I'm sorry to say, but Malak is cooler than the three scrubs in this game [SPOILERS]

[Jediphile]

I prefer the TSL villains. They are far more complex and haunting than Malak, who was a very traditional villain, and not in a good way. And basically Malak is just a powerhungry thug with no tactical skill or finesse, as G0-T0 mentions in TSL. Sure, the jaw thing was pretty cool, but it really ruined it for me was the oh-so-evil laughter - they might as well have given him a black hat and a moustache to twirl... Yuck!

 

TSL's villains were far more interesting. Sion was a shattered person held together by will alone, yet had no humanity left in him, which becomes his ultimate downfall. And Traya is as deceptive as they come, while Nihilus is not just spooky and mysterious but the walking death incarnate. That you didn't see him much just added to how scary he was. And even after the Exile "kills" him, I STILL wonder about him... No, the TSL villains were definitely far more memorable.

[Vaelastraz]

I prefer the TSL villains. They are far more complex and haunting than Malak, who was a very traditional villain, and not in a good way. And basically Malak is just a powerhungry thug with no tactical skill or finesse, as G0-T0 mentions in TSL. Sure, the jaw thing was pretty cool, but it really ruined it for me was the oh-so-evil laughter - they might as well have given him a black hat and a moustache to twirl... Yuck!

 

TSL's villains were far more interesting. Sion was a shattered person held together by will alone, yet had no humanity left in him, which becomes his ultimate downfall. And Traya is as deceptive as they come, while Nihilus is not just spooky and mysterious but the walking death incarnate. That you didn't see him much just added to how scary he was. And even after the Exile "kills" him, I STILL wonder about him... No, the TSL villains were definitely far more memorable.

 

 

I disagree.

 

Let's see:

 

Traya:

Kreia is a very good Characters, she has a plan ( a ridiculous one though) and she is cunning and smart.

But final boss, uber villain? No, that doesn't make it.

And her flying lightsaber style just looked ridiculous and sucked.

But she's the best out of the TSL villains.

 

Sion:

Alright. A big bad Sith who wants to slaughter every Jedi. Nothing else. He doesn't want power, he doesn't want anything. Except the death of all Jedi.

He's a minion, who doesn't really serve a purpose.

 

Nihilus:

Ah my favourite one...

Nihilus looks cool. No doubt. Intentions? Kill every living being.

Nihilus is no character, he is an abnomiation.

Where does he come from?

Well, the mandalorian war "created" him. And gave him the power to consume hole worlds just like that. Which makes him the most powerful being ever. Fortunately the Exile is immune to that power, and it just so happens Nihilus sucks in lightsaber combat. Lame.

IMO, we do not need villains with demi-good like powers in Star Wars. That is ridiculous.

 

Where is the tactical skill or finesse of the TSL villains? 2 of them are mindless monsters. One of them I admit is smart cunning and well done, but doesn't fit as the ultimate villain.

 

Malak's appearance is great, his voice is too. His dialogs are good, his background story with Revan is great, he leads an open war against the Republic not a "shadow war".

 

Malak ftw.

[Totenkopf]

Originally Posted by Niftyeye:

well iv never played the first game, but iv read that malak is a more traditional sith lord, Darth Nilius seemed really cool, and i was dreaded when i had to fight him, I wiped the floor with him! sions was a complete wimp too, I liked the twist for Darth Traya/Kreia, but she went down quick too. It is kinda weird how all the characters are built up, and then complete wimps ingame.

-------------------------------------------------

Actually, none of those characters are so easy to beat unless you've been levelling up as you play the game. Remember that the PC is as weak or strong as you make it. If you cheat, then all your opponents may end up being ridiculously easy to defeat. I do have to note, though, that since Kreia seems to put you down so easily near the end, are you really defeating her in the core or does she just give up, feeling that her goals have finally been accomplished? Think about some of her comments in her backstory.

[stoffe]

I do have to note, though, that since Kreia seems to put you down so easily near the end, are you really defeating her in the core or does she just give up, feeling that her goals have finally been accomplished? Think about some of her comments in her backstory.

 

I'd think she wants you to truly be able to beat her on your own and isn't holding back in the final battle. She does kill you after all if you don't win; she doesn't stop when you are near death.

 

She wants you to become stronger than her, and that battle struck me as the final test to end your "apprenticeship" to her. If you win she has succeeded: you are stronger than her. If you lose then you were weaker than she thought and suffered the consequences thereof.

[RobQel-Droma]

What made Malak a good villain were things that these villains simply did not have. He was a constant threat to you, in that he blew up an entire world just to get you, and was having bounty hunters going after you and his apprentice etc etc. None of these villains were ever really a threat to you.

 

Stoffe -mkb- said it. What about Peragus? And if you don't remember, Sion did[/i] have villains coming after you. All (or close to all) those invisible guys called "Sith Assassins" were his, and controlled by him. They were everywhere, trying to kill you; in fact, I think that they were appeared more than dark Jedi in K1.

 

not to mention that there were actual Sith soldiers walking around Taris, Manaan, and Korriban.

 

But those Sith soldiers actually had no interest in you personally, did they? They were an enemy, but they would have been attacking anyone if that person decided to demolish their bases.

 

As the "Last of the Jedi" you were next on Nihilus menu, and he did send Visas, his apprentice, off to fetch you. He just was a bit less theatric about it than Darth Malak was (and Visas was not as much of a two-bit thug as Darth Bandon was so you didn't need to kill her.)

 

That's quite right. Nihilus was not a world-conquering rampaging maniac who wanted to destroy everything in his path anyways, it was not his character. He was all about feeding off of force sensitives; however, I agree with those who say he really didn't have that much to his character. He was a bit too mysterious, in the way that there was almost nothing to be mysterious about... he just kind of shows up and tries to feed off of your force power, no explanation.

 

I doubt a majority of people who played TSL really understood it on the first playthrough. After playing through it a bunch more times, I for one will admit that I didnt really understand it my first run. The thing is that all the information IS there but many times you get only some of the information you need in a single playthrough. There are very important things that you only are told if you choose to do a certain thing.

 

I guess that is a matter of opinion - I happen to like games that are like that, if they are done well. Makes you think a lot, although I'm not necessarily referring to TSL when I say this. In fact, there wasn't really much I didn't get that wasn't essential to the story, or that I needed to know for it to make sense. (as much as it could make sense)

 

And as a result, WHILE you are playing the game you arent getting the feeling that Nihilus is after you.

 

So? Why is that bad? If it wasn't explained at the end, of him being after you, I would agree, but why is it necessary to know exactly who is after you and why from the very start?

 

Her uses for you are NOT clear. She wants to use you to end the force? But how? Thats something I STILL dont know after playing it many times.

 

Not until the very end, no. But she does drop hints, and you do discover more and more as the game goes on. She reveals her uses at the end, when you finally understand her true purpose, which is understandable. I understand your question of "how", but the Exile was merely said to be "the end of the Force", and seeing as TSL wasn't an end to the series (even without any cut content), I can only assume that it will be answered later.

 

It may be refreshing but Visas is the main thing Nihilus sends to fight you, but shes just NOT very evil or anything.

 

True, but is she even very evil at the beginning? She's little more than a force-sensitive slave, tortured by Nihilus and "broken." (to use the databank on the official site) She just carries out his bidding because he says so.

 

Malak is a good villain, just as much as Darth Vader is a good villain. But he is a good "antagonist's right hand" type of villain IMHO, not a good chief villain since he's not an evil mastermind. He's just a very powerful, but simple, enforcer. Scheming, calculating chief villains are more fun.

 

Quoted for emphasis. To use an example, was Sidious the one controlling the Empire or Vader? With the story of K1, Malak fit perfectly. But being as complex and mysterious as TSL was, I don't think they could have another brawny maniac for a main villian.

 

And what don't you understand about Kreia's scheme?

 

 

And you can say what you want about Malak but the fact is that hes more than just a guy who is out to destroy stuff. Thats what he is on the surface, but his character has more to it than that due to his history

 

More to it like what? (not meant rudely)

 

No, I realize WHY, just saying that it made them seem like less of a threat. You yourself basically just said they werent as strong as the Sith from KOTOR 1. I dont know. Maybe it is just me, but I really thought it was cool to be able to walk around cities where there were enemy soldiers there too.

 

Well, Onderon was an example. And there were several other battles with lots of Sith forces. But beside that, that is the simple difference between the two games. It is not 4000 years before Yavin IV, it is now 3995 years. Times have changed, and the Sith Empire is not so much of an empire anymore. The story did not revolve around head-on confrontations with a powerful army in TSL, the story was much more personal.

 

Uncovering the plot as you go along is cool, but not when something happens when you first go to Onderon and then the explanation for it is only hinted at during the end sequence of the game. It should at least be hinted at later on during your first Onderon visit.

 

Personally, I think it depends on how much stuff you want spoon-fed to you, and how often.

 

I am not concerned with how they attack, its just that you had to deal with attacks from the main adversaries more in KOTOR 1 than in TSL.

 

How do you figure that? Malak (I'm guessing that's what you mean when you say main adversaries) attacks you twice. Nihilus is one battle, Sion is two, and Kreia is one. Unless I'm misunderstanding you.

 

Yeah you are right about that one. I really love the upgrade system of KOTOR 2. I think it adds a totally new aspect to the game that KOTOR 1 didnt have. It makes skills worth it. But at the same time, it is the upgrades that makes the game too easy.

 

Yeah, that is a recognizable problem. It was like they went from one extreme to the other - they need to find a balance with random/placed items, along with probably levels and upgrades.

 

I think the individual characters were just missing one of a possible two core elements. Malak was finished, he had much more work done on him, and he was a perfect bad villian. There wasn't that much of a complex or mysterious backstory, but that was unnecessary, what with the story and your identity.

 

As for Nihilus, Sion, and Kreia, they just felt like Obsidian didn't get to do all they needed to to make they mystery complete. They were very complex, but were actually shallow (with the possible exception of Kreia). However, the original conception of them was good, and they are very interesting characters. There just wasn't much there to speculate as to their purpose or backstory.

[lukeiamyourdad]

Stoffe -mkb- said it. What about Peragus? And if you don't remember, Sion did[/i] have villains coming after you. All (or close to all) those invisible guys called "Sith Assassins" were his, and controlled by him. They were everywhere, trying to kill you; in fact, I think that they were appeared more than dark Jedi in K1.

 

They did appear more then dark jedi in K1 (if you don't think about the Star Forge).

There's still a problem to it. They use sticks. OK, I know that it makes sense, sticks are less messy then a lightsaber but that is just lame.

You don't feel any sort of pride when you destroy stick wielding villains. I'm not saying that someone with the correct skill cannot kickass with a stick, but when you're going to tell a friend about it, he just might not be too impressed.

 

I don't mind fighting a few enemies wielding sticks, it's just kind of sad when it's his entire army...

[Melly]

^^^Um, but they're assassins. There's nothing like giving yourself away with a loud snap-hiss.

[Emperor Devon]

I don't mind fighting a few enemies wielding sticks, it's just kind of sad when it's his entire army...

 

That's why I gave them lightsabers. They look much better with those. It would be a better weapon for them to use anyhow, because it takes one hit to kill someone, unlike a stadd that you have to use quite a bit of force with. Other than how it makes a sound, a lightsaber would be a much more ideal weapon for an assassin than a large stick.

 

But despite that, they're not the same. It was good to be stalked by assassins, but I missed slaughtering platoons of Sith troopers. You never saw enough of those guys.

 

Alright. A big bad Sith who wants to slaughter every Jedi. Nothing else. He doesn't want power, he doesn't want anything. Except the death of all Jedi.

 

One of the reasons I like a female Exile more than a male one. I found how Sion loved her and hated both himself and her for that to be a wonderful break from the standard Sith Lord "I'm gonna wipe out the Jedi Odrer! Vengeance is mine! I'm the meanest Sith ever!! HA HA HA!!" routine.

[Davinq]

^^^

SION Loved her? That's crazy! *begins new game as female*

 

Alright, back on topic...

 

I'll make this quick cause I gotta leave soon, I'll give each Sith the Cool Factor:

 

Revan - 8

Malak - 9

Sion - 9

Nihilus - 10 (Nihilus FTW!)

Traya - 8

[RobQel-Droma]

Yes, Sion says some interesting things to a female, especially at the during the last battle with him on Malachor.

[Totenkopf]

stoffe -mkb-:

She wants you to become stronger than her, and that battle struck me as the final test to end your "apprenticeship" to her. If you win she has succeeded: you are stronger than her. If you lose then you were weaker than she thought and suffered the consequences thereof.

-----------------------------------

 

Actually I was thinking more along the lines that when you consider the ease with which she deals with 3 masters, how is it that she appears incapable of dispatching the exile in a similiar fashion? Especially when the 3 of them almost strip you of your abilities, except for her interference. On top of which she leaves you incapacitated. That's why I suggested there may have been more going on the just a simple contest of apparent strength.

[stoffe]

They did appear more then dark jedi in K1 (if you don't think about the Star Forge).

There's still a problem to it. They use sticks. OK, I know that it makes sense, sticks are less messy then a lightsaber but that is just lame.

 

Not so impressive looking, but it does indeed make sense seeing what they are trying to accomplish. When you try to eliminate an actor (the Jedi and their more powerful sympathisers in the Republic in this case) from the galactic scene through stealthy assassinations without anyone realizing what is happening until it's too late you will want to avoid discovery or to arouse suspicions. Lightsabers are noisy, emits light and they leave very characteristic wounds which would be akin to leaving a note on the victim saying "The Sith were here".

 

Those collapsable sticks are nondescript, easy to conceal, silent to use and leave normal blunt trauma wounds which could have been caused by anything from an accident, a wild animal, some thug, or stealthy assassins. But I agree they could have sacrificed some of the stealth for something a little more flashy, like collapsable Force Pikes or Electrostaves or something.

 

 

Actually I was thinking more along the lines that when you consider the ease with which she deals with 3 masters, how is it that she appears incapable of dispatching the exile in a similiar fashion?

 

The impression I got was that she killed the Masters with the NihilusDrain™, an impression reinforced by the text hovering above them if you click on their corpses if you compare it to how Visas describes DNs power. Remember what happened to Nihilus when he tried to use that power on the Exile? Kreia either knew or suspected that this would happen due to the Exile's unique "condition", or she wouldn't have orchestrated the confrontation with Darth Nihilus, whom she wanted dead, not made stronger.

 

 

But despite that, they're not the same. It was good to be stalked by assassins, but I missed slaughtering platoons of Sith troopers. You never saw enough of those guys.

 

For most of the game at least. On the Ebon Hawk just before leaving Peragus*, on war-torn Onderon, on Nihilus ship and on Malachor there were quite a lot of sith troopers.

 

* = If you don't shoot them with the turret and let them board you'll have to deal with roughly 25 Sith Troopers in direct combat on the ship. And if you powergame you will let them board, since you will get more XP this way, plus some of them drops some loot.

[Jediphile]

The impression I got was that she killed the Masters with the NihilusDrain™, an impression reinforced by the text hovering above them if you click on their corpses if you compare it to how Visas describes DNs power.

 

Yes, I had a similar impression upon my second LS playthrough after already knowing of Nihilus' powers and the Exile's special abilities.

 

When you examine one of the dead masters, the text reads: "This master is dead... drained of life. His body is worse than lifeless, it's like an absence in the Force."

 

Sounds very similar to Nihilus' ability, albeit on a lesser scale, which makes me think that Kreia was herself a student of sorts in the Trayus Academy - she studied Nihilus' unique powers and learned a little bit of it. And she knows she can drain the masters without hurting the Exile, because the Exile cannot be drained, as Nihilus discovered the hard way.

 

Remember what happened to Nihilus when he tried to use that power on the Exile? Kreia either knew or suspected that this would happen due to the Exile's unique "condition", or she wouldn't have orchestrated the confrontation with Darth Nihilus, whom she wanted dead, not made stronger.

 

I think she knew. Kreia doesn't deny that she used the Exile at the end, and one of the things she used him for was to take her revenge against Nihilus for casting her out. And she knew the Exile would be perfect, because he was immune to Nihilus' draining abilities. Note how she keeps putting off the confronation with Nihilus, yet never describes his actual powers. She knows what will happen.

 

But of course that is not all she uses the Exile for. Kreia knows that she cannot wound the force, but she knows that the Exile can, and since she hates the force, she is quite content to die give her life to her greater goal of making the Exile grow stronger and widening the wound in the force as he does so. She knows that she can never wound the force, so the best she can do is to make the Exile as strong as possible and then hope that he will wound the force. That's exactly the goal she accomplishes at the end. The Exile may not become a believer, but then that was always the Exile's choice and not Kreia's. And she dies bringing the Exile as close as she can to her teachings.

[Totenkopf]

stoffe -mkb-........Just b/c she didn't use the life force drain on the exile, ala Nihilus, doesn't mean she was necessarily weaker. Consider that she knew she needed to use the exile to "kill the force" (or at least her tormentors) and that once that objective was complete, her stated goals were fulfilled. Consider also that she claims she would have laid waste to the universe to save the exile. Seems to me she may have been ready to die after seeing her life's work achieved. I mean the exile must have had the equivalent of a power surge to go from being unable to defeat 3 masters to taking down Kreia in a relatively brief period of time. Seems a bit of a stretch, even in fiction. The exile couldn't even defeat Sion, except through psych warfare and Sion seemed a thrall to DT (or perhaps he was merely humoring her to fill the void in his existance?). It may just be that DT saw the Exile as solidly on the path of surpassing her, one more feather in her cap so to speak and was content to finally die. Or maybe the old hag finally did just run out of gas (depending on your luck).........

[stoffe]

I mean the exile must have had the equivalent of a power surge to go from being unable to defeat 3 masters to taking down Kreia in a relatively brief period of time.

 

Assuming that Kreia would have hade a chance in a straight lightsaber fight against the three masters, if she hadn't used the NihilusDrain™, which is not by any means certain, and not very likely in my opinion.

 

Just like Nihilus hardly would have been able to take on the whole Katarr conclave of hundreds of Jedi in a straight lightsaber fight if he hadn't used the NihilusDrain™ to kill them all before they even knew he was there. They both knew the "force hunger" power from Malachor, though Kreia's wasn't as strong with it as Nihilus (or has the wisdom not to indulge in using it needlessly, to avoid becoming a thrall to it like Nihilus). She used it to quickly deal with Vrook, Kavar and Ell, rather than fight them on their own terms which she may not have been successful in doing. Particularily not there, in a Jedi enclave which might be a place strong in the light side.

 

Since this power doesn't work on the Exile however, and she knows it, it is not an option and more traditional combat will have to suffice. Why would she attempt to do what she did to the Masters against the Exile during the final battle? It would serve no purpose but to weaken herself. It's not deliberately holding back, it's realizing this particular powerful tool is useless against this unique enemy she is facing. Just like you won't waste time and FP using Force Insanity if you know your opponent is a Jedi Sentinel.

[Emperor Devon]

For most of the game at least. On the Ebon Hawk just before leaving Peragus*, on war-torn Onderon, on Nihilus ship and on Malachor there were quite a lot of sith troopers.

 

Unfortunately, DS characters don't get to fight any Sith troops. Nihilus' ship and Malachor were full of Sith commandos, but not standard troopers. It's like Luke fighting Royal Guardsmen and no stormtroopers. Thankfully, there are a few places in the game Sith troops can be implemented into while still fitting with the plot.

 

* = If you don't shoot them with the turret and let them board you'll have to deal with roughly 25 Sith Troopers in direct combat on the ship. And if you powergame you will let them board, since you will get more XP this way, plus some of them drops some loot.

 

Loot? I've never seen them drop it before. I'll have to check it out again.

 

Nihilus hardly would have been able to take on the whole Katarr conclave of hundreds of Jedi

 

A point if I may, stoffe... there were probably a few dozen of them at best. It's stated several times that there were barely a hundred Jedi when the war ended, and the conlave took place a few years after Traya started her shadow war.

[stoffe]

Unfortunately, DS characters don't get to fight any Sith troops. Nihilus' ship and Malachor were full of Sith commandos, but not standard troopers.

 

More or less the same thing. Just a different name tag and a helmet with a smaller visor. You could just rename them "Sith Trooper" instead and you'd not have much time to reflect upon the small differences in their armor in the heat of combat. They fight in the same way as Sith Troopers, with blasters and grenades.

 

Loot? I've never seen them drop it before. I'll have to check it out again.

 

It doesn't happen often, but I've had a few of them drop things on occasion. It's just an extra bonus though in addition to the 1000+ extra XP you gain from beating them on the ship compared to what you'd have gotten if you shot them with the turret instead before they could come aboard.

 

 

A point if I may, stoffe... there were probably a few dozen of them at best. It's stated several times that there were barely a hundred Jedi when the war ended, and the conlave took place a few years after Traya started her shadow war.

 

Perhaps, but Nihilus still wouldn't have stood a chance if he confronted them all in "conventional" sith vs. jedi fighting. With or without the intervention of Katarr's military in addition to the Jedi.

 

Just look at how easily you could defeat him in conventional combat. Granted he was weakened by attempting to drain the Exile, but you still could beat him rather easily once his NihilusDrain™ was taken out of the equation, with just one other Sith and a Mandalorian to aid you.

 

The NihilusDrain™ power was what made him unbeatable, but once nullified he was "just a man", as Visas says. And at least some Council-grade Jedi Masters were present at Katarr (Vandar, Dorak & co). But that's moot since the Jedi aren't immune to the drain, so he could just feed on them instead.

 

(Top of the line Sith aren't necessarily always a lot stronger than top of the line jedi, as exemplified by Mace Windu being a second away from having killed Darth Sidious had Anakin not intervened.)

[Emperor Devon]

More or less the same thing. Just a different name tag and a helmet with a smaller visor. You could just rename them "Sith Trooper" instead and you'd not have much time to reflect upon the small differences in their armor in the heat of combat. They fight in the same way as Sith Troopers, with blasters and grenades.

 

That's what I've done to nearly all the Sith commandos. Fighting nothing but elite enemies gets tiresome. This brings back memories of fighting a dozen liches in a regular old tomb in NWN.

 

Perhaps, but Nihilus still wouldn't have stood a chance if he confronted them all in "conventional" sith vs. jedi fighting. With or without the intervention of Katarr's military in addition to the Jedi.

 

Most likely. There were a few members of the Council, and the others were hardy enough to survive Revan and Traya's purges. Till then, that is.

 

Just look at how easily you could defeat him in conventional combat.

 

Big letdown. I thought the lesson had been larned after people said Malak was too easy. But, that is what modding is for. Nihilus is much funner with a constitution at 70 and several hundred more hit points.

 

Granted he was weakened by attempting to drain the Exile, but you still could beat him rather easily once his NihilusDrain™ was taken out of the equation. The NihilusDrain™ power was what made him unbeatable, but once nullified he was "just a man", as Visas says.

 

It's possible he might have been even stronger than just a man, even without NihilusDrain™. When the Exile kills the Masters, she becomes more powerful by feeding off of them. I'm inclined that Nihilus did the same with the other Jedi, but it was moot against the Exile.

 

(Top of the line Sith aren't necessarily always a lot stronger than top of the line jedi, as exemplified by Mace Windu being a second away from having killed Darth Sidious had Anakin not intervened.)

 

Sidious, I think, let that happen on purpose. It only seems logical. Anakin arrives the second he's going to die, and yet Sidious is capable of holding his own against Yoda, who was more powerful than Mace, hence how he was the Grand Master.

[stoffe]

That's what I've done to nearly all the Sith commandos. Fighting nothing but elite enemies gets tiresome. This brings back memories of fighting a dozen liches in a regular old tomb in NWN.

 

I can agree to that, some enemies shouldn't be clustered up in nameless hordes. Liches are supposed to be undead wizards after all, and wizards of that kind tend not to be that communal. Though I'd argue that Sith Commandos aren't quite equal to liches. They're just elite troops, top of the line grunts, slightly more exclusive cannon fodder.

 

Big letdown. I thought the lesson had been larned after people said Malak was too easy. But, that is what modding is for. Nihilus is much funner with a constitution at 70 and several hundred more hit points.

 

They've probably learned the lesson that game balancing is a hopeless undertaking since players vary widely in skill, and you cannot easily please everyone. I thought the Malak battle was difficult in KotOR1, and I always play on "Normal" difficulty level.

 

Very tough battles are, in particular during the first playthrough, rather frustrating and annoying rather than fun, since they prevent you from moving on with the story you are eager to explore. And the whole boss concept, having been used for decades, is starting to get a little old. Challenge can be provided through more believable means than some big bad enemy who for no reason appears to be a demigod. But that's another discussion.

 

 

It's possible he might have been even stronger than just a man, even without NihilusDrain™. When the Exile kills the Masters, she becomes more powerful by feeding off of them. I'm inclined that Nihilus did the same with the other Jedi, but it was moot against the Exile.

 

Darth Nihilus is very powerful, no doubt about that. But so is the Exile when you manage to reach DN to do combat. And so would a pack of cornered council-grade Jedi Masters be, I'd wager. But the difference between being very powerful and being essentially unbeatable lied entirely with the NihilusDrain™ power in his case. (Like it lied with his darkside-powered immortality for Darth Sion. Take that away too and he also was "just a man", a very powerful man, no doubt, but one who could be killed like anyone else, and not an unstoppable killing machine that could only be slowed down, never beaten.)

 

 

Sidious, I think, let that happen on purpose. It only seems logical. Anakin arrives the second he's going to die, and yet Sidious is capable of holding his own against Yoda, who was more powerful than Mace, hence how he was the Grand Master.

 

I'd have to disagree on that, based on what I see in the movie. Windu had Sidious disarmed and on the floor. I got the impression that Sidious was merely fighting a delaying fight against Windu up until then, holding off the inevitable until Anakin had time to arrive so his plan could be set in motion and victory be achieved.

 

Is it stated anywhere that Yoda is more powerful than MWindu in lightsaber combat? I got the impression that Yoda was the "thinker" and Windu was the "doer" on the council (Consular vs. Weapon Master, using Kotor terms).

 

And I somehow doubt Jedi appoint their leaders based on combat proficiency alone. There are other factors that weigh in to make someone a good council member and rolemodel, like knowledge of the force, wisdom, clairvoyance, life experience within the order and so on. The "Dark Lord of the Sith" may need to be the most powerful in battle of that pack, but somehow it doesn't seem quite fitting that the same would apply to the Lord/Grandmaster of the Jedi order, seing their ideological differences.

 

(Besides, it looked like Sidious was about to lose against Yoda as well before the force lightning imploded and hurled Yoda to the bottom floor of the senate hall. You don't need to be physically stronger than your enemy to win if you can outsmart them or have the strength of numbers on your side, after all. )

[Emperor Devon]

Though I'd argue that Sith Commandos aren't quite equal to liches. They're just elite troops, top of the line grunts, slightly more exclusive cannon fodder.

 

Top of the line grunts, yes, but uncommon ones. In any military the commandos make up a much smaller and less expendable force than regular soldiers. Nihilus wasn't very bright about sending them onto Citadel Station at the front lines. But Nihilus seemed to look at the universe in a very Olympian way, and I don't think he'd care if his best troops died or not.

 

Very tough battles are, in particular during the first playthrough, rather frustrating and annoying rather than fun, since they prevent you from moving on with the story you are eager to explore.

 

In some ways, but I've always liked it when you have try especially hard at some points. The game shouldn't be without challenges, but as you said, that's another discussion.

 

But the difference between being very powerful and being essentially unbeatable lied entirely with the NihilusDrain™ power in his case. (Like it lied with his darkside-powered immortality for Darth Sion. Take that away too and he also was "just a man", a very powerful man, no doubt, but one who could be killed like anyone else, and not an unstoppable killing machine that could only be slowed down, never beaten.)

 

Sion's immortality is actually not as effective as I'd thought. In the cut content where he fights Nihilus, he loses. But there is no denyong he can't be killed by regular means.

 

Is it stated anywhere that Yoda is more powerful than MWindu in lightsaber combat? I got the impression that Yoda was the "thinker" and Windu was the "doer" on the council (Consular vs. Weapon Master, using Kotor terms).

 

Not that I'm aware of, and I doubt it, as Mace finished developing Form VII. But as was demonstrated by Nihilus, the Force can be more than a match for any lightsaber.

 

There are other factors that weigh in to make someone a good council member and rolemodel, like knowledge of the force, wisdom, clairvoyance, life experience within the order and so on.

 

Not entirely true. The Force is a large reason for that, as it enhances those traits, and also grants the user skill in combat. It's all but impossible for someone who's very strong in the Force to be an unskilled uelist. Hence how Dooku, despite being 80 years old, could stand up against a fit young man in duel, despite losing.

 

The "Dark Lord of the Sith" may need to be the most powerful in battle of that pack, but somehow it doesn't seem quite fitting that the same would apply to the Lord/Grandmaster of the Jedi order, seing their ideological differences.

 

The Jedi do judge their leaders by wisdom and intellect over brawn, but those traits are enhanced by the Force.

 

(Besides, it looked like Sidious was about to lose against Yoda as well before the force lightning imploded and hurled Yoda to the bottom floor of the senate hall.

 

If that were so, Yoda would have come back to assassinate Sidious later.

 

Whoa, we're getting way off-topic.

[stoffe]

Top of the line grunts, yes, but uncommon ones. In any military the commandos make up a much smaller and less expendable force than regular soldiers. Nihilus wasn't very bright about sending them onto Citadel Station at the front lines. But Nihilus seemed to look at the universe in a very Olympian way, and I don't think he'd care if his best troops died or not.

 

The rest of the troops were probably killed in the Republic mop-up operations (or ensuing sith in-fighting when Revan vanishes if you go the dark path, I suppose) following the StarForge incident. Thus only the elite troops that weren't sacrificed before remained.

 

It can also be theorized that all of Sion's and Nihilus' forces are made up of the Sith garrison that Darth Revan stationed on Malachor to keep the Trayus Academy there safe. And given the top-secret nature of that facility (not even Malak knew about it, after all) she probably stationed only elite troops to guard it, not common grunts.

 

In some ways, but I've always liked it when you have try especially hard at some points. The game shouldn't be without challenges

 

The line between challenge and frustration can be thin, though. I prefer games that can be beaten without dying even once if you play carefully and cautiously, remain aware of your surroundings and utilize the means at your disposal. Games where you more or less have to die in order to gain OOC knowledge to figure out how an encounter "works" beforehand to be able to beat it breaks the immersion for me. It just yells to your face that the adventure your characters are on is really impossible, since they'd been dead many times over if it wasn't for the mighty SaveGame feature.

 

Sion's immortality is actually not as effective as I'd thought. In the cut content where he fights Nihilus, he loses. But there is no denyong he can't be killed by regular means.

 

But that isn't part of the actual game experience, so it doesn't happen. It might have, during some point during game development, but it doesn't happen in K2:The Sith Lords.

 

 

Not entirely true. The Force is a large reason for that, as it enhances those traits, and also grants the user skill in combat.

 

I'd like to think there is lots of hard training and finely honed skills involved as well; that jedi aren't just puppets dangling on the lines of the Force where nothing they do themselves really matters. I doubt anyone born force sensitive instinctively knows how to handle a lightsaber in the heat of battle. There's the psychology bit as well, not everyone reacts the same when faced with mortal danger, force powered or not.

 

There is also the matter of focus, "Jack of all trades, master of all" wouldn't be feasible for human Jedi since there is only so much time during a lifetime. Some would focus on battle, some would focus on other aspects of the force. The Jedi are a paramilitary order, but combat isn't their sole and primary function. Perhaps someone like Yoda have had time to squeeze in more during his long lifetime than most other Jedi, and have been able to specialize in several areas.

 

But learning knowledge, skills and abilities is one thing, keeping from forgetting them again is another. You'd need to keep up to date on everything you've learned to stay sharp, and there are only so many hours per day even if you live forever.

 

 

It's all but impossible for someone who's very strong in the Force to be an unskilled uelist. Hence how Dooku, despite being 80 years old, could stand up against a fit young man in duel, despite losing.

 

While could be attributed as much to the fact that he has some 70+ years or so of training and experience under his belt, as much as his raw strength in the force. You do pick up a thing or two during a long life, and you don't need the force to be a master of something you've been doing all your life at old age.

 

You need look no further than martial arts in the real world, where some of the elderly masters/sensei can defeat well-trained young men at their physical peak seemingly without effort in hand to hand combat; where their finely honed technique, taken to perfection over the years, more than makes up for any physical weakness and lack of raw strength their age may cause.

[Emperor Devon]

The rest of the troops were probably killed in the Republic mop-up operations (or ensuing sith in-fighting when Revan vanishes if you go the dark path, I suppose) following the StarForge incident. Thus only the elite troops that weren't sacrificed before remained.

 

That's possible, although I have to disagree. When nations fight each other, they don't completely wipe out each other's armies. There usually are troops who survive; they've just not in much of position to fight a war.

 

It can also be theorized that all of Sion's and Nihilus' forces are made up of the Sith garrison that Darth Revan stationed on Malachor to keep the Trayus Academy there safe. And given the top-secret nature of that facility (not even Malak knew about it, after all) she probably stationed only elite troops to guard it, not common grunts.

 

I imagine he did, though I don't think that's how Nihilus got all his forces. My theory is that after the Sith Civil War, there were many warlords with different amounts of troops who all were (or pretended to be) loyal to the three main Sith Lords. While Nihilus probably got the core of his forces from Malachor, I think he demmanded more troops for himself. That seems like what he would do.

 

It just yells to your face that the adventure your characters are on is really impossible, since they'd been dead many times over if it wasn't for the mighty SaveGame feature.

 

I never said it should be impossible, but difficult. There should be at least some realistic emphasis on how the adventures your character is going on are not easy ones.

 

But that isn't part of the actual game experience, so it doesn't happen. It might have, during some point during game development, but it doesn't happen in K2:The Sith Lords.

 

So you don't even consider what the M4-78 restoration team and I are doing to be official or part of the game? How offensive!

 

I'd like to think there is lots of hard training and finely honed skills involved as well; that jedi aren't just puppets dangling on the lines of the Force where nothing they do themselves really matters.

 

They don't, but the Force does play a role in their skills. As Kreia tells you throughout the game, Jedi rely greatly on the Force, and can enhance their skills with it.

 

While could be attributed as much to the fact that he has some 70+ years or so of training and experience under his belt, as much as his raw strength in the force. You do pick up a thing or two during a long life, and you don't need the force to be a master of something you've been doing all your life at old age.

 

That is true, though the Force hones all abilities. I doubt Dooku could've lasted as long as he had without it, even though he lost to Anakin. It does grant more than the ability to spew flashy energy from your hand, after all. Look at how the Exile, a woman in her early thirties, was able to defeat a most likely younger man in melee combat. The Force grants many powers.

 

You need look no further than martial arts in the real world, where some of the elderly masters/sensei can defeat well-trained young men at their physical peak seemingly without effort in hand to hand combat;

 

Experience does help, though age catches up on everyone and Anakin proved that it isn't everything when it comes to the Force.

[RedHawke]

Just to interject something on the Mace or Yoda being the best with a saber...

 

It is stated in EP II when Obi Wan is talking to Anakin about his obsession with speeders (During the coruscant Zam Wiesel chase) that Yoda was the one to beat in lightsaber skills, even over Windu.

 

Just note, I haven't read all of your posts so you might have discussed this already.

[kookaburra]

Malak is decent. But he was a little bit of a wuss to not face his Master in a true Dark Lord dual.

[stoffe]

Malak is decent. But he was a little bit of a wuss to not face his Master in a true Dark Lord dual.

 

Considering how he ended up when he finally did fight Revan in a 1 on 1 duel, it might have been a sign of intelligence rather than "wussiness" to put aside his pride and attack from a safe distance.

 

(And if you interpret the tale Palpatine told Anakin at the theatre in Ep 3 as something that actually happened, then Darth Sidious murdered his master in his sleep as well. So the Sith apparantly have no rules that you must beat your master in a straight fight when trying to topple them. )