Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[Xeon]

Isn't the reef and Acorn at the end of expedition? that feels pretty end game since you are expected to do Expedition at Lv20~ or something I think? So don't think getting money after everything is over is really rewarding since you couldn't use it when it mattered the most.

I don't quite understand what Grumpy Bone's post means so I could be misunderstanding this. but I also don't really understand the values of items displayed in the tooltip when looting, you get something that's worth thousands but sells for crap, I kinda thought the values are actually of the normal difficulty playthroughs but since the game is on dominating, it haven't been updated or something to show the real value.

 

[Sheepherder]

Isn't the reef and Acorn at the end of expedition? that feels pretty end game since you are expected to do Expedition at Lv20~ or something I think? So don't think getting money after everything is over is really rewarding since you couldn't use it when it mattered the most.

I don't quite understand what Grumpy Bone's post means so I could be misunderstanding this. but I also don't really understand the values of items displayed in the tooltip when looting, you get something that's worth thousands but sells for crap, I kinda thought the values are actually of the normal difficulty playthroughs but since the game is on dominating, it haven't been updated or something to show the real value.

Yeah, Reef and Acorn are kinda lategame, but prior to that, there's still tons of money to be had from quests and selling lightweight loot which doesn't over-encumber you. As for tooltips, what's to misunderstand? Bigger number = more $$$.

 

[epeli]

I don't see any good reason to have this confusing monetary system in the game, but then I am also not an auteur indie dev.

In case you hadn't noticed, the game has barter economy and multiple currencies. Some conversion is unavoidable.

Although, a QoL feature to have item values converted into currency of your choice wouldn't hurt. Hmm... I'll do that on the wiki. Now all item infoboxes include currency conversions:

 

[Blackmill]

You get a lot of money from quests. Selling the reef glider and acorn will net you something +30k charons. Enough to buy benches, crafting components, super steel and whatever consumables or ammo you use. No need to keep collecting and selling loot throughout the whole game.
And if you're still short on money, why lug around heavy shit like ARs, shotguns or armor? Even new players should realize that there's no point in carrying every piece of garbage they find, when it sells for a charon or two and there's a good chance no one is going to buy it anyway. Instead pick up a couple of mechanical pistols, shields and energy pistols, repair and sell.

Anyway, I finished the Dominating knife build.
Tchort was an otk, didn't use stasis or wall. Used drugs, ran up to it and attacked.

Spoiler

Faceless. Very clean fight. I forgot where the traps are at first so I didn't manage to do it on first try. I also thought Commander had thick skull, but incap from cheap shots still procs on him.

Spoiler

Shanked a faceless so hard, Commander got scared.

Spoiler

BIG INITIATIVE TIME

Spoiler

Hard fights were the lurkers with a bunch of bear traps near Foundry, mutants during University quest (when killed, hunchback mutants drop the barrels they carry and deal acid damage, fucked me over good) and Magnar.

ayy, now with video

Low health to proc Survival Instincts or just doesn't matter?

Edit: Also, what made Magnar hard? Seems like you could do that fight the same way you did the Faceless Commander fight. Kill Magnar, stasis yourself, then kill the rest without worrying about serpents? Maybe dealing with the Pseudo-Spatial Projections and shield-ignoring damage was tricky.

 

[Sheepherder]

Low health to proc Survival Instincts or just doesn't matter?

Edit: Also, what made Magnar hard? Seems like you could do that fight the same way you did the Faceless Commander fight. Kill Magnar, stasis yourself, then kill the rest without worrying about serpents? Maybe dealing with the Pseudo-Spatial Projections and shield-ignoring damage was tricky.

Low health for Fight Response to proc. It's a 3CON build, as Survival Instincts was too costly to get. Can't have both SI and 5ap attacks. A build with SI, would use tri-chrome knives and 15 effective dex for 6ap attacks. More consistent crits, but on average practically the same amount of crits per turn and also weaker crits, slower Taste for blood buildup, fewer MP, less accurate. Probably no Brutality either.

Magnar was a bitch to fight because I forgot he used Uncanny dodge and blew my stasis load on some mooks before he entered the picture. So after stasis ran out I had to stall for a turn. Even without uncanny dodge, my thc was somewhere around 50-60%. It took me a whole turn to kill faceless commander with +90% thc and that's because I landed Expose weakness. I didn't land it on Magnar. That's why Cut-throat helped. Proced incap, Cut-throat crit, no stun, but got a bleeding wound dealing several hundred damage. Put up a wall, and finished him off after it ran out.

Also, I forgot to mention that the fight vs pirate captain when negotiating after professor kidnapping was also very hard. Captain and Razor have around 1800hp while Death's Grin guy has over 2k. They all have high resolve and fortitude, so are resistant to flashbangs and tazers. Captain and Razor have decent dodge. Plus 2 mooks spawn in after a turn. AND it starts with my character disarmed, so 50AP wasted. Had to wait until lvl26 to finish it. Seriously considered getting quick pockets just for the fight.

 

[Alexios]

Speaking of 2000 HP, what's with the Pulverizer in the arena having like 2200 HP on dominating? This seems like a ridiculously difficult fight just to progress past the first challenger. Especially since you only get 200 charons for killing him.

 

[Parabalus]

Speaking of 2000 HP, what's with the Pulverizer in the arena having like 2200 HP on dominating? This seems like a ridiculously difficult fight just to progress past the first challenger. Especially since you only get 200 charons for killing him.

Bosses have 4x HP on DOM, gladiators are bosses.

It's a bit hard early, later on it's not as bad as you'd think with how damage ramps up.

 

[razvedchiki]

Styg are you planning for the second expansion/next game to add some kind of tech skill where you either build mechanical sentries to follow you around and fight in your behalf or hack them to do the same.
always wandered why we couldnt use them in battle.

 

[hell bovine]

Styg

1. A hive that has been put into stasis still spawns locusts. Why?!
2. If you one-shot a hive, the few locusts that spawn next to the remains are somehow protected from aoe damage that turn. That is, you can target them, it just won't hit (tested with locus > neural overload). Why?!

 

[OSK]

Styg are you planning for the second expansion/next game to add some kind of tech skill where you either build mechanical sentries to follow you around and fight in your behalf or hack them to do the same.
always wandered why we couldnt use them in battle.

Appropriate avatar.

 

[Alphons]

Underrail is a shameless locust propaganda with it's depiction of ÜberHeuschrecken, race far superior to fragile human beings in every way possible.

 

[Tigranes]

Underrail is a shameless locust propaganda with it's depiction of ÜberHeuschrecken, race far superior to fragile human beings in every way possible.

obviously they have already built an adcanced and prosperous society over all of overrail

 

[Metronome]

I've gotten back into this game after this thread reminded me of it. I am making steady progress, so I think this character is viable, but I have to reload a lot. This makes me feel like I am just "getting lucky" a lot of the time. I don't appreciate the character development much as a result. If I could make a character again I would do it differently, but for cynical/meta reasons. Combat seems really unpredictable. Usually I kill the enemy before they can make a move, or they do the same thing to me. That's not a bad thing on it's own, but it's pretty silly success ends up depending so much on a simple initiative roll. Here are my gripes in detail:

1. Initiative shouldn't have been a roll at all I think. With 9 dexterity and 12 agility I am failing initiative rolls against gangsters in Core City. This seems to be be due to the random element which is a whole 15 points. In my opinion they should have made it a flat check or at least shrunk that down substantially. The developer could have also instead made higher stat totals exponentially more influential on the roll, such that there is a point when your guy outclasses slower enemies regardless of luck/circumstances. With how combat usually works in this game, stun or be stunned, they could have put a lot more focus on initiative during development in general.
2. Considering how easy it is to reload, I think it would have been better if they kept the randomness applicable only to the middle of combat itself where you can't reload. They did this right in a few areas (hacking/lockpicking/speech have fixed checks) but messed it up in others. I resist the temptation to deliberately savescum but, since I usually die as a result, I end up reloading anyway. Getting lucky with a Molotov right off the bat is a pretty unsatisfying way to win a tough encounter.
3. Persuasion and Intimidate don't have enough content. They could have been smushed together into a "speech" skill and still come up short. There are many situations where they would be obviously applicable but the option isn't given. Merchantile also gets dialog checks that should belong to persuasion. Mercantile has a use beyond dialog checks, so it seems like a waste. I saw that intimidate has a feat associated with it. In my opinion that feat should have been nerfed and made to be a function of the skill itself. Persuasion could use something like that as well. Maybe it could have been used to prevent or end combat in some way? I don't know but, as it stands, they are both pretty shitty investments.
4. I have a grudge against the game's RNG. It seems wrong in some way I can't quite put my finger on. It's like the thing is very important in places it shouldn't be (see initiative or throwing) or not important enough in places it should be (like status ailments). The atmosphere of the game shows how rough and unpredictable life is for people living in the subway, I get this, but I shouldn't need a specific character build to get non-random results from combat. I get the impression my guy couldn't survive 5 minutes without all these miracles happening. There are a lot of cheap tricks I've noticed you can pull off too, but I am abstaining from them for now. I get a bad feeling the endgame will be a reloading festival without these though. Maybe I can expand on this later.

I'm still enjoying the game enough to spend many hours on it. There is a lot of content and obviously I am having a good time with it. But I don't appreciate the gameplay itself very much. Feels like playing a Bethesda game in that sense, but with more reloading. I am only at about level 14 so far though, so maybe my thoughts will change before the end. But I don't see how at the moment.

 

[hell bovine]

1. Initiative shouldn't have been a roll at all I think. With 9 dexterity and 12 agility I am failing initiative rolls against gangsters in Core City. This seems to be be due to the random element which is a whole 15 points. In my opinion they should have made it a flat check or at least shrunk that down substantially. The developer could have also instead made higher stat totals exponentially more influential on the roll, such that there is a point when your guy outclasses slower enemies regardless of luck/circumstances. With how combat usually works in this game, stun or be stunned, they could have put a lot more focus on initiative during development in general.

Except that you can boost initiative with paranoia, trigger happy, root soda and possibly gunslinger (though this one requires to be holding a gun), to the point where you'll be winning the draw all the time. Made a psi like that once, was kind of funny.

 

[ItsChon]

1. Initiative shouldn't have been a roll at all I think. With 9 dexterity and 12 agility I am failing initiative rolls against gangsters in Core City. This seems to be be due to the random element which is a whole 15 points. In my opinion they should have made it a flat check or at least shrunk that down substantially. The developer could have also instead made higher stat totals exponentially more influential on the roll, such that there is a point when your guy outclasses slower enemies regardless of luck/circumstances. With how combat usually works in this game, stun or be stunned, they could have put a lot more focus on initiative during development in general.

Except that you can boost initiative with paranoia, trigger happy, root soda and possibly gunslinger (though this one requires to be holding a gun), to the point where you'll be winning the draw all the time. Made a psi like that once, was kind of funny.

Indeed. Sheepherder made a post regarding his knife build on Dominating and his initiative was so high he was able to beat out pretty much anyone.

Considering how easy it is to reload, I think it would have been better if they kept the randomness applicable only to the middle of combat itself where you can't reload. They did this right in a few areas (hacking/lockpicking/speech have fixed checks) but messed it up in others. I resist the temptation to deliberately savescum but, since I usually die as a result, I end up reloading anyway. Getting lucky with a Molotov right off the bat is a pretty unsatisfying way to win a tough encounter.

I don't understand this post? First it seems like you're talking about RNG checks versus fixed checks, but there are no RNG based checks? Than you go on to talk about savescumming. If you're having to reload every other fight, you're build is either bad or you're playing wrong. Speaking of build, would you care to post it? Maybe we can take a look and see if there are some glaring issues?

Persuasion and Intimidate don't have enough content. They could have been smushed together into a "speech" skill and still come up short. There are many situations where they would be obviously applicable but the option isn't given. Merchantile also gets dialog checks that should belong to persuasion. Mercantile has a use beyond dialog checks, so it seems like a waste. I saw that intimidate has a feat associated with it. In my opinion that feat should have been nerfed and made to be a function of the skill itself. Persuasion could use something like that as well. Maybe it could have been used to prevent or end combat in some way? I don't know but, as it stands, they are both pretty shitty investments.

I mean, I agree with the sentiment that Persuasion and Intimidate need more more content, and even Mercantile as well, but Mercantile definitely isn't a waste. It becomes very important in higher difficulties when money gets tighter and you need specific items of set qualities to make a build work. But yeah, Styg tried to alleviate this a bit in the new expansion, and his additions helped, but it's something future expansions or sequels will need to work on as well.

I have a grudge against the game's RNG. It seems wrong in some way I can't quite put my finger on. It's like the thing is very important in places it shouldn't be (see initiative or throwing) or not important enough in places it should be (like status ailments). The atmosphere of the game shows how rough and unpredictable life is for people living in the subway, I get this, but I shouldn't need a specific character build to get non-random results from combat. I get the impression my guy couldn't survive 5 minutes without all these miracles happening. There are a lot of cheap tricks I've noticed you can pull off too, but I am abstaining from them for now. I get a bad feeling the endgame will be a reloading festival without these though. Maybe I can expand on this later.

You're build is probably fucked. At level fourteen, you shouldn't be having this much difficulty on normal. Post it, and we'll take a look.

But I don't appreciate the gameplay itself very much. Feels like playing a Bethesda game in that sense, but with more reloading.

What??? I think you were talking about the reloading, but even that doesn't make sense, because who the fuck needs to reload when playing Bethesda's easy ass games :D.

Probably just messed up somewhere.

 

[Metronome]

I don't understand this post? First it seems like you're talking about RNG checks versus fixed checks, but there are no RNG based checks? Than you go on to talk about savescumming. If you're having to reload every other fight, you're build is either bad or you're playing wrong. Speaking of build, would you care to post it? Maybe we can take a look and see if there are some glaring issues?

I'll post my build at the end. Anyway, I can see why my post is confusing to read. I'll try to clear some things up.

When you start combat, usually it begins with throwing a molotov or some other grenade at the enemies. Molotovs have the possibility of causing "fear" in enemies so they start skipping turns. Flashbangs can possibly incapacitate enemies so they start skipping turns. Finally the throwing skill increases the chances of you not throwing one of these at your feet for some reason. Basically either you are fucked right off the bat, or the enemy is. And this is based on just another random roll before combat actually begins. The problem is that status effects are so OP if they actually land.

I mean, I agree with the sentiment that Persuasion and Intimidate need more more content, and even Mercantile as well, but Mercantile definitely isn't a waste.

It's not a waste to invest in mercantile, it's a waste (for the game) to have mercantile dialog checks that could have been based on persuasion. Since persuasion is used so rarely.

Here is my build. If you're giving advice no spoilers please:

Spoiler

LV 14

Wearing:
Balaclava (15 stealth)
Insulated vest (24%/5 Mech)
Cavehopper leather Tabi boots
Pneumatic bladed rathound leather glove
The claw
High Frequency shield emitter

STR: 6
DEX: 9
AGI: 10
CON: 6
PER: 3
WIL: 6
INT: 3

Throwing: 60 (85)
Melee: 80 (113)
Dodge: 80 (134)
Evasion: 80 (134)
Stealth: 80 (149)
Lockpick: 80 (113)
Pickpocket: 50 (71)
Traps: 50 (79)
Persuasion: 80 (93)

Feat:
Nimble
Paranoia
Sure step
Dirty kick
Lightning punch
Deflection
Fancy footwork
Blitz
Combo

 

[Alphons]

I thought that the game was pretty generous with the amount of Persuasion and Intimidation checks.

To be honest, I can think of only couple of instances (and in some cases I'm pushing limits a bit) where extra checks could be fitted:

• more bandit shakedowns. Currently there're 2- Vince and his goons in Junkyard and unnamed bandits in Lower Underrail
• First quest for Quicksilver could have an option to intimidate bandits to avoid shootout
• ability to convince Oligarchs that you can be trusted without going through Arena
• Arranging peace between Balor and Forge (Forge pays for protection while Ironheads focus on Railway Crossing, propably resulting in bad ending even if they got a train back?)
• Getting the statue from Lunatics in the mall
• Peaceful resolution for Protectorate/ Free Drones questline (kinda defeating the point that they're both brutal groups that will do anything to reach their goal).

 

[Metronome]

I thought that the game was pretty generous with the amount of Persuasion and Intimidation checks.

I might have missed a number of them. Actually I am counting on the important ones being clustered near the end of the game. But really it's more of an issue of utility than number. So far persuasion hasn't helped me much at all, despite eating up a lot of points for some paltry rewards. At best it has offered me a way to skip one or two easy battles.

Compare it to lockpicking or hacking. There are opportunities to use these constantly. I haven't beaten the game yet though, so maybe it will surprise me.

 

[hell bovine]

When you start combat, usually it begins with throwing a molotov or some other grenade at the enemies. Molotovs have the possibility of causing "fear" in enemies so they start skipping turns. Flashbangs can possibly incapacitate enemies so they start skipping turns. Finally the throwing skill increases the chances of you not throwing one of these at your feet for some reason. Basically either you are fucked right off the bat, or the enemy is. And this is based on just another random roll before combat actually begins. The problem is that status effects are so OP if they actually land.

If you actually start combat from stealth, you go first, so I'm not sure why you were complaining about failing rolls against gangsters in your previous post? And yes, molotovs and flashbangs can be op against some enemies, just like they are useless against others, because they can be countered either by resistances or immunity. Imo the problem is not with the rng (you can counter it by utilizing the right items & feats), but in how easy it's to get the enemies closely clustered together for an aoe attack. Not every enemy on the map needs to run to the battlefield immediately. This is already in place in some instances, e.g. some enemies won't abandon their places even when lured with noise.

As for your character, it's not clear to me what the idea behind is? More dexterity would give you more attacks, and that would mean more stacking of bleeding wounds for example, so what is the strenght and will for? You have a stealth character with traps and sure step, are you utilizing poisoned bear traps & caltrops & melee for quiet kills? Because the downside to grenades is that they are very loud (only tnt is louder), which means you will alert all the enemies in the vicinity when you use them.

 

[Alphons]

I thought that the game was pretty generous with the amount of Persuasion and Intimidation checks.

I might have missed a number of them. Actually I am counting on the important ones being clustered near the end of the game. But really it's more of an issue of utility than number. So far persuasion hasn't helped me much at all, despite eating up a lot of points for some paltry rewards. At best it has offered me a way to skip one or two easy battles.

Compare it to lockpicking or hacking. There are opportunities to use these constantly. I haven't beaten the game yet though, so maybe it will surprise me.

You'll be propably dissapointed as there's nothing comparable to say, convincing Master that he's wrong. There're some neat checks though that give you access to lore.

They're definitely not as useful as lockpicking/ hacking, but there're still some situations where they really help:

• If you're going for all SGS outposts, a fight with that vagrant at the end might give you a slight problem (plus the rewards aren't worth it on Oddity). Pretty low Intimidation check (especially with balaclava) takes care of that.
• You can save Buzzer without angering the Faceless in Railway Crossing.
• Persuading the bandits in GMS allows you to skip fight with them and turn on the turret.
• You can get the train back without having to deal with the bomb.
• Arranging the truce between Rathound King and Camp Hathor gives you more exp than killing him.
• Convincing Cathcart to launch an investigation in "Renegade Soldiers" gives you better rewards.
• Getting through Protectorate warehouse is way easier with a disguise.
• Getting through Gray Army base is a cakewalk with high Persuasion and Intimidation.
• With high enough Persuasion you can convince pirates to let you through their territory.

There're also some more fight skips (Gangsters near the crawler, psi sisters, gangsters that corner you in transmitter quest, etc), as you mentioned they aren't worth the points if you aren't going specifically for them.

 

[Sykar]

Underrail is a shameless locust propaganda with it's depiction of ÜberHeuschrecken, race far superior to fragile human beings in every way possible.

obviously they have already built an adcanced and prosperous society over all of overrail

 

[Sheepherder]

I don't understand this post? First it seems like you're talking about RNG checks versus fixed checks, but there are no RNG based checks? Than you go on to talk about savescumming. If you're having to reload every other fight, you're build is either bad or you're playing wrong. Speaking of build, would you care to post it? Maybe we can take a look and see if there are some glaring issues?

I'll post my build at the end. Anyway, I can see why my post is confusing to read. I'll try to clear some things up.

When you start combat, usually it begins with throwing a molotov or some other grenade at the enemies. Molotovs have the possibility of causing "fear" in enemies so they start skipping turns. Flashbangs can possibly incapacitate enemies so they start skipping turns. Finally the throwing skill increases the chances of you not throwing one of these at your feet for some reason. Basically either you are fucked right off the bat, or the enemy is. And this is based on just another random roll before combat actually begins. The problem is that status effects are so OP if they actually land.

I mean, I agree with the sentiment that Persuasion and Intimidate need more more content, and even Mercantile as well, but Mercantile definitely isn't a waste.

It's not a waste to invest in mercantile, it's a waste (for the game) to have mercantile dialog checks that could have been based on persuasion. Since persuasion is used so rarely.

Here is my build. If you're giving advice no spoilers please:

Spoiler

LV 14

Wearing:
Balaclava (15 stealth)
Insulated vest (24%/5 Mech)
Cavehopper leather Tabi boots
Pneumatic bladed rathound leather glove
The claw
High Frequency shield emitter

STR: 6
DEX: 9
AGI: 10
CON: 6
PER: 3
WIL: 6
INT: 3

Throwing: 60 (85)
Melee: 80 (113)
Dodge: 80 (134)
Evasion: 80 (134)
Stealth: 80 (149)
Lockpick: 80 (113)
Pickpocket: 50 (71)
Traps: 50 (79)
Persuasion: 80 (93)

Feat:
Nimble
Paranoia
Sure step
Dirty kick
Lightning punch
Deflection
Fancy footwork
Blitz
Combo

You need sprint. All melee builds need sprint. And psi haste if you have Expedition. Fancy footwork won't help you on the first turn as you exit stealth, miss that 90% flash-bang and are left there sitting with 0 MP, 35 AP and 7 AP attacks. That's why you have to reload so much, no plan B for when RNG fucks you in ass.
So get sprint. And when you miss that grenade, you'll have 30 or 60 MP +AP to run away and kite enemies behind a corner. Don't rely on molotovs to proc fear, it's super inconsistent. I mostly use mk1 molotovs to fuck with AI pathfinding.
Grenadier is also good if you rely on grenades heavily.
You have no crafting skills and already have dirty kick, but I'd still advise you to get a tazer as imo its superior to dirty kick - doesn't need to bypass dodge, goes through most enemy resistances better than mechanical damage, works on robots, ignores that Mirror Image psi spell, costs 10 AP vs 15 AP dirty kick.
Also, you have stealth. Don't start combat from stealth by throwing the flash-bang or attacking or whatever. Press enter, then do the thing. Bypasses initiative.
For Fist weapon builds, Combo+pneumatic is not enough to deal damage. I imagine you do very little damage. You'd need crits, cheap shots+critical power, but your INT is too low for that. Maybe Heavy Punch too, to use it with on third attack, but your attack AP cost is too high to be able to invest so much AP into a single attack.
For now, get opportunist. Good when you proc stun with combo or dirty kick or w/e.
Also, because your INT is low, you can't get Expose Weakness for high DR/DT enemies. Very important.
Are you planning to get to 7 STR for Bone Breaker or Opportunist+Wresting? If not, why 6 STR? And Why 6 Will? Fight response?

 

[ItsChon]

When you start combat, usually it begins with throwing a molotov or some other grenade at the enemies. Molotovs have the possibility of causing "fear" in enemies so they start skipping turns. Flashbangs can possibly incapacitate enemies so they start skipping turns. Finally the throwing skill increases the chances of you not throwing one of these at your feet for some reason. Basically either you are fucked right off the bat, or the enemy is. And this is based on just another random roll before combat actually begins. The problem is that status effects are so OP if they actually land.

Again, this seems to be related more towards a weakness in your build and the items you're using, as well as playing out combat in a poor way, versus just pure RNG. If your build relies on a Moltov Cocktail fearing everyone to win the fight, you've fucked up. Sheepherder broke it down but it seems like you've mae a ton of mistakes regarding your stats and feat selections.

 

[Metronome]

If your build relies on a Moltov Cocktail fearing everyone to win the fight, you've fucked up.

That's not it. The problem I have with the fear thing is that if I am having trouble with a certain fight, on an attempt I may get fear on several enemies and it's a piece of cake. As a result, it's not a very satisfying way to win that encounter. I would have rather won through some kind of tactical decision than luck. But it's a win all the same. That's the issue with initiative as well. You can win or lose largely based on luck. In my opinion, if the enemy is faster than you, they should always go first. If you are faster than them, you should always go first. The point is you shouldn't be able to reload your way through a fight. I was just using Molotovs as an example of how you could.

I'll explain a few of my decisions and my weird build. When I started out, I picked 6 Will because I assumed it would improve my resistance to status ailments (particularly psionics, which I can't avoid at all without cover). But by the time I realized it didn't I was not in the mood to start the whole game over again. I also picked persuasion because of it's synergy with will. Really I should of left will at 3 and put those points into literally anything else.

Anyway it's not going great, but it's going. I'll think about all this advice, but I've just hit level 17 so it might be a while before I level up again. I'm thinking opportunist will be my next feat. At around Level 15 I killed Carnifex and his gloves have been unsurprisingly useful. Though I don't use them too often because The Claw still stacks contamination at a lower action point cost. The gloves work better against armor though. This lets me kill most enemies before they can react. The only problem is if I fail to stun, then I stand a good chance of being fucked. Evasion/Dodge do nothing most of the time. I got uncanny dodge recently which has helped a lot against melee attacks, the shield blocks most bullets, but psionics can still fuck me up pretty quickly.

I never used stealth much for combat. Losing all of my movement points made it seem worthless against multiple enemies. I generally treated it as a way to avoid combat or get into better positions to start combat from. What I usually do is throw out a lot of caltrops and hide behind a wall. Then I peek around the corner to get enemies attention. Either that or I throw a grenade at them. They come running over. Once they are close enough, I stun/punch them over and over. When one dies, I run for it. If I expect a lot of enemies, I litter caltrops everywhere. Sometimes I put traps too, but I've gotten pretty lazy with this part since, the caltrops usually do the job and, setting traps is tedious.

The game is still very fun to play. My posts probably seem more critical than I actually feel.
Even so, some RNG decisions are flawed in my eyes. I just wanted to see what fans thought about them.

 

[BING XI LAO]

It's definitely too heavy on RNG with molotov cocktails, damage ranges and misschances being RNG are one thing but an AoE disable being RNG is a whole different ball game.