Waves of darkness When performed by an individual adept in Sith sorcery , waves of darkness was a dark side Force power conjured through Sith magic that created palpable waves of darkness — often visibly literal in their obscurity and accompanied by roaring , thunderous sounds . When exposed to waves of darkness , beings suffered from feelings of intense despair and confusion , before feeling compelled , if detained under the spell ' s power long enough , to flee the scene of the disturbance . The technique was popular among Great Sith War – era proponents of Sith magic , namely members of the planet Onderon ' s Naddist cult . But later practitioners , such as Darth Tyranus , were also skilled in its use . Description . Using ancient Sith magic to summon waves of darkness required a sorcerer to call upon the full scope of negative emotions that lingered in the center of their being . Fueled by the power of the Force , conjurers spewed forth their emotions in tides of dark side energy that rapidly expanded in a spherical aura around them . Waves of darkness manifested in the physical realm as well ; affected beings noticed that the atmosphere around them — whether within the confines of a building or outside in the skies above — became thick with negative energy or visibly immersed in darkness . Thunder often boomed and was accompanied by a roaring sound as the darkness spread . Anyone caught in the vicinity might immediately begin to suffer also from feelings of intense horror , pain , and bewilderment . Victims were tormented by whispers of the dark side that left them in a state of utter hopelessness , and prolonged exposure robbed them of the will to fight . Dark - side waves caused Jedi and other users of the light to feel stifled , as though their connection to the Force was being smothered . Applications . Waves of darkness were employed in battle by Sith sorcerers as a means of incapacitating the opposition . However , the debilitating effects of a darkness spell could be nullified by a Force - user skilled in the art of Jedi battle meditation . Users . Freedon Nadd , an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith who once ruled the planet Onderon , was able to summon waves of darkness . Nearly 400 years after Nadd ' s death , the sorceress - Queen Amanoa summoned darkness against the armies of Beast - Lord Oron Kira and their Jedi allies during the final battle of Onderon ' s Beast Wars . Her foes were immediately beset with sensations of agony and dismay as the oppressive darkness rapidly expanded within the royal palace of Iziz . Outside , Kira ' s forces were overcome with feelings of severe pain and rendered incapable of fighting as the increasing darkness overtook them . Kira , who had been previously unaffected , was suddenly stricken by the dark side ' s crushing power , which prompted the royal scribe Novar to join Amanoa ' s dark side assault , effectively reinforcing its hold over Kira . It was only after the arrival of Jedi Master Arca Jeth and his implementation of battle meditation that the summoned darkness was lifted from the skies of Onderon . In 23 BBY , Darth Tyranus in alliance with Korriban ' s dead Dark Lords , employed waves of dark energy against the Jedi Order coalition team sent to Korriban to track down galactic criminals Granta Omega and Jenna Zan Arbor . In the spaceport of Dreshdae , Obi - Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker felt waves of darkness wash over and oppress them , followed by fleeting dark side apparitions . Deep within the Great Temple ' s long - abandoned Sith Academy , Kenobi experienced a darkness so thick and foreboding in its power that it seemed to invade his lungs , making it difficult to breathe . As the eight - member Jedi team entered the Valley of the Dark Lords , assaulting them on all sides were dark waves , the oppressive effects of which required great effort to wade through and overcome . The Jedi were afterwards assaulted by dark - wave whispers , corpse vision s , and dark energy trap s amidst the tombs of the Sith Lords when they entered the Valley ' s ancient mausoleums . Behind the scenes . Waves of darkness first appeared in the of the first of the " " story arcs to be released , 1993 ' s " " . The Force power was detailed in full with the 1996 release of West End Games ' " Tales of the Jedi Companion " . In roleplaying game terms , using dark side waves against another sentient player - character automatically gives player - characters a Dark Side point . Depending on the level of difficulty , the area of effect ranges from 1 - 2 meters for moderate , 3 - 10 meters for difficult , 11 - 20 meters for very difficult , and 21 - 30 for heroic .