Suggest character builds to use when playtesting the upcoming version

[Styg]

The content for the new patch (0.1.7.0) is almost done and I'm nearing dedicated internal testing phase.

This basically means my friend and I sit down and play through the entire game once or twice and I fix the bugs we encounter, but also tweak the mechanics sometimes.

So I want you guys to suggest what kind of build I should go for. I'm going to use grenades for sure as a lot of balance/mechanics changes involved those. If there's some build you feel is currently underpowered or just straight up not viable let me know and I'll give it a go so I can see for myself what the problems are.

[Major_Blackhart]

Energy weapons with electric maybe.
Plasma is good, but the laser pistol seems a bit underpowered for some reason.
To me anyway.

[Styg]

Perception/agility based sneaky guns+grenades sniper. Don't use automatic weapons. See how well it goes with "one shot, one kill" mentality.

Build's viable and should be good for testing grenades since those are its only source of AOE and CC.
And as of 0.1.6.0, Aimed Shot with Sharpshooter outperforms Snipe even with max stealth, stealth armor and a cloaking device. Snipe could use a precision bonus or something to make it feel special, rather than just a weaker AS on a different cooldown.

Snipe needs 75 stealth to break even with sharpshooter crits and that shouldn't be that hard to get really. I think my friend had like 100+ last time he went for that build.

It's still a bit too close, though. What I think I'll do is change sharpshooter a bit. Maybe to give +50% bonus crit damage to all three weapon types.

[LazyMonk]

Do an unarmed guy with psychokinesis!

I don't think it is viable but i am not sure i should have any expectations that it should be.
Then again there are so many feats asking to build something like this:
Lightning Punches
Crippling Strike
Deflection

And then that sweet cherry that is Force Emission

I know you can get through the GMS compound with this build, but once you reach the Junkyard damage will be lacking.

[Thrasymachus]

Roll a diplomacy build!

Ha ha haa....

In all seriousness try a max crafting spec that uses grenades, health potions and unarmed + spiked armor. 

[Styg]

I think I'll go unarmed-psychokinesis-grenades for starters. Unarmed definitely needs some love.

[Styg]

Played with unarmed blind psionic monk (melee+psychokinesis+max defenses+nimble+opportunist) and it went kinda ok.

I had to switch to sledgehammer for armored opponents, but I could kill everything else. Not as easily as other builds, though.

Here are the conclusions:

- unarmed needs a more powerful attack that costs more AP (something like 200% dmg for 225% AP cost, no cooldown)
- unarmed needs fist weapons to add some non-mechanical damage or just boost single target damage for certain encounters (got some ideas there already)
- there are no strength-based unarmed feats
- strength doesn't have high end feats like other damage scaling stats (will, perception)
- dexterity needs to affect more than just its related skills; right now it just feels you need to spend certain amount of points there for sole purpose of unlocking feats

Anyway, patch is being uploaded. Available Monday probably.

[Thrasymachus]

Will we be getting more 'debuff' feats like crippling strike? 

I like the idea of having 'finesse' feats do more than raw damage. 

In the far future do you plan on all feats being solely stat point determined or do you plan on making it so people have to interact with an NPC to discover them?

[LazyMonk]

Its good to know that unarmed will be a viable build.
Hope you had fun, Styg.