Story Line:

Buying and Selling on Taris

By Danny Chihdo

The suspiciously talented developers at BioWare have ensured that, while playing through the primary plotline and various side quests in Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, you create a story all your own. Players get a remarkable amount of freedom in creating their own story of epic battles between good and evil. And, it all works because its masterfully woven into a Star Wars universe that’s as dazzling and new as it was in 1977—yet as comfortable as a black leather glove on a bionic hand.

But, you won’t get off of the first planet unless you take a few missions that net you some cash.

(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

Starting point for an epic journey.

Once you make it through the game’s opening get-off-the-ship sequence (which also serves as a quick tutorial) you’ll be spending a lot of time on the deteriorating city-world of Taris, a planet occupied by the armies of the wicked Sith. The battle you’re fleeing rages overhead, but the Jedi have lost their most valuable weapon in the fight against the Sith fleets: Bastila, a young Jedi Knight with the rare Force talent called Battle Meditation. In other words, she can lead fleets with Force-augmented coordination, morale, and skill; while her power saps enemies of the will to fight and the discipline to do it well. Bastila also made it off of the Endar Spire (like you and soldier Carth Onasi), but her escape pod crashed in Taris’s dangerous Undercity. Along with Carth and other allies you’ll meet on the way, you must find Bastila and escape the planet.

Only Money!
But, that’s just the primary goal. Taris is also packed with side quests, mini games, and even gladiatorial contests that will build up your hero’s experience and levels. This is also the section of the game that sets up your eventual chance to join the Jedi, but for now, you’re just a Republic trooper with a mission and choices to make. Those choices—especially your words and actions—will subtly affect your character’s allegiance to the Light or Dark Side of the Force. On Taris, you’ll learn the kind of hero you’re going to be.

Me, I wanted to be the kind of hero who wasn’t going to become a Sith, but who wasn’t going to go broke, either… this time around, anyway. I’ll be ascetic and play a pure and virtuous soldier.What can I say? I like stuff.

Side quests increase your experience.

Finding Bastila
As your main goal, the search for the missing Jedi and her escape pod will often feed into other quests. You’ll need money to buy supplies, weapons, and armor; and many of the other quests are contests or favors that will net you credits and special equipment crucial to your mission. The search for Bastila inevitably leads to the Undercity. To free the Jedi, you’ll have to win a swoop race in one of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’s wickedly cool mini games. If all you want to do is free Bastila, get to the Undercity (with stolen Sith armor or forged papers) as quickly as possible. But, be warned: You’ll probably be underpowered by the time you get off-world.

Bounties
Here’s another way to earn some quick cash, although the legality of the bounty will determine whether you get Light or Dark Side points for collecting. If you’re not sure whether you’re doing good when taking a bounty, just look at the source—if it’s a loan shark putting a price on the head of a debtor, you’re not exactly siding with the angels. An official government contract, however, increases your notoriety and purse.

Take on Dark or Light Side missions—or both.

The Arena
Ajuur the Hutt is looking for a few good gladiators, and he pays the winner of the non-lethal fights 10 percent of the gate. The battles are nicely scaled to keep you coming back as you level up, with a final test against Bendak Starkiller, an arrogant retired arena champion who will only fight in a match to the death. Take Starkiller down, and you’ll get your percentage from Ajuur and be able to collect the government bounty on his head. In addition to money, the Light Side points for killing Bendak will balance against the Dark Side points you got for agreeing to an illegal death match.

Save the Outcasts
This major side quest gives you large areas to explore, where you can collect equipment to fatten your coffers and do good or evil deeds that affect your moral compass pre-Jedi. I won’t spoil exactly how you save the outcasts, but suffice to say, you should listen very closely to your elders.