Light vs. Dark side and being a "good" bounty hunter

[Sarduth]

ok then if you level your BH to level 50 and your neutral and you find out you want gear and you need to be dark side aligned is there enough quest/tasks to then become what level of darkside you need or is your alignment gained only as you level with quests....also if you pvp for the most part while leveling will you miss out on gear that requires an alignment?

[JakeLightbearer]

I've heard similar complaints from Troopers/Agents: Pure loyalty to the Republic/Empire results in a neutral alignment.

[Jilla]

There are too many responses to comment on, but thank you all for such great ideas and opinions. I kind have been playing with a dark slant, but you know what, I might just go with the flow and do the job I was hired to do. I'll save light side stuff for my Smuggler

[Guancyto]

is there enough quest/tasks to then become what level of darkside you need or is your alignment gained only as you level with quests

 

The Diplomacy mission skill gives you little trickles of LS/DS points that add up over time, so grabbing it is your best bet for straddling the fence but still getting to equip gear.

 

Flashpoints also give a nice bundle of alignment points, and are repeatable.

[tloops]

i have chose dark options everytime,and dont plan to change that

[VioletZero]

Honestly, Bounty Hunters were meant to be Dark Sided.

 

I intended on playing a Light Sided character but the light sided options are almost always about being as passive as possible. And it can often be weird how I'll happily mow down 70 guys to get to a bounty, and then not even kill the guy I have a bounty on. It's ridiculous.

[omgacow]

Honestly, Bounty Hunters were meant to be Dark Sided.

 

I intended on playing a Light Sided character but the light sided options are almost always about being as passive as possible. And it can often be weird how I'll happily mow down 70 guys to get to a bounty, and then not even kill the guy I have a bounty on. It's ridiculous.

 

That is just the grindy way of MMO's.

 

However, for example, the quest early on where you have to kill huttsbane, is there a problem with not killing him and giving the head of some other guy? I don't get this whole you MUST kill

[Syrak]

Yeah, I find playing as a Bounty Hunter I'm staying neutral. I just hit lvl 18 and my Light/Dark slider hasn't budged, I'm almost exactly in the middle still.

 

I play a character who isn't a goody goody but certainly doesn't torture innocents for fun either. Basically I judge each situation on it's own and do what I want. I think is the most fun way to play.

 

Hopefully they will give options to people who actually make lots of choices as we play instead of simply one choice: light or dark.

Edited December 16, 2011 by Syrak

[Mega_Jamie]

MY BH is coming in at quite neutral at the moment.

 

she'll do the job, never let a mark go, and never take a bribe, but she'll try and take the mark alive first and foremost, and give everyone a chance of talking themselves out of an armed confrontation and going quietly.

 

this has led to Light/Dark being only about 100 apart.

 

 

I do wish some other, reputation based system was introduced instead of Light/Dark, since really thats only for force users imo, but w/e, as long as they introduce neutral equipment soon, i'll be happy.

Edited December 16, 2011 by Mega_Jamie

[Gojigrant]

I want to go light and really like the idea but will any gear be unavailable to me because of this? Dont want it to come to bite me in the butt end game.

[Ripsteel]

I agree that it sucks that non-force players have to be either light or dark, there's no neutral. It's the same issue on my Smuggler; his very class name suggests that he frequently breaks the law. Smugglers, like BH's, should be narcissistic and agnostic. I hate having to make goody two-shoes choices on my Smuggler to appease a Force that he's not supposed to believe in.

 

Also, the BH companion, Mako, is very much a mercenary, but she's not cruel. I was making all Dark Side choices until Mako came along and started penalizing me for that. I kind of like the relationship that the BH and Mako have, so I'm trying to make choices that fit that relationship and hope it doesn't penalize me big time later on in the game.

 

On the same subject, though, my Sith Warrior is a total ******, and I want to make every Dark Side choice with him that I can -- but Vette holds me back.

[Ikvar]

I've honestly remade my character like 5 times because I couldn't decide if to go light side or dark side. So I just literally flipped a coin and am going to stick with dark sided choices. Edited December 28, 2011 by Ikvar

[thattechguy]

I'm all for making choices that feel right.

 

 

In the first situation, help bring a brother back, I got opted to either, fulfill my job and bring him back, or let him die. I went with bringing him back cuz I won't kill someone unless I really have to.

 

 

 

In the second situation, bring the mom's son back so he can train to be sith or die trying, I opted for letting the father get away, same reason, I won't kill someone (and potentially a kid too) unless I have to.

 

 

In most situations where a Light-side choice has been made, it seems as though I still get paid in the end, so if the BH is after the cash, he gets it either way, I just like keeping my hands clean while making credits.

[Diora]

Later on you'll come to find there are some really STUPID dark side choices that hurt your reputation, hurt the empire, and hurt your profit.

 

My bounty hunter is smart and thinks long-term. The empire is my meal ticket, so if there is a choice that will hurt the empire, i usually don't do it. Often times, the dark side choices actually HURT the empire in the long run. I also hate the sith, so pretty much anything they tell me to do, i tend to twist around to spite them. Mainly because in the long run, their philosophy is just really really dumb and always ends up tearing their precious empire apart.

 

I don't kill innocents. There is no point. What will i get out of it? Nothing. I also appreciate truth. Sith lies and corruption abhor me, and as a Mandalorian, i find them dishonorable.

 

For example, there is a choice in a flashpoint later on where you can choose to kill or release a bystander and her people. This bystander, who happens to be an ambassador, flat out says that if you let her go, her planet will gladly join the empire, and if you kill her, her people will never join. And just like any religion, the zealots who play dark side insist on killing her every time, without thinking it through. It truly baffles me how anyone with an IQ over 50 would kill her in this scenario, when the light side choice is so much more advantageous to you and the empire.

 

Anyway, I've found that for BHs, the most utilitarian options tend toward the light side.

 

My BH is 50 and I am Light IV. Fortunately, the 3 companions I use the most also liked those choices the most (generally). Mako is mostly light, Torian is all about honor, and Blizz appreciates me looking out for the little guy. And seriously, how could anyone want to piss off Blizz? he's so full of adorable cuteness...

[TeejayMac]

I'm not worrying about light side or dark side and just picking the choices I feel like my character would make. I highly suggest doing this, makes the story much more compelling.

 

At lvl 39 though I've found myself hovering in the middle of Dark II and Dark III. Been there for awhile.

[chainsawsamurai]

Played Dark Side in beta, playing Light Side now.

 

The Bounty Hunter really feels like it was written to be played Light Side. The Story is more rewarding, the companion relationships come more naturally, and the romance with Mako is very endearing (probably the best I've seen in a Bioware game tbh).

 

At this point I have zero Dark Side points.

 

Everyone who has deserved it. Died.

 

Everyone who was innocent. Lived.

 

I've never been in a situation where I felt like a wuss.

 

I've never thought the outcome could have been better or should have been more extreme.

 

I've always felt like the Light Side outcome was likely the best choice.

 

 

It isn't quite as cathartic as being Dark Side (Hacking off that guy's head in Hutta was especially satisfying), but I don't have mommy or daddy issues so I really don't need that sort of experience to brighten my day. The Story, setting, characters, motivations, and romance all feel much much better for it.

 

The story really feels very Firefly. Good people in bad situations, trying to make ends meet and do the best they can. In space. To strengthen this claim, remember that the Bounty Hunter (and the entire BH crew) is not even an Imperial citizen. Note the lack of a funny accent (the only Empire PC without an accent) and all the dialogue options outright saying so.

 

At the end of the storyline (I wont say any spoilers) you will win, and it is all the better because you deserve to win because you are a good guy.

 

I seriously recommend that anyone playing a Dark Side or Female (or both) BH and not 100% satisfied with the experience try it again as a Light Side male and give the storyline and Mako romance another chance. I really think it is some of the best stuff that Bioware has done to date...

 

..excluding the Imperial Agent storyline, cause seriously that thing is about as good as MMO writing is capable of getting.

 

 

Oh, and if it helps any: Light-Side relics are DIRT cheap compared to Dark Side ones Imperial Side. Much less competition for Light-Side gear overall. That's definitely a plus.

Edited December 28, 2011 by chainsawsamurai

[USSDefiant]

I had the same problem when I first started my BH. I just made a conscious decision to always choose the light side option and then retcon my decision into my character.

 

At the end of the day, I'm pretty pleased with the type of character my BH has become. She doesn't kill people if she doesn't have to, and in some ways she's a bit of a screw up as a BH. But that sorta makes her comical in a way. She always manages to get by, but she's probably not the best BH on the block since she lets people live pretty much all the time.

 

I also make it a point to think of my BH as just that -- Bounty Hunters aren't Assassins. My character draws the line at senseless killing. It's not her job to kill people, and she will avoid it if she can.

 

She's mostly live and let live with no strict code of Bounty Hunter law.

 

But I can see how playing the traditional Mandalorian could be tricky. Also, btw, I haven't seen any benefit to being light as a BH. I see lightsabers all the time, but I've never seen a light side gun.

[metalfenix]

I'm playing as a dark side male BH, and as far as I know, I'm enjoying too much. I'm planned to play like a sort of psycho BH . One curious thing, mako obviously disagrees with me every time I took DS choice, but along most conversations, I seem to gain a lot of affection with her (thing that doesn't happen with Vette and the SW ).

[chainsawsamurai]

Also, btw, I haven't seen any benefit to being light as a BH. I see lightsabers all the time, but I've never seen a light side gun.

 

You can use Blue or Green crystals in your guns too. I've got me a pretty green one.

 

and again, my Light-Side relics were dirt cheap. Light-Side color crystals for guns/sabers are also usually pretty cheap.

 

I'm playing as a dark side male BH, and as far as I know, I'm enjoying too much. I'm planned to play like a sort of psycho BH . One curious thing, mako obviously disagrees with me every time I took DS choice, but along most conversations, I seem to gain a lot of affection with her (thing that doesn't happen with Vette and the SW ).

 

That is because, contrary to popular belief, Mako is a damn good Bounty Hunter.

 

If you choose any dialogue option having even the slightest relation to inquiring about pay, reminding the Empire Officers/Officals that you are not actually Imperial and just here for cash, or anything about getting a job done professionally -- she loves it.

 

She's very professional, loves a pay day, is not an Imperial Citizen (raised in Hutta space, the only way she would have seen Dromund Kaas without you is as a slave probably), but doesn't like killing or cruelty that is arbitrary.

 

She's not a goodie-goodie. She just has a Light-Side slant and is not a raging-psychopath.

Edited December 28, 2011 by chainsawsamurai

[Battilea]

That is just the grindy way of MMO's.

 

However, for example, the quest early on where you have to kill huttsbane, is there a problem with not killing him and giving the head of some other guy? I don't get this whole you MUST kill

 

Yup, there's a problem. You are a bounty hunter, trying to build a reputation. A good reputation gets you better paying jobs, from better employers. In this case, you took a job to kill Huttsbane. He's wanted dead. Now, he says, well, actually, he doesn't, some old guy says he won't raid anymore. But he just might. And if it gets out you claimed a bounty for killing him and went through the motions of faking it, your reputation is shot.

 

In a lot of those early quests, the lightside choice is to not fulfill your contract. Not kill or capture, but the choice is to let them go. And then to lie and still claim the bounty. And that's just amazingly stupid for a guy trying to build his reputation.

 

There really should be another scale besides dark/light, one that measures duty/honor versus individuality/circumstance. What should matter for the BH and Agents, basically, if they are true to their job or if they rebel against it, if the "contract" with the employer matters more or their personal code.

 

The whole lightside versus darkside thing is one of the worst things they put into the game. It encourages you not to play your character, but instead to always pick one or the other, because that's what the game rewards.

[USSDefiant]

I think it doesn't help that the quests treat a Bounty Hunter like an Assassin most of the time.

 

There's a difference. Bounty Hunters aren't supposed to be killing people for the most part; they're supposed to be capturing people and bringing them in. There's an over-reliance in the story of needing to bring bodies back, which leads to some conundrums that don't easily fit into dark and light side.

 

But the above poster is also right -- light vs dark has very little meaning to anything other than Jedi/Sith and it forces us to game the system by choosing things we wouldn't normally choose.

 

I think for my Sith Warrior I'm going to turn off the indicators and let the dice fall where they will. It will probably gimp my chances at gear later, but at least I will be keeping the RP intact.

[Hyfy]

 

In short: I solo, I do as I wish and I am my own law.

I do not work for the Empire, nor for the Republic, but the Empire is my base of operations and helps me develop.

 

When I read this the first thing that went through my mind was Judge Dredd when he yelled "I am the law!"

[Xploits]

I kinda fall into a few guidelines...

 

1) Does it earn me more credits?

2) Does it please Mako?

3) What would I do?

 

 

I found satisfying the top two usually tend to be light side points (which occupies most of the quest lines). I don't care about sith or the imperial army, I care about Money, my crew, and if I like you or not.

[USSDefiant]

I don't care about sith or the imperial army, I care about Money, my crew, and if I like you or not.

How very Malcolm Reynolds of you.

[AAmedeo]

Pretty simple for my BH to go Light Side. I am playing with the point of view that the Sith regime is evil, but not the actual "people". Kinda like looking at Nazi Germany. The regime was evil, but the German People, including most of the soldiers of all ranks, were not.

 

But I have take a few dark side options when the choice presented seemed more of a professional choice, and not one of Good vs Evil.