Retro Game Walkthroughs for Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (PC Games)
Submitted By: Unknown
4. Force Powers
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The Force Powers in Outcast act as Kyle's invisible toolbox,
enabling him to fight effectively even if he's been disarmed. You can access
these powers at any time, though they will all drain from your Force Meter (which slowly recharges on its own).
Given Kyle's unique perspective on the Force, having danced along
the
waterfall's edge between Light and Dark power, he isn't as
fearful of the Dark Side as many other Jedi would be. As such, he can access both Light Powers and Dark Powers as he roams the galaxy, affording him a flexibility that other Jedi lack.
In contrast to Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast eliminates player choice from Kyle's
force progression; while in the first game, you could choose whether you wanted
to become a Light or Dark Jedi (a choice essentially based on your proclivity,
or lack thereof, for killing civilians), Jedi Outcast removes that choice from
the player, and instead doles out Force Powers according to a set schedule as
you advance through the levels. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; other games
have given the player more control over their capabilities, but this often
complicates level design. Deus Ex, for example, forced the player to choose
between multiple, mutually exclusive upgrades, so that J.C. Denton could never
be capable of both jumping higher than normal and running with softer
footsteps. This prohibited the level designers from ever assuming that the
player had chosen a specific upgrade path, and instead forced them to include
multiple paths through most levels, each one appealing to players that had
chosen a certain upgrade. (In retrospect, it seems that they could never really
assume that the player had installed *any* upgrades, since the game never forced you to do so....)
Whether this system is preferable to Jedi Outcast's is debatable;what is not
debatable is that this generally results in longer developmenttime, as the
levels and upgrades have to be balanced meticulously in order toensure that
one particular upgrade isn't much more powerful than another. Theelimination
of player choice in Kyle's force progression might rankle someplayers who like
a bit more RPG in their FPS, but if Raven had chosen otherwise,we might not
have seen the game for another six months or so. This also makesthe Force
Powers more integral to the gameplay: since the designers knowexactly what
array of powers the player has at any given point in a level,they can place
unique obstacles and puzzles in Kyle's way that they would neverhave been able
to use had they given the player a freer rein.
(For the record, I love Deus Ex, and am eagerly awaiting the sequel, but I
think Raven probably made the right choice for this particular title.)
One thing to note about the Force Powers is that, with the exception of Jump,
the hotkeys are going to be inconvenient for most players, since the WASD bind,
which is probably the most popular one, makes it nearly impossible to hit the
function keys while moving. You'll want to remap some of the Force powers to
other keys closer to your movement keys, so that you can hit them in the middle
of a fight. Push is probably the most important one to have handy, since it can
affect numerous enemies with one use. Analyze your Force usage and remap your
favorite skills accordingly.
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NEUTRAL POWERS
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Force Push
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First Level: Knocks down enemies
Second Level: Pushes target away
Third Level: Pushes multiple enemies, and can be used to Push out of Lightsaber
locks
Movie Moment: Darth Maul pushing Obi-Wan into the ventilation shaft on Naboo
A simple yet devastatingly effective tool, Push is incredibly useful in combat
situations, since it essentially stuns enemies for three or four seconds,
rendering them incapable of attacking and completely vulnerable to your
attacks. Keep this bound near your left-hand keys for an easy advantage in most
mano-a-mano combats. The simplest tactic is to simply knock them off their
feet, then stand over them and chop downwards with the Saber. Later in the
game, you can use Push to knock most enemies off ledges if you position
yourself correctly; this isn't necessarily any more effective than simply using
your Lightsaber, but it never gets old. Note that Push requires more Force as
the number of targets increases, so you might not want to abuse it in the face
of large crowds if you don't want to be caught without your Force powers
temporarily.
Push can also be used to deflect Rockets and Detonators away from you, which is
fairly handy when you face off against Grans or Stormtroopers with Merr-Sonns.
Some crates and instrument panels can be Pushed, as well; you'll notice a blue
swirl around the targeting reticule when this is possible. Its range is limited, but adequate for most combat uses.
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Force Pull
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First Level: Pulls levers and objects, or one enemy
Second Level: Strips one enemy of his weapon, and knocks him off his feet
Third Level: Pulls multiple enemies and their weapons Movie Moment: Luke reaching for his Lightsaber in the Wampa cave
on Hoth
This was a favorite skill of mine in Jedi Knight, since the AI never quite knew
what to do when you stripped their weapons away from them; sometimes they would
make an attempt at fisticuffs, but they'd more often simply run away. Pull in
Outcast is much more effective, but it's worth noting that the AI opponents
react somewhat believably when you manage to yank their weapons; some flee in
terror, some raise their hands and hope you don't slice them, and some run for
their weapon (assuming you didn't pick it up) and attempt to re-arm themselves.
Pull's effects are fairly self-explanatory: once you get the Lightsaber, you'll
probably have little use for the weapons of individual opponents, but Pulling a
Merr-Sonn or Flechette from a Trooper's hands can save your skin in a tight
situation. At level 3, the speed of Pull rockets enemies off their feet; using
it while you're on a ledge or jumping over a foe's head will send them flying
into the air, usually with enough force to kill them on impact. I found Pull to
be useful when enemies were on a ledge above my head; if you can Jump and Pull
with a bit of accuracy, you can usually knock enemies off their ledge towards you.
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Force Jump
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First Level: Can jump twice as high as normal
Second Level: Can jump four times as high as normal; minor wall-walking abilities
Third Level: Can jump eight times as high as normal
Movie Moment: Luke escaping from the Carbonite trap on Bespin Jump is one of the most important Force Powers to wield effectively, because of the numerous advantages it yields to the proficient Jedi. This skill is automatically activated by simply holding down the Jump button when you want to make a flying leap. If you hold strafe and Jump while you're near a wall, you will wall-walk, with essentially lets Kyle use the wall
to push forward, resulting in a bit more forward distance than a straight jump
would. This is a tricky skill to master, though, so practice it thoroughly
before you rely on it to save your life. Precision jumping in the third-person
view is somewhat tricky, so you might want to switch out from the Lightsaber before you attempt a jumping puzzle.
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Force Speed
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First Level: World reduced to 75% normal speed
Second Level: 50% normal speed
Third Level: 25% normal speed
Movie Moment: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon escaping from the Destroyer droids on the Trade Federation flagship
Pretty self-explanatory. Moving faster is of limited use against normal foes,
simply due to the fact that Push or Pull can incapacitate them as easily as any
other skill can, and for less Force, but when you face off against Reborn or
Shadow Troopers, Speeding up can make your duels much, much easier. Using this
in conjunction with the Strong Lightsaber style will make most duels fairly
simplistic, since you can time your swings a little easier, and you can cut
through most Lightsaber defenses. The cost is somewhat prohibitive, however, at
half the meter per use, and note that you don't regain Force during your hyperactive state.
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Lightsaber Throw
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First Level: Very short-range attack
Second Level: Longer range, spins faster, and you can put english on the saber by moving the mouse
Third Level: Spins fastest and homes in on enemies
Movie Moment: Vader cutting down the walkway on the Death Star II
The perfect compliment to the Lightsaber's close-range deadliness, Throw
extends your range a bit and allows you to cut down multiple enemies at once.
The drawback is that you lose the ability to block shots while the saber is in
the air, but if you know how to strafe, you can generally dodge enemy fire
until you have the saber back in your hands. The force cost is minimal, so
you'll be able to Throw as much as you like, provided you didn't just use Lightning or another high-drain skill.
Your saber can sometimes become fall to the floor if you Throw it at another
Jedi, so if you hear the clattering sound, hit your primary attack key to
retrieve the Lightsaber automatically.
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Mind Tricks
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First Level: Distracts one enemy for five seconds
Second Level: Distracts a group of enemies for ten seconds
Third Level: Can be used to convert enemies into allies
Movie Moment: "You don't need to see his identification...these aren't the droids you're looking for."
The first two levels of this skill are, frankly, worthless; it's neat to be able to sneak by an enemy or two, but there are few, if any, situations where stealth is preferable to Saber combat. Once you reach the third level, however,
you'll gain the ability to convert enemies into pawns for a short while - generally long enough for their erstwhile friends to use them as target practice. When you convert an enemy, all your other foes in the area will attempt to kill him, and your pawn will fight back with whatever weapon is at his disposal. Even a lowly Trooper can sometimes be a worthwhile human shield
in the right situation, but the Force cost is somewhat high. The range on this last level is extraordinary, as well, so you might want to think about Tricking an opponent as opposed to simply sniping him at long range.
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LIGHT POWERS
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Force Heal
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First Level: Healing requires immobilization
Second Level: You can move while healing, but not attack
Third Level: You can move or attack while healing, and healing is very rapid
Movie Moment: I guess Obi-Wan forgot about this when Qui-Gon was dying in his arms....
Simplicity itself. Heal yourself up in single-player, or heal your teammates in
multiplayer games. When you heal, your Force meter will continually drain until
it runs out (a full charge is worth 25 Health), so you should be careful not to
get run dry in the middle of a firefight. On the other hand, if you're running low on health, Heal is preferable to Bacta tanks outside of combat, as your Force will replenish automatically. Save your Bacta tanks for
emergencies or duels.
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DARK POWERS
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Force Grip
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First Level: Immobilizes target without damage
Second Level: Lifts target into air with damage
Third Level: Target can be moved laterally in the air
Movie Moment: Vader getting a bit miffed with Admiral Motti on the Death Star
A somewhat mediocre skill, Grip is weakened by the fact that it can only be
used on one opponent at a time. While it's entertaining to get someone all
choked up, you cannot use your Lightsaber deflecting skills if other opponents
are firing at you, and it takes a bit too long to kill someone to make it
worthwhile. It's very fun to grab someone and smash them into walls, but it isn't exactly the most efficient skill to use in the middle of a firefight.
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Force Lightning
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First Level: Single bolt
Second Level: Continuous stream of lightning
Third Level: Wide arc of power
Movie Moment: Emperor Palpatine attempting to kill Luke on the
Death Star II
This skill is much improved over its implementation in Jedi Knight. Players of
that game will remember a sorry-looking little bolt of lightning that was
difficult to use and never really dealt enough damage to be worthwhile. In Outcast, though, Lightning has become a bit more powerful, though is still a specialty skill at best. The strikes against it are its short range and rapid
force drain; you will only be able to muster two or three seconds' worth of Lightning, even at level three, which is only good enough to annoy the various Reborn and Jedi you encounter, while leaving you unable to use any Force powers
until your meter recharges. I never found myself in a situation where I thought it would be beneficial to use this skill.
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MULTIPLAYER POWERS
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Coming Soon.
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5. Weapons
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Lightsaber
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Primary Fire: Swing
Secondary Fire: Saber Throw
This is probably the coolest weapon ever implemented into an action game, and is certainly the most powerful weapon in Jedi Outcast. Though you have to suffer through the first couple of levels without a saber, it's worth the wait, because you'll rarely want to use any other weapon after you've obtained your most elegant piece of equipment.
The basics of the saber are familiar to players of Jedi Knight; you can use it
to block much of the incoming blaster fire, and reciprocate with swings that
take out most enemies on contact. Outcast thankfully makes it much easier to
block and reflect blaster fire, even at the earliest level ofyour Defense
development, so you will rarely find yourself getting hit, except against truly
overwhelming forces. In addition, your secondary attack with the saber has been
upgraded from the ungainly wide-swing of Jedi Knight to a very cool Lightsaber Throw, which can be used to destroy multiple enemies at short or medium range.
The regular offensive capabilities of the Lightsaber have also been improved, with the addition of a three-tiered system of Lightsaber Combat styles, each influencing the power, speed, and range of your melee attacks.
Medium Combat Style: The default style, and the only one that's available to you when you first obtain your saber. It balances speed and power to excel in neither, but is a useful style to wield against regular, non-Jedi enemies, due
to its simple sequence of slashing movements.
Fast Combat Style: The Fast style emphasizes speed over power. This is useful
against Reborn opponents, before you obtain the Strong style, but can be a bit
unwieldy due to the odd motions of the saber and short range of the attacks.
Strong Combat Style: Powerful, but very slow, the Strong Style can eliminate
most Reborn in a single slash, and is also the Style of choice for use against
Shadow Troopers and Dark Jedi. The elaborate windup and follow-through for
swings leaves you open to counterattack, so I'd recommend that you combine this style with Force Speed during duels to gain more control.
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Stun Baton
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Primary Fire: Close-Range Shock
The Stun Baton is a close-range weapon designed to stun foes. Not very useful, unless you run out of ammo completely. Once you acquire a lightsaber, it replaces the Stun Baton in the weapon selection menu.
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Bryar Pistol
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Primary Fire: Single Shot
Secondary Fire: Charged Shot, extra damage
Max Ammo: 300 (Blaster Pack)
A basic sidearm, the Bryar Pistol is a handy weapon, with good accuracy at long distance. You can use it as a poor man's sniper rifle in the early portions of the game, but the slow rate of fire is a hindrance in a firefight, and once
your arsenal expands, you'll want to move up to the beefier weapons. Charging
up the weapon with the alternate fire chews ammo, but can take down many of the basic enemies in one shot, especially if you hit them in the head.
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E-11 Blaster Rifle
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Primary Fire: Automatic shot, slow firing rate
Secondary Fire: Automatic shot, quick firing rate (less
accurate)
Max Ammo: 300 (Blaster Pack)
The standard Stormtrooper sidearm is, ironically, well suited to taking down Stormtroopers themselves due to its wide laser spread and rapid fire. It's not very efficient for working at a distance due to the slow speed of the laser,
but the primary fire can sometimes be used for a quick head shot on an enemy if
you don't want to take the time to switch to the Bryar. The difference in accuracy between the primary and secondary fire is appreciable, however, so you will need to be fairly close to your targets when you start blasting away. Ammo can be a concern if you use the secondary fire too much, but stormtroopers will be dropping more Rifles anyway, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just watch your meter, and stick with the primary fire if you get down to 50 or so.
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Tenloss Disruptor Rifle
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Primary Fire: Single high-speed shot, medium ROF
Secondary Fire: Scope zoom view, use primary fire button to
charge weapon
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
The primary fire here isn't much to write home about, but it's a fairly accurate shot at long distances and uses Power Cells instead of Blaster ammo, so it's a nice weapon to revert to if you run out of ammo for your Blaster
Rifle. The secondary fire is the draw, though, since it allows you to snipe from long distances away and can even disintegrate a foe completely. You can't strafe while the scope is active, however, which makes it less that suitable for combat situations. I've been able to pierce a closed door with a full
charge and still deliver a killing blow, but I'm not sure if this is a bug or a
feature. One thing to note is that the beam travels far too quickly for most enemies to dodge, so use this on enemies like Probe Droids that usually duck out of the way of your fire.
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Bowcaster
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Primary Fire: Single shot, or charges for five shot array
Secondary Fire: single powerful burst.
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
The favored weapon of Wookiees galaxy-wide, the Bowcaster ostensibly requires great strength to operate, but the versions Kyle encounters have been modified to make them accessible to weaker species, such as humans. This weapon is still
fondly remembered as the lamest of the Jedi Knight weapons, but it has been redone a bit to make it more utilitarian for JK2. It still functions as it did in JK, but is a bit more powerful (which isn't to say that you'll be using it that much). The primary fire will fire a single bolt with a single click, or can be charged for a spread of five bolts in an arc. This is
obviously useful for crowd control, but does require 25 ammo. The secondary shot is a single blast of highly kinetic energy that bounces off walls and obstacles until it dissipates or hits a target. Handy for firing around corners or simply blind firing to see if you hit anything, but travels a bit too slowly to be useful at long distances. The secondary fire is more
accurate than a Blaster Rifle, so it can replace the Bryar as the poor man's sniper rifle until you find the Disruptor.
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DEMP 2 Gun
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Primary Fire: Energy ball, effective against droids and mechanical foes
Secondary Fire: Fast attack, splash damage to all enemies
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
Intended to make quick work of droids and other mechanical foes, the primary fire of the DEMP gun short-circuits electrical wiring, thus disabling most of the technological terrors Kyle encounters in his travels. It has a negligible
effect on living flesh, however, so the alternate fire can be used in
desperation to attack human opponents, if you are caught in a situation where
you can't switch your weapon quickly enough. In truth, this is a specialized
weapon for special situations; useful when you're facing off AT-STs or combat droids, but rarely utilized otherwise.
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Heavy Repeater
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Primary Fire: Solid rapid-fire projectile attack
Secondary Fire: Launches a concussive grenade, stunning and damaging enemies
Max Ammo: 400 (Metallic Bolts) Your basic machine-gun style weapon. The primary fire's inaccuracy makes this weapon a liability at anything more than short distances, but the secondary fire has a wide splash damage effect, making it perfect for a preliminary strike at an unwary crowd, or taking down Sentries and Trip Mines.
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Golan Arms FC-1 Flechette Weapon
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Primary Fire: Shotgun-style blast of metal shards
Secondary Fire: Dual explosive mines
Max Ammo: 400 (Metallic Bolts)
This is essentially the Star Wars equivalent of a nice, double-barrel shotgun. To be honest, I barely ever used this; the primary fire is only useful at close
range, when you're almost always going to be using the Lightsaber anyway, and the secondary fire is too inaccurate to be of much use against any but the most dense crowd of Troopers. One thing to note is the high ammo capacity and the
fact that the secondary fire only requires eight ammo per shot, so this might be something to whip out if you hear voices around the corner, since the mines can bounce off walls and obstacles.
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Merr-Sonn Portable Missile System
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Primary Fire: Fire-and-forget non-seeking missile
Secondary Fire: Hold down to lock on to target; let go for homing
missile
Max Ammo: 10 (Rockets)
The Outcast Rocket Launcher isn't encounter until fairly late in the game, and
is barely used after that. While using the rocket attacks are nice against
enemies that are far away and unaware of your presence, in most situations the
designers have included short-range nuisances along with long-distance threats,
making it impractical to switch away from your Lightsaber until no one is
firing at you. I usually just ignored anyone at long distance until I could
cover the ground between Kyle and his foes, so my style of play wasn't suited
for using the PMS (nice acronym), though it may be handy to keep around for the occasional AT-ST or Walker.
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Thermal Detonator
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Primary Fire: Timed explosion after throw (four seconds)
Secondary Fire: Explosion on impact
Max Ammo: 10 detonators
A weapon made infamous due to Boushh / Leia's gambit in Jabba's Palace, in which she successfully bluffed the Hutt crimelord into thinking she might destroy him along with the rest of his entourage, the Thermal Detonator is reknowned for its lethality. Since these detonate on a timer, they can be lobbed around corners or down shafts in order to strike blindly at enemies that you can hear coming, or suspect of lying in wait. You have to hold down the fire for a bit in order to throw it any appreciable distance, so watch the secondary fire. If you accidentally tap the secondary button while you have one
of these in your hands, you'll give yourself quite a tan.
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Det Pack
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Primary Fire: Place Det Pack on walls or floor
Secondary Fire: Detonate all active Det Packs
Max Ammo: 5 packs
Det Packs are wall- or floor-mounted explosives, designed with a detachable triggering mechanism that allows the user to wait as long as he or she wishes before detonation. These can be used to destroy certain doors
throughout the levels, or they can be placed in an inconspicuous spot and triggered when an
enemy comes by. The radius of the blast is fairly large, so you can use these for crowd control, but you will lose the protection of the Lightsaber while you wait for the enemies to get into position. You can place more than one if you
want, but you can only hold five at a time, so you'll need to be somewhat frugal when you use them.
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Laser Trip Mine
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Primary Fire: Places mine and activates trip-laser
Secondary Fire: Places mine and activates proximity sensor
Max Ammo: 5 mines
Also known as the HPB's Best Friend, the Trip Mine is one of those classic FPS
weapons that everyone either loves or hates. They work quite simply: simply
affix the mine to a surface, and when another player or opponent breaches the trip laser, the charge detonates, injuring or killing anything nearby. These act to slow the pace of multiplayer games a bit, since anyone who wishes to
pass through a mined corridor has to switch to a projectile weapon and shoot the mine from a distance away.
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The Force Powers in Outcast act as Kyle's invisible toolbox,
enabling him to fight effectively even if he's been disarmed. You can access
these powers at any time, though they will all drain from your Force Meter (which slowly recharges on its own).
Given Kyle's unique perspective on the Force, having danced along
the
waterfall's edge between Light and Dark power, he isn't as
fearful of the Dark Side as many other Jedi would be. As such, he can access both Light Powers and Dark Powers as he roams the galaxy, affording him a flexibility that other Jedi lack.
In contrast to Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast eliminates player choice from Kyle's
force progression; while in the first game, you could choose whether you wanted
to become a Light or Dark Jedi (a choice essentially based on your proclivity,
or lack thereof, for killing civilians), Jedi Outcast removes that choice from
the player, and instead doles out Force Powers according to a set schedule as
you advance through the levels. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; other games
have given the player more control over their capabilities, but this often
complicates level design. Deus Ex, for example, forced the player to choose
between multiple, mutually exclusive upgrades, so that J.C. Denton could never
be capable of both jumping higher than normal and running with softer
footsteps. This prohibited the level designers from ever assuming that the
player had chosen a specific upgrade path, and instead forced them to include
multiple paths through most levels, each one appealing to players that had
chosen a certain upgrade. (In retrospect, it seems that they could never really
assume that the player had installed *any* upgrades, since the game never forced you to do so....)
Whether this system is preferable to Jedi Outcast's is debatable;what is not
debatable is that this generally results in longer developmenttime, as the
levels and upgrades have to be balanced meticulously in order toensure that
one particular upgrade isn't much more powerful than another. Theelimination
of player choice in Kyle's force progression might rankle someplayers who like
a bit more RPG in their FPS, but if Raven had chosen otherwise,we might not
have seen the game for another six months or so. This also makesthe Force
Powers more integral to the gameplay: since the designers knowexactly what
array of powers the player has at any given point in a level,they can place
unique obstacles and puzzles in Kyle's way that they would neverhave been able
to use had they given the player a freer rein.
(For the record, I love Deus Ex, and am eagerly awaiting the sequel, but I
think Raven probably made the right choice for this particular title.)
One thing to note about the Force Powers is that, with the exception of Jump,
the hotkeys are going to be inconvenient for most players, since the WASD bind,
which is probably the most popular one, makes it nearly impossible to hit the
function keys while moving. You'll want to remap some of the Force powers to
other keys closer to your movement keys, so that you can hit them in the middle
of a fight. Push is probably the most important one to have handy, since it can
affect numerous enemies with one use. Analyze your Force usage and remap your
favorite skills accordingly.
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NEUTRAL POWERS
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Force Push
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First Level: Knocks down enemies
Second Level: Pushes target away
Third Level: Pushes multiple enemies, and can be used to Push out of Lightsaber
locks
Movie Moment: Darth Maul pushing Obi-Wan into the ventilation shaft on Naboo
A simple yet devastatingly effective tool, Push is incredibly useful in combat
situations, since it essentially stuns enemies for three or four seconds,
rendering them incapable of attacking and completely vulnerable to your
attacks. Keep this bound near your left-hand keys for an easy advantage in most
mano-a-mano combats. The simplest tactic is to simply knock them off their
feet, then stand over them and chop downwards with the Saber. Later in the
game, you can use Push to knock most enemies off ledges if you position
yourself correctly; this isn't necessarily any more effective than simply using
your Lightsaber, but it never gets old. Note that Push requires more Force as
the number of targets increases, so you might not want to abuse it in the face
of large crowds if you don't want to be caught without your Force powers
temporarily.
Push can also be used to deflect Rockets and Detonators away from you, which is
fairly handy when you face off against Grans or Stormtroopers with Merr-Sonns.
Some crates and instrument panels can be Pushed, as well; you'll notice a blue
swirl around the targeting reticule when this is possible. Its range is limited, but adequate for most combat uses.
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Force Pull
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First Level: Pulls levers and objects, or one enemy
Second Level: Strips one enemy of his weapon, and knocks him off his feet
Third Level: Pulls multiple enemies and their weapons Movie Moment: Luke reaching for his Lightsaber in the Wampa cave
on Hoth
This was a favorite skill of mine in Jedi Knight, since the AI never quite knew
what to do when you stripped their weapons away from them; sometimes they would
make an attempt at fisticuffs, but they'd more often simply run away. Pull in
Outcast is much more effective, but it's worth noting that the AI opponents
react somewhat believably when you manage to yank their weapons; some flee in
terror, some raise their hands and hope you don't slice them, and some run for
their weapon (assuming you didn't pick it up) and attempt to re-arm themselves.
Pull's effects are fairly self-explanatory: once you get the Lightsaber, you'll
probably have little use for the weapons of individual opponents, but Pulling a
Merr-Sonn or Flechette from a Trooper's hands can save your skin in a tight
situation. At level 3, the speed of Pull rockets enemies off their feet; using
it while you're on a ledge or jumping over a foe's head will send them flying
into the air, usually with enough force to kill them on impact. I found Pull to
be useful when enemies were on a ledge above my head; if you can Jump and Pull
with a bit of accuracy, you can usually knock enemies off their ledge towards you.
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Force Jump
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First Level: Can jump twice as high as normal
Second Level: Can jump four times as high as normal; minor wall-walking abilities
Third Level: Can jump eight times as high as normal
Movie Moment: Luke escaping from the Carbonite trap on Bespin Jump is one of the most important Force Powers to wield effectively, because of the numerous advantages it yields to the proficient Jedi. This skill is automatically activated by simply holding down the Jump button when you want to make a flying leap. If you hold strafe and Jump while you're near a wall, you will wall-walk, with essentially lets Kyle use the wall
to push forward, resulting in a bit more forward distance than a straight jump
would. This is a tricky skill to master, though, so practice it thoroughly
before you rely on it to save your life. Precision jumping in the third-person
view is somewhat tricky, so you might want to switch out from the Lightsaber before you attempt a jumping puzzle.
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Force Speed
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First Level: World reduced to 75% normal speed
Second Level: 50% normal speed
Third Level: 25% normal speed
Movie Moment: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon escaping from the Destroyer droids on the Trade Federation flagship
Pretty self-explanatory. Moving faster is of limited use against normal foes,
simply due to the fact that Push or Pull can incapacitate them as easily as any
other skill can, and for less Force, but when you face off against Reborn or
Shadow Troopers, Speeding up can make your duels much, much easier. Using this
in conjunction with the Strong Lightsaber style will make most duels fairly
simplistic, since you can time your swings a little easier, and you can cut
through most Lightsaber defenses. The cost is somewhat prohibitive, however, at
half the meter per use, and note that you don't regain Force during your hyperactive state.
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Lightsaber Throw
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First Level: Very short-range attack
Second Level: Longer range, spins faster, and you can put english on the saber by moving the mouse
Third Level: Spins fastest and homes in on enemies
Movie Moment: Vader cutting down the walkway on the Death Star II
The perfect compliment to the Lightsaber's close-range deadliness, Throw
extends your range a bit and allows you to cut down multiple enemies at once.
The drawback is that you lose the ability to block shots while the saber is in
the air, but if you know how to strafe, you can generally dodge enemy fire
until you have the saber back in your hands. The force cost is minimal, so
you'll be able to Throw as much as you like, provided you didn't just use Lightning or another high-drain skill.
Your saber can sometimes become fall to the floor if you Throw it at another
Jedi, so if you hear the clattering sound, hit your primary attack key to
retrieve the Lightsaber automatically.
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Mind Tricks
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First Level: Distracts one enemy for five seconds
Second Level: Distracts a group of enemies for ten seconds
Third Level: Can be used to convert enemies into allies
Movie Moment: "You don't need to see his identification...these aren't the droids you're looking for."
The first two levels of this skill are, frankly, worthless; it's neat to be able to sneak by an enemy or two, but there are few, if any, situations where stealth is preferable to Saber combat. Once you reach the third level, however,
you'll gain the ability to convert enemies into pawns for a short while - generally long enough for their erstwhile friends to use them as target practice. When you convert an enemy, all your other foes in the area will attempt to kill him, and your pawn will fight back with whatever weapon is at his disposal. Even a lowly Trooper can sometimes be a worthwhile human shield
in the right situation, but the Force cost is somewhat high. The range on this last level is extraordinary, as well, so you might want to think about Tricking an opponent as opposed to simply sniping him at long range.
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LIGHT POWERS
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Force Heal
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First Level: Healing requires immobilization
Second Level: You can move while healing, but not attack
Third Level: You can move or attack while healing, and healing is very rapid
Movie Moment: I guess Obi-Wan forgot about this when Qui-Gon was dying in his arms....
Simplicity itself. Heal yourself up in single-player, or heal your teammates in
multiplayer games. When you heal, your Force meter will continually drain until
it runs out (a full charge is worth 25 Health), so you should be careful not to
get run dry in the middle of a firefight. On the other hand, if you're running low on health, Heal is preferable to Bacta tanks outside of combat, as your Force will replenish automatically. Save your Bacta tanks for
emergencies or duels.
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DARK POWERS
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Force Grip
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First Level: Immobilizes target without damage
Second Level: Lifts target into air with damage
Third Level: Target can be moved laterally in the air
Movie Moment: Vader getting a bit miffed with Admiral Motti on the Death Star
A somewhat mediocre skill, Grip is weakened by the fact that it can only be
used on one opponent at a time. While it's entertaining to get someone all
choked up, you cannot use your Lightsaber deflecting skills if other opponents
are firing at you, and it takes a bit too long to kill someone to make it
worthwhile. It's very fun to grab someone and smash them into walls, but it isn't exactly the most efficient skill to use in the middle of a firefight.
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Force Lightning
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First Level: Single bolt
Second Level: Continuous stream of lightning
Third Level: Wide arc of power
Movie Moment: Emperor Palpatine attempting to kill Luke on the
Death Star II
This skill is much improved over its implementation in Jedi Knight. Players of
that game will remember a sorry-looking little bolt of lightning that was
difficult to use and never really dealt enough damage to be worthwhile. In Outcast, though, Lightning has become a bit more powerful, though is still a specialty skill at best. The strikes against it are its short range and rapid
force drain; you will only be able to muster two or three seconds' worth of Lightning, even at level three, which is only good enough to annoy the various Reborn and Jedi you encounter, while leaving you unable to use any Force powers
until your meter recharges. I never found myself in a situation where I thought it would be beneficial to use this skill.
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MULTIPLAYER POWERS
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Coming Soon.
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5. Weapons
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Lightsaber
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Primary Fire: Swing
Secondary Fire: Saber Throw
This is probably the coolest weapon ever implemented into an action game, and is certainly the most powerful weapon in Jedi Outcast. Though you have to suffer through the first couple of levels without a saber, it's worth the wait, because you'll rarely want to use any other weapon after you've obtained your most elegant piece of equipment.
The basics of the saber are familiar to players of Jedi Knight; you can use it
to block much of the incoming blaster fire, and reciprocate with swings that
take out most enemies on contact. Outcast thankfully makes it much easier to
block and reflect blaster fire, even at the earliest level ofyour Defense
development, so you will rarely find yourself getting hit, except against truly
overwhelming forces. In addition, your secondary attack with the saber has been
upgraded from the ungainly wide-swing of Jedi Knight to a very cool Lightsaber Throw, which can be used to destroy multiple enemies at short or medium range.
The regular offensive capabilities of the Lightsaber have also been improved, with the addition of a three-tiered system of Lightsaber Combat styles, each influencing the power, speed, and range of your melee attacks.
Medium Combat Style: The default style, and the only one that's available to you when you first obtain your saber. It balances speed and power to excel in neither, but is a useful style to wield against regular, non-Jedi enemies, due
to its simple sequence of slashing movements.
Fast Combat Style: The Fast style emphasizes speed over power. This is useful
against Reborn opponents, before you obtain the Strong style, but can be a bit
unwieldy due to the odd motions of the saber and short range of the attacks.
Strong Combat Style: Powerful, but very slow, the Strong Style can eliminate
most Reborn in a single slash, and is also the Style of choice for use against
Shadow Troopers and Dark Jedi. The elaborate windup and follow-through for
swings leaves you open to counterattack, so I'd recommend that you combine this style with Force Speed during duels to gain more control.
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Stun Baton
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Primary Fire: Close-Range Shock
The Stun Baton is a close-range weapon designed to stun foes. Not very useful, unless you run out of ammo completely. Once you acquire a lightsaber, it replaces the Stun Baton in the weapon selection menu.
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Bryar Pistol
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Primary Fire: Single Shot
Secondary Fire: Charged Shot, extra damage
Max Ammo: 300 (Blaster Pack)
A basic sidearm, the Bryar Pistol is a handy weapon, with good accuracy at long distance. You can use it as a poor man's sniper rifle in the early portions of the game, but the slow rate of fire is a hindrance in a firefight, and once
your arsenal expands, you'll want to move up to the beefier weapons. Charging
up the weapon with the alternate fire chews ammo, but can take down many of the basic enemies in one shot, especially if you hit them in the head.
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E-11 Blaster Rifle
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Primary Fire: Automatic shot, slow firing rate
Secondary Fire: Automatic shot, quick firing rate (less
accurate)
Max Ammo: 300 (Blaster Pack)
The standard Stormtrooper sidearm is, ironically, well suited to taking down Stormtroopers themselves due to its wide laser spread and rapid fire. It's not very efficient for working at a distance due to the slow speed of the laser,
but the primary fire can sometimes be used for a quick head shot on an enemy if
you don't want to take the time to switch to the Bryar. The difference in accuracy between the primary and secondary fire is appreciable, however, so you will need to be fairly close to your targets when you start blasting away. Ammo can be a concern if you use the secondary fire too much, but stormtroopers will be dropping more Rifles anyway, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just watch your meter, and stick with the primary fire if you get down to 50 or so.
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Tenloss Disruptor Rifle
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Primary Fire: Single high-speed shot, medium ROF
Secondary Fire: Scope zoom view, use primary fire button to
charge weapon
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
The primary fire here isn't much to write home about, but it's a fairly accurate shot at long distances and uses Power Cells instead of Blaster ammo, so it's a nice weapon to revert to if you run out of ammo for your Blaster
Rifle. The secondary fire is the draw, though, since it allows you to snipe from long distances away and can even disintegrate a foe completely. You can't strafe while the scope is active, however, which makes it less that suitable for combat situations. I've been able to pierce a closed door with a full
charge and still deliver a killing blow, but I'm not sure if this is a bug or a
feature. One thing to note is that the beam travels far too quickly for most enemies to dodge, so use this on enemies like Probe Droids that usually duck out of the way of your fire.
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Bowcaster
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Primary Fire: Single shot, or charges for five shot array
Secondary Fire: single powerful burst.
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
The favored weapon of Wookiees galaxy-wide, the Bowcaster ostensibly requires great strength to operate, but the versions Kyle encounters have been modified to make them accessible to weaker species, such as humans. This weapon is still
fondly remembered as the lamest of the Jedi Knight weapons, but it has been redone a bit to make it more utilitarian for JK2. It still functions as it did in JK, but is a bit more powerful (which isn't to say that you'll be using it that much). The primary fire will fire a single bolt with a single click, or can be charged for a spread of five bolts in an arc. This is
obviously useful for crowd control, but does require 25 ammo. The secondary shot is a single blast of highly kinetic energy that bounces off walls and obstacles until it dissipates or hits a target. Handy for firing around corners or simply blind firing to see if you hit anything, but travels a bit too slowly to be useful at long distances. The secondary fire is more
accurate than a Blaster Rifle, so it can replace the Bryar as the poor man's sniper rifle until you find the Disruptor.
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DEMP 2 Gun
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Primary Fire: Energy ball, effective against droids and mechanical foes
Secondary Fire: Fast attack, splash damage to all enemies
Max Ammo: 300 (Power Cell)
Intended to make quick work of droids and other mechanical foes, the primary fire of the DEMP gun short-circuits electrical wiring, thus disabling most of the technological terrors Kyle encounters in his travels. It has a negligible
effect on living flesh, however, so the alternate fire can be used in
desperation to attack human opponents, if you are caught in a situation where
you can't switch your weapon quickly enough. In truth, this is a specialized
weapon for special situations; useful when you're facing off AT-STs or combat droids, but rarely utilized otherwise.
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Heavy Repeater
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Primary Fire: Solid rapid-fire projectile attack
Secondary Fire: Launches a concussive grenade, stunning and damaging enemies
Max Ammo: 400 (Metallic Bolts) Your basic machine-gun style weapon. The primary fire's inaccuracy makes this weapon a liability at anything more than short distances, but the secondary fire has a wide splash damage effect, making it perfect for a preliminary strike at an unwary crowd, or taking down Sentries and Trip Mines.
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Golan Arms FC-1 Flechette Weapon
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Primary Fire: Shotgun-style blast of metal shards
Secondary Fire: Dual explosive mines
Max Ammo: 400 (Metallic Bolts)
This is essentially the Star Wars equivalent of a nice, double-barrel shotgun. To be honest, I barely ever used this; the primary fire is only useful at close
range, when you're almost always going to be using the Lightsaber anyway, and the secondary fire is too inaccurate to be of much use against any but the most dense crowd of Troopers. One thing to note is the high ammo capacity and the
fact that the secondary fire only requires eight ammo per shot, so this might be something to whip out if you hear voices around the corner, since the mines can bounce off walls and obstacles.
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Merr-Sonn Portable Missile System
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Primary Fire: Fire-and-forget non-seeking missile
Secondary Fire: Hold down to lock on to target; let go for homing
missile
Max Ammo: 10 (Rockets)
The Outcast Rocket Launcher isn't encounter until fairly late in the game, and
is barely used after that. While using the rocket attacks are nice against
enemies that are far away and unaware of your presence, in most situations the
designers have included short-range nuisances along with long-distance threats,
making it impractical to switch away from your Lightsaber until no one is
firing at you. I usually just ignored anyone at long distance until I could
cover the ground between Kyle and his foes, so my style of play wasn't suited
for using the PMS (nice acronym), though it may be handy to keep around for the occasional AT-ST or Walker.
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Thermal Detonator
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Primary Fire: Timed explosion after throw (four seconds)
Secondary Fire: Explosion on impact
Max Ammo: 10 detonators
A weapon made infamous due to Boushh / Leia's gambit in Jabba's Palace, in which she successfully bluffed the Hutt crimelord into thinking she might destroy him along with the rest of his entourage, the Thermal Detonator is reknowned for its lethality. Since these detonate on a timer, they can be lobbed around corners or down shafts in order to strike blindly at enemies that you can hear coming, or suspect of lying in wait. You have to hold down the fire for a bit in order to throw it any appreciable distance, so watch the secondary fire. If you accidentally tap the secondary button while you have one
of these in your hands, you'll give yourself quite a tan.
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Det Pack
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Primary Fire: Place Det Pack on walls or floor
Secondary Fire: Detonate all active Det Packs
Max Ammo: 5 packs
Det Packs are wall- or floor-mounted explosives, designed with a detachable triggering mechanism that allows the user to wait as long as he or she wishes before detonation. These can be used to destroy certain doors
throughout the levels, or they can be placed in an inconspicuous spot and triggered when an
enemy comes by. The radius of the blast is fairly large, so you can use these for crowd control, but you will lose the protection of the Lightsaber while you wait for the enemies to get into position. You can place more than one if you
want, but you can only hold five at a time, so you'll need to be somewhat frugal when you use them.
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Laser Trip Mine
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Primary Fire: Places mine and activates trip-laser
Secondary Fire: Places mine and activates proximity sensor
Max Ammo: 5 mines
Also known as the HPB's Best Friend, the Trip Mine is one of those classic FPS
weapons that everyone either loves or hates. They work quite simply: simply
affix the mine to a surface, and when another player or opponent breaches the trip laser, the charge detonates, injuring or killing anything nearby. These act to slow the pace of multiplayer games a bit, since anyone who wishes to
pass through a mined corridor has to switch to a projectile weapon and shoot the mine from a distance away.