Just finished Underrail. Some questions. (spoilers!)

[METPOdenizen]

More than a year since I first made the topic, but I have finally completed the quest on Normal as a psi assassin.

Incidentally, Underrail is the first (and almost certainly last) turn-based RPG I have ever played. My main intention was to see what the genre was about, but I didn't feel like digging up Fallout 1/2 with their antiquated graphics and controls. As a fan of Metro, the post-apocalyptic underground setting really appealed to me. So Styg can bask in the thought that there's at least one person whose experience of these sorts of RPGs is centered exclusively around his game.

Though it was enjoyable enough, I have zero intentions of repeating it or playing expansions (frankly I don't have the time to sink another 100 hours or two). Not because its a bad game, but because it's not my genre. However, I am sufficiently curious about aspects of this world that I'd appreciate it if anybody could give me some further insight on a few questions.

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1. Is there any chance of the Tchortists winning the battle with the Faceless at the Institute? I didn't manage to, but is it possible in principle?
Any word on what happens to them as an institution afterwards? (apart from the small garrison in Deep Caverns making it out and discarding their uniforms). They vanish, I assume?

2. What interesting things/characters/dialogues/lore about the Protectorate not on the Wiki did I miss by joining Free Drones?
(Only joined them because I was too low level/unskilled to wipe out the bandits who seized that train, not realizing that ruled out joining Protectorate. Not a fan of the Protectorate either, but I'd sooner opt for them over bandits).

3. Ergo for CoreTech and Praetorian. (I did JKK).

4. Why was it Protectorate that assaulted the (wiped out) Tchortist Institute?

5. How does the Underrail food system work? There are plenty of animals, but what are they feeding on? (If there's no canon answer to this, could we assume that plants have evolved that feed off ambient psi energies? Perhaps that's why the surface is no longer accessible. The intensity of psi energies is too high for survivability there).

6. Any particular reason why Gorsky chose precisely this moment to go off and make his own faction?

7. So Tchortlings - or at least Devourers - are humans that have been dipped in a vat of mutagen, Fallout style? (based on that one drifter you inadvertently screw over).

8. Who's the most powerful entity in the game (apart from Tchort, the Beast, and unkillable Godmen)? Gorsky? Faceless Commander? Eidein? Carnafex??
Is it possible/has anyone tried pitting them against each other in the Arena?
Whose troops are the best? Protectorate's, Tchortists, or Faceless?

9. Out of curiosity, is it possible in principle to clear out Fort Apogee? (Don't really see how one can go up against three Dreadnoughts, but I suppose there's all sorts of hacks).

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General notes:

1. I disagree with the people who say there was hardly any story, it was actually pretty interesting and immersive (with allowances for it having been mostly developed by one person, Styg; this constrained its ultimate depth and breadth, e.g. on dialogue trees, but there are many games that have done far worse on vastly bigger budgets).

2. Favorite character: Kokoschka the Tankie.

3. That said, a few questlines ended a bit too abruptly (e.g., Vivian's quiet and largely unexplained termination), and the player's motivations need to be better explained (e.g. what incentive do I have to get that Cube back to the Faceless anyway? It's their problem now).

4. Many funny little details, like the description of modern day cigarette packaging.

5. It would be nice if you could have the choice of taking a more Tchortist/bio-transhumanistic course of action. As it is, the game railroads you into doing tasks for some unfriendly alien cyborg weirdo. There's obviously a lot of things iffy about the Tchortists, but many of them seem rather nice (e.g. the radical life extension, and the cryopreservation technologies; quietly switching off those cryogenic pods almost seemed like murder.

Just like you could join the Protectorate (imperial archetype) vs. Free Drones (anarchist archetype), it would be cool if you could also side with bio-transhumanism (Tchort) vs. cyborg-transhumanism (Faceless/Six).

[Tamior]

8. Who's the most powerful entity in the game (apart from Tchort, the Beast, and unkillable Godmen)? Gorsky? Faceless Commander? Eidein? Carnafex??

I would put some serious money on black crawler. 40 HP/turn regeneration + ability to simply crawl away to regenerate.

[Mariner666]

1. No chance. And, when you fight near elevator to Deep Caverns, Faceless will come and come and come...
What happened afterwards? Tchortist are destroyed. Nothing more.

2. Well, CAU are really interesting group of characters.

3. Praetorian Lieutenant Stratford has interesting dialogues. I really get fun, when kill Joe de Pachino and tell about it BEFORE he gave a quest to kill Joe.

4. There just no one else in Upper Underrail with enough gun power.

5. Well... Don't give a f**k. Hoppers eats mushrooms. Syphoners eats unlucky travelers. Fish eats something underwater. If it work - don't touch it.

6. Cause he got very big ambitions and he is son of a bitch. That's enough to act like that.

7. I think, not at all. Tchort summons his minions almost immediately, like wizard from DnD. Maybe Tchort consume humans and then produce his minions. Detrius was disease resistant human, his Constitution score must be high. Perfect for Devourer.
Consumed psionic became Scanner, and so on...

8. Most powerfull entity... Well, if take only potential power AND act, like it's your character... Must be Eiden. Really tough HP score, powerfull psionic and good shield. Hard enemy, ever harder than Carnifex at Dominating difficulty.
Troops? Obviously - Faceless. Their infusion buffs are almost cheating in this world.

9. I cleared it easily.
Dreadnoughts weak vs. EMP and AP bullets.
EMP, aimed shot with sniper rifle 12.7 caliber, AP bullet. Done. 

Most hard part - when you enter fort after killing first Dreadnought. With stealth you must put some bear traps, or else... they will bury you under their corpses.

[brobotics]

The Tchortists cannot win the battle at the elevator due to endless waves of Faceless, and therefore that is where Eiden dies regardless of if you witnessed it or not.

What remains of the Tchortists following the events of Deep Caverns can vary, though. Those at Cytosine Outpost may/may not have escaped and the Rejects from the Institute may/may not have been released. Also the one Tchortist defector may/may not be alive based on your actions. Everyone else in the Institute is 100% KIA though. Ending states they "lay where they fell".

The Protectorate made entry into the Institute knowing that the Faceless had just attacked there. Whether or not they could have been informed about all the freaky Old Biocorp shit going on there is debatable. Also Upper Underrail is just largely their territory.

Tchort's minions are a weird one. It's clear that Tchort seeks new genetic material in its "regenerative state", but for what purpose is up to interpretation. I'd like to think that Tchortlings are NOT just psionic projections since you can loot their guts, but the same can be said about Psi Beetles, and there's alot to suggest that Psi Beetles are mostly if not entirely just psionic projections. So I cant say for sure why Detritus appears the way he does. You'll have to ask Dude.

[paulkirikawa]

3. Three oligarch's missions are connected in "multi faction RTS scenario" style. E.g. you've destroyed the warehouse security system as JKK operative, in another questline you will be the defense reinforcement as Coretech agent, protecting the same warehouse (after security shutdown)  from some mysterious mercenary (obviously hired by JKK).
5. It's possible that Gorsky have noticed some strange sign in Tanner's action. Otherwise he doesn't believe in Tanner at all, and he immediately started to act under his own judgement when out of Tanner's control, it's a common thing among warlords in human history. As to "particular moment", it is easy to attack an organization (BC gang and Core City) within when it's facing outside enemies. I don't think Gorsky is clever enough to understand the power/menace of Faceless is far beyond Protectorate, or he simply doesn't give a f**k.
7. When you say Fallout style, I assume you mean both radiation mutating & FEV. Like Tamior said, Tchort summons his minion almost in vain, but not "immediately". You would suffer a psychic debuff effect, and minions only occurs when the effect stacks to its climax and become a stronger one. So Tchortings are basically not ratiation mutants or virus infectors, they are genetically manipulated creatures (mostly based on human), used by Tchort as weapons and guards. Whenever Tchort notices you, bam, you are under Tchortlings attack.
8. Lv.25 endgame character with top handmade gears (plus easy difficulty), absolutely. You can kill one of the immortal character by abusing corrosive acid. Jokes aside, Black Crawler would be the best assassin, Eidein the best psion, Carnifex the best tank (better than Balor due to his avoidance). Oh, in some case Edgar might tell you that once a tin-can fella who named Carnifex fell down to the river (wearing metal armor) and almost chokes to death, can't tell if there's only one Carnifex in whole Underrail.

[Trashos]

2. You already said that you are not replaying it, but you did not have to attack the Free Drones in order to join the Protectorate. You could have gone back to Captain Herve, and he would have given you another option to solve the quest in the Protectorate's favor. A much easier option.

If you had joined the Protectorate, you would have gotten to pilot a dreadnought. Though briefly. Not sure how much you would have enjoyed it though, if you had no Guns or Melee expertise.

Later, the Protectorate final mission is glorious. In all respects. Not all people like it though, so YMMV. For me, it was one of the strongest moments in the game.