A Perfectly Cromulent Blog

KOTOR update, Pt. 4

"Sandpeople. Or worse."

Various personal obligations have kept me from kicking as much Dark Jedi ass as I'd like lately, but I still managed to complete the mission on the scenic, resort planet of Tattooine.

And at the risk of sounding like a Star Wars bigot, the sandpeople are assholes.

I'm getting way too fond of Force Persuade, which allowed me to dock in Anchorhead without paying, for starters. I wish the option for FP was always on, so your character could make people drop their pants or run errands for you. That wouldn't be very Jedi, I guess.

There are a number of preliminary tasks that have to be completed before heading out into the trackless wastes of the Dune Sea: you need a hunting license from the slimy Czerka bastards, where you'll also find that sandpeople raiding parties are becoming bolder in their strikes. They will offer you a bounty for bringing back their chief's gaffi stick. Personally, I would've asked for his head, but I'm a stickler for detail.

You'll also track down Bastila's mom in the cantina. Turns out dad went out to hunt a Krayt dragon and never returned (I think I have that right). Anyway, mom wants his holocron. She and Bastila argue. You look at your watch and eventually make peace.

If, like me, you tend to scroll through some of the conversations more quickly than you should, you may not discover that you'll need some kind of translator droid in order to infiltrate the sandpeople enclave until you actually get to the entrance. This is mucho annoying, so do yourself a favor and pick up HK-47 before leaving Anchorhead.

[HK-47 is almost worth the price of the game on his own. Think a dangerously psychotic Bender from "Futurama" (he actually refers to you as a "meatbag" at times). He's the only character I don't need to be prompted to interact with.]

Anyway, you'll head out into the Dune Sea, rescue some idiot miners whose sandcrawler is besieged by sandpeople, kill more sandpeople who materialize and attack you (and are actually pretty tough), rescue a hunter whose wife has booby trapped his battle droids (ah, domestic violence in the Star Wars universe), and finally get to the sandpeople enclave.

Even with HK-47, your erstwhile translator, you can still choose to sneak in and kill everyone (you recover sandpeople togs and weapons before entering their territory). The droid's a good fighter, and seems to enjoy it besides. Not slaughtering them means you have to procure moisture vaporators to appease the chief, which is friendly and all, but not as fun as pure bloodlust. Should you choose the former route, he'll give you his gaffi stick in thanks, and allow you to wonder the enclave. And while this should probably go without saying, don't rifle through their stuff while you're there; it really pisses them off. If you want to hear the riveting history of the sandpeople from their storyteller (who makes Winston Churchill seem positively terse), you'll need to get the pearl from the heart of the Krayt dragon and return it to them. Having listened to the history, I can safely say you should just take the damn thing back to the license place and collect some credits.

An amsuing thing to do after the sandpeople enclave, but while still wearing the sandpeople robes, is to go to your menu screen and select "Return to Ebon Hawk." You'll be transported to the ship with no clothes. I thought Bastila was awfully nonplussed at the idea of walking aroung the docking bay in just a bra and panties.

And yes, I realize you can probably achieve the same effect by just un-equipping their clothes. Unlike most of you pervs, I never bothered to try it.

The last big quest, which will get you the holocron, the Star Map, and the dragon pearl all in one fell swoop, is killing the Krayt dragon. I made the mistake of stocking up on medpacs, injectors, and other health for what I felt sure would be an epic battle. Don't bother. All you have to worry about is herding a bunch of bantha towards the dragon's lair to lure him out, where he is swiftly dispatched by the mines laid by one Komad Fortuna, a Twi'ilek hunter you meet at the lair. I'll grant you, it's a big-ass dragon (I saved an extra game slot right there just so I could have a shot of Diablo standing next to it...kind of like a swordfisherman), but even in Dark Forces they let you fight one, and that one with (I think) a club.

I didn't play pazaak, and after a couple time trials in the swoop races I decided it was too useless for words. There's no way to upgrade your swoop, and the side quest regarding the young racer and his unfair contract seems like it belongs in MLB 2003, not here.

Bastila and mom reconcile, HK-47 joins your party, and soon you're heading off to Manaan.