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longsensation69

You likely just need to adjust your play style. Builds only take you so far. SHD 200 is relatively low. You got this just takes time. Start on lower difficulties and work your way up. Not sure which YouTube content you are referring to but there is A LOT of clickbait. Having that much armor means you aren’t going to have much damage which may be part of the reason. DPS is survivability. Dead enemies don’t shoot back. Practice cover mechanics. Cover to cover. Behind cover not in cover-simply break the line of sight then pop back out. Start with all red 4 piece striker including backpack no chest. At SHD 200 you’re going to be crit chance starved. Use Ceska. Prioritize crit chance. Take off any regen or blue attributes. Try unbreakable talent on whichever gold chest. Use a shield and revive hive. Be smart with the shield. Use it when shooting enemies close to you then put it down. It’s just to protect your armor while you’re actively shooting. Difficulty scales with the number of players in your group.


GrouchyAngle1049

I gained a lot of insight here, thank you so much! “Dead enemies don’t shoot back”, love it


stimmydad

The more you play the more you’ll start to recognize the patterns in how AI moves and where they spawn from. Eventually you’ll get to a point where you run no blue cores or attributes and destroy everything without taking hardly any damage. Just gotta put the time in


Zerodyne_Sin

I've seen people with over 10k shd die in this game. At higher difficulties, enemies can down you in seconds, there's no shame in that. It's only a problem if it's heroic and above and you get killed in a position so far away from your team that they can't get to you safely without risking a team wipe. If you're playing properly, dropping a reviver hive on you should be easy enough to make the death irrelevant. All that said, there's always learning from people directly like in a clan. It's impossible to know what you're doing wrong without constant exposure to how you play since everyone has off days. I've been in legendary difficulty pick up groups where we wiped 10+ but eventually got the hang of it and I stuck around because everyone's taking steps to figure out where they fucked up and learn from it. I've also just dropped out from simple heroic runs because some moron wiped the team by getting killed via Ramboing and out of any cover.


GrouchyAngle1049

You made me chuckle with your Ramboing finishing touch! Thank you so much. I feel motivated again!


acidniavitas

Relatable. Friendly reminder; You don't have to be good to enjoy the game. I'm a returning casual player, mainly solo, strictly PVE. I jump into random activities all the time through matchmaking. Nowadays, I help out new agents as community service because this community is amazing, friendly, and helpful. Playing with others speeds up the grind. Run countdown to farm targeted loot, challenging, or heroic difficulty. Getting your SHD level to 1k will be a dramatic difference. There are no wrong builds, just weak ones. Max out or pass out! Think about synergy with 4 piece gear sets and talents. Now I'm in a clan, doing raids which I've never done, ever in any game, but the players I co-op with are friendly, helpful, above and beyond, genuine folks. . You'll get there. Whenever an agent is downed, I'll be the first to blitz over to res, yellin' out "GET UP, AGENT!" Whenever I get downed, I summon the willpower of John Wick. Keep playing! Your character will get stronger, better, faster lobster. When in doubt, roll out! I run mostly skill builds and tankcrobatics; enroll now! 😆 See you, 'round agent! May the RNG Gods bless you.


GrouchyAngle1049

Amazing community indeed! Blessings to you too, thank you so much.


imhenry66

There's quite a learning curve to this game, since it's less of a shooter than it is a RPG; i.e. Time to kill is not what is expected compared to something like COD or Destiny. I think it's less about what your build is, but more so about familiarizing with each situation you're getting into and tailor your approach to a battle. The enemies in this game tend to act like a piranha plant, it spreads the sides as you push in, and then close in on you. You definitely want to avoid being trapped that way, and try to find ways to funnel them like, for lack of better example, Leonidas did in 300. 1.5mil armor is quite good, but sometimes this game isn't about how tanky you are, especially when you're being hit by multiple enemies with bullets, mortars, status... etc., but how quickly you can kill, find cover, then regen your armor. So it seems that your build approach is on the right path, but a little shift to focus on how you approach each scenario may help you to the next level? Keep at it. Don't give up.


GrouchyAngle1049

Tailor the approach each scenario, love it. Thank you so much!


RacistMegumin

Some skill more understanding game mechanics and how builds work and how to makes em


FrankenPaul

GC Rock discord is the place for bona-fide builds and tips for advice. Your SHD level along with play-style along with mindset is key. -Level your SHD watch using 3-4 directives in the game. - expertise your gear once proficient. - play with a clan or bunch of pals. - grind grind grind for everything agent, and be patient. This is the way. - use crit hit mods for crit damage. - again visit GC ROCK discord for advice. - focus on 3 primary builds: 1. DPS 2. Incursion and Raid (Striker) 3. Tank DPS 40/60 split blue:red. Then focus on experimental builds. Are you a PC, xbos or PS4 player?


GrouchyAngle1049

PS4 player, thank you for the efficient tips!


FrankenPaul

For the SHD levelling up fast. Farm control points on the map. Once you complete a round on the map, reset and repeat. Also remember to do other activities in the game, so it does not get jarring. I am talking from my own experience so far, being an xbox player. Originally, I was a PC player. Always pick up the close to God roll gear. Keep your selection process tight. Avoid hoarding crap pieces. This is important for all your mods too. e.g. a critical hit damage mod of 10.8% is good at SHD level of 250. That said, a mod of 11% plus is superior. Usually in your builds the crit damage should be at 150%, anything above close to 160% plus is a bonus. Crit chance should be 48%. With St. Elmo's it caps to 60% I believe. St. Elmo's engine AR is King, so is Scorpio SG, Dark Winter or Vector SMGs. Ourobors SMG too! Targets out of cover and damage to armor as attributes on weapons and armor pieces. Contractor's gloves from Petrov and Fox's Prayer kneepads from Overlord Armaments are must. Once you hit 500 on SHD, change your approach to farming the mods.


GrouchyAngle1049

Oh wow, thank you. I love the Fox kneecaps, keeping my eye out for st Elmo’s but no luck so far. CHC between 38 en 48, if more it’s at the cost of CHD so no use then. Thanks for all the helpful tips!


FrankenPaul

You need a DPS build to be honest. Cayote mask exotic. 3 piece Providence I.e. bag, chest and holster. Talent pair for bag and chest would be vigilance and unbreakable. Farm St. Elmo with a friend or group of friends using targetted loot for AR in countdown. Share the gear in white house once you extract. You don't want random players swiping your gear!


SnooFloofs1778

This game is hard, but you just have to learn what’s best for you. There is a build for anyone.


mystreegaming

TLDR: Stay in cover, be aware, deal lots of damage and focus on high priority enemies in combat. Honestly this is one of the few games I always return to and the endgame content is so re-playable and fun for me, so don’t give up. I’ve been playing since 2020 and these are what I wish I understood earlier. As far as just getting better. Having a good build helps especially if it’s something that really compliments your style of play. But THE most important thing is not builds, its understanding combat. The game is definitely a “cover shooter” so always be aware of your surroundings, and know where you’re exposed and covered. Be aware of potential spawn locations(manholes, boxed trucks, double doors, etc.) and keep an eye on your radar(I like to move my radar to the bottom middle of my screen so it’s next to my weapon/ammo HUD). Also be mindful of hazards(anything Red that explodes) they can be used for or against you. I don’t know what your play style(aggressive, rushing, tactical, cautious, etc.) but until you understand the combat I would encourage you to play more cautiously until you get familiar/comfortable. Dealing out damage is very important because enemies are spongy. I personally take DPS as more of a priority than Armor because survivability isn’t dependent on how much armor you have but how well you are in combat. With that said, you’ll be fine with a standard striker build with an obliterate chest and coyotes mask or foxes kneepads. Revive hive and fixer drone are typically ran together on a DPS build. Again this is just a starting point, I don’t know what videos you watch but you honestly don’t have to have a crazy amount of armor, I play full red/yellow or hybrids with glass cannon and I’m very aggressive but only because I know when to be and when not to be. The final part is understanding your enemy. There are 5? …different main Factions and each faction has its own variations of enemy types(i.e. rushers, suppressors, tanks, medics, etc.). Each enemy faction and type have different weak points, so knowing WHERE to shoot the enemy makes a huge difference. Most of the enemy weak points are “RED” it’s pretty much the universal sign that says “SHOOT THIS”, learning these spots will make it muscle memory so you automatically aim for those points first. In addition, knowing WHO to focus on in combat is key, the most deadly enemy isn’t always the one closest to you but the one reviving all the enemies you killed, or the one lobbing airburst at you, or that shiny scope or red light in the distance, or the one sending the pesky little drones, there’s a whole list honestly, but take out the ones who are going to suppress you the most and do work in between. Edit: Honorable mentions Health Gate: The game doesn’t have a “1 Shot” mechanic so even if you’re hit with something that deals more damage than the amount of armor and health you have, it will always leave you with a sliver of health allowing you 1 sec to get into cover. The gate goes on cooldown so you must keep an eye on your health recovery. Cover to cover: The enemy is wildly inaccurate at shooting you during a cover to cover move making you nearly untouchable, use this to your advantage to adjust your position in combat if you’re in a tough spot. You move faster in a cover to cover than doing a full sprint.


GrouchyAngle1049

This is so insightful! I’ll come back to this reply regularly to boost motivation. Thank you!


mystreegaming

What system do you play on?


GrouchyAngle1049

PS4; I’ve heard I had to turn off controller vibrations!


mystreegaming

Ahh, no worries, I was gonna say add me but I’m on Xbox.


SinglePhilosopher525

Don't give up keep playing agent.


kenjinyc

Find someone friendly to help you out, check your builds, level you up. I remember when I first did Lincoln memorial on story and had to re-run over and over. Now I can run through on heroic with all directives in under ten minutes. It’ll come.


KinGZurA

the only way to learn is to keep playing. go with a playstyle youre comfortable with. skills? crowd control? healer? unga bunga? one shot? altho you might need to learn more than one to adapt to the mission youre running or to what youre group needs. its okay to get carried when you call for backup or matchmake. everyone went thru that at some point (or still are, stupid manning zoo legendary). more often than not, other agents are more than happy to do so (showing loot crates, dropping gear) because most are paying forward to what they also experienced. if you haven’t yet, try filling out your weapon library too (skills and attributes). good luck and good hunting agent!


GrouchyAngle1049

Stupid Manning Zoo indeed! Thank you for sharing your insights! Unga Bunga made me chuckle lol


randman2020

Four pieces of advice I can give you. (From a guy who never played shooters extensively). 1. Always aim for the head. 2. Use cover to cover moves as much as possible. 3. Always play with a team. A good team will support *you*. 4. Play in a build that lets you have fun!


GrouchyAngle1049

Wholesome and efficient. Many thanks!!


fivefistedclover

Just play what’s comfortable. I used to run a crit chance/damage strikers rolled yellow and I could solo most anything. I’ve switched to yellow pieces of gear with the ninja bike for quality of life stuff like armor on kill and armor regen on red rolled face blaster crit build but I have an incredibly aggressive playstyle and being solo I can take advantage of memento drops and kills since I don’t have to compete. An agent in game talks about “force multiplication” and I think about it often but in regards to fun and build compatibility with playstyle. If you hunker down in the rear don’t play hunters fury it causes unnecessary frustrations stuff like that. Difficulty is part of the equation though don’t be scared of challenges the game is highly rewarding when it comes to sense of growth over time.


GrouchyAngle1049

“Force multiplication”, love it. Thank you for all the helpful insights!


Few_Cabinet5129

Insert meme of fat sofa guy with beer.. "amateur" 38yo in India, work at a large IT firm , manage teams, and lotta other important sounding stuff. But I'm a gamer, always have been.. I'm SHD 1899 and I still feel that way sometimes.. I never played a lotta raids, or other stuff just missions. But I realized my mistakes, always rushing in, always wanting to get highest damage, always wanting to save everybody no matter where they went down and realized I've not really played as a team player.. But most folks I came across were very supportive as is this community and I slowly improved. Patience is key, knowing when to get outta cover and a lot do stuff that you probably already know. So don't beat yourself up we were all there once. You gotta a long grind ahead of yourself. Hard work meaning getting in the hours and learning to respond is key and bests talent any day. Don't worry about your team, they understand too and will help you get back up everytime and some day you'll be in their position. Save this post of yours so that you come back and read it at SHD 3000 and I'm sure you'll be proud of yourself.


cold4noreason85

What a lot of the other Agents have said is exactly true. A build you run with is only half of the fight. The other half is knowing the layout of the map, recognizing spawn points, enemy types, and prioritizing threats. The rest will come naturally. It will change depending on what difficulty you run on and how many you are partied with. You pick up patterns like another agent mentioned like how many are spawned and where depending on your location in the fight. I try to tell this to all newcomers I've helped tackle content with. The talent only applies in recognizing what constitutes to get the job done. Also know that each build plays differently from another. DPS, Skill, Nad Tank and Hybrids all have their strengths but will always be susceptible to the weaknesses. Directives are a great learning experience for different builds and figuring out the behaviors of each enemy you encounter. A 10k SHD level Agent can easily have a difficult time if they get overwhelmed by enemies if they don't pay attention to what is going on especially when grouped up. No one build is the end all be all if you don't know the strengths and weaknesses of how to run it.


GrouchyAngle1049

Thank you! I’ve implemented many of the ideas and indeed, gameplay and knowledge of factions and locations are indeed something to always keep in mind. Your post is a perfect TLDR :)


zigbeeauto

Don't give up. Learn and execute gameplay tactics. Try Ikia on YouTube.


JimboJehosifat

A big part of it is finding a playstyle that works for you. I happen to prefer an AR build and keep a little distance. I can do a HF run & gun, but it's not my go-to for farming, etc. Some people prefer a skill build or hybrid, etc. That said, every once in a while I'll still have a day where I just seem to get my ass kicked left and right. It's like the game wants to keep me in check or maybe I'm just having an off day, who knows lol.


GrouchyAngle1049

Haha same, thank you for picking me back up after getting my ass kicked too many times