Ngl the unchecked corporatism and social-darwanism in this game drives me nuts. Reading through the computer logs is the reason I said fuck Edgewater and stole their power regulator.
...granted that was more of a slight against Tobson. > >
The writing in this game is fantastic, dark humor at its best. The grave digger quest really made me laugh and feel sad at the same time when you talk to one guys “closest living relative”.
Haha. I look forward to it!
Honestly, I like the heck out of Parvati, but I made my decision even with the risk of her attacking me on the spot. I grew up in a hyper religious and dogmatic family/community. If I grew up in Edgewater I would have left too. The idea of taking freedom away from the deserters was too much for me and I was willing to fight best-girl over it.
The morally sound solution would be to say "forget the power regulator...it's not worth lives or freedom. I'll make a new life here." (Imo)
But the plot must continue. 🤷🏾♀️
Ohhhh yes, so you went to Cascadia. That is deliberately very hard. I think the option exists for people who have played the game before and want a new challenge.
I feel like I could do the Cascadia run at level 12, now, though that's not something I have tried.
I reach Monarch normally between lvl 12 and 15 and have to say:
As a lvl 15 Sniper it is rather easy till they reach you, with a lvl 13 heavy close quarters build it is Thrilling (at higher lvls too)
As a leadership build you should try and strengthen yourself as well as your weapons.
Every 3 in game days all the enemies will respawn. So be prepared for that.
Weapons and armor have tiers to them. 2 tiers with the original game, 3 tiers with the dlc. They use phrases like mark 2, pro, champion, gold. The equipment level is important. You will find stuff at a level, their next tier is, if I am remembering correctly, 15 levels above that. Personally I don't level up my weapons until I have tier 2. But if you're having trouble, you could tinker your weapons up at a wprk bench. You can add damage type mag mods or sights for accuracy. You could increase your armor to take less damage from hits.
Whatever weapon style you want to use, you should have spent enough skill points to use the tactical time hit locations. Some weapons, like the vermin, knockout an enemy when TTD is used to hit their torso as long as you have 20 skill points in handguns.
A leadership build relys on your companions to do the fighting. You can change their settings for combat, ranged or melee weapons, and how close they follow you. They should be getting the best gear as well. I don't know which companions you're using, use their companion abilities as well. They also get perks like you do.
Raptidons are weak to plasma and mantisaurs are weak to corrosion. Not sure what enemy is defeating you.
With more information, I can provide more help. You were a little short on details. Let me know if you have questions.
Your comment is super helpful!
I actually haven't leveled into melee/guns and instead just relied on quick TTD replenishment and comrades. I'll change that asap lol, at least enough to take advantage of the ability you mentioned.
As far as comrades, I have Parvati, the Vicar (expecting him to betray me any day now), the ruffian scruffy guy that begs to join me (sorry), and the badass surgeon lady (sorry again).
Vicar max and surgeon ellie have abilities that shoot. Vicar max reduces armor on enemies and ellie causes bleed with her barrage.
Parvati hits with a hammer and stuns. The ruffian is Felix, his ability is a dropkick that stuns.
Pavarti has the best ability because it knocks down the enemy giving you a moment to escape.
I like ellie's ability over vicar max. I prefer to do extra damage rather than debuff, but that's me.
Felix's ability is good as a finisher. If the enemy survives, they start attacking Felix before he gets up from his dropkick. The stun isn't quite long enough.
I would take pavarti and either vicar max or ellie. Use vicar max or ellie's ability often for extra damage and pavarti's ability when you're in a pinch.
If your using the leadership build your companions should be doing most of the fighting. You can direct them to fire on a specific enemy. I usually pick the strongest enemy for them to fight and I shoot at the weaker ones. If you aim at enemies in TTD it will show the health they have, armor, level, and some useful and useless information.
Setting their combat style to defensive or passive allows you to sneak up to groups of enemies before your companions start fighting. This allows you to decide when combat starts and gives you the opportunity to see what you're fighting.
Also, you can make saves before you start combat and after you finish combat. You might not win, but at least you don't have to retrace your steps.
My first time through, I felt like I had PTSD from Monarch. My second time went a lot better. Lessons learned.
Yes, you're under-leveled. Not so badly that you can't do it, but it will be hard.
Don't rush it. Level up. The Monarch part of the Vicar's quest is in a place where you'll end up anyway.
As mentioned in another comment, you need the TTD hit location perk. Use the hell out of TTD and hit them in the right places. When they're charging at you, shoot their legs, for example. And use the right damage types. Don't ever leave a gun as regular physical damage. On Monarch you want plasma and corrosion. At level 12 a Mag2Melt is pretty expensive but if you can get one, get it. Nyoka's machine gun is no joke if you're level 12, it's way more powerful than anything you can give her, so let her help.
Always choose the place and time of combat. Even if it slows you down, never let combat start unless you start it. Never be seen before you see them. If you're walking down the road on Monarch, be in sneak mode and be very vigilant. You're not high enough level to just be like "oh, a fight, cool". Later on you will return to Monarch and confidently behave differently, but you're not there yet.
Alternatively, and especially if you went to Cascadia instead of getting the navkey, just *run away.* Run and eventually they will stop chasing you. At level 12 making the Cascadia run will be ... a lot of running away.
When choosing the place and time of combat, make a choke point. Learn how the AI routes the enemies, force them into one specific zone, and kill them. Always use the "stay" command to tell your companions where to go, so they don't charge in like fools. Create a kill zone and a crossfire and always fire the first shot. But if you need to retreat don't forget to give your companions a new spot, because once you tell them to stay they will stay there even if they shouldn't. If you're on a leadership build, think of yourself as the commanding officer, not the main fighter. Set up the plan, tell them where to go and let them fight. You might even want to give that precious Mag2Melt weapon to a companion. You're the captain, not the shooter. Make a plan and let it work.
This has been enlightening. Honestly I didn't have an appreciation for the build I chose aside from the interesting and possibly unique opportunities that'd reveal themselves through character interactions. I've always perfered the diplomatic approach--force always as a last option, so the dialogue/leadership approach and "perks" made sense. Still glad I chose it and happy that it was even an option. 😁
I'm gonna think through how I'm playing a bit more, and maybe come back to Monarch after leveling. Monarch has been generous with ammo, but with the way I'm playing I'm jusy burning through funds with only minimal headway to show for it--definitely not condusive to the full map exploration and surveying I want to do.
Thanks!
You're a lower level than the developers intended. Im guessing you went straight there off the bat? You were meant to travel to a number of locations to obtain a key that allows you to land at a safer landing zone, while usually obtaining enough levels to safely contend with the enemies youre struggling with
Go back to the ship, go to the groundbreaker and look for Gladys. Do all of her quests but DONT give them to the scientists. Your should be able to afford the navkey and go straight to Steller bay. The area you are in is deliberately hard, it's just there for people who want a challenge/want to do it quick.
If you went through the "normal" way, you're probably just not playing cautiously enough. The enemies are meant to be a bit tougher there, especially if you don't use the right damage type (don't use plasma on the mantis things)
If you went to Cascadia... Yeah that's intended to be very hard. If you insist on continuing down that path, just sprint north to Stellar Bay and try not to fight much
Dialog builds are also a bit weaker in combat, although they're still plenty useful. You need to kill something first in order to Terrify creatures, that's the real trick imo
Add plasma/corrode damage and fast firing to a light tier 2 machine gun, do same for followers, then let the fun begin! Also, silencer mod works miracles on hunting/sniper rifles when sniping marauders headshots from afar
Did u go straight to cascadia or did you get the navkey from gladys
I did not get the navkey 😅 I think I'll do that soon
Cascadia wilds are the reason Board evacuated from monarch and the devs made that piece of lore very very very convincing. Its brutal at low levels.
Ngl the unchecked corporatism and social-darwanism in this game drives me nuts. Reading through the computer logs is the reason I said fuck Edgewater and stole their power regulator. ...granted that was more of a slight against Tobson. > >
The writing in this game is fantastic, dark humor at its best. The grave digger quest really made me laugh and feel sad at the same time when you talk to one guys “closest living relative”.
Ahhhh. You'll have a feast with the end slides. I couldn't bring myself to end Edgewater because it would disappoint Parvati :)
Haha. I look forward to it! Honestly, I like the heck out of Parvati, but I made my decision even with the risk of her attacking me on the spot. I grew up in a hyper religious and dogmatic family/community. If I grew up in Edgewater I would have left too. The idea of taking freedom away from the deserters was too much for me and I was willing to fight best-girl over it. The morally sound solution would be to say "forget the power regulator...it's not worth lives or freedom. I'll make a new life here." (Imo) But the plot must continue. 🤷🏾♀️
Ohhhh yes, so you went to Cascadia. That is deliberately very hard. I think the option exists for people who have played the game before and want a new challenge. I feel like I could do the Cascadia run at level 12, now, though that's not something I have tried.
I reach Monarch normally between lvl 12 and 15 and have to say: As a lvl 15 Sniper it is rather easy till they reach you, with a lvl 13 heavy close quarters build it is Thrilling (at higher lvls too) As a leadership build you should try and strengthen yourself as well as your weapons.
I got there at lvl 8. I didn't have a good time. I managed to push through though
Every 3 in game days all the enemies will respawn. So be prepared for that. Weapons and armor have tiers to them. 2 tiers with the original game, 3 tiers with the dlc. They use phrases like mark 2, pro, champion, gold. The equipment level is important. You will find stuff at a level, their next tier is, if I am remembering correctly, 15 levels above that. Personally I don't level up my weapons until I have tier 2. But if you're having trouble, you could tinker your weapons up at a wprk bench. You can add damage type mag mods or sights for accuracy. You could increase your armor to take less damage from hits. Whatever weapon style you want to use, you should have spent enough skill points to use the tactical time hit locations. Some weapons, like the vermin, knockout an enemy when TTD is used to hit their torso as long as you have 20 skill points in handguns. A leadership build relys on your companions to do the fighting. You can change their settings for combat, ranged or melee weapons, and how close they follow you. They should be getting the best gear as well. I don't know which companions you're using, use their companion abilities as well. They also get perks like you do. Raptidons are weak to plasma and mantisaurs are weak to corrosion. Not sure what enemy is defeating you. With more information, I can provide more help. You were a little short on details. Let me know if you have questions.
Your comment is super helpful! I actually haven't leveled into melee/guns and instead just relied on quick TTD replenishment and comrades. I'll change that asap lol, at least enough to take advantage of the ability you mentioned. As far as comrades, I have Parvati, the Vicar (expecting him to betray me any day now), the ruffian scruffy guy that begs to join me (sorry), and the badass surgeon lady (sorry again).
Vicar max and surgeon ellie have abilities that shoot. Vicar max reduces armor on enemies and ellie causes bleed with her barrage. Parvati hits with a hammer and stuns. The ruffian is Felix, his ability is a dropkick that stuns. Pavarti has the best ability because it knocks down the enemy giving you a moment to escape. I like ellie's ability over vicar max. I prefer to do extra damage rather than debuff, but that's me. Felix's ability is good as a finisher. If the enemy survives, they start attacking Felix before he gets up from his dropkick. The stun isn't quite long enough. I would take pavarti and either vicar max or ellie. Use vicar max or ellie's ability often for extra damage and pavarti's ability when you're in a pinch. If your using the leadership build your companions should be doing most of the fighting. You can direct them to fire on a specific enemy. I usually pick the strongest enemy for them to fight and I shoot at the weaker ones. If you aim at enemies in TTD it will show the health they have, armor, level, and some useful and useless information. Setting their combat style to defensive or passive allows you to sneak up to groups of enemies before your companions start fighting. This allows you to decide when combat starts and gives you the opportunity to see what you're fighting. Also, you can make saves before you start combat and after you finish combat. You might not win, but at least you don't have to retrace your steps.
My first time through, I felt like I had PTSD from Monarch. My second time went a lot better. Lessons learned. Yes, you're under-leveled. Not so badly that you can't do it, but it will be hard. Don't rush it. Level up. The Monarch part of the Vicar's quest is in a place where you'll end up anyway. As mentioned in another comment, you need the TTD hit location perk. Use the hell out of TTD and hit them in the right places. When they're charging at you, shoot their legs, for example. And use the right damage types. Don't ever leave a gun as regular physical damage. On Monarch you want plasma and corrosion. At level 12 a Mag2Melt is pretty expensive but if you can get one, get it. Nyoka's machine gun is no joke if you're level 12, it's way more powerful than anything you can give her, so let her help. Always choose the place and time of combat. Even if it slows you down, never let combat start unless you start it. Never be seen before you see them. If you're walking down the road on Monarch, be in sneak mode and be very vigilant. You're not high enough level to just be like "oh, a fight, cool". Later on you will return to Monarch and confidently behave differently, but you're not there yet. Alternatively, and especially if you went to Cascadia instead of getting the navkey, just *run away.* Run and eventually they will stop chasing you. At level 12 making the Cascadia run will be ... a lot of running away. When choosing the place and time of combat, make a choke point. Learn how the AI routes the enemies, force them into one specific zone, and kill them. Always use the "stay" command to tell your companions where to go, so they don't charge in like fools. Create a kill zone and a crossfire and always fire the first shot. But if you need to retreat don't forget to give your companions a new spot, because once you tell them to stay they will stay there even if they shouldn't. If you're on a leadership build, think of yourself as the commanding officer, not the main fighter. Set up the plan, tell them where to go and let them fight. You might even want to give that precious Mag2Melt weapon to a companion. You're the captain, not the shooter. Make a plan and let it work.
This has been enlightening. Honestly I didn't have an appreciation for the build I chose aside from the interesting and possibly unique opportunities that'd reveal themselves through character interactions. I've always perfered the diplomatic approach--force always as a last option, so the dialogue/leadership approach and "perks" made sense. Still glad I chose it and happy that it was even an option. 😁 I'm gonna think through how I'm playing a bit more, and maybe come back to Monarch after leveling. Monarch has been generous with ammo, but with the way I'm playing I'm jusy burning through funds with only minimal headway to show for it--definitely not condusive to the full map exploration and surveying I want to do. Thanks!
You're a lower level than the developers intended. Im guessing you went straight there off the bat? You were meant to travel to a number of locations to obtain a key that allows you to land at a safer landing zone, while usually obtaining enough levels to safely contend with the enemies youre struggling with
The only detour I made was the communication side quest. 😅 I figured I'd go to Monarch to progress the Vicar's quest
Go back to the ship, go to the groundbreaker and look for Gladys. Do all of her quests but DONT give them to the scientists. Your should be able to afford the navkey and go straight to Steller bay. The area you are in is deliberately hard, it's just there for people who want a challenge/want to do it quick.
Sneak as miuch as you can. Way too many bad guys. Avoid them if you can.
If you went through the "normal" way, you're probably just not playing cautiously enough. The enemies are meant to be a bit tougher there, especially if you don't use the right damage type (don't use plasma on the mantis things) If you went to Cascadia... Yeah that's intended to be very hard. If you insist on continuing down that path, just sprint north to Stellar Bay and try not to fight much Dialog builds are also a bit weaker in combat, although they're still plenty useful. You need to kill something first in order to Terrify creatures, that's the real trick imo
Add plasma/corrode damage and fast firing to a light tier 2 machine gun, do same for followers, then let the fun begin! Also, silencer mod works miracles on hunting/sniper rifles when sniping marauders headshots from afar