Jedi Guardian - lightsaber & self buffs build?

[kmpt]

Hello there,
I've never played as Jedi Guardian before so I guess it'd be good to finally give it a try. I'd like to fight with lightsaber and buffs (burst of speed, force aura, force valor, cure). I'll play light side, medium difficulty.

My concerns are:
1. What's the best sub-class for Guardian: soldier or scout? I was thinking about scout because of free flurry and implant feat.
2. Should I save levels on Taris or not? I'd like to go lvl 8 scout (to get all implant feats) and 12 lvl guardian, is it a good idea?
3. Is it better to use jedi robes or heavy armor when playing Guardian?
4. Double-Bladed or Single-Handed lightsaber?

[WickedRequiem]

1) I prefer scout for the reason you listed
2) I generally wen 4 scout / 16 guardian. You can use your feat as a guardian to pick up implants... (and it's the way of maximizing the number of feats you can get).
Plus, more jedi level = more force powers
3) Jedi robe. Wearing armor disables many of your force powers (including buffs)
4) Single lightsaber is more stylish and has better animation, but, mechanically, double bladed saber is the best option for a melee character.

[Dethlane]

If you plan to do all buffs you listed, it's probably better to go with Sentinel or even Consular, since Guardian is low on FP and buffs wear off quickly. Basically you don't really need any buff other than master Force speed (especially if you wear armor)

1. Soldier. HP + feats, power attack combined with force speed is not worse than flurry. But scout is a viable alternative
2. Yeah, it's fine
3. Robes, you can't use most Force powers when in armor. You can, though, equip robe, buff yourself and equip armor back, but that's tedious (especially when using more than 1 buff) and unavailable during combat
4. Double for damage-oriented build, single for defensive-style

[Emmental]

An alternate build that might interest you; Scoundrel 8 / Guardian 12. This will give you a class defense bonus of 10 from scoundrels luck and jedi sense, combined with a high dexterity approach your defense rating will be silly by the end. You'll also get a sneak attack level 4 which is added to force jump attacks for the lulz.

Starting Stats:
Str 14
Dex 15
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 10

10 Feats:
Improved and Master Critical Strike
Implant level 1, 2 and 3
Lightsaber Focus and Specialisation
Duelling 1, 2 and 3

13 Force Powers
Heal 1 and 2
Burst of speed 1, 2 and 3
Energy Resistance 1 and 2
Force Push 1, 2 and 3 (Force Wave)
Force Resistance 1 and 2
Throw Lightsaber 1

Final Equipment:
Star Forge Robes
Circlet of Saresh
Advanced Stabilizer Guantlets
Adrenaline Stimulator
Advanced Alacrity Implant

Final Stats:
Str 14
Dex 30 (Add extra 5 from level ups)
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 20
Cha 10

You only need to put on energy resistance which lasts for 2 minutes and reapply speed as needed. Force Wave for crowd control, force resistance mainly for the final boss as well as throw lightsaber otherwise you'll be fighting for ages and ages.

I'd recommend Nextor and Upari as lightsaber crystals, they will provide the essential keen effect for your lightsaber and a beefy extra 2 d8 on critical hits.

However if you prefer scout I'd recommend something like Scout 8 / Guardian 12

Starting Stats
Str 15
Dex 14
Con 13
Int 10
Wis 13
Cha 12

11 Feats
Improved and Master Flurry
Lightsaber Focus and Specialisation
Toughness 1, 2 and 3
Two-weapon fighting 1, 2 and 3
Conditioning 1

13 Force Powers
Heal 1 and 2
Energy Resistance 1 and 2
Force Push 1, 2 and 3 (Force wave)
Destroy Droid 1, 2 and 3
Affect Mind 1 and 2
Throw Lightsaber 1

Final Equipment
Heavy Exoskeleton (Upgraded)
Circlet of Saresh
Dominator Guantlets
CNS Strength Enhancer
Cardio Power System

Final Stats
Str 30 (add extra 5 from level ups)
Dex 14
Con 20
Int 10
Wis 18
Cha 12

Take a double bladed lightsaber and pile on as much raw damage as you can with what crystals you have.