You start as nothing. Literally. In the opening cinematic of the Sith Inquisitor storyline in Star Wars: The Old Republic, you aren't a chosen one or a decorated war hero. You're a slave in rags, shoved off a transport onto the dusty, unforgiving red sands of Korriban. It’s gritty. It’s a bit depressing. Honestly, it’s the most honest depiction of the Sith Empire BioWare ever put to screen.
Most players gravitate toward the Sith Warrior because they want to be Darth Vader. They want the cape, the heavy armor, and the brute force. But the Inquisitor? That's for the people who want to play the long game. It’s a story about climbing from the absolute dirt of the social hierarchy to the heights of the Dark Council through sheer cunning, a terrifying amount of Force lightning, and a healthy dose of occultism.
Survival is the Only Metric That Matters
The early levels on Korriban set a tone that persists for the next fifty hours of gameplay. Your overseer, Harkun, hates you. He doesn’t just dislike you; he is actively rooting for your death because of your "low birth." This isn't just flavor text; it dictates the rhythm of your early quests. While other classes are out being "heroes" of their faction, you’re just trying not to get executed by your own teachers.
It’s a power fantasy, sure, but it’s an earned one.
You aren't just swinging a lightsaber. By the time you reach Dromund Kaas, the game shifts. You're no longer just a student; you're a player in a galactic game of chess where the pieces are literal ghosts. The Sith Inquisitor narrative leans heavily into the "Sorcerer" archetype of the Star Wars mythos. Think Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, but with more sarcasm.
The Ghost-Eating Problem
Midway through the story, specifically around Chapter 2, things get weird. And I mean "Star Wars horror" weird. Your character realizes that they aren't powerful enough to take down their rival, Darth Thanaton. Thanaton is a traditionalist. He represents the old guard of the Sith—the bureaucrats who think lineage matters more than raw talent.
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To beat him, you start binding the ghosts of ancient Sith Lords to your own spirit.
This is where the gameplay and the narrative start to blur. You’re becoming a "Force Walker." It’s a dangerous, forbidden technique that basically turns your body into a living battery for dark side energy. But there’s a catch: it’s literally tearing your mind apart. The voice acting here—especially if you play the female Inquisitor voiced by Xanthe Elbrick—is phenomenal. You sound increasingly unhinged, powerful, and desperate.
Unlike the Jedi Consular, who spends their time healing the world and building alliances, the Inquisitor is building a cult of personality. You’re gathering a crew that includes a monster like Khem Val—a Dashade who literally eats Force users—and an apprentice who is arguably more stable than you are.
A Crew of Misfits and Monsters
The companions for this class are... diverse, to say the least.
- Khem Val: He’s your first companion and arguably the most iconic. He starts out wanting to eat you. By the end, he’s your most loyal protector. It’s a strange, begrudging respect that feels more "Sith" than any romance option in the game.
- Andronikos Revel: A pirate. He doesn't care about the Force. He just likes blasters and fast ships. He provides a much-needed grounded perspective when you’re busy talking to 3,000-year-old spirits.
- Ashara Zavros: This is where it gets tricky. She’s a fallen Jedi, but she doesn't actually fall to the Dark Side. Trying to keep her on your side while you're doing Sith things is one of the more complex moral puzzles in the game. You can’t just "evil" your way through her dialogue.
The Assassin vs. The Sorcerer
When you play a Sith Inquisitor, you have to make a choice early on regarding your combat style. It’s a huge split.
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The Assassin is all about stealth and double-bladed lightsabers. You play like Darth Maul. You sneak behind lines, vanish in a cloud of smoke, and burst down targets. It's incredibly satisfying in PvP (Player vs. Player) scenarios where you can pick off stragglers.
Then there’s the Sorcerer. This is the "unlimited power" fantasy. You stay at range and melt faces with purple lightning. In the current 7.0+ meta of The Old Republic, the Sorcerer remains a powerhouse for both healing and DPS (Damage Per Second). There’s something fundamentally "Star Wars" about hovering in the air while lightning crackles from your fingertips as a massive boss health bar deletes itself.
The animations for the Inquisitor are still some of the best in the game, even years after launch. The way the character carries themselves—the arrogance in their stance, the way they hold their lightsaber—it all screams "I am better than you."
Why the Ending Hits Different
Without spoiling the exact beats, the finale of the Sith Inquisitor story isn't about saving the galaxy. It’s about a promotion.
It sounds mundane when you put it like that, but in the context of the Sith Empire, a promotion is a matter of life and death. You are fighting for a seat on the Dark Council. This is the inner circle of twelve Sith who run the entire Empire. When you finally confront Thanaton on the floor of the Dark Council chambers, it’s not just a boss fight. It’s a trial.
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The game rewards you with a title based on your alignment. If you're Dark Side, you become Darth Nox. If you're Light Side (yes, you can play a "Good" Sith), you become Darth Imperius. If you're Neutral, you're Darth Occlus. These aren't just labels; they reflect how the rest of the Empire views your legacy.
Dealing With the "Generic Evil" Trap
A common mistake new players make is picking every "Shock" dialogue option. Look, it's funny to zap people. It really is. But if you play the Inquisitor as just a mindless psychopath, you miss the nuance.
The best way to experience this story is as a "Sith Pragmatist." You were a slave. You know how the system grinds people down. You can choose to be a reformer who wants to make the Empire stronger by eliminating the infighting, or you can be a tyrant who wants to burn it all down for a seat on the throne. Both are valid. Both feel earned.
Actionable Steps for New Inquisitors
If you’re rolling a Sith Inquisitor today, here is how you get the most out of the experience without wasting time on the "vanilla" grind:
- Prioritize the "Purple" Quests: These are your Class and Planetary arcs. In 2026, the XP scaling is generous enough that you can hit max level just by doing these. Don't get bogged down in every gold side quest unless you really want the lore.
- Invest in the Legacy "Rocket Boost": The Inquisitor does a lot of walking through ancient tombs. Save your credits and unlock Rocket Boost in the Legacy panel immediately. Your knees will thank you.
- Choose Your Spec Wisely: If you want to feel like a god, go Sorcerer (Madness or Lightning discipline). If you want to feel like a ninja, go Assassin (Deception is the most "bursty" and fun for leveling).
- Influence Matters: Don't ignore Khem Val. Give him the "Cultural Artifact" and "Weapon" gifts you find. Having a high-influence tank companion makes the difficult Heroic missions much easier to solo.
- Watch Your Alignment: Your Darth title at the end is hard-coded to your alignment score. If you want a specific name (Nox, Imperius, or Occlus), keep an eye on your character sheet. You can toggle your alignment gain in the UI to ensure you're trending the right way.
The Sith Inquisitor remains a masterclass in how to tell a story about power—not just having it, but the desperate, ugly, and exhilarating climb to get it. It's a reminder that in the Star Wars universe, sometimes the most interesting people aren't the ones born with a golden lightsaber in their hand, but the ones who had to kill everyone in the room just to get a seat at the table.