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Staying dark is HARD


MouseNoFour

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If you stop trying to game the system and just roleplay your character how you want, you'd surprise yourself. My pure evil SW is at Light IV (it's more evil to keep people alive and torture them for information than to mercifully kill them, yet torture always gives LS points) and my "always follow orders to the letter" trooper is Dark III (General Garza doesn't care about good or evil, just victory for the Republic).

 

None of the gear worth having requires alignment anyway so there's really no issue past the two legacy perks for having a Light V and a Dark V, which aren't that great anyway.

 

Granted there are some characters such as DS Consular that don't make any sense at all in the story but for the most part the choices are compelling and make me think for a while before choosing one. If you're trying to game the system for non-useful alignment gear that's your loss.

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"Good" and "Right" aren't Light side. A Buddhist/Zen melange of 'all life is beautiful and all creatures deserve life' is Light side. Just as Dark side doesn't mean "I'm just in it for me", it means 'I'm in it for me and I will cause others suffering and pain (and likely snuff out their life) whenever I feel like it'. The truly powerful Sith will be mostly dark with some light simply because that way lies more power, but add a healthy dose of paranoia. The truly potent Jedi will be mostly light with a tinge of dark simply because sometimes the "right" thing to do for the safety of others is to kill someone. However, following the Light side means that you don't get to make that decision. That's the universes choice, not yours.

 

*shrug*

 

I honestly laugh when my pure Dark assassin makes some choices as it comes off like she's a raving psychopath.

Edited by bpphantom
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None of the gear worth having requires alignment anyway so there's really no issue past the two legacy perks for having a Light V and a Dark V, which aren't that great anyway.

 

 

Doesn't every relic require a certain level of alignment?

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I honestly laugh when my pure Dark assassin makes some choices as it comes off like she's a raving psychopath.

 

This is exactly what I was laughing about in my first post! sometimes the choices seem to come down either acting like a kindly kindergarten teacher or Charles Manson! "You lost your entire strike force because you made a stupid decision and then ran away? That's ok, I'll take care of it for you. Alone. You stay here and rest that sprained ankle." or "You haven't taken over this entire planet yet? Even though you have 20 guys to help you? Let's see if getting thrown into the rancor motivates you some!" It's honestly not something that bothers me much, I just laugh about it a lot.

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Smuggler and Agent stories beg to differ. You should play them.

 

I've played a good deal of the IA story (I keep trying to play a Smuggler but it's just so bad in every aspect) and I still disagree with you. When presented with a decision, you get one Light Side and one Dark Side choice. Very rarely do you have the option to "keep your mouth shut," "not do anything," or "step aside" like a grey person would do. Doing the balancing act simply to keep your alignment needle in the middle just makes your character bipolar and that's not "grey;" that's kind of just being silly.

 

It'd be nice if they added proper grey content in the future, but it doesn't exist in the game right now. I'm not talking about gear or equipment. I'm talking about actual RP choices in conversations. Hopefully future conversations on Makeb or in the future expansions/Game Updates feature grey choices as well as Light Side & Dark Side choices.

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I've played a good deal of the IA story (I keep trying to play a Smuggler but it's just so bad in every aspect) and I still disagree with you. When presented with a decision, you get one Light Side and one Dark Side choice. Very rarely do you have the option to "keep your mouth shut," "not do anything," or "step aside" like a grey person would do. Doing the balancing act simply to keep your alignment needle in the middle just makes your character bipolar and that's not "grey;" that's kind of just being silly.

 

It'd be nice if they added proper grey content in the future, but it doesn't exist in the game right now. I'm not talking about gear or equipment. I'm talking about actual RP choices in conversations. Hopefully future conversations on Makeb or in the future expansions/Game Updates feature grey choices as well as Light Side & Dark Side choices.

 

Nothing is more exciting than staking neutrality throughout your storyline, am I right? "Proper gray" doesn't exist, you are suggesting that in order to be "gray" your actions should have zero moral implications. The game intentionally forces you into a moral decision on purpose and it is the overall balance of the morality of your choices that determine your ls/ds alignment.

 

Canonically, having no opinion on everything is not (at all) what it means to be a gray jedi. And those types of choices are indeed present throughout the game.

Edited by mokkh
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It's the person being unable to keep choosing dark side options because they don't like them. It doesn't stop them from picking it, but if you get into your character and their story it can make some choices hard because you think with your conscience, rather then spacebar spacebar and pick the dark side option and space bar again which I'm guessing is you.

 

Not sure why someone would want to play as their own conscience unless that was their initial decision on how to play. In other words from day 1 they decided they were just going to read the choices and select as if they themselves were in that position.

 

Unless you're somebody doing that just to see what the outcome would be, the rest must be people who could never, ever be a successful writer of fiction. To be able to create a persona, define them and put them through situations and choices befitting that character and not you as a person. I decided early on that my force characters on the empire side were going to be dark ... not necessarily pure to the Sith code, but dark nevertheless. I have no problem making the choice to say

kill Jaesa's parents

to make her vulnerable or early on with my BH to

shoot the father right in front of his son.

 

 

I know there are folks that can't separate themselves from the fantasy that is the game. I know people who have tried to play games like Saints Row and it just makes them uncomfortable to play through those types of situations. *shrug* to each their own.

 

However, IF you're going to play as your own conscience, and unless you're a really dark and disturbed person, I'm not sure why it's an issue that it's difficult to be/maintain Dark points in this game.

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I've played a good deal of the IA story (I keep trying to play a Smuggler but it's just so bad in every aspect) and I still disagree with you. When presented with a decision, you get one Light Side and one Dark Side choice. Very rarely do you have the option to "keep your mouth shut," "not do anything," or "step aside" like a grey person would do. Doing the balancing act simply to keep your alignment needle in the middle just makes your character bipolar and that's not "grey;" that's kind of just being silly.

 

It'd be nice if they added proper grey content in the future, but it doesn't exist in the game right now. I'm not talking about gear or equipment. I'm talking about actual RP choices in conversations. Hopefully future conversations on Makeb or in the future expansions/Game Updates feature grey choices as well as Light Side & Dark Side choices.

 

So, tell me, what is the grey choice between killing and not killing. Sort of killing? -.-

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Bribe me not to kill you.

 

Such options are rather common with the smuggler, some in BH story as well. I played an agent that only killed when ordered or when defending herself, tried to help the empire as she believed in the empire at first and looked out for herself before the needs of others because as a Chiss, was always feeling like an outsider and I landed at like -500. No bi-polarity, no choosing light or dark for the sake of choosing light or dark.

 

You people should disable the ls/ds markers from conversations and choose based on the text, not the icon and the experience is much, much better.

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I went all the way when i created my character. Full Lethan Twi'lek with Sith tattoos ala Darth Talon. I even have her wear the slave girl outfit to show more of her red skin (most people assign the colour red to evil), red lightsaber (when i find a black hilt - not the mod, the actual 3D model) and the monster for companion.

 

The only option i have turned off ... sadly is sith corruption because of the graphics bug with red skinned characters and dark side corruption turning the skin colour pink. I would like her to have yellow eyes but i refuse to be bright freakin pink. Pink is not evil Bioware...

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My warrior is full dark side and my inquisitor is full light. My jedi toons are mostly dark and the rest are neutral. I have no trouble going full either side since it's just a game. I'd argue that the whole interactive storytelling gaming experience is more fulfilling when you go all the way or you choose the option that feels unnatural. Many times I felt a darkside option was too dark or lightside choice was too light but I went ahead anyway and it usually resulted in some unexpected yet interesting outcomes.
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I tried creating a Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent that I planned to be seriously dark characters.

 

Almost every time, I found myself choosing the Light Side option instead. The Dark Side options just seemed unworthy of choosing them. I didn't want to be mean! LOL

 

I was seriously getting tripped up by that when I was trying to level those characters. I kind of put them on the back burner and have been running Republic characters so the Light Side makes more options, but I suspect if I go back or try to start another dark character, I'll run into the same issues.

 

I'm just cut for Light / Republic I guess. :)

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I think it's much more difficult to stay 100% light playing a Republic toon. In real-life, almost half the "light side" choices would be beyond foolish.

 

"We *have* to destroy this war-winning weapon, because it's simply too lethal."

 

"We *have* to destroy this war-winning weapon that could save billions, because it's bad for the environment."

 

"We *have* to respect the democratic process, even if this guy is trying to destroy the Republic."

 

How about not, Mr. Too Stupid To Live? :)

Edited by jgelling
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From day 1, ive always been light.

 

Multiple high level characters as well as multiple 50's later i still didnt have a single dark character.

 

I told myself I MUST TRY to have a character dark and STAY dark.

 

Level 17 so far and every dialogue ive chosen the HORRIBLE, NASTY, MANIACAL responses. The novelty wore off very quickly. I keep doing a few missions/flashpoints/conversations.... feel really terrible and log an alt.

 

Level 17 is the highest dark character ive managed in almost a month. Im still forcing myself to keep going.

 

Why am i doing this to begin with? I am doing it because i feel i need to experience the other side of the fence before i can say i dont want to be over there.

 

I know what you mean lol. I gave up on my first imp character for this very reason. It just felt wrong even when you know it's only a game. So I made another and decided to go totally dark, same thing happens again except I ended up neutral. So now I accepted my Sorcerer is lightside and even excuse my IA being light by justifying it as you can be part of the Empire but not necessarily evil :)

 

I found if you answer honestly you always end up neutral, so now I just choose the answer that gives me the light/dark points depending on which way I want to go.

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I just play whatever fits my character. Mostly dark so far. A bounty hunter who lets his mark go or doesnt tie up loose ends isnt that great a bounty hunter imo. One of the reasons why i dont like gualt as a companion. In my mind he should be dead. My imp agent is dark because she is true to the empire and those options are usually dark (although ive heard about lots of twists coming up which will be interesting to see how i feel about te choices i make).
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I'm glad to know it's not just me. It seems rather silly, feeling bad for doing bad things to fake people who don't actually have feelings at all, but that doesn't change anything.

 

I wanted to do a dark side bounty hunter, but just after two beginner quests, failing to bring back the one guy's brother, and killing the father of the boy, I didn't want to play the character any more and deleted it, started over. My BH does do some dark side things, but is still strongly light side over all.

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From day 1, ive always been light.

 

Multiple high level characters as well as multiple 50's later i still didnt have a single dark character.

 

I told myself I MUST TRY to have a character dark and STAY dark.

 

Level 17 so far and every dialogue ive chosen the HORRIBLE, NASTY, MANIACAL responses. The novelty wore off very quickly. I keep doing a few missions/flashpoints/conversations.... feel really terrible and log an alt.

 

Level 17 is the highest dark character ive managed in almost a month. Im still forcing myself to keep going.

 

Why am i doing this to begin with? I am doing it because i feel i need to experience the other side of the fence before i can say i dont want to be over there.

 

same problem

 

Ive always enjoyed what I call "THINKING EVIL"

 

For example my AD&D Kalfear character from the 80s is Lawful Evil.

In D&D Id do things after setting up my own little area like going out and calling rain for the farmers, when the season was dry.

 

Why? Because the better their crops the more taxes I can gather and the happier those around me are, the less likely they are to allow strangers into town to bad mouth me with out me hearing of it.

Its completely self serving and promotes and funds some of my darker paths but to attain those ends I need to put on the kindly caring old wizard persona.

 

Or when Adventuring Id do my best to save the annoying chaotic good cleric or lawful good paladin. Not because I liked them but because I couldnt complete this mission on my own and needed them.

 

Insulting them and kicking them in the nads when they were down would have no benefit for me as I needed them.

 

But in Bioware games (and this has always been a issue sadly) the evil does thing slike kick the dog (real exampleout of Jade Empire game). Kicking the dog serves no purpose and grants you no benefit but hey your evil so of course you must kick the dog.

 

Bioware games always have been stupid evil templates

 

I got so tired of it in TOR I just played my evil as a neutral goodie and got my dark points through diplomacy darkside missions.

 

Never understand why no one seems able to make a THINKING EVIL character for players.

Not every evil needs to swear and insult and threaten everyone.

Honestly Id say the most evil ones are those who convince you they are not evil and are trustworthy!

Edited by Kalfear
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It is a wierd effect that the light and dark choices have on you dont you think. your char isnt real. nothing you do is real but after a while of being either purly evil or pure goody 2 shoes something odd happens. You actualy start to put traits of yourself onto you char and answer to each thing as if it were real.

 

Normally this hits for people on alts after they have done the im going to be evil cos i should be evil cos im imp or im going to be light cos im a jedi etc and start to think for themselves instead of what they think there char should be like. Cos i do wonder how many people are playing the game they think it should be played based on class and side instead of playing the game for themselves.

 

I tested this on a fresh char/ sniper and low and behold, ignoring what gives my companions points or takes them away and if i get light or dark points and what do you know, still neutral at lvl 45.

Edited by Shingara
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I initially thought going completely Dark Side was going to be easy, but my first dilemma came on Taris. I simply couldn't choose the DS option at the end of the Thana quest line - I liked her too much and was hopeful up until that point that she was going to be my new companion, but alas I was lumbered with that repugnant pansy Jedi cow. Ugh.

My next dilemma was the Ortolan overseer on Hoth. That little feller was just so freakin adorable that I couln't for the life of me go with the DS option - it would have felt like kicking a kitten. :(

Edited by Darth_Sinistor
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I didn't try to go either light or dark per se. I started with a character concept and then played out the choices how they best suited that character concept. Basically he was a loyal guy to all his friends, but cross him in a serious way and he'd just as soon kill you as take another chance you might double cross him again.

 

By the time I hit level 50 I was around 9k dark and 3k light. I had diplomacy so I ground out to 10k dark.

 

I found that when I payed less attention to the light / dark effect and just played to his character concept I enjoyed it much more.

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