You have taken your first steps along the path of Enlightenment. Be warned, the journey to Jedi Master is not an easy one. You will encounter danger at every turn while attempting to learn the ways of the Force. The Imperial Crackdown is in full swing, every member of the Empire with two wits and a gun will be out in the field, and most will not hesitate to attack a fledgling wielder of the Force such as yourself. But do not let this discourage you. With the proper preparation and the knowledge of those before you, survival - even in a time such as this, so dangerous for any force-sensitive being - is very possible.
Lightsaber Crafting
A Jedi's Lightsaber is his most important possession. Building and maintaining these weapons is not an easy task; finding the components needed to create yours can often be a frustrating and expensive experience. But properly made and used, you can get alot out of your Saber before it falls apart. First I will explain how the Generations system works, aswell as going over the basics of crafting your first Lightsaber.
Making the Tools of the Trade
In the beginning, you will first need to create a Lightsaber Crafting Tool. This requires only small amounts of Metal/Mineral/Chemical and a Generic Crafting Tool. When seeking the resources to make this tool, find a Mineral with no Conductivity rating, this will force the system to use 1000 as the default CD, instead of finding a metal with lower than 1000 CD to fill in the gap. Do try to find the best metal you can, preferably with a 980+ Conductivity rating. This will ensure the highest functionality tool possible; you should be able to reach around -6.0 Funct. with good resources. Note: If you have the time and $$, rounding up Artisan Experimentation skill tapes (being a human character also helps for this) you can actually get the ability to experiment when creating your tool. This can help slightly improve the functionality rating.
Crafting your first Lightsaber
After you have the tool created, you will need to make your first Lightsaber. You must start with a Training (First Generation) Lightsaber, your first will also be a 1-handed Lightsaber. This first generation requires only easy to find resources. The stat you are looking for in the metal in this case, is Shock Resistance (SR). Try to use no less than 980+ Shock Resistance in your metal. Again, this schematic requires some Mineral, try to find a mineral with no SR rating, to force the system to use 1000 SR which will provide better results. For the gas and chemical, try to find both with the highest OQ and no SR rating (gas will never have a SR rating), just to make sure you are getting the best product in the end. First craft two Refined Crystal Packs for your Training Saber. Then insert them into the schematic along with the other required resources, and create your first Saber! The stats on your training saber may vary, but most turn out around 190dmg @ 1.4 speed.
Upgrading through the Generations and how the system works
When you first start playing your Jedi character, the upgrading system can seem a bit overwhelming and confusing. There is a specific way upgrading adds up the damage and speed, you can even know the stats of your next generation by using this simple guide to calculate the damage and speed output.
Now, lets say that you have your training lightsaber, it is 190dmg @ 1.4 speed. After training up to Lightsaber I, you will be able to upgrade to a second generation lightsaber. To do this, you will need your previous generation saber (the training saber in this case), a small amount of metal and gas, and one looted Crystal/Krayt Pearl. The way that the upgrading system works, is when you move up to the next generation, it will add up like this for the damage calculation: 190dmg + 190dmg + XXXX . XXXX being the +/- dmg rating of the crystal/pearl, and 190 being the base damage on the training Lightsaber. For example, say that I take my 190dmg Training Saber, upgrade with a +150dmg Krayt Pearl, that will be: 190 + 190 + 150 = 530dmg for your second generation saber.
If your training saber was 180dmg, it would be 180dmg + 180 + 150 = 510dmg for your second gen. Each time you upgrade to the next generation, it will add up whatever damage the training saber was plus the crystal/pearl's damage modifier. Speed is also calculated similarly. Now say your saber is 1.4 speed, this krayt pearl you are using is -1.8 speed. The calculation for this would be: 1.4 + 1.4 - 1.8 = 1.0 speed, which is the speed cap, your Lightsaber can not go below 1.0 speed unless sliced (I do not recommend slicing, as trading lightsabers could be considered an exploit). Of course, some crystals are +X.XX speed, in that case it would be: 1.4 + 1.4 + X.XX.
It is my belief that Force Power Cost adds up in a similar fashion, but since we cannot see the change ourselves, I will not go out on a limb guessing how that works.
I would just like to point out that using 4 krayt pearls in a Lightsaber is a complete waste in a grinding saber. With Lightsabers IV (4/0/0/0 in the Padawan tree) you will hit every second with a saber at around 3.6 speed. You only need to use two pearls max to reach that, otherwise try to find nice 100+ dmg crystals to use, they are always cheaper and you wont notice the speed difference, though your wallet being that much fatter or the extra pearls in your inventory might slow you down
Making the most of your Lightsaber
You will notice with your first Saber, that the weapons decay at a ridiculous rate. Since there is nothing we can do about the decay rate at this time, we have been required to find ways to adapt to it. It is very possible to get a large amount of xp out of one Lightsaber, if properly used and maintained, let me go into greater detail about how this is done.
When you first start out in the Padawan tree, you do not require a 5th generation 1600dmg 1.0 speed all-pearl Lightsaber to get through the skills quickly. I suggest that in the beginning of the tree, you upgrade to a 3rd generation saber then stop. Use that for a while, until you start to get a bit higher in the skills. Keep using your 3rd gen, repairing it when needed, until it finally fails and falls apart. Once this happens, take that broken 3rd generation lightsaber, and use it as the component for upgrading to a 4th generation (then repeat the same process with your 4th gen). Broken or not it will fit into the schematic and it will work fine, the fact that it is broken is beside the point, that wont affect the outcome of the stats at all. This way, you can ensure that you make the most of your pearls/crystals by getting the most xp out of each generation. As long as your saber is below 5th gen, even if it falls apart, it is not gone!
You will of course reach a point where the skills require so much xp, and you need to kill much tougher creatures to get the same xp, but by that time you will have sufficient knowledge of your weapon and how to maintain it.
Combat as a Jedi
Fighting as a Jedi is as unique as playing as one is. There are a few things that need to be remembered at this time. Jedi have next to no defenses through any of the trees. The only defense a Jedi ever has, is Lightsaber Block, which is bugged (all state effects except blind get through and effect you even if you block the attack) and does not work in melee at all; and Lightsaber Toughness, which can somewhat reduce the damage in the later levels, but it does not even compare to a TKM's Unarmed Toughness+ rating.
Keeping this in mind, it is easy to formulate a base of rules for combat.
Armor - A Jedi's second most precious possession
In the beginning of the Padawan tree, and I mean the very beginning like training Lightsabers I-IV, armor is not required. But for the Force-related skills, armor is an absolute pre-requisite to leveling. Even in the Padawan tree, the level of creatures you must fight to get Jedi XP at a decent rate, is far above what most normal players would consider fighting on a daily basis. And, since low level Jedi are so weak, armor is a must-have. Another expensive piece of equipment, but it is well worth the investment for a nice suit of 80% Kinetic Composite. That helps greatly to make up for our inexplicable lack of defensive mods, when fighting creatures at least. The need becomes even more apparent at the higher levels, when you must fight Rancors+ to get any kind of xp at all.
Master Doctor Buffs - Invaluable
Never hunt without a set of buffs, or you will end up in the cloning center. And don’t plan on relying on the healing powers, in the early levels they are extremely weak in combat (though being able to heal all your wounds is nice) they will never compare to the effect that hunting with buffs makes. Also, keep a supply of Muon Gold, Vasarian Brandy (speak to your chef for this), Neutron Pixie, and any other assorted foods you would like, those are the main lifesavers though. I always keep Muon, Pixie and Brandy in the toolbar hot-keyed ready for anything, they've saved my life on more than one occasion.
Know the wildlife, and remember...
Knowledge of the creatures you are fighting, their resists and armor, what their special attacks & state effects are, is part of being a Jedi. Before you go into combat with a creature you have not seen before, make sure to /examine it. Check out the kinetic resists, the HAM, and the names sometimes give away the specialization of that creature; Blood-Frenzied Boar Wolfs, Borgle Life Sappers, etc etc. And keep track of what their special attacks are, that way you can know what to go up against constantly for xp and what to avoid. Intimidation is the worst, I try to avoid most creatures that use it. Poison and Disease are important to note, some creatures have a Dizzy/Knockdown combo, sometimes one type has a Dizzy move and the other has a Posture Down, resulting in a Dizzy/KD, these are all important to know.
Keeping track of the HAM and resists on creatures will also help you maximize the amount of xp you get while training in the field. For example, Crazed Gurrecks average around 6k HAM, yet they give 390 Jedi xp per kill at the >Padawan level, making them a prime target, best xp for the amount of HAM and resists. Blood-seeker mite hunters are also extremely good for this same reason, just to name a couple of Endor mobs. Skreegs on Yavin4 are good, but watch out they deathblow. Tybis are nice aswell, as are Magwax. Only experience can tell you which mobs are good to kill for your level.
Another thing to watch out for Boss Spawns, those have claimed many Jedi in the flurry of spawning super-mobs. Kiknik lairs sometimes have huge end boss spawns, I've seen upwards of one Queen, three Shredder Guardians and 6+ Hatchlings. Arachne lairs on Endor have a similar spawn, with one Queen, three Webmasters and a gang of Hatchlings, both are deadly especially if your HAM bars or force power is drained. Those are probably the two worst types to watch out for, I suggest unless you are thoroughly prepared to fight, only hit the lair down to 10% and leave it at that.
/-------=[ Tal-ev Osimao ~ Former 4444 Dark Jedi Guardian ]=--------------------------\
| I need a freak, to hold me tight. I need a freak, everyday and everynight.- Too $hort | \------------------------------=[ Destor ~ Pre-Pub9 Jedi Main ~ Current Padawan ]=------/
Luckily we do have some techniques that help to get larger amounts of xp. I'll outline the two main techniques.
Force Knockdown/Mind Blast 1
The way that this works, is you first must hit Force Knockdown on the target (it helps accuracy if you are both standing still) and immediately que in Mind Blast 1 (hit them both one right after another, always Knockdown before Mind Blast 1). If you have a successful attack, then upon killing the creature, you can receive anywhere between a 200-1500xp bonus, the amount of xp you get depends on a few things.
First, the damage on your Lightsaber, since Mind Blast 1 is modified by the rating on your Saber, a higher dmg saber = more dmg with Mind Blast = higher xp bonus. Secondly, whether or not the Knockdown was successful also influences the amount of damage done with Mind Blast, since the Lightsaber is a melee weapon, you hit for 2x damage when the target is Knocked down, and Mind Blast is depending on your melee weapon, you hit for 2x damage with Mind Blast when the target is KD'd.
Also, the overall HAM and the lvl of the creature are both taken into account so it seems when calculating xp. The best creatures to do this technique on are the mobs with the lowest kinetic resists, and the least HAM for the xp. Crazed Gurrecks and Blood-seeker Mite Hunters on Endor are both really good.
Force Throw on Empty Lairs
This technique works on both mission and random lairs, though it is much easier to do on randomly spawned lairs than it is on missions. The way you can tell between a mission and a random lair is, a mission lair will be named specifically for what it spawns; for example, a mound that is named "a Kiknik Lair" is from a mission. A mound named "A mound" that spawns kikniks is randomly generated.
With a randomly spawned lair, all you need to do is, when hitting the lair to make it spawn, shoot it with a non-cert gun or a republic blaster, or even a training lightsaber. Something that will not do much damage. As the creatures spawn, kill them, but do not do significant damage to the lair itself, let it spawn naturally (lol). If it has stopped spawning, shoot it with your non-cert gun. When you think it is almost done, shoot with a non-cert gun to make sure you don’t hit for 1k+ dmg, if you start hitting for 10x damage (with a non-cert gun that is usually 35-60dmg per hit), then move out of 10m range, pull your Lightsaber and use a Force Throw on it. You should hit for 10-14k dmg with a good saber. The lair will probably spawn more mobs after this, kill them, and if there is enough condition left over (15k+) then hit it again with force throw if you have the Force Power to use it again. This will give you 2x the normal xp, but once is still a nice bonus. You can get around 1000-3000 extra jedi xp in the >Padawan Level.
To use this technique on a mission lair, you must first kill all the spawns that are around the lair when you arrive. Once this is done, leave the area, don’t hit the lair, move outside of 300m for a minute or two (go to your next mission if it is within 500m-700m) and come back. If the lair has respawned the creatures around it, then kill those, and continue to use the technique as described with random lairs, after 3 spawning cycles it will stop, and you will start hitting for 10x damage. This normally does not yield as much xp as the same amount of dmg on a random lair but it does help, if you are running missions.
Tips for Evading the Bounty Hunters of the Empire
The greatest threat that a Jedi faces when out in the field is not the creatures, but the other players, either BH or just random imperials that happen to stumble upon you. Like I said before though, survival is not impossible if you know how to escape any situation.
Never hesitate for a second when a enemy approaches...
If you see a member of the Empire approaching you, do not second guess what his intentions are, if he is a member of the Empire he is a potential hunter. Drop whatever you are doing (those 10 pikets aren’t worth it) and get on your bike. With the current system, the other person always gets the first hit in, and with a TKM that can mean instant death, or worse a rifleman or pvp build, its not worth the chance at any rate. Move out of the area and if he follows try to lose him until your TEF wears off.
Strategies for combat with Bounty Hunters
Since BH are limited to a very small range of skills/weapons compared to say a dabbler, because their profession takes up so many skill points, preparation for a encounter with a Hunter is somewhat easier. The introduction of the Geonosian Sonic Pistols will change things for BH that manage to get a hold of them, but I don’t see that becoming a huge problem. First off is to get a nice acid resist helmet, since eyeshot is their special of choice (getting stun resists built in wouldn’t be a bad idea either, give at least some protection from the sonic pistols). The best idea of course is to not hunt with any non-jedi players to avoid getting on the BH terminals in the first place. Avoiding confrontations with NPCs aswell may reduce your chance of being put on them but I haven’t been able to confirm this myself.
Stay out of the main cities if you think someone may have your mission. Cornet especially, if you must go there for buffs, then port into one of the less populated starports like Tyrena or Doaba, and then shuttle into one of the Cornet shuttleports. Search for a doc and ask if one will come to you, going in front of the starport is not a good idea (I was once attacked inside the starport landing area). Then when you are ready, port into one of the less-used starports and then go wherever you are hunting.
Sometimes, combat is unavoidable...
If a BH does find + attack you and land KD/Dizzy, immediately use a muon gold and drink two vasarian brandy, that will make it nigh impossible for them to take your mind down before you get up as long as your helm is on. Of course a Bounty Hunter's first shots will be Dizzy/KD. When you are knocked down and Dizzy'd, and then try to stand, if you spam /stand constantly you will never get up. The trick is to hit /stand then wait a couple seconds until you see whether you have gotten up or fall down. After you hit /stand, press ctrl + up arrow that will que up /stand again, then as soon as you see the result, either hit enter or delete it if you stand. Takes a bit of practice but it works very nicely.
After you get back up, the question is whether to stay and fight or run. Check out a couple things, is the BH wearing armor, buffed? Is there more than one person? lol if they are not solo run don’t even think about trying to take them down. Hit Force Run and start moving. Now Force Run is only slightly faster than Burst Run, but you get +50 terrain negotiation and it lasts a bit longer, and is useable right after it wears off. When running from a BH, going through packs of mobs helps slow them down, since you will be able to outrun them, they will most likely get agro'd.
Rivers also help alot to slow them down, Force Run makes you swim extremely fast, while Burst Run automatically shuts off and goes into down time when swimming is attempted. If there is one near (hit * on your Numberpad that will increase your radar range, then see if you can spot a river, press / to zoom back in) then head for it and go across, you are guaranteed to escape as long as you keep going.
It is sad that a Jedi must go to these measures to survive, but the truth is in the early stages, you will be weak. Only after you have gained the rank of Padawan will you be able to really hold your own in a pvp battle.
Which skills are the most valuable in the early levels
The choice between the skills that you decide to learn can greatly effect the rate at which you move through the tree. I always have suggested picking up Force Manipulation 1 first, then Force Power 1, Force Manipulation 2, then Force Power 2, Force Manipulation 3, Force Power 3, Force Manipulation 4 and then Force Power 4, after that get Basic Healing 1-4. This will ensure that you are able to make the best of your powers to get the xp bonus' at the most efficient rate.
Now go young Initiate, and slay creatures while keeping a vigilant eye on your radar. May the force be with you.
/-------=[ Tal-ev Osimao ~ Former 4444 Dark Jedi Guardian ]=--------------------------\
| I need a freak, to hold me tight. I need a freak, everyday and everynight.- Too $hort | \------------------------------=[ Destor ~ Pre-Pub9 Jedi Main ~ Current Padawan ]=------/
I would only add that a sabre can be crafted with a weapon/droid/general item tool. Pretty easy to find a +14 functionality WDG tool as opposed to the less than stellar rating on lightsabre crafting tools.
Gigo Paku/Sai'Meez FightinFish/Lacks Drive
"Early to bed, and ealry to rise probably indicate manual labour"- John Ciardi
Kiashia [90 Elder Jedi, 90 Spy, 90 Medic, 90 Bounty hunter, 90 Commando] The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart.
Nice guide but... when a resource has none in conductivity it doesn't use 1000 it uses 0 !!! Look in the advanced guide to crafting on the SWG Website. =)
Lt. Xunkar Nokataki Officier de Vol, Leader d'Escadron (Beta) Second du 37è de Chasseurs Forces Impériales
Saber crafting: .. don't bother using or crafting a light saber kit.. they are worthless. Instead get a hold of the best generic item/weapon crafting tool you can (you can get them upwards of +11 rating.
The over all quality of the metal going into the saber does not matter .. Only shock resistance (if i recall) ist the determinig factor. (this has been thoughly tested with different ratings, and different metals.
Hunting:
When you go take a good hunting partner.. perfferably someone that can get you out of a sticky situation (cm, commando, doc, sl) .. the last two i mention as they can remove dizzy from you and dizzy is not your friend.
When hunting look out for creatures that use dizzy/kd .. or mainly dizzy... this is your bane. You have no defence against this state (unless you are a zabrak and then it's minimal) and you will find yourself doing the jedi flop alot!
Once you attain force run remeber how much power it takes 105. that is your saftey force power reserve pool ... never .. ever .. under any circumstances after patch 7 let it drop below this. be ready to use this as soon as you get jumped. Your bike may be out .. but it may buy you those few seconds you need to escape if the bounty hutner goes after it first instead of you.
Be aware of your surroundings.. CTRL-M is your friend .. zoom it out .. every dot on that radar blue/purple is a possible hostile.
Avoid standing next to the ticket droid ... people get bored and start /examine people .. you will and can be discovered that way.
