Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[True Ukrainian]

Newbie question:

I played UR some years ago (2016 or so) and was somewhere halfway thru the game when I had to drop it, and later lost my saves.
I had started it twice to fix my build before, but I couldn’t bring myself to play again through the beginning, which I found very tedious.

Now, I’ve read that over the years Styg has modified the game quite a bit. Did he by any chance get rid of the boring bits?

The big change is psi. You need to "memorize" spells and memorizing spells from different schools causes casting cost to go up. Natural regeneration of psi points is also capped, you need drugs to refresh that cap.

 

[jackofshadows]

Now, I’ve read that over the years Styg has modified the game quite a bit. Did he by any chance get rid of the boring bits?

He didn't get rid of anything. In fact it's the opposite: even not counting both new DLCs there's a lot of content has been added. So if you found the beginning tedious, it's still there however once you get past the Depot A - the game really opens up so you can find content for your liking.

That said, I think fun in UR very much correlates with the character build so I'd advise look for them here in the next thread or elsewhere until you really like the idea of a build and then just take it or modify somehow.

Because the game's essentially about exploration (here I'd say where the Expedition really shines) and combat, combat and combat again so if combat itself feels like tedium it won't worth it. For sure there're some notable characters and quests but again - not the game's focus.

There's also global map now and the in-game speed hack so to say.

 

[Spark Mandriller]

actually no torch, was wondering about it. I went there with mere lvl18 save and I dont think like repplaying huge chunk of content.

I'm not sure it'd even be possible without the torch. Unless I'm missing something.

Now, I’ve read that over the years Styg has modified the game quite a bit. Did he by any chance get rid of the boring bits?

He didn't get rid of anything.

He added extra gate parts in DC, so you can skip some of the areas there. Which is great if you ask me, labyrinth sucks and I don't want to go there.

 

[lukaszek]

I'm not sure it'd even be possible without the torch. Unless I'm missing something.

that confirms all the suspicions that I had. Thanks!

Since its not like it will unlock anything extra I'll just call it a day. Maybe in future when I think like replaying everything again.
Too bad I lost all my completionist saves

 

[AdolfSatan]

Thanks all for the answers.
In-game speedhack sounds like an acceptable compromise, I will take another shot at the game after Colony Ship.

Will skip the rec to follow builds tho, won't deliberately play a gimped char, but minmaxing every step of a playthrough makes it a chore for me.

 

[lukaszek]

Will skip the rec to follow builds tho, won't deliberately play a gimped char, but minmaxing every step of a playthrough makes it a chore for me.

just pick proper difficulty. People in this thread play optimized builds for dominating. You should be able to beat hard with whatever(stick to some theme obviously), as long as its not throwing knives.

Can always use build planner and post it here for some pointers. Its not good idea to play on dominating as 1st playthrough anyway

 

[Average Manatee]

Is full Psi reasonably possible now with the change to needing psi reserves refilled? Because I'm totally spent just killing the rathounds and a refill costs an arm and a leg.

 

[ciox]

Fusion cannon = best part of the DLC imo

 

[Parabalus]

Thanks all for the answers.
In-game speedhack sounds like an acceptable compromise, I will take another shot at the game after Colony Ship.

Will skip the rec to follow builds tho, won't deliberately play a gimped char, but minmaxing every step of a playthrough makes it a chore for me.

Advice for a first playthrough is take a build with stealth, makes your life much more comfy.

I'm not sure it'd even be possible without the torch. Unless I'm missing something.

that confirms all the suspicions that I had. Thanks!

Since its not like it will unlock anything extra I'll just call it a day. Maybe in future when I think like replaying everything again.
Too bad I lost all my completionist saves

You can add items from other playthroughs to your current one, e.g. add Phreak quest items so you can skip phones etc. Or Juice stockpile from lvl 1.

 

[CHEMS]

Fusion cannon = best part of the DLC imo

Wow, it's like a mobile devastator. Uses the energy skill or heavy weapons? lmao at the Deus Ex death sound

 

[ciox]

Fusion cannon = best part of the DLC imo

Wow, it's like a mobile devastator. Uses the energy skill or heavy weapons? lmao at the Deus Ex death sound

Heavy weapons skill. I think the heavy feats don't work with it, but it doesn't really need the help anyway.

 

[lukaszek]

decided to do some math regarding lazor pistol vs stunner.
Well, its hard to compare apples to apples
tl;dr; if you discard all the utility bonuses for simpler math, avg round is comparable in dmg output to 155q lazor pistol

Spoiler

19dex character, 50AP, focus stim, infused rathound, seeker googles, better criticals obv

lazor pistol(155q)
20-27(23.5 avg)
15 AP(8)
10 range
6% crit chance
315% crit bonus(530)
10/151 magazine (can go down to like 2.5 usage if you forego polarizer)
45% to polarize

the stunner(cant be refubrished, at least by myles)
25-40(32.5 avg)
12 AP(6)
11 range
10% crit chance
175% crit bonus(250)
5/100 magazine
always polarizes
35% to immobilize(cheap shots is at 15!)
bypasses 25% energy shield
extra 10%dmg to robots

	crit chance	avg dmg	ap cost	avg crit dmg	shots per round	oops all crits round	avg shot	avg round
155lazor	0.58​	23.5​	8​	124.55​	6​	747.3​	82.109​	492.654​
stunner	0.62​	32.5​	6​	81.25​	8​	650​	62.725​	501.8​

yes, looking only at base wpn dmg in here. Stunner in my tests was immobilizing a lot, up to the point where I was questioning if its 35% chance. In single round you are expected to immobilize 2-3 targets.
Which trigger opportunist. Also its even better robot killer than lazor pistol already was. With 100% polarize chance I view it as ultimate naga beater.
Knowing it performs so well, one can skip practical physicist feat, or even some electronics skill points. Unless someone is able to find 170q+ laser emitter, it will improve avg dmg by 1-2. Still not sure if Id consider it worthy investment.

 

[Zeem]

Spark Mandriller did you do it on dominating?

Spoiler

also I found out that with each conquered square it gets harder. As such I tried to defend and attack only in single direction. Indeed it allowed me to go further but in the end I failed as even with full squad you cant attack into swarm.

did you find out what to do with that fuse switch and computer in the cave?

Yeah, dominating. Eventually.

Spoiler

And I did it again just now because I saw a tattoo in the new images section of the wiki, so that was another 2 hours or something. And once again it was just luck. I did the same thing I always did until it felt nice and started spawning swarms instead of legions so I could attack/defend more easily. And then once I took the second front so I only had two left to split guys between it was incredibly easy.
You brought the torch, right? If you have it in inventory then it pops up. Must be a buff of some sort, you can move it between fronts. Has to help somehow.
I did get a new tattoo (+50 resolve) but it wasn't the one on the wiki, so I don't know where you get that one. Maybe it's for the training room with like 20 guys? Except I can't clear that room so I can't test.

Update:

Spoiler

Did manage to finally clear the training room. I had to spam napalm grenades everywhere to funnel movement, and got really lucky since some of the bad guys seemed to get lost. I actually managed to end combat at one point, which I really needed since I was out of psi reserves (metathermics build from years ago, so old it doesn't have plasma beam).
No reward just for beating it, but it does unlock the mystery tattoo. It's +2 psi crit chance when wearing chest armour with 50% penalty or more. Not very useful. But I suppose most tattoos aren't.

I've heard that TC skill also affects it, so psiless characters are effectively boned, even with Torch.

 

[lukaszek]

I've heard that TC skill also affects it, so psiless characters are effectively boned, even with Torch.

whole thing is quite juggernaut cave wizardry centric...

 

[Comrade_Xi]

Is it true that ''Expeditions'' is basically Deep Caverns 2.0 (read it on some random Steam review)? Is it worth playing?

 

[OSK]

Is it true that ''Expeditions'' is basically Deep Caverns 2.0 (read it on some random Steam review)?

No.

Is it worth playing?

Yes.

 

[jackofshadows]

Is it true that ''Expeditions'' is basically Deep Caverns 2.0 (read it on some random Steam review)? Is it worth playing?

A very odd take. It's worth playing for sure if you liked the OG in general.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Curious about the financial return of continuing to release content for underrail.

Personally I would have moved on, as a developer, before even working on the expansion. Despite how great the expansion was, it was poorly integrated into the overarching game both in terms of gameplay and narrative.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Is it true that ''Expeditions'' is basically Deep Caverns 2.0 (read it on some random Steam review)? Is it worth playing?

Not even remotely. Not sure where you would get that idea. The only thing I can think of that might give that idea is that it's also a fairly high-level area (though not as high as Deep Caverns). You can also leave and come back.

Another thing apart from the the area and quests is that it allows you to unlock a method of fast travel that imo almost makes it worthwhile alone. I have a hard time imagining playing the game without it.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Personally I would have moved on, as a developer, before even working on the expansion. Despite how great the expansion was, it was poorly integrated into the overarching game both in terms of gameplay and narrative.

You finished already?

How does the new area and quests (content wise) compare to Expedition?

What's the story setup?

 

[Kem0sabe]

Personally I would have moved on, as a developer, before even working on the expansion. Despite how great the expansion was, it was poorly integrated into the overarching game both in terms of gameplay and narrative.

You finished already?

How does the new area and quests (content wise) compare to Expedition?

What's the story setup?

I meant expedition. Haven't touched the game since finishing it.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Is it true that ''Expeditions'' is basically Deep Caverns 2.0 (read it on some random Steam review)? Is it worth playing?

Not at all. It has a weird spot in terms of progression where its meant to be played before Deep Caverns, but can be harder than it at times as there is a lot more combat and some annoying enemy types.

 

[Spark Mandriller]

Spark Mandriller did you do it on dominating?

Spoiler

also I found out that with each conquered square it gets harder. As such I tried to defend and attack only in single direction. Indeed it allowed me to go further but in the end I failed as even with full squad you cant attack into swarm.

did you find out what to do with that fuse switch and computer in the cave?

Yeah, dominating. Eventually.

Spoiler

And I did it again just now because I saw a tattoo in the new images section of the wiki, so that was another 2 hours or something. And once again it was just luck. I did the same thing I always did until it felt nice and started spawning swarms instead of legions so I could attack/defend more easily. And then once I took the second front so I only had two left to split guys between it was incredibly easy.
You brought the torch, right? If you have it in inventory then it pops up. Must be a buff of some sort, you can move it between fronts. Has to help somehow.
I did get a new tattoo (+50 resolve) but it wasn't the one on the wiki, so I don't know where you get that one. Maybe it's for the training room with like 20 guys? Except I can't clear that room so I can't test.

Update:

Spoiler

Did manage to finally clear the training room. I had to spam napalm grenades everywhere to funnel movement, and got really lucky since some of the bad guys seemed to get lost. I actually managed to end combat at one point, which I really needed since I was out of psi reserves (metathermics build from years ago, so old it doesn't have plasma beam).
No reward just for beating it, but it does unlock the mystery tattoo. It's +2 psi crit chance when wearing chest armour with 50% penalty or more. Not very useful. But I suppose most tattoos aren't.

I've heard that TC skill also affects it, so psiless characters are effectively boned, even with Torch.

Whoa, it does. I tried it now with 126 effective TC and it was incredibly easy. I won with 0 men lost the first time I tried.
That's incredibly stupid, why should TC builds have it easy and everyone else have it nearly impossible? It's not even psi vs no psi, since if you go for the other schools you're still screwed. And it strips your equipment so you can't even use items to buff. Why would they do that?

You finished already?

How does the new area and quests (content wise) compare to Expedition?

What's the story setup?

It's extremely short so you can finish it in an hour or so the first time you play it. If you've played it before so you know where you're going you can do it incredibly fast. It's just one base, you explore it, you leave, the end. The only quests are "look around" and "find a way back", basically no story.
Buy this if you want the new weapon types/want to fund Infusion. Don't buy it if you're only interested in the new area.

 

[None]

Alternatively, buy it because you like Underrail's lore and want more. Expedition has some good meat to it in that regard.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Alternatively, buy it because you like Underrail's lore and want more. Expedition has some good meat to it in that regard.

Does this expansion though?