Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Geek Guide (Page 4: Fighting Back)
- July 25, 2003 16:12 PM PST
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Of course, the bread-and-butter of fighting is weapons, and KOTOR has no shortage of these. Most weapons fit into one of two categories: melee, and ranged.
Melee weapons are the swords, vibroblades, and lightsabers, and other weapons you use up-close in combat. You have to run up to your foe to use them, and that leaves you open to blaster fire, but once you're there, you can hack and slash until your enemy falls. High-Strength characters will have an easier time in melee combat, though a high Dexterity helps you avoid getting hit.
Ranged weapons are the blasters, bowcasters, and grenades that you use to take out enemies from afar. These weapons are awesome from a distance, but they suck at close range. If someone runs up to you and starts attacking with a melee weapon, you'll want to either run and try to get some distance, or put the blasters away and fight like a man. It's best to use Force powers or some beefy melee-fighting party members to keep the enemies away from your ranged-weapon guys. The same goes for using grenades-while your blaster shots don't hurt your friends, grenades will blow them sky-high, so don't use them when you or your friends are near the target.
Weapons can also be seen as one-handed or two-handed. One-handed weapons, like swords and blaster pistols, can be used in one hand, leaving the other hand free. You can also use a one-handed weapon in each hand, if you like. Two-handed weapons, like double-bladed lightsabers and blaster rifles, take both hands to use, but they're usually more powerful than a one-handed weapon.
When you look at a weapon, note the numbers by the "Critical" section in its description. It usually looks something like "Critical: x2" or "Critical: 19-20/x2." Each weapon has a "critical threat range", which determines how often a weapon will grant a critical hit. It's a bit complex, but if, when you attack, the computer rolls and gets a number within the weapon's critical range (usually a 20, but sometimes 19-20 or 17-20), the computer rolls again. If the second roll is a successful hit, then that attack scored a critical hit, and the damage is multiplied. Most weapons do double damage on a critical hit, but some do triple damage. For best results, you want to find a weapon with a larger critical range (17-20 is better than 19-20, which is better than just 20), since that will tend to produce more critical hits and more damage. Sometimes it's actually better to use a weapon with a lower damage rating if it has a better critical range.
Fighting Styles
There are three main ways to fight with weapons: One-handed, or just using a single one-handed weapon in combat; two-handed, or attacking with a single two-handed weapon; and two-weapon, which is using a one-handed weapon in each hand. There are pros and cons for each fighting style and feats that make each fighting style easier, should you choose to specialize in one over the others.
One-handed style is the default, with no bonuses or penalties to attack or defense. If you take the Dueling feats, however, you'll find that your attack and defense ratings are better than usual when you're using just one weapon. The Dueling feats make it worthwhile to use just one lightsaber or one blaster pistol in fights where you really want to avoid getting hit. This style is really good for Scoundrels and Jedi Consulars, who don't have the Vitality points to stand up to hardcore aggressive combat, and who could really benefit from the attack and defense bonuses from the Dueling feats.
The two-handed and two-weapon styles are more or less one and the same, with slight differences here and there. You take some pretty steep penalties for attacking with a double weapon or with a weapon in each hand, but you also get a free attack each round, and double weapons tend to do more damage than one-handed weapons. With the Two-Weapon Fighting feats you can dwindle the hefty penalties down quite a bit, but even with Master Two-Weapon Fighting and a light weapon in your "off" hand, you won't quite get rid of all the penalties. These styles are great for all-out, aggressive fighting, and if your attack bonus is high (particularly Soldiers and high-Strength characters), feel free to go to town.
Also note that, with a weapon in each hand, you can use two different upgraded weapons and have double the upgrade effects-for example, you can use one lightsaber with attack and defense bonuses, and another one with extra damage and a chance to stun enemies. With a double-bladed weapon, both ends of the weapon use the same upgrades, which means you save upgrade parts and lightsaber crystals when upgrading a double weapon. The two-handed and two-weapon styles are great for Soldiers and Jedi Guardians, who have ridiculously high combat bonuses and can afford to take some penalties in return for the better damage output. When you're using two weapons, always make sure that you're using a light weapon in your left hand-look in the description of the weapon to see if it gives you a bonus for using it in your off hand. Short swords, certain blaster pistols, and short lightsabers all help reduce the heavy penalties you get for wielding two weapons at once.
Wipe Them Out-All of Them
Got all of that? If not, don't worry too much about it-KOTOR is made in such a way that you don't absolutely need to know that stuff to have a great time. But if you really want to tweak your character out and get the most out of every bonus, point, and stat in the game, it'll do you some good to bone up on the numbers behind the magic.
