Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[Blaine]

Right, I have a decision to make.

I'm playing on Hard Classic, and I feel that PER 12 (I'd planned it to finish up at 14) is probably enough, largely because it's generally better to be at or near melee range when pumping targets full of SMG rounds. I'm thinking of taking Improved AGI instead of Improved PER, and assigning my last level-up ability point to AGI as well rather than DEX. I need DEX 9 to achieve 16 AP bursts, so that means I'll be addicted to (and largely restricted to) eel sandwiches for the rest of the game.

This would grant me most of an entire square's worth of MP, end me up with 241 effective stealth compared to 200, and allow me to purchase Blitz and either Sea Dog or Strider for my final two feats—whereas before, I only had a bunch of BS placeholders for my final two feats.

I'm leaning toward an eel sandwich addiction: More movement, more stealth, more meaningful end-of-build feats, and other than eel sandwiches the only real downside is that I'll do a bit less damage and be a bit less accurate at range.

 

[CHEMS]

Right, I have a decision to make.

I'm playing on Hard Classic, and I feel that PER 12 (I'd planned it to finish up at 14) is probably enough, largely because it's generally better to be at or near melee range when pumping targets full of SMG rounds. I'm thinking of taking Improved AGI instead of Improved PER, and assigning my last level-up ability point to AGI as well rather than DEX. I need DEX 9 to achieve 16 AP bursts, so that means I'll be addicted to (and largely restricted to) eel sandwiches for the rest of the game.

This would grant me most of an entire square's worth of MP, end me up with 241 effective stealth compared to 200, and allow me to purchase Blitz and either Sea Dog or Strider for my final two feats—whereas before, I only had a bunch of BS placeholders for my final two feats.

I'm leaning toward an eel sandwich addiction: More movement, more stealth, more meaningful end-of-build feats, and other than eel sandwiches the only real downside is that I'll do a bit less damage and be a bit less accurate at range.

I'm going 3 PER and the rest dumped into DEX. 10 AGI for Blitz, and i have TM for support. With a Rapid Tactical Jaguar 7.62 and a Rapid Tactical Steel Cat 8.2, i fire so many rounds that my weapons should be on fire. Also for backup i have a Silenced Rapid Jaguar 5mm to kill shit stealthly. This run i went Praetorian for good frames, though i got mine from Fraser. Chemhaze Grenades are VERY underrated, though.

As of level 20, my stats are: 3, 15, 10, 3, 3, 8. I can burst the Jaguar 3 times without consumables or TM, or i can burst the Steel Cat 2 times and still burst Jaguar once more. With Blitz, Contraction and Adrenaline it just gets nuts.

This build ain't min maxxed though, got few feats for the lulz (Dirty Kick to kick people in the proverbial nuts and Disassemble to ease up on the repair kits i would otherwise need)

Also on the eel sandwich... have you tried All In? They're renewable if you have pickpocketing and access to Drag n Drop. 3+ stats but you will get always crit if they hit you. Since this build's objective is not getting hit anyway, should be interesting to use it.

 

[Blaine]

CHEMS I prefer and enjoy relatively balanced builds, which alongside the absurd 25% sell price malus is why I never play Dominating. A balanced build is perfectly serviceable on Hard. I accepted the fact that five or perhaps six bursts per turn is about my limit—and that's all right. I also greatly prefer to be able to readily detect secrets, traps, and Death Stalkers, although that's not always feasible (at least not easily/immediately).

I am impervious to the all-DEX/TM/Versatility/Ambush meme. Those builds just don't interest me, although I do enjoy theorizing how they'd work, watching a clip of someone doing something crazy with them on Dominating, etc.

My originally planned build: https://underrail.info/build/?HgMJB...EnNxYmwoVJO0ApGcK1LyjipLYC4qeqA-KopgXisYIF378

My eel sandwich-addicted build (more or less) if I go this alternate route: https://underrail.info/build/?HgMIC...oVJGUApO8KxR8Kewp_CouKktgLip6oD4qimBeKxggXfvw

All In is neat and I'm sure I'll be using them.

(Dirty Kick to kick people in the proverbial nuts and Disassemble to ease up on the repair kits i would otherwise need)

I find it sad that people are circumventing the ill-thought-out repair kit nerf by using a feat to circumvent repairs entirely (of course, there are other benefits to Disassemble).

 

[CHEMS]

CHEMS I prefer and enjoy relatively balanced builds, which alongside the absurd 25% sell price malus is why I never play Dominating.

But this build is for Hard, not dominating. I'll link it here. The feats are not in level order, though. There's three spare perk slots for you to pick anything you want. https://underrail.info/build/?HgMQC...WKjdHwrPCncKewp_CoA0aScKjTeKnqgPiqJIF4rWuB9-_


Also i like your build but i didn't understand the traps feats you picked. They seem kinda unnecessary. Also, i'll never take interloper: jumping beans are cheap to make, take one then enter stealth. You sprint while stealthed.

 

[Blaine]

Also i like your build but i didn't understand the traps feats you picked. They seem kinda unnecessary. Also, i'll never take interloper: jumping beans are cheap to make, take one then enter stealth. You sprint while stealthed.

I picked one trap feat: Trap Expert. That's literally the only one. If you're going to go Traps at all, then you might as well cut down on the time it takes to set up a small minefield by 60%; and Trap Expert can easily mean the difference between being able to set a trap before some asshole patrols back around the corner, or not. That, or you might be able to lay down double the traps while enemies' suspicion meters continue to climb. Furthermore, it makes your traps harder to spot without a maximized Traps investment.

In strictly combat-centric terms, traps are a poor man's grenades, especially since Quick Tinkering was nerfed (and justifiably so: setting a trap for 0 AP with a mere 25 skill requirement meant everyone took Quick Tinkering, one of the first build memes). However, the skill is useful not only in combat, but also for not running over them yourself, and even for the (albeit minor) monetary reward when recovering them. Mines can also augment the power of grenades when they blow up together.

The biggest drawback of traps is that they're useless in the Arena or any other "you've been forced into combat NOW" kill box. That's why Quick Tinkering exists.

I'll have to test stealth with Jumping Bean, but frankly I don't like relying on consumables just to save a feat nor to that level. The description on the Wiki states that it doesn't work in stealth—like almost all other effects that add MP—so you may be abusing a bug.

 

[CHEMS]

I picked one trap feat: Trap Expert. That's literally the only one. If you're going to go Traps at all, then you might as well cut down on the time it takes to set up a small minefield by 60%; and Trap Expert can easily mean the difference between being able to set a trap before some asshole patrols back around the corner, or not. That, or you might be able to lay down double the traps while enemies' suspicion meters continue to climb. Furthermore, it makes your traps harder to spot without a maximized Traps investment.

Got it. A QOL feat.

The biggest drawback of traps is that they're useless in the Arena or any other "you've been forced into combat NOW" kill box. That's why Quick Tinkering exists.

With the nerf i don't even bother with QUIT tinkering. But about being booted to combat: use the vanishing powder grenades. I do it all the time at Arena.

I'll have to test stealth with Jumping Bean, but frankly I don't like relying on consumables just to save a feat nor to that level. The description on the Wiki states that it doesn't work in stealth—like almost all other effects that add MP—so you may be abusing a bug.

Just do it, you won't regret it. It's cheap and easy to make, just need to fish a few eels and extract their gel, combine with insectoid saliva and a capsule. These components are abundant everywhere in the game, the skillpoint investment to do it is real cheap too. You can find always buy the blueprint from Foundry's doctor. You'll be faster stealthed than fully specced interloper.

 

[Blaine]

I picked one trap feat: Trap Expert. That's literally the only one. If you're going to go Traps at all, then you might as well cut down on the time it takes to set up a small minefield by 60%; and Trap Expert can easily mean the difference between being able to set a trap before some asshole patrols back around the corner, or not. That, or you might be able to lay down double the traps while enemies' suspicion meters continue to climb. Furthermore, it makes your traps harder to spot without a maximized Traps investment.

Got it. A QOL feat.

No, not really. If you can set a trap in time before being discovered (or before a Death Stalker moseys on up to you, etc.) with Trap Expert when you otherwise couldn't, that's combat utility, not mere QoL. Similarly, if you can set more traps while under suspicion, that is also combat utility. Your traps being more difficult to spot is also combat utility.

Furthermore, you can disarm traps more quickly as well, which can mean the difference between being able to de-mine a patrolled area safely or not.

I will admit that the QoL is part of why I chose the feat, but I rarely choose feats purely for QoL. Quick Tinkering could accomplish most of the above (not the disarming part), but I'd rather have something more all-encompassing, not on a cooldown, and with some QoL involved.

Anyway, none of this is helping me to decide which way I'll take my build.

Edit: Just tested Jumping Bean in stealth. It increases stealthed speed, but not to anywhere near sprint speed, so I assume you're exaggerating a bit. It seems that it combines with Interloper rather than rendering it "useless," though that's hard to test. I'll have to use a stopwatch and a couple of save files (with/without Interloper) to really find out for sure.

The bean lasts twenty seconds. You'd have to eat the shit out of that stuff. I feel absolutely no need for it whatsoever. You probably do feel the need to use it because you don't have Interloper.

 

[Lios]

So Booth, the mutant tattoo artist in the Core City Sewers, is actually based on legendary heavy metal tattoo artist Paul Booth, right? The portrait is kinda similar too.
I always knew Styg is a metalhead from that time one of Foundry's sentinels said "All fear the Sentinel". Good stuff.

 

[CappenVarra]

So Booth, the mutant tattoo artist in the Core City Sewers, is actually based on legendary heavy metal tattoo artist Paul Booth, right? The portrait is kinda similar too.
I always knew Styg is a metalhead from that time one of Foundry's sentinels said "All fear the Sentinel". Good stuff.

there's more than one judas priest reference in the game, cant list them off the top of my head but i remember chuckling about it

 

[jackofshadows]

Just do it, you won't regret it. It's cheap and easy to make, just need to fish a few eels and extract their gel, combine with insectoid saliva and a capsule. These components are abundant everywhere in the game, the skillpoint investment to do it is real cheap too. You can find always buy the blueprint from Foundry's doctor. You'll be faster stealthed than fully specced interloper.

That's an oversight by Styg, obviously shouldn't work in stealth. Therefore - abusing, even if it's not a big deal. Some people like me just don't like to do it in RPGs. Then again, it's nothing compare to other stuff I read here like jetski parts sell loop? Storing shit in crafting menu? Jeez, just manage your inventory or/and take Pack Rathound. Using cheat engine to restock traders? Are you really need that close to perfect gear to beat the game or it's just your inner autist explicitly told you so?

On a more serious note - everyone should play a game as he like, unless it's an online game.

Anyway, with all that in mind, what you guys think about survival instincts? What people do with it imo basically is abusing too because it's hardly working as was intended, right? Imagine if it would work only if your shield is down - it would be still worth abusing I beleive, that's how powerful the feat is.

 

[Butter]

If I had been making the game, I would've implemented SI differently to make it less cheesy. For example, if you get hit for more than 70% of your max health and survive, your crit chance is increased for 2 turns.

Then again, some cheesy mechanics can be fun, and SI encourages people to stretch themselves with rather risky builds.

 

[Tygrende]

Also i like your build but i didn't understand the traps feats you picked. They seem kinda unnecessary. Also, i'll never take interloper: jumping beans are cheap to make, take one then enter stealth. You sprint while stealthed.

I picked one trap feat: Trap Expert. That's literally the only one. If you're going to go Traps at all, then you might as well cut down on the time it takes to set up a small minefield by 60%; and Trap Expert can easily mean the difference between being able to set a trap before some asshole patrols back around the corner, or not. That, or you might be able to lay down double the traps while enemies' suspicion meters continue to climb. Furthermore, it makes your traps harder to spot without a maximized Traps investment.

In strictly combat-centric terms, traps are a poor man's grenades, especially since Quick Tinkering was nerfed (and justifiably so: setting a trap for 0 AP with a mere 25 skill requirement meant everyone took Quick Tinkering, one of the first build memes). However, the skill is useful not only in combat, but also for not running over them yourself, and even for the (albeit minor) monetary reward when recovering them. Mines can also augment the power of grenades when they blow up together.

The biggest drawback of traps is that they're useless in the Arena or any other "you've been forced into combat NOW" kill box. That's why Quick Tinkering exists.

I'll have to test stealth with Jumping Bean, but frankly I don't like relying on consumables just to save a feat nor to that level. The description on the Wiki states that it doesn't work in stealth—like almost all other effects that add MP—so you may be abusing a bug.

Trap Expert always seemed wasteful to me. You can speed up setting trap out of combat with QT, it can be used to arm traps instantly out of combat as well. That looks like a better feat to take for arming traps under enemy's nose and added ability to use them in combat. The increased difficulty in detecting traps by enemies is really not a big deal either.

 

[CHEMS]

Anyway, with all that in mind, what you guys think about survival instincts?

30% free Critical Chance just to be bellow 30% health? Easily one of the best perks of the whole game. Except for playing tincan tanks, Underrail is fast paced combat and about not getting hit. The best damage dealing builds are the glass ones: SI critical and glass cannon conlets.

 

[jackofshadows]

30% free Critical Chance just to be bellow 30% health? Easily one of the best perks of the whole game. Except for playing tincan tanks, Underrail is fast paced combat and about not getting hit. The best damage dealing builds are the glass ones: SI critical and glass cannon conlets.

That's... kinda obvious, I should've clarify more. What I ment is what do you think in terms whether it is ok or not having it in the game in the current state. Whether it should be nerfed/implemented differently in the game such as Underrail or it should be left for min-maxers to enjoy abusing and for rather casual players to be discarded as a risky one anyway.

 

[ciox]

Just do it, you won't regret it. It's cheap and easy to make, just need to fish a few eels and extract their gel, combine with insectoid saliva and a capsule. These components are abundant everywhere in the game, the skillpoint investment to do it is real cheap too. You can find always buy the blueprint from Foundry's doctor. You'll be faster stealthed than fully specced interloper.

That's an oversight by Styg, obviously shouldn't work in stealth. Therefore - abusing, even if it's not a big deal. Some people like me just don't like to do it in RPGs. Then again, it's nothing compare to other stuff I read here like jetski parts sell loop? Storing shit in crafting menu? Jeez, just manage your inventory or/and take Pack Rathound. Using cheat engine to restock traders? Are you really need that close to perfect gear to beat the game or it's just your inner autist explicitly told you so?

On a more serious note - everyone should play a game as he like, unless it's an online game.

Anyway, with all that in mind, what you guys think about survival instincts? What people do with it imo basically is abusing too because it's hardly working as was intended, right? Imagine if it would work only if your shield is down - it would be still worth abusing I beleive, that's how powerful the feat is.

I don't think it's an oversight, if I'm not mistaken the only way to even do some feats of stealth, like snatching the Metal Figurine without killing anyone, is to max out movement speed in all possible ways, including Jumping Bean, and then speed in and out of the lunatic inner sanctum while stealthed.

 

[jackofshadows]

Dafuq is this shit?! I was on my way to SGS and...

 

[CHEMS]

30% free Critical Chance just to be bellow 30% health? Easily one of the best perks of the whole game. Except for playing tincan tanks, Underrail is fast paced combat and about not getting hit. The best damage dealing builds are the glass ones: SI critical and glass cannon conlets.

That's... kinda obvious, I should've clarify more. What I ment is what do you think in terms whether it is ok or not having it in the game in the current state. Whether it should be nerfed/implemented differently in the game such as Underrail or it should be left for min-maxers to enjoy abusing and for rather casual players to be discarded as a risky one anyway.

SI builds are for advanced players, not novice ones. I remember Blaine saying that it's dumb to balance the game around players with thousands of hours and i think that's exactly the case

 

[jackofshadows]

SI builds are for advanced players, not novice ones. I remember Blaine saying that it's dumb to balance the game around players with thousands of hours and i think that's exactly the case

DOM difficulty is exactly for that kind of players to begin with so I disagree that it shouldn't be balanced around them. Not to mention that the game itself is a niche product for RPG-enthusiasts only. It's possible to have slightly different feats/mechanics for DOM exclusively, for example.

 

[Ghulgothas]

Dafuq is this shit?! I was on my way to SGS and...

Oh yeah, that happens there occasionally.

Did it murk all the Praetorians?

 

[jackofshadows]

Did it murk all the Praetorians?

Well, I couldn't have even finish this thing off if I'd managed to lure them into the fight so I just walked away.

Later on near Rail Crossing entrance I'd stumbled at 'abandoned box', I clicked and two kamikaze bots came out and then I lost initiative roll

When these some sort of random encounters became a thing? Don't remember anything like that when I played last time around august.

 

[Ghulgothas]

Did it murk all the Praetorians?

Well, I couldn't have even finish this thing off if I'd managed to lure them into the fight so I just walked away.

Later on near Rail Crossing entrance I'd stumbled at 'abandoned box', I clicked and two kamikaze bots came out and then I lost initiative roll

When these some sort of random encounters became a thing? Don't remember anything like that when I played last time around august.

I'm certain more get added every update. But IIRC the industrial bot there is only on Dominating.

 

[The Jester]

 

[CHEMS]

SI builds are for advanced players, not novice ones. I remember Blaine saying that it's dumb to balance the game around players with thousands of hours and i think that's exactly the case

DOM difficulty is exactly for that kind of players to begin with so I disagree that it shouldn't be balanced around them. Not to mention that the game itself is a niche product for RPG-enthusiasts only. It's possible to have slightly different feats/mechanics for DOM exclusively, for example.

Well, DOM is a unfair difficulty. Only for extremo autisto people like us.

Speaking of it, playing on hard now, doing my merchant runs. I do it like this:

>loot shit
>sell shit
>if they can't pay for all i have to sell, buy spare parts
>use spare parts to craft even better shit
>sell better shit
>buy even better parts

Making around 3~4k during these merchant runs. Can't seem to do this on dominating cus of the sales nerf. I really, really, REALLY would like to be able to tweak this, but i don't know how.

Also, since i'm obsessed with jet stealing, i'll post yet another guide to get a cool jet relativelly early:

>join expedition
>defend island from natives
>report back and gain your keys to the junk jet
>junk jet is for zoners, you're gonna snatch a aegis patroller out of the bat

WHAT YOU NEED:

>high lockpicking (around 100) OR high pickpocketing (around 100), effective
>a C4 (or 2 C4s if you don't have pickpocketing)
>place C4 near the exit grid on the northern side of the map were the Aegis are moored
>walk nonchalantly near the patroller that is the farthest of the sentry or you'll get spotted
>do it quickly, either picklock with the patroller or just jump on it if you stole a key from a nearby soldier
>once in the patroller, enter combat and get out before anyone sees you

You now have a Aegis Patroller without even killing for it. Be careful though, if any Aegis sees you with the ride, they'll shoot you on sight. If you need to take the jet to Arch Keep, disembark at the beach and you're golden

PS: do NOT detonate the C4 before defending the island! Aegis will turn hostile. Do it AFTER defending the island and getting the junk jet keys!

 

[Twiglard]

Also, since i'm obsessed with jet stealing, i'll post yet another guide to get a cool jet relativelly early

You get an Aegis Patroller for free after doing just a few quests.

 

[Blaine]

DOM difficulty is exactly for that kind of players to begin with so I disagree that it shouldn't be balanced around them.

Dominating difficulty should be balanced around experienced hardcore players, yes—but not the entirety of the game mechanics.

Not to mention that the game itself is a niche product for RPG-enthusiasts only. It's possible to have slightly different feats/mechanics for DOM exclusively, for example.

Not really. I bought Underrail for a Steam pal who rarely plays RPGs, and he completed it and really enjoyed it. That was before the automap and fast-forward were added.

However, because he hasn't been trained by popamole console RPGs, he hasn't been ruined by them. Old-school RPGs aren't really intrinsically difficult—except to people who've been trained into bad habits, laziness, and stupidity by shitty modern "RPGs."