My barrage of questions continues. On sniper builds, considering you max stealth, isn't specing Snipe ability an overkill? Is it for cool nonspoilerboss one-shot?Or geniunely uselful?
Stealth should be maxed even for the sake of sneaking conveniently. And make sure to take Interloper. For a sniper, there are so many benefits as well, like Snipe damage or Ambush crit chance.
Ambush is the easiest to trigger with a sniper due to having the best range, meaning that you are free to choose your vantage point and pick any dark area on the given map as long as you have visual on the target. Ambush also works with single shot weapons, so not with bursts.
I would advise against using SMG's with a sniper as they need you to be close to burst effectively (which you can also use your rifle too anyway) and they won't work with Ambush either. Need high DEX and most importantly - a sidearm should not be used for dealing damage. You already have a rifle and most importantly - WHENEVER you can use your rifle, you SHOULD. It is your best interest to make the kills with your rifle, thus always lower the Aim Shot + Shooting Spree cooldown. That's why using another weapon for damage actually works AGAINST you. A sidearm should provide utility at best and you should aim for cooldown reduction with Tranquility boosted, Future Oriented Temporal Increments and of course maximizing rifle shots.
The PISTOL is the only sidearm that kinda makes sense here. With raising DEX from the necessary 5 (for Strafe) to 7, you can have Gunslinger in exchange for Paranoia that gives +5 Initiative and lowers your AP cost with the handgun. Then by taking Kneecap Shot, you have another cheap and effective CC ability to stop incoming melee enemies and maintain distance. With 7 DEX, you can also grab Quick Tinkering - another handy ability and boost your Traps skill (enemies can circle around your Bear Trap otherwise). Take Trap Expert as well.
For me, it's either this route with a sniper (Traps + Pistol for kneecap shots and initiative) or the very potent psi-sniper (
https://stygiansoftware.com/forums/index.php?topic=10837.0).