Another thing I don't always say. If you are planning out a build or need more info on something I said or haven't made a video on (hopefully I will lol) You can head to Kotor 1 and Kotor 2 strategy wiki to understand the game mechanics for every skill, feat, and more in depth. I really just grazed the top here and wanted to give a little history of the game as well! Thank you all so much!
I hate being older. Because instead of just replaying the damn game, that I've beaten several times in my life and adore. I instead watch videos like this because I want to do it "optimally" so I actually end up never playing it lol. It's a curse. Good stuff sir!
I can remember playing games when I was a kid and having no idea what to do or where to go but having a blast playing. Now I’m so much more impatient at gaming!
There is one thing, that for a video titled [Kotor Masterclass - Complete Guide to Game Mechanics] you should have included, especially for Kotor 1 and that is the hidden mechanic of Finesse (In Kotor 2 it is included as a feat). Finesse is the ability to use the dexterity bonus on melee weapons instead of using the Strength attribute for the attack bonus (the damage bonus still uses strength). In Kotor 2 this mechanic can be unlocked by a feat, but in Kotor 1 this mechanic is hidden and not explained anywhere. In Kotor 1 Finesse is automatically applied to lightsabers when your dexterity attribute is higher than your strength attribute, this is important for making dexterity builds. An example of viable builds using finesse would be the following, one more general and other a force build. S: 8 - 8 D: 17 - 14 C: 13 - 13 I: 10 - 10 W: 14 - 17 Cha: 12 - 14 Note: On Taris (Kotor 1) you must use blasters (range guns) or you will have a bad time (especially with dual weapons) Note2: On Kotor 2 the feat [Finesse: Melee weapons] apply also to lightsabers making redundant the feat [Finesse: Lightsaber]
Man this video is better than I could’ve imagined after playing this game multiple times I didn’t realize just how in depth and layered this game got! Great video 10/10 I’d love to see your favorite builds! Also are we going to get a dantooine cash grab? Cant wait to see what else you produce! Keep up the great work we appreciate your in depth research!
I could indeed look at going through the planets. My trouble right now is deciding whether to focus on the first time there or include every quest line including companion quests for each planet. In that case I need a full playthrough and keep track of each planet item and cash gain separately and basically I’d have 4 videos for the star map locations lol.
I think it is worth making a point that Dexterity also affects your lightsaber accuracy. This can make a max dex lightsaber build better than a max strength build since you won't get melted instantly due to low defense and you can still use lighter armors to have access to master speed and dual wielding to melt enemies. I think it is hilarious that the games devs often give your party members very non optimal weapons when they join. For example, I often go max dex in playthroughs since the dual defense and attack natural of it is OP; once I crash onto Taris I immediately steal Carth's blaster and give him swords since he has more strength than dex. Why Carth, Zaalbar, and Canderous start with special blasters when they all have high strength is beyond me. Pro tip: You can save level ups for when you become a Jedi later. This means that after your tutorial level up you can save the other 18 for Jedi classes. This is mostly OP for consular builds since you get way more force points and force powers. I mean Carth can almost solo Taris anyways and once you get mission is only easier. Have fun gamers!
I also did this in a force only dark side consular build held off at level 2 (that was struggling lowkey lol). Able to invest 7 levels into jedi immediately is crazy good off bat for total force points and powers off rip. I completely agree that the characters start with AWFUL special weapons for their stats. Carth's isn't as egregious and Zaalbar at least has the chance for Bacca's blade (you should get this every melee playthrough lowkey). You have really good game knowledge on this as well! I hope you appreciated the vid.
@@logeeman8 The vid was a great intro to new players! Tbh I find dark side consular is weaker than light side. With max dex and wis a light side consular always lands force wave and that stuns the whole room. I realize that force wave is a neutral power but the difference is in Death field vs heal/cure. Since heal affects your whole party you don't tend to have problems with allies dying as much in light side which makes fights much easier. If you set up a strong Juhani with master speed/dual wielding then she can melt single targets for you but you lose her in dark side as well. Taris is also easier as Gadon is really tough for level 2 main character to handle!
@@VideoGameMarimbist I appreciate that alot! And true for the healing and force wave. I built a high Wisdom and Charisma for a like +6 between them off start so all my dark side powers hit and then I left my party as light side to focus healing while I did more area spamming with force lightning and choke/kill on bigger enemies. Force Wave was still used since it was neutral as well as Insanity was enough stun to replace force wave at a discount force cost. I think both playstyles are going to be broken either way with a min/maxed consular build haha. (light side also gets the circlet for dummy busted modifier)
I've recently started my first campaign in DnD with my friends. I've read all this and understood it, but this video put it into perspective. Now I want to do another KOTOR run. After so many years, actually understand what I'm doing. 😂
@@logeeman8 dude riddle me this. I went with 8 dex this run cause I just wanted to dump into strength. Do you need a neutral dex just to dodge anything or does it not matter? I had a minus one and my dude was going down left and right. I run lvl 2 till jedi but I don't remember being this weak.
@@theexpert758 Your Defense is not gaining anything from your Dex. So your defense score is 10 + armor and no other gain. Youre gonna need heavy armor with 0 or 1 dexterity essentially until you get items that give you a far greater boost to the attribute.
Sorry about that, but I appreciate the criticism! I’m still learning to video edit and record (with some subpar equipment I need to upgrade lol) so any feedback is welcome!
Thank you I appreciate it! I believe you asked about Keen in Kotor 2. It works the same way, but with the added 15% ranges in Kotor 2 on weapons, keen will enchance 20-20 to 19-20, 19-20 rolls to 17-20 (20%), and 18-20 rolls to 15-20 (30%). With the critical strike/sniper shot skills, the 5%, 10%, and 15% respectfully would be added after the Feat multiplier so the max crit chance on a keen 15% weapon would be .15 * 4 +15 = 75%.
I hope this helps! Once you learn the intricacies of the games calculations, you can leave Taris and destroy the game as well as try different builds on playthroughs.
Brother we were all there at one time trust me! Once you really understand it you can beat these games with super high stats and other dice based games also become well within your reach! It also gets people more interested in DND in general and makes it more interesting when others talk about their campaigns. All around win!
@@logeeman8 oh yea that’s the plan. I’d love to get into DnD board game. Another game that is based off that (I think) is Baulders gate. Idk if you’ve played it but I’m hoping that playing KOTOR a few times and mastering the dice roll system will help me be able to get into Baulders gate. I was overwhelmed at the tutorial. Modern games just don’t have the complexity in game design. They are built to be very accessible for the most profit.
Who is that at 4:16 i keep seeing them lol. Everytime i start a new run i sit for hours deciding what i want be. One run im going do a blaster playthrough no lightsaber where im just a merc or bounty hunter.
The Bondar power crystals in KOTOR 2 and i think the phond power crystals in KOTOR 1 both have a DC10 to stun but it does not say DC10 of fortitude/will/reflex. i think some of the emitters in KOTOR 2 (phobium/disrupting) also have DCs of 10/14/18 but also do not say against what save - fortitude/reflex/will. how do these work and are they garbage?
Checking out the guide, in KOTOR 1 and 2 Stun is always a Will save and Paralyze is made on a Reflex save. This is barring if you have any Force immunity active or Immunity due to feat, gear, or implants. At a DC of 10, with an enemy with 0 points in the save you have a 45% chance to stun. This is generally not the case and so a DC of 10 is REALLY low tbh. This is why mostly wild beasts and low tier enemies are affected. There is always the 1 in 20 chance they will roll a natural 1 and critical fail the save and you will affect them, even if they have over 10 in the skill. DC 14 is decent and 18 is quite good for an always on-Hit effect to be rolled. Hope this helps and more info on the strategy wiki for you!!
@@logeeman8 to be honest even DC20 is kinda garbage since force affliction stops working about the same time you are on the hardest part of Telos i have no idea why affliction is set at DC20 but force slow is set up like any other force power with DC 5 + Level and WIS/CHA by the time you encounter the mercenaries they have fortitudes of 13-15 so you have like a 20% chance of actually resolving force affliction and any other grenade at DC15 for that matter. for the longest time i thought affliction was just a broken force power but it is just bad :(
Yea when you don't understand the system, you sometimes just see the percentage and think "This is gonna work 25% of the time thats awesome" for the afflictions but you gotta understand the DC system and saving throws. Thats why I want to help as many people as possible enjoy this game!@@lordrevan7569
Fantastic tutorial; well done and many thanks. Can I check my understanding? Is it the case that my dex modifier equates directly to armour class? In other words, if I have a dex modifier of +4, I therefore have an AC of +4? Thanks again.
This is partially correct. With a +4 you will gain 4 to AC. You start with a base 10 and then add your armor. If your armor has an equal to or higher max dex bonus than 4 then armor is 10 + armor bonus + dex mod. If the armor max dex is less than +4 the dex mod is the max armor dex bonus!
Out of the three many say flurry/rapid shot since your attack is generally higher than the added power shot or power attack and the added attack has extra bonuses applied power doesn’t (stun, extra ion, crit chance, etc)
@@logeeman8holy shit I didn’t know the extra attack could apply additional effects. I mean I usually go Flurry because the animation feels smooth. Do you think it’s true that Master power attack is better with Master speed than Master Flurry?
It definitely could be late game but I’ve ran my fair share of master power attack runs and never seen an issue so I would just run what you think is fun haha
It's more likely based on the original version from 2001 since by the time the revised edition was released the game had been long in production. All of these mechanics are too fundamental to the base game so they must have been decided from the beggining. I doubt there was much communication between the team that developed this game and the team that developed the revised edition.
Another thing I don't always say. If you are planning out a build or need more info on something I said or haven't made a video on (hopefully I will lol) You can head to Kotor 1 and Kotor 2 strategy wiki to understand the game mechanics for every skill, feat, and more in depth. I really just grazed the top here and wanted to give a little history of the game as well! Thank you all so much!
This video must be the advance tutorial party! FOR THE REPUBLIC!!!
Somebody else ready for battlefront classic👀
@logeeman8471 that aged well 💀
I planned on starting KOTOR soon, so this will definitely be helpful. Perfect timing!
I hope you're more informed on your playthrough!
I hate being older.
Because instead of just replaying the damn game, that I've beaten several times in my life and adore. I instead watch videos like this because I want to do it "optimally" so I actually end up never playing it lol.
It's a curse.
Good stuff sir!
Load it right up and just do what you love! I appreciate the good review
I can remember playing games when I was a kid and having no idea what to do or where to go but having a blast playing. Now I’m so much more impatient at gaming!
fr though, I am similar, it is a curse.
There is one thing, that for a video titled [Kotor Masterclass - Complete Guide to Game Mechanics] you should have included, especially for Kotor 1 and that is the hidden mechanic of Finesse (In Kotor 2 it is included as a feat).
Finesse is the ability to use the dexterity bonus on melee weapons instead of using the Strength attribute for the attack bonus (the damage bonus still uses strength).
In Kotor 2 this mechanic can be unlocked by a feat, but in Kotor 1 this mechanic is hidden and not explained anywhere.
In Kotor 1 Finesse is automatically applied to lightsabers when your dexterity attribute is higher than your strength attribute, this is important for making dexterity builds.
An example of viable builds using finesse would be the following, one more general and other a force build.
S: 8 - 8
D: 17 - 14
C: 13 - 13
I: 10 - 10
W: 14 - 17
Cha: 12 - 14
Note: On Taris (Kotor 1) you must use blasters (range guns) or you will have a bad time (especially with dual weapons)
Note2: On Kotor 2 the feat [Finesse: Melee weapons] apply also to lightsabers making redundant the feat [Finesse: Lightsaber]
Man this video is better than I could’ve imagined after playing this game multiple times I didn’t realize just how in depth and layered this game got! Great video 10/10 I’d love to see your favorite builds! Also are we going to get a dantooine cash grab? Cant wait to see what else you produce! Keep up the great work we appreciate your in depth research!
I could indeed look at going through the planets. My trouble right now is deciding whether to focus on the first time there or include every quest line including companion quests for each planet. In that case I need a full playthrough and keep track of each planet item and cash gain separately and basically I’d have 4 videos for the star map locations lol.
@@logeeman8 how about saying thank you bozo? Someone praises you and you say some bs. No wonder you can't even gain 1k subs 😂 barely halfway there😂
I think it is worth making a point that Dexterity also affects your lightsaber accuracy. This can make a max dex lightsaber build better than a max strength build since you won't get melted instantly due to low defense and you can still use lighter armors to have access to master speed and dual wielding to melt enemies. I think it is hilarious that the games devs often give your party members very non optimal weapons when they join. For example, I often go max dex in playthroughs since the dual defense and attack natural of it is OP; once I crash onto Taris I immediately steal Carth's blaster and give him swords since he has more strength than dex. Why Carth, Zaalbar, and Canderous start with special blasters when they all have high strength is beyond me. Pro tip: You can save level ups for when you become a Jedi later. This means that after your tutorial level up you can save the other 18 for Jedi classes. This is mostly OP for consular builds since you get way more force points and force powers. I mean Carth can almost solo Taris anyways and once you get mission is only easier. Have fun gamers!
I also did this in a force only dark side consular build held off at level 2 (that was struggling lowkey lol). Able to invest 7 levels into jedi immediately is crazy good off bat for total force points and powers off rip. I completely agree that the characters start with AWFUL special weapons for their stats. Carth's isn't as egregious and Zaalbar at least has the chance for Bacca's blade (you should get this every melee playthrough lowkey). You have really good game knowledge on this as well! I hope you appreciated the vid.
@@logeeman8 The vid was a great intro to new players! Tbh I find dark side consular is weaker than light side. With max dex and wis a light side consular always lands force wave and that stuns the whole room. I realize that force wave is a neutral power but the difference is in Death field vs heal/cure. Since heal affects your whole party you don't tend to have problems with allies dying as much in light side which makes fights much easier. If you set up a strong Juhani with master speed/dual wielding then she can melt single targets for you but you lose her in dark side as well. Taris is also easier as Gadon is really tough for level 2 main character to handle!
@@VideoGameMarimbist I appreciate that alot! And true for the healing and force wave. I built a high Wisdom and Charisma for a like +6 between them off start so all my dark side powers hit and then I left my party as light side to focus healing while I did more area spamming with force lightning and choke/kill on bigger enemies. Force Wave was still used since it was neutral as well as Insanity was enough stun to replace force wave at a discount force cost. I think both playstyles are going to be broken either way with a min/maxed consular build haha. (light side also gets the circlet for dummy busted modifier)
I've recently started my first campaign in DnD with my friends. I've read all this and understood it, but this video put it into perspective. Now I want to do another KOTOR run. After so many years, actually understand what I'm doing. 😂
What a great video dude. I play both these on my phone all the time.
Appreciate it alot! Tbh thats how I get some of these videos out lol.
@@logeeman8 dude riddle me this. I went with 8 dex this run cause I just wanted to dump into strength. Do you need a neutral dex just to dodge anything or does it not matter? I had a minus one and my dude was going down left and right. I run lvl 2 till jedi but I don't remember being this weak.
@@theexpert758 Your Defense is not gaining anything from your Dex. So your defense score is 10 + armor and no other gain. Youre gonna need heavy armor with 0 or 1 dexterity essentially until you get items that give you a far greater boost to the attribute.
@logeeman8471 dude you're the freaking man, this makes way more sense than what I was seeing online. You have a great one my dude I subbed!
@@theexpert758 Good luck and enjoy the game!
Nice video. Minor criticism: you could edit out the flubs but it doesn't detract to much from your execution.
Sorry about that, but I appreciate the criticism! I’m still learning to video edit and record (with some subpar equipment I need to upgrade lol) so any feedback is welcome!
@@logeeman8 we all have to start somewhere.
Very thorough video, kudos!
Thank you I appreciate it! I believe you asked about Keen in Kotor 2. It works the same way, but with the added 15% ranges in Kotor 2 on weapons, keen will enchance 20-20 to 19-20, 19-20 rolls to 17-20 (20%), and 18-20 rolls to 15-20 (30%). With the critical strike/sniper shot skills, the 5%, 10%, and 15% respectfully would be added after the Feat multiplier so the max crit chance on a keen 15% weapon would be .15 * 4 +15 = 75%.
Pokemon TCG was published by WotC until 2003, it has been published by The Pokemon Company since.
That makes alot more sense, but at least the information is accurate for the time of the game releasing and based off of😂
My first time ever playing this game, I am having a blast. But damn it's hard.
I hope this helps! Once you learn the intricacies of the games calculations, you can leave Taris and destroy the game as well as try different builds on playthroughs.
Bro thank you for making this because I’ve beaten the game but going back and trying to understand the dice roll system has my pulling out my hair
Brother we were all there at one time trust me! Once you really understand it you can beat these games with super high stats and other dice based games also become well within your reach! It also gets people more interested in DND in general and makes it more interesting when others talk about their campaigns. All around win!
@@logeeman8 oh yea that’s the plan. I’d love to get into DnD board game. Another game that is based off that (I think) is Baulders gate. Idk if you’ve played it but I’m hoping that playing KOTOR a few times and mastering the dice roll system will help me be able to get into Baulders gate. I was overwhelmed at the tutorial.
Modern games just don’t have the complexity in game design. They are built to be very accessible for the most profit.
@@johnasamoah8668 Baldurs gate is based on the 5th edition of DND with some minor adjustments!
Who is that at 4:16 i keep seeing them lol. Everytime i start a new run i sit for hours deciding what i want be. One run im going do a blaster playthrough no lightsaber where im just a merc or bounty hunter.
The Bondar power crystals in KOTOR 2 and i think the phond power crystals in KOTOR 1 both have a DC10 to stun but it does not say DC10 of fortitude/will/reflex. i think some of the emitters in KOTOR 2 (phobium/disrupting) also have DCs of 10/14/18 but also do not say against what save - fortitude/reflex/will. how do these work and are they garbage?
Checking out the guide, in KOTOR 1 and 2 Stun is always a Will save and Paralyze is made on a Reflex save. This is barring if you have any Force immunity active or Immunity due to feat, gear, or implants. At a DC of 10, with an enemy with 0 points in the save you have a 45% chance to stun. This is generally not the case and so a DC of 10 is REALLY low tbh. This is why mostly wild beasts and low tier enemies are affected. There is always the 1 in 20 chance they will roll a natural 1 and critical fail the save and you will affect them, even if they have over 10 in the skill. DC 14 is decent and 18 is quite good for an always on-Hit effect to be rolled. Hope this helps and more info on the strategy wiki for you!!
@@logeeman8 to be honest even DC20 is kinda garbage since force affliction stops working about the same time you are on the hardest part of Telos i have no idea why affliction is set at DC20 but force slow is set up like any other force power with DC 5 + Level and WIS/CHA by the time you encounter the mercenaries they have fortitudes of 13-15 so you have like a 20% chance of actually resolving force affliction and any other grenade at DC15 for that matter. for the longest time i thought affliction was just a broken force power but it is just bad :(
Yea when you don't understand the system, you sometimes just see the percentage and think "This is gonna work 25% of the time thats awesome" for the afflictions but you gotta understand the DC system and saving throws. Thats why I want to help as many people as possible enjoy this game!@@lordrevan7569
Fantastic tutorial; well done and many thanks. Can I check my understanding? Is it the case that my dex modifier equates directly to armour class? In other words, if I have a dex modifier of +4, I therefore have an AC of +4? Thanks again.
This is partially correct. With a +4 you will gain 4 to AC. You start with a base 10 and then add your armor. If your armor has an equal to or higher max dex bonus than 4 then armor is 10 + armor bonus + dex mod. If the armor max dex is less than +4 the dex mod is the max armor dex bonus!
@@logeeman8 Many thanks.
In your opinion what’s the best attack feat?
Out of the three many say flurry/rapid shot since your attack is generally higher than the added power shot or power attack and the added attack has extra bonuses applied power doesn’t (stun, extra ion, crit chance, etc)
@@logeeman8holy shit I didn’t know the extra attack could apply additional effects. I mean I usually go Flurry because the animation feels smooth. Do you think it’s true that Master power attack is better with Master speed than Master Flurry?
It definitely could be late game but I’ve ran my fair share of master power attack runs and never seen an issue so I would just run what you think is fun haha
Heavy blasters don't have a 2-weapon penalty!Double-bladed melee weapons do.
No matter how many of these I make and read the wiki I always get something wrong. Maybe one day 🤣 but I appreciate the fact!
Woohoo
Open youtube
See video about mechanics of a 20 yr old game I've already played several times.
Yes.
your slightly wrong on the mechanics it's based on the star wars D20 revised edition from 2003.
It's more likely based on the original version from 2001 since by the time the revised edition was released the game had been long in production. All of these mechanics are too fundamental to the base game so they must have been decided from the beggining. I doubt there was much communication between the team that developed this game and the team that developed the revised edition.
@@AgusSkywalker I hadn't considered that actually