Playing everyone as Light Side

[Darth_Krushya]

I prefer to remain loyal to my factions. My Imperial toons make dark side choices and my Republic characters make Light Side choices.

 

My Bounty Hunters (and yes I have 2 of each class and 1 of each advanced class - 16 toons total) are a different story. My BH morality is determined by the contract. If I'm getting paid to kill, I kill. If I'm getting paid to save or spare a life, I do so. I will make up the difference in Dark Side Points with crew skill missions that give Dark Side Points.

 

Since I have to be a good guy in real life and obey the laws and help out my fellow man, SWTOR and similar games offer me some release and reprieve from the pressures of real life. I have no issues with taking a life or doing bad things in a video game. Sometimes I prefer to save lives and do the more morally righteous things and so I have good characters too.

Edited September 22, 2013 by Darth_Krushya
spelling, grammar, more content

[-Firestar-]

I prefer to remain loyal to my factions. My Imperial toons make dark side choices and my Republic characters make Light Side choices.

 

See, here I play opposite you

My darkside JC has some pretty screwed up stuff that happens. Far, far more corrupt and generally "evil" things than playing a DS sith ever was.

I re-rolled my Siths beaue I found playing "what was expected" a bit boring and way too predictable. I found playing light side sith just as fun as playing the DS JC. It's like Bioware put in options to make going against the grain more interesting.

[Darth_Krushya]

See, here I play opposite you

My darkside JC has some pretty screwed up stuff that happens. Far, far more corrupt and generally "evil" things than playing a DS sith ever was.

I re-rolled my Siths beaue I found playing "what was expected" a bit boring and way too predictable. I found playing light side sith just as fun as playing the DS JC. It's like Bioware put in options to make going against the grain more interesting.

 

That's cool! As long as you enjoy the game. That's all that matters! Cheers!

[ZarjandaTroll]

I'm a long term D&Der, as well as Star Wars fan, so when it came down to figuring how I would play my Imp toons I thought about it terms of a D&D alignment. I thought it added it added a bit of nuance to the typical Dark Side, Light Side and Grey system in Star Wars. This is how I did it:

 

*My SW was Lawful Evil

*My SI was Neutral Evil

*My IA was Lawful Neutral

*My BH was True Neutral, of the "just a man trying to make his way in the universe" type, not a "balance keeper type"

 

For those not familiar with pre-4th edition D&D alignments TV Tropes has a good break down of these and what such a character would imply http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharacterAlignment. They also have more indepth looks at those alignments which are linked to with the main article.

 

Ultimately with my Warrior and my Inquisitor I viewed taking every single Dark Side choice i was presented with as being too much like Chaotic Evil (someone else in this thread mentioned the Joker, who is a good example of a CE character). There are also the tropes of Stupid Good and Stupid Evil (as well also Stupid Lawful, Stupid Neutral and Stupid Chaotic), which involve a character doing good or evil just because its their character, even if situational circumstances may make the another decision superior.

 

Not always choosing the DS or LS options i thought also made my SW and SI stories more interesting. For example, my otherwise Evil SW allowed a certain Jedi on Belsavis to live because he had "earned my tolerance" by being useful. In particular with my SW, given his concern for order, the Empire and his own (albeit twisted) code of honour I often made choices that I thought were best for the Empire, even if they were occasionally LS.

Edited September 23, 2013 by ZarjandaTroll

[Darth_Krushya]

As a Jedi (JK & JC,) I made the morally right choices, or choices I considered moral. As a Sith (SI & SW) I made the choices I thought were either in my best interests or those of the Empire, mainly those that elevated me. My BH fulfilling the terms of her contract (LS & DS choices) and leaving out the morality. I consider her more grey in her choices.

 

Well, I don't know about being stupid good or stupid evil, lawful good or evil, or neutral. I never really liked labels. I simply make the choices I think are right for my character. I never consider whether I'm falling into a stereotype or putting a label on myself.

 

Peace!

Edited September 24, 2013 by Darth_Krushya
more info

[YaguaraSehkmet]

I didn't set out to play my Sith Jugg Light Side but I just can't help making fun of Owl-Man (I mean Darth Barras). So, since every other dialogue option to annoy him brought LS points with it I kind of fell into it. Then when I picked up Jaesa I just kept following the path. I was still mostly gray/neutral until only recently made rank 1 in LS (lvl 38). Overall, I'd say gray is more entertaining. A group of us are playing Imp characters through the whole game/story as a group and are going dark side (always take the dark side option no matter what the dialogue is) and I have to say it is kind of boring. The total Dark Side is just so...uninteresting and two-dimensional.

 

I much prefer to play Republic and being a "good guy" but I will say that the Dark Side has a much better wardrobe. It isn't all the power colors (my Sorcerer is in light gray) - the clothes themselves are just cooler.

 

The Sith Empire reminds me very much of an amalgam of the Roman Empire during the Republic Period (aggressive, expansionistic, and near constant internal power struggles) with the rise of the Nazi Regime in WWII (many Germans were very resentful of how Germany was punished at the end of WWI).

[AlrikFassbauer]

I'm currently building an new Twi'lek Jedi. He is dark red (similar to Darth Talon), and he will wear rather darkish and reddish clothes (his first companion is already red-coloured) - but remains 10000 % Light-Sided.

 

It's a play with clichés, essentially.

[Xakthul]

Romancing Vette basically made me a L IV. I tend to follow my romanceable companion's wishes. Between that and comp gifts, I was maxed to 10k with Vette before the end of Chapter 1. Trying to do something similar with Elara. Mako makes it so damn hard, though. She doesn't like the LS or DS options I make. My IA is basically DS cause that's what Kaliyo likes. My other IA is gonna end up at Light 5 cause of Raina. My JKs usually end up Light 'cause of Kira. And my JCs..... I got so bored that I never actually rolled far enough to get Nadia

My fem smuggler gets stuck doing light cause of Corso, while my male 'slinger and Bowdaar do whatever the hell they want. Finally, my SI is grey 'cause I hate the LS choices for him and I have that Togruta apprentice who's LS for the most part.

[EranofArcadia]

I do try to RP my companion interactions as part of my characters. This can be tricky, for example figuring out how to show how my SW (who is a complete sadist) can interact with Vette given the dialogue choices. She has spent a lot of time with negative affection. But I have at least come up with an explanation for why he keeps her around - having your own slave is a huge status symbol, presumably. he even removed her shock collar, not out of affection, but to show that his dominance of her is not merely physical. Edited September 24, 2013 by EranofArcadia

[JMCA]

Here's my RP story I'm using as a backdrop to an all LS setup

 

Long ago, on Dantooine, the Jedi made their home and it was lost in the events of the Jedi Civil War due to the machinations of the Sith. While the Order recovered and moved to Coruscant, the political capital of the Republic, some of the Jedi were not so quick to abandon Dantooine.

 

They knew the Jedi would return to the state of vulnerability that led to its destruction before - the Code was too restrictive, Coruscant was too chaotic a home, and the Republic was too dysfunctional. They sought peace and quiet while pushing themselves to be the strongest and yet most spiritual warriors in the galaxy.

 

For generations, while the Jedi preached the Code and squandered talent, this secret order meditated and moved in secret to battle the most vicious warriors in the galaxy, leaving them to recover upon defeat. They defeated the most infamous bounty hunters, Geno-Haradan assassins, elite Republic soldiers, and all manner of criminals. Dantooine was the perfect home because of the ruins and its remoteness.

 

They discovered that the Force was not anything like what the Jedi or the Sith believed it to be, that one must be sensitive to its energy to be aware of it. The Force is a mind, and its energy manifests itself in the focus of the individual who desires a goal. How does a bounty hunter or soldier's master of tactics, technology, and fearlessness differ from the energetic attunement of a Jedi or Sith? Or the scientist, poet, or dancer mastering their talents?

 

They pondered this and came to the conclusion that the Force only encourages the natural order of survival and creation. There will be conflict, but only in the efforts of both to achieve these simple goals.

 

Both the Jedi and Sith encourage one without the other, and cause great destruction in their Codes. Governments, organized crime, and corporations rise and fall, the silly attempts by sentient beings to control their existence.

 

The Jedi attempt to suffocate the natural order of creation within their ranks and create the taboos that lead to betrayal, misery, and shame, pushing their lovers to use their talents aggressively, falling from grace and becoming evil and destructive.

 

The Sith only see the Force as a tool, and do not care about the consequences in their actions in more cases than not. The chaos of Sith politics is self-destructive and only gains the "freedom" their Code provides upon death.

 

The Enclave realized that war was brewing and that they would need to be ready for the day that the galaxy itself would need to be defended - and made sure that they had people in place to rise.

 

It is not an accident that there are great prodigies within the Empire or Republic at the time following the Great War. The Enclave targeted four main areas to bring their young talent into - the Jedi, Sith, both Republic and Imperial military, and the underworld. Each young man and woman were trained, briefed and are reminded of their mission - protect creation and develop the strength to continue doing so, while navigating the politics their lives would force them to. They would be rewarded with fellowship, love, and the life of heroes, endless rivals, and the witnessing of a galaxy under threat being saved at their hands.

 

The Enclave, as ever, remains secret and watches their agents' progress closely. They do not fear failure, as the life and goals they aspire to do not attract such, but they will do whatever it takes to protect their own should it come to those dire straits.

 

The Enclave's greatest heroes would emerge in the galaxy's darkest time - when beings who consume worlds aspire to godhood, and mega-governments fear destruction and create more in kind.

 

Each class is light side and has a love story because that's all they really want in life - defeat the psychopaths who think they're gonna destroy trillions of lives, bring new life into the galaxy, and become the heroes all sides need to be inspired by.

[ahzecklawd]

It's simple :

 

LS > You decide whether they live or die (Since some Mission LS > Kill , DS > Save or w.e) , Personally I enjoy LS way more then DS , because DS is way to 'simple' , You'll often find yourself killing Ppl and ask 'Why did I do that? What was the Reason he had to die ? What if I could've save him and 'force' him to our side' etc ..

 

DS > You'll often feel like a 'Toy' that everyone can Control . You don't care about anyone , you kill 'Just4Fun' , you don't need any reason to kill (what is quiet lame , since behind an execution , there needs to be 'proves,reasons')

 

 

Now . BH / SW are the Stories I enjoyed the most being LS .

 

SW LS > You're your own MASTER , you don't listen to anyone , you'll do what you think is right for the EMPIRE .

BH LS > You get your job done and money is all that matters . Going LS doesn't mean you don't have the 'chance' to kill Jedis or etc , you'll have some 'moments' in the story where LS > Killing (No Spoilers) .

 

 

This is based on 'Experience' and my own Opinion , others may see/think different.

 

* Not the best English D: *

[JediRickwood]

Mercenary was great fun, mixing it up. Having taken both light and dark side options.

[Pingonaut]

Trust me, I know from experience, going full lightside or darkside is very boring, even on Jedi. Turn off the visual indicator of what the morality is and go with what your character would do, considering the circumstance.

[JeffrenBrek]

Playing fully LS or DS is boring and stupid.

 

Some DS and LS decisions are just mind blowing stupid.

[DAWUSS]

I've enjoyed my LS SI.

 

I was going to play my BH DS, but eventually as things progressed, he more or less wound up hovering in the neutral zone. I haven't progressed my SW or IA enough to really make that call, yet.

[Kyneris]

I would say that most classes are written to be played in one way rather than the other, with the other way just being sort of shoehorned in for the sake of having two options instead of just one.

 

Stories I think are mainly written as Light:

Jedi Knight

Jedi Consular

Smuggler

 

Stories I think are mainly written as Dark:

Sith Warrior

Sith Inquisitor

 

Stories I think can go either way:

Trooper

Imperial Agent

Bounty Hunter

[LordGarmaZabi]

Many people, both in this thread, and others, seem to feel that LS SW is something of his own man, where as the DS SW is a tool. I, however, feel that this is far from the case. My Sith Warrior is DS V, and i have felt all the way through that he was the master of his own destiny. I made my Warrior a patriot of the Empire, if an Imperial needed saving, he did it, but that said, if you were an enemy of the Empire, you died, simple as that. For example, the Jedi who helps you on Belsavis, I killed him at the end, even though he was never a threat to me, why ? The Empire was at war, and at the end of the day, he's a Jedi, so I'd be responsible for every Imperial he kills. One thing I've noticed about the Warrior story, is that, unlike the other stories I've played thus far, rather then having just an LS and DS solution to a situation, it usually had an alignment neutral third option, examples of this being submitting Lord Rathari, and turning Ekkage's assassains on their liberators.

 

At any rate though, it's more fun to make a personality for your character then to just pick LS or DS every time.

[FabulousDoctor]

^^ This issue is that, if you go pure darkside (which is dumb, never pick choices just on alignment) you kinda are a stupid attack dog.

 

The Lighside sith warrior spares his enemies, tells them to trust her, offers them assistance, and generally builds up her power base to the point where even the Jedi Council hears of her, though they don't know what to do.

 

The Dark Side one meanwhile ruins every chance they have to build a powerbase - if you pick every dark side choice, you follow Baras' orders to murder everything in your path perfectly, then

when he betrays you

you are left with next to no allies.

 

The Light Side sith warrior is much better at portraying themselves as seeking their own power through alliances, while the Dark Side is much better at seeking power like a sith - murdering their way to power.

 

 

I'd say that the Sith Warrior and Agent stories were the two best Lightsiders I've made, guy two posts above me, out of Consular, Agent, Warrior, Smuggler, and Trooper. They're not 'peace and love' but they're patriots who realize that the way their country is run is consuming it. The Light Side Agent is interesting because it's Light Side to

oppose and threaten to kill the Sith

, because the Light Side Agent views them as the biggest threat to the Empire.

 

I'm almost certain both of them were written with Light Side in mind.

Edited January 2, 2014 by FabulousDoctor

[LordGarmaZabi]

^^ This issue is that, if you go pure darkside (which is dumb, never pick choices just on alignment) you kinda are a stupid attack dog.

 

I'd argue going pure in either direction is stupid, but that's just me. Like i said in my post, more then a few of the power base building options are neutral, atleast, as I remember they are, it's been a few months.

Edited January 2, 2014 by LordGarmaZabi

[FabulousDoctor]

I'd argue going pure in either direction is stupid, but that's just me.

 

Oh yeah, totally agree. Sith Warrior and Agent are two of the best stories because most of your moral choices have really interesting neutral picks, as well as the MURDERMURDERKILL and 'and thus he released the poor sod who just tried to kill him with no reprecussions'.

 

But overall I think the Light Side choices were more fit to be mixed in with Neutral - by the end of the game my character had

a bunch of sith they had spared or put into their service show up when she challenged Baras, deflecting his insults and condemning him, and it felt goo.

 

 

Edit: As for power building options, the only one I remember as being neutral is on Nar Shadda, where the Sith you're tracking down can either be Exiled to the Outer Rim (Light Side) forced to swear fealty to you (Neutral) or murdermurderkilled (Dark Side)

 

Two of the three others who showed up were Lightside choices I made, while I think the last might have actually been a Dark Side choice? I forget.

Edited January 2, 2014 by FabulousDoctor

[LordGarmaZabi]

Edit: As for power building options, the only one I remember as being neutral is on Nar Shadda, where the Sith you're tracking down can either be Exiled to the Outer Rim (Light Side) forced to swear fealty to you (Neutral) or murdermurderkilled (Dark Side)

 

Two of the three others who showed up were Lightside choices I made, while I think the last might have actually been a Dark Side choice? I forget.

 

Unfortunately, they don't show up in the final confrontation, but

you can tell Ekkage's assassains that you are the Wrath, and they'll turn on Baras' men who had just freed them, and then go on their way.

 

Edited January 2, 2014 by LordGarmaZabi

[Krikkett]

I play bounty hunter light side and it seems to work out just fine. I'm ****** but I dont just work for the credits