Tech specialist build

Lostname475

Active Member
Apr 3, 2023
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10
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What's a decent attack drone tech specialist build? Abilities, equipment? Possibly doing a melee focused build. Any suggestions?
 

Anonymous Bat

Member
Feb 16, 2023
18
38
Oh, melee/drone Tech Specialist is my build of choice! It's been over a year since I last played, so I haven't tried the level 13 abilities and some of my equipment might be a touch outdated, but here's my loadout:

Abilities:
  • Attack Drone
  • Charge Weapon
  • Power Surge
  • Gravidic Disruptor
  • Weapon Tweaks
  • Charge Shield (unused; see gameplay notes)
  • Second Attack
  • Drone Control
  • Linked Emitters
  • Overclock (unused; see gameplay notes)
  • Specialized Combatant

Equipment:
  • Reaper 'AA' Stun Rod (Use Custom Shock Gear if you don't have Specialized Combatant, or if you just prefer the idea of fisticuffs. Stun chance is really useful, so I try to stick to energy weapons with stun chance.)
  • Warden Shield
  • Paragon Hazard Armor
  • Prototype Pirate Shield
  • Siegwulfe Personal Droid (Fenris-Class Assault Drone, Version 2.0 also works well)

Combat Implant:
* Combat Tail (Use either Steroidal Muscle Augment or Cybernetic Subprocessor if you don't want to replace your tail, but the Combat Tail outperforms both of them by a fairly large margin in this build)

Gameplay:
  • 90% of the time you can just spam melee attack; in longer fights you'll want to activate Charge Weapon for a significant damage boost and then spam melee attack.
  • Paralyzing Shock is a virtually guaranteed stun (with max INT) which can lock down unusually dangerous foes.
  • Gravidic Disruptor is kept in reserve for enemies with electric resistance (looking at you, Janeria)—Thermal Disruptor was not chosen juuust in case someone ends up having simultaneous electric and thermal resistances.
  • Power Surge was chosen over Deflector Regeneration for its more reliable energy restoration.
  • I don't find Charge Shield or Overclock to be worth spending the turn/energy on, but I don't like Shield Hack or Deployable Turret either, so pick whichever of those you like most I guess.
  • As previously stated, I haven't tried the level 13 abilities, so I'll refrain from commenting on them. I'm pretty happy with my combat routine, though, so I reckon it's not likely I'd use either of them.

It's probably the most braindead build you can possibly use in this game. Appealingly simple for some, boring for others.

P.S. Make sure your character has wings so you can melee flying enemies. If you really don't want wings, you'll need to either equip a jetpack (superseding Siegwulfe/Fenris) or alter the build to make ranged attacks actually somewhat viable.
 

Lostname475

Active Member
Apr 3, 2023
34
10
33
Thanks for the advice, and i literally only ever play as half-gryvain so the wings shouldn't pose a problem. Is stun chance better than 10 extra damage? Because the dancing flashblade looks pretty strong
 
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TheShepard256

Well-Known Member
Is stun chance better than 10 extra damage?
If you can get the stun off regularly (which you can do by maxing Physique), yes. Stunning enemies means they can't attack you - in single enemy battles (i.e. the majority of all battles in the game), that means each stun is a turn your enemy does nothing, both allowing you to get more attacks in for free and allowing you to regen your shields a bit with Rapid Recharge (which all Tech Specialists get) since you're not taking any damage that turn.
 

Lostname475

Active Member
Apr 3, 2023
34
10
33
That is unfortunate. On the one hand, i adore optimising my builds. On the other swords are cool. I'll need to condiser this
 

Theron

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2018
3,694
1,397
44
I also play this build, but mine differs from Anonymous Bat in a few areas.

I prefer Deflector Regeneration over Power Surge. It's 4/3 as many Shields and 40 Energy. It's spread over 4 rounds, but Tech has Energy problems. Power Potions are inventory items now, which helps.

I'd also recommend Deployable Turret over Overclock. The Turret has 200 Shields and Health and is a great distraction, which increases your survivability, especially when you factor in Rapid Recharge. It's not necessary every fight, but it's useful when it comes up.

I take Second Striker over Specialized Combatant because I like to be able to use my Ranged slot for things other than as a Stat Stick. Stun/Paralyze makes all your attacks hit, and Drones always hit. If you take Specialized Combatant, there's also the Hardlight Chakram, which has 10 Evasion.

Another melee option is the Magma Crusher. Burn actually does decent damage now, since it's based on the weapon's base Burning damage and stacks. Note that X Chance flags like Burn or Stun do not apply unless you're doing HP or Lust damage.

I also recommend you have a source of healing, like the Hirudo Devourer or NaN Deconstructor There are a few attacks that ignore Shields and Techs have no in-class way of restoring HP. You could also rely on consumables like Healing Poultice.

If your Melee weapon is Crushing, you might consider a Freeze Chance weapon like the Ice Lance. An extra damage type can be useful for getting around resistances and Static Strike is extremely good for detonating Deep Freeze (2x Melee damage + 2x Int) (x 2 vs Deep Freeze).

The Custom Weapon system should be made public next update, which might change recommended weapons considerably.
 
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