Knights of the Old Republic is a critically acclaimed RPG franchise that is one the most highly regarded games in the Star Wars community. Even though there's a remake on the horizon, now's the perfect time to experience the game! Combat does leave a lot to be desired, but its story and environment have held up.

Related: Star Wars: Reasons Knights Of The Old Republic Should Be Remade In Canon

The story takes place four thousand years before the prequels. Many familiar environments aren't quite the same. When you meet the Jedi Council, you'd expect to go to Coruscant and get lost in the megacity. Instead, you meet them on Dantooine, a planet teeming with lush plains and a calming atmosphere.

If you loved the Mass Effect series, you'll love Knights of the Old Republic. They both share the same developer: Bioware. Their overall narratives are nearly the same too. You create a diverse party of aliens, travel to mono-climate planets, rediscover an ancient civilization that founded the galactic government, and stop the bad guys.

7 The Story Isn't Canon

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Cover
The cover to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic with characters holding lightsabers.

Knights of the Old Republic was released in 2003 and is considered part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe or EU. Contrary to popular belief, the Expanded Universe wasn't ever officially canon. George Lucas considered his films canonical, and that was it.

Although Lucas's sentiments were at odds with fans, he would occasionally work with Expanded Universe writers and incorporate concepts he found worthwhile. If anything, the EU was an organizational effort to create a cohesive canon for fans that integrated media that didn't contradict the films.

However, Star Wars is what you make of it. It doesn't matter what Lucas or Disney says. It's a franchise built upon the love and passion fans continuously poured in. If you want Knights of the Old Republic to be canon, go ahead! You shouldn't let canon dictate your enjoyment.

6 What Is The Jedi Civil War?

Star Wars Sith War

At the start of the game, you're immediately thrown into combat against Sith Troopers and Dark Jedi. Knights of the Old Republic occurs towards the tail-end of The Jedi Civil War. The war itself takes place immediately after the conclusion of the Mandalorian Wars.

Related: Star Wars: Facts Everyone Should Know About Revan

The Jedi Revan and Malak rallied forces together and led the war effort against the Mandalorians. Together, they ended the war. Unfortunately, they turned to the dark side and created a Sith Empire. Many of the Jedi who fought underneath them helped them cripple the already weakened Republic.

The untimely death of Darth Revan helped change the tides of the Jedi Civil War, and it's where your story begins.

5 What Were The Mandalorian Wars?

via thdf.wikia.com

The Mandalorian Wars were a series of crusades led by Mandalore the Ultimate and his Neo-Crusaders. The Mandalorians began conquering and wiping out entire star systems. As Bioware developed Knights of the Old Republic, keen-eyed fans might notice the similarities between the Krogan and the Mandalorians.

When news of this reached the Republic, the Jedi Council elected to standby and let the war sort itself out. Jedi Knight Revan was outraged by their callousness, so Revan convinced other Jedi to join them and stop the Mandalorian atrocities. It was a tumultuous war effort that brought the entire galaxy to its knees.

The war ended after two fatal blows to the Mandalorians. The first blow came when the Mass Shadow Generator was activated and decimated both sides. The requiem knell came when Revan executed Mandalore the Ultimate in combat and hid his helmet: preventing successors from claiming the title of Mandalore. The fractured Mandalorians scattered throughout the galaxy without a leader to united them.

4 Where Is Revan's Mask?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

Despite being an iconic staple for the series, Revan's mask isn't present anywhere. From a certain point of view, there are a few reasons why Revan's mask is gone. After Darth Revan was killed in a targetted bombardment by Darth Malak, the mask was destroyed or collected by the Jedi Council and stashed away forever.

However, there is a way to get Darth Revan's robes though. Throughout the game, you can choose your alignment with dialogue options and player actions. To get the real Revan's robes, you'll need to be attuned to the dark side. Otherwise, the robes will be white. Once you reach the end of the game, go to the second level of the Star Forge. From there, go down the hallway with turrets and make a left. There'll be a room with a computer you need to hack. Once that's done, you can wear Revan's robes.

3 Go To Tatooine First

HK-47 in Knights of the Old Republic

As soon as the Jedi Council sends you off to save the day, you're free to travel where and how you like. The order is entirely up to you, but Tatooine comes highly recommended because it's where you can recruit one of the most lovable characters in the series. HK-47 is Darth Revan's protocol droid, who's also an assassin droid.

Related: BioWare Games Best Companions

HK-47 has all the charm that Triple 000 and C3PO wish they could have. His monotonous voice is prefaced with qualifiers to let you know what he truly means. HK-47 is also a big fan of going guns blazing and dealing with problems directly. If you want a party member to be frank with you and has a strong disdain for "meatbags," HK-47 will happily oblige.

2 Pick A Side

Darth Malak In Knights of the Old Republic.

Knights of the Old Republic is nearly twenty years old. It's not exactly the most mechanically complex game out there. Neutrality doesn't benefit you, and your party's alignment doesn't play a role until Rakata Prime.

Get the ball rolling by swinging to the dark side or light side. If you go all the way to the dark side, you're guaranteed to lose party members and challenge Darth Malak's position. If you choose to stay with the light, you can save the day with all of your companions.

Since there are a few endings and special interactions, go through a few different playthroughs and enjoy the differences.

1 Avoid Wookieepedia

Avoid spoilers from wookieepedia

There are a few reveals that, for your enjoyment, shouldn't be spoiled. It's easy to accidentally stumble upon them while looking up guides or browsing through Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wikipedia. While some areas can be awkward to navigate and overcome, exercise caution when looking for help. Too many forums and guides are heavy-handed with spoilers.

Not very often do you get the chance to enjoy a blind playthrough in an old video game. Pop culture and fandoms usually siphon off twists, reveals, and quotes deriding them of their original impact. However, don't let the potential worry about spoilers damper your experience. It's an incredibly solid game that is well worth the 30 hours.

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