STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition: Complete Guide

A guide to playing Darth Vader's secret apprentice: how the Force powers and upgrade system work, which upgrades to buy first, a mission-by-mission outline, boss strategies, both endings, and the three bonus levels in the Ultimate Sith Edition.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Ultimate Sith Edition PC release (Aspyr port; Windows November 2009 in North America, on Steam since 15 December 2009). The game receives no updates. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

The Force is your main weapon. The lightsaber is for finishing and bosses; Force Push, Force Grip, and Force Lightning clear rooms far more effectively.
Throw things at people. Grip an enemy or object and hurl it into walls, cliffs, other enemies, or out of the level. The physics sandbox is the game.
Upgrade Grip, Push and Lightning early. Grip is the power you'll use most, and Push and Lightning scale into room-clearing attacks.
Watch your Force meter. Powers drain the Force bar and it refills over time, so spend it in bursts and keep enough in reserve for a Push or Lightning when you get swarmed.
Collect Holocrons. They're scattered everywhere and give experience, upgrades, and lightsaber crystals. Holocrons you grab before dying stay collected.
Bosses end with button prompts. When a boss is weakened, a prompt starts a finishing sequence. Watch the screen and press the shown buttons.
Knock enemies off ledges. Many levels have pits. A single push can remove a tough enemy instantly.
Pick your difficulty honestly. The difficulty ladder runs Apprentice, Sith Warrior, Sith Lord, and Sith Master (the hardest). Sith Warrior is a fair first run. On consoles, each difficulty's completion award requires that you don't change difficulty mid-game — a good habit on PC too.

Force Powers

Power	What it does	Best use
Force Push	Blasts enemies and objects away; charge it for a bigger blast	Crowd control, knocking foes off ledges, bursting open doors
Force Grip	Lifts an enemy or object for you to move and throw	Throwing enemies into each other, stripping cover, puzzle solving
Force Lightning	Continuous chain lightning	Groups of troopers, droids and other mechanical enemies
Lightsaber Throw	Throws your saber and it returns	Ranged damage, flying enemies
Force Repulse	Builds a Force bubble that bursts into a shockwave around you	Escape when surrounded; guards and Shadow Troopers
Lightning Shield	Wraps you in lightning that reduces the effectiveness of enemy attacks	Close-range brawls

Powers unlock through the story. Each can be upgraded to stronger levels. Lightning is especially strong against mechanical enemies (droids, Purge Troopers), jetpack troopers, anything you're holding in Grip, and Felucian shamans.

Vary your attacks. Enemies adapt: using the same attack over and over can make it do less damage, so rotate powers and combos.

Upgrades: Force Powers, Combos, Talents

Leveling up grants points in three categories:

Category	What it improves	Priority
Force Powers	Strength and range of each power	Push and Lightning first, then Grip
Force Combos	New lightsaber and saber-plus-Force combinations	Pick one or two you actually use
Force Talents	Passive improvements: Fortitude, Force Focus, Force Affinity, Vitality, Resilience, Battle Meditation, Saber Mastery, Defense Mastery, Combo Mastery	Survivability first

Beginner route:

Grip and Push (you'll use them constantly).
Force Lightning damage/range.
Survival talents.
Combos you actually use (Grip + Saber Throw is a strong pairing).

Experience (Force Points) comes from kills and from holocrons, so varied, creative kills and thorough exploration both speed up leveling. Spend all banked points before big fights; the Training Room in the menu is a safe place to practice new combos.

Holocrons and Crystals

Holocrons: hidden throughout every mission, often on ledges, in niches, or behind objects. Most grant Force Points or upgrade points; some contain lightsaber crystals.
Lightsaber crystals: some only change the blade's color; others change how the saber fights, such as extra damage or lightning damage. Equip a combat crystal as soon as you find one that suits your style.
Holocrons you collect stay collected even if you die before the next checkpoint.

Mission Outline (story spoilers light)

The Ultimate Sith Edition includes the original campaign plus three bonus levels.

Mission area	What happens
Prologue: Kashyyyk	You play as Darth Vader, hunting a Jedi (Kento Marek) — a tutorial in overwhelming power
1. TIE Fighter Factory	Starkiller's first target, General Rahm Kota, amid a rebel raid on the factory
2. Raxus Prime	A junk planet; confront the hermit Jedi Kazdan Paratus
3. Felucia	Jungle planet; confront Shaak Ti
4. The Empirical	After Vader's apparent betrayal, fight your way off the ISS Empirical
5. Cloud City (Bespin)	Find a broken, blinded Kota and escort him out
6. Imperial Kashyyyk	Rescue Leia, free the Wookiees and destroy the Skyhook
7. Imperial Felucia	Search for Bail Organa and face Maris Brood, Shaak Ti's fallen apprentice
8. Imperial Raxus Prime	PROXY duel, then the iconic Star Destroyer set piece
Corellia (cutscene)	The Rebel Alliance's founding meeting, interrupted by Vader; not a playable mission
9. Death Star	The finale and the light/dark choice

Mission names follow the standard walkthrough numbering; the Ultimate Sith Edition's three bonus levels are listed separately below.

Tips by area

Kashyyyk prologue: Vader is overpowered on purpose. Experiment with Grip throws; nothing here is a real threat.
TIE Fighter Factory: When an energy barrier seals a room, throw enemies into it for instant kills; to get through, Grip the generator out of its slot. In the long corridor where TIE fighters keep flying at you, use Grip to bend the pillars beside the ramp to fend them off. An optional objective asks you to destroy five hanging TIE fighters with Grip.
Raxus Prime: Tons of junk to throw. Before Paratus, two Titans built from junk block the way; keep your distance, hit them with Lightning and saber, and use the finishing prompt when it appears.
Felucia: Felucian shamans protect nearby natives from saber attacks, so kill the shaman first or use Grip on protected enemies. Several Rancors roam the level.
The Empirical: Tight corridors, Shadow Troopers that turn invisible, and Purge Troopers. Keep Purge Troopers at medium range and Lightning them. Spend any banked upgrade points before you go.
Cloud City: Jump troopers, snipers (kill them first), and two Juggernauts; throw objects at the Juggernauts and use cover. Carbonite containers on the ramp can freeze troopers for an optional objective.
Imperial Kashyyyk: Free caged Wookiees and they fight alongside you. Bend prison bars with the Force and tear out power cables to drop energy shields.
Imperial Felucia: The Empire has dug in; expect Rancors and a trip through a Sarlacc on the way to Maris Brood.
Star Destroyer set piece: Power the four nodes around the mine core with Lightning, then use Grip to pull the Star Destroyer down. Clear the TIE fighter waves when prompted and keep your aim steady.
Death Star: Toughest enemies of the base game, including Imperial guards and a Shadow Trooper before the throne room; Force Repulse handles them well. Stock health and Force talents before you arrive.

Bosses

Boss	Tips
Kento Marek	Prologue fight as Vader; follow the prompts
Rahm Kota	TIE Fighter Factory. Veteran Jedi; mix blocking with Force attacks and finish with the prompt
Kazdan Paratus	Raxus Prime, after the junk Titans; mix Force powers with saber and finish with the prompt
Shaak Ti	Felucia; mix Force powers with saber and finish with the prompt
Shadow Guard	Cloud City. Kill the regular troopers first, then block and use Force Repulse repeatedly
Captain Ozzik Sturn (AT-ST)	Imperial Kashyyyk, after you destroy the Skyhook's power points. The walker is slow; keep your distance and throw rocks and containers at it
Maris Brood	Imperial Felucia; clear the enemies and a Rancor, then the fight moves into a cave with a Bull Rancor
PROXY	Imperial Raxus Prime. PROXY copies enemies you've already beaten, so reuse your old tactics; its last form is Darth Maul (Repulse plus Grip works well)
Darth Vader	Death Star duel; mix Force powers into saber fights. The light/dark choice comes after you beat him
Emperor Palpatine	Light Side path only, and it's a hard fight; bank upgrades and full health before the choice

Big enemies (mini-bosses)

Rancors (Felucia and the Tatooine bonus level): big and quite fast, so don't waste time lining up throws. Keep jumping, get in a few slashes, use Force Lightning, and take the finishing prompt when it appears. Killing the Rancor in Jabba's palace is part of the Tatooine story.
AT-STs and AT-KTs: walkers with heavy ranged fire. Keep a safe distance and hurl objects at them with Grip, or jump in with saber strikes and Lightning.
Purge Troopers: big armored troopers. Stay at medium range to avoid their grabs and rockets, and use Lightning.
Shadow Troopers and Imperial guards: Force Repulse followed by saber attacks is the reliable answer.

General rules: when a boss's health bar is depleted, you'll get a finishing sequence with button prompts. Keep your eyes on the screen rather than on the action so you don't fumble the input.

Endings

After you defeat Vader on the Death Star, the Emperor subdues Kota and urges you to kill Vader. You choose between:

Light Side (save Kota): you fight the Emperor. Starkiller defeats him but spares him at Kota's urging, then sacrifices himself absorbing the Emperor's Force lightning so Kota and the senators can escape. Leia adopts his family crest as the symbol of the Rebel Alliance. The Force Unleashed II continues from this ending.
Dark Side (kill Vader): the Emperor then orders Starkiller to kill Kota. Starkiller attacks the Emperor instead, and Palpatine crushes him with the Rogue Shadow, killing Juno, Kota, and the senators. Starkiller wakes up rebuilt in armor to serve the Emperor until a replacement apprentice is found.

Save before the choice so you can see both.

Ultimate Sith Edition Bonus Levels

Level	What it is
Jedi Temple	Set in the main story before Imperial Kashyyyk. Starkiller fights Imperial security in the abandoned Temple on Coruscant, then his father's spirit sets him three Jedi trials, ending with a dark reflection of himself created by his own fear. Originally DLC
Tatooine	An alternate "Infinities" timeline where Starkiller is the Emperor's assassin. Hunt the stolen Death Star plans, kill Jabba's Rancor, fight his mercenaries (Boba Fett among them), and duel Obi-Wan Kenobi at Mos Eisley. Originally DLC
Hoth	New in this edition; continues the Infinities timeline. Infiltrate the Rebel base during the Battle of Hoth and defeat Luke Skywalker in the hangar

Tatooine and Hoth are non-canon "what if" stories where Starkiller serves the Emperor, and they spoil the main campaign, so play them after it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Relying only on the lightsaber. Force powers are much stronger early on.
Draining the Force meter at the worst moment. Use powers in bursts and keep a reserve for emergencies.
Spreading points too thin. Push, Lightning, and survival talents first.
Skipping exploration. Holocrons are experience; you'll be underleveled for later missions.
Ignoring environment kills. Pits, walls, and explosives are free damage.
Rushing boss finishers. Read the button prompts; the finishing sequences reward attention, not mashing.

Advanced Tips

Grip-throw chains. Grip an enemy, throw him into a group, then Push the survivors off the map.
Charged Push on heavies. Hold the Push button for a stronger blast that knocks down groups and bigger enemies.
Lightning on machines. Droids, Purge Troopers and jetpack troopers are most vulnerable to Lightning; so is anyone you're holding in Grip.
Grip + Saber Throw. This Force combo is one of the strongest single-target options against tough enemies.
Replay on Sith Master. Try the hardest difficulty once you know the missions.
Use the physics. Throwing an explosive barrel or crate into enemies is often faster than any combo.

PC Notes

The PC version was ported by Aspyr. It's a direct port of the console game, so expect controller-first design; a gamepad is recommended.
Keyboard and mouse work but feel less natural for Grip aiming.
For technical issues on modern Windows (resolution, framerate, crashes), check PCGamingWiki's page before playing; there are community fixes documented there.

FAQ

What's the difference between the Ultimate Sith Edition and the original? It adds three levels to the original campaign: Jedi Temple and Tatooine (previously download-only DLC) and the all-new Hoth level.

Which ending is canon? The Light Side ending, which leads into the founding of the Rebel Alliance.

What should I upgrade first? Force Grip, Force Push, Force Lightning, and survival talents.

How do I beat Darth Vader? Mix Force powers with saber strikes, keep your distance when he's aggressive, and follow the prompts at the end.

Is The Force Unleashed canon? It was part of the old expanded universe; since 2014 it's considered "Legends."

Can I play the bonus levels anytime? The Jedi Temple fits into the main story (between Cloud City and Imperial Kashyyyk). Tatooine and Hoth are alternate-timeline levels that spoil the ending, so save them for after the campaign.

Does the PC version have controller support? Yes, a gamepad is recommended.

Does the Steam version have achievements? No. Steam lists no achievement stats for this release; difficulty-completion and kill-count achievements (e.g. for Rancors and walkers) exist only on the console versions.