Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of BioWare's best games. This sci-fi RPG features a riveting story and memorable characters, and the fact that it's getting a remake is a major source of jubilation for most fans. The game is a masterpiece that features one of the best narratives in any Star Wars property, which is pretty hefty praise indeed. As a result, most people might not be able to wait until the remake finally hits store shelves.
However, the years have not been kind to Knights of the Old Republic. It looks like an extremely dated game, with its combat being easier to adjust to. This might put off certain players... but there's actually a great way to overhaul the visuals of this game and make it feel more modern. Fans have been hard at work modding in various graphical upgrades, with the best of the bunch being mentioned below.
Updated July 3, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: It goes without saying that everyone is hyped to the moon and back about the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake. This game is one of BioWare's best during their golden years before the studio lost part of the magic that made their games so memorable and exciting.
Hopefully, the master of western RPGs can redeem themselves with this remake, and fans can check out the following graphics mods to bide their time with the original game without dealing with too many of the limitations of its time.
15 High Poly Grenades
This might be a rather small change, but grenades form a major part of any Jedi Master's arsenal that specializes in explosives. These small explosives can barely be noticed, but there are some players who might find it just a bit grating to see just horrible textures for even the smallest time possible.
The High Poly Grenades mod upgrades the texture of the game's grenades, which feels like a rather extra thing to integrate into the game. However, there's nothing wrong with wanting perfection and this mod certainly helps inch closer to this idea.
14 KOTOR Weapon Model Overhaul
There are various mods that players can use to improve the looks of the weapons in Knights of the Old Republic. This mod is one of the better ones that can be experimented with. These overhauls are pretty great without being too intrusive and help make Knights of the Old Republic look slightly better, especially in combat. It's a small change, but a meaningful one regardless.
13 NPC And PC Pack High-Resolution Version 2
There's no denying that the characters in Knights of the Old Republic look like porcelain dolls due to the dated textures. However, PC gamers don't have to deal with this issue for long. This mod ensures that both NPCs and the player character benefit from better textures. For an all-in-one character texture mod, there's no better place to look than this utilitarian mod.
12 New Grass
It might sound rather unnecessary, but something as simple as the texture of grass can greatly enhance one's immersion in a game. This applies to Knights of the Old Republic as well, which needs a visual overhaul across the board to be less of an eyesore in modern times.
The New Grass mod is pretty self-explanatory. It replaces the vanilla grass with higher-texture ones that look better in every way. It's a simple but great way to ensure that players get even more immersed in Knights of the Old Republic.
11 Ultimate Taris High Resolution - HD Upscale
Taris and the Sith Base on it look pretty decent for the most part, but some people want these areas to also look perfect in modern times. Modders are here to save the day and help this game overcome its visual drawbacks.
This mod does exactly what is stated in the title, improving the textures of both Taris and its Sith Base. It's a great mod that makes this section of the game way more memorable and exciting.
10 Old Republic Skin Overhaul
Most of the textures present in Knights of the Old Republic are pretty muddy. They are a product of their time, with these low-resolution textures making the entire game feel flat and lifeless at times.
The Old Republic Skin Overhaul mod sees to it that the environment textures are upscaled and improved for modern gamers. It's a must-have mod for fans who cannot bear the dated visuals of this otherwise splendid game.
9 High Quality Skyboxes II
Given the Star Wars influence of this RPG, it's only a given that fans would love the idea of seeing each planet's atmosphere in all its glory. The technical limitations of Knights of the Old Republic mean that players will have to be content with the game's base skyboxes.
Of course, players unwilling to make this compromise can just download a mod instead. The High Quality Skyboxes II mod is a broad and all-encompassing mod that extends almost all the skyboxes in the game, making these visuals brilliant and more awe-inspiring.
8 Fens Character Re-texture Mods
As stated before, the characters in Knights of the Old Republic are some of the most memorable party members in video gaming. There are barely any duds in this stellar cast... although their plastic-y look definitely takes a while getting used to.
Instead of dealing with this, players can just download Fenharel's various mods for all main party members in the game. There's some great work on display here, with these characters feeling all the more alive and engaging as a result of this uplift.
7 High Quality Stars And Nebulas
It's only a given that players want the galaxy to look brilliant in a Star Wars game. Knights of the Old Republic definitely did its part back when it was released... but almost two decades have passed since then.
So, players can just save themselves the headache and download the High Quality Stars And Nebulas mod instead. It might seem like a minor cosmetic change but does wonders when it comes to immersing players in this massive world.
6 Ultimate Character Overhaul -REDUX-
While Fenharel's mods are good enough for certain characters, there are a vast number of NPC models that haven't been touched up and look pretty horrid. Thankfully, there's a fix for this as well.
The Ultimate Character Overhaul -REDUX- mod does exactly what it sets out to do and improves the textures of every character in the game. Using both this and Fens' mods means that players can enjoy the best of both worlds.
5 Fire And Ice HD
Particle effects might not matter to certain players, but others love the chaos caused by them on the battlefield. Knights of the Old Republic does a decent job of adding many visual effects to the game, but most of them simply haven't held up.
This changes with the advent of the Fire and Ice HD mod. As stated in the name, this mod adds high-quality fire and ice effects to the game to make set pieces look even more bombastic.
4 High Quality Blasters
While this might be a simple mod, it helps since players will use ranged weapons frequently in the game. As a result, it becomes important to use mods that improve the look of said weapons. In this context, High Quality Blasters is definitely a step in the right direction. It's a simple yet effective mod that makes the game look just a tad bit better, which is always a good thing.
3 High Resolution Lightsaber Beams
The lightsaber is one of the most iconic weapons in the Star Wars universe. It takes a while before players get their hands on a lightsaber in Knights of the Old Republic, and the payoff is more than worth it.
That being said, there's no denying that the lightsabers could still look more impressive than they already are. This mod does exactly that, adding life to this legendary weapon and making it look grander.
2 Remastered High Resolution Armors
A character's armor quality is what governs their chances of getting through a battle with minimal damage. It's important to kit out the main party with the best equipment around, even though looking at these blurry armor textures can be quite a drag.
This annoyance can be removed entirely with the Remastered High Resolution Armors mod. It does exactly what is stated in the title and makes the armor designs in Knights of the Old Republic pretty great.
1 KotOR 1 Remastered (AI Upscaled) Cutscenes
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Knights of the Old Republic was released around a time when pre-rendered cutscenes were the norm. This was an approach adopted by BioWare for this game as well, and these cutscenes look absolutely dreadful on modern systems.
Thankfully, this mod ensures that the cutscenes are scaled up properly and look decent for the current generation. It's a great mod that does wonders to remove the jarring nature of the cinematics.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is available for PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Mobile.
