Spear / Shotgun / Grenades + psi(support)

[Diogo]

I'm currently playing with this build on Hard , maybe I'll try dominating in the future (if I have patience )

http://underrail.info.tm/build/?Hg4HAwoDAwYoYADCoADCoAAARgBFf3hUAGMAGUZGAABaK8KjMWPClsKwRcKUwocGFj4VS8K2MMKtwp1swp4abcKhUsKD4rOsBeK1rgXit7AF378

>Spears to close combat (2 Attack Range) and monstrous critical hits (Crafted Tungsten energy spear + Cheap Shots +Critical Power + high base damage + 25% natural pierce + Impale + recklessness)
>Shotguns (202~288 varies with specialization and STR bonuses + Leading Shot -- 65%~90% to enemy evasion) medium range large-group/ robot killing
>*Crafted Grenades + *Crafted Chemical Blob/ Bear Traps + (Quick Thikering, Grenadier, 3Pointer) + (*260 to 300++ ,carrying capacity)
>You can also bring a sniper rifle to occasionally kill stationary targets such as turrets or normally out of range targets.
>Psychokinesis 25 for force field
>Metathermics to lure(Cryokinesis), control(Cryostasis/Exotermic aura), detonate mines (Pyrokinessis) and support (Cryo-shield).
>Temporal Manipulation to buff (Psycho tC / Limited ti ),control (Stasis) , debuff (Psycho tD /Entropic R) and mobility (Psycho tC) +Tabi Boots

>high hp +Spear defense + guard + Super steel  armor + crafted energy shield for melee defense
>high hp + Evasion + Tabi + Super steel  armor + crafted energy shield for ranged physical defense
>high hp + Thic skull + (full auto/Impale/high lv grenades) for Psi "defense"
>Red googles (ranged crit %) + Shotgun belt to reinforce the usefulness of the shotgun
 
So far this is my favorite build, Super Versatile and powerful you can vary your fighting ways a lot and changing gameplay in the middle of battle is super fun + looks Bad Ass like a Bounty Hunter 

Ps: Shotguns are the best Versatility weapon tnx to "Leading Shot" feat that ignores 65% of enemy evasion
Ps2: Following some advice from "HulkOSaurus" I made some adaptations to the original build, thanks bro.
Ps3:Get the feats in the order of utility that you deem best.

[HulkOSaurus]

What difficulty are you playing that on?

[Diogo]

I only tested this build on Hard, but I see no reason why it won't work on dominating dificulty.
The Relative low accuracy of shotgun resolves with increased STR by food + adrenaline shot + leading shot,  "six shot" and "Full auto" greatly increase the damage.
Criokinesis and Bear traps helps a lot too.

[HulkOSaurus]

Well, you can have extra 4 Per from consumable items so that there will be even more shotgun accuracy. I don't actually know if it works with the Versatility feat, but you can check it out. It will be cool if it stacks with the Str from Adrenaline shot and/or any equipment you might be using.

Concerning Metathermics - with 150 effective skill grenades will always outperform the psi, and will give you more utility, though you will have to consider the Grenadier feat. You won't really need 70 in Temporal Manipulation; I mean, Stasis is alright, but I reckon it works better for Psi characters who want to wait for cooldowns.

Lockpicking is not really an essential skill - I know new players like it a lot, but it's not that crucial.

You can allocate all these points into crafting and throwing, and make the best grenades, chems, ect.

Well, I am not saying you must do any of that, but it's just an opinion should you want to attempt DOMINATING.

[HulkOSaurus]

Ugh, double post.

[Diogo]

thanks for your feedback, i really like to have lockpiking or hack in my builds for personal taste, not only for the loot but for access to locked areas, as for metatermics you have an excellent point, i will reevaluate exchanging as many points spent on metatermics being that I only use it as a support for more efficient grenades.
And no, PER has no influence on damage or accuracy in versatility all upgrades come directly from melee effective points (60% of dominant skill or 80% with especialization reaching 288 effective points MAX approximately), so just adding STR and Leading Shot generates some impact on shotgun effectiveness and sixth shell+ full auto on damage on this build at least.

ps:exotermic aura fire imunity sounds fun with napalm grenades

[HulkOSaurus]

ps:exotermic aura fire imunity sounds fun with napalm grenades

There is a certain synergy with that, but it's also a double edged sword. 

[Diogo]

The combination looks dangerous but if you find yourself stuck in the flames use Stasis as a panic button and have 2 more immunity turns to think of a way to not turn into a barbecue

[WhimsicalWhiskey]

This build sounds super fun. I may even want to pick it over the other melee builds I'm trying. Do you think it works with swords too?

[Diogo]

This build can work with swords also just swap "sixth Shell" for "Expose Weakness" (swords really need this skill to function properly)
 and "Impale" for "Flurry" and you're ready to go.

[WhimsicalWhiskey]

Excellent. Not to break forum graces by talking about another topic but you seem to understand builds pretty well and nobody replied to my thread on melee builds. What's your thoughts on a riot gear/sword or iron grip spear build versus a leather armor max agility and strength throwing spear build? And I suppose how that build you think compares to this one which sounds super fun.

[Diogo]

Riot gear/sword or iron grip spear-> Riot shield + (guard spear or Parry) + guard and high strength can trivialize melee enemies, but you still need to invest in evasion and a long range attack alternative (PSI or knife throwing, pistols are ineffective without a reasonable investment), make sure you get "Ballistics" (very useful with riot as it adds 6 DT after riot bonus) this build works beter with CON tnx riot armor penalties, you can choose from (6 AGI + Sprint) or (3 AGI + 55 Temporal).


leather armor max agility and strength throwing spear-> If you take the AGI route make sure you take at least 10 for Blitz and at most 13 for Expert Sprint, pump dodge and evasion to the max, melee and throwing to the max, 50~125 Biology to make poison throwing knifes for incapacitate PSI users, "Uncanny Dodge" for melee defense, 5 minimum INT for "Cheap Shots", and

S>16 D>8 A>10 (Blitz+Fatal Throw+ Quick Tinkering + Fancy Footwork) or
S>15 D>6 A>13 (Expert Sprint + 55 Temporal + Adrenaline Shot + Blitz = INSANE Action Points)

There are two very different styles of gameplay and both can be fun if well balanced in defense and attack.

[Diogo]

If anyone is interested, I made some build changes to increase the range of survival options and combat options.

http://underrail.info.tm/build/?Hg4HAwoDAwYoYADCoADCoAAARgBFf3hUAGMAGUZGAABaK8KjMWPClsKwRcKUwocGFj4VS8K2MMKtwp1swp4abcKhUsKD4rOsBeK1rgXit7AF378