Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Melee build?

Major_Blackhart

Codexia Lord Sodom
Patron
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Messages
18,300
Location
Jersey for now
I'm working on a hardcore melee build this time around.
What are some great examples of melee builds that are effective enough in terms of stats?
What armor type should I focus on, metal or leather or tactical?
Sledgehammer or knives?
Critical focused or just plain damage?
 

Ziem

Arbiter
Joined
May 17, 2014
Messages
324
Stats depend on the weapon of choice, knife builds max dex dump str, hammer builds the opposite. Unarmed fighters want max dex and either dump str or get 8 to use a metal armor.
You want 6+ agi for sprint, 7+ if you're using knifes/fists for fancy footwork
Some points in intelligence are pretty good for everyone and melee users are no exception, around 5-7 depending on which feats you want to pick up
Perception is always a dump stat for melee
Con is decent with hammers and can be dumped by everyone else
Will is either a dump stat, 5 for a knifer (ripper requires 5 will) or 10 for a psi monk

Some examples of starting stats
Knife user :
Str : 3
Dex : 10
Agi : 9
Con : 3
Per : 3
Will : 5
Int : 7

Hammer user :
Str : 10
Dex : 3
Agi : 6
Con : 10
Per : 3
Will : 3
Int : 5

Unarmed :
Str : 3
Dex : 10
Agi : 10
Con : 3
Per : 3
Will : 3
Int : 8

Unarmed with metal armor :
Str : 8
Dex : 10
Agi : 7
Con : 3
Per : 3
Will : 3
Int : 6

Psi unarmed :
Str : 3
Dex : 10
Agi : 6
Con : 3
Per : 3
Will : 10
Int : 5

Armor - depends on the build, some want to use a spiked/bladed metal armor and use that throughout the entire game pretty much, the rest can use a tactical vest early game and leather armor later (when you get the ability to create infused leather).

Hammer/knife/fists are all viable.

Knives and sledgehammers are crit focused while unarmed generally isn't.
 

damager

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
377
http://underrail.info.tm/?build=AwG...E5Jd9azS5RmCW39RVE8ykAOJJSipwQokOSwA7HinSh1IA

Here is my knifing build. Worked great so far. I would say uncanny dodge, expose weaknesses and cut throat are not essential. This plus the two extra feats can be switched out for stuff of your liking. Options are taste for blood, eviscerate and taste for blood for extra knifing or sprint, quick tinkering and grenadier for extra utility. I haven't decided for myself yet. As you play along you will get a feel of the stuff you need and test out feats.

I started with maxing out melee, stealth and electronics on every level and throwing, traps, lock picking, hacking and dodge until I hit a sufficient level. Than I dropped those skills and invested all in evasion, mechanics and tailoring (one at a time). Their are not so many ranged enemies in the beginning of the game and knifes and armor you can find or buy are up to the stuff you can craft till mid to endgame I think. Having a taser and shield available as soon as possible is great overall and also helps more with ranged enemies than evasion does.

A taser and dirty kick is for helping you in your fragile early game. Getting to stun two persons in a single round is really great at the start of the game. Dirty kick is also good later, for enemies with a great dodge rate. Just stun them for two rounds and hack them to death. Worked wonders for Carnifex. Later with all your AP, movement and critpower whole groups of enemies will go down in a single turn without a chance to fight back. If it takes longer throw on your energy shield or prepare the battlefield with traps. Have a stun grenade ready. Use your taser and hit enemies until they incapacitate and switch to another target. You have options.

All in all feels like a real rogue build.
 
Last edited:

damager

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
377
And if it wasn't clear stealth is essential to get a good position in fights and skip impossible battles in early game before you become the monster you are.
 

Baron Dupek

Arcane
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
1,870,765
Melee build with only 3STR? for real?
Gosh, looks like I either need to restart of find save editor.
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,079
My Serrated weapons melee build that has worked very well. Secondary use of grenades and I can craft almost everything.

Level: 25
BASE ABILITIES
--------------------------------
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 16
Agility: 10
Constitution: 4
Perception: 3
Will: 3
Intelligence: 7

SKILLS
--------------------------------
OFFENSIVE
Guns: 0
Throwing: 62(125)
Crossbows: 0
Melee: 135(272)

DEFENSIVE
Dodge: 120(181)
Evasion: 120(181)

SUBTERFUGE
Stealth: 121(182)
Hacking: 75(103) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15 from HUXKEY) = 130
Lockpicking: 46(101) (+2DEX from junkyard surprise) (+7 from jackknife) (+15 from HUXKEY) = 131
Pickpocketing: 0
Traps: 0 (13)

TECHNOLOGY
Mechanics: 92(115) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15% from house) = 150
Electronics: 92(115) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15% from house) = 150
Chemistry: 84(109) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15% from house) = 141 - You can cut back on this one.
Biology: 41 (63) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15% from house) = 80
Tailoring: 92(115) (+2INT from junkyard surprise) (+15% from house) = 150

PSI
Thought Control: 0
Metathermics: 0
Psychokinesis: 0

SOCIAL
Persuasion: 0
Intimidation: 0
Mercantile: 0

FEATS
--------------------------------
Expertise
Nimble
Pack Rathound
Recklessness
Expose Weakness
Cheap Shots
Vile Weaponry
Crippling Strike
Fancy Footwork
Taste for Blood
Opportunist
Uncanny Dodge
Skinner
Critical Power

This is mainly a bleeding build with good critical chances. Very mobile, with a lot of movement and action points. Secondary use of grenades. Nimble gives you -15% armor penalty and added dodge/evasion, so our gear will be at most of 15% armor penalty for maximum action points and dodge/evasion.

MAIN WEAPONS :
ryuvmMK.jpg
86QzQQG.jpg


Main Armor/boots:
lV8GPuz.jpg
iHGa2mY.jpg


Secondary Armor/boots:
fb26B2C.jpg
bYIEqsy.jpg
qO4UyZt.jpg
 
Last edited:
Self-Ejected

Excidium II

Self-Ejected
Joined
Jun 21, 2015
Messages
1,866,227
Location
Third World
Also my knife build atm:

Code:
Level 19

Base Abilities:

Strength: 3
Dexterity: 12
Agility: 8
Constitution: 5
Perception: 4
Will: 5
Intelligence: 7

Skills:

Throwing: 100 (168)
Melee: 100 (168)

Dodge: 100 (134)
Evasion: 100 (134)

Stealth: 100 (214)
Hacking: 80 (100)
Lockpicking 80 (134)

Mechanics: 80 (100)
Tailoring: 100 (125)

Feats:

Expertise
Nimble
Skinner
Interloper
Cheap Shots
Expose Weakness
Fancy Footwork
Ripper
Taste for Blood
Critical Power
Split Spare

I wasted too many skill points, should have 80 electronics at this point. And if you're gonna have PER below 8 might as well dump. But it works, there's not much you can do wrong with melee.
 

Baron Dupek

Arcane
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
1,870,765
I made a huge mistake with STR then.
Though that some feats need good chunk of it.
Oh well, not that I don't need yet another restart.

Pickpocketing sounds fun. Might dump throwing for it.
 

damager

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
377
I wouldn't do that. There are a lot of situations where you can't really do much besides throwing a flash bang or emp grenade.

Split your skill points wise and I am pretty sure you can include both at a useful level.
 

Major_Blackhart

Codexia Lord Sodom
Patron
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Messages
18,300
Location
Jersey for now
Cool. I've been focusing on specifically melee heavy armor build right now.
Using Thought Control, hacking, lockpicking, mechanics, biology (for combat drugs), and tailoring, as well as persuasion.
 

Efe

Erudite
Joined
Dec 27, 2015
Messages
2,597
i was doing an unoptimized "figure it out as you play" metal armored hammer character.
i use fist weapon (the claw since i got it) about %90 of the time since walking even a little makes you lose out on 2nd attack.
expose weakness with claw and super slam with hammer is a neat combo
what i learned from it:
cheap shots is a game changer and crit (crit power + heavyness to crit power perk) really does HUGE dmg.
since you have no movement points sprint, boot springs and biology (adrenaline and jumping bean) is your best friend. this also makes doctors belt best
you will HATE burrowers, even inside a dreadnought. i got chemistry upped just for those and am throwing those mark V frags and napalm/magnesium grenades whenever i see some
ur fucked in DC
 
Self-Ejected

Excidium II

Self-Ejected
Joined
Jun 21, 2015
Messages
1,866,227
Location
Third World
cheap shots is a game changer and crit (crit power + heavyness to crit power perk) really does HUGE dmg.
Yeah it's great, not only for the crit but incapacitate effect when you have fast attacks. Often win 2v1 unscathed just because I can pass a turn on the secong guy after it procs.
 

Ziem

Arbiter
Joined
May 17, 2014
Messages
324
While it doesn't really work that well with hammers and knives, expertise is pretty good with spiked gloves, since spikes deal a separate instance of damage which is also affected by expertise bonus
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
Yeah, but I think it is still insignificant bonus given 16 Dex and crit rate of unarmed.
Hovewer if this damage used in calculation of dmg from pneaumatic strike, that's another case.
Anyway I never took it.
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,079
Expertise is great. Basically most early to mid melee feats are good. It's late feats that are kinda disappointing. Cutthroat sucks, Blitz is only good for unarmed combat and eviscerate is just underwhelming, unless maybe if you're using that one glove that deals multiple bleedings. In the end I chose skinner instead of eviscerate, it's much more rewarding if you use leathers and you are good at crafting.
 

damager

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
377
I second that. It's free damage on all your attacks. Helps cutting down health so ripper will hit even harder.
 

Efe

Erudite
Joined
Dec 27, 2015
Messages
2,597
i don't regret picking expertise as much as regret picking "immune to caltrops & acid" .. i made combat boots half an hour later..
or "salesman".. i couldn't have known shops never sell good shit :(
it is free damage and it works really nice along with my %580 crit multiplier ( though i didn't really check if it adds to crit multiplication)
offtop but is it C. Bale as your avatar? ))
it is the default dude from might and magic 6
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
Expertise doesn't work if you crit. But it may work with pneumatic strike, that's another case.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom