Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[Sheepherder]

immediately after the world opened up I could scrounge enough Oddities to vault to level 16

I never understand, why would anyone ever do this? Is your day job not pointless and menial enough?

I do that too when playing oddity
Although it usually takes me to lvl 12-14. I mean, there are a whole lot non combat oddities available. And the oddities are right there, ripe for picking. Why wouldn't I partake in sweet sweet XP nectar?

Well, instead of just playing the game, you now have to spend a lot of time dodging combat and combat-related quests going back and forth picking up the precious Pavlov pellets. So you now have a degraded experience where the game has lost some of its pacing/cohesiveness and you've wasted time on the functional equivalent of correcting errors on Excel. And then your reward is that, well, you're playing on God Mode half the time and blowing enemies out of the water when half the reason to enjoy Underrail is the challenge.

I suppose it makes more sense if you somehow enjoy the vacuum process...?

I don't and that's why I mostly play classic nowadays. At least there I have to work for my XP. And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs. Instead I just do the fun fights that I like, one after another without periods of tedious vacuuming.

 

[Ol' Willy]

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

 

[Ol' Willy]

Anyway, here's one thing that came to my mind. If you buy Freighter, you can tow the submersible yourself, without calling for the bearded fellow. You can tow it freely, and I actually towed it with Todd right to the Aegis camp. Now, there is nothing preventing you from towing it anywhere - even back to the SGS. Imagine having Todd to live in the SGS, just for lulz.

Styg overlooked such opportunity, alright.

 

[Tigranes]

Anyway, while I'm back here, is there anything in recent patches (post-Expedition release) that's created interesting build types? I've done most combinations, I think. I don't know if the psi nerfs make psi interesting to play in some new way.

 

[Sheepherder]

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

I recommend you give it a try at least once, just to experience it. It really is the better XP system of the two. I like it a lot.
Just that on repeat playthroughs and with metaknowledge, optimized ways to progress emerge which are degenerative. And hard to avoid, because due to the limited XP in the world, those oddities will have to be picked up sooner than later. So why not sooner?

 

[Parabalus]

Anyway, while I'm back here, is there anything in recent patches (post-Expedition release) that's created interesting build types? I've done most combinations, I think. I don't know if the psi nerfs make psi interesting to play in some new way.

Versatility let's you use guns with 18 DEX.

PSI is more boring if anything, it's power didn't drop much. You just spam a single spell more.

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

I recommend you give it a try at least once, just to experience it. It really is the better XP system of the two. I like it a lot.
Just that on repeat playthroughs and with metaknowledge, optimized ways to progress emerge which are degenerative. And hard to avoid, because due to the limited XP in the world, those oddities will have to be picked up sooner than later. So why not sooner?

It's a novelty good for one playthrough. Outside of that either you meta-optimize around it, or you play normally, in which case it's the same as classic, just slower.

 

[Jason Liang]

immediately after the world opened up I could scrounge enough Oddities to vault to level 16

I never understand, why would anyone ever do this? Is your day job not pointless and menial enough?

I do that too when playing oddity
Although it usually takes me to lvl 12-14. I mean, there are a whole lot non combat oddities available. And the oddities are right there, ripe for picking. Why wouldn't I partake in sweet sweet XP nectar?

Well, instead of just playing the game, you now have to spend a lot of time dodging combat and combat-related quests going back and forth picking up the precious Pavlov pellets. So you now have a degraded experience where the game has lost some of its pacing/cohesiveness and you've wasted time on the functional equivalent of correcting errors on Excel. And then your reward is that, well, you're playing on God Mode half the time and blowing enemies out of the water when half the reason to enjoy Underrail is the challenge.

I suppose it makes more sense if you somehow enjoy the vacuum process...?

Dodge combat? I mapped and cleared all of Upper Underrail, Lower Underrail, Lower Passages and Upper Caves, Pool of Radiance style, mostly between lvl 8-10. By the time I went back to *find* Rail Crossing, I was already lvl 16.

 

[Jason Liang]

And then your reward is that, well, you're playing on God Mode half the time and blowing enemies out of the water when half the reason to enjoy Underrail is the challenge.

I suppose it makes more sense if you somehow enjoy the vacuum process...?

You have to self-gimp your character to get any challenge out of Underrail's silly combat. By the time you hit lvl 10 you are already God mode.

 

[Yaz]

It's time you beat the game with no deaths, then.

 

[Parabalus]

And then your reward is that, well, you're playing on God Mode half the time and blowing enemies out of the water when half the reason to enjoy Underrail is the challenge.

I suppose it makes more sense if you somehow enjoy the vacuum process...?

You have to self-gimp your character to get any challenge out of Underrail's silly combat. By the time you hit lvl 10 you are already God mode.

We get it, you were doorcamping and using 20 grenades per encounter with pre-nerf PSI.

 

[ciox]

So i'm level 8 and i can already kill Mordre with bilocation. I'm getting pretty powerful.

Bilocation should mirror the stats of its target, so it will always be powerful in that sense. You just can't use it on non-humans.

 

[Jason Liang]

It's time you beat the game with no deaths, then.

I'm not that autistic. Besides it's not like you can't get to God mode from tanking. The only actual challenges in this game are to beat it at extremely low level, or limiting yourself to the 8 worse skills.

I started a second playthrough on classic xp with 3 Willpower and skipping Psychokinesis, but the issues with the combat are not just poor balance and character progression, but are also partially structural.

 

[Jason Liang]

And then your reward is that, well, you're playing on God Mode half the time and blowing enemies out of the water when half the reason to enjoy Underrail is the challenge.

I suppose it makes more sense if you somehow enjoy the vacuum process...?

You have to self-gimp your character to get any challenge out of Underrail's silly combat. By the time you hit lvl 10 you are already God mode.

We get it, you were doorcamping and using 20 grenades per encounter with pre-nerf PSI.

Mostly just Imprint and stabbing things with a steel knife, and Enrage on bosses like Balor.

 

[Yaz]

I'm not that autistic. Besides it's not like you can't get to God mode from tanking. The only actual challenges in this game are to beat it at extremely low level, or limiting yourself to the 8 worse skills.

I started a second playthrough on classic xp with 3 Willpower and skipping Psychokinesis, but the issues with the combat are not just poor balance and character progression, but are also partially structural.

Don't flatter yourself by thinking I read everything you write but even a perfunctory glance tells me that yours is probably a text book example of Dunning-Kruger. You don't understand this game as well as you think you do.

There's nothing autistic in no deaths runs of RPGs. More like a lot of discipline and knowledge.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[CHEMS]

So i overleveled to level 10 before even depot A. Managed to kill all that psi bug fags at silent isle with though control. Did this only out of spite because i HATE underrail bugs and i will kill all of them.

Really funny seeing the Goliath run from you during 8 turns while you zap its brain. Not that good being on the receiving end now, eh?

 

[oldmanpaco]

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

I thought you were some sort of underail expert? How hard is the game (even on dom) when you can be lvl 20 before going to core city? Played a shotgun on hard/classic and was lvl 20 after doing hathor/railcrossing/foundry. On Dom you'd be even higher.

Game got so easy I had to restart.

 

[Parabalus]

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

I thought you were some sort of underail expert? How hard is the game (even on dom) when you can be lvl 20 before going to core city? Played a shotgun on hard/classic and was lvl 20 after doing hathor/railcrossing/foundry. On Dom you'd be even higher.

Game got so easy I had to restart.

You don't do them, except maybe foundry for super steel.

 

[toro]

And I don't overlevel on classic as I don't scour the Underrail for weaker enemies to kill or grind respawning mobs.

I do overlevel - I like being ahead of the curve. Although I never grind weaker enemies or animals, that's too boring, better gimme some tough motherfuckers

Haven't played on oddity even once, lol

Damn. I lost all respect.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Yaz]

It's random quest.

I actually think that flipping the broken switch is the better way of doing it. It powers the turrets down, you know.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Yaz]

It might, actually... I haven't done Free Drones shenanigans since forever because hail Frazer.

BTW, you can always prepare for the fire with heat immunity or 95 % resistance. There's one tick for 1k fire dmg.

 

[CHEMS]

abandoned waterway facility - best area in whole game for me and I just found it for first time.

I did it in wrong way, instead of lifting crane blockade I entered tunnels, layed napalm on my only way back and was forced to assemble new jet as I go... was quite cool actually. Eventually cleared everything and... was stuck. Then... somehow I was able to squeze through blocade that shouldnt be possible... and then I did lift it.
Being able to open entrance to junkyard is cool but... not sure what purpose it serves.

This facility was a Biocorp facility full of mutagen. Maybe is linked to junkyards incident. Also, in the locked room in the very final area you can find D5 mutagen! The same one used in the Gas the Drones mission. My guess is that this facility is where Ezra brought the mutagen from.

 

[Yaz]

When you go to Ezra with two rigged mutagen cannister and two unrigged ones.

''So you did make that psionic gizmo for Foundry, right...''

PS: weren't they making an entire mutagen warhead there?