The transition from Cere to Cal when she dies was really well done. In terms of concept and execution. Chefs kiss.

The Cere sequence was so much fun, and heart breaking when her last words were “Cal, Trilla”

Feels like romance has been absent in so many games lately. I didn't expect to but found myself cheering for cal and merrin together. Added a needed element.

Cordova showing up alive on Jedha caught me by surprise and made me smile.

I think Dagan’s motivation and obsession with Tanalorr is because he had feelings for Santari and they both dreamed of Tanalorr so the Jedi Order just abandoning the planet was like tearing him and Santari apart

I gotta say, cal embracing the darkside affected me more than Anakin. We know Anakin will eventually become vader so seeing him murder a village of tuskens was expected. But Cal in the first game always keeps his head high, is persistent, selfless, and hopeful. This is the guy that protected Kyshyyyk and help prevent Cere from falling to the darkside at the end of the game. As cool as the darkside ability and first sequence was, it did hurt a bit to use it. You know a game is well written and developed when a gameplay mechanic has a significant impact on the story and characters.

Cal and Merrin's relationship had me cheering! Their mutual attraction felt so natural, and I loved how they reciprocated each other's feelings. They're my favourite Star Wars couple now, and no a single hint of cringe!

Just speculating for the next game, since Cal and Merrin are commited to rebuilding the hidden path, maybe they’ll cross paths with Quinlan Vos. It can provide a parallel to Cal’s Journey as they both are Jedi who fell in love with a NightSister. And Merrin can learn more about one of her fallen sisters.

About Cal having a violent side, Mosey call him out on that after they met the first time "Your friendly demeanor don't fool me one bit. You are a natural hunter and you damn well know it"

Merrin saying Bode was using fatherhood as justification for selfish/bad actions reminded me of GOT when Oberyn tells Tyrion that’s Cersei uses her grief and love for her children like a mask of manipulation to get what she selfishly wants

I think the biggest shock for me in this game is despite the holocron being destroyed Cals vision is coming true. Finding a sanctuary for the hidden path, protecting his loved ones, and him falling to the Darkside. That’s a shocker is realizing these games are explaining his fall

Fear of loss is like the central theme of the entire game, which is why Dagan fell to the Dark Side, he was afraid of losing Tanalorr. Just as Cal was afraid of losing his family, and Bode was afraid of losing his daughter. All three of them succumbed to that fear of loss and it lead all three of them to the Dark Side. Cal was lucky in that Merrin could pull him back temporarily, but it's clearly going to be something he struggles with in the future.

There was a moment where, in passing, Merrin says something along the lines of "Bode has already used fatherhood as an excuse for betrayal and murder, what next?" and that's when it truly hit me just how much the dark side had consumed him at that point. Relatedly, the theme of Jedi attachment was also a home run for me in this game. We see some truth in what the Order says about avoiding attachment with Bode. It consumes Bode to the point of violence and corruption, even against Kata at the end, where you can see his true hatred, fear, and desperation. On the other hand, we also see Cal struggle with the battle to form healthy attachments with not just Merrin, but the whole Mantis crew, and come out on top in the end. It provides a hopefully healthy basis for future Jedi to form attachments in a way that doesn't put them prone to darkness as a need to protect those attachments. The whole time I was thinking about the implications this could have with the new Jedi Order movie depending on how much contact Cal could potentially have with Rey at a later point in time. Balance in the Force is a classic Star Wars theme, and I'm really excited to see how the new Order handles the heavy restrictions of the old Order with the necessary obligations many force users have had to take under Imperial rule, many of those obligations rooted in the dark side or, at the very least, against Jedi code. Setting up lasting sustainability in the new Jedi Order should be a main thematic priority for Rey, and I'm hoping this will be a big pain point. Also, I love all the little guys in this game. Turgle is great, but I'm a Skoova Stev stan all the way. And while not a little guy, I LOVED Caij. I will always advocate for more Nautolan representation. Great video as always. Always makes me see things from a different point of view and helps me tackle the story from a different angle.

Cool thing for anyone who doesn't know, if you go to jedah after the game is over there are echoes to find that are from bode. Edit-found some on coruscant as well.

I also like how the theme of survivor is also reflected in the characters of the saloon, many of whom are sole survivors of the empire's attacks.

Oh and that kiss that Merrin gave before they started jumping through Magick portals? And Cal asks if that was for luck? Might have been a subtle nod to ANH when Leia gave Luke a kiss for luck. But I love her response nonetheless, when she said it was for her. It was so good.

Moments like Storm Troopers begging “I don’t wanna die!” as I’m about to hurl them into the abyss really adds to that dark side feeling. A fantastic sequel!

I loved the more intimate storyline here, the emotional climaxes certainly had me tearing up

Bodes last conversation with cal had me a little sussed out. He dropped a line about “recording a bedtime story for Kata” and a part of me was like… this dude bouta straight up call the empire. It was telegraphed very well but I didn’t want to believe it. Great twist.

I think the reason why I like this game so much is that it uses its gameplay to tell a story. Like you mentioned, the Dark Side mechanic felt tempting to use and a lot of players (myself included) would likely try to go out of their way to not use it out of fear it would affect them. I also think Cere fighting Darth Vader is an excellent way to demonstrate the difference in power between a Jedi Knight like Cal and the real power of a Jedi Master like Cere. Using gameplay to reinforce themes and reinforce pre-existing ideas isn’t always easy. I’m glad Respawn was able to pull it off. Hopefully they can also pull off the ancient Jedi technique of running at 60 fps as well.

The entire Cere sequence on Jedha was absolute perfection. I had chills the whole way through. I think we all knew that something awful was about to happen the moment Bode revealed himself, and for it to be Vader himself really worked well.

Loved your review! But I gotta be honest… this was one of my favorite Star Wars stories EVER. I liked it a lot more than Fallen Order! I just think Cal was so much more compelling in this one… and he and Merrin are now firmly some of my favorite Star Wars characters ever. I literally cheered out loud when Cal and Merrin kissed. And the Bode twist killed me… the dark side and the questions that Cal hasn’t answered at the end just make this so compelling for me. I also love that only his love for Merrin pulls him back. That’s what I hope Jedi can ultimately become. Anyhow, Cere vs Vader?? Amazing. I LOVE this game, and it surpassed every expectation I possibly had

Respawn knows how to craft a set piece. I remember the Effect and Cause level in Titanfall 2 and was blown away so just seeing them go crazy in Star Wars makes me so happy. I love the themes of trauma permeating this series. Even after Cal had that moment with his master in the first game he isn’t fully “healed” because that’s not how trauma works. It takes time and effort and patience and Cal is still running from his trauma in a way. Not by hiding but now by fighting. It’s shows that healing is an ongoing process and it’s not easy.

Bode plot twist was great. I really liked dagan but I do wish he didn’t turn as fast, would’ve liked to explore his thoughts on the empire more

I do kinda wish Dagan Gera remained the central antagonist. Not only would it have allowed a very large group of newcomers to the High Republic era explore more of the that time and why it has so much potential, but also Dagan's goals are a perfect mirror of Cal's. They both want to use Tanalorr as a refuge from the Empire for force sensitives but while Cal wants to do it to preserve life, Dagan wants to use it to train up a conquering force. It's not that the idea behind Bode's betrayal isn't a good one per se, but it's just something that I've seen done before but better on top of the fact there's no real build up to his betrayal. It just kinda happens and then explained later.

I remember when we first saw Bode in the trailer, my immediate thought was that he would betray Cal and yet I was still shocked when it happened

I felt the same way about the darkside. I knew I shouldn't use it but it made the game easier that I ended up using it a lot. Especially when exploring the Galaxy freely.

I feel as Dagen’s motivation for Tanalorr is a huge subtext for feelings he had for Satari. I believe he had feelings and maybe was in love with Satari but she didn’t feel the same (Jedi rules and all) and she also has been concerned with Dagen’s obsession with Tanalorr.

One thing I really love is that you can tell how much Merrin has changed for the better after exploring the galaxy in this game. Cal was right, she made the right choice

While im unable to play the game I at least kept up with story developments and cutscenes. Holy crap this story was excellent and is easily the Empire Strikes Back of Fallen Order.

This game was so beautiful to me, the story was amazing and I felt extremely connected to Cal. I loved the relationship between him and Merrin and shed a few tears once I saw Cal crying at Cere’s death. This game left an impact on me and made Cal my favorite character in Star Wars, I can’t wait for the next. I an totally in love with this story. This was also my first full video game i played and finished on my ps5 that i got earlier in the year, so im new to gaming.

I loved it, the ending scene hit me hard.

Some idiot in KZfaq recommendations spoiled not only Cere's death but Bode's betrayal too...a few hours after I paid €80 for it. I am livid.

That Bode betrayal made my jaw drop to the floor! And then they double up to reveal he’s a force user?!?! Jaw went through the floor. It was so perfect. 👌🏼 Also working on a 2nd playthrough now and noticed the first time you meet Bode with his helmet off? He shoots a guy in the back. Amazing!

“It’s not enough to just live. You have to have something to live for.” True meaning of the game’s title.

I loved this game in every aspect. Yeah it wasn't as focused or linear as the first game but man I thought they did a great job: Gameplay, Graphics, Music, Cal and the returning characters were great to see, Bode was an awesome character, I loved Rayvis, they did a wonderful job connecting to the High Republic. I'm really curious where the story goes with Cal and the inner struggle against the darkside and his new apprentice Kata.

I think there is one point, most people seem to avoid: Bode's story is a clear example why the old order forbade attachment so rigidly. And I think Cal should heed that warning. I also like that Cal - contrary to Kenobi in the series - never gave up. What he says to the senator in the beginning of the game, is something I wish someone would tell Ben.

Q&A: Do you think that Cal Kestis and Merrin will basically be a mom and dad for the next game with Kata?

I'm still trying to finish up the bounty hunters and Skoova Stev's fish collection. I really like those side missions. Even though all Stev has is stories they're good stories. There is one thing I felt was missing from the cast of characters at the cantina and I can understand why they didn't do it but I wish there was just one clone. The way they used the crashed separatist ship as an excuse for why the planet has battle droids is pretty brilliant, and they did a lot to mix up the enemy variety. Screw those little red droids that run away from you and steal the pickups so that you have to get them to respawn again to try a second time. He literally just burrowed into the ground. Why can't I pull him back out with the force? I was really shocked to discover that one of the random enemy encounters on the surface is a Rancor. I chose not to battle that one and ran like hell, because it locked on to me from an insane distance like it was coming for revenge.

I think the twist worked really well. All the time I was thinking Dagan didn't work as main villain since he only was an emo reiteration of Taron Malicos who didn't deal with Cal evident downfall into the darkside since he went against the Ninth Sister. The Point Break revelation (Bode / Bodhi, I think the creators were heavily inspired by Bigelow's classic movie) really put all the pieces on site using Tanalorr as representation of an ideal, and its quest was all about how far far all of us could go in our obsession to reach it. Plus, the game is the perfect bridge between Obi Wan Series and Andor, going from the Inquisitors to the more sofisticated less shown off ISB, and the let down of the Jedi paths to go full into the dark

I really loved Cal being forced into the dark side but still in the end being a good person, and I hope that continues. Personally I think having every character and story involving jedi and sith, light and dark, being a black and white conflict really ignores how flawed people are and can be. Cal is a majorly flawed character, he's a flawed person, and that's okay. He should be allowed to love and be loved and feel anger and hate because it's all natural. I hope in the next game he comes to a balance point between the two, just being the best he can be, not strictly light or dark, because he can never be perfect and never has to be.

Í think Bode genuinly cared for Cal as a friend. He of course wanted to find the planet for his own daughters safety, but he mentions several times, even after his betrayal, that it could've been a safe place for Cal's family as well. I think he must've had some difficulty betraying them, even though we don't directly see it.

Dagan is broken by being forced to fight the Nihil and then denied the thing he fought for, I think. His relationship with Santari Khri didn't help.

Another note I’m surprised you didn’t mention with Cal potentially turning, look at how he killed Bode, he didn’t kill him in battle with a lightsaber, Bode was on the ground, unarmed and Cal shot him like a dog, it wasn’t just a victory, it was an execution

Bode using the force is honestly one of my favorite star wars moments ever. Genuinely blew my mind

I was NOT expecting that plot twist, AT ALL. I was even suspicious about Bode in the very beginning of the game, but when it came time for the betrayal, I was completely caught off guard. I was dumbfounded, jaw on the floor, and crying like a baby. Best game I have ever played. I found myself wanting to watch videos of other players' reactions to the plot twist as well!

I think a fascinating thing about Bode as a twist villain is that from the point when you find out about Tanalorr together, he seems to have no plans to betray Cal until Dagan inspires Cal's vision for what Tanalorr will become when you defeat him in the observatory. The whole conversation there with Bode is really good at showing that something is really off, like a switch has been thrown. I also think the questions he asks Cal throughout the game isn't so much manipulation as trying to suss him out, if he and his group are people he can trust with his daughter's safety. Some of these things actually become clearer in his force echoes in the post-story section. Bonus thought: I've seen some people confused elsewhere about where Bode hid a lightsaber the whole time. What he pulls out on Jedha is Dagan's lightsaber which he nabbed off his body when you left him alone at the observatory.

To me, Bode was so well written and acted, that I too was caught by surprise by the betrayal although there were clear signs. My prediction was that Bode would somehow be killed, and ultimately push Cal to the dark side to save his remaining family/newly developed ship with Merrin. A third game would then set up to ultimately stop Cal and save him from himself, maybe even have the player play as two characters through the course of the game- like Cal and Merrin. Completely satisfied however with how the story played out, such a great game and continuation of the lore. Can’t wait to see how this trilogy plays out.

I really liked the story and I can't choose between this or Fallen Order. My favorite moment was playing as Cere I wasn't expecting it and it was an incredible moment.

I really like the discussion about the campfire scene on Jedha, I just started reading The Light of the Jedi, and there's a passage in Chapter Five that goes: "Always at least a candle flame, and sometimes, if he concentrated, it could surge up into a blaze. A few times, he’d felt as bright as the sun, so much light pouring through him he was afraid he might go blind. Honestly, though, it didn’t matter. From spark to inferno-any connection to the Force chased away the shadows.” Something Something rhyme...

Bode: "You don't understand. I'm doing this for my daughter. I'm not a bad person."

i appreciate you and Molly. Thank you for the positivity you bring to my world.

I was calling Bode’s betrayal because he was such a compelling character. Like I thought to myself “I like this guy way too much, he’s definitely going to betray me”

This game was fantastic. A whole new level in story writting from the first game. The characters were all fanastic and got you hooked throughout the whole story. Cal was a good character in Fallen Order. In Survivor, He became a great character.

Dagan's pride and fall was symbolic of the Jedi Order fall, and where it began.

You know these games are incredible when they make me, who thoroughly enjoyed playing as Galen Marek tearing through stormtroopers and blowing up everything, emotionally disturbed and distraught when Cal considers using the Dark Side. He’s too awesome a person and I don’t want him to destroy anything/anyone he has left trying to protect it or something 😭

5:18 I was also waiting for more insight on Dagan’s turn. The only acknowledgment was an optional conversation with Cordova, where he said ego clouded Dagan as it had clouded himself after the council ignored his visions of the downfall of the order. It was a bummer it was never focused on but you can infer stuff (ego and/or love) and at least they have some conversations in there.

I only have 2 complaints: 1) Rayvis was wasted and I didn't like how he went out. Gen'Dai are nearly impossible to kill but here he dies to a simple lightsaber strike 2) I thought the High Republic droid was unused. Other than that, it's a beautiful story.

Interpretation of Cal’s thoughts and motivations can also be influenced by the appearance options you customize. I dressed him in the Jedi Robes I found, and I gave him an Obi-Wan look (longer hair, big beard). It definitely makes the play through feel different depending on how you customize him.

I find it impressive that the Forgone Conclusion of Cal's crusade against the Empire failing completely is thrown out the window now with the introduction of Tanalorr. For all we know, by the time the Final Order falls, Tanalorr is still fully populated and Cal, Merrin, and Greez are alive and well.

How do you feel about Disney bringing the High Republic to a broader audience this way with the Survivor? I find it a really good move to let more people get familiar with the era this way, so they now the very basic and some curious details, and can now look for more in books and comics, waiting to get the Acolyte show soon, and other cool stuff on the horizon.

I feel like Survivor had some of the all time best acting/voicework/real feeling characters of any Star Wars alongside Andor. especially from supporting characters on Koboh

Just finished the campaign today. Something that caught my attention was how every single time you kill a main villain (Rayvis, Dagan Gera & Bode Akuna) doesn't feel good. Like, taking out the main villains doesn't feel satisfying at all, and I like that touch. Makes the story feel weightier.

I like the story but have a hard time getting past the incredible coincidence that a high republic temple just happened to be under Greez's saloon and attached to Cal's living quarters...

I think the 3rd game will be more about Cal's struggle with the darkside. Also I'm really worried about Cal and Merrin as we approach A New Hope. 😢

Cere's death hit way harder than I expected, I felt Cal's hurt and anger for the rest of the story. Impressed how it made me understand Cal's slip towards the dark side. With the Order gone, with so much lost, I was like "who cares?" Just do whatever is necessary! But that ending with the funeral pyres! That brought it all back full circle for me. The emotional arc just landed really well.

Cere vs Vader 2 was much better than Vader vs OB1

I definitely saw Bode’s betrayal coming at the end of the fight with Dagan, but just as I was patting myself on the back for predicting it we got the second twist that he was a Jedi - I thought that one-two punch was super well done and they made an incredibly interesting villain with Bode. I really liked Rayvis and Dagan but I wasn’t crazy about the story up until that return to Jedha but when that all picked up I was absolutely hooked until the end

This game went to hard on the story and it was amazing! Edit: [Spoiler] I thought this was a stronger plot than the first and that the characters are more comfortable in their respective roles. While the Order 66 gut punch is good, I thought Bode betraying everyone and being a former Jedi was a much bigger twist. With that, I really liked Dagan, same with Rayvis, they were great classic twirly mustache villains that kept it interesting. This game felt a lot better in all regards in traversal, combat, and story. The first is great and one of the best games I’ve played. But Survivor feels so much bigger

That year was a bad one for the inquisitors lol. Same year as Kenobi

Just ffinished last night. Damn near got all collectables as well. Such an amazing journey, I loved it. This time around it was a character based storyline and it did that very well. It was also really cool to see the tie in to the rest of the galaxy via the hidden path storyline as well as the tie in to the newest storylines via the High Republic storyline.

from the start i suspected that bode would be bad. altho once daran was dead, i was like meh i guess i was wrong. until i wasnt xD but never saw that he was a jedi coming at all

I just finished the main storyline and I came straight to this video. My gods, this game. Grabs hold tight and doesn't let go.

Bode's betrayal was so shocking for me the first time. Then I saw all the hints in the second playthrough. I see him as a fallen Jedi, not a Sith. His saber was not entirely red. Which is weird cuz it was redder when Dagan used it. Or is it? ;)

My take on Bode’s motivation is that he didn’t want the hidden path specifically staying at Tanalor since they will always be chased by the Empire, and inevitably be found. There’s a quote by Bode at the final battle, something like “ and if the Empire comes, will you be able to protect her?”, to which Cal couldn’t reply. Hence the ultimate decision to do whatever he must to protect his daughter (even says “sorry Kata” before attempting to kill off Cal and Merin). I feel he too became attached to his new “family” and was ultimately torn, but his daughter came before anything else. As a new father, I can honestly relate and could see myself in Bode’s shoes. Such a great antagonist. There are even post game echoes for Bode, one of them you can sense Bode’s conflict with himself where he convinces himself to continue with the plan and “there’s no going back, gotta do this for Kata” or something to that effect. There’s also a point in the game where Cal first mentions his intent to have the hidden path stay at Tanalor and you can sense Bode’s disappointment in his reply. I think at that point, that solidified his betrayal and he knew he had to steal the compass for himself AND have the hidden path destroyed in one fell swoop. Overall, I think the story was so well written and acted; this is how the sequel movie trilogy should have been.

Absolutely love the games and the story they are weaving in these games. Can't wait to see how this story wraps up!

I loved Fallen Order but loved Survivor SO MUCH MORE. I thought the story was a lot more interesting and the exploration is INCREDIBLE. 10/10 for me!!

I loved that just when I thought "is this it?" the game through Bodes betrayal at me. And I know afterwards that I should have seen that coming from a long way given its the new guy whom is born to turn into an boss cause he is so friendly. Whats hurts the game most is that its so laggy on my computer and thats at its worst on the biggest planet. I still has tons to play through there cause of the lagg. I would really liked to have learned more about Cals crew other than Bode before they got killed and I didnt really got fully invested in them as friends before they got killed of. It would have been fun to spending more time with them learning theyre skills and having a choice of whom to bring on different missions. Like Bode is best against the empire while the twins are best against the raiders and so forths. I totaly felt like you in way of Dagans motive yes. We should have got to learn him more before he turned on Cal. But I love that there are so much more to explore even after the first play through. I still have like 40 percent of Kobah to explore and given how huge those areas I have explored are its crazy. Its also worth going back to previous areas since there is so many paths that was closed then but is open now even in those areas. There must be dozens of chests and force power areas to explore now. But the worst part is that its laggs so much. Id really hope they fix that part as the time goes by. J.

I was suspicious of Bode from the beginning of Koboh. The lack of explanation of how a Headhunter escaped a squadron of TIEs (I mean, the thing was obsolete at the beginning of the clone wars, that needed some justification), the fact he drops the whole needing Cal to pay him aspect and sticks around for no apparent reason than him 'being helpful', coupled with him putting his life further on the line without mention of what might happen to his daughter if he died fighting raiders on a backwater Outer Rim world... it all felt fishy to me. Since I was looking for deceit from that point forward, I caught every bit of telegraphing, and when he said he was going off to record something for his daughter, I knew that was a lie and the turn was imminent. Even so, did not expect the former jedi bit. I was thinking something more along the lines of one of those anti-force lizards from the thrawn books to be in his Headhunter, or maybe the blaster he gave you blows up in your face when you pull it on him. Force powers? Still a surprise. Guess that explains how Dagan didn't insta-kill him, though.

I didn't trust Bode since the trailer

The twist had me on the edge of my seat. I really thought Dagan would be the final boss. And then I thought there would be some unknown horrors on Tanalorr. But Bode.... didn't think that would happen at all.

Like you, I also loved Fallen Order. Like, a lot. But man…something about this game absolutely superseded FO for me. Maybe it was the darker, more emotional tone; or maybe the way in which the characters grew and evolved in their own way…but this game just absolutely did it for me. I loved seeing the ways in which Cal was tested and challenged and tempted, and I even loved the ways in which he gave in to those temptations. The story just felt a lot more rugged and emotional to me, and I just found myself connecting to it in a huge way.

One thing Im not wild about is the Embrace Darkness Mechanic. I wish it had been a choice instead of a necessity. Maybe this is just my history with games like Kotor and the Jedi Knight Series, but being forced to embrace darkness instead of Incentivised feels wrong. Like it makes the fights easier, and shows that the dark side is a path to quick and easy power, but I was really waiting for an opportunity to reject the darkness as Cal. And I pretty much refused to use it unless I had to, like fighting 10 DT Droids.

the ones who play at the highest difficulty without using the dark side have the mind of a true jedi.

I played Jedi knight and couldn’t beat Bode after getting him to low health numerous times, had to go down a level 😂

Felt so quick for me but amazing gameplay and story enjoyed every bit

I unfortunately had the spoiler of Bode going turncoat revealed to me prematurely, but his Jedi abilities were a complete surprise! Speaking of surprises, if you haven't already, be sure to complete all of the bounty jobs that Caij gives you. You'll be treated with an awesome sequence!

I strongly agree with your review here. I would say my one complaint is that the final battle with Bode had some dialogue issues at the end. I felt like Kata deserved a bit of on-screen mourning for her father that wasn't done. I felt that Bode had a legitimate complaint about giving the location of Tanalor to the Hidden Path, but the dialogue could've been much, much better in illustrating that ("I infiltrated the Hidden Path by accident, do you really think the Empire won't be capable of it again if you give access to strangers!? You came here without it, if the Empire knew, do you really think they'd hesitate to do what you did and come here!?") My final review is that Survivor is fantastic, but the final ending feels a bit of a fizzle out. Not bad, but definitely a step down from the climax and the best parts of the narrative.

i feel proud to say that i called bode's betrayal from the beginning not that it was obvious im just paranoid and delulu like that - the way cal kept introducing him saying oh "he's a friend" to rest of the group felt like overkill i just knew something was up, although him being a former jedi did catch me by surprise for sureeeee

Actually lost to Bode the first time because when the button prompt to embrace the darkness popped up i didn't do it hoping i wouldn't have too.

I get studio ghibli vibes with the design of the aliens on Koboh and I want a soundtrack from bar now

I got spoiled for Vader's apperance, and with Cere and Cordova's death (thankfully after I had seen him in game at least) but I am so glad I knew nothing of Bode's betrayal, that completely caught me off guard.

I actually chose not to “Use the darkside” in the fight with Bode at the end and was surprised when I died and had to respawn thinking it was a choice and not a requirement. But I too tried not to use it and beat him the normal way. I did ultimately use it. Once. But Bode’s revelation that he was a Jedi was genuinely surprising. It’s really nice to not be spoiled with video game plots.

The Bode double twist landed really hard for me. I was suspicious of him from the get go, but the story passed up several story beats where the betrayal would have made sense, so I was convinced I had been wrong. Then right when I let my guard down... bam! As for Dagen, there are several bits of dialogue that establish Dagen as a sort of paragon for the Jedi. He's highly regarded, seen as a prodigy. I think he was really used to succeeding, and when the council rejects his plan for Tanalor, his ego takes a hit and he can't handle it.

So, my thoughts on a few things: Dagan’s motivations - From what I’ve seen, I think ultimately Tanalorr was something he’d just become too attached to, as a place to make his mark on the galaxy, a place to live with Santari, and a place where he could train future Jedi according to his code. After all, it’s mentioned that he performed a heroic deed finding the place, plus he was the one (along with Santari) who was spearheading the operation to build a Jedi temple there. Combine these with some stated character traits, such as ambition and pride, and you get a plausible explanation for his behaviour. Bode - Something I want to point out here is that Bode wasn’t actually planning on betraying Cal from the start, and there are a few scenes that imply or outright state that. Leading up to it, he tries to convince Cal multiple times to just abandon the fight and join him in claiming Tanalorr for themselves, even trying to trick him by asking if he wants the two of them to ‘scout ahead’. Bode has his priorities set, and he tries to make Cal see things the same way, because up until their confrontation on Nova Garon, Bode does see Cal as a friend, which is why he tries to convince him at all. It’s only after Nova Garon, when Bode realises that Cal isn’t going to ‘come around’ that he gives up on him and leaves. Dagan’s role - This is something I might change my mind on, but I’m a bit disappointed he wasn’t used as a way to contrast the Jedi of the High Republic era with the ones from the prequel era, or even Cal as a ‘dark times’ jedi. It would’ve been nice to see someone with a mentality closer to Santari comment on the state of the galaxy, and the Jedi; maybe engage in some back and forth with Cal like party members did in KotOR. Overall thoughts on the story/characters - Honestly, I feel this one might grow on me. Going through it, it felt a bit disappointing, but I think I was just expecting a more cinematic, planet-hopping adventure like the first game, whereas this game’s story is a bit more introspective and smaller in scale. Since finishing the story, and reading/listening to people’s pespectives on it, that disappointment has started to fade, and I appreciate a bit more what they were trying to do with this game.

As for Tanalorr being important I'm pretty sure it's one of those planets like Dagobah, Dathomir, Jedha (moon), Tython and Zeffo that's interesting and strong in the Force. There is a conversation on it where Cal remarks on there being darkness that he can feel and Merrin responds that there is also light. So maybe a more balanced Force presence then other places.

“A lightsaber is a weapon but can also be used for self-defense; a blaster not so much.” *2.5 million annual self-defense uses has entered the chat*

I think the reason the Bode twist worked so well for me; was that I knew from beginning that he was going to betray us. But I fell in love with Bode as a character, to such an extent that I didn’t want him to betray us. So when he finally did, I was heartbroken that I was right.

Where is the Bogling from the first game??!!

I played on the second hardest difficulty, and while some of the bosses took me 10-20 duel wield attempts, I enjoyed losing the boss fights because it meant I got to try them again. Such a great combination of gameplay and story