The Big Dick option of firearm pistols, .44 Hammer has an absurdly wide damage range and high AP cost. Critical hits sometimes deal less damage than regular hits and a single shot can either destroy an enemy or barely tickle them.
If you like gambling, this weapon is right up your alley. The payoff? Two-shotting a Dreadnaught on Dominating difficulty with one of the weakest weapon types in the game.
To prove that I’m not exaggerating, take a gander at this screenshot. In one turn I managed to score a hit for 358 damage and a hit for 1132 damage. That’s a difference of over three times!
https://i.imgur.com/7TgGkg7.jpgBut let’s not leave everything up to luck. If I’m going to gamble, I’ll be using loaded dice.
An Ace Up My Sleeve
Special Attacks and Special Attack damage bonus. This bonus is applied only when a Special Attack is used. It comes from goggles crafted with Smart Lenses (~40%) and from Smart Module (~60%) attachment on a weapon. Regular attacks get none of it.
Firearm pistols have access to 5 Special Attacks:
- Aimed Shot – a guaranteed critical hit (3 turn CD)
- Kneecap Shot - removes enemy MP and inflicts a DoT (5 turn CD, down to 3 with spec)
- Point Shot - a shot at 50% AP cost with reduced accuracy (1 turn CD)
- Rapid Fire - three shots at 150% AP cost with reduced accuracy (3 turn CD)
- Execute - a short range, high damage attack on Stunned/Incapacitated enemies (5 turn CD, down to 3 with spec)
One problem. All of these have cooldowns. So, let’s try and fix that. With Expedition, we get access to Limited Temporal Increment - a psi power which reduces all active cooldowns by one turn. It too has a cooldown of 3 turns, but Future Oriented reduces its cooldown down to 2 turns.
Put My Money Where My Mouth Is
If rolling dice to determine whether an attack hits or misses, and whether it blows heads off or stubs toes isn’t enough, let’s add more random to the mix. Critical hits. But this time, if I want some of that BIG DMG, I’ll have to work for it.
You see, one of the main sources of critical chance for ranged weapons are goggles made with Seeker Lenses. With up to 18%-20% critical chance from goggles alone, by lategame a lot of glass cannons can comfortably reach over 90% crit chance. But this time, I’m using goggles for special attack damage bonus, and end up missing a good chunk of critical chance.
Enter Steadfast Aim. A feat which adds critical chance based on how much it costs to fire a pistol, and it costs a lot to fire a .44 Hammerer. Trouble is, it has a STR requirement of 5 and it’s not a stat mechanical pistols normally need. This build is also a bit strapped for stat points as it needs 14 DEX for attack AP cost reduction, 9 CON for Survival Instincts (another source of critical chance) and 11 PER for Scrutinous (again, more crit chance).
Thus, with a heavy heart and in the name of gambling, I make it a 3 INT build. A 3 INT build which NEEDS crafting. The things I do for BIG DMG.
That gets me ~85% critical chance. Not bad.
Hedging my bets
.44 Hammerer has a base AP cost of 32. To make use of the Special Attack damage bonus, high critical chance and to shoot as many times as I can to offset low damage rolls and misses due to mediocre Guns skill, I need to reduce it as much as possible.
A Rapid Reloader reduces base AP cost to 26. Dexterity further reduces it down to 18 and Gunslinger leaves it a comfortable 15 AP per shot. At 70 AP per turn with Contraction, that’s 4,5 shots. Point Shot costs x0,5 AP of a regular attack and Rapid Fire - x1,5 AP. It all fits quite nicely.
Sweeten up the pot
With that out of the way, I head over to Fort Apogee and pledge myself to the cause of Protectorate in exchange for a can of gun lube (+10% more damage for 50 shots).
Execute requires Opportunist. A very situational +25% damage bonus, as this build has barely any ways to proc it.
And Ambush to top off critical chance, but it is not necessary and pretty much anything else can be taken instead.
High Roller
All in all, the build had garbage early game. 3 INT on a pistol build is not ideal as it delays crafting a good deal. .44 Hammerers NEED Rapid Reloader and it’s rare to find one as loot or for sale.
But past midgame? Each and every attack is like pulling a lever on a slot machine! Will it hit? Will it crit? How much damage will it do!? Let’s find out in Casino Underrail!
Videos of the build:
Fort Apogee. A gambling addict storms the main base of Protectorate in South Underrail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCe3gPw2qOELunatic Mall. All in one go, no reloads. I have to say that I do not appreciate Lunatics using Molotov Cocktails against me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQTOC6KoT2M
The Build:
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUOAwkJAwPCoEQAAAAAwqAAAAAAZ8KHETZ1AAAAwqAAAGcrYjEBFx5bwocmSxFZwogCOsK1wqRQ4p67AuKgvQTip74J378I played it before the Psi patch. This is the updated version. No MT or PK and maxed TM.
With the exception of The Beast, no damage dealing grenades, traps or smoke bombs past Depot A.
Did all the content – Apogee, native bosses, 4naga, Tchort OTK, Faceless Commander etc.
