Gaiden-Ko

[Shlamorel]

I was wondering if anyone felt similarly about Gaiden-Ko in the Consular story.

 

Read at your own risk of spoilers.

 

 

Was anyone else really really hoping we would have Gaiden-ko (sp?) join us as a companion?

 

I would do anything to trade him out for Nadia. I loved his personality, his back story, his appearance, and the different take on force sensitivity.

 

Whenever it was said that he was going to join our team, I thought he was going to be a playable companion. I was so disappointed that he didn't become my padawan or at least join the crew as a member of our team.

 

Did anyone else want Gaiden-Ko also?

 

Edited February 14, 2012 by Shlamorel
Didn't use spoiler tags correctly

[Llenyd]

Yeah, he would be a much better comp than Theran. The reason for him joining you is much more solid. Whereas Theran joins you because he's bored, and he hates practically everything you do. It's also the perfect opportunity to have a sage archetype companion (there are currently no sage/sorc companions).

 

I also would have preferred Hollow Voice over Qyzen.

 

All our best characters come at the end. The first three companions are blech.

[Ordell]

Yep, was really hoping for Gaiden-Ko and Hollow Voice as companions.

[Kitru]

I agree with the sentiment entirely: Gaden-ko and Hallow Voice join of their own volition and are way more vested in the overarching storyline than any of your previous companions with the exception of Nadia; Iresso, Qyzen, Zenith, and Tharan all seem less like your companions than people that joined you because you finished their story arc and they had nothing better to do.

 

From what I've been told about the beta before I got into it, Gaden-ko and Hallow Voice were originally intended to be full companions but they were pulled. My best guess is that they were removed because they couldn't fill out similarly sized rosters of 7 companions (compared to the 5 we get by default; I don't count the ship droid) for all of the classes. Hopefully, the developers still have the designs for the companions and that they will be unlockable companions whether through quests or legacy levels.

[Shlamorel]

I agree with the sentiment entirely: Gaden-ko and Hallow Voice join of their own volition and are way more vested in the overarching storyline than any of your previous companions with the exception of Nadia; Iresso, Qyzen, Zenith, and Tharan all seem less like your companions than people that joined you because you finished their story arc and they had nothing better to do.

 

From what I've been told about the beta before I got into it, Gaden-ko and Hallow Voice were originally intended to be full companions but they were pulled. My best guess is that they were removed because they couldn't fill out similarly sized rosters of 7 companions (compared to the 5 we get by default; I don't count the ship droid) for all of the classes. Hopefully, the developers still have the designs for the companions and that they will be unlockable companions whether through quests or legacy levels.

 

That would be excellent!

 

I was wondering why they would spend so much time developing characters who aren't companions. As much as it stinks, I can understand how giving us amazing companions and not other classes could be a bit unfair.

 

Please, BW, if you read this - bring back these characters as companions

[TheCynic]

After maxing Zenith's affection all I can say is Id trade him, my ship and lightsaber for Mr. Ko or Hallow Voice.

 

I can only hope that in an expansion either they flesh out out current companions, and we can FINALLY ask Tharen "Dude if you hate the force so much WHY are you here?" and/or we can get companions like Gaden-Ko and Hallow Voice.

[CalBears]

Yep, was really hoping for Gaiden-Ko and Hollow Voice as companions.

 

I would have liked to have gotten Hallow Voice as a companion.

 

But what really REALLY irritated me the most was NOT getting "Ember Fist" as a title!! :mad:

 

The way that dialogue played out, I was certain it was going to be a title.

 

Ok...sorry for the hijacking/rant.

Edited February 14, 2012 by CalBears

[Khadroth]

Yea BW really missed the boat on that one. I like Tharan don't get me wrong. But BW missed their opportunity to actually have a force-using healer companion (No Guss doesn't count). It's really sad how much more unique the imperial companions are in comparison.

 

Oh well, I just hope that at some point they let Voss be a playable species, they look so kick ***.

[Nempo]

I actually like Theran...and for people who say he doesn't like anything you do...STOP USING FORCE PERSUADE! Every time you get the option to use force persuade, you can instead simply out-think them with 2-3 conversation options (netting 2-3 increases of affection with Theran int he process).

 

It isn't hard to pick options Theran likes...don't spout "Jedi-Speak", use your mind instead of the Force (Force Persuade is a crutch for the weak minded after all), and help out any women you find along the way (he even acts as your wingman on flirt options later in the game).

 

Gaiden-Ko would have been an amazing Healing Sage companion (for the record Nadia used to be a TK/Seer hybrid spec Sage classed companion, they forced her into a melee role when they made the change to 5 companions). Her Force Eruption that knocks enemies back is a leftover from when she used to be a caster (no melee companion should have a damn AoE knockback).

 

Hallow Voice would have been an amazing companion (and was slated as one) yet was taken out for the 5 companion rule. Was another melee tank/melee dps style character. I also second the fact that we should have gotten a title for what we selected (Sky Hunter is just a great name).

 

I also love Qyzen however as both he AND Hallow Voice have the old world honor thing going for them. The only reason people are drawn to Hallow Voice is because of the way he talks, and the way they built him up. He is literally the same character as Qyzen in mindset/morals with the exception that Qyzen is more about honor and Hallow Voice is more about leadership.

 

The JC story would have been even more boring in Act 1 without Holiday IMO. Theran is a great and refreshing companion as he challenges Jedi to learn and look beyond the Force (an important undertone for both KOTOR 1 and 2). The very fact that he challenges so many shows me they aren't ready tot ry and RP Jedi yet. You aren't ment to save everyone (notice how Theran only likes half the options you get to save people) and you aren't ment to rely on purely the Force (he hates every use of Force Persuad you ever use) and are also supposed to recognize that other people need more int heir advice than just someone spouting the Jedi Code at them (which is why he dislikes you spouting nothing but "Jedi Speak" at people unless those people are also Jedi). He is literally the perfect companion to teach people the limitations of Jedi teachings. The Sith get similar companions that challenge their Sith Code btw.

 

Someone mentioned Zenith, so I have to do a mini rant as...he is by far one of my favorite companions. How can you not love having your own personal bodyguard that has a full set of terrorist skills as well. He makes choices that are blunt/direct and get the job done for the greater good. He isn't a pure good character, as he recognizes that at times you have to kill someone because they are too dangerous to be left alive. At times you have to do the shady deal to save people from themselves. If you know the lore of the Shadows (especially the Old Rep era Shadows) Zenith is the perfect companion for such a person.

 

Iresso gets assigned to you, it is a nod to the clone wars era that people are so used to (heres a hint, in this era Jedi can't order around Troops unless they get comissioned by the military to do so...which is rare). He is Cody to your Obi-Wan...your right hand man that is always ready to face danger at your side. As a Shadow tank I put him in DPS mode and just turn off his two taunts for a great durable companion that can throw out surprising damage (most of his skills deal elemental/internal damage which bypasses armor) and it's a great homage to the Clone Wars era.

[oneDRTYrusn]

I really like Theran, and I use him exclusively, but GOOD GOD, I couldn't get ANY points out of him during conversation on Voss... just kept coming up "-1". "-1"... As much as I like him, I think I would have preferred a force using healer like Gaiden-Ko.

[Darklynx_UK]

it would be amazing to have the ability to choose what your companion could do. Have similar skill trees that would make Nadia either melee or sage dependant on what your player type was.

 

As a dps shadow I can only really use tharan although I usually have nadia out

[Freor]

Gaiden-Ko would have been an amazing Healing Sage companion (for the record Nadia used to be a TK/Seer hybrid spec Sage classed companion, they forced her into a melee role when they made the change to 5 companions). Her Force Eruption that knocks enemies back is a leftover from when she used to be a caster (no melee companion should have a damn AoE knockback).

 

Hallow Voice would have been an amazing companion (and was slated as one) yet was taken out for the 5 companion rule. Was another melee tank/melee dps style character. I also second the fact that we should have gotten a title for what we selected (Sky Hunter is just a great name).

 

Damn it! Now you made me very sad when thinking how awesome crew we could have had. Nadia as healer/ranged dps, Gaiden-Ko as ranged dps with some "Voss speciality" (or as a healer) and Hallow Voice as melee dps/tank. That's something that might make people roll Republic more

[Kitru]

it would be amazing to have the ability to choose what your companion could do. Have similar skill trees that would make Nadia either melee or sage dependant on what your player type was.

 

I believe this is what the intent of the 2 stances that each companion gets are for, though I really have to wonder about the utility of the DPS stance on tanks (less threat gen and 5% more damage dealt when most of their attacks are high threat and they have fewer of them compared to DPS comps thanks to more of their limited slots being consumed by taunts and tank utilities) and healers (5% more damage, 25% more threat, and a 25% reduction in attack CDs seems pretty nice, until you realize that they only have a single special attack). For the DPS companions, only the ranged companions actually get much use out of the two stances (since one is AoE and the other is ST); both of the stances for the melee companions have so little effect upon how they operate that they might as well only have 1.

 

They could have put in a bit more effort with the companions, giving them a larger number of skills and having the stances have a greater effect upon the skills in question (this is, of course, coupled with the requirement that the devs allow us to actually move skills around on the companions' bar so that they're not restricted by the number of slots): give all of the abilities really high CDs and have the stances reduce the CD of appropriate abilities (high threat or survivability abilities for tank stances; attacks for DPS stances; healing abilities for healer stances) by 50% or more so that the stances actually cause the comps to operate in distinctly different ways rather than pretty much the same with some minor global modifications.

[oneDRTYrusn]

What Kitru Said

 

I cannot agree more. The companions really have no meat to them. They could effectively get rid of Healer/Tank/DPS companions by simply buffing us to mitigate their loss. They just seem like they're more or less there for show, not actually affecting anything.

 

I'm tank specced and I use Theran exclusively to keep my downtime minimal and keep me healed up during the hairier encounters (2+ strongs, Elites, etc). He occasionally pops off a few rounds to add to DPS, but that's minimal at best. Beyond that, I never know he's there.

 

What I agree with Kitru on, and what I don't unterstand is why they didn't do anything more interesting with the "Stances". I would have liked to see the Stances act more like how Specs work with our characters.

 

Like I said before, I like Theran, but after 20+ levels of being with him, he gets really stale really fast. I was looking forward to using Nadia and working on the relationship side of the game, but as a tank, I literally have absolutely no need for her. If she had a stance that turned her from "tank" to a force healer, she would give me what I need and I'd love to use her as a companion. The only other healer companion I can have is my ship droid and... well, I have a hard enough time not grinding my teeth when he talks about sowing more padding into the cushions of my ship's seats.

 

Same with other specs too. I can't imagine a healer Sage has any real use for Theran... he more or less sits on the ship twiddling his thumbs. The companion system, as it is now, is showhorning us into using one or two specific companions, while the others never see the light of day.

[icarushorizon]

yep, so sick of Theran after I had to start using him around lvl 30 or so. I started off hating him, then around lvl 37 grew to like him, but being forced to use him for PvE am back to not being able to stand him.

 

 

As a Balance Shadow, I vote that we get more options for healers!!!!!!

 

Theran could in effect serve as a gunslinger...

[Khadroth]

yep, so sick of Theran after I had to start using him around lvl 30 or so. I started off hating him, then around lvl 37 grew to like him, but being forced to use him for PvE am back to not being able to stand him.

 

 

As a Balance Shadow, I vote that we get more options for healers!!!!!!

 

Theran could in effect serve as a gunslinger...

 

This is going to sound horribly racist...

 

I made Tharan a black guy with the customization kit, now he's a lot less annoying. Actually reminds of Steve Urkel lol.

[Liaskar]

Maybe it's just me, but I love Tharan.

 

However, I do fully agree that Gaiden-Ko and Hollow Voice should have been companions. I would have liked for them to replace Zenith and Iresso. Those two have the least connection to the overall consular story, in my opinion. Nadia is your padawan, Qyzen was close to your jedi master, and Tharan used to travel with

Syo Bakarn, the First Son, which is very important if you take him with you on some quests in Corellia.

 

 

Also, I didn't think Gaiden-Ko had force powers other than his visions, did he? It never really said one way or the other.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Liaskar

[Liaskar]

I cannot agree more. The companions really have no meat to them. They could effectively get rid of Healer/Tank/DPS companions by simply buffing us to mitigate their loss. They just seem like they're more or less there for show, not actually affecting anything.

 

I'm tank specced and I use Theran exclusively to keep my downtime minimal and keep me healed up during the hairier encounters (2+ strongs, Elites, etc). He occasionally pops off a few rounds to add to DPS, but that's minimal at best. Beyond that, I never know he's there.

 

What I agree with Kitru on, and what I don't unterstand is why they didn't do anything more interesting with the "Stances". I would have liked to see the Stances act more like how Specs work with our characters.

 

Like I said before, I like Theran, but after 20+ levels of being with him, he gets really stale really fast. I was looking forward to using Nadia and working on the relationship side of the game, but as a tank, I literally have absolutely no need for her. If she had a stance that turned her from "tank" to a force healer, she would give me what I need and I'd love to use her as a companion. The only other healer companion I can have is my ship droid and... well, I have a hard enough time not grinding my teeth when he talks about sowing more padding into the cushions of my ship's seats.

 

Same with other specs too. I can't imagine a healer Sage has any real use for Theran... he more or less sits on the ship twiddling his thumbs. The companion system, as it is now, is showhorning us into using one or two specific companions, while the others never see the light of day.

 

Nadia is not a tank, just so you know. She's melee dps. While it might not be as ideal for you to use her, my good friend is a shadow tank and used her exclusively as soon as he got her.

[Kitru]

Also, I didn't think Gaiden-Ko had force powers other than his visions, did he? It never really said one way or the other.

 

Iirc, the Voss Mystics have healing abilities in addition to their visionary capabilities, which was his role when he was designed as a character. Even if they don't, it wouldn't be all that hard to simply say "Gaden-Ko is more awesome and different than most mystics because he can heal!".

[TheJediLord]

Iirc, the Voss Mystics have healing abilities in addition to their visionary capabilities, which was his role when he was designed as a character. Even if they don't, it wouldn't be all that hard to simply say "Gaden-Ko is more awesome and different than most mystics because he can heal!".

 

 

Isn't it the Healers? They are a different 'caste' from Mystics. Mystics have visions only.

[Kitru]

Isn't it the Healers? They are a different 'caste' from Mystics. Mystics have visions only.

 

I was under the impression that the Mystics were a separate caste formed of individuals from the Healers, or at least potential healers, with the potential to experience visions. Remember the failed Mystics that were being trained by the Sith Lord on Voss and how they could use lightning and all of the traditionally Sith based attacks. It's not that hard to believe that a successful Mystic has more ways to use the force than simply visions; the visions are simply the most defining trait of the Mystics.

[TheJediLord]

I was under the impression that the Mystics were a separate caste formed of individuals from the Healers, or at least potential healers, with the potential to experience visions. Remember the failed Mystics that were being trained by the Sith Lord on Voss and how they could use lightning and all of the traditionally Sith based attacks. It's not that hard to believe that a successful Mystic has more ways to use the force than simply visions; the visions are simply the most defining trait of the Mystics.

 

To be honest I cannot remember anything in the game indicating that Mystics come form Healers. Gaiden-Ko was chosen/destined to be a Mystic that was why he had to pass the trials.

There may be more details on other quests I didn't do as I rushed through Voss to get to endgame (was 50 on Belsavis) Maybe I'll try and do more Voss quests when I want to take a break from daylies.