Update to the build after anniversary patch.
I've modified the build to include Polymath and Specialist.
https://underrail.info/build/?HggGBgMIBQoewqBLAAAAAMKgUEYAMsKCeDxQeAAAAABGAEslOTsmFcOeSgIvwoLDon9FFsK2fCTDl8Kdw5zDmeKijQPip4IC4r68BeK-vgXfvANow I've ditched CON for INT. On top of that I raw dogged DOM with this updated build, went in blind after a huge pause, so I didn't polish it and min-maxed it further. On top of that top, I also speedran to the MG3-42 and unlocking all crafting reqs I needed for my gear, such as workbenches, SSRD, Oculus etc. On top of the top of the top, I also sacrificed a bit to test out the new Rocket Launchers.
So, now I am at Black Sea, at level 28 and decided to stop, because this is the third time i'm on the same build and have a huge backlog of other builds I want to play. Conclusion: It dominates. DOM difficulty doesn't even feel difficult after I got the MG. The hardest part was the start: Saving Newton with Azure Beetles and GMS, not even Depot A was hard. Only Silent Isle was an issue during Junkyard, but that turned out to be a specific quirk of Silent Isle itself (I am talking about the noise).
Everything I said in Pros and Cons still applies to a degree. Here are just some quick notes before we get to the build itself in small additional details.
-Core City Warehouse was an issue because of Snipers hitting you out of sight. I chose Praetorian for the Chemhaze and I kinda regret it. Should've went with Coretech for better electronic gear. Praetorian's warehouse mission is harder than Coretechs also.
-RL are amazing, in particular N202, it's like a Napalm grenade every turn. Perfect for blocking off passages or small sized corridors. White Phosphorus is also good, better at igniting and the heat smoke has the benefit of not preventing AI from going through it, unlike flames.
-Polymath rules, the extra skill points really help early on as I didn't need to ration them as seriously. Maxing out hacks and lockpicking (to the req skill check) made Depot A a breeze. Plus extra leftover skill points later on.
-I didn't really use Metal Armor because most I found was either complete underleveled garbage (be it components or the armor itself) or Tungsten with 9 STR, I only had 8. So I only crafted one at Lvl 26, before that I was running either Regalia or Tac Vest.
-Specialist is even better. 30 Spec Points is no joke.
-The experience boost from INT is noticeable. I ditched the run at 28 out of boredom from repetition. I still had all of Heavy Duty, the Guns blazing and Electronics route for Uni. I haven't touched any of the Waterways in Lower Caves. I haven't genocided(yet) the pirates and natives, Deep Caverns, Upper Caves, Ironheads are still alive (for now) and a bunch of other small nooks and crannies I forgot for XP farm. I do play on Classic, so take that in mind.
These are just from the top of my head things I noticed most of all.
As for the build itself. In the builder Ninja Looting and Shield Arm are obviously a placeholder for Polymath and Specialist. With the extra Skill and Spec Points there are more ways to modify this build, depending on the feats you like or want. In my case my secondary feats are Quick Pockets, Grenadier and Tricky Trajectory. These are dependent on the Base Abilities I initially had. I will ignore some mistakes I made in my playthrough, where I mistakenly spread the Ability Points and had to pick Strafe very late, as they are just that - planning mistakes. So for example, if you don't think you need on DOM to spam early on grenades (which is why I put 6 Dex for grenadier), you can drop it down to 5 and get 7 Agility instead, so you can use Hit and Run along with Sprint. If you aren't aiming to use GLs and RLs, or use them in a limited capacity, then you can ditch Tricky Trajectory for Trap Expert. Or you can ditch all three. You have 3 extra Feats to choose whatever you want.
With Polymath and Specialist you can easily now spend 40 points on Pickpocketing to get the radio off the snitch in Black Sea, and it is totally worth it. With enough points - start Expedition, trap the beachhead, finish the battle, get your reward, activate the fast travel, finish the Mutie Refuge mission, steal the radio, report, go to bed, voila, you now have direct access to Pirate Cove, Nexus, Fetid Marshes and LEMCO from which you can quickly jet travel to Health Center near the lighthouse and stroll over to Pirate Bay fast travel. Now you have ground access to all of South Black Sea and no Jet Ski is needed, which means no Pirate invasions. The huge leftover skill points I aimed to spent on Throwing and Traps.
And Specialist? 30 Spec Points means you can max out Concentrated Fire and Full-Auto and have spare points to max out Bullet Trance and Opportunist Slow Damage. I personally ditched BT extra duration for more Armor Sloping bonus. 35% Armor Penalty Metal Armor is sweet (with Nimble and Body Training), about which. If mobility isn't something you are aiming for, you can ditch another three feats from 26-30.
All of this for the price of 3 CON, which means you need to be extra careful near high damage enemies and early on.
For early game, I highly recommend to get stealth gear and adrenaline shot to bypass the STR check for Unique Bren, it is your only for quite a while decent damage LMG, until the circuit board is retrieved. Stock up on 8.6, bear traps, caltrops and nades in the meantime.
That's about it for the update after anniversary.
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