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This LP is a welcome sight! Sign me up! Name: Bob Deadford Gender: Male Appearance: As much bare skin as possible Class: Ranger, emphasis on the whole swords thing Voting for Reapers as they're just broken good from the start.
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Apr 12, 2020 02:32
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Crazy Achmed posted:Are sharpshooters really that bad? Much like the previous game, I don't know the mechanics of this one much either, just that I'm sure I remember there being a decent sniper or two in Dan & Grace's WOTC drinking game LP. Sharpshooters have their uses. Once FairGame has some better toys at his disposal, and his Sharpshooters have a few levels under their belts, they can become incredibly deadly. It's a combination of skills and gear. But you could make that argument about any of the classes really. Even Specialists, yet Sharpshooters have some spectacular tricks up their sleeves. That reinforcement pod, though. Utter bullshit.
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Apr 13, 2020 17:11
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Cythereal posted:The willpower system alone makes me think I made the correct decision in not buying War of the Chosen. On the topic of willpower, one thing it forces you to do is develop a larger group of soldiers and not rely on a core roster of six. This makes early rookie deaths more likely but also allows you to experiment more with soldier builds. In my last playthrough, I think I had a main roster of 8-12 soldiers (two or three of each class), a Spark, a Psi Trooper, two Reapers, one Skirmisher and one Templar. There are other game features which will require the use of a wider roster too, which I'm sure we'll see soon once the Resistance Ring completes. And The Lost are something that you can remove from the game or cheese via the judicious application of mods if you play on PC. One mod removes them, another (Rend The Lost) lets melee attacks count as headshots, another makes The Lost as likely to target Advent as XCom. Rend The Lost trivialises the Lost, yet it is a mod I prefer to play with, because The Lost are awful. War Of The Chosen makes a great deal of changes to the core gameplay of XCom 2, and I think it is definitely worth playing, for the challenge if nothing else.
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Apr 14, 2020 22:13
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I agree with Megane. The third mission is very early to introduce any of the Chosen, especially the Assassin. The mission that normally introduces them (Lost and Abandoned?), is much more manageable and she can be handled more easily. It's entirely justifiable to do what FairGame did in the circumstances, especially given that she teleported in before contact with Advent had been made. On the bright side, assaulting Chosen bases is a blast and it's a good feeling to clown on them with a squad full of badasses
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Apr 15, 2020 21:03
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Chuu posted:Megane is such a ridiculous force to recon with, and having played vanilla XCom2 I feel like the game wasn't re-balanced around them. The way this game plays out long term, will you be able to field a faction unit on almost every mission? Given that there are Covert Ops that let you recruit additional faction heroes, you could get two of each and send one on every mission. Templars are cool and they can get ridiculous later on if they draw the right XCom skills in their skill tree. Fortress is really good on them, but safe to say there are better skills *cough* Bladestorm *cough*. Just wait until we get to the other faction heroes. Skirmishers I find hard to use well, but they are mobile and have some lovely skill synergy. Reapers have one skill in particular that acts as a "gently caress You" button to every single enemy in the game and we won't get to see it for a long time. When we do, though, it'll be beautiful. So has the game been rebalanced around the faction heroes? Probably not. It hasn't been balanced around the Chosen that much either.
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Apr 16, 2020 21:04
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FairGame posted:Explosions abound! I loved it when Bradford warned you to be careful not to destroy the objective after it had already gotten involved. I loved it even more when Deadford used the mystical powers of his Tactical Underpants to hit that overwatch shot. I'm a little uncomfortable at exactly how naked you made my character. Feel free to add a beard. I do wonder whether you can still be running round with your arse hanging out and get the benefit of later armours. The prospect of Power Underpants is an intruiging one.
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Apr 17, 2020 18:42
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FairGame posted:
It reminds me of the time I was in a beisl in Vienna, failed to understand the menu and asked the waitress what a menu item was. She said it was beef and I ordered it. It was indeed beef. Boiled calf's tongue, pink and glistening and bristling with taste buds. Then, as now, yes, excellent customer service, exactly what I ordered. I don't normally play dress-up with my soldiers so I'm simultaneously delighted and horrified at just how bare you can make a man and the glistening budgie smugglers you dressed me in are the cherry on top 
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Apr 17, 2020 19:51
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Munin posted:I can't help but have the name Robert "Deadford" Redford come up in my head. Funny you should mention that. My old avatar could be helpful. EDIT: I can't remember how to find old avatars  Seraphic Neoman posted:Deadford? More like Deadeyeford jfc Tactical Underpants, man. Tactical Underpants. FairGame posted:The more I play, the more I realize I don’t know how to use a sharpshooter. Self fulfilling prophecy. The sewer levels definitely aren't helpful for Sniper-style antics and this early in the game pistols aren't very good. Firaxis may have wanted an end to the "sniper in enfilade/up high" tactics of XCOM1 and the faster pace of play (mission timers) acts against such tactics too. Lightning Hands is a great skill, though. Robert Deadford fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Apr 19, 2020 |
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Apr 19, 2020 12:17
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Tough mission. Yeah, you could've played better but you pointed out where you should have. Legendary XCOM2 really isn't loving around. This mission being a prime example of the value of the alpha strike and deleting a pod, and of why the Assassin is the worst of the Chosen.
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Apr 19, 2020 22:45
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I had no idea Purifiers even had incendiary grenades. Whenever I let one of them live long enough to attack, they've always chosen the flamethrower option. I'm a fan of the mimic beacon. I only use it when I think it's absolutely necessary, or when I get a bad activation. Like this one (click for big, SPOILER WARNING):  So that's three pods of dickheads spawning in the objective room. None of them had left in the time it took my squad to walk across the map completely concealed. Fortunately, my Spark had one of the less good heavy weapons Shredder Gun and that helped out a lot. I don't remember if I used my mimic beacon. I probably did. All in all, I think the devs did a pretty good job in terms of balance. Some of the sitreps are bullshit, the Lost are terrible, the Assassin is hateful in the early game. Yet almost everything you can recruit or build has a use and almost everything has a counter. Still, you're doing fine, FairGame. You've just got to get the ol' deathball rolling!
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Apr 20, 2020 21:47
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That mission got pretty hairy at times. It doesn't help that even on PC the lines of sight can be totally screwed up and arbitrary. You handled it well, FairGame. Psi soldiers though, I have to gently disagree with you there, although I don't have the guts to play on Legendary and my viewpoint is therefore tainted. I am happy to take Psi troops with incomplete skillsets on missions given that they have a few core abilities. Until then, they aren't up to much. Fully trained, they are awesome. I understand the risk involved on this difficulty setting and your decision is sensible.
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Apr 24, 2020 18:37
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Clearly the armour didn't have much impact on my accuracy as the Tactical Underpants were on underneath. I would've dodged the Zerker without the armour, though. Probably. I hope you'll give me the axe when I recover. The aliens will be terrified of a well-oiled Englishman charging at them, chopper in hand. Just ask my wife, she'll be happy to confirm.
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Apr 25, 2020 19:01
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I have never seen the Assassin do that before. How random! To be fair, I've never seen the other Chosen actually fire their weapons either. We are all fortunate to see it! Plus it seems like you are getting on top of the early game bullshit now, so good work, keep it up. Then the game decided to kick you in the balls with that lovely Sitrep. I hate that one. Everything else is no big deal, except that one.
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Apr 27, 2020 14:13
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FairGame posted:A short outbreak of madness What the hell, man. I mean, what the blue hell! Absolute insanity in the best possible way. Bad activation, bad enemy mix, bad bad bad sit rep and you somehow bulldozed through it. C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas le optimal XCom play  As for most hated enemy, my bugbear has yet to appear in this thread, but when they turn up...
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Apr 29, 2020 20:50
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Loving the primo Reaper bullshit, FG. Keep it coming! And this is where Sharpshooters start to become useful. Megane didn't get Face Off, which is a rather tasty Sharpshooter skill. Once your pistoleers get that and Bluescreen rounds, mechanical enemies lose some of their threat. High aim, range bonuses, damage bonuses and free actions leads to dead Advent MECs. Of course, Bluescreens on grenadiers are good, too. FairGame posted:I hate devoting a grenadier slot to something that's not useful against a significant portion of the game's enemies. I use grenadiers for cover destruction and splash damage. There aren't enough useful small items (imo) to go on the OTHER classes, so I tend to go for bluescreen rounds instead of EMP grenades/bombs. I could be convinced I'm wrong, though! I usually carry 2 of SPARK/grenadier in a squad, and the game (and some of my poor play) has seen fit to make that not feasible and we're still doing ok. So it's not as if I have all the answers. I agree with you about the natural role of the Grenadier - they set up the turn by destroying cover and the quicker, more accurate troops clean up. Grenadiers just can't get the high aim values to make them purely cannon-focused. Are you planning to put your Grenadiers in the EXO or WAR suits for added fun? Or will it cost you an item slot?
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Apr 30, 2020 20:49
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FairGame posted:Propane It's true what they say about the convenience of propane. Gets the meat all crispy, too. Soon there will be the Chosen takedown mission. I love these missions, as I love the XCom: EW base defence. A real challenge, but a fun challenge. I'm looking forward to see how you handle it.
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May 3, 2020 13:45
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Dear Diary, I had a terrible dream last night. I dreamt I was some kind of hotshot Resistance fighter who ran around in his pants, killing the heroic ADVENT peacekeepers with a sword and nailing impossible shots from downtown. It was horrible. To be honest, I didn't sleep all that well. It felt like my bed was hardly moving at all. I hope I don't have to have another chat with that Warlock fellow again today. It gives me such a headache when he tries to render my living brain down into useful information and he does drone on so about the Elders. Elders this, Elders that, greatest creation the other. And I have this lingering sense of guilt over someone called Vaughn? Must stop writing now, the guards are here and it's time for my morning punishment beating. ==== I suppose the butcher's bill for those two successful missions isn't too high. It also shows the risks of aggressive movement. That multiple activation in the sewers was crazy but at least you had the tools and nous to manage it without a wipe. That run and gun in the second mission? Risky! EDIT: Too many 'but's Robert Deadford fucked around with this message at 21:27 on May 5, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 21:18
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It was very sporting of the game to put that hill there. Really added an extra layer of fun. Finally we get to the cool Ranger skills! I feel Rangers need both Implacable and Bladestorm for maximum good times. I hope our Templar also rolls Bladestorm. Bladestorm Templars are rather tasty. Taking Guardian over Ever Vigilant makes sense on Specialists, although I like the extra mobility that EV offers. Get forward or up on a roof and overwatch, rather than from further back if the move is safe. Guardian first, sure, but I like both.
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May 6, 2020 22:02
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If you want to get even crazier, there is a mod that lets you pick and choose within 14 specializations, an ability assigned upon recruitment, and upgrade soldier stats on a points allocation system. It's fun and lets you develop some odd skill combinations. You want a guy running round with a shotgun and a grenade launcher, 25 bonus defence and bonus damage against non-humans? You probably can! Musashi's RPG Overhaul It might make the game a bit easy, so caveat emptor.
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May 7, 2020 22:21
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Dear Diary, I must admit that I'm getting used to trousers. While they make my legs feel itchy and make my boys extra sweaty, they don't restrict my movement too much. But these damned Advent bastards keep trying to make me wear shirts. Shirts! A man can barely breathe in them! How am I supposed to make people feel ill at ease when I flex my guns if they are concealed by sleeves? And don't get me started on the Devil's noose, the collar. It makes me feel like some kind of wretched Andromedon if his battlesuit served no actual purpose! I haven't seen the Warlock in a few weeks. My guards keep muttering darkly about how some plasma howitzer "got blown the gently caress up" or some such, but I'm still not entirely sure what "vemosi botus" and "helbete batal" actually mean. Must stop now. It sounds like gunfire outside. The sound is strangely familiar and comforting...like going home... === loving Lost. Awful things. I'm glad Face Off has turned up for a gunslinger. It is a truly great skill that leads to moments of awesomeness, especially against the Lost.
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May 8, 2020 18:40
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So you remember that dreadful sequence at the end of Saving Private Ryan where old Ryan is questioning his entire life and its value as he recalls the deaths of the men sent to bring him home? Really got that vibe right now. I mean, that did not go well. Not a total disaster, to be fair, but the permanent loss of the frost bomb is probably worse than the loss of three soldiers and the addition of a shop-soiled Ranger is not much compensation. Then there'll be another rescue mission. I'm sorry it turned out this way.
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May 8, 2020 22:08
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eating only apples posted:That Roth glitch warranted a force quit and reload imo, although the game definitely partly thought she was next to the van - her green bondmate square was there. But her cover bonus wasn't right for being there. So was she in spirit by the van and that square triggered the pod, or was the square she was in physically the one that triggered it? Either way for me, that'd be a gently caress-it-reload just to make sure. I agree. Deaths caused by poor decision making are one thing, deaths caused by glitches are something else. Even in honourable semi-Ironman. However, FG, you've played on and I respect that, but I would've reloaded on that glitch.
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May 10, 2020 20:38
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I couldn't agree with you more about THEM. I hope the irritating aspect of their design was merely an oversight which never got reviewed or corrected because as deliberate design choices go, it's a shocker. On these kinds of mission, no-one is going to creep forward, overwatching as they go; or enter the mission with six high-level Rangers (it would be fun, though). They are pure distilled unfairness. There also doesn't seem to be a PC mod for WoTC to neuter them, either. Melee headshots on the Lost? Check. Delete the Lost altogether? Check. Fix these bastards? Eh. Anyway, you did well considering the situation, so I'm hopeful of success. My personal bugbear are Andromedons because they are huge blocks of meat and armour running round in pods with normal aliens. Yes, they can't shoot well but they have those two party tricks - the robot suit as well as the acid bomb. They take a lot of killing.
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May 11, 2020 14:27
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Grapplejack posted:I don't believe they did, and I assume fairgames strategy of dealing with him is to avoid him completely or use 'the forbidden technique' There should be nothing forbidden about it. I consider it necessary, cathartic and satisfying. FairGame posted:I once tried to faceoff about 15 lost at once on the PS4 and by about 8 the hardware was screaming. If you're interested, I can rustle up footage of a sharpshooter taking on 11 Lost with Faceoff.
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May 12, 2020 08:28
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Dear Diary, It's not been easy. It turns out that I am a killer, one way or another. After I broke out from captivity, and found my former comrades looking for me, death followed. Too many good people lost, just to bring me back. It doesn't make any sense. Then they shove a shotgun into my hands, clamp a scabbard to my back and call me Loo-tenant Deadford. Legendary alien blaster. Good for a critical hit in a tight spot. I guess I was happy to be that guy once but I don't quite feel that fire so strongly inside me now. And they send me out, on a rescue mission. Death followed. I killed. I saw another comrade fall. I almost envy the Warlock and the certainty of his beliefs, that the Elders are in fact benevolent and can save us. I know my hands are not clean and I'm increasingly tired of the whole sordid, bloody mess. Anyway, must stop writing, my hands are shaking and I need to focus. We dust off for another mission soon. A rescue, of all things. === And that is why I hate Andromedons.
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May 13, 2020 13:38
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Wahey! Low Profile! Of all the unfun things the game could throw at you, it goes for a Low Profile supply raid just after Sectopods enter the enemy assortment. I think there's a very good chance of there being plenty of chonky enemies guarding those supplies.Grapplejack posted:It's honestly kind of fun to see our gameplay differences, and how they somehow always boil down to my willingness to blow the gently caress out of everything compared to your, you know, actual tactics Mindless destruction definitely counts as a tactic. Peace Through Expanding Clouds Of Plasma, I like it.
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May 14, 2020 21:14
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The squaddies done good! They'll make a movie about it when all this is over - The Sectopod, The Spark and The Squaddies. A knockabout wartime caper full of thrills, spills and cowering behind trees.
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May 15, 2020 20:58
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biosterous posted:The VIP mission went well because there was no FTFY. Gatekeepers are colossal shits and are prime targets for whatever delete enemy buttons you can push. Stasis or Null Lances on a Psi trooper, Bluescreens, Rapid Fires, Chain Shot, Fan Fire. You really don't want them to take their turn. FG, you handled this mission very nicely. Keep em coming!
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May 16, 2020 21:43
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AbstractNapper posted:What's with the scattered Lost all over the map who are apparently non-enemies and just stand there as if "frozen" for lack of a better description. They're already dead and dessicated. According to the introductory Lost mission - which did not feature in this LP - the Lost are the product of the weird pods the aliens dropped during XCom 1. Some people affected by the pods just died and left a husk. Others became the Lost.
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May 17, 2020 20:40
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Reaper, actually. You get to take angry Marina Sirtis home with you. Your Skirmisher gets kidnapped and you get to do a different kind of rescue mission to unlock him permanently.
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May 17, 2020 23:27
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Super Cheese gently caress-Off-Enemy Button combo: You need a Reaper with the skill Banish, and they must be equipped with a Superior Repeater (15% chance for an instakill) and a Superior Expanded Magazine (+3 to mag size, for six total shots). Having AP rounds is nice, in case the trick fails to work. I think you get Banish as a choice when promoting to Major. Banish allows the Reaper to fire at one target until it is dead or the magazine is empty. Six shots with a 15% chance of instantaneous murder means that the chance of executing the target at any time beforethe mag empties is about 62.3%, assuming all shots hit (1-0.85 to the power 6, that is 1 - the chance of none of the shots proccing Execute). There is a Resistance order that gives improved weapon mods which makes this strategy more likely to succeed, but a 62% chance of a dead Archon King? Sign me up! Danaru's method works too, as does a lucky Repeater proc from anywhere.
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May 22, 2020 13:04
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FairGame posted:SugarAddict is only a captain and doesn't have banish. I kinda only did this mission because I couldn't think of anything else useful to do with my scanning time, and the recent run of flawless missions had me feeling pretty good about my chances of not needing the "delete one enemy" button. And you didn't need the button at all. It helps when your Templar can Rend for 22 damage and the enemy reinforcement wave is an Archon (ugh) and a...Chrysalid? All the Chosen weapons are bananas. I love them all, except for the Warlock's and his is pretty good. Do you plan to share the love around, or will one soldier be gifted both?
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May 24, 2020 11:12
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It returns! Unlike that Stun Lancer. I guess his hot moonwalk over the back of that flatbed truck was not just too hot for overwatch, but so very hot his human teammates were distraught at his demise. God rest you, Stun Lancer, moonwalking in ADVENT Turncoat heaven. As for Psionics, once you get a high-level Psi Operative, they are one-trooper wrecking balls. Even leaving aside mind control - not that you should - they get a suite of skills that let them gently caress up single targets Soulfire or Insanity with Schism for soft targets, Null Lance for hard targets, and Stasis for things you'd really rather not worry about this turn or multiple targets Null Lance, if you can get the positioning to work, Fuse to blow up enemy grenades for shits and giggles, or Void Rift or you could opt to help a team mate Inspire for an extra action every 4th turn, or Stasis Shield in emergencies. They are silly powerful, but completely optional. It's great to see this LP back, and that goes for you too, FG.
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Sep 5, 2020 22:50
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Hell yes, FG. Some sweet sweet prizes coming your way!
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Oct 12, 2020 12:35
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Run and gun sniper with a grapple (or another special armour) and either of the Hunter's weapons and Face Off or Serial = fun times
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Oct 20, 2020 16:06
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Dead Reckoning posted:That giant faceless/zerker pod would have been a great time to use Shepard's Void Rift: they're all relatively weak mentally, so there's a good chance of panicking or mind controlling a few and letting you focus on the rest. I think this is where FairGame's unwillingness to use the psyker really showed. Big pod in a small space - an ideal target. Of course it didn't matter in the end, end-game troops being as powerful as they are. I'm looking forward to the grand finale!
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Jan 7, 2021 17:24
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Good job, FairGame! Things were getting pretty hectic in there, yet you got the job done. I know why you didn't go hunting for the other Ruler armours - it is a huge ball-ache, especially that bastard Archon King. I found the Archon armour really, really helps with mobility and getting your sniper all set up, and the RAGE SUIT mounts a heavy weapon. Panicking Mutons and Archons is just the cherry on top. sincx posted:I never figured out how to do the last room correctly. I had to use the "camp outside the entrance and bait the avatars over" strategy. FairGame did a good job of saving most of his toys for the last room. There are other things you could do - give your Spark the skill Bombard or Nova for AoE damage, bring lots of WAR suits for heavy weapons, bring team-mates with high-level bonds. I usually split my forces and camp each group at either end of the big central block, and then mind-control some archons to buy time. Then again, I don't play on the highest difficulties.
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Jan 10, 2021 00:13
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