Canderous - Optimal Build

How to turn Canderous into the strongest party member

Introduction

Canderous is an often overlooked asset to the party, most assume a Jedi character is more useful to the party and so he doesn't get much use past Taris but I show you how he is one of the best party members - possibly *the* best if you invest in him enough.

Starting Out

Class
Soldier (Excellent Class)


Attributes
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 10

Advantages
Very high VP gain per level (Vitality Points)
Natural health regeneration
Good starting strength and constitution
Fast feat progression
Can wear heavy armour

Disadvantages
No force powers (He will be wearing armour anyway)
Can't use lightsabres (Melee weapons are almost as good)
Equipment is expensive












Because he starts with a ranged weapon you might be tempted to build Canderous as a ranged character and most people do this and then stop using him due to lackluster damage, he's much better in melee!

Class Progression

Attributes

All points into Strength

Every 2 points into Strength gives you +1 Attack and +1 Melee Damage
This will help you kill enemies quicker and therefore protect Canderous and other party members from sustaining damage

Skills

All points into Treat Injury

The most useful skill for combat oriented classes, this will make medpacs more effective

Feats

As a Soldier Canderous will get a new feat point almost every level, I recommend spending them in roughly this order:

• Two-Weapon Fighting

Reducing the nasty penalties from dual wielding is essential very early, max this as soon as you can

• Weapon Proficiency: Melee Weapons

The first rank will give you +1 attack, the second rank will give you +2 damage

• Power Attack

Whether Flurry is better than Power Attack on Canderous is a topic worthy of debate, personally I would choose Power Attack because as a Soldier Class Canderous will have so much natural +Attack that you won't feel the negative -3 malus at all, but max Flurry if you prefer

• Toughness

The second rank will give you a flat -2 damage reduction which helps keep his health up

• Implant

Lower priority, there are some very nice implants in the game that increase attributes, you'll want this maxed by the time they are available

• Conditioning

When your main feats are complete max this out, this will help him resist force powers in the late game

Armour Progression

Canderous has a Dexterity modifier of +1 due to having 12 Dexterity, this adds +1 Defence from Dexterity where applicable

Light Battle Armour

Defence Bonus: 7
Max Dexterity Bonus: +2
Total Defence: 8

Available from many shops on Taris, equip as soon as you obtain Canderous
Cost: ₹250 Credits

Battle Armour

Defence Bonus: 8
Max Dexterity Bonus: +1
Total Defence: 9

Purchase from the shop on Dantooine as soon as you land
Cost: ₹400 Credits

Powered Battle Armour

Defence Bonus: 9
Max Dexterity Bonus: +1
Total Defence: 10
Strength +1

Buy from the Czerka store on either Tatooine or Korriban
Cost: ₹2,000 Credits

Cassus Fett's Battle Armour

Defence Bonus: 14
Max Dexterity Bonus: +0
Total Defence: 14
Strength +1
Damage Resistance: Resist 10/- vs. Cold, Fire, Sonic

Very expensive but the best armour for Canderous in the vanilla game, buy from Adum Larp on Dantooine
Cost: ₹15,000 Credits

Weapon Progression

Echani Ritual Brand

Damage: Physical (slashing), 3-13 (2d6,+1)
Critical Threat: 20-20,x2
Balanced: +2/+0 vs. two-weapon penalty
Attack Modifier: +1

How to obtain: Buy from the Equipment Emporium in Upper Taris, unique item.
This will be your best in slot weapon for a while

Raito's Gaderffii

Damage: Physical (piercing), 6-13 (1d8,+5)
Critical Threat: 20-20,x2
Balanced: +2/+0 vs. two-weapon penalty
Attack Modifier: +5

How to obtain: Dropped by the Storyteller on Tatooine, it's very rare item that most players don't know how to obtain. You need to be friendly with the Sand People and give them the moisture vaporators, then ask about their culture until the NPC 'Storyteller' appears, after that have the Sand People turn on you by opening a container or telling the leader you took Sand People clothing from a corpse
This weapon works great with Power Attack due to its high +Attack value

Ajunta Pall's Blade

Damage: Physical (slashing), 5-15 (2d6,+3)
Damage Bonus: +2 Fire
Critical Threat: 20-20,x2
Balanced: +2/+0 vs. two-weapon penalty
Attack Modifier: +5

How to obtain: From the Tomb of Ajunta Pall on Korriban

Dual Wield Baragwin Assault Blades

Fully Upgraded:
Damage: Physical (slashing), 2-12 (2d6)
Damage Bonus: +2-12 Energy (2d6), +2-12 Sonic (2d6)
Critical Threat: 17-20,x2
Attack Modifier: +5

These are the best melee weapons in the game by far

How to obtain: From the Yavin IV Station after 3 star maps (including Dantooine) have been found

[MrBoom6009]

Single weapons in this game are far inferior to dual weapons, since you can reduce the penalty to basically nothing. Having another attack gives you functionally twice the DPS

[Atlas]

He's limited to melee and there are some good melee 2-handers

[Devs]

Why give Canderous two-handed weapons? A single-handed weapon is more accurate.

[Sir_Strazzen]

Zaalbar is indeed a good melee combatant. But what hurts him is "No Wearing Armor" , or the Head Piece or many other things. I'm on the Mysterious Planet and Zaal's AC is still just 14 ? Canderous can have a AC of 20 going into Davik's base.

So again , thanks for a guide well done. Good Job Mate

[The Black Death]

I would've thought Zaalbar would've been the strongest companion technically, but I guess Canderous is more experienced and skilled in comparison lol.

[A Fluffy Cockatiel]

Yer armor progression is skewed. Just give him w/e armor you have, that you got off the dead, on Taris. Soon as you get the Ebon Hawk, give him Davik Kang's armor. Once you have your 2nd start map, and kill Calo Nord, upgrade and give him Calo Nord's armor.

Calo Nord's vs Cassus Fett
Cassus Fett's armor has a max defense of 14.
Calo Nord's armor has a max defense of 13.
Both have a damage resistance of -10 vs cold, fire, sonic.
Here is where Calo Nord's armor takes the lead.
Calo Nord's armor immunities: critical hits AND mind-affecting
Cassus Fett's armor immunities: none

You drop 1 defense for both of the top 2 immunities in the game, critical hits and mind-affecting. You do give up +1 strength too, but if you really wanted that bonus to strength, then you wouldn't be using heavy armor anyway.

[A Fluffy Cockatiel]

Bonus Armor Comparision:
Heavy Exoskeleton (upgraded)
Price: 20,000 credits
Class: Medium Armor
Defense: 15 (+1 ovr Cassus Fett and +2 over Calo Nord)
Damage Resistances: None
Immunities: None
Other Bonuses: +3 Constitution, +3 Strength

Best raw stat armor for non-Jedi. You just give up the immunities of Calo Nord, which are, arguably, the superior option.

[A Fluffy Cockatiel]

On the weapon front, drop the sandman stick. Pointless. Same for the Echani double blade. Both suck. Spending credits on the Echani is a waste. Instead, you can pick up the best double blade in the game in the docking bay on Tatooine for 8,000 credits. I give you:

Yusanis' Brand (upgradeable)
Damage: Physical (slashing), 4-18 (2d8, +2)
Ion: +6-9 vs. Droid (5+1d4)
Damage Bonus: +3 Fire
Critical Threat: 19-20,x2
On Hit: Stun 50% chance, 12 seconds, DC 10
Balanced: +2/0 vs two-weapon penalty
Attack: +3

Gives you a baseline 7-21 damage vs all non-droid opponents, 10% crit rate, decent chance to stun foes, balanced, and +3 attack rating. Vs droids... 13-30 damage.

Ajunta Pall, by comparison, is only 7-17 damage vs all foes, droid and non-droid alike, with a mere 5% crit rate and nothing else to write home about. It also is often obtained later in the game than not, depending on map gathering route taken.

[A Fluffy Cockatiel]

Double Baragwin Assault Blades is indeed the best melee combination in the game. But, it will run you 18,000 credits.

*NOTE* Most of these prices are from Suvam Tan at Yavin 4 and you can get a hefty 20% discount if you beat him 10x at Sabac.

The 2nd weapon also can't be obtained until after gaining the 5th star map. Until then, there is another melee weapon you can pair up with the first that will still make for a better combination than any double blade, Sanasiki's Blade.

Sanasiki's Blade (upgradeable)
Damage: Physical (piercing), 3-12 (1d10, +2)
Ion: +3 vs Droid
Damage Bonus: +1-6 Energy
Critical Threat: 17-20,x2
Balanced: +2/0 vs two-weapon penalty
Attack: +4

So damage vs non-droid foes is 4-18 and has 20% crit rate. Already superior to Ajunta Pall. It is balanced so you can place it in the offhand and your first Baragwin in your main hand. You get it on Dantooine to boot, in the shop next to the Ebon Hawk for 7,000 credits.

[A Fluffy Cockatiel]

On topic of credits, just do yer Sabac games, swoop racing, sell EVERYTHING you don't need to Suvam Tan, at Yavin, AFTER getting the discount (He offers a premium on thing sold to him over all other merchants), and talk to all your followers to craft all the things they can and then sell them too. Finally, if you still need credits, hunt wraids.

You can farm desert wraids on Tatooine forever by going out, killing a group, fast travel back to the Hawk, fast travel back to the desert, and a new group will have spawned at the next location, circling counter-clockwise around the disabled sand crawler. Rinse and repeat for however many stacks of 99 wraid plates you'd like to sell Suvam at Yavin 4. He pays 79 credits, or so, per plate. So each stack is nearly 8,000 credits.