The Dark Side of the Force

Players new to JKA should realize that the Multiplayer mode is substantially different from the Single Player mode. In particular, the weapons, items, power-ups, and other features are different in many ways from their offline counterpart. We strongly recommend playing against Bots (AI simulated multiplayer opponents) as training for internet or LAN games, as they represent the type of gameplay you will experience online. However, there is no substitute for the unpredictability and inventiveness of human opponents, so eventually you must venture out if you expect to master the game! Players migrating over from other FPS games will have many new challenges ahead, including learning Force Powers, the Lightsaber, as well as the different nuances of the game. Even veteran players of other Dark Forces series games (JK, MotS, etc) will have many new things to learn. In short, you must "unlearn what you have learned," to quote a wise Jedi Master. ; )

The site will be presented with the assumption that players have already read over the official JKA manual (that comes with every legitimate copy of the game) and the readme documentation. Some material from these sources may be covered in more detail however.

The Force represents the "meat" of JKA multiplayer and is what distinguishes it (along with the lightsaber) from most other games in the genre. Not all servers permit the use of Force, but since it is what we play most often, and what makes JKA gameplay so challenging and unique, we will focus on "Full Force" (FF for short) gameplay strategies primarily. Playing without Force can be very different and may be a subject for future sections, when time permits.

Essentially, the Dark Jedi is a Force-powered combat monster. His powers are designed to sap the health and mana of his opponents, and over-power them quickly, augmented by his saber (since the attacks connect at close range) primarily.

The Darkside is a nice foil to the Lightside, in that Light Jedi will constantly have to put up their defences to counter your attacks, using up valuable mana. It is important not to put too much faith in your destructive powers, as you must have a backup plan to put into effect the instant you know they are going to counter your power. Using combinations of different Force Powers, weapons, and pickups is a great way to make it difficult for your enemy to adapt to your strategies.

When using the Dark Side, I recommend putting Force into your Lightsaber Enhancements (maxing them out if you can) since this is the weapon you may end up using a lot of in close quarters (it's almost always the best weapon for that job). Grip and Drain are highly effective powers, but can both be countered by one power: Absorb. So Dark Rage is definately a power to consider (however, be ready to deal with the consequences). If you're going to use Dark Rage, put as many points into it as you can, might as well go all out. If you encounter habitual Absorb users, Dark Rage is definately a power you want to have (even at the expense of the other Dark Side Powers, in my opinion. Remember that after hitting escape and changing your Force configuration in the "Player" menu the changes will not take affect until your next "respawn" after death or the next map.

To use Grip, target your enemy at a short distance, and press and hold the Grip button. A red energy will appear on your hand, and your enemy (if affected) will clutch at their throat, while you hear a crushing sound. The power can be used for up to 5 seconds at a time.

The Grip attack is a kind of pulsing move, that does damage in a certain rythm at Level 2 and 3. At level 1 it is simply a way to immobilize the enemy to set them up for an attack. When used at Level 3, it is usually not the choke itself that kills your victim, but the manuvering of their body into danger that does the job. An nice combination is to grip your enemy up into the air, and then Force Push them making them take falling damage from the long drop, or tossing them a country mile (thanks to Artifex for the tip!).

Absorb, Jedi Mind Trick, and Push can counter it, as well as certain heavy damage sustained to the caster's health, or if they move out of range of the victim.

Grip is one of the most hated and feared Force powers in the Dark Forces series, and for good reason. It can both immobilize them, deal damage, and at the highest setting, allow you to move your victim into a position where they will fall to their death, get hacked up by your saber or shot up by enemies (or your fellow teammates).

The initial "grabbing" action of grip can be countered if the attacker is damaged, in most cases, as there is a slight delay between the activation of the power and the actual damage/immobilization.

Force Lighting is accomplished by tapping the Force Lightning key. A bolt of blue/white lightning (or forward attack) is cast from your arm. Victims struck by Lightning pulse with energy and take damage. Note that Lightning does damage to shields FIRST.

The attack must be "aimed" and has limited range. Lightning can be good for wearing down an opponent in a saber fight, or trading hits when someone is gripping you. It does not work on Assault Sentries. I don't use Lightning very much, but if you do use it, you might as well put it at Level 3, since it can do vast amounts of damage (but drains your mana quickly).

If you have Melee (fists) instead of a Lightsaber, you can toss lightning with both hands (however you will gesture with both hands but only one shoots lightning).

This is capable of doing twice the damage as normal Lightning at Level 3 (special thanks to acdcfanbill for confirmation of this!). A full burst of Level 3 Lightning can do up to 104 damage, while "two handed lightning" at Level 3 can do at least 200 (killing a fully shielded player)!

Afterward you are reduced to about 30 force mana points.

Lightning users can be easily beaten by Light Jedi with Absorb (Lightning merely charges up their Mana Pool).

Force Dark Rage is activated by hitting the Force Dark Rage Key and activates instantly. The player is surrounded by swirling red electricity (and a red tinted haze in first person view), and their rate of fire and movement speed increase.

During this frenzy of bloodlust, the caster cannot be killed (except by being thrown into a bottomless pit or crushed by traps). Damage taken is reduced by 50%, and while their health is reduced with attacks, it will not go below 1.

While this toggleable power is activated, the Mana Pool will not increase, but other powers can be used while Rage is going.

The power likewise cannot be activated if the player has 1 health (since it drains about 4 health units per second when activated). While Raged, a player cannot pickup Med Packs, but he can restore his rapidly decreasing health through the use of Bacta (if available on the map) and Force Drain. While this slows the depletion of his health, it will not extend the life of the power. If done properly, the user will be at 100 health immediately after the power wears off. During the "recovery" period, the castor is left slow and vulnerable, until the icon has stopped flashing (and the recovery period is over).

It IS possible to use Force Speed during both the "Raged" period and recovery periods (although the latter is difficult since you'll be so low on mana.. best done when you've picked up the Force Boon power-up). Level 3 Force Speed + Level 3 Dark Rage is so fast, it almost feels like you're playing Dark Forces II again (use wisely when fleeing with the Flag).

Sometimes it may even be advantageous to activate the power the instant you respawn (as you start with 25% more health by default) and so will be harder to stop... this could be beneficial in CTF for instance.

Remember that if at any time the enemy does enough damage (difficult, but possible) to reduce you to 1 health, the power will end prematurely and force you into recovery.

The power can be toggled off early which immediately triggers the recovery period. It's wise to keep some Bacta (if available on the map) on hand when using this power! It can be excellent for one on one battles, and for CTF (for defense, or for Flag Carriers to get that last leg of the journey.. just be careful you don't get caught between bases when it runs out!).

Force Drain is accomplished by tapping the Force Drain key. The key can be held down on the higher levels for a sustained draining attack. Its method of use functions much like Force Lightning in this respect.

Drain launches red lightning from the hand of the user. In JKA this power drains Force Mana from the enemies it hits, restoring lost health points to the user. Sucessful hits will cause your enemies to briefly give off a red aura (similar to the effect created by Force Drain, and Team Heal). This is the Dark Jedi's method of healing, by leeching off of others.

This power is nasty because it can sap needed mana from an enemy, while you are at healed, potentially tipping the scales in a battle. However, it is totally useless against a higher or equivalent level of Absorb.

Note: Level 1 & 2 Drain will not waste the user's mana if it "misses" (no targets nearby).

Available only to Dark Side players in team-based games, this power is accomplished by targetting your teammates that need Force mana regenerated, and hitting the Force Team Energize key. You will take some of your mana, and use it to restore their's.

Players that are having their mana recharged will briefly glow with a blue aura (similar to the effect created by Force Drain, and Team Heal).

When playing a team game, especially in a larger game of CTF, it's a good idea to have at least one Dark Jedi with this power at Level 3. Combined with Light Jedi who have Team Heal, this can be an excellent way to keep your allies strong. A Team Energizer is especially important for Dark Jedi, as their offensive powers need lots of mana. Sending an Energizer alongside his comrades on offense can also be a worthwhile strategy to develop.

The Light Jedi is your polar opposite. He relies on his saber and other weapons to fight, and the Force to keep him alive and counter your powers. When he spawns in, he's less dangerous than you, lacking a way to attack with the Force (other than his Neutral powers like Push and Saber Throw, which you have as well).

Use your Dark Powers to augment your other weapons, but don't discount the power of the ambush and quick assault. Overwhelm him with DarkSide attacks and your saber, but don't forget to gather weapons, since he will be doing that right off the bat.

Hog the Dark Enlightenment and Force Boons, and sabotage/snipe at him and other wise deny access to the Light Enlightenment.

Keep in mind that a Light Jedi with Level 3 Absorb can counter most of your powers simply by keeping it on (Lightning, Drain, Grip, Push/Pull). But he needs mana to keep this up, and this also limits his use of other powers. Deny him mana and don't give him room to manuver.

Against Heal

Prevent him from Healing by using Drain. Deny him other healing items (which you need for yourself anyway). If you deal damage fast enough, his constant healing won't save him either. He also can't heal his way out of a long fall (thanks to Grip/Push/Pull).

Since Drain's effectiveness as a "mana sucker" in the latest patch is lessened, employ the other tactics mentioned above instead.

Against Absorb

The bane of your existence, since it counters most of your powers. If you see the blue glow, don't use Grip, Drain, or Lightning on him. Use Dark Rage (that'll show him), and Saber Throw, instead. Take advantage of him when he turns off Absorb to Drain his mana. Of course if he has Less than Level 3 Absorb, use Level 3 Drain to sap his mana away (slowly but surely). If you want to knock him off a ledge, employ weapons with an explosive effect (Demp 2, Merr Son, Thermal Detonators, Trip Mines, Det Packs).

Since Absorb won't appear visually until you attack him, you can "test" a player you suspect with a quick push or pull. Just remember every time you do this, you give him mana. Utilize physical attacks instead. If you listen well you can hear the tell-tale sounds of Absorb being used...

If you have the Saberstaff or Melee (with G_debugmelee 1 on and no points given to Saber Attack) you can kick that smirk off his face when he uses Absorb, then set him up for a ground stab.

Against Mind Trick

Prevent him from using this power with Drain, but it's probably not worth the effort. Simply use Seeing to reveal his location, and attack him mercilessly. He may try to go invisible then snipe you. Level 3 Seeing serves a dual purpose by revealing his position and letting you dodge his sniper shots. Keep your saber out just in case.

Against Protect

An easy one, use Drain to shut down this power, or use Force attacks (Grip in particular) instead of saber attacks or guns. If forced into close quarters Drain first if you can. Grip him into the air and over a ledge, or Push him into harm's way. Remember that he can still die from traps as well. Don't waste mana on Dark Rage when you see the Green aura.

Remember that he cannot combine Protect with Absorb, so he's open to attacks with Lightning, Grip, Push, and Pull. If you're a good shot, Dark Rage may enable you to hurt him enough to push through, despite his Force Shield.

Against Team Heal

As with countering Team Energize, kill and otherwise distract the Team Healer from his teammates, making his job tougher. Drain works nicely for this purpose.

With the lessened effect of Drain, employ similar tactics you would use against Heal. Keep in mind that he has to be almost within touching range of his teammates, so keep him seperated (or kill his friends before he can rescue them). Do this especially if he's trying to help his Flag Carrier! Just don't let the Carrier get away...

When facing Dark Jedi, you have a war of attrition on your hands, as you both try to pound each other with your offensive powers.

Remember that you have no natural defense against Lightning or Drain (unlike a Light Jedi) so be prepared to strike first and hard, or employ other tactics.

Hoard the Dark Enlightenment and Force Boons, or sabotage/camp them, when he tries to fill up.

What it may come down to, is a case of you both running out of mana, or both attacking each other, and the one with the fastest reaction time will be the winner. Keep lots of healing items ready, and your saber handy for close encounters. At times it may be more effective to stay at a distance and hit him with guns, where his powers will be out of range (forcing him to run away or gather weapons).

Dark Rage is powerful, allowing you to fire much faster, take advantage of this, and outgun him, but watch out for the weak period afterward. When you see him using Rage, count the seconds before it wears off and then go in for the kill.

The key is to keep your mana full and ready at all times, and hoard the healing items and shields away from him. Unlike Light Jedi, his main arsenal is with the Force, and so expect an attack at any time.

Against Drain

If he likes to use Drain, keep him at a distance (using Speed, Jump, Push) and use your guns and other weapons, or Drain him first. Using Drain right off the bat to wipe out his mana will prevent him using anything on you.

Against Dark Rage

Keep Bacta (if available on the map) handy for regeneration after Dark Rage wears off, and hoard the health if he likes to use it (since he'll need to recharge as well). Take advantage of his weakness and unleash a Rage of your own!

Drain him to shut down Rage quicker (if you dare get that close) and counter-attack when he's weakened.

Use Grip to manuver him into traps or off ledges (where even his Dark Rage cannot save him from dying). Use Push in the same way (less effective if he has Pull).

Against Grip

If he levitates you up in the air with grip, zap him with high level Lightning to deal more damage to him than he gives to you. Counter the attack with Push, or Pull him towards you for a quick saber slash.

Against Lightning

Use Drain to kill his Lighting barrage. Keep at a distance (Push, Speed, Jump) and blast him with weapons. Dark Rage may keep you alive long enough to strike a killing blow...

Remember that to use Lightning, he will have to lower his saber, use this opportunity to strike at his unprotected body, just be sure you do more damage than his lightning will.

Against Team Energize

Drain their mana, and use Team Energizers of your own. Target their designated Team Energize users and kill them repeatedly, while trying to cut them off from the rest of their team. Keep in mind that he has to be almost within touching range of his teammates, so keep him seperated (or kill his friends before he can rescue them). Do this especially if he's trying to help his Flag Carrier! Just don't let the Carrier get away...