I urge you to kill Bendak Starkiller, for you will be using this pistol for a majority of the game. Great pistols simply do not become available until the end stages of the game. This pistol deals a moderate 5-10 damage, but also sports a +3 to attack modifier.

Before you get this pistol, undoubtedly, Carth's pistol will be equipped on your right hand. Once you receive Bendak's pistol, I recommend moving Carth's over to the left hand while using Bendak's on your main hand.

Body
Before you become a Jedi, make use of the various light armors you find on Taris that don't give big penalties to dexterity. I recommend not investing in medium or heavy armors as you will be unable to cast various force powers later in the game when you are wearing them. I could not find a better robe than a simple Jedi Master Robe. My defense ended up at 33.

You can, however, find better robes. Qel-Droma's Robe is a light-side only robe that is found on Korriban. The Star Forge/Darth Revan robe would also be a good choice if you can manage to get them.

Right Arm
Once again, I used mainly shields throughout the game. If you're knee deep in action, you may consider using Brejik's Arm Band and Belt to suppress melee damage. This is a good setup for dueling on Taris.

Right Hand
Take note that you should be using your highest damage pistol in your main hand. Until you master two weapon fighting, you will have a greater to-hit penalty in your offhand. The best pistol in the game is Cassus Fett's Heavy Pistol. It does a huge 6-19 damage. On top of its rifle-like damage, it has a +5 attack modifier and gives a 25% chance to stun an opponent per hit. You will, of course, pay dearly for a pistol this good, but to use anything less would be criminal. This item can be bought on Korriban.

Belt
The Adrenaline Stimulator is an excellent belt to get: it boosts your dexterity +2 and adds a +4 to all saves.

Final Analysis
Let's quickly recap what you should have accomplished through reading this guide. You are quick killing scoundrel, who can attack multiple times a round, toting dual-wielded blaster pistols, through feats as well as dealing that extra oomph through sneak attack. You wear only a robe, yet your defense is very high; your saving throws are unparalleled. You're also a light-sided Jedi counselor who casts force powers not only to benefit him/herself but also your party members. The only good compliment to a blaster by your side is a stunned opponent in front of you; stasis field is the basis of all your attacks.

The only challenge I have found with using this build for the game is the final battle with Malak. Because you are a light-sided Jedi, you are unable to kill the captured Jedi in Malak's chamber. Due to this fact, the battle is drawn out considerably until he drains the life from each and every one of the captured Jedi. This is not necessarily a weakness due to the build, but an inherent weakness of becoming a light-sided force user. If you haven't put a point into the destroy droid force power, grin and bear it; the final battle is, after all, less than 1% of the game.