KOTOR II: The Sith Lords - Goto Essential Mods is a list of essential mods for those who looking for a definitive KotOR II: The Sith Lords experience without straying too far from its original vision.

As we know, TSL Restored Content mod (TSLRCM) is a no-brainer and it alone could give you a true KOTOR II experience. However, there are still many issues it doesn't solve such as bugs not being covered, graphical issues, and inconsistent assets mainly due to KOTOR II's rushed development. I feel that in order to have the most definitive KOTOR II experience, some extra mods are required to bring it closer to the complete status it deserves.

The goal of this guide:
- Lite and easy to install: Stable and quick to install mods with easy to follow install steps that shouldn't make you spend more time on modding the game than playing it.
- Pure essential and lore-friendly: The mods in this guide were carefully selected, I make sure the following standards must be met: it must be consistent with the original gameplay design and visual art of KOTOR; it doesn't drastically change the game; nothing should feel out of place.

I will also provide information on why I consider these mods as essential, of course you don't have to read all of my rambling and can skip straight to the download steps!

Mods for KOTOR can be simply installed by drag and drop the files, most mods also have a provided installer. This guide is made with manual mod installing in mind, and I encourage users to use this method as I've found it to be ideal for a stable mod setup.

1. Drag and Drop:
Most mods are installed by dragging their files to the following path:
Steam\steamapps\common\Knights of the Old Republic II\Override
Note: You might see mods that will point direction to other folders such as Modules or Movies. This guide doesn't not contain such mods, but if you need to install them, simply drag it to the corresponding folders.

2. TSL Patcher:
Most mods made by the community are often provided with an installer which uses TSL Patcher, this is a quick and easy installing method as you just need run the installer and point it to your KOTOR's folder direction.
Note: Often TSL Patcher will gives you regarding warning about "existing files found" and "might not work correctly", these warnings are harmless and the mods are installed correctly (or at least for the mods being used in this guide).

On Steam Workshop and using mod managers:
I don't recommend using Steam Workshop nor any mod manager for KOTOR, the reason being is that many mods made for KOTOR tend to overlap each others therefore can cause compatibility issues, which is the reason why many mods provide TSL Patcher as a stable and easy installing method for users.

Restored KOTOR II's unfinished contents and contains fixes for many bugs.

Why it is essential:
As stated in the description, TSLRCM is a no-brainer, it would make zero sense to not having it installed. KOTOR II had a rushed development history that led to its unfinished state, with many cut contents that hurt its narrative the most, TSLRCM not only restored most cut contents to make the narrative more coherent but also fixed many annoying bugs and issues. Chris Avellone (KOTOR II's writer) personally commended the mod and cited it as having brought the game closer to what Obsidian would have intended. Granted, there are questionable decisions regarding some of the restored contents made by the mod, but you can trust me and most people when we say you really shouldn't try the vanilla experience without TSLRCM.

The version used by this guide is 1.8.6, currently this is the up-to-dated version that plays along with other mods in this guide.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
1. Simply use the installer and point it to your KOTOR II's folder.
2. Make sure this is the first mod you install before installing anything else.




Tweaks and removal of some questionable contents from TSLRCM.

Why it is essential:
As previously mentioned, there are questionable decisions regarding some of the restored contents made by the mod, the most glaring issue is cut contents that were purposefully cut being restored. Unofficial TSLRCM Tweak Pack fixed some of these issues by tweaking or getting rid of them, author also provided individual installer for each issue. Most of these changes are story related and can be spoilery if you haven't played the game, however it is very well thought and the author has put a lot of right mind into it, I would recommend users to install all the components.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Use the installer in the Complete Installer folder.


Restored the unique model for Handmaiden Sisters.

Why it is essential:
Obsidian made a unique head model for the Handmaiden Sisters but it was left unused, it is also mentioned in the dialogue that the sisters look different from Handmaiden but this is not the case in-game. TSLRCM solved this issue by restored Handmaiden's lock of hair which makes her a bit different, however restoring the unused unique head model seems like the right way to do it which is exactly what this mod does.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Use the installer, make sure to choose the TSLRCM-Compatible Installer option instead of the other one.




At one point in the game Kreia will reveal her past through a cutscene, this cutscene was pre-rendered and therefore has low quality. TSLRCM did turn a pre-rendered cutscene into in-game version which is the one that introduced Darth Nihilus and Visas, it feels odd that it doesn't include Kreia's Fall even though this version was well made and exactly match the pre-rendered cutscene. I think having such important cutscene being shown in-game would be the definitive experience.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Use the installer.

A compilation of various bugfix mods.

Why it is essential:
It contains many important bug fixes ranging from visual to gameplay which compiled from a dozen separated mods, including fixes not being covered by TSLRCM. Many of these fixes were carefully picked by the authors.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Run the installer.




Makes the doors in Trayus Academy open sideway as its texture indicated.

Why it is essential:
The doors in Trayus Academy has a big gap between them which indicates it would open sideway upon activate. But in the actual game, the doors would mysteriously slide up (including the big gap) when you try to active them, kinda goes with the saying "an architects dream is an engineers nightmare".

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to override folder.


Fixed various mesh issues of some of the heads.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to override folder.



Fixed various issues with animations.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to override folder. Do not drag the files from K1 Style Running folder.


Fixed various issues with the hologram models in-game, it also gives Cede and Onasi the admiral uniform, which even though not exactly bug fixes it is definitely the way it should have been.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
1. Make sure that TSLRCM is already installed.
2. Run the installer.
3. Use the default Base Installation option and not the other two.




This one is compiled by me, it includes several textures from KOTOR I that were downgraded by Obsidian (likely due to console) and some extras. Features following:
- Straightforward better texture files from KOTOR I, this is similar to KOTOR 1 Texture to KOTOR 2 Game Bridge[deadlystream.com] but instead of extracting to tga format like the original mod I just straight up take the tpc files from KotOR I, some textures were excluded as they are already included in KOTOR 2 Community Patch.
- Better compressed textures for Onderon soldiers and civilians. These textures are taken from Ultimate Character Overhaul -REDUX-[www.nexusmods.com] by ShiningRedHD, but I downscaled them to their original resolution and re-compressed to tpc format in DXT5 for better compression and less artifacts in-game.
- Better texture for Chodo. Since the Ithorians getting back their high quality texture from KOTOR I it is only fair that Chodo receive the same treatment. Texture also taken from ShiningRedHD's mod and re-compressed using the above method.
- Fixed skin tone for the Twilek dancer in that Telos quest, I simply matched the skin color similar to her head.
- Contains fixed shader for Mandalorian and Sullustan, taken from Textures Improvement Project[deadlystream.com] by danil-ch

DOWNLOAD[drive.google.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to override folder.

This section is for some mods that aren't truly essential, but you might find them a welcome addition.

Allows you to recruit both Handmaiden and Disciple without them being locked to player's gender. While Obsidian's intention was likely to encourage players trying different playthroughs, KOTOR II can be a long game and some players might not like to swap their protagonist's gender, it was also established in the canon that both of these characters were recruited by the protagonist. Aside the above reasons, this mod is very well done and I feel that the narrative is much better with both of these characters in one playthrough.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
1. Since this mod overwrites a lot of files, it is best to install this mod last to ensure the best compatibility.
2. Use the installer, make sure to choose the Default option instead of the other option.


The canon established that the Exile is a female human with short brown hair and bright blue eyes, sadly none of the available select-able heads in KOTOR II fit this description. This simple retexture will make one of the head more similar to that description, while there are also other mods that attempt to bring canon Exile to the game I've found those models tend to clash with the original visual of KOTOR II which is why I only recommend this version. This mod is of course only recommend to those who want to try a canon-like playthrough.

DOWNLOAD[deadlystream.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to Override folder.




A visual friendly and well upscaled version of KOTOR II textures, the author made this upscale ensured that the textures retain its original visual in the best quality possible. On his profile you will find other upscaled textures for the rest of the game, I recommend this one specially because it's the one I've tested, while I only used some of these textures I think people who want a good graphic improvement will find his works most suitable.

DOWNLOAD[www.nexusmods.com]
How to install:
Drag the files to Override folder.

With these mods installed, I can guarantee that you will have a definitive experience with KOTOR II: The Sith Lords. While there are still unresolved issues with the game itself, the people who worked hard on the game and the modders who spent years on improving it have did their utmost best to bring the game to its current state.

This guide would be updated if there are oversights on my part or there are things to add or take out in this guide, I will let you know the changes I make for each update.

If you have troubles using this guide or want to provide me feedback, leave me a comment!

Thank you for using the guide and I wish you an amazing experience with KOTOR II: The Sith Lords

Thanks Obsidian Entertainment for creating one of the most unforgettable Star Wars game of all time

Also, a special thanks to all the fine modders of KOTOR scene who have maintained the game with love and passion

Be sure to check out KOTOR 1 and 2 Mod Builds by Snigaroo which this guide was heavily based on. Snigaroo's build provides many options that you will find welcoming.

Also check out my similar guide for Dragon Age: Origins if you plan on playing or revisit the game!
https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2415314405

5/23/2023:
- Removed Jedi Malak Mouth Fix and Khoonda flag fix as these are now included in the latest update of KOTOR 2 Community Patch. Merged Bug Fixes into one section.
- Removed Better Male Twi'lek Heads due to possible incompatibility issue when using with other mods.