playedout: I can't even believe I am playing a level this hard with the characters given. Is anyone else having an issue? What am I missing for crying out loud (literally). Any thoughts would be appreciated. (This is at the very start of the game.
The following usually works for me, and I don't play an optimised combatant (I'm built for passing all the dialogue checks):
Before you get to the vault, try to make it past all encounters in the museum with a minimum of effort. You'll need to conserve consumables and try to keep your health high, because injuries will carry on to the vault.
General combat:
- If you're not behind cover when combat starts, you should leave enough AP free to get behind cover.
- Use Glory's Adrenal Pump. Watch the cooldown and always reuse when it becomes available again.
- Cast haste. On the museum floor, this can either go on you (if you're built for combat), Schäfer (who is an amazing shot at long distance) or Glory (who should have 4AP, but will use up most of it missing frequently with claws and pistol). In the vault, you want this on Dietrich because you'll use summons.
- You can generally kill goons at this stage by running up to them with Glory and clawing them, then firing two shots with the pistol burst fire skill at point blank. Just be careful that this doesn't then leave her in the open.
- Make use of the decker ability, Mark Target. I usually prioritise Conjurers -> Mages -> Grenadiers -> Shotguns -> Rifles -> Other, though circumstances may vary.
- You have unlimited ammo. If you catch a break in combat where nothing is going on, reload so that you won't run out of ammo at an inopportune moment.
- Take a look at the range of a weapon and make sure you position yourself to use it at its most accurate range. Rifles are more accurate from long range. Shotguns are more accurate at close range, but if you want a spread to attack multiple enemies, stand back a bit further.
Museum:
- First go south and take out the lone elf security guard.
- Take out the two reinforcements that arrive from the north. Shotgun first, pistol second.
- Jack into the Matrix in the east room and grab the paydata.
- Open the door to the north room.
- Adrenaline pump, haste, take cover or hide behind walls out of line of sight.
- If you've got the hang of how combat works, you can enter the room and pick off the guards one by one.
- If not, retreat to the hall and let them bottleneck at the doorway. This tactic can serve you well throughout the entire game (send Glory in as bait, lure enemies through bottlenecks into an ambush). I don't use it because it's a bit cheesy, but I know some people who have a lot of fun setting up barrier + overwatch ambushes this way.
- If you need extra help, there is a summon point inside the museum that you can use. Summon the spirit and let it loose on the guards. Try to keep it far from you so that it won't attack you first if it breaks free. Remember you can give it 4AP, which should wreak enough havoc amongst the guards for the short time you have the spirit.
This should get you through the ground floor without using any consumables and without taking much damage.
The vault:
- First, there are two guards with pistols.
- The easiest thing to do is to stay right where you are. Use adrenal pump. Take cover inside the corridor you are in. Wait for the guards to come through the doors to you.
- They are only armed with pistols. Focus on taking them down one at a time.
You will remain in combat indefinitely until you look at the terminal in the vault. If you are not comfortable with how combat works yet, this means you can keep ending your turn (Shift + Enter, or the button in the top right) until all skills and spells are off cooldown. You can also position your party so they are right where you want them before the waves arrive. Park yourself behind the terminal with cover from 3 sides. Clump Dietrich and Glory very close to you. This is usually a very bad idea, but you have no enemies to worry about who will throw AoE attacks yet.
After you look at the terminal and the counter begins, you have some time to prepare. The enemies won't appear straight away. Use adrenal pump on Glory. Cast haste on Dietrich. If you're a shaman, cast haste on yourself as well. Cast aim on Glory because she misses a lot.
Points of interest:
- The door where you need to escape is to the west.
- The door to the north is dangerous. Try to keep out of line of sight from there.
- There is a spirit summon point to the north. Between Dietrich's summons, any summons you might have if you're a shaman and the summon point, those are all your reinforcements.
This is what I usually do to survive:
- Prepare buffs:
-- Adrenal pump on Glory
-- Haste on Dietrich
-- Have Dietrich summon an earth elemental (does he still have that summoning stone in the Director's Cut?)
-- Have earth elemental cast its cover/shield ability (this is why you are clumped up around the terminal - so you can all benefit)
- Camp Glory a little to the west
- Camp yourself to the west as well
- Don't have more than 1 spirit out at a time, because you need a steady supply to survive
First wave comes from the south.
- Immediately send the elemental east, ignoring the first wave. I usually live dangerously and max out its AP to 4AP. This is not too risky because the plan is to have the elemental cover the east and north, while you camp near the escape door to the west and pick off any threats from the south and west.
- You can either have Glory pick off the south forces, or retreat to the west to lure them to you. Don't stay at the south door too long or you may have to deal with the east forces at the same time.
- Try to wipe out the south forces quickly with your party. The drone is fairly easy to kill. The guard only has a pistol.
- If you're a rigger, your drone can help take out the south forces, then should head north and park there.
Second wave comes from the east, and you get a surprise from the north shortly after this as well.
- Attack the guard with the grenade launcher using the elemental.
- Try to stay out of line of sight of the north door or you may be in for a nasty surprise.
At this point you should have both east and north forces tied down with your elemental. Keep adrenal pump and haste (on Dietrich, who needs it because of the summon) maintained. Use totems and aim when you have the spare AP for it. Remember that Dietrich's totem allows him to set up an AoE field what will reduce incoming damage, but be aware that clumping up too closely will cause the enemy to start throwing grenades at you.
You want to try to get the north and east forces to focus fire on your elemental. Try to lure them out towards the east or north and out of your line of sight if you can. If the elemental breaks free, they'll just fight each other and you will need to summon a new elemental. You may need to use hit and run tactics to chip away at the northern reinforcements.
I can't remember if Dietrich still has an earth elemental in the DC, but if he doesn't, the air elemental has AP attacks. Plan for your elementals to turn against you, don't treat them like permanent party members. Keep them far from you, preferably out of line of sight. Max out the AP to 4AP when you think it's worth it. Have them cast powerful attacks even if it drains them, because you only have to survive enough turns to get out.
There's one surprise that will come in from the west, but it's only a drone. Glory can usually take it out with one or two shots or slashes.
Keep an eye on the timer. When you have 1 round remaining, that's when you want to prepare to run. With 1-2 turns remaining, you should all be camped by the escape door if you aren't already. If you're a rigger, 1 turn remaining is when you want to set your drone to follow mode (so you have enough AP to run for it at 0 turns remaining).
When the door opens,
get out. Don't try to fight anything, just run for it. If you have an elemental still in the vault, even if it's not under your control, it should keep any guards still alive occupied. As for the guards that suddenly appear from the west, do not engage. You will be out the exit before they can kill you. Presumably, if they do try to follow you out the exit, Eiger's parked outside providing overwatch, so you're covered.
Things that make this easier:
- 4 body, 5 rifle (or better) will mop the floor with everything in that first mission. I didn't find this a lot of fun, but rifle seems to be the way to win at all combat ever. Rifle + datajack (which you can get for free if you invest in decking or rigging at character creation) + cyberware = you win the game.
- If you're playing anything else, you probably want at least 5 points in your main skill at character creation. Pick the custom archetype for more control, not a pregenerated one.
- Generally speaking, you can survive the game as a character who is not much of a combatant if you have good armour (via gear or spells) and use cover wisely.
- If you're a mage, get Blind as soon as you can. Otherwise, loan it to Dietrich as soon as he can use it, taking care not to overwrite the empty sixth spell slot.
