|
|
Drae'den
JEDI CONSULAR - SHADOW Specialization - Level 55
Drae'den was created to compliment my game partner Lightsider's Jedi Guardian, and we dutifully leveled the two characters together all the way to 50. We cleared the Ilum planet's story and took a break to start a couple of Sith characters at that point.
This character started life as "Den'tarthurdent," though I'll leave it to you to work out the punchline. The joke wore thin very quickly, though (and I think only one or two players ever caught the reference anyway), so as soon as name-changes were rolled out in the game, I shelled out the cash to give my Consular a more dignified name.
Drae'den isn't impulsive, but he also doesn't limit himself to Jedi doctrine. He plays like a slightly wiser, slightly quieter renegade, compared to Jahnn's exhuberence.
Last Updated 2013-12-19: Six new Dire Eliminator armor images and a new Destroyer Armor gallery with seven new images
|
 Annnnd it's the very first outfit I acquired for Den, on the starting world Tython. Consulars, I discovered, were much more susceptible to damage than the Jedi Knight class I was accustomed to playing. As soon as I hit level three, I bought the only outfit available for such a newbie.
|
 While this outfit was obviously intended by the devs to look simple and not very dignified, I personally liked the look of them and felt that a black jumpsuit like this suited a Jedi very well. But the fact of the matter was, this outfit was just a stop-gap until I progressed far enough along into the game to earn some real armor offering real protection.
|
 The first robes that Den earned as part of his Tython questline. I love this outift. It conjures thoughts of archeologists or speilunkers, very sagely. I hear there's a modifiable version of this vest, but I've yet to find it.
|
 Actually, this outfit makes me think of the outfits from Stargate. The film and the series. But it's a great outfit for a Jedi Sage like Den. I should note that it didn't look this good when I was actually wearing it at level 8 or so: the "match colors to chestpeice" option hadn't been implimented yet and that meant the gloves and lower robes tended to clash with the chestpiece really badly.
|
 Another thing I liked about this outfit is that it doesn't hide the head like most Jedi outfits do: there's no hood. I wish there were more Jedi outfits with this feature. Note also Den's original lightsaber, built at the ancient Forge on Tython.
|
 And now Den draws his saber. Very stately, how this outfit makes a Jedi Consular look. This is one of the few Jedi chestpieces where I actually preferred wearing those long robe-skirts to a pair of nice practical pants, just because the outfit works together so well.
|
 As a non-modifiable outfit, I wasn't able to keep using this one very long. But I clung to it until about half way through Coruscant, where I was awarded my first mod-able robe...
|
|
NOBLE CONSULAR'S VESTMENTS
|
 And these are the first modifiable robes Den ever received, the Noble Consular's Vestments. He received these robes as a quest reward for the "Republic's Most Wanted" Heroic mission on Correscant, and wore them for most of the early levels, all the way to about 25 or 30, while his partner Lightsider wore the corresponding blue Heavy Armor robes.
|
 A closer look at the Noble Consular's Vestments. Blue's my favorite color so I was tickled when I received these robes as a mission reward on Coruscant (at least I think that's where it was). As mentioned before, my gaming partner Lightsider received a blue Heavy Armor robe at the same time for his Jedi Guardian, so for the rest of Coruscant we were wearing uniformed outfits. Looked cool, wish I'd taken some screens of it at the time.
|
 Saber out. By the point Den earned these robes, he had already retired his original lightsaber, but I like to keep it around for show. The pose for a single-saber is much cooler than for a double, in my opinion. Looks kind of... wizardly, I guess is a good word. Oh, don't give me that look, you were thinking it too.
|
 And now blue-robe-attired Den brandishes his first double-bladed lightsaber hilt. I was quite fond of the design and appearance (those blue glowing points were cool!), but eventually I'd retire this saber in favor of one with my trademark double-wings on the hilt...
|
 Received after completing the Gree Power Outage series of missions on Corruscant, these Omenbringer's Robes are basically the same thing as the previous Noble Consular's Vestments, just in a more ordinary (boring?) Jedi color. I liked these robes anyway, as most of Den's Chapter 1 storyline involved Jedi secrets and research, and it was fun watching him act through the cutscenes in a truly Jedi-esque robe...
|
 And now with saber drawn. I still feel that all those layers of heavy robes are kind of silly for someone who's expected to be running right up to a target and engaging them in melee combat, but no one saw fit to ask my opinion before the game shipped. I do admit that sometimes it's just fun to look like a real Jedi.
|
 Also by this time, Den had adopted his signature double-bladed lightsaber, yellow blade with wings on the hilt at each end. All my Force-using characters have a saber like this, either single or double. I really liked the pose in this particular shot.
|
|
TRADITIONAL THERMOWEAVE VESTMENTS
|
 Around the time Lightsider and Den reached Alderaan, I decided Den should take in some of the local fashion and found him a nice outfit that didn't in any way resemble robes. The Traditional Thermoweave Vestments looked very Star Wars-y, more like an ornate military uniform.
|
 Almost a little too ornate, I sometimes thought. I didn't stick with this outfit for long. It wasn't really the design of the outfit that turned me off, though; it was a graphical bug with the outfit that made that long flap that hangs in front from the belt kind of... well, stand up. Like something long and stiff was rising up beneath it. Sort of like pitching a tent. If you catch my drift. It was perplexing how something like that was allowed to happen in this game. It's best for all involved that no screenshots from this time survive.
|
 The aforementioned and never to be mentioned again graphical bug's obviously been fixed since Den retired this outfit, though, because it looks great when he's got a weapon in his hands.
|
|
JEDI INITIATE'S VESTMENTS
|
 In the mid-30-level range, my gaming partner Lightsider had raised his armor crafting skill to the point he was producing better robes than I was finding in the loot drops -- they had better stats and, for a while, better appearance, too. A lot of the latter-level light-armor robes in TOR have a kind of... over-engineered look to them (to the point that some of them have more pointless ornamentation than a Christmas tree), and I was releived to see that Lightsider's product managed to avoid this for the most part.
|
 A nice zoom-in on some of that detail. Also at this point I'd finally decided that I'd had enough of the typical robe-skirt leggings. What I really wanted was a nice reliable pair of pants -- I really, really dislike how almost all Consular lowers/leg armor peices are skirts. It makes it look like the man's wearing a dress. I bought a pair of Civilian Pilot's Pants, which are Adaptive Armor and therefore set themselves to Light Armor when Den equips them, to fix the problem.
|
 The yellow saber blade went surprisingly well with this outfit. This was the point where Den really did start to look more like a warrior than a monk at some dusty monastary.
|
|
DIRE ELIMINATOR'S CHESTGUARD
|
 Den's main outfit after hitting level 45, the Dire Eliminator's Chestguard. What I really liked about this particular outfit (enough to buy four of them off the Cartel market in one go) is that they look like something a mystic warrior would wear, but don't particularly look Jedi or Sith. It looks like military-grade armor with a robe pulled over it, which is a good look for someone trying to fight his way through a war between the Republic and the Empire...
|
Here's a close-up of Den's outfit. It's bascially becoming the uniform of all my characters. Or it was, before it mysteriously disappeared from the Cartel Market without explanation a few weeks ago...
|
And now Den has his double-bladed winged lightsaber drawn, mods newly updated to be competitive again. Along with wearing the red Dire Eliminator's robes, my Jedi also carry lightsabers with those wings on the pommel. Not that anyone but me would notice or appriciate the visual repetition, but I think it's cool.
|
 Update - 04-01-2013Another nice look at Den in his good armor and with his good saber. While I am by no means an authority on melee combat, I do actually have some training in the use of fighting staves, and I can tell you that he's holding that weapon all wrong. I write it off as midichlorians.
|
 Update - 04-01-2013The yellow goes with this red and white outfit a lot better than green or blue would have, in my opinion. Although I do sometimes contemplate finding Den a purple crystal to celebrate his level 50 status...
|
 Update - 04-01-2013Master Den centers himself with the Force, in crucial spiritual preparation for a really intense video game session on the Super Nintendo. "Only a full Jedi, with the Force as his ally, can unlock the warp whistle bonus stage in Super Mario Brothes 3!"
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Drae'den leads a team through a Flashpoint. Note the cuffs/bracelets. "Black Hole Duelist's MK-3 Handwraps" according to the item description; they don't look like "wrappings" to me... The glowpoints were cool, though.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013After travelling to Belsavus and getting wrapped up in an extensive scavenger hunt, Drae'den is about to reap his reward, one of the most sought-after in the game...
|
 Update - 06-23-2013HK-51! The latest generation product of the HK technology that brought us in-depth discussion on the nature of love and the meaning of life and death. And he's all mine! MINE!
|
 Update - 06-23-2013There's a tense moment while Drae'den and HK size each other up. Kho-rall, a dutiful Jedi Knight who helped Drae'den complete this mission, observes silently.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Back on his ship, Drae'den patiently explains to HK-51 that lethal force is not necessary against the galley's microwave oven. "Rebutal: I assure you it shot first, master."
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Along with his name change from Den'tarthurdent to Drae'den, our Jedi Master has also upgraded his wardrobe. I found some better gloves (Despot's Gloves) and boots (Hutt Cartel Boots) and pants (Ulgo Statesman's Trousers) to make his outfit look more like hardened armor, so it's time to update his outfit index!
|
 Update - 06-23-2013The gauntlets are Despot's Gloves, purchased off the Galactic Market for about 20,000 credits. I apparently made out well, since the same Gloves item now routinely sells for 200,000 credits or more. They're not too fancy, which I like, and I dig the blue glowpoints.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Also updated is Drae'den's hair! With the advent of Update 2.0 and the appearance editor, there are finally better options for long-haired Jedi hippies! This is a lot closer to what I wanted for my first Jedi Consular; it's nice to have a long-hair option.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Here's a nice close-up of the new 'do. The hair clips through the chestpiece a little, but it doesn't bother me much. I just assume he cut holes in the hood to let his locks fall through.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Drae'den tests his new outfit's flexibility. The saber blade color is a different violet; it's from a level-50 crystal instead of the more typical L10 Derelict pruple crystal.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013Drae'den and his new best friend question some local rabble on Makeb. Sadly, the 51 model doesn't quip during cutscenes like the older 47 unit did...
|
 Update - 06-23-2013And now, a little experiment gone terribly wrong: a Blue-White dye added to his outfit in the hopes of producing a darker look instead produces a florescent blue signal flare in the shape of a Lord Of The Rings cosplayer. The goggles do nothing.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013My initial thoughts were that if red looks good, than the color-opposite is likely to as well, right? Well, not so much.
|
 Update - 06-23-2013The purple saber blade doesn't work with the color either. Strike three. The blue mod was subsequetly removed and Drea'den's red colors were restored.
|
Updated - 12-19-2013
Drae'den and his Jedi partner Lightsider return to the Republic fleet after successfully liberating the Makeb people from their Hutt oppressors, and take in the humbling field of infinite stars beyond the majestic fleet of Republic cruisers.
Makes you feel really huge and significant, doesn't it?
|
Updated - 12-19-2013
With a major Corellia liberation compaign successfully completed, the Sith Emperor himself defeated, and the Hutt Cartels put down, our Jedi can at last turn their attentions to simpler matters.
Lightsider: "Was that you?"
Drae'den: "No, mine are quiet."
|
Updated - 12-19-2013
But it's a fitting conclusion to the storyline phase of the characters, who at this point are heroes of a galactic war and then the saviors of a doomed planet's inhabitants. The pan-out shows that while these people had an important place in the galaxy, they remain only small parts of its history. It's a scene with a lot of hope to it.
|
Updated - 12-19-2013
The last scene from Empire Strikes Back successfully ripped off, the team decides to retire; the story is complete but the galaxy rolls inextricably along. Ops missions await!
Seriously, I was absolutely overjoyed that Drae'den and Lightsider's ending cutscenes were entwined this way. They were partners and brothers through the entire game's storyline, to the end, and the last cutscene actually put a poignant point on it.
|
Updated - 12-19-2013
Drae'den and Lightsider discover an ancient artifact on Oricon, home of the Dread Masters.
Drae'den: "I'm not touching it. You get it."
Lightsider: "No, you get it.
|
|
TIONESE FORCE-MASTER'S VESTMENTS
|
 In what I can only assume is a practical joke played on subscribers by the developers, this is the endgame level 50 armor set for the Jedi Consular, the "Tionese Force-Master's Vestments." Upon recieving them I immedately ripped the L50 mods out of the pieces and put them into my more pracitcal red robes, and clicked the "Hide Head Slot" checkbox so hard I sprained my wrist.
|
Behold the Tionese Headpiece in all its humiliating glory. I see absolutely no advantage to letting my enemies see me wearing something like that. The outfit does have nice stat and power bonuses when you wear the whole outfit, but I choose to forgo these bonuses because they require that I... wear the whole outfit. I think I'll be sticking with the Dire Eliminator outfit for the time being...
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
Not to be outdone by his comrade and former student, Drea'den recently obtained a new set of armor and a color dye kit to make it more suitably "vergent." The idea at this point is that while Drea'den is still a member of the Jedi Order, he's also following Jahnn's path towards a new and unrestrictive method of using the Force.
It's also a good excuse to put him in a really cool black robe.
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
The design is the same as the previous Dire Eliminator's outfit, with a few minor points of differentiation (including the glowpoint placement). Dyed black-on-red, it's a logical progression from his former red-on-white outfit.
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
And sure enough, his purple saber looks great with the new outfit.
Above and beyond the little meta-story I'm inserting into my characters' story in this game, I figure a Shadow would welcome a darker, less reflective outfit. It's kind of a pity the Destroyer outfit's so expensive because I'd love to put every single Jedi and Sith I have in this armor...
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
Drae'den practices a few advanced staff-saber maneuvers, completely oblivious to the wisdom about swinging a destructive matter-disintegrating cutting impliment around inside the sealed environment of a space ship.
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
Accompanying a team of eight Jedi and Republic agents, Drae'den (in an undyed version of his Destroyer robes) confronts Toboro the Hutt on Makeb, and mocks his hat.
At this point I've joined a guild, and Drae'den is dedicated pretty much exclusively to running Ops missions with them. It's surprisingly rewarding and enjoyable.
(The guild is the poorly-named but superbly-run "Balance Foreshadowed," for anyone wondering.)
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
An early reconnoiter of the Dread Masters' fortress on the dessolate world of Oricon with seven other members of Balance Foreshadowed. Drae'den tests the effect of a magnetar rifle he obtained way back at Belsavis on the ancient crystal-based security systems the Masters have in place. Surprisingly, they work, and the gates are forced open.
|
 Update - 12-19-2013
Drae'den's view of the returning Gray Secant on the planet Illum. The appearance of the ancient relec of the Gree Enclave is both an opportunity (to earn cool Gray Helix lightsabers!) and a threat (it's attracting really brutal Imperial players to the PvP portion of the map!), but Drae'den and his new allies rise to the challenge.
|
|
|
