Choosing your Starting Class

Upon Character creation you will face a vital choice that will affect your entire game, namely choosing your starting class. This choice should not be taken lightly as it will affect all aspect of your playing style. There are certain things one should consider before choosing a starting class, to ensure an effective and fun build.

Firstly one needs to have in mind both what Jedi class they will ultimately switch to, as well as at what level one intends to switch. It is entirely possible to continue the game at level two until one gains access to his or her Jedi Class; however this may not be the most effective way.

Some advocate saving levels while others prefer to level up as they gain the experience to do so. By the time one is able to gain their first level as a Jedi, they will have gained enough experience to reach level 9 ± 1, and upon receiving their Jedi Class they will automatically receive enough experience to advance one level.

One need not worry about missing out on experience by saving levels; however your companions will receive less total XP if you save too many levels. To optimize your build this information along with pros and cons of choosing each starting class are listed in the table below.

Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 10 Attack Bonus: +1 Per level. Starting Skill Points: (1 + Int Mod) x 4 Saving Throws: Fortitude High. Skill Points Per Level: 1 + (Int Mod / 2 rounded down) Feat Progression: 1 per level until level 16. 1 every 2 levels thereafter Class Specific Feats: Weapon Specialization exclusive to this class (except for lightsabers). Starting Feats: All Armor and weapon proficiencies except for lightsabers. Power Attack and Power blast. Class Skills: Demolitions, Awareness, Treat Injury	Soldier
	The Good: This is a powerful class which receives more feats than any other class including Jedi classes and only becomes more powerful as they level up. It also shares the highest VP per level and highest base attack bonus increase with Jedi Guardians making them the best fighters of any class, which alone is reason enough to choose this class. Also their ease of use, straightforward approach, and hardiness makes them the most newbie friendly. Good Class Combinations: Level 5 - 7 Soldier and remainder as Jedi Guardian Level 5 - 8 Soldier and remainder as Jedi Sentinel The Bad: This class gets more powerful the more levels you invest, which means conversely that at lower levels the advantages decrease considerably. Below level 5 I would not choose the Soldier class as the number of feats you receive are not enough to outweigh the cons. Multiclassing a level 2 Soldier is never a good idea. Also while their class specific feat of weapon specialization is great for your party members it is relatively useless for your character, as they will be using lightsabers for the remainder of the game. Power Blast and Power Attack are nice at the beginning of the game but as most soldiers are more strength based, these can quickly become outdated so one must invest feats in building an additional active combat feat tree. The Ugly: The utter lack of skill points and class skills can give this class several problems. With persuade not being a class skill many dialogue choices are unavailable. Even if they save their skill points and use them all to increase their persuade skill after they receive their Jedi class, it leaves them with no skill points left for anything else. Also the repair skill is necessary to proceed with a side-quest and the only way to gain access to it as a class skill would be to choose the Consular class which is not the best choice for a Soldier. A minimum of 11 ranks in repair is necessary along with certain gear and the Master Valor Force power to be able to complete this quest. This means that practically all skill points are necessary and it can only be completed at level 19. This means that to have spare skill points one needs to have an intelligence of at least 14, which mostly goes to waste on a Soldier. While this is not a vital quest, as a completionist it is something to take note of. For more information see the Repair Skill.
Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 8 Attack Bonus: +0.75 Per level rounded down. Starting Skill Points: (3 + Int Modifier) x 4. Saving Throws: All High. Skill Points Per Level: 3 + (Int Mod / 2 rounded down). Feat Progression: 1 per level until level 3. 1 every 2 levels thereafter Class Specific Feats: Implant feats free. Uncanny dodge exclusive and free. Starting Feats: Light and medium armor and weapon proficiencies for blasters and melee weapons. implant level 1, Flurry and Rapid Shot. Class Skills: Computer Use, Demolitions, Awareness, Repair, Treat Injury	Scout
	The Good: This is my personal favorite starting class because of the many benefits that this class receives. Firstly they have the best saves of any class including Jedi classes. This is significant as saves do not increase as quickly as other stats. They are also the only starting class with repair and computer use as class skills, making bypassing certain areas much easier and making a certain side-quest much easier to complete. They are also granted the implant feats as they level up allowing one to use bonus feats elsewhere. This is especially nice at lower levels where the feat progression is close to that of a soldier. With flurry often being the combat feat of choice, scouts have soldiers beat when it comes to feat progression for the first 5 levels. If you take implant level 1 and 2 as well as flurry, that's three feats that soldiers must take in the first 5 levels leaving only 2 free feats. Scouts, on the other hand, receive 3 free feats along with the aforementioned feats. At level 4 they are down only 1 attack point and 8 vitality points compared to an equivalent soldier. The lower the level the more this class has to offer over the other two starting classes. If we see what the other two classes offer at 2nd level, Soldiers get 2 bonus feats , and scoundrels get 2 feats plus scoundrel's luck, this compared to Flurry and Implant 1 plus 2 bonus feats we see that for any combat oriented characters that intend to save levels, scouts are the class to pick. Good Class Combinations: Level 5 Scout and remainder as Jedi Guardian Level 2 or 5 Scout and remainder as Jedi Consular The Bad: Scouts are not without their own flaws. The Scout's "class of choice" as it were, is not its best choice to multiclass to, as Sentinels, similar to scouts, have little to offer past level 12. Also while both classes are versatile, this means that due to the lack of specialization, they do not excel at anything. Choosing two such classes is not the most effective combination. Also note the Sentinels multiple immunities make the scout's higher saves less important. Finally on another note, because of their optimized starting feats and the inability to save feats, it can be difficult to choose an appropriate feat at level 3. The Ugly: As stated above the lower the level the more beneficial scouts are when multiclassed in the long run. This means that most effective scouts need to save quite a few levels. This can make the first portion of the game more difficult, and can increase the penalty to your companions' XP. Aside from that a higher level scout has few benefits besides an increase in saves, which means that Soldiers with their greater attack bonus and VP fare better when leveling past 5. Scoundrels too begin to exceed scouts in that their sneak attacks can become devastating sources of damage. Pure scouts, (Zaalabar comes to mind) therefore have no benefits beyond a certain point, and are apt to lag behind others in their feats and abilities. Anything a scout can do another can do better usually. Combat is the domain of soldiers, while demolitions, stealth and security can be done by a scoundrel. Even computer use and repair can be done more effectively by an Expert Droid. Thus when it all boils down, scouts are great starters but mediocre finishers.
Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 6 Attack Bonus: +0.75 Per level rounded down. Starting Skill Points: (4 + Int Modifier) x 4. Saving Throws: Reflex High. Skill Points Per Level: 4 + (Int Mod / 2 rounded down). Feat Progression: 1 per at level 1 & 2. 1 every 3 levels thereafter Class Specific Feats: Sneak Attack and Scoundrel's Luck free and exclusive. Starting Feats: Light armor and weapon proficiencies for all blasters and melee weapons. Sneak Attack 1, Scoundrel's Luck, Critical Strike, and Sniper Shot. Class Skills: Computer Use, Demolitions, Awareness, Repair, Treat Injury	Scoundrel
	The Good: Scoundrels are the only starting class which receive an AC Bonus as they level up, which stacks with Jedi Sense, allowing for an incredibly high AC. They not only have the largest number of class skills, they are also the only class that can possibly have every skill as class skills upon multiclassing to Jedi Consular. Being the only class with Stealth as a class skill, they are able to infiltrate and get to key areas with relative ease. They are also the only class with access to Sneak Attack giving them the highest in damage potential. Even at medium levels, the amount of damage done by a sneak attack can more than double the damage done by a normal lightsaber. Their lack of higher armor proficiencies soon becomes obsolete once they gain their Jedi Class. I would also consider this versatile class to be the only class truly well suited to multiclass to any of the Jedi Classes. Adding Sneak Attack damage to a Guardian's high attack bonus means you will be hitting for huge damage as long as the opponent is stunned. Sentinels with their higher skill points and immunities mesh well with the scoundrel, upon which light sided mastery for the sentinel adds to constitution which can boost the low VP of the scoundrel levels. Jedi Consulars can benefit from the sneak skill as well as any increase in AC and are the most proficient at stunning enemies, which is the lifeblood of a sneak attacker. This versatility makes Scoundrels a good choice for any character. Finally, Scoundrels are the only starting class which have persuade as a class skill, making many of the persuade options only available to them for the first portion of the game. Good Class Combinations: Level 5 or 7 Scoundrel and remainder as Jedi Guardian Level 5 or 8 Scoundrel and remainder as Jedi Sentinel Level 2, 5, or 8 Scoundrel and remainder as Jedi Consular The Bad: One of the Strong points of scoundrels are the skill points that it receives; however this is not much of a strong point if you look closely. The usefulness of most skills are quite limited. See the Skills page for further discussion. Also despite having the largest number of skill points, they still do not have direct access to computer use and repair, which reduces the usefulness of skill points even further. On another note, critical strike is usually not the best combat feat tree for scoundrels who wish to apply sneak attack damage. Flurry is far more powerful for them meaning that that feat can go to waste. The Ugly: Besides the aforementioned, Scoundrels have a huge disadvantage. They have the lowest VP, meaning that you die more often than any other class. Along with this is the fact that unless the target is stunned or otherwise unable to react Sneak Attack is absolutely worthless. This means that darksiders will not be able to hit droids with sneak attack damage very often. Along with these weaknesses is the fact that Scoundrels receive fewer bonus feats than any other starting class. This slow feat progression can really hurt especially at the beginning of the game. Their versatility also means an overall weakening (see Mission). All of this can combine to make parts of the first section of the game hellishly difficult if one is saving levels. Trying to beat Bendak with a level 2 Scoundrel is a nightmare let me tell you. A poorly designed and equipped scoundrel is good as dead. Scoundrels are probably the least newbie friendly.

To Summarize:
Well built Soldiers are powerful fighters but not much else and should be leveled to at least level 5 before choosing a combat oriented Jedi class (Guardian or Sentinel).
Scouts an excellent choice when multiclassing at lower levels and should be used as such. Their versatility makes them excellent Guardians and Consulars.
Scoundrels can become just about anything but make sure that you do not make any mistakes when choosing attributes or feats otherwise you can have a very ineffective character that dies a lot on your hands, and dying is never fun.

What you ultimately choose depends on whether you want to go for straight up fighting (Soldier or Scout), backstabbing (Scoundrel), or finesse (Scoundrel or Scout). Remember that these classes are merely your initial class, and that what finalizes your character is your Jedi Class and should be built accordingly.

Choosing your Jedi Class

Upon character creation Jedi Classes will not be available to you, yet as mentioned above it is important to know beforehand what Jedi class you wish to ultimately multiclass to. The walk-through will mention specifically when and where this will occur, but again as mentioned above you will have approximately enough experience to be at level 9. Whether you decide to save levels or not you should read the following descriptions of the different Jedi Classes to at least have an idea of what class you wish to finally play as. Again this choice is a vital as if not more so than your initial class, and should not be taken lightly.

	Jedi Guardian
	Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 10 Force Points Per Level: 4 Attack Bonus: +1 Per level. Saving Throws: Fortitude and Reflex High, Will Medium. Skill Points Per Level: 1 + (Int Modifier / 2 rounded down). Minimum of 1 point. Feat Progression: One feat every third level with additional feats on the following levels: 1, 7, and 13. Force Power Progression: One Force Power per level. Class Specific Feats: Lightsaber Weapon Specializaion can only be chosen by this class. Force Jump exclusive and granted automatically to only this class. Starting Feats: Light Saber proficiency, Jedi Sense, Jedi Defense, Force Jump. Class Skills: Awareness, Persuade, Treat Injury Mastery: Light side +3 Strength. Dark Side +1-8 Physical Damage. The Good: Like the Soldier, this class is built for offense. It has the same VP and attack bonus per level as the Soldier, and the most feats of the three Jedi Classes. When it comes to direct offense this class outranks the other two by far. The Force Jump tree of feats exclusive to the Guardian class adds to both attack and damage for the entire round, which makes it both powerful and deadly. This makes ranged attacks against the Guardian Jedi futile, as he can close the gap instantly and deal tremendous damage while at it. It is also versatile in that any starting class can fit with it quite well. Also like the soldier they are newbie friendly, as they are the easiest class to build without making major mistakes. This class will get the most mileage out of the powerful lightsaber crystals found throughout the game. The Bad: Like the soldier, Guardians have problems with skill points. This is less of a problem if the initial class is a scoundrel or scout, as they can save up some of their skill points to allocate later on, but for soldiers it just compounds the problem. Also their lower force point count means that they cannot spam force powers, and may run out often earlier on. This can be a problem if you don't have enough FP to cast cure at a critical moment. Also in general their lower wisdom scores mean that their force powers are more easily resisted in the event that they do cast an offensive power. This coupled with the fact that their lowest save is their will save, means that unless they have gear that protects against stun based force powers and attacks, they can succumb to being no more than a punching bag, and being on the front line, quickly die.
	Jedi Sentinel
	Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 8 Force Points Per Level: 6 Attack Bonus: +0.75 Per level rounded down. Saving Throws: Fortitude and Reflex High, Will Medium. Skill Points Per Level: 2 + (Int Modifier / 2 rounded down). Minimum of 1 point. Feat Progression: One feat every third level with an additional feat on the first level. Force Power Progression: One Force Power per level. Class Specific Feats: Force Immunity exclusive and granted automatically to only this class. Starting Feats: Light Saber proficiency, Jedi Sense, Jedi Defense, Force Immunity: Fear. Class Skills: Awareness, Persuade, Treat Injury Mastery: Light side +3 Constitution. Dark Side Poison Immunity. The Good: The Jedi Sentinel is an interesting class. While it excels at neither offense nor force powers it has a charm of it's own. Sentinels are the hardest class to debilitate, and they have enough force powers to help them through more difficult encounters. Where a weak minded Guardian might be stunned by a force wave or two, Sentinels can cast a force wave of their own right back and keep on trucking. If they run low on HP there is little fear of being debilitated and unable to heal. Sentinels are great for backup, and can keep a group alive even when others have fallen. This allows them more choices in equipment seeing that they have no need items that grant Mind-Affecting immunity. They also receive the most skill points of any Jedi class, making them versatile in other ways as well, rounding out the weaknesses of soldiers. Sentinels often have high dexterity, making them a prime candidate for a dual blaster-wielding Jedi, and can make their AC sky high as well. If built correctly it can make the Jedi nigh unhittable. The Bad: Sentinels are a balance between both Guardians and Consulars, and as a result can lack in offensive power. Where both the Guardian and Consular can make mincemeat of a powerful boss, (if built correctly), Sentinels will likely spend more time wearing them down. Their defenses keep them alive, but do not help to quickly bring down a target, or at least not as quickly as the other two classes. There are also a few debilitating effects from which the Sentinel cannot immunize themselves, these being the Force choke tree line of force powers, and Force whirlwind (along with any scripted events). While these are not used commonly, they can be very annoying.
	Jedi Consular
	Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 6 Force Points Per Level: 8 Attack Bonus: +0.75 Per level rounded down. Saving Throws: Fortitude and Will High, Reflex Medium. Skill Points Per Level: 1 + (Int Modifier / 2 rounded down). Minimum of 1 point. Feat Progression: One feat every third level with an additional feat on the first level. Force Power Progression: One Force Power per level with an additional force power on the following levels: 1, 3, 9, 15, 18. Class Specific Feats: Force Focus tree exclusive and granted automatically to only this class. Starting Feats: Light Saber proficiency, Jedi Sense, Jedi Defense, Force Focus. Class Skills: Computer Use, Demolitions, Persuade, Awareness, Repair, Treat Injury Mastery: Light side +3 Charisma. Dark Side 50 Force Points. The Good: Consulars are the final word in force powers. With an enormous pool of force points to draw from, (especially as your main character) these powerhouses can cut through most defenses to deliver raw, unadulterated destruction. They gain the powerful Master Force Focus feat at level 12, which in effect increases the DC of your powers as if you had an additional 8 Wisdom! This, along with the sheer number of force powers they can have makes them invaluable in a fight. Whether it be for buffing purposes, or sheer destructive power of groups (force lightning, force wave) or individuals (Kill) their mastery of the force cannot be disputed. This is the only class that I would ever recommend taking 18 levels of, as it is so powerful. Strangely enough they are also the only Jedi Class to have Computer Use and Repair as class skills. The Bad: If there ever was a useless class if deprived of it's powers, it would be the Jedi Consulars. If you ever run out of force points, it is imperative that you rest to regain your pool of force points. Since they are so reliant upon their powers, enemies that have a high immunity to such powers are very dangerous to them. Their low VP means that they cannot take a beating. These are not front line fighters, but rather do best behind a solid front. If they become surrounded, they can be quickly overwhelmed as continuous casting can quickly drain even their significantly deep force point pool. A stunned or paralyzed Consular is a dead Consular. A Guardian may be able to take a few hits while paralyzed, and even slow the foe down enough that he can be aided, but a stunned Consular is less than a punching bag, as they go down far too quickly to provide any resistance.

Guardians are the powerhouses of offensive combat, Sentinels are the vanguards of defense, while Consulars are the masters of the Force. Each has something to offer the party, and there is no bad choice. Each Jedi class has great potential, and as long as one builds an effective character by choosing good feats, force powers, equipment, and proper leveling anything is possible.

Droid Class Information

As the Droid classes are not available as an option upon character creation there is no need to expound upon the pros and cons of choosing one class over another, rather that information is contained in the applicable NPC's section.

	Combat Droid
	Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 12 after purchase, 10 prior to. Attack Bonus: +1 Per level. Saving Throws: Fortitude High. Skill Points Per Level: 1 + (Int Modifier / 2 rounded down). Minimum of 1 point. Feat Progression: One feat every third level with an additional feat on the first level. Class Specific Feats: Combat Logic Upgrade tree and Droid Upgrade Trees granted automatically and only available to droid classes. Melee weapon proficiencies and related combat feats are not available to this class. Starting Feats: All ranged weapon proficiencies, Droid Upgrade Class 1, and Combat Logic Upgrade. Class Skills: Computer Use, Demolitions, Awareness, Repair, Security. Remaining skills are unavailable.
	Expert Droid
	Basic Information: Vitality Points Per Level: 8. Attack Bonus: +0.75 Per level rounded down. Saving Throws: Reflex High. Skill Points Per Level: 2 + (Int Modifier / 2 rounded down). Minimum of 1 point. Feat Progression: One feat every third level with additional feats on the following levels: 1, 5, 11, and 17. Class Specific Feats: Combat Logic Upgrade tree and Droid Upgrade Trees granted automatically and only available to droid classes. Active and passive combat feats unavailable except for two weapon fighting, toughness, and blaster pistol proficiency trees. Starting Feats: Blaster Pistol proficiency, Droid Upgrade Class 1, and Combat Logic Upgrade, Blaster Integration. Class Skills: Computer Use, Repair, Security. Demolitions and Awareness available as cross-class skills. Remaining skills are unavailable.

Please note that more detailed information about saves, attack bonuses, VP, FP, and other stats is available here. VP per level and FP per level does not include bonuses from your Constitution Modifier and Wisdom Modifier respectively.

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