Items / Power-ups

Here you will find specific descriptions and strategies for using the various items and power-ups in JKA.

Click below to skip to a specific section:

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), readme documentation and the in-game help ("Rules"). Some material from these sources may be covered in more detail however.

Some items, when picked up, are added to your personal inventory. They are used by selecting them in your inventory (using the inventory next/previous keys) and activating them by pressing the "use item" key. A "hotkey" can also be bound to the specific item, to use it instantly, without having to fumble through the menus (which is why I highly recommend binding keys to all your frequently used items). Other items are activated instantly when you contact with them with your body. Be aware of the effects of each item, so you can use them effectively.

Remember you start each game with only the Lightsaber (or Melee if you didn't assign any Force Points to Saber Attack), the BlasTech pistol (with infinite ammo), 25 shield points, and a full mana pool. Look for items immediately!

Note: Pictures are enlarged for clarity, not necessarily to scale.

These small white boxes (that occasionaly glow red) instantly restore your health points (the red numbers featured on the lefthand portion of your HUD) when you run over them. Each box restores up to 25 lost health points, but will not go over your maximum of 100.

Know where health packs are and when they will respawn, so you can always be assured of full health, saving yourself the need to use the Force to restore health lost in battle. Since health packs are so sought after, they are also excellent targets for setting traps (see Weapons section for details!).

Health of course is the sustaining element that keeps you alive. Being hit by dangerous objects that are thrown at you by your opponent or environmental hazards deplete this precious commodity. If your health goes to zero, you die, instantly! Be ever watchful of your health, and always be thinking about where to get more (or how to get more) when you are injured.

The ground somersault (hold crouch while running, while holding the Lightsaber) is an excellent way to grab Med Packs quickly (by rolling over them). This is applicable to all pickup items. Remember your enemies are after them too! It may also be advantageous to guard health pickups for your teammates.

You begin the game with 125 health points. However, this total counts down at a constant rate until you are at the standard maximum of 100. Also notice how when a character "spawns" into a game, he or she is surrounded by a green distorting bubble for a few seconds. This and the extra health are meant to prevent people from dying right away if they spawn into a dangerous situation, before they have time to react.

This small rectangular object (that occasionaly glows green) will restore up to 25 points to your Shields meter (the green numbers located on the lefthand side portion of your HUD) but not go over your maximum of 100.

Shields are important in that they absorb the damage you sustain from attacks.

Note that Force Powers (except for Force Lightning which hits shields first) and impact damage (from long falls, or being knocked into walls by Force Push) do direct damage, making shields useless against them. Shields are drained by damage from energy weapons, projectiles, explosions and melee strikes (grapples, punches, kicks).

When a player recieves damage to his shields, his body will give off a brief green flash or glow. If there is no glow when he is hit by conventional weapons or explosions, then you know he has no shields left!

By default, you begin the game with 25 shields, barely enough to protect you from harm, so it is vital to find more as soon as you can.

The "big" version of the Shield Boost (aka "Super Shield"), this back-pack like object (which occasionaly glows green) will instantly grant you up to 100 Shield points when touched. In JKA, you cannot have more than 100 Shield points at a time.

This item is of great value, and the locations of these should be paid careful attention. Do your best to deny your enemies access to these valuable power-ups!

This small green fire hydrant-like object is immovable, but when touched and the "use" key is pressed, it will restore Shield points to the user. Every press of the key restores about 2 Shield points, and if the key is held down, they come at a rapid rate.

The Converter (found only in CTF or Siege games) has a limited store of Shield Points, and it must recharge in order to get more. It will make a distinctive sound when it is restoring shields, and another when it is drained. It seems to restore itself at about the same rate as it is drained (about 2 points per 1/5 second). These generators hold roughly 200 Shield points at full charge, and are most often found strategically placed near Flag bases in CTF maps (providing vital sustaining protection for defenders, or replenishing fuel for returning Flag Carriers).

In JKA the Shield Power Converters (when looked at) show a yellow status bar. This bar indicates the recharge time needed for the station to be usable. When it is fully yellow, it's ready, when it has become gray, it is depleted and needs time to recharge. In Siege they are the only means of obtaining Shields.

While sucking the Shield power from a Converter, you can crouch, without interrupting the flow of energy, however if you look away from it, the flow stops. Be aware that you are vulnerable while stocking up on Shields, and the enemy may try to set a trap for you! Due to the slow nature of the Shield restoration, it may be better to grab nearby Shield Generators or Shield Boosts before using the Converter.

This Holocron (a floating, box-like device that imparts Jedi wisdom to the one you picks it up) is generated by a holographic projector, much like the various Weapons in the game. Once touched, it automatically activates and a "sunburst" icon appears in the upper right corner of the player's screen, with a number that counts down, showing the amount of time before it wears off. It also imparts a slight glow to the user.

While the Force Boon is activated, the user's Mana pool will recharge itself much more quickly than normal, (but it will not recharge your Mana when certain toggleable powers are activated, such as Speed or Seeing).

If a player that posseses this item is killed, before their Force Boon wears off, the item will pop out of their corpse, and can be picked up by another player, with the time remaining on it available to them for their own purposes.

Even though the Force Boon accelerates your mana regeneration, it doesn't help with toggleable powers (such as Speed, Seeing, Absorb, Mind Trick, etc). When you grab one of these, make use of instant powers like Heal instead. Be prepared to become a sought after target once you pick up one of these.

Much like the Force Boon, this item is also a Holocron, holographically projected, however there are two versions, one for Dark Jedi (Dark Enlightenment) and one for Light Jedi (Light Enlightenment). As one might expect, the Dark version is darker in color (with a red "eye" symbol) than the Light version (with a softer blue and white "eye"). When grabbed, this item maxes out the levels on all Neutral Powers and Lightsaber Enhancements, as well as granting maxed out versions of all your side specific (Dark or Light) powers. This means that you have every power on your side, at Level 3, for the duration of the item!

This power is incredibly valuable, as it can give you powers you did not select, and temporarily enhance all of your powers. While it is active, an icon with the same color as the Holocron, with a picture of an eye on it will appear in the upper righthand corner of your HUD, with the time remaining before it wears off.

A Light Enlightened player will give off bright glow, while a Dark Enlightened player will cast a "dark" glow (a shadow) until the power-up wears off.

As one might expect, this is an incredibly valuable power, so hoard it if you can, from your enemies!

Like the Force Boon, when a player that posseses this item is killed, before it wears off, the item will pop out of their corpse, and can be picked up by another player, with the time remaining on it available to them for their own purposes. Keep in mind that a Dark Jedi cannot pick up the Force Enlightenment of a Light Jedi, and vice versa. In fact, the version opposite of your side (dark or light) will appear "gray," signifying that you can't use it. Note that if you lack a Lightsaber, picking up this power-up will not grant you one (you're still stuck with Melee).

Combined with the Force Boon, a player becomes super powerful, and will be a sought after target (to gain the power-ups). Know ALL of the Force powers on your side of the Force, so that when you pick up this item, you can make full use of its abilities.

In the teambased CTF (Capture the Flag) game mode, these Flags will appear in the base corresponding to their color (Red for the New Republic team; Blue for the Imperial team).

Running over the enemy team's flag picks it up (your character is shown with a huge flag attached to his back, and a flag icon appears in your HUD). You are now a "Flag Carrier" and your job is to take the flag and make contact with your own flag at your own team's base, in order to score. Killing a Flag Carrier makes them drop the flag they are carrying, and tagging (by touching it) the dropped flag of your team, you automatically return it to your base.

Note that if you suicide (for example by typing 'kill' in the console) while you are a Flag Carrier, the flag will automatically be returned. The same applies if you fall into a bottomless pit!

Click here for a page with tips on playing Capture the Flag.

All weapons, except for the Lightsabers, BlastTech pistol, and Melee require ammunition to be used. There are several different types of ammunition (Blaster Pack Ammo, Energy Cells, Metallic Bolts, and Rockets) and not all weapons use the same types. See the Weapons section for descriptions of each weapon and its ammo types. These ammunition restoring items are picked up by running over them and instantly restore a certain portion of your ammo count, for the appropriate weapon(s). By default, all players (except in Siege Mode where your class determines your starting equipment) begin with the BlasTech pistol and Lightsaber. Note that once you have a certain gun in your inventory, you cannot pickup an additional gun except those dropped by killed players or by Force Pulling them away from enemies. These guns will restore the amount of ammo that was in the enemy gun to your own totals.

* See Weapons page.

Note: If you already have a certain gun, you cannot "pick up" another one to get more ammo, unless it has been physically dropped by a dead player (in which case you get whatever ammo they had left when they died). Remember that players that are killed only drop the weapon they were holding at the moment of death (all their other weapons and items disapear) except Melee, BlastTech pistol or any Lightsabers.

Explosives (red) all have their own type of ammo, and you can always pick up more, until you max out your units.

Maximum Ammo Units Per Weapon

*Using cheats or on addon maps that enable this weapon.

Note: The BlasTech pistol has infinite ammo. Melee weapons (Melee, Lightsabers, etc) do not use ammo.

For more information on how many units each weapon uses, head on over to the Weapons page.

In the Siege gametype, these values are slightly different. Note these refer to the normal starting values for weapons that are carried by various classes. You normally can't acquire new weapons, and ammo is re-supplied by Techs, Ammo Dispensers and Ammo Stations.

Maximum Ammo Units Per Weapon (SIEGE Only)

*By picking up Tech dropped Ammo Dispensers, a character possessing the Merr-Sonn (Heavy Weapons) can acquire up to 25 rockets.

Available only in the Holocron Deathmatch (FFA) gametype (using a mod such as OJP), these Holocrons are inscribed with an icon, respresenting the Force Power they contain. When picked up, they impart upon the holder the ability to use that Force power at level 3 strength. If the player is killed, he drops the Holocron(s) he has picked up for others to use. You can only hold three Holocrons (default, the server can choose a number from 1-3 or "unlimited" but only three holocrons will be shown swirling around the player) at a time, and picking up another one, will cause you to drop the first of the three that you picked up in favor of the new one.

Dropped holocrons only last for a short time (20-30 seconds) before disapearing. They will of course respawn in their usual spots.

In addition to the usual Neutral, Dark and Light Side force powers (which you can mix and match) there are also holocrons for the various Lightsaber Enhancements.

Some interesting combinations appear. Of note is that Absorb or Protect cannot be combined with Dark Rage (either power forces Dark Rage to go into recovery immediately). Without a Holocron, players are limited to Level 1 Force Jump and Level 1 Saber Attack.

See the section Force section for details on individual powers.

Visit this page for tips on the Holocron gametype in JKA.