SWTOR Master Mode Chapters Guide

Master Mode chapters are the most difficult mode offered for the third and fourth expansion, Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal throne. Master Mode chapters are some of the most difficult pieces of solo content offered in the game, so if you’re looking to complete it for the achievement or for ventures, you should be ready for a challenge. If you haven’t tried Master Mode chapters before, the difficulty level for some of the fights can be off the charts, with your character dying in mere seconds if you aren’t ready for it.

Master Mode Tips

It’s not recommended to try Master Mode chapters unless you are well geared, have a high influence companion, and are comfortable with your role and class. Even then, you might find them too difficult – the goods news is if you can find someone to help you, you can actually bring a friend along, which is what many players do if they are achievement hunting and are not interested in tacking this incredibly difficult content alone.

•  Level: You’ll want to be Level 80 before tackling Master Mode Chapters. (Or level 85, when 8.0 comes out!)
• Gear: At level 80, you will want to have as much gear as you can possibly get. I would recommend 340+ gear, both your legendary implants, your tactical, nd at least inexpensive augments in every slot. (At level 85 in 8.0, you’ll likely want way more than basic level 85 gear.) You’ll also want the correct types of stats in your gear, including your accuracy, alacrity, etc. Solo Level 80 Gearing Guide
• Combat: You’ll want to be very comfortable with your attacks, defensive abilities, and utility abilities. You’ll want to be able to perform your damage rotation without panicking too much while moving, have keybound at least half or more of your keys, and know where all your defensives and utility abilities like stuns and interrupt and stunbreaker are. You’ll want to feel comfortable opening up your ability tree, and reading through the tree choices to see if there is ones that will be better for each fight. Basic Class Guides
• Influence: Your companion influence affects how good they are at battle. You’ll want a level 20+ influence companion, and ideally a level 50 one. You’ll want to feel comfortable credit-wise buying gifts for companions you have only temporarily for certain chapters, or companions who you are forced to use for certain chapters – not just your favorite companion. Companion Gift Guide
• Roles and Combat Styles: Most players who take on the challenge of Master Mode try swapping between different Combat Styles for different fights – for example switching to burst damage when you need to kill something really fast, or switching to tank if you are dying too fast, or even creating a hybrid like a tank with dps gear. You may even want to take advantage of your second combat style. To do so most effectively, you may also need additional implants, tacticals, or even full sets of gear to swap between. While damage is the most common way to tackle the Master Modes, I’ve personally completed them as a tank, and my favorite player who writes about Master Mode finished them as a healer. There’s not really a “right” combat style for each fight – instead, you’ll have to try different combinations until you find one that works with your personal skill level. While a certain combination might work the “best”, if you aren’t great at playing that combination, you may be better off trying another. Make sure you are comfortable with the loadouts system and swapping loadouts so you can do this without having to reset your gear, quickbars, and tree choices every time.
• Stuns: Your stun abilities allow you to temporarily take enemies out of the fight – some enemies can be stunned, while others can’t. Knowing what stuns you have available, grabbing some stun grenades, and knowing which enemies can be stunned, can make a huge difference in Master Mode fights. Stun Guide
• Speed, Movement, Pushes and Pulls: Getting around quickly from enemy to enemy can shave crucial seconds off of the hardest fights. Learn what your speed or movement abilities are and make good use of them.
•   Companion Controls: Getting used to actively controlling your companion is a big part of the Knight’s of the Fallen Empire Master chapters. This includes knowing when and how to put them on passive, directing them to attack specific enemies manually, and enabling or disabling their abilities. Companion Guide
• Keybinds: If you haven’t already keybound your abilities, now’s the perfect time to learn. Even just keybinding some of your emergency abilities to a few keys can help a lot – for example your stun breaker, your interrupt, and your speed or movement abilities.
• Items: Have the best available Medpacs, Stims and Adrenals, and Stun Grenades
• Patience: Master Mode chapters are not for the faint of heart. The main reason to do them at the moment is mainly ‘bragging rights’ and achievements – the rewards you get from them are not really worth the challenge they pose (though this may change with 8.0, as Expert Ventures will seem to require Master Mode chapters.)
• Bring a Friend: Players looking to run Master Mode chapters for reasons other than bragging rights or personal challenge, for example to complete their Galactic Seasons objectives on Veteran or Master mode, often work on these difficult chapters with friends. Unfortunately, if a friend helps, they won’t get any credit, so if you both want credit you then later need to re-run the chapter for them. Master Mode chapters will still post a big challenge for two players if they don’t have gear, skill, and high-level companions. Even 3 or 4 players may have a rough time taking on some of the hardest chapter fights. How to Play KOTFE with a Friend

If you’re having trouble, ask yourself…

• Are you max-level?
• Are you well geared?
• Do you actually know all your abilities, from your rotation to your utilities like your Interrupt, Stunbreaker, Stuns, Speed, Movement, Pushes and Pulls?
• What’s your current companion’s influence?
• Do you have your medpacs, stims, adrenals and stun grenades?
• Can you bring a friend to help?