Author Topic: Hunter(Spear&xbow) for dominating  (Read 2250 times)

Enchat

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Hunter(Spear&xbow) for dominating
« on: October 26, 2019, 02:13:13 am »
Hi, I am thinking about a build with a spear and a crossbow. It will deal the main damage in melee, and use the crossbow only for special bolts or when the situation on the battlefield does not allow for close combat.
So far I have come up with two variants, this one will have a focus on the attack, blitz and impale provide good alpha strike option and it can wield tugsteel spears.
http://underrail.info.tm/build/?HgcOCgMDAwYAUA_CoAAAS0kyADxaWktOWgAtRkYAAAArwqMiOcKVMMKSBsKUKsKHwpPCrEdLwrNR378
It has many unused skill points, so I decided to pick metathermics for cryostasis and thermal destabilization. Not sure if this will work as intended, but on paper, it looks good.

The second variant is more oriented on control and survivability. It has thought control with LoC.
http://underrail.info.tm/build/?HgYMBgMDCgYARg_CoAAAVUkrADxaWktOWsKCLUs3AAAAK8KzwqMiOcKVMMKSBhIqwofCk8KsSyHioaQF4rOOAt-_

Now questions:
1. What useful feats did I miss? Should I spend more skill points in xbow, and take it feats, like special tactics.
2. How much effective thought control and throwing do I need for end game content.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2019, 02:42:58 am by Enchat »

HulkOSaurus

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Re: Hunter(Spear&xbow) for dominating
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2019, 01:07:21 pm »
Well, to be completely honest, I'm not really into either of those builds. Spears are heavy weapons - you won't get many attacks per turn and they don't have a form of cc in their repertoire, as well. This means that you'd want to be able to take a hit after you've finished your turn.

From my own experience with crossbows I'd say that 200 effective skill isn't great in terms of accuracy. You really do want to use the inherent high range those weapons have, especially for the versatile bolts.

For DOMINATING I'd advise for 230-240 effective thought control. It will get the job done beautifully. For Metathermics either go full in or don't go in at all. 130 effective skill won't give you much utility. Just immunity to fire. Up to you to decide if you think that's a great trade off.

If you ask me - I'd focus on crossbow more. Crossbows, unlike AR or SMG really do need full investment in terms of skill points and feats in order to shine. I'd go with at least 14 Perception, full crossbow skill investment, and make the spears as a side weapon for crits when the enemy comes too close. With Critical Power on, enough skill points in Melee for feats and a decent crafted spear, they will deal massive damage. That will, in my opinion, give you more reliable versatility in terms of ranged and melee combat while leaving enough skill points to make use of Crafting and Throwing. When it comes to a Crossbow/Psi hybrid, I'd say that the combination looks rather underwhelming. Psi hybrids, in my opinion, need to be paired with weapons that can be good even when not fully invested in. For example - SMGs, ARs, Melee Gloves, Spears, Shotguns. So if you want to go Crossbow/Psi I definitely think that it's one of the weaker combinations in the game. Stick to Throwing/Three-Pointer. It's pretty decent, especially with MKV 'nades. 

Another point that I frequently make is to lower your Subterfuge and increase your Crafting. The earlier you get to 150ish effective Crafting, the earlier you'll be able to make the really good weapons/shields/armours. Mercantile is another thing that will greatly help you in this case.

Enchat

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Re: Hunter(Spear&xbow) for dominating
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2019, 11:19:48 pm »
From my own experience with crossbows I'd say that 200 effective skill isn't great in terms of accuracy. You really do want to use the inherent high range those weapons have, especially for the versatile bolts.
I started the game with the second build with LoŠ”, and in the junkyard, the crossbow showed its complete uselessness, because the chance of a hit is in the region of 50%, which does not allow to use it as a reliable control tool.
Sprint was more than enough for mobility, which means that there will be redundant movement points with tabi boots and haste from temporal manipulation. Given all this, I changed the build to this one.

http://underrail.info.tm/build/?HgcOAwMDCgYAZA_CoAAAZUYsAEZcXFxcXMKgLQA3AAAAKybCoyLClQYSKsKHwpNLIcKzwpTioaQF4rOOAuK1rgjfvw
It will have 250 effective xbow skill, plus a 5% chance to hit from the marksman specialization, plus 10% from the scope. Do you think this is enough?
3 agi makes stealth pretty weak. I have no experience of stealth character in dominating difficulty. Is  200 effective skill will be enough for high-end content?
Also there are quite a lot of unused feats, what is better to spend on them??

If you ask me - I'd focus on crossbow more
First of all, I plan a build for close combat, a crossbow here is only a support weapon, for control with special bolts. A build where the main weapon will be a crossbow is likely to be stronger especially on high difficulty, but I have never finished the game with a melee character and so I want to do it.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2019, 02:42:24 am by Enchat »

HulkOSaurus

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Re: Hunter(Spear&xbow) for dominating
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2019, 12:38:41 am »
In which case I'd advise you to change the crossbow to guns :). Either AR or Shotguns.

BTW, I really am not into that second build, as well :). It's too squishy.