Plot

Events in SW:KotOR proceed in a fairly linear fashion, despite the illusion of being open-ended. You start on the Endar Spire, then escape Taris, finally you become a Jedi on Dantooine and learn about the Star Maps and receive the main quest to find them and locate the Star Forge. From there, you have the option of visiting four worlds in any order:

1. Tatooine: Desert world
2. Kashyyyk: Forest world that is home to wookies
3. Manaan: Water world
4. Korriban: Sith homeworld

It is usually best to leave Korriban for last, because the final area is tough and you are forced to go solo. On top of that, Bastila is not available on Korriban regardless of when you visit, so you might as well save it for last when she's out of your group. My personal preference is Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan and Korriban. When choosing a sequence, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Kashyyyk should be finished before Manaan so Jolee Bindo is in your party when you visit Manaan.
2. There is a high-value merchant on Korriban that is only available to you after you have collected three Star Maps.
3. If you do Tatooine first, you will have to do a lot of running back and forth that can be avoided if you visit later.

Certain events take place based on how many Star Maps you have collected.

1. When you go to retrieve your first Star Map, you will run into bounty hunter Calo Nord (for the second time, having encountered him on Taris).
2. When retrieving your third Star Map, you will meet Darth Malak's personal apprentice, Darth Bandon. You'll recognize him from the Endar Spire.
3. After leaving the world where you collect your third Star Map, you'll be captured by Admiral Karath on the Sith flagship, Leviathan. A major plot event unfolds at this point, and you're limited in your options to continue from this point. E.g. you can't go back to Dantooine from now on. Also, while on the ship, before encountering Darth Malak, take any items you like away from Bastila or you won't see them again.
4. After collecting your fourth Star Map, you will know the location of the Star Forge. Don't travel there until you're ready to finish the game. Once you target the Star Forge system, you can't go home again.

Messenger Points

Messenger points are those areas where, if you have reached a certain point in the plot and have certain characters with you, an NPC will appear to deliver a message to one of your companions. These messenger points are located near your ship, and you should try to cross them with each member of your group as often as possible:

• On Dantooine, the messenger point is directly outside your ship.
• On Kashyyyk, Korriban, Manaan and Tatooine the messenger point is near the exit from the landing port. On Korriban and Tatooine, this is still close by your ship. On Kashyyyk, this is near the exit to the Great Walkway. On Manaan, it is just past the merchant in the docking ring.

Security Spikes

Security spikes (not to be confused with computer spikes) are devices that are supposed to improve your Security skill when trying to open a lock (single use item). However, they appear to have been disabled, without actually being removed from the game. And Mission will happily make even more for you on Ebon Hawk. So, if you are having trouble figuring out how to use those security spikes on locked items, stop worrying about it and sell your spikes (remember! security spikes, not computer spikes) for cash.

General Tips & Hints

• My favorite class combo is Scout/Jedi Sentinel. You get a good mixture of skills, feats, force points, vitality, etc. It makes it a lot easier on those occasions when you are forced to go it alone. You also don't have to spend as much time switching party members in-and-out to get computer slicing or door spiking abilities into your party. Since there are numerous areas where you can't change your party around, being a jack-of-all trades yourself with two combat-oriented backups is the best way to go.
• On each planet, make sure you leave the ship with each party member. Many side quests are activated when you have certain companions with you. These are usually triggered by your position within the plot (i.e. how many Star Maps you have or where you are in the NPC's conversation tree) rather than specific worlds; although, you will need to travel to a specific world in order to complete the quest.
• To make the final battle easier, you will need at least one offensive force power that is not Force Push, Force Whirlwind, Force Wave, Stun, Stasis or Stasis Field. Throw Lightsaber is a good choice. As are the Stun/Disable/Destroy Droid series. The final battle can be completed without such a power, but it's quite a bit harder. (Trust me, I made this mistake the first time through the game...)
• Jedi can add their Dexterity bonus to lightsaber attacks, so a high-DEX character is preferable since you can't use some force powers (Force Armor, Speed, Lightning, etc.) while wearing armor.
• You can "finish" each world after Dantooine without retrieving the Star Map. In this way, you can get all, or most, of your side quests finished and then run around actually getting the maps. There are some advantages to doing this (especially if playing Light Side), which I may detail later.

Increasing Jedi Powers

To maximize Jedi powers, don't level up on Taris, or, only level up one or two times. If you can muddle through Taris without levelling (even though you have earned the experience), you can get up to 18 Jedi levels. If you level every time you have the opportunity, you will typically be level 8 before switching to a Jedi class, only allowing 12 Jedi levels. The additional 6 levels of Jedi would give you more force points as well as 6 additional force powers (8 if Consular). Doing this can be very difficult, because you'll need to rely almost solely on your associates on Taris. The trick is to avoid most of the side quests and only run through those areas that are necessary to reach your final goal. When I did this, I was only level 7 when I reached Dantooine, so it took longer to reach level 20 (but still easily before the game's finale). In this situation, Zaalbar is a very good companion for his melee skills. Give him one or two vibroblades and watch him chop your opponents to pieces. (Of course, you have to rescue him first...)

On the whole, you don't really need those extra Jedi levels. All the Jedi classes are optimized for 12 levels. By 12th level you will have received all your automatic bonus feats. You will have more than enough force powers (13 for Guardians and Sentinels, 15 for Consulars). Whatever you do, do not advance past level 8 on Taris. Losing one Jedi level will significantly impact your abilities (you lose +2 Defense and your Master-level unique feat). After playing through a few times, I think a 4/16 split or 8/12 split are the "optimal" builds. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but these two splits have worked well for me.

Light vs Dark

Most of the time, the choice between light and dark will be self-evident. Light will always refuse rewards, help innocents and try to turn those who have fallen back to the light (even Darth Malak). Dark will abuse innocents, threaten people for greater rewards and suppress all who stand in their way. Many situations have a light solution, a dark solution and a neutral solution; however, not all events have all three solutions.

Whichever side you choose, you should try to reach Mastery, which provides bonuses and enhancements for your character.

• Achieving Light Side Mastery or Dark Side Mastery gives your character bonuses based on your Jedi Class:
  • Light Side Guardian: +3 Strength
  • Light Side Sentinel: +3 Constitution
  • Light Side Consular: +3 Charisma
  • Dark Side Guardian: +1d8 damage
  • Dark Side Sentinel: Immune to poison
  • Dark Side Consular: +50 force points
• In addition, when you reach Light or Dark Side Mastery, force powers from your side cost 50% less, while force powers from the opposite side cost 75% more. Universal powers always cost the same. (See the descriptions of the force powers on the Classes page to see which powers fall in which categories.)

I have found, if I am concentrating on earning points, I can easily reach either Light Side or Dark Side mastery by the time I have recovered the second Star Map. From there on, it's a piece of cake maintaining mastery. Overall, with the exception of the epilogue movies, the play experience is almost identical. You experience the same events, do the same quests and fight the same (or very similar) battles.

Yavin Space Station

If you examine your Galaxy Map on Ebon Hawk, you will note a Yavin Space Station. You can travel there to buy high-end equipment from the sole occupant. The space station is literally nothing but a long hallway and a single merchant, so I haven't bothered with a map. After retrieving all the Star Maps and visiting the station at least three times, you will have to save the proprietor from the attack of a band of Trandoshans. He will then sell you some very special items, including a couple of super-powered lightsaber crystals. Save all your money (live off the loot) until you get to this point so you can shop 'til you drop at his store. Additionally, if you can beat him ten times at Pazaak, he will give you a 20% discount on all items he sells.