Sniper with PSI or PURE?

[Vokial]

I had it all planned out before the PSI update:
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUHBwMLBQjCoEAAAAAAwqBJRFBEWmVQM1oAAABGPwA-KBcBHh1_NX5LK8KHwogqMALCtcKFM9-_
But with the serious nerf of Psycho-temporal Contraciton (which my builds was based around) I'm now not sure what to do.

See, if I just start in Legacy-mode I'll have a GUARANTEED ability to shoot my Spearhead 3 times each turn (likely resulting in 3 separate kills) without any use of consumables - purely due to the feats, spells and equipment - with spending the 4th turn to shoot the last bullet in the mag, reload, cast Premediation + Increment, do something out of a Trap/Grenade/Kneecap Shot and enable Stealth behind cover to repeat this 4 turn cycle again for a total of 29 guaranteed sniper shots through 11 turns. And no encounter should last that long.
Besides this, the character is pretty much a jack of all trades guy, have excellent Crafting and Subterfuge skills (with meds and equipment will pass the 130 Hacking skill check in DC) and craft everything from his own gear, consumables up to Bullheads to the highest quality Mk III Plasma, Mk V HE and Fragmentation explosives on the go while having enough Social skills to access all wares from all vendors (with the proper equipment inlcuding Hypno Goggles).

Yet if I plan on playing the most updated version of the game and enjoy all the content it has, the above scenario won't work anymore. Still should I keep things as is, or maybe with the nerfing of the Spearhead and Temporal spells... I should just go pure sniper. Decrease WILL in favor of CON, save my 70 skill points to balance my Social skills and still save 59 points for something else. And of course have significantly more HP (525 instead of 324) and THREE more feat slot. Yet I will have slower cooldowns, and SIGNIFICANTLY less shots within 11 turns.

So how are snipers since the psi update? Are they still around, can anyone compare when was better, what is the preferred weapon now and is it even still viable go this route let alone playing pure sniper without magic?

[KnifegaF]

The nerf to contraction didn’t really effect how strong it is, there’s just a random chance for penalty after but if you are doing it right you’ll almost never feel that. Spearhead with TM still is incredibly strong. With shooting spree spec you can somewhat reliably get 5 shots off per turn and sometimes up to 6. The following turn will also then having shooting spree up. You can also use stasis to lengthen your CD, or do truly meta shit and get 7 shots off on the first turn by activating shooting spree twice. With FO Shooting spree->LTI->stasis->2 turns pass-LTI, get two kills-> shooting spree again. I would argue that with how consistently you will get refunds it’s stronger than ever or at the very least now has higher kill potential than before

Also really no point in having 5 will with TM in this case. 4 turns with 90 AP you are unlikely to feel the effects except for the longest fights but by the time you reach those your skill will be somewhat high anyway

[Vibos]

Sorry for a somewhat late reply. My personal preference since the patch, which changed AP cost of spearhead base attack, is using metathermics with psychosis. Thermodynamic destabilization and cryokinetic orb give you a lot of AOE, which sniper builds lack of. And cryostasis with cryokinesis chilling gives you an ability to killing bosses much easier, prepare to snipe/aimed shot, etc. Here is my current build.
https://underrail.info/build/?HgUFBQMMCAjCoF8AAAAAwoxUMjwAXmcyV1QAAMKgACIAT38BKyw9KjVlfgJLMwouV8K1wqTCvN-_
If you have any questions, I will gladly answer them

[Vokial]

Thanks for the reply. You build seems to be a highly effective glass cannon, which is probably very satisfying to play. However, I'm interested in either not using psi at all or only for utility purposes only (which pretty much narrows it down to Temporal spells). It's sad what they did to Contraction. Is there anyone even using that since? Regardless of builds?

Going pure sniper, I would be able to switch my 3 psi oriented feats (Acceleration, Orientation and Premediation) to not just rely on Ambush, but fully focus on increasing my crit chance with Recklessnesss + Scrutinous while wearing Infused Rathound Leather with Seeker Goggles. Leaving my last feat slot for something like Grenadier or further specialize my ensnaring ability with Trap Expert.

[Vibos]

As KnifegaF said, Themporal contraction hasn`t suffered a lot form this nerf. With Acceleration you stil has 3 turns of the same speed boost, which enough for most fights. I was playing the same build on dominating, but dropped it when started expedition, cause without any offensive psi or Three-pointer you will really struggle with Sørmirbæren villages and Fetid Marsh cause of lack of decent AOE. Still, TM Sniper is a really interesting build, which depends on yours brain to win tough fights. Also, about critical, if you not taking Survival Instincts, or not relying on Ambush (which is really easy to trigger), you will be having 83-85% critical chance with focus stim, feats, rathound armor, tatoo, googles, and hardcore chips (Unless you spend invaluable for sniper specialization points into recklessness), and we all know the difference between 85% and 95% or 100% chance to do something in this game. Big critical chance still a good bonus for build tho.

BTW Pseudo-spatial Projection is a pain for a pure sniper.

[Lupa]

https://underrail.info/build/?HgUFBQMMCAjCoF8AAAAAwoxUMjwAXmcyV1QAAMKgACIAT38BKyw9KjVlfgJLMwouV8K1wqTCvN-_

I've actually been trying this build and I love it. I've also been using Steyr-auch as my secondary and it works really well with it.
But this is my second attempt at completing the game. I had no idea what I was doing the first time, and got around half way years ago. But I plan on finishing it with this build, So thanks ^_^ <3
Just curious what gear you have mid/late game with these skills... Is there something that compliments it? Or a must have ect

[Vibos]

https://underrail.info/build/?HgUFBQMMCAjCoF8AAAAAwoxUMjwAXmcyV1QAAMKgACIAT38BKyw9KjVlfgJLMwouV8K1wqTCvN-_

I've actually been trying this build and I love it. I've also been using Steyr-auch as my secondary and it works really well with it.
But this is my second attempt at completing the game. I had no idea what I was doing the first time, and got around half way years ago. But I plan on finishing it with this build, So thanks ^_^ <3
Just curious what gear you have mid/late game with these skills... Is there something that compliments it? Or a must have ect

Gear is totally up to you. You can use smart NV goggles for robots, for everything else - crit NV goggles with infused rathound leather armor. You can even use psi headband for crit and cryokinetic orb damage increase, but it will be not that efficient, cause your primary source of damage is sniper rifle, and you need that hit chance from night vision to be able to hit more often. As primary weapon I was using refurbished Dragunov and AWF, and after lvl 16 – spearhead. As boots you can use either tabi or leather boots with spring, I prefer tabi. Hope I wasn`t late with answer.