Underrail: The Incline Awakens

[Parabalus]

Locus of Control is obviously a fantastic ability, but I wouldn't think that there is much synergy between Sniper and Thought control. How did that work out for you?

Damn, you reminded me that I still have to design a Mage that I am happy with. I like how they play, but I can't bring myself to drop Crafting/Stealth/Hacking/Lockpicking, so my first (incomplete) try was starving for skill points. But I will try it again.

The Protectorate questline has a couple of awesome moments, and you should definitely pursue it to the end.

I managed to get all of those (with talky skills) with my mage, just dump everything to 3 with WILL and INT at max, rest in CON or AGI. You can skimp on a lot of points in Stealth with high tier crafting with black cloth + cloaking field.

It's not comfortable by any means tho. When (if) the expansion finally hits I'll probably do a similar replay, but fitting in an extra 135 for Temporal Manipulation seems a tall order, will likely cut there, since it seems to have a lot of flat effects.

 

[ItsChon]

Locus of Control is obviously a fantastic ability, but I wouldn't think that there is much synergy between Sniper and Thought control. How did that work out for you?

It was really fun actually. I would open up fights with snipe from some distance away, and depending on the threats I was dealing with, I would take an epi shot and also use aimed shot on the same turn to take out two threats right away. Then when everyone starts to converge on me, I'd pop Locus of Control, Bilocation everyone, and then shield them in with their dopplegangers. After that I'd pretty much just restealth until the shield came down, and then reuse snipe and aimed shot to clean things up. I used neural overload if enemies were close to me or if I needed to deal with more then one threat at a time; and neurovisiual disruption is pretty op once you get it later into the game.

I brainstormed the build, and then while I was doing some more digging I found a thread where someone else spelled out a build that was almost identical to the one I was trying to make. Overall, it satisfied both my desire to use Psi and guns, while not being completely braindead. There were moments where lots of reloading was needed when dealing with a bunch of enemies, but that just made strategy all the more important. It felt really fucking good to finally execute the perfect combination of snipes, aimed shots, and psi abilities to just barely deal with all the enemies. Oh, and I also skilled into stealth really heavily.

An exp****** will be coming out (no North Underrail) and I'm pretty sure you can export/load your guy in-game.

What I mean is if I start a new game, how will I be able to export my current character?

 

[Fenix]

I'm going to play pure psi when unnamed will be released - without craft except essentials like electronic and biology.
Played yesterday a bit with this build till Depot A.
Funny build - 3 everywhere except Per Wil and Int...

 

[ItsChon]

And I finished the game. Did the Protectorate Quest Line and in hindsight I wish I'd joined the Free Drones. I feel like it would have been more interesting, and I actually had intent to join with them until I realized it was too late. You shouldn't be locked out of the Free Drone quest line if you persuade the train car hijackers out of destroying the car.

 

[Trashos]

Parabalus, my previous try was AG 7, CON 6, WILL 10, INT 8, and my crafting skills were starving, even though I only raised Chemistry to 15 or sth (for the Biohazard Tactical Vest). You are probably right, my next try will be AG 7 (really want this for Interloper), CON 4, WILL 10, INT 10 (not so much for the psi regen, more for the skill bonuses). I also invested in Persuasion for once, as I always neglect it in my other builds. But next time I will think doubly about it.

ItsChon, well, at least enjoy

Spoiler

- having used the dreadnought
- having experienced the glorious Gas the Drones quest. Disturbing, yes, but is still worth it to experience at least once, imo.

 

[ItsChon]

It was pretty mettle, especially when you turn. Despite this, once I saw all the characters were named, I started to feel like I missed something familial and bad for my victims. Weird how something as minor as giving a character a name versus a title does that much more to endear them to you (at least it does for me).

Also, how would you guys rank Underrail in comparison to other RPG's; modern and old. TBH, I enjoyed it more than both IWD and BG1, so it's definitely up there for me.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Underrail shits all over them modern RPGs. It's top of the list for me with Fallout and Arcanum. A timeless classic in my humble opinion.

 

[Trashos]

For combatafags it's one of the best ever. It also features an excellent story, but storyfags won't survive if they hate combat. All in all, Underrail is one of the best ever for me too.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Agreed.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Third. Probably hits my top 3 all time games list with JA2 and Wiz8.

 

[Latelistener]

The TB combat system is probably the best I've seen since... JA and X-COM, definitely better than Fallout and Arcanum, not to say about modern isometric RPGs.
Lighting actually matters and affects visibility and stealth, not to say that there is noise system which you can use for your own advantage.
The game itself supports different approaches and I think can be called as "immersive sim", I guess partially because it was inspired by Ultima.

I don't think any other RPG from so-called "renaissance" can offer that.

 

[Tigranes]

I hardly remember Underrail's plot, but that doesn't seem to detract at all from how highly I rate the game. Even as I found the plot and characters completely forgettable, I still enjoyed how the writing and story so consistently reinforced the atmosphere of the game, along with the visuals and everything else.

But yes, it offers a "roll another character" robust system that is probably the one biggest thing lacking in newer RPGs.

 

[ItsChon]

-snip-.

I heard a lot of complaints about the plot/writing, and I really don't know where they're coming from. Those people probably never discovered Oculus, because that whole story line was so fascinating. When that shit was revealed, I had a total WOW moment; as I thought I was fucking with the Free Drones the whole time. Aside from that, there were lots of interesting characters that I still remember, and the whole lore behind old Biocorp and the Hollow Earth Facility was really cool as well. I do wish there was an option to work with Tchort though, as I think that it would add a completely new dynamic to the game.

As a side note, are you Armenian bruh?

 

[HeatEXTEND]

When that shit was revealed, I had a total WOW moment; as I thought I was fucking with the Free Drones the whole time.

same here lol

 

[Trashos]

I like Underrail's characters a lot. They manage to display a personality/style/unique perspective with very little time on stage, kinda like Cwineth in PoE. I didn't expect that an indie team could pull off something like this. As a matter of fact, I think they did better than 95% of the (much more resourceful, in theory) "competition". There are several characters I am sure going to remember, like Ezra, Dan, Mordre, Dude, Leo, Vivian, everyone related to Oculus, even simple merchants like Leonie. I even remember Gene getting pissed because a traveling merchant hit on his wife. I believe Underrail shows what can be done when the focus is on creating cool characters instead of pushing agendas.

The story, I love it. I don't know what some people are complaining about, it's great. Mystery, suspect (guilty?) scientific experiments, characters with dark pasts. I find it totally captivating. Of course, it is possible to miss most of it, depending on how a playthrough goes.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

I like Underrail's characters a lot.

The story, I love it.

Yeah, really nailed the grit/grime/techno/fairytale vibe, combatfag game my ass.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The hardest thing about this game is the urge to constantly re-roll. I have three different characters at the Rail Crossing right now because I keep wanting to try something else, and this is my fourth full playthrough.

 

[razvedchiki]

for an assault rifle metal armor build its better to have smart night vision googles for that sweat dmg buff or metal helmet for that delicious crit chance reduction?
i have been wearing a groin protector and honestly cant say if it has helped me or not.

 

[Fenix]

Well, offence is historically better in games because you are one, they are many.

 

[ciox]

IDK about crit chance reduction, seems a little underwhelming since it doesn't do anything against Aimed Shot, while Nanocomposite Plate reduces the damage from both random and aimed crits.

Seems the main point of metal helmets is to use them as part of an item build where you want to max out your damage thresholds and armor penalty, to finally take no damage from certain enemies and get the most out of the Heavyweight feat.

Oh, Metal helmets are also the only way to get flashbang immunity I guess, though I don't see why you can't just combine goggles frame with shaded visor to create sunglasses.

 

[ItsChon]

I tried making a full psi build that utilizes sledgehammers, and I ended up just making a full Psi build with really high strength and no proper defense due to low constitution; playing on hard doesn't help. Still works, but deep caverns is going to be a slog.

 

[Latelistener]

Some folks are saying that 3 psi skills are overkill, but Psychokinesis is a must-have.
I was kind of thinking about Psychokinesis + Metathermics, but when I looked for some builds everyone's taking Locust of Control (which requires Thought Control). Is this really necessary?
Also, which crafting skills are good for psi?
I'm thinking about putting 10 points in Will, 7 in Agility (later I'll get it to 10 for Blitz), Perception and Intelligence. Not sure about Perception yet though. I kinda want detect hidden stuff, but I'm not gonna use ranged weapons.
Or put 10 points in Will, 10 in Agility and 8 in Intelligence. Then just boost Will.

 

[Parabalus]

Some folks are saying that 3 psi skills are overkill, but Psychokinesis is a must-have.
I was kind of thinking about Psychokinesis + Metathermics, but when I looked for some builds everyone's taking Locust of Control (which requires Thought Control). Is this really necessary?
Also, which crafting skills are good for psi?
I'm thinking about putting 10 points in Will, 7 in Agility (later I'll get it to 10 for Blitz), Perception and Intelligence. Not sure about Perception yet though. I kinda want detect hidden stuff, but I'm not gonna use ranged weapons.
Or put 10 points in Will, 10 in Agility and 8 in Intelligence. Then just boost Will.

I did my first run with TC + Metathermics (Psychosis) only, but a certain robot factory was a nightmare, rest of everything was without much issues. Not sure if it would be doable on DOMINATING, prob would have to stealth through.

I liked Locus since the stun immunity was paramount (guess you could pop pills)+ gave another AoE, which ignores DR/DT so you can oneshot stuff more reliable than with meta.

I'd suggest you drop PER to 3 without much thought, the hidden stuff isn't that good and you need 10ish for the decent ones anyway. Traps will be an issue until you get to high level though.
CON 6 is cool for Fast Metabolism, but you'd have to cut AGI.

 

[Tygrende]

everyone's taking Locust of Control (which requires Thought Control). Is this really necessary?

It's one of if not the most powerful feat in the game, both offensively and defensively. Most of thought control abilities become insane when they affect multiple enemies at once. The ability to become completly immune to stun/incapacitation/fear/mind control would be really good on its own already, but what makes it the best is that you can use it even after getting disabled. There's no other feat or item that can do that, everything else is merely a preventive measure and won't save you if there's no opportunity to use it before the attack.

And you get both for the price of just one feat.

 

[Sykar]

Some folks are saying that 3 psi skills are overkill, but Psychokinesis is a must-have.
I was kind of thinking about Psychokinesis + Metathermics, but when I looked for some builds everyone's taking Locust of Control (which requires Thought Control). Is this really necessary?
Also, which crafting skills are good for psi?
I'm thinking about putting 10 points in Will, 7 in Agility (later I'll get it to 10 for Blitz), Perception and Intelligence. Not sure about Perception yet though. I kinda want detect hidden stuff, but I'm not gonna use ranged weapons.
Or put 10 points in Will, 10 in Agility and 8 in Intelligence. Then just boost Will.

Imagine putting a group of 4+ people into a frenzy with Berserk. Not only will they decimate each other but they are also the first targets for the rest of their comrades.
Another great use is with Mind Break, CCing a big group of enemies and making them helpless for 3 turns is a tremendous help. Or just for raw damage you can use it in conjunction with Bilocation. Bilocation is one of the highest damage per cast abilities in the game, now multiply it by the amount of enemies inside the influence of LoC.

Also you can indirectly increase the range of the rather short ranged TC abilities, especially when paired with Premeditation.