How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR: Full Build Guide

This SWTOR Darth Vader Build Guide is designed to be as faithful to the lore and authentic as possible within the constraints of the game. You’ll find everything you need to know in order to create a toon in SWTOR and play like the terrifying force of nature as he appeared throughout Palpatine’s reign as Emperor.

Note: This build is not optimal for endgame content and should only be used when playing alone or role-playing with friends. It is beginner-friendly and does not require you to be at level cap to play it.

Physical Appearance

Darth Vader is a middle-aged war veteran, quadruple amputee, and burn victim. Through miracles of modern medicine at the Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center, he makes use of robotic arms and legs, as well as a life support suit to function normally.

The robotic legs make him incredibly tall and imposing, though underneath the suit, severe burns resulting from a strategic error that no one could have predicted have left him bald and his skin in very poor condition.

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR: - Character Stats

Sex: Male
Species: Human
Body Type: 3
Head: 5
Scars: 17
Complexion: 63
Eye Color: 1 (or 15)
Beards: 1
Hair: 1
Hair Color: 6
Skin Color: 1

The only things you really have to care about for Darth Vader are Male and Body Type 3 unless you want to take the mask off. I’ve gone for something more akin to how he looked when played by Sebastian Shaw in Episode 6 rather than Hayden Christensen.

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR: - face close-up

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR: - torso preview

Outfit and Weapon

I recommend a combination of the Sith Annihilator and Unrelenting Terror’s Armor Sets as the base with a Black and Black Dye Module and the Ardent Defender’s Lightsaber with a regular Red Color Crystal.

Slot	Icon	Piece
Head		Unrelenting Terror’s Helmet
Chest		Sith Annihilator’s Chestguard
Bracers		Unrelenting Terror’s Bracers*
Gloves		Diabolist’s Gloves
Belt		Unrelenting Terror’s Belt
Pants		Sith Annihilator’s Greaves
Boots		Unrelenting Terror’s Boots
Dye		Black and Black Dye Module
Lightsaber		Ardent Defender’s Lightsaber
Color Crystal		Any Red Crystal
Regen Item		Meditation Chamber
Mount		Unrelenting Interceptor

At the time of publishing, the Unrelenting Terror’s Armor Set and Ardent Defender’s Lightsaber were available for sale on the Cartel Market, but the Diabolist’s Armor Set and Unrelenting Interceptor Mount were not. You can also purchase any of these items from the GTN or directly from another player.

The Sith Annihilator armor set can be purchased from the Adaptive Gear Vendor, Captain Thanar, on the Imperial Fleet for a paltry sum of credits.

The exact Bracers are pretty unimportant. You can use anything that doesn’t clip through the Gloves. Similarly, the Diabolist’s Gloves are not essential; any basic pleather gloves will do, though I don’t think there are too many options that fit the bill quite as well as the Diabolist’s Gloves.

Red Color Crystals can be crafted by Artifice, purchased from the GTN, other players, or the PvP Items vendor in the PvP alcove in the Combat Section of the fleet.

The Meditation Chamber Regen Item can be purchased from Therj’io’nuruodo, an Underworld Exchange vendor on the Cartel Bazaar on the Fleet for 100k credits and 6 Cartel Certificates. You’ll need Legend standing with the Underworld Exchange as well.

If you want to reduce costs, instead of a Black and Black Dye Module, you can use a Secondary Black Dye Module from an Underworld Exchange vendor, P-5C3, in the Cartel Bazaar on the Fleet, though some portions will be a bit grayer. The Sith Annihilator’s Handgear is a decent cheap alternative to the Diabolist’s Gloves as well.

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR - full outfit overview - front

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR - full outfit overview - left

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR - full outfit overview - right

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR - full outfit overview - back

I also want to mention that there is an alternative mask that matches the face of the mask a lot better, though the silhouette is far less accurate and it’s harder to obtain. The model has been available on multiple helmets over the years but is most easily accessible now as part of the Remnant Underworld Warrior’s armor set, which can be obtained by turning in the Military Alliance Supply Crates to Admiral Aygo from doing Heroics.

Story, Combat Style, and Gearing Choices

This section will focus on key choices you’ll have to make in order to end up with a playstyle and story that fits Darth Vader’s character.

Origin Story

Darth Vader is the Emperor’s personal enforcer. He has a lot of agency and is extremely powerful, but was never truly free. The Sith Warrior storyline has similar beats where you are powerful but chained by others, and become the Emperor’s Wrath.

Combat Style, Discipline, and Ability Tree Choices

Darth Vader wields a single lightsaber, has an overwhelming presence, and was an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Few could even muster the strength to slow him down, let alone defeat him.

Immortal Juggernaut with an emphasis on damage output is the most fitting choice by far because it’s a tank discipline (though you’ll use DPS gear) that primarily features weighty lightsaber swings and high survivability.

How to Create Darth Vader in SWTOR - Skill Tree Build Recommendations

Build Essentials:
Taunting Strike
Sweeping Slash
Crushing Grip
War Machine
Hardened Defense
Saber Reflect
Pooled Hatred

This specific Immortal build focuses on boosting damage output, granting abilities that Vader is known for, increasing the availability of Force Choke, and gaining bonuses when players make the foolish decision to incapacitate you instead of running away.

Legendary Implants and Tactical Item

Darth Vader is exceedingly formidable when it comes to both offense and defense, so I recommend implants that improve your damage output and a tactical item that increases your survivability. You gain access to legendary implants at level 80 and tactical items at level 75.

Fearless Victor

Fearless Victor makes your melee attacks deal more damage for a short period of time after spending Rage, your class resource, on a melee attack.

Champion’s Precision

Champion’s Precision significantly increases your critical chance for a short time after activating Threatening Rage, increasing your damage output.

Grit Teeth

Grit Teeth reduces the cooldown on Saber Ward whenever you take damage, enabling you to use it a lot more often.

For more information on gearing, check out my guide on Which Mods to Buy from Hyde and Zeek. For a Darth Vader build, I recommend gearing like a “Skank Tank”, which is focused on increasing stats that boost damage output while factoring in that you are using a tank discipline, so there’s no need for Accuracy, only Alacrity and Critical Rating. Make sure to still equip a shield though.

Key Abilities

In this section, I’ll be going over specific Immortal Juggernaut abilities that match Darth Vader’s fighting style, including lightsaber swings, Force attacks, and defensive maneuvers. To be clear, this is not a complete list of all Immortal Juggernaut abilities, I am only shining a spotlight on specific relevant ones.

I’d like to note that while Vader is incredibly strong with the Force, he doesn’t do anything super flashy with it beyond displays of strength, certainly not like his master. He also pretty much exclusively slashes with his lightsaber. I could not find an instance in any of his fight scenes where he swung his saber in a stabbing or thrusting motion.

Offensive Abilities

These are attacks that deal damage to one or more enemies. Typically, they cannot be used at the same time as one another. Some of them cost Rage, which is the Juggernaut’s class resource and most of them have short cooldowns that prevent them from being spammed.

Aegis Assault

Unlocked at level 15
Warding Strike is a lightsaber swing that deals a moderate amount of damage to a single enemy, generates 6 Rage, and grants buffs that increase your damage reduction and improve the effectiveness of your shield generator.

Crushing Blow

Unlocked at level 35
Crushing Blow is your big whopper lightsaber swing. It’s your most powerful attack that also deals damage to other nearby enemies and knocks down any normal enemies you manage to hit with it if you’ve used Aegis Assault recently.

Force Choke

Unlocked at level 27
Darth Vader’s signature Force attack isn’t nearly as lethal as it is on the big screen, but that’s because stuns are incredibly powerful since you can continue to attack while your opponent is completely incapacitated. You’ll be able to use it more often than any other Warrior discipline though because dealing damage with Crushing Blow reduces its cooldown.

Vicious Slash

Unlocked at level 1
This is a basic lightsaber swing that deals moderate damage to a single enemy and has no cooldown, but costs 2 Rage per activation. It is weaker than the attacks I’ve mentioned already, but if you have spare Rage, this is a great option to use while you’re waiting for a stronger attack to become available.

Sweeping Slash

Obtainable at level 27
Sweeping Slash is extremely similar to Vicious Slash. The only differences are that it can hit multiple targets, but doesn’t deal quite as much damage as Vicious Slash, so only use it instead of Vicious Slash if you can hit multiple enemies.

Assault

Unlocked at level 1
Assault is your most basic lightsaber swing. It deals a small amount of damage to a single enemy and has no cooldown. In lieu of dealing more damage, it generates 2 Rage instead of costing any, so you are always able to use it assuming you’re in range.

Saber Throw

Unlocked at level 47
Saber Throw is another of Darth Vader’s signature abilities. It deals a moderate amount of damage and generate 3 Rage. The damage dealt is practically identical to Vicious Slash, but has a fairly long cooldown for an attack, so there’s little benefit to using it against targets in melee range unless you’re low on Rage, which shouldn’t happen very often.

Vicious Throw

Unlocked at level 43
Vicious Throw is another ability where you get to throw your lightsaber. Its range is substantially less than that of regular Saber Throw, and it can only be used against targets that have less than 30% remaining HP, but it deals a massive amount of damage and has a much shorter cooldown.

Threatening Rage

Unlocked at level 15
Threatening Rage does a lot of different things at the same time and can be used during your other abilities. It generates 6 Rage, deals damage to all nearby enemies, increases your defense against weapon attacks, purges movement-impairing effects, reduces the cooldown on your taunts, and increases your critical chance. I see it as a game representation of Darth Vader’s imposing presence, though it doesn’t match the visual appearance of any of his moves.

Defensive Abilities

Vader is known for his longevity, and Immortal Juggernauts offer that in spades. All of these abilities can be activated at the same time as other attacks and offer some sort of temporary boost to your survivability. Their cooldowns are significantly longer than that of most attacks.

Saber Reflect

Obtainable at level 68
Saber Reflect causes you to use your lightsaber to reflect all incoming non-melee damage back at your attackers for a few seconds, just as Vader did to those poor, defenseless rebel soldiers in that glorious hallway of horror. It’s great if you bite off a bit more than you can chew if you accidentally attract the attention of too many enemies or want to redirect a singular powerful attack.

Saber Ward

Unlocked at level 15
Saber Ward is similar to Saber Reflect in that you’re using your lightsaber to defend yourself. However, unlike Saber Reflect, Saber Ward works against all types of damage and lasts over twice as long, though it works differently for different types of attacks. For weapon attacks, it significantly increases your chance to dodge them completely, but for other attacks, it absorbs part of the damage you take.

Enraged Defense

Unlocked at level 56
Enraged Defense heals you when you are attacked, but it can’t be activated while you have high health. It’s great for regaining control in a duel after your opponent managed to land a lucky hit because you were just toying with them.

Endure Pain

Unlocked at level 43
Endure Pain grants temporary extra health and removes cleansable debuffs, it’s great for when you just need to last a little bit longer against a more formidable adversary. If your health is lower than the amount granted by this ability when the effect ends, you’ll survive with only a single point of HP left, so you better make sure you’re the only one left standing!

Invincible

Unlocked at level 60
Invincible is much simpler than your other defensive abilities. You aren’t actually invincible, you just take substantially less damage for a short period of time. If you’re taking a lot of damage and not sure what ability to use, activate Invincible.

If you want more information on how to play and gear this discipline optimally for group PvE content, like Flashpoints and Operations, check out Dongo’s 7.0 Immortal Juggernaut PvE Guide.

To learn how to play as the version of the character before he became Darth Vader, read the Anakin Skywalker SWTOR Build Guide. It shows you how to successfully recreate the iconic character from The Clone Wars all the way up to his transformation following the events on Mustafar in Episode 3.

Physical Appearance

Outfit and Weapon