How do I fight effectively?

[Darth Meridies]

What do I need to do to effectively dispatch my opponents? When I engage, I'm very ineffective.

[fable]

Give us your character profession and stats, the skills and abilities you've chosen, and who's giving you problems.

[MalaksBane]

Set the game to auto-pause each round (game options), which gives you a better opportuntiy to respond to the combat situation.

Look at your opponents and the feedback screen, some of them use shields which may render your attacks useless. Adapt your tactics if the situation requires it, for example, use ion-grenades in the first round against an opponent that uses energy shields, and/or use vibroblades and ion-blaster (or disruptor rifles) in the remaining fight. Switch gunners to blades if they get a lot of grenades thrown at them. Place mines (while in stealth) and lure your opponents through them.

If things go bad, find the problem, then find a solution.

When facing a group of tough opponents focus the attacks of all party members on taking down one opponent at a time (ignoring the others). Micro-mangae your partymembers (auto-pause) to force them to do so, some of them have a tendency to go their own way.
Suppose you face three opponents, and it would take three rounds for you, or your partymembers to take one down. If you fight the battle one-on-one, it will take three rounds to dispatch of them, and during these three rounds your opponents have a total of 9 opportunities to do damage. If you focus, you'll take down one in the first round, one in the second and one in the third round, leaving them only 3+2+1 = 6 chances to do damage to your party.
Focussing all your partymembers on one opponent at a time reduces the amount of damge your party takes, since there will be fewer and fewer opponents to inflict damage. The downside of this tactic is that some opponents may hit sneak-attacks against your partymembers, check the feedback if things turn bad and kill the sneaky basterds first. Scouts are less vulnerable to sneak-attacks (Uncanny Dodge), so position your scouts to take the hits.

Use force powers like Stun and Push for crowd control.

Don't ever use auto-levelup.

Increase your characters chance to hit, usually by: (a) investing levelup points in the right attribs, (b) get stat boosting equipment equipment, (c) use of force powers that boost stats like Valor, Shield and Speed , (d) use stimulants.

Don't ever use auto-levelup.

Increase your characters defense by: (a) investing levelup points in dexterity , (b) get dex boosting equipment equipment, (c) use of force powers that boost defense and dex, like Valor, Shield and Speed , (d) use dex boosting stimulants, (e) use good armour early in the game.

Don't ever use auto-levelup.

Dexterity will boost defense and if Dextrity > Strength, it will boost your chance to hit with the lightsaber. Strength will boost damage and, if Strength > Dexterity, chance-to-hit with lighsabers. Dexterity is probably the preferred stat to boost.

Don't ever use auto-levelup.

Focus your feats in 'completing' one feat tree rather then spreading them over many. Choose on one attack feat, Power Attack or Flurry or Critical Strike. Unless you build a blaster-jedi, ignore all the blaster feats (Rapid-, Power- and Sniper Shot). Avoid feats that boost skills. Avoid weapon specializations, they don't have such good bonusses. Take either dueling or two-weapon-fighting, not both. The TWF path is harder in the beginning of the game.

Don't ever use auto-levelup.

Increase the effect of force-powers by boosting Wis and Cha attribs with level up points and items.

[UserUnfriendly]

and don't use auto level up.

against ranged users, who use blasters, toss a thermal detonator, or plasma grenade, or in taris, toss a frag grenade, sonic grenade at them..do not use grenades against melee monsters, unless you're far away from them...melee enemies come at you, trying to get close, so it wastes a grenade...but ranged fighters will stand still, allowing you to toss several grenades at them to thin them out...

don't use auto level up...

use force powers like insanity to freeze opponents, to attack while they're just standing around...buy better weapons, or loot them from the bodies, after you win, and swap out your party weapons...read threads in this forum, research stuff at gamefaq, and above all don't hesitate to experiment, or ask questions and try stuff...

and don't ever ever use auto level up...