2nd playthrough on hard, builds?

[andvare]

First and foremost, congratulations to Styg (and team) for making an awesome game! So far this has really been beyond
 and better than the fallout games.

I did my research and ended up with a vastly overpowered psi/tranquil build on Normal. Very few fights pose any significant challenge so I would like to restart on Hard with a different build (!= psi).

o Is Psi/tranquil op on Hard also?
o What builds have you had the most fun playing on Hard?

[TheAverageGortsby]

Psi has a lot of options and is always powerful.  I've played a few builds and though Psi isn't the most powerful of any well-specialized build, it doesn't have any weaknesses, which is awfully handy.  Plus the stat profile for Psi is forgiving.

Stealth sniper is fun on Hard and occasionally things fall apart and you're stuck running around like mad, lobbing grenades and trying to lure that last person onto a trapped tile.  That part is also fun, in my opinion
Super-heavy sledge was perhaps the least stressful build I played on hard.  Literally the whole game was "run over mines, regen.  Get shot in the face, regen.  Get crushed under rockslide and set on fire then blown up....health hypo, regen." Even Tchort was simple.
I haven't yet played a commando/SMG build but they sound pretty good.

If you haven't seen destroyor's FAQ (https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=843557165) it has some good build suggestions, and overall a lot of really helpful information.

[andvare]

>> Psi has a lot of options and is always powerful.  I've played a few builds and though Psi isn't the most powerful of any well->> specialized build, it doesn't have any weaknesses, which is awfully handy.  Plus the stat profile for Psi is forgiving.

Tbh I did a lot of Quick-load/save because the low initiative can be a real killer. However, once you get a shield/psi-carpace/headband your done it seems. Also your not that dependent on gear/ammunition etc which takes some of the fun way.
I would like to see more enemies able to take apart a good psi build.

Stealth sniper is fun on Hard and occasionally things fall apart and you're stuck running around like mad, lobbing grenades and trying to lure that last person onto a trapped tile.  That part is also fun, in my opinion
Super-heavy sledge was perhaps the least stressful build I played on hard.  Literally the whole game was "run over mines, regen.  Get shot in the face, regen.  Get crushed under rockslide and set on fire then blown up....health hypo, regen." Even Tchort was simple.
I haven't yet played a commando/SMG build but they sound pretty good.

>> Stealth has a lot of appeal to me and I was considering a SMG build or something more assassin like.

If you haven't seen destroyor's FAQ (https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=843557165) it has some good build suggestions, and overall a lot of really helpful information.

[Tygrende]

Is Psi/tranquil op on Hard also?

It's definetly strong, but I wouldn't call it OP. Psi HP penalty combined with lower HP on hard means you have very small margin of error and mistakes will lead to death much more often. This is even more true for Tranquility builds since you rely on having max HP to get a benefit out of it. Full psi is also pretty limited when it comes to skill points since you need to max 3 combat skills instead of 1 (2 tops) like all other builds do.

What builds have you had the most fun playing on Hard?

Definitely a sniper. They are really strong as well but after playing a lot of different builds I wouldn't call them OP either. Snipers shine when everything goes according to plan and you have the element of surprise/range, but there is a lot that can go wrong. Snipers are vulnerable to Crippling Strike since sniper rifles require 5 STR, huge close range penalty means you are in real trouble if melee enemy manages to get close and in even bigger trouble if he prevents you from getting away, huge move penalty means hiding behind a corner at the end of your turn to break the line of sight is less effective and often not an option, etc. Close range/move penalties can be mitigated to some degree (lowest possible is 12%/15% with a Spearhead Commando, so only slightly more than crossbows) but that means sacrificing some damage.

[TheAverageGortsby]

Tbh I did a lot of Quick-load/save because the low initiative can be a real killer.

You should be able to spare the 15 points and one feat to pick Gunslinger.  You don't even need to put bullets in the gun; just carry around some cheap 5mm nothing of a pistol and enjoy the +12 initiative from Paranoid + Gunslinger.

[MirddinEmris]

Try throwing-only build. And don't use grenades. Challenge yourself, mate)

[andvare]

Think I will wait until throwing gets buffed with alternatives to throwing knives

I would also love to play a build centered around energy pistols when they get buffed.

For now a stealthy SMG build will probably be the next one or maybe a sniper build as suggested. Erhm, also probably an unarmed build for kicks.

[MirddinEmris]

Energy pistols are already a pretty viable build. I'm not saying that they couldn't use some love form developers, but you can get through the game without much trouble if you know what you are doing. In my opinion they are easier than crossbows and regular pistols