Top Ten – KotOR Companions

One of the (many) reasons I love both KotOR and KotOR 2 so much is the characters. They’re well written, interesting, and more often than not pretty funny. So here are my top ten favourites. Note: spoilers, duh.

10. Kreia

Kreia is a former Jedi Master, turned Sith Lord, turned companion to The Exile. While she may be controlling and manipulative, she’s an excellent buffer to have in your team, due to her ability to apply any buff that would normally only be applied to herself to the Exile also! Invaluable, if your Exile is no good at the force.

(Note: I would have put Kreia higher up this list for her usefulness, but due to story developments I decided against it.)

9. Carth Onasi

Carth is your first proper companion in the original KotOR, and he’s actually not too bad. If all you need is a gunslinger to back you up, Carth’s your man. He’s pretty paranoid about being betrayed (he would not get on well with Kreia). His standard setup is dual wielding blaster pistols and donning heavy armour. While he lacks a decent skill set and intelligence stat, he can defend himself well enough in melee, so he’s likely to stay alive long enough to be of use. Fiercely loyal to the Republic, and a hardened veteran of the Mandalorian Wars, he’s a solid choice, if at times a bit dull and whiny.

8. Bastila Shan

Speaking of whiny…

Just as loyal as Carth is to the Republic, Bastila is to the Jedi. She is adamant that she made the right decision not joining Revan to war with the Mandalorians. Although she is quite preachy, she’s a useful asset to have with you in KotOR, as having balanced stats helps a lot; she will be equally as good using force powers as with her double lightsaber. While she’s available to use, again, a reliable choice.

7. T3-M4

The R2-D2 of the KotOR era, T3 is the first companion on this list to feature (as a playable companion) in both KotOR and in KotOR 2. Although he can technically be a ranged fighter, if you really wanted, his main skill is his skills. They’re pretty awesome. As you might expect, if you need anything breaking into, or a computer sliced, T3’s your guy. While in the original films R2 had an amazing personality for a character who never spoke a word, T3 is slightly less charismatic.

6. Juhani

If you’ve gone down the consular/force user route for KotOR, then Juhani may well prove to be invaluable. Her setup is simple; single lightsaber, decent strength and dexterity stats. It’s probably not even worth telling her to use any force powers, just get her to power attack anything in your path, and you’re sorted. Given that her homeworld was devastated by Mandalorians, she’s been plagued by idiots being xenophobic, and finally slavery, she’s still one of the best out there.

5. Atton Rand

If T3’s the R2 of the series, then that would make Atton the Han Solo of the KotOR world, albeit with a darker backstory. A soldier who fought under Revan in both the Mandalorian War and the Jedi Civil War, he eventually ended up as the first companion of The Exile in the Peragus mining facility. In classic Han style, he’s rogue-ish, wisecracking and handy with a blaster. He is essentially “Carth 2.0” (ie Carth but with skills).

4. Canderous Ordo

Yet another veteran of the Mandalorian War, Canderous fought for the Mandalorians (you know, being a Mandalorian). He’s the only character to really be suited to the heavy ranged weapons of the games, both as “Canderous” in KotOR, and as “Mandalore” in KotOR 2. But, with a great strength stat and the ability to regen health, he makes a good tank too. Like T3, he makes an appearance in both games, and each time to great effect.

3. Bao-Dur

A Zabrak, Bao-Dur appears in KotOR 2 only. He served under The Exile in the Mandalorian War, and is renowned as an expert mechanic and engineer, responsible for the creation of the Mass Shadow Generator at Malachor V. As a companion, he’s skilled in anything mechanical, suited towards blaster rifles, and has the unique ability to destroy any force field due to his crazy arm (see below).

Also good for toasting marshmallows.

On top of all that, he creates The Exile a lightsaber, and (also due to said arm) excels in unarmed combat. Would you really want to be punched by that?

2. HK-47

Everyone’s favourite killer robot/comedian! HK-47 is, put simply, an assassin droid, and an evil one at that, making him one of the best purely ranged fighters either game has to offer, using a blaster rifle to destroy anything and (if he had his way) everything. With enough skill in repair, you can upgrade his functionality too, for things like boosted dexterity, and health regeneration.

Perhaps his greatest strength, though, lies in his dialogue.

1. Jolee Bindo

Everyone’s favourite cranky old man/comedian! Jolee Bindo left the Jedi after they refused to punish him for secretly training an apprentice/wife (who went on to turn to the dark side). He considers himself something of a “grey Jedi”, finding both the Jedi and the Sith equally annoying, probably part of the reason he lived on Kashyyyk in the forest for so many years, isolated from either group. While he might be slightly more prone to the light than dark side of the force, he is a master force user, able to use light side buffs and stuns, along with devastating dark side attacks with ease. Unless you’re playing as a consular yourself in the original KotOR, Jolee should always be on your team, if only for some crotchety old man wisdom/rants.

So, who do you think should have made the list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!