You're a new (or newly-returning) player: welcome! This guide is here to help you get yourself set up by going through some of the most common and useful recommendations for playing KOTOR 2, including some spoiler-free information about general things to watch out for and bugs to avoid, and, for PC players, important bugfix mods and recommendations about how to best play KOTOR 2 on modern systems.

What System Should I Buy KOTOR 2 For?

Not all editions of KOTOR 2 are created equal. Sadly, the least of all of them are the various Xbox versions and the Switch release--without file system access and access to important bugfix and restoration mods such as TSLRCM (The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod), the game is in a frankly buggy and incomplete state on consoles, and lacks the ability to use the savegame editor to bypass bugged content if you encounter it. If possible, you should play on other systems.

There are also five versions of KOTOR 2 for computers, however: the original or 4-disk rerelease CD retail versions, the Steam version, the GOG version, the Origin version, and the Mac Store version. All of these are more-or-less identical, save that it's a little bit harder to mod the Mac store version, but the biggest differences are between the Steam & GoG editions and the Disk/Origin/Mac versions. The Steam & GoG versions of the game recently received a new update which added native widescreen and controller support, as well as (for Steam only) Steam Workshop support for modding (though it's very poor for compatibility and the mod selection on it is low; it's advised to avoid using the Workshop), but this version has also caused other issues which may be a factor in your purchase. Thankfully the Steam and GoG editions can be rolled back to a "legacypc" beta state which is identical to the other releases, so even if you experience issues with the most recent (AKA Aspyr) patch, you can still play the stable older version.

Finally, KOTOR 2 does also have a mobile edition which was released recently. It's a direct port of the PC version, and plays fairly well. It has better modding support than the original KOTOR's mobile port, but still requires a computer in order to be able to install many large mods--while this route is a much better choice than playing on console if possible, since there is a mobile release of TSLRCM, it's still easiest overall to play on a computer.

See here for a list of retailers that sell KOTOR 2, as well as for further details about the Steam edition's changes.

Help, I have X Issue!

If you're on the Xbox, there's not much you can ever do. You have three options: load an earlier save, uninstall and reinstall the game, and uninstall and reinstall the game on a different drive. If none of those work and the issue you're having is clearly a bug, there's not anything anyone can do to help you.

If you're on PC, you should avail yourself of our expanded wiki's bugs section for some common issues and fixes. If you don't see your problem on there, or the fix for it doesn't work, join the KOTOR Discord and make a post with your issue in the #tech_support channel and we'll try giving you a hand.

Spoiler-Free First Playthrough Advice

Be aware that, from the moment you step on the Harbinger, you can earn positive or negative influence with your companions based on your actions and conversations with them. Either extremely high or extremely low influence will unlock new dialogue for your companions (for more info, see here, but your companions will tend toward your same alignment with high influence, and your opposite alignment with low influence. Due to unfortunate design decisions by the developers, some incredibly plot-critical dialogue and background for the game is locked behind sufficiently influencing companions--thus, to get the most out of KOTOR 2, it is CRITICAL to unlock as much companion dialogue as possible. You should be incredibly mindful of which companions you're trying to talk to via positive influence and which companions you're attempting to speak to via negative influence, and behave accordingly around them. Companions will have their own likes and dislikes which will be up to you to discover. If you care to know those companions who matter the most for plot-relevant influence unlocks it is the following, in order: Kreia, T3-M4, Disciple (female-only companion), HK-47, Atton, Mandalore, Bao-Dur. All other companions reveal additional personal information or receive class level-ups during their influence process, but do not reveal any story-critical information.

If you have the Handmaiden in your party, do not speak to Visas until you have trained the Handmaiden completely (you'll know what I mean when you get there). Otherwise you'll experience a nasty side-effect.

Save Korriban for last, and ensure your character is strongly aligned (either LS or DS) before you go.

Be aware that completed quests on Nar Shaddaa contribute to triggering a plot event which will immediately force you to progress along a very linear and difficult path, and that certain quests will become unavailable after that trigger fires (note that this trigger is not the Red Eclipse encounter). Attempt to travel between modules as little as possible and be as completionist as possible in the time you have, so that you can complete what quests you need to before the trigger occurs. In particular: travel to the Docks, then the entertainment module, before you travel to the Refugee zone, and delay doing the Red Eclipse as long as you can. Also be aware that some conversations can be listened in on with stealth.

How do I Build a Character?

If you're familiar with D&D, KOTOR's combat system is built off of a variant of D&D 3.5, and it's quite similar to it in most of the important respects. If you're not familiar or want a refresher, you can take a look at the main wiki's mechanics section.

Character building in KOTOR 2 is very important to unlocking some elements of the plot--it's like Planescape: Torment in that respect. If you want to get the most out of the story, we recommend building a specific starting character archetype. But thankfully, since KOTOR 2 adds prestige classes, you can begin as the recommended 14-INT Sentinel and still shift into a prestige class that's more reflective of the sort of combat archetype you'd like to be.

How does Influence Work as a Mechanic?

KOTOR 2 has an influence system which activates from the point the player steps onto the Harbinger at Peragus. This influence system is based off of actions as well as dialogue, and is variable on a companion-by-companion basis. Certain companions like Light Side actions whilst others like Dark Side actions, and some like both. Still other companions care more about the manner in which they are treated than the "alignment" of your choices (although that doesn't mean that they don't take alignment into account); Kreia, for example, does not like having her opinions ignored or disregarded. To an extent, it is up to the player to find out what all of their companions favor.

Influence--both high and low--unlocks additional companion dialogue, and in certain cases allows your companions to gain prestige classes. Because KOTOR 2 is a game which is, in many ways, driven by the story of your companions, it is highly important to unlock as much of their unique dialogue as you can, and therefore it might well be prudent for the player to actively choose to get high influence with companions which are similarly ideologically aligned to them and low influence with companions who do not agree with their choices, so the player can unlock all of their companions' unique dialogue without having to take actions which are not in keeping with their preferred alignment.

Should I Use Mods?

The most well-known, important and broadly-appreciated mod for TSL is TSLRCM (The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod).

TSLRCM is essential even on your first playthrough. It not only brings back a plethora of cut content, making the plot easier to understand and the game more enjoyable, but also fixes a massive quantity of bugs, some of which are extremely serious and even game-breaking. There is positively no reason not to use TSLRCM on every single playthrough, unless you're playing on the Xbox and have no option to. There is even a mobile-compatible version, MTSLRCM, for those playing the game on their phones.

The KOTOR 2 Community Patch is also an important, though less critical, collection of supplemental bugfixes that address several issues which slipped through the cracks during TSLRCM's development, and is safe to use alongside TSLRCM (indeed, it requires it!).

Okay, What if I Want More Mods?

Generally speaking, mods on your first playthrough can ruin the intended progression or aesthetic of the basegame. Worse still, it can do this before you can even learn what the intended design is like, which can result in redesigning a game you may have liked in its basic form--a fraught prospect at best. It's also all-too-easy to spoil yourself on major plot points while searching for mods. Therefore, unless you're specifically only using mods which restore content or fix bugs (such as TSLRCM as recommended above), we usually recommend not using any mods on your first playthrough.

There is an exception to this in the form of the KOTOR Mod Builds, however. We're a little biased given that this site hosts them, but we also truly believe that the Spoiler-Free mod build, which is a subset of the base mod build specifically geared towards new players, includes tasteful improvements across the game without modifying its original atmosphere, progression, or story. It's designed to enhance the base game rather than modify it, and its use will, in our opinion, not detract from the experience of KOTOR 2 in the slightest. Most importantly, as the name suggests, installs of that build are censored to prevent you from being spoiled during the download or install process for the mods, allowing you to install the content safely without risking your experience being compromised.