BioWare had a problem back in 2015. Their massive multiplayer experiment, Star Wars: The Old Republic, was doing okay, but it wasn't exactly capturing that lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the original Knights of the Old Republic games. People wanted single-player depth. They wanted choices that felt like they actually mattered, not just another "kill ten rats" quest in a space skin. So, they took a massive gamble. They launched Knights of the Fallen Empire, an expansion that basically tried to turn an MMO into a cinematic, solo-driven RPG. It was bold. It was weird. Honestly, it changed the DNA of the game forever.
If you’ve spent any time in the Star Wars community, you know that the "KOTOR" brand carries a lot of weight. Revan. Bastila. The morality system. When Knights of the Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire (KOTFE) dropped, it didn't just add a few planets. It jumped the timeline forward five years, froze your character in carbonite, and introduced a third faction that made the Jedi and Sith look like toddlers fighting over a toy. The Eternal Empire of Zakuul was something nobody saw coming.
The Zakuul Problem: When the Sith and Jedi Weren't Enough
For years, the conflict was simple. You were either Republic or Empire. Then, Valkorion showed up.
Most people know him as Emperor Vitiate, the guy who's been trying to eat the galaxy for centuries. But in Knights of the Fallen Empire, he’s different. He’s the "Immortal Emperor" of Zakuul, a golden civilization tucked away in Wild Space. This wasn't just another dark side cult. Zakuul had its own knights, its own philosophy, and a fleet of automated ships that basically steamrolled the entire known galaxy while you were taking a carbonite nap.
It was a gutsy move by the writers. They essentially "reset" the universe. Your old companions? Gone. Your power base? Dust. You wake up as the "Outlander," a title that felt a bit generic at first, but it grew on people because it reflected your status as a relic of a dead era. The focus shifted entirely to the family drama of Valkorion, his daughter Senya, and his nightmare children, Arcann and Vaylin.
Some fans loved the focus. Others? They hated it. They felt the "Star Wars" was being sucked out of the game in favor of a weird family soap opera. But you can't deny the production value. The cutscenes were gorgeous, the voice acting (especially Darin De Paul as Valkorion) was top-tier, and for the first time in years, a Star Wars game felt truly unpredictable.
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Why the Chapter System Changed Everything
BioWare decided to ditch the traditional MMO questing for a "Chapter" format. It felt like a Netflix show. You’d play Chapter I, get a cliffhanger, and wait for the next installment. This was great for storytelling because it allowed for tight, directed pacing. You weren't wandering around a desert for three hours; you were infiltrating a sky fortress or escaping a high-speed pursuit.
However, this came at a cost. The game became incredibly linear. In the original Knights of the Old Republic, you could choose which planet to visit first. You had freedom. In Knights of the Fallen Empire, you were on a rail. Sure, you could make choices—like whether to kill a certain character or let a city burn—but the path was narrow.
The "Alliance" system was the big gameplay hook. You weren't just a lone hero; you were a commander. You had to recruit people from all across the galaxy. This was BioWare's way of bringing back "fan favorite" companions from different class stories. It was cool to see a Sith Warrior recruiting a Trooper’s old buddy, but the actual grind of leveling up the Alliance felt, well, like an MMO again. It was a bit of a clash. You had this high-stakes cinematic story interrupted by "go fetch 20 crates of supplies" mechanics.
The Valkorion Dynamic: A Better Villain?
Valkorion is arguably one of the most complex characters in the entire Knights of the Old Republic timeline. He isn't just a cackling villain. He’s a mentor. Or he pretends to be. Throughout the expansion, he lives inside your head, offering advice, power, and snide remarks.
It’s a toxic relationship.
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He constantly tries to convince you that the old ways—the Jedi and the Sith—are beneath you. He wants you to transcend. It’s a very different kind of temptation than what we saw with Malak or even Vader. He’s not asking you to be evil; he’s asking you to be better than the system.
The psychological warfare here is brilliant. Every time you use his power to get out of a tight spot, you’re giving him a foothold. It’s a slow-burn corruption that pays off in ways the original games only hinted at. But let’s be real: some players found him exhausting. He’s very "I planned all of this," which can get a bit old after 16 chapters. Still, his presence is what makes KOTFE stand out from every other expansion.
The Fallout: How it Handled Choices
One of the biggest complaints about modern RPGs is that choices are "illusory." You pick A or B, but the ending is the same. Knights of the Fallen Empire tried to fight this, but with mixed results.
There are genuine "holy crap" moments. Killing off a major companion? That happens. Decisions you made in Chapter 1 coming back to haunt you in Chapter 15? Also happens. But because it’s an MMO, BioWare couldn't let the world change too much. They had to keep everyone in the same general ecosystem. This led to some frustration where players felt like they were being funneled toward the same conclusion regardless of whether they were a saint or a total psychopath.
Despite that, the character interactions stayed sharp. The introduction of Lana Beniko and Theron Shan as your primary lieutenants gave the story a grounded feel. They were the ones doing the dirty work while you were dealing with the god-like entities. That balance worked. It kept the story from floating off into "too weird" territory.
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How to Approach KOTFE Today
If you’re a fan of the original Knights of the Old Republic and you haven't played the Fallen Empire expansion, you're missing out on a massive chunk of lore. But you have to go into it with the right mindset. Don't expect a sandbox. Expect an interactive movie.
- Focus on the Story first. Don't get bogged down in the side "Alliance Alerts" until you've finished the main 16 chapters. The pacing is much better if you treat it like a single-player campaign.
- Experiment with the "Dark Side" choices. BioWare actually wrote some pretty brutal consequences for being an edge-lord in this expansion. It’s more than just being mean; it’s about being a ruthless dictator.
- Pay attention to the background lore. The world-building on Zakuul is actually fascinating. Read the codex entries. They explain how a society can be "perfect" on the surface while being utterly hollow underneath. It’s a great commentary on the cost of utopia.
- Prepare for the "Knights of the Eternal Throne" follow-up. KOTFE is only half the story. To get the full resolution, you have to play the second expansion, which ramps up the scale even more.
The legacy of Knights of the Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire is complicated. It didn't save the MMO in the way some hoped, and it didn't replace the need for a true KOTOR 3. What it did do, however, was prove that there is still a massive appetite for deep, choice-driven Star Wars stories. It was a bridge between the old-school RPG era and the modern cinematic era. Even with its flaws—the linear levels, the grindy alliance system, the occasionally convoluted plot—it remains one of the most ambitious narrative projects Lucasfilm has ever greenlit.
If you want to see what happens when the Force gets weird, this is where you find it. Go play through the first nine chapters at least. Even if you don't stick around for the endgame, the journey through the carbonite fog and the first encounter with the Eternal Throne is worth the price of a subscription for a month.
To get started, make sure your character is at least level 60 (the game usually gives you a token to jump straight there if you're a subscriber). Dive into the "Chapters" menu in your UI, and don't worry about your gear too much early on; the story missions are designed to be accessible. Just pick a side—or better yet, try to find the middle ground that Valkorion is so obsessed with. You might find that being an Outlander is more fun than being a hero or a villain ever was.