First time Dominating build. Looking for suggestions/improvements.

[tfw]

https://underrail.info/build/?HgUJBQcMAwXCoMKgAAAAAMKgUzcAwqBwwpdoAMKCAAAAAAAABQEXJiQWNTM-SzoCHlDChUDCtcKkwq3ipI4F4qe-Ct-_

The plan is to go a Sniper/Pistol hybrid to get some big crits while using plenty of grenades and traps. Usually I go dodge/evasion though I've heard they are pretty useless on Dominating. I'm unsure about what Sniper I'm going to use. I'm thinking of using a harbinger, grabbing the AFW, then crafting a better harbinger later on. I plan on using the .44 Magnum from Wyatt as my pistol of choice. I'd like to avoid using psi, but if psi is too good to pass up on Dominating then I wouldn't mind incorporating it into the build. That's pretty much it, thanks for any suggestions/recommendations.

[TheAverageGortsby]

Honestly, I'd rather go with a modified blind sniper build for rifle + pistol.  15-16+2 Dex, Versatility, max melee, 10-11 Per 60 Guns for feats.  Dump Con and Agility to get the stat points you need and swap out Fast Metabolism for Doctor (pulling 15 points for Bio either from Throwing/Traps which you've crazily overinvested in, or from crafting which you've lightly overinvested in), which is nearly as good for a build that doesn't use psi and wears stealthy leather armor.

If you really want to use pistols, get that Dex way up there.  Otherwise by late game they just won't be doing much and you'll be stuck having to either rely extremely heavily on traps and grenades, or else mostly just using your sniper and sneaking in a pistol shot every now and then just to feel like it was worth it.  Very high Dex, and it will be.

With that much Chemistry, I'd much rather haul around a chem pistol of my own crafting than Wyatt's 44.  The 44 is a good choice in early game but chem pistols are nice.  If you did go that route, since your stealth is so high that you'll always be starting combat on your own terms anyway, you could drop Gunslinger for Cooked Shot and vastly increase your ability to control the battlefield - but that would also mean you can't get 2 shots a round with the .44 unless you use Adrenaline, unless you go with the higher-Dex build concept.  (edit: case in point - with 18 Dex, you can get 5 chem pistol attacks a turn with Magic Voodoo Amphetamines; add in an Advanced Catalyzing Belt and you can do 6 a turn with regular Adrenaline, or 5 + Cooked Shot with tribal cocaine.  That's going to be a tremendous short-range output. Use XAL-001 instead of a crafted pistol and it gets even crazier.)

Your build will basically always be better with psi than without, but you don't need psi to beat DOMINATING.  You can do just fine without it.

edit: 15 points out of Electronics and 30 points out of Traps (which will still be very high if you take a Dex versatility route) lets you put 45 points into Bio, which with housing bonus lets you craft Hypercerebrix, which in turn allows you to free up a few more points from your crafting skills or just make higher quality stuff.

[tfw]

Yeah I had a sneaking suspicion that I was over investing in throwing and traps. I was originally going to make the post much longer to explain some of my choices and throwing/traps just boiled down to "I'm pretty sure these points should be put elsewhere, I'm just not sure where." I'm just realizing now that the healing from doctor isn't only applied to bandages, I guess I can't read.

As for going for Versatility, I'm not sure I see the point in it? I don't know if I'm just missing something but even while getting my dex to 15+2, maxing melee, and dropping my per down to 11 I'd still get more effective guns from just maxing guns (202 effective w/ vers, 255 w/o).

Anyways here's a revised build. Chem pistols sound interesting, but I'll have to think about if I want to use them or not, so it still has Gunslinger. Didn't bother with sorting out feat order.
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUPAwUKAwXCoHoAAAAAwqBgKQB5VXJLL2MAAAAAAADCoCQOJgEeFjUCM0vChToxPhfCpMK14qSOBeKnvgrfvw

Thanks for the advice.

[TheAverageGortsby]

Anyways here's a revised build.

If you have any place you might want to put them, you're 65 points overinvested in Mercantile on that one.  With the UnderPie buff, you can get to 105 even without Hypercerebrix.  If you assume both, then you can pull as many as 78 points out.  That would in turn give you enough points free to get Intimidate (or with just a few more points from elsewhere, Persuade) to the skill caps you need to use them everywhere, if that's of interest to you.  There's really not much use in taking Mercantile beyond 105 effective unless you're playing a Salesman & Major Supplier spec build, which is...well.  If that's what you want to do, you're clearly not optimizing much 

[Vokial]

You'll be fine with 100 or somewhat more traps as it allows you to defuse all of the hostile ones and still be effective on deploying them yourself. As for pistols, if you plan on using them not just for their utility, but as your main form of attack it has to be a Rapid Smart .44 Hammerer. Quite hectic damage range, but still outclassing everything else in the long run. Since it has a high AP cost, you'll not benefit from having high DEX. 8 is enough in my opinion as with Gunslinger and the Rapid mod, each regular shot will take 20 AP. So with 50 AP in total you can shoot once and perform Rapid Fire (or 70-72 with temporal psi: 2 shots + RF). Any more DEX won't really benefit you here. And you want to use Rapid Fire as it's great with the Hammerer, especially with high crit chance and damage. Generally all skillshots are best with that smart modded pistol due to it's high damage output which increases Kneecap Shot's bleed amount too (you want to take this skill early btw regardless of the handgun you're using).



As a sidenote since you also tackle the route of a sniper, to help broaden your view a bit, let me post my build which I'm currently using for my Dominating run. Despite the fact that firearm pistols are my favourite weapons in this game overall, here they are only used for utility though (for increasing initiative and to perform Kneecap Shots from some Rapid Neo Luger or Falchion LS). This is an extremely versatile temporal sniper build:
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUHBwMLBQjCoEAAAAAAwqBJRFBEWmVQM1oAAABGPwA-KygXAR4wHX81fksqwofCiDHCpMK1M9-_

By versatility I mean that this allows you to nail challenges in every area. With Hypercerebrix, you can reach 105 Mercantile to get increase inventory from all vendors, reach 110 Persuasion with the Hypno Glasses, ace all subterfuge-related activity (130 Hacking with Hypercerebrix and Engi-suit), also craft everything you need anywhere anytime (proper gear, chems up to bullheads and max tier in all kind of grenades and traps). Changing Recklessness and Scrutinous for Blindsiding and Ambush is something I've yet to decide as Ambush can cover for crit chance while I often restealth when battling against crowds as much as I can so I would make good use of Blindsiding as well. But all other feats are set in stone (Interloper and Strafe too for cornerfights).
With the temoral focused feats and good psi regeneration, you can enjoy 72 AP for 3 turns with Contraction (which translates to 3 sniper shots from a Rapid Spearhead). In the 4th turn where you're back with 50 AP, use 25 of that for something out of grenade/trap/kneecap/dilation (or to shoot the last bullet in your rifle), just spare the other 25 AP to get yourself back to a state where you'll be able to repeat this all over again by casting Increment (10 AP), reload your rile (5 AP with bullet strap belt) and restealth (10 AP) behind cover.

[tfw]

Quick update. I just hit level 22, build looks like this:
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUNAwUMAwXCoHoAAAAAwqBgKQB5VXJLL2MAAAAATABUARcOJBY1MyZLOgIxHsKFwrXCpD7CreKkjgXip74K378

I'm currently at the beginning of Expedition. Build feels good, just need to make sure to use napalm grenades, bear traps, etc.. I probably should have taken Ambush earlier, as it makes the build feel much stronger, especially with the amount of napalm I've been throwing around. I'm just not sure what I'd delay taking to get it. Kneecap shot hasn't felt necessary, which is why I've put off taking it. Bear traps basically accomplish the same thing, but do a better job at it. Still using Wyatt's .44 and the AFW. Should probably get around to crafting some weapons, but I'm pretty lazy and they've been enough for now.