This article documents the common and notorious glitches that you are likely to encounter when playing the game of KOTOR. For Glitches concerning KOTOR II, please read that game's glitch page rather than this one.
It is not an exhaustive list of every anomaly that may possibly occur. There are numerous minor animation oddities and graphical surprises that you can uncover if you try to trigger them; if you choose to do a bizarre and unpredictable set of actions, it's likely that the game's response will be bizarre and unpredictable. Rather, this wiki only documents glitches that other readers are likely to be interested in learning about: those that have serious consequences, those that can be exploited to your advantage, or those that most players are likely to uncover during standard gameplay.
Furthermore, this article focuses on general glitches. Glitches that you will only encounter under very specific situations are documented on more specific articles: problems during a quest will be documented on that quest's article; problems that only occur in a given location will be described on that place's article; etc. If you are looking for information on a problem that you've encountered, you should start by searching the same way as non-problem-related information: look at the wiki article on that topic. This article is the place to look if there's an inexplicable problem, whose source is not obvious, or for problems that don't fit into one of the site's other articles.
[ submit a glitch ]
Exploitable Glitches
These are glitches that can result in a player advantage of some form. It does not include various ways to take advantage of intentional game features, because such exploits are not glitches.
Submitted by Mage: If you want your character remain at level 1 and get off the Endar Spire, here is how. Open a new character. Get your armor/weapons/gear and talk to Trask. Have Trask open the first door, then have the first Carth cutscene. Have Trask open the second door and right at the beginning of the fight, save. Finish the fight. Reload your save, walk BACK through the hall, the second Carth cutscene will glitch and transport you PAST the bridge. You will be a level 1 and able to leave.
This is a useful glitch if you want to have a level 1 Anything/ 19 Jedi. This will allow you to maximize your force points and powers unlike ever before. I just accidently did this today with a level 1 Soldier. Try it out.
Submitted by Ryan: If you actually manage to kill the rancor simply by throwing grenades at it, you will get a ton of XP for killing it. However, if you then put a grenade and the synthesizer in the pile, the cutscene in which the rancor dies will play. However, the character model for the Rancor will be missing but the cutscene will still continue and the rancor's animations will still play out. Once the cut-scene is over, you will recieve the XP you would get if you killed the rancor in that way.
Putting the grenade in the pile: 250 XP
Killing the rancor by a different method: Around 700-900 XP depending on your current level. I myself always get about 800 as I am usually Level 4 when I fight the Rancor
Exploiting this glitch: At least 1000 (Both amounts combined)
Submitted by Ryan (Again): I hve also found another XP glitch involving (SPOILR ALERT AHEAD!!!!) The fight with Saul Karath aboard the Leviathan. I have found that if you use Master Speed and kill him before ANY OTHER ENEMY! THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF SAUL IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DIES.The cutscene where he dies will play as normal. Exit out this cutscen and you will have to kill all of Sauls bodyguards (Plus the 3 Sih Grenadiers that always spawn after Saul's death). Once they are all dead, walk out side the bridge and the door should close like always. Turn around and walk back in and Saul and his bodyguards will be revived and the battle + cutscene will happen again.
You can only do this once but it doubles your experience as you get to kill all of them (Excluding the 3 Grenadiers as they do not respawn) twice.
Problematic Glitches
Significant problems that can prevent further gameplay but not result in a player advantage.
Submitted by Ryan: Despite the fact KOTOR is a brilliant game, it is a very glitchy game when it comes to boss fights. During the fight with Davik and Calo Nord, if you just wale completely on Calo Nord, you will eventually kill him and get no experience and no remains. As it is Davik's death that triggers the cutscene, kill Davik.
However, I have found that if Calo Nord is dead when you kill Davik, the cutscene will not happen, you cannot enter the Ebon Hawk and you will have to restart either from your last save or your game depending on what saves you use.
Enemy AI can also be a problem as I found times where the A.I can be un-believably cheap even on Easy Mode. During the fight with Malak in the Star Forge, there have been times where I have not been able to hurt him at all as he has infinite Force points and he also has a tendency to spam Force Choke. This is the same case with Bendak as there have been times where he has drawn his sword and, due to animation errors, has been able to hit me with a Master Power Attack EVEN IF I AM ON THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ARENA!
One last example is the battle with Darth Bandon. Unfortunately, he doesn't spawn when you have retrieved the third Star Map but I have noticed that he can spawn when you only FIND the third Star Map. Example: I once visited Kashyyk, fought Calo and killed him, LEFT KASHYYK WITHOUT GETTING THE STAR MAP, went to Manaan and did some stuff but only got to the part of infiltrating the Sith Base. I have left for Korriban and found myself in Darth Bandon's intro cutscene. I then went to he Valley of the Dark Lords and I was forced to fight him.
Mind you: At this point:THE ONLY STAR MAP I HAVE RETRIEVED IS THE DANTOOINE ONE!
Submitted by Bo: On Taris Upper city you're supposed to go to the cantina and talk to a sith officer who will invite you to a party. At the party, they pass out drunk and you fins a sith suit (which you need to get into the lower sity). However there is NO SITH OFFICER NO MATTER HOW HARD I SEARCHED. I searched EVERYWHERE talked to EVRYONE. No officer.
Did you search around the apartments and find the sith mugging? If you did the sith mugging first I don't believe she will be there anymore.
Audio Glitches
These are glitches with the game's dialogue that affect multiple NPCs. Any glitches that only affect a single NPC are documented on that NPC's article.
Inconsistencies
Made by Revan's twin: After learning some facts on the Levathian that I do not wish to discuss here, I landed on Korriban. Jolee came up to me and told me I do not really know who I am even though I had just learned that.
Accessing Places
Minor problems that primarily involve getting into or out of places that you normally should or should not be able to get into.