Andromeda's Little Things you've just discovered

Sept 20, 2017 14:26:01 GMT Element Zero said:

Sept 20, 2017 6:42:19 GMT PillarBiter said:

I like the VHS in theory (and in my first playthrough, what I used mostly), but the clip size reduction is too much of a nerf.

Bioconverter > everything else, in practice.

I hate the Bioconverter so much. It's completely illogical and brokenly good. It does more than double the DPS of several weapons, since it turns them into bullet-hoses.

VHS is no trouble at all, if you're using it on a build with Turbocharge and the FMoAdrenaline. (Or with any build for which shooting is a secondary option.) Turbocharge "reloads" the weapon when used, and also extends the clip size.  Still, it's entirely an RP option, for me. There is no shortage of ammo crates in this game. An extra Kinetic Coil (or the dreaded Bioconverter) are the obvious choice for optimization.

Oh yes, stupidly broken, I agree.

I would use VHS, if you could actually use another good mod in tandem with it.

Thing is, I switch between profiles a lot, and for 2 of my builds, VHS wouldn't be a problem. For the other 2... they don't have any skills to cope with the loss of bioconverter. Also, 60% clip reduction on a full-auto valkyrie leaves you with very few bullets...

Sept 21, 2017 7:22:39 GMT Element Zero said:

Sept 21, 2017 7:07:57 GMT PillarBiter said:

Oh yes, stupidly broken, I agree.

I would use VHS, if you could actually use another good mod in tandem with it.

Thing is, I switch between profiles a lot, and for 2 of my builds, VHS wouldn't be a problem. For the other 2... they don't have any skills to cope with the loss of bioconverter. Also, 60% clip reduction on a full-auto valkyrie leaves you with very few bullets...

I used it on my "Tactical Soldier" ( Soldier [Assault Turret/Tactical Cloak/Turbocharge] ), but it was only viable because of Turbocharge. It works great for casters, though, as they spend more time detonating than shooting. The Valkyrie is so damn deadly that a few rounds to the head kill most things on Insanity. I'd used the VHS on the X5 Ghost, previously. I found that a few rounds from the Valkyrie were better than half a clip from the Ghost. The Ghost is a beautiful but wimpy gun.

I have a Hesh with VHS and Seeking Plasma equipped for my Vanguard I'm currently playing. I spend more time detonating combos and doing melee kills than shooting, so it works. I did not deconstruct my non-VHS Hesh, though, for precisely the reason you name. My non-Vanguards carry that thing for shooting brutes. For most of them, 7-11 shots just wouldn't be efficient on Insanity.

The only augmentations I really consider "good" are Seeking Plasma, Mod/Dual Mod Extension, Kinetic Coils and Bioconverter. Edit: And Autofire, of course. (Seeking Plasma is basically a shotgun-only augmentation.) I like VHS for flavor/RP, and hate Bioconverter for reasons I already mentioned. Neither is essential, with the game being so easy and "ammo" so abundant. There are other situationally effective ones, but nothing I'd say is  universally "good".

I still need to try that Sentinel [Incinerate/Throw/Energy Drain] that you mentioned. I play on PS4, and generally hesitate to put very "active" skills on the LT+RT slot. It works just fine, though, for Tactical Cloak; so I need to get over that minor hangup.

I tried using seeking plasma for a long time, but I just couldn't get used to the delay between shooting and the target actually getting hit. Also, for some reason I seem to be missing a lot with it, if I aim directly at the enemy (Piranha, btw). Which is why I made the switch to burst-fire Dhan. It is the most overkill of overkill I could find. I prefer it over hesh, as I already have a full-auto valkyrie, and for role playing reasons, i dislike 2 full auto weapons on my character. Full auto valk is better in most critical situations than full auto hesh anyway. Besides, unless using bioconverter, hesh needs to reload / recharge constantly anyway. But, to each his own. Can't argue with preference or RP anyway. I do use VHS on my Isharay though. I like it there, as you can shoot, overload and cancel the overload animation by using a power.

Yes, I can understand the difficulty of setting active powers at L+R. I struggled with that in the beginning a lot as well. I can give you tips how to overcome, though:

First I played my sentinel as Incinerate/Shockwave/Energy drain. Shockwave doesn't need much aiming, and is kind of an active power, and is mainly used at the end of the power cycle. So it was easy to overcome the feeling of using L+R a lot.

Next, I played my adept build (Pull/Lance/Energy Drain) with lance used very frequently, but solely for detonating. This made me practice aiming at a high frequency usage of L+R.

Those 2 build totally prepped my for throw at L+R, which needs accurate (because of bending around corners), aimed, high frequency usage.

Sept 22, 2017 4:15:58 GMT Element Zero said:

Sept 21, 2017 13:05:46 GMT PillarBiter said:

I tried using seeking plasma for a long time, but I just couldn't get used to the delay between shooting and the target actually getting hit. Also, for some reason I seem to be missing a lot with it, if I aim directly at the enemy (Piranha, btw). Which is why I made the switch to burst-fire Dhan. It is the most overkill of overkill I could find. I prefer it over hesh, as I already have a full-auto valkyrie, and for role playing reasons, i dislike 2 full auto weapons on my character. Full auto valk is better in most critical situations than full auto hesh anyway. Besides, unless using bioconverter, hesh needs to reload / recharge constantly anyway. But, to each his own. Can't argue with preference or RP anyway. I do use VHS on my Isharay though. I like it there, as you can shoot, overload and cancel the overload animation by using a power.

Yes, I can understand the difficulty of setting active powers at L+R. I struggled with that in the beginning a lot as well. I can give you tips how to overcome, though:

First I played my sentinel as Incinerate/Shockwave/Energy drain. Shockwave doesn't need much aiming, and is kind of an active power, and is mainly used at the end of the power cycle. So it was easy to overcome the feeling of using L+R a lot.

Next, I played my adept build (Pull/Lance/Energy Drain) with lance used very frequently, but solely for detonating. This made me practice aiming at a high frequency usage of L+R.

Those 2 build totally prepped my for throw at L+R, which needs accurate (because of bending around corners), aimed, high frequency usage.

I still need to try the burst-fire Dhan. That gun does literally do a lot of overkill, which is somewhat wasteful (but fun). It has a hidden modifier against shields, while the Hesh has a modifier against both shields and armor. Unless damage is dramatically different, rate-of-fire will most significantly determine DPS. Autofire Hesh is king, and so much fun to use.

I find the Seeking Plasma on a shotgun dramatically increases accuracy. That's one of its main advantages. That's one of the major reasons for the Hesh being better at short range than the Valkyrie. You can unload an insane amount of damage in the blink of an eye with zero chance of missing. I get 11 shots per "clip" with my Tier 9 Hesh. (I'll build my T10 when I get the cryoperk.) That's plenty, in most cases. Only fiends and destroyers can hope to survive a full clip, and I'll still have skills to use. It seems to fire about 3-4 shots per second, though that's anecdotal. I'm not sure how fast it actually fires. I'll see if I can grab some data, since I'm now curious as to the actuals.

My only gripe with the Hesh is how ugly it is. Same for the Dhan. I like my pretty Milky Way guns. Still, there is a certain RP beauty to taking the enemies' gun, rebuilding it, and pasting him with it. Jaal knows the feeling. If my wife weren't sleeping, I'd go build that burst fire Dhan right now. Who knows? Maybe I'll love it even more than the Hesh. It could become my brute-slayer of choice. It's hard to have overkill on fiends and destroyers.

I think I'm over the L2+R2 thing. I just ran a full PT with a Tactical Cloak on that button combo. I never swapped out of the build during the entire game. Even with the aiming issue, I thing I'll make the adjustment, just as you described.

If you build your Dhan, build it like this (for, you know, maximum broken overkill ):

* Burst fire mod. This is better than auto because:

    - the Dhan's clip is't big anyway

    - autofire loses 40% damage, while burst only loses 20% damage, while the rate of fire actually increases the same! Also, since Dhan's fire rate isn't that high, the difference between      re-firing your burst and auto-fire is not that high...

* heat inducer. This gives you an extra 25% damage if you use incendiary rounds, which - incidentally - have a damage bonus against armor as well.

* The rest of the augmentsis free to choose but I usually go with added weapon damage just for kicks.

* don't forget to add your mods for weapon damage!

As for the build I usually switch to when using my Dhan:

Soldier profile with the following skills:

* Turbocharge. Go for weapon damage evolution because... reasons. Don't forget that turbocharge not only recharges your ammo, but your ammo effects (incendiary) as well!

* Invasion. go for maximum defense debuff and recharge rate. You're mainly using this on single boss-type enemies anyway.

* Annihilation. I go for range, extra damage and the lifting thing, but that's preferential. As long as you pick the extra damage.

* Passives:

    - there's a biotic pasive which gives 20% additional damage when an enemy is affected by a biotic skill. You can use this in conjunction with annihilation.

    Note that I don't use that, as the other option is needed for my combo-profile.

    - There's a tech skill which gives you 30% additional damage for 5 seconds after using a tech skill. More overkillery for you.

    Note that I also don't use this, as the other option is needed for my combo-profile as well.

Now then... If any fiend crosses your path (or any other unlucky living thing for that matter), it goes something like this:

- equip incendiaries

- start up annihilation

- invasion

- get in range of your Dhan

- aim for the weak spot (dhan has a very good (1.4?) weak spot multiplier)

- burst

- turbocharge

- burst x 2

aaaaannd... that should be it. Even on insanity. It literally takes you 5 seconds max.

And that is why I love my burst-fire Dhan

Sept 22, 2017 13:09:50 GMT Element Zero said:

PillarBiter , a lot of those passive evolutions you mention are staple selections, so I'm very familiar. The passives are really where most effective PCs are made. Those of us who put thought into those create a much better/more effective experience. A lot of the "best" choices depend upon specific builds, as you repeatedly note. There really are a lot of good skills and evolutions. I love what they've done with this game's gameplay, character building and crafting.

I've always used Invasion on my boss-killer builds, but I do have a different question about it that you might be able to answer. It's not listed as a primer, but I suspect that there's a brief window in which it primes. I could swear that I've detonated PeeBee's Invasion. Have you ever used it with a combo build to confirm/deny? It's been on this PT's agenda to check, but I figured you might know already. EDIT: I tested it and it definitely doesn't have any hidden mechanic. See my reason for asking in a later post.

My currently running build is the first with which I've used Annihilation. I could see it was effective on paper, and now I've finally gotten around to experiencing it. I'm using the Draining Field (+30% shield restoration on a kill) instead of the lift effect (Vortex, iirc). They're both good. I had to think about it. This skill has an awesome aesthetic. I love seeing all of the debris floating within its radius; especially all of the shattered remnant pieces. It's damn cool. A lot of my immediate plans involve trying variant builds around Annihilation.

I typically only use expendables vs Architects and Ascendants. I'm trying to remember to use them more consistently against brute-types, as well.

Invasion, as stated by others, indeed does not prime. It is still a fantastic skill though. Although I myself didn't start using it until the second playthrough.

Yeah, it's sad that not all skills have the proper UI mark (like throw and overload).

Annihilation, there's been much debate between drainign field and vortex. In the end, it's down to personal choice. Do you prefer tanking or an additional tactical advantage? I personally choose the latter: Whatever's floating can't shoot you anyway. Also, no more sneaky adhi/wraith *shudders*. Lastly, I only use annihilation on my bosskiller profile, so when the enemy is dead, the danger is over and I have no longer a need for urgent shield recovery.

But like I said, other builds might benefit more from the shield drain (E.G. annihilation-energy drain-lance, or something like that). So It's down to preference/build.

Also, making stuff float around you kind of makes you feel Dragon Ball Z super saiya-jin or something

If you want to use a boss-killer profile for boss types as well, a tip (kind of logical if you think about it) is to see if any small enemies are nearby. After you switch to your boss killer profile, kill the smakl enemy and use fusion mod of adrenaline to instantly reset all your boss killing skills. Turbocharge and invasion kind of have a long profile-switching cooldown otherwise, especially with annihilation field, the bossfight may be over by the time they're ready for use.

I like the different profile approach that andromeda uses, they should definitely proceed down that path for the next game. However, for andromeda, if you want to use multiple profiles in one battle, it's only ever practically useful if you have the fusion mod of adrenaline, and even then it requires tactical foresight to see what enemies you'll be engaging 2 kills down the line. It's very satisfying if performed well. I'll give an example:

Starting with my sentinel profile, I'll use energy drain to stumble a distant enemy, following up with incinerate to detanoate and incapacitate. Next, I aim throw to bend it towards the incapacitated enemy (even if bending isn't necessary, it increases the flying time of the throw projectile) and while the throw is on it's way for the kill explosion, I pause the game and switch profiles (eg, adept). Then the kill resets the adept profile's skills and I can instantly start my pull-energy drain- lance combo on another enemy.

From adept to sentinel I do it differently though. I start with energy drain and lance to either strip shields or get some good damage in. Next I use pull to have him helplessly float in the air. Afterwards, I can take all the time I want to switch to the sentinel profile and shoot the floater to death with ease.

I do hope they make profile switching slightly less laborious in the next game. Or at least possible without FMoA.

Sept 25, 2017 7:06:25 GMT Element Zero said:

Sept 25, 2017 6:42:52 GMT PillarBiter said:

Invasion, as stated by others, indeed does not prime. It is still a fantastic skill though. Although I myself didn't start using it until the second playthrough.

Yeah, it's sad that not all skills have the proper UI mark (like throw and overload).

Annihilation, there's been much debate between drainign field and vortex. In the end, it's down to personal choice. Do you prefer tanking or an additional tactical advantage? I personally choose the latter: Whatever's floating can't shoot you anyway. Also, no more sneaky adhi/wraith *shudders*. Lastly, I only use annihilation on my bosskiller profile, so when the enemy is dead, the danger is over and I have no longer a need for urgent shield recovery.

But like I said, other builds might benefit more from the shield drain (E.G. annihilation-energy drain-lance, or something like that). So It's down to preference/build.

Also, making stuff float around you kind of makes you feel Dragon Ball Z super saiya-jin or something

If you want to use a boss-killer profile for boss types as well, a tip (kind of logical if you think about it) is to see if any small enemies are nearby. After you switch to your boss killer profile, kill the smakl enemy and use fusion mod of adrenaline to instantly reset all your boss killing skills. Turbocharge and invasion kind of have a long profile-switching cooldown otherwise, especially with annihilation field, the bossfight may be over by the time they're ready for use.

I like the different profile approach that andromeda uses, they should definitely proceed down that path for the next game. However, for andromeda, if you want to use multiple profiles in one battle, it's only ever practically useful if you have the fusion mod of adrenaline, and even then it requires tactical foresight to see what enemies you'll be engaging 2 kills down the line. It's very satisfying if performed well. I'll give an example:

Starting with my sentinel profile, I'll use energy drain to stumble a distant enemy, following up with incinerate to detanoate and incapacitate. Next, I aim throw to bend it towards the incapacitated enemy (even if bending isn't necessary, it increases the flying time of the throw projectile) and while the throw is on it's way for the kill explosion, I pause the game and switch profiles (eg, adept). Then the kill resets the adept profile's skills and I can instantly start my pull-energy drain- lance combo on another enemy.

From adept to sentinel I do it differently though. I start with energy drain and lance to either strip shields or get some good damage in. Next I use pull to have him helplessly float in the air. Afterwards, I can take all the time I want to switch to the sentinel profile and shoot the floater to death with ease.

I do hope they make profile switching slightly less laborious in the next game. Or at least possible without FMoA.

My preferred boss killer, if I choose to use one, is Soldier [Invasion/Tactical Cloak/Turbocharge]. (I always use one vs Architects, but not necessarily anything else.) Nothing kills faster than guns with over 100% damage buffs.

It sounds like you get pretty tactical with switching profiles mid-power, even. I've done that now and then, when I switch Favorite mid-battle. No reason not to abuse the FMoA in such a case. In general, though, the game is too easy to make all that pausing worthwhile for me. I never was a tactical pause user, so I've not missed it's absence. I like the smooth, interruption-free flow of combat. The payoff would have to be huge for me to use it. You use Favorites frequently, whereas I only switch for specific purposes. I generally change up my playstyle fairly infrequently during a given PT.

It goes beyond 'being easy' at this point. It's all about style

I want raiders to shit their pants when the pathfinder arrives. I want them to hear legends of the one man army. When I arrive, people start flying, burning freezing and exploding all around. I want them to fear me.