KoToR II - Guardian or Sentinel

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:29 pm

I remember playing KoToR and there being not much of a reason to play sentinel...the guardian was better in almost every way, especially because of force leap...I loved that. It was also because the Sentinel didn't really have any force power advantage or skill advantage, and worse BAB and bit (unless im mistaken)

I read that the Sentinel is actually really good in this game, and that skills are perhaps useful? unlike in KoToR.

GameFAQs: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (PC) Jedi Sentinel FAQ by PapaGamer

What do you guys think? I played KoToR by saving my levels and getting 18 guardian levels. put 4 attributes into wisdom and 1 into STR, and never had any trouble with anything. never even ran out of force points, had my force powers resisted, etc. It was true dark power. I was evil, btw

ALSO, when does the game end? lvl 20ish or 30ish?

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:55 pm

I think guardian is the better class in Kotor II. As you point out, it has a higher BAB, def bonus, hp gain and that very useful force jump. I ran thru the game with several different combinations and found the most useful to be guardian multiclassed into Weapon Master. In k2, your companions can supplement your main cha in skill points, so the high skill points gained by a sentinel could become redundant depending on your play style.

Because of the sheer number of levels you can gain in k2, the game ends around lvl 30 i think, force points/powers are also no problem for a guardian class.

P.S Welcome to GB

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:30 am

I'd say Sentinel is superior. The BAB is the same for every class, and you'll want to have 18 CON ASAP, to use all those implants. That makes the difference in HP also less of an issue.
You also get more Force points, which I found useful.
The Guardian only gets 1 more feat. By the end of the game, even as a Sentinel with the Dual Wielding feats, I was taking random feats, because I had all the good ones. You end the game in the late lvl 20s, btw.
The Defense score and saving throws are the same.
Having Persuade, Repair and Use Computer skills at high levels is useful for sidequests. You can't use your NPCs for those. (Like the T3 sidequest and Pursuasion in general.) Also, your character's Repair is used to determine the number of parts you get when you breakdown items.
Finally, Force Jump is about isn't any more useful than the Sentinel immunities: IIRC, it's only usable with a lightsabre and by the time you get that, the bonus to hit & damage on the jump is neglible.

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:15 am

Thanks for the replies guys! and the warm welcome =)

few questions still...

do I still get 1 attribute every 4 levels? so 8 by level 32?

can CON gear allow me to wear lvl 3 implants?

what kind of gear is common on TSL? I know DEX and STR gear was abundant in kotor, barely any WIS gear, no CHA

I assume things like feats, powers, etc aren't as much of an issue because of the additional 10+ levels? and that skills are much more important in this game.

What other skills affect only my PrC, like repair and persuade do? Like, what can my PrC do that makes it special to give a particular skill that I can't just give to a team mate? why cant i just load up one of my friends with treat injury and have him make medpacs? if you know what I mean

Darth Gavinius · Post by **Darth Gavinius** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:25 am

Due to the fact that prestige classes become available later in the game I find that sometimes it is better to take either of the extremes (being) Guardian or Consular, then you can level them out later on by opting for the opposing extreme with the prestige class which can be fun. Although the bonus to skills is good early in the game for the Sentinel once you have a balanced party they are of much less use - and you will either wish you were more kickass in battle with more powerful attacks or with more force powers to wield.

Also (especially in Kotor I) yellow lightsabers are hideous!

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:34 am

Darth Gavinius wrote:Due to the fact that prestige classes become available later in the game I find that sometimes it is better to take either of the extremes (being) Guardian or Consular, then you can level them out later on by opting for the opposing extreme with the prestige class which can be fun. Although the bonus to skills is good early in the game for the Sentinel once you have a balanced party they are of much less use - and you will either wish you were more kickass in battle with more powerful attacks or with more force powers to wield.

Also (especially in Kotor I) yellow lightsabers are hideous!

well since the BAB is the same for all classes now, I can't see how the sentinel could be significantly weaker than the guardian. It's all about how you distribute gear and attributes, no?

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:04 am

CON gear does not allow you to wear Implants lvl 3.
A Sentinel/Weapon Master is as powerful in combat as a Guardian/Weapon Master, and has more Force Powers, and more skills, and nice immunities. (Those are not necessary at all, but nice to have.)
I'll say it again: Repair (for breaking down items) and Persuade only matter for your own character. Repair and Use Computer give you more options with T3. Nobody else except you can do that.
For stats, I'd say go STR (after 18 CON), and ignore Defense. Instead concentrate on Resist Energy damage, via Armour plate & underlays, and force powers.
Either the Power Attack line, or the Critical Strike line, both combined with Dual Weapons and Master Force Speed.

Darth Gavinius · Post by **Darth Gavinius** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:16 am

I just find that it is better to either lean towards feat progression or force power progression. I feel the Jedi Sentinel has the least to offer in so far as a Guardian gets Force Jump and can take Weapon Specialisation in Lightsabre and if you are playing as a Melee fighter, you don't really miss the access to quite so many force powers, mix force jump and burst of speed and you can mince most people up quite effectively especially if your enemies are ranged and spread out. Also the faster feat progression means you can spend them in feats that improve your skills rather than fighting.

Also the game renders being a Sentinel pointless by the sheer numbers of Sentinel henchmen you can end up with! I have played it as a Sentinel, I just found it didn't fit my own play style.

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:26 am

I'm pretty sure I'll be going Sentinel/Assassin =p

does the assassin gain demolitions as a class skill? I've read some places it does and others that it doesn't.

Darth Gavinius · Post by **Darth Gavinius** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:44 am

Doesn't really matter, you can always take demolitions as a cross class skill. I can't remember how the class skills are distributed in KOTOR II, but I think it might be along the same lines as Guardian = Soldier, Sentinel = Rogue and Consular = Scout in so far as classes go. In that case the Sentinel should get Stealth, Demolitions and Security.

Sith Dog reborn · Post by **Sith Dog reborn** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:56 pm

Guardian and Sentinal both seem to be really good, but I've never been able to beat the game as a Counselor yet. Think I'm going to try that next. Do Sentinals not get Force Jump? I was wondering why mine didn't jump.

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 1:54 pm

Question about influence...

I want to be evil...but I also want to have positive influence with my teammates. Can I do both? it seems not...

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:04 pm

Depends on the teammate, I think.

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:17 pm

The majority of them require LS to gain influence though. Off the top of my head, those companions are Atton, Mira, Handmaiden/Disciple, Bao-Dur, T3, Visas. The DS companions are GO-TO, Hk-47 and Hanharr. I consider Mandalore and Kreia to be more or less neutral characters.

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:52 pm

Loki[D.d.G] wrote:The majority of them require LS to gain influence though. Off the top of my head, those companions are Atton, Mira, Handmaiden/Disciple, Bao-Dur, T3, Visas. The DS companions are GO-TO, Hk-47 and Hanharr. I consider Mandalore and Kreia to be more or less neutral characters.

Hmm something to keep in mind. I like the way I get gain rep with atton when I kill people though, kreia doesn't like it.

I guess when i gain influence they shift toward whatever alignment I am right? and if I get negative influence they either shift the opposite way or remain the same?

Equipment & Buffs Dex Wis
Jal Shay Meditation Gloves +2 +2
Circlet of Saresh 0 +5
NAME CRYSTAL +4 +5
Ossis Keeper Robes 0 +4
Universal D Implant +2 +2
Aratech Echo Belt +4 0
T3M3 Bonus 0 +1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals +12 +19

are any of these items restricted to light side?

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:53 am

Circlet of Saresh is a LS only item. The rest should be unrestricted i think.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:35 am

The Circlet of Saresh, IIRC, is Light Side only.
I wouldn't mind DEX, though, since going Weapon Finesse has two distinct disadvantages:
First, if you want to benefit from it from the start, you have to waste a feat on Finesse: Melee Weapons. The first part of the game can be quite hard without a decent To Hit. Later on, you have to selecter Finesse: Lightsabres. Essentially, two wasted feats.
Second, relying on STR provides extra damage and requires no feats, which you wouldn't have with DEX. Relying on Sneak Attacks requires you to be invisible, and only works for one round, or for the enemy to be stunned. If you want to reliably stun enemies with Force Powers, you need to start as a Consular.
Third, DEX might boost Defense, but as I explained earlier, it's better to absord damage than to try to avoid it.

llmercll · Post by **llmercll** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:00 pm

so im coming toward the end of tsl and im sitting on over 300 thousand credits. and there are no good shops!!

the best shop for me is the one on telos with the brothers, what!! is there a secret shop im missing? will i find a shop with good stuff in it?

i don't know what they were thinking. credits actually meant something in kotor I

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:23 pm

One of the best shops in the game that offer pretty high level equipment is Geeda's store. Dunno if that is her actual name, but she is one of the rodian merchants on Nar Shadaa. Should you choose the side with her in the merchant wars, she then asks you to procure new trade routes. With each new trade route obtained, her inventory becomes more impressive.

Epithet · Post by **Epithet** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 1:58 pm

A few points about this game, which I've played through several times.

First, I recommend the jedi sentinel/jedi master combination over any other in the game. In my experience, it's very powerful.

Second, yes, skills are very important in this game. It's the primary reason the sentinel is more attractive. I preferred the guardian in K1, but in the sequel, the sentinel is much more attractive, both for added game content and for the stuff the character can make at the workbench and lab station with high skills. No skill is unimportant. Ever. But stealth is lowest on my priority list, while Treat Injury is important only for the potent power-ups you can make with a high skill level.

Only the Jedi Guardian has force jump. However, force jump works ONLY if the character has a lightsaber, and you won't get one until level 13+ or so in this game (and no, that's not late in the game - the game has a level cap of 50, which you're unlikely to see, as you'll complete it in the level 27-29 range unless you cheat).

Force powers are more abundant because, well, there are more jedi characters in this game. Remember all the micromanaging needed to spread the force powers out among your jedi characters in K1? No need for that here. Planning is adviced, of course, but not as essential as in K1.

Yes, Geeda on Nar Shaddaa is the best merchant in the game, but only after completing both Dantooine, Onderon (part 1), one world after Onderon, and Onderon (part 2). But unlike K1, you use a lot less money in K2. You'll always have enough money in this game, unless you throw it around indiscriminately.