Well, my initial thoughts:
[list]
[*]Starkiller's Force powers are stronger by far than Mace's or Bane's, but he's demonstrably the weakest in lightsaber combat
[*]Mace is probably the weakest in terms of Force use, but possibly the most dangerous duelist: Vaapad would probably give him the win blade-to-blade
[*]Bane is the most balanced fighter, with Force powers beyond Mace and swordsmanship beyond Starkiller
[/list]
Originally posted by The_Tempest
Well, my initial thoughts:[list]
[*]Starkiller's Force powers are stronger by far than Mace's or Bane's, but he's demonstrably the weakest in lightsaber combat
[*]Mace is probably the weakest in terms of Force use, but possibly the most dangerous duelist: Vaapad would probably give him the win blade-to-blade
[*]Bane is the most balanced fighter, with Force powers beyond Mace and swordsmanship beyond Starkiller
[/list]
Astute points. 👆
Originally posted by The_Tempest
Well, my initial thoughts:[list]
[*]Starkiller's Force powers are stronger by far than Mace's or Bane's, but he's demonstrably the weakest in lightsaber combat
[*]Mace is probably the weakest in terms of Force use, but possibly the most dangerous duelist: Vaapad would probably give him the win blade-to-blade
[*]Bane is the most balanced fighter, with Force powers beyond Mace and swordsmanship beyond Starkiller
[/list]
Yeah, so... who wins?
Originally posted by The_Tempest
If someone would be so kind as to provide some examples of Bane's non-nexus/non-orbalisk Force feats, I'd be appreciative. I've already had to comb through one shitty book (TFU2) and I'd rather not leap into the dismal muck that is Karpyshyn's contribution to the Star Wars franchise.
The attacks that he demonstrated while in places of great darkside power were only enhancements of what he could otherwise do.
Originally posted by The_Tempest
[*]Starkiller's Force powers are stronger by far than Mace's or Bane's, but he's demonstrably the weakest in lightsaber combat
[*]Mace is probably the weakest in terms of Force use, but possibly the most dangerous duelist: Vaapad would probably give him the win blade-to-blade
[*]Bane is the most balanced fighter, with Force powers beyond Mace and swordsmanship beyond Starkiller
[/list]
Oh all the variables.. It's just too much!
Good competition though.
Although I'm not really sure if Bane's force powers are beyond Mace. Or if Mace's Saber prowess is beyond Bane for that matter.
Originally posted by Ascendancy
When on Korriban from Githany's perspective his abilities were beyond anything even the Sith Lord's demonstrated and as shown by the empty tombs later it may have had a pall from the darkside but it wasn't a nexus by any means.
Path of Destruction
"Korriban was the ancestral home of the Sith," Qordis explained. "This planet is a place of great power; the dark side lives and breathes in the very core of this world."He paused and slowly extended his skeletal hand, palm upward. It almost seemed as if he was cradling something unseen-something precious and invaluable-in his claw-like fingers.
"This temple we stand in was built many thousands of years ago to collect and focus that power. Here you can feel the dark side at its strongest?' He closed his fist so tightly that his long fingernails cut into his palm, drawing blood. "You have been chosen because you have great potential," he whispered. "Great things are expected of the apprentices here on Korriban. The training is difficult, but the rewards are great for those who succeed."
Bane notes that the dark side's presence has diminished on Korriban while still referring to it as "a place of great power." But even so, the Temple's architecture is designed to focus what power remains.
Originally posted by Ascendancy
The attacks that he demonstrated while in places of great darkside power were only enhancements of what he could otherwise do.
You have evidence of this?
Yeah, but unfortunately that only speaks to saber skills.
That said, if those feats can only be pulled on nexuses, then we're to assume that Bane, Sidious, and others who have pulled off great feats in that way somehow figured out how to manipulate the Force to that extent instantly once they were in the presence of such power and facing combat and then would never be able to repeat them on any scale without being on a nexus. Does that really make any sense?
It said that his Force Necro that he used at Andeddu's temple was only able to be sustained because he was on a nexus, but not that he suddenly discovered that skill there.
As to Korriban, yes, it was a place "strong with the darkside," but it never says that any of the Sith there actually drew on the darkness of the place to enhance their technique. On every nexus/stronghold in any of the series that is something specifically mentioned when Force users are utilizing them.
If you could actually provide evidence of Bane, Sidious, et al. demonstrating elsewhere the abilities attributed to them on dark side nexuses, then yes, I'd be happy to agree. Until then, what you're asking is nothing short of a dramatic leap in order to make Bane appear less impotent.
The saga is rife with examples of characters possessing abilities on Force nexuses that would otherwise be unavailable to them. KotOR 2 provides two examples: when confronted on Korriban and Malachor V, Sion attributes his quasi-immortality to the presence of the dark side; similarly, Kreia's powers of foresight are enhanced exponentially while at Malachor to the extent that she can peer thousands of years into the future. Sidious disintegrates a lightsaber at whim in Dark Empire while on Byss (and never does so elsewhere) and defeats Luke whereas just a short time later aboard the Eclipse, he loses their duel.
These aren't marginal enhancements by any stretch, but tremendous boosts. The burden is on you to show why we should disregard such critical context.