Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Ramnozack]

Was thinking about cutting the will in my psi-swordsman build to 12 from 14 and putting those 2 points into int. That gives me all 9 possible psi-slots and results in only a 28 point decrease in my psi skills compared to 14 will, as well as giving me a good amount of extra skill points to work with.

Right now my psi-loadout is usually tk-punch, electrokinesis, imprint, force field, frighten, overload, projection, and contraction. With that extra psi slot I'll be able to take LTI, stasis, enrage, something like that.

Is that worth it? I'm thinking maybe it is, I really like having these extra psi-slots.

 

[Fenix]

Has anyone ever used the cryo gas grenades to any effect?

Spiders at Black Sea, you could block the passage with them.

 

[Ramnozack]

Has anyone ever used the cryo gas grenades to any effect? I'm just not sure how you're ever meant to stack up to full freeze before everyone's gone home for tea and biscuits. Grenadier + massed throws? Throws pre-fight? Combine with other sources like psi? Gas grenades are obvious, cryo feels strange.

Energy/Acid pistolero went and scrounged together a good amplified plasma pistol. Nothing special but +750dmg crits at 50% crit at level 17 is OK for now, alongside the acid, laser, and a hammerer. Time to get Expeditions started.

A decent combo could be a cryo grenade on top of a gas grenade to slow enemies down and make them stay in the toxic gas longer. I don't know if I would ever use them by themselves though.

 

[Sykar]

There's some mathematical threshold at which you actually can survive the after effects of Morphine even without Last Stand, but I am not even remotely familiar with the maths behind that. Sometimes you might that useful, who knows. It would probably involve Super Hypos and/or some of the healing perks.

Gonna look into this. Last Stand is generally handy because it can take SI builds straight to 1HP with one move. What should be interesting is creating a systematic continuous pattern of 100% DR for longer fights (because the way I currently use it, I have to gtfo if the fight is not over by the time I go Last Stand).

This playthrough is my first effort at using 100% DR (and it naturally led me to a psi SI build due to the requirements and mechanics of Stoicism), so I still have a lot of work to do to polish the strategy.

I did do a Let's Play some time ago and people actually enjoyed that but it was mostly in text and screenshot form. I suppose the occasional video is also possible.

You may go the Sheepherder way - record the toughest fights only.

That's fine too, but there are already vids like this. What is actually missing, regardless of how many people are going to find it interesting (I sure am), is a full playthrough. There are full playthroughs by more casual players, but not one from a player who can ironman Dominating.

Less than one third basically and since SI needs less than that you will always die while keeping SI up. The math as to how much health you are allowed to be missing with x being the missing health percentage:
x-(1-x)/2=0 [first x is missing health health, second x term is remaining health]
x=(1-x)/2
x/2=1-x
x+x/2=1
3/2x=1
x=2/3

2/3 of your health can be missing or 1/3 of your health remaining.

 

[Trashos]

Right, so it should be doable with an Advanced Health Hypo on high levels. At that Health fully specced Stoicism gives 24% DR max, plus aegis that's 39% DR. Morphine is out of the equation, since it has a long cooldown.

Still, I think Last Stand is the way to go for my strategy above, and then depending on situation either gtfo when Last Stand is up or ride your full health to finish the fight. Depleting Last Stand health through Hemopsychosis is another option.

 

[ItsChon]

Any tips for dealing with Silent Isle on Dominating as a non-stealth build? I've done three dominating runs, and two of those had stealth. I forget what the hell I did to get past Silent Isle on my Spear guy tho. They don't react to any sound I make despite chucking grenades across the map, and I can't get only one Azuridae to agro onto me.

 

[Ol' Willy]

Any tips for dealing with Silent Isle on Dominating as a non-stealth build? I've done three dominating runs, and two of those had stealth. I forget what the hell I did to get past Silent Isle on my Spear guy tho. They don't react to any sound I make despite chucking grenades across the map, and I can't get only one Azuridae to agro onto me.

Kill rathounds, wall off the western shore with bear traps, pray not to get spotted or spooked by doppelgangers, and then proceed as usual - aggro, molotovs, grenades and such.

 

[Ramnozack]

Any tips for dealing with Silent Isle on Dominating as a non-stealth build? I've done three dominating runs, and two of those had stealth. I forget what the hell I did to get past Silent Isle on my Spear guy tho. They don't react to any sound I make despite chucking grenades across the map, and I can't get only one Azuridae to agro onto me.

Try to disable the pillars if you can before fighting any goliaths. If you don't have access to psi, I'd say set up as many bear traps as you can and lead them into them to try and separate them a bit and deal with them one by one. Use molotovs to separate them from others as well, they won't run into the fire and will try to go all the way around the island to get to you. Abuse LoS to get them close to you without trying to rush them of course. Get a taser and hit them with it while they have their brain exposed.

When you start the fight with them, try to wait for them to group together and initiate combat manually. Throw a molotov to start things off and hopefully a few will catch on fire, once you do that, start retreating and leading them into your bear traps. Pick them off one by one.

 

[ItsChon]

I meant in a non-combat kind of way. IDK how but I managed to take the loot off the island without agroing any Azuridae on my Spear build on Dominating. I'll figure something out, and if not, I'll just go full Bear Trap and Grenade mode. I already have like 10 MK3s, and I can make plenty of Moltovs. Just don't want it to come down to that.

 

[CHEMS]

So i made a new guy. A metathermics knifer running SI. Say, is it really important to crank will till 18? I think i can run this with 10 tops. While higher will affects psi damage output, higher dex will allow me more attacks and crit chance.

 

[Parabalus]

So i made a new guy. A metathermics knifer running SI. Say, is it really important to crank will till 18? I think i can run this with 10 tops. While higher will affects psi damage output, higher dex will allow me more attacks and crit chance.

Prob best to run it with just 5 WILL for ripper and stab everything.

 

[toro]

I'm not even that much of a combatfag, I like Planescape Torment as much as the next Kodexer.
But replaying this a year later, this time on Dominating, is a whole different ball game. the amount of shenanigans to get through Junkyard - stealth, traps, molotovs, an EMP grenade and adrenaline and Dash feat in one room to snatch a keycard from beneath two (for my character) impregnable Plasma turrets.... closing doors against animals, looking through air vents first to see if the coast is clear. And the crucial traps/grenades can't be endlessly bought because of the fiscal changes on Dominating, I have to plan out crafting of key things like Molotovs. I did forget about crafting acid resistance gear though, and managed to cope without it.

GAME MECHANICS. Not sure any other RPG can compete.

There's a tension in many RPGs: in some you are the all-conquering Chosen One who just needs to do a bit of levelling up first. Others are more gritty, as the protagonist is very much mortal and must use his wits. I think Underrail takes things the furthest in the latter direction. Like any turn-based game whose combat isn't an unbearable slog, it's forced to have a very high damage-to-HP ratio, and what with all the other stuff like consumables, grenades, stealth, SMG bursts, it makes things BRUTAL - in a good way.

Combat mechanics are excellent for single player scenario however I don't think they will translate well to combat with more than one playable character.

 

[CHEMS]

>pyrokinetic stream can't crit

Man, that's gay...

 

[Yaz]

I meant in a non-combat kind of way. IDK how but I managed to take the loot off the island without agroing any Azuridae on my Spear build on Dominating. I'll figure something out, and if not, I'll just go full Bear Trap and Grenade mode. I already have like 10 MK3s, and I can make plenty of Moltovs. Just don't want it to come down to that.

The enemies don't react to the sound you make because Silent Isle has slightly different rules. They will move to investigate only when in turn based mode.

One possible way - and I emphasize possible here - is to crank up your Mechanical defence. Throw a 'nade as far to the West you can, without hitting any beetles, of course, then move to engage the rathounds. Once combat starts the beetles will move to investigate the sound vacating the quest item. Two things that I don't know about this approach - will the beetles investigate the howling from the rathounds; will the beetles return to their old position after they investigate.

You can also do a Stealth run without putting any actual points in stealth by getting the Rathound Regalia, but you will have to be a crafter type for that. I suppose getting the Regalia itself is a bit of a hassle for those with less experience, so perhaps you should try option 1 and see what you can see.

>pyrokinetic stream can't crit

Man, that's gay...

Cryokinetic Orb is good on crit Psi

Less than one third basically and since SI needs less than that you will always die while keeping SI up. The math as to how much health you are allowed to be missing with x being the missing health percentage:
x-(1-x)/2=0 [first x is missing health health, second x term is remaining health]
x=(1-x)/2
x/2=1-x
x+x/2=1
3/2x=1
x=2/3

2/3 of your health can be missing or 1/3 of your health remaining.

The Morphine damage will be further reduced by Stoicism. Probably still best practice to keep health slightly above 1/3.

 

[CHEMS]

Cryokinetic Orb is good on crit Psi

I hear ya, gonna grab it when i reach core city.

 

[Sykar]

Any tips for dealing with Silent Isle on Dominating as a non-stealth build? I've done three dominating runs, and two of those had stealth. I forget what the hell I did to get past Silent Isle on my Spear guy tho. They don't react to any sound I make despite chucking grenades across the map, and I can't get only one Azuridae to agro onto me.

Kill rathounds, wall off the western shore with bear traps, pray not to get spotted or spooked by doppelgangers, and then proceed as usual - aggro, molotovs, grenades and such.

You can 100% avoid the doppelgangers with flares. Just keep them going under your feet and throw a new one if it runs out or you got to move.

 

[Sykar]

I meant in a non-combat kind of way. IDK how but I managed to take the loot off the island without agroing any Azuridae on my Spear build on Dominating. I'll figure something out, and if not, I'll just go full Bear Trap and Grenade mode. I already have like 10 MK3s, and I can make plenty of Moltovs. Just don't want it to come down to that.

The enemies don't react to the sound you make because Silent Isle has slightly different rules. They will move to investigate only when in turn based mode.

One possible way - and I emphasize possible here - is to crank up your Mechanical defence. Throw a 'nade as far to the West you can, without hitting any beetles, of course, then move to engage the rathounds. Once combat starts the beetles will move to investigate the sound vacating the quest item. Two things that I don't know about this approach - will the beetles investigate the howling from the rathounds; will the beetles return to their old position after they investigate.

You can also do a Stealth run without putting any actual points in stealth by getting the Rathound Regalia, but you will have to be a crafter type for that. I suppose getting the Regalia itself is a bit of a hassle for those with less experience, so perhaps you should try option 1 and see what you can see.

>pyrokinetic stream can't crit

Man, that's gay...

Cryokinetic Orb is good on crit Psi

Less than one third basically and since SI needs less than that you will always die while keeping SI up. The math as to how much health you are allowed to be missing with x being the missing health percentage:
x-(1-x)/2=0 [first x is missing health health, second x term is remaining health]
x=(1-x)/2
x/2=1-x
x+x/2=1
3/2x=1
x=2/3

2/3 of your health can be missing or 1/3 of your health remaining.

The Morphine damage will be further reduced by Stoicism. Probably still best practice to keep health slightly above 1/3.

Well you can just multiply 2/3 missing health with (1-x) where x is the percentage of damage reduction. Thanks for the info I did not know that Stocisim also reduces Morphine damage.

 

[Ol' Willy]

You can also do a Stealth run without putting any actual points in stealth by getting the Rathound Regalia, but you will have to be a crafter type for that. I suppose getting the Regalia itself is a bit of a hassle for those with less experience, so perhaps you should try option 1 and see what you can see.

Man, if we delay Silent Isle to post-Depot A it's even easier to get the Jet and just grab the stuff from the water. Or you know the way to get Regalia pre-Depot A?

 

[Parabalus]

You can also do a Stealth run without putting any actual points in stealth by getting the Rathound Regalia, but you will have to be a crafter type for that. I suppose getting the Regalia itself is a bit of a hassle for those with less experience, so perhaps you should try option 1 and see what you can see.

Man, if we delay Silent Isle to post-Depot A it's even easier to get the Jet and just grab the stuff from the water. Or you know the way to get Regalia pre-Depot A?

You can't get there with a jet, it's blocked by rocks on both sides of the island, you have to land near where you get dropped off normally.

Though with a jet killing the beetles is easy.

 

[Yaz]

Or you know the way to get Regalia pre-Depot A?

When you construct that sentence like that you imply that there is a way to get the Regalia before Depot A :D.

Yeah, getting a jet is probably even less hassle then the Regalia. You pretty much wipe the beetles with one Gas 'nade. It's just that I usually get the Regalia pretty much after I open the map.

 

[CHEMS]

When you construct that sentence like that you imply that there is a way to get the Regalia before Depot A :D.

There is.

Spoiler

Import character

 

[Parabalus]

When you construct that sentence like that you imply that there is a way to get the Regalia before Depot A :D.

There is.

Spoiler

Import character

Does import even have a legitimate use?

Seems like it's just for easy abuse.

 

[CHEMS]

When you construct that sentence like that you imply that there is a way to get the Regalia before Depot A :D.

There is.

Spoiler

Import character

Does import even have a legitimate use?

Seems like it's just for easy abuse.

Without some sort of new game++, i feel like it's pretty pointless. I think the feature exists because it's easy to fuck up the playthrough by accidentaly aggroing core city, for an example

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG