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User:Kernelmethod/Sandbox:Build Guide: Difference between revisions
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= Introduction = | |||
Some disclaimers: | Some disclaimers: | ||
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* '''And finally -- this guide is ''highly'' opinionated, and by no means definitive!''' There is no objectively "best" build; there is barely even a meaningful concept of what a "meta" build might look like in Caves of Qud. The best build is the one that ''you'' enjoy playing with. The intent of this guide is not to give specific recommendations, but rather, to provide a framework with which to judge what builds you would enjoy playing. | * '''And finally -- this guide is ''highly'' opinionated, and by no means definitive!''' There is no objectively "best" build; there is barely even a meaningful concept of what a "meta" build might look like in Caves of Qud. The best build is the one that ''you'' enjoy playing with. The intent of this guide is not to give specific recommendations, but rather, to provide a framework with which to judge what builds you would enjoy playing. | ||
== Additional references == | |||
* [[Build library]] | * [[Build library]] | ||
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* [https://www.qudzoo.com/advice/build-making Affine's advice] on buildcrafting | * [https://www.qudzoo.com/advice/build-making Affine's advice] on buildcrafting | ||
= Stats = | |||
== Primary stats == | |||
See the [[attributes]] page for more information: | See the [[attributes]] page for more information: | ||
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* [[Ego|'''Ego:''']] ego improves the level of your mental mutations, and is required for the [[Persuasion]] skill tree. It also affects prices of items you buy and sell. | * [[Ego|'''Ego:''']] ego improves the level of your mental mutations, and is required for the [[Persuasion]] skill tree. It also affects prices of items you buy and sell. | ||
== Secondary stats == | |||
Beyond the stats listed above, there are also secondary stats that you don't get to adjust directly during character creation. However, these stats may be influenced by gear, cybernetics, and mutations, and are just as important to consider when designing a build: | Beyond the stats listed above, there are also secondary stats that you don't get to adjust directly during character creation. However, these stats may be influenced by gear, cybernetics, and mutations, and are just as important to consider when designing a build: | ||
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* '''[[Move speed]]:''' Move Speed (MS) decides how many ''movements'' you can make per turn. Like QN, you start with 100 MS and every 100 additional MS gives you one additional movement per turn, on average. Note that QN ''also'' allows you to make additional movements per turn, and in fact QN and MS stack together very well<ref>QN and MS stack multiplicatively: the average number of movements you can make per turn is <code>(QN * MS) / (100 * 100)</code>.</ref>. However, it is easier to increase MS to high values than it is to do the same for QN. | * '''[[Move speed]]:''' Move Speed (MS) decides how many ''movements'' you can make per turn. Like QN, you start with 100 MS and every 100 additional MS gives you one additional movement per turn, on average. Note that QN ''also'' allows you to make additional movements per turn, and in fact QN and MS stack together very well<ref>QN and MS stack multiplicatively: the average number of movements you can make per turn is <code>(QN * MS) / (100 * 100)</code>.</ref>. However, it is easier to increase MS to high values than it is to do the same for QN. | ||
= Step 1: True Kin or Mutant? = | |||
= Step 2: Building a toolkit = | |||
Many players will try to classify build types into a few categories; one common breakdown is "melee", "ranged", and "esper". It's fine to think of builds in this way if it helps you, but this perspective can also be quite limiting: there are ''many'' builds that fall into several of these categories, or none of them. | Many players will try to classify build types into a few categories; one common breakdown is "melee", "ranged", and "esper". It's fine to think of builds in this way if it helps you, but this perspective can also be quite limiting: there are ''many'' builds that fall into several of these categories, or none of them. | ||
An alternative way of viewing builds, which we'll adopt here, is to see them as different sets of tools in a toolbox. What tools does your build have to handle situation X? What weapons will let you fight opponent Y? A toolkit can consist of cybernetics/mutations, skills, items, or anything else that might feasibly be useful for handling a given situation. When selecting these tools, you should think about how they might complement on another | An alternative way of viewing builds, which we'll adopt here, is to see them as different sets of tools in a toolbox. What tools does your build have to handle situation X? What weapons will let you fight opponent Y? A toolkit can consist of cybernetics/mutations, skills, items, or anything else that might feasibly be useful for handling a given situation. When selecting these tools, you should think about how they might complement on another: if one mutation allows you to detect and avoid enemies while ''also'' allowing you to attack them from range when paired with another mutation, then those mutations will probably pair very well with one another. | ||
Let's | Let's start with a coarse-grained view of these tools by dividing them into two categories: '''defensive tools''' and '''offensive tools'''. | ||
== Defensive toolkit == | |||
Every character starts off with the [[Sprint]] skill, which can be used to try to run away from difficult situations. However, usually you want to have at least one or two more tricks up your sleeve for when you're in danger. | Every character starts off with the [[Sprint]] skill, which can be used to try to run away from difficult situations. However, usually you want to have at least one or two more tricks up your sleeve for when you're in danger. | ||
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It's useful to know a bit about game mechanics when answering these questions. For example, normally it's impossible to use a {{favilink|recoiler}} when there are enemies nearby, so you can't just rely on one by itself to teleport away from foes. However, you ''can'' recoil if you're surrounded by your own forcefields, so a common strategy for mutants is to grab {{favilink|Force Bubble}} or {{favilink|Force Wall}} so that you can surround yourself and recoil away. | It's useful to know a bit about game mechanics when answering these questions. For example, normally it's impossible to use a {{favilink|recoiler}} when there are enemies nearby, so you can't just rely on one by itself to teleport away from foes. However, you ''can'' recoil if you're surrounded by your own forcefields, so a common strategy for mutants is to grab {{favilink|Force Bubble}} or {{favilink|Force Wall}} so that you can surround yourself and recoil away. | ||
== Offensive toolkit == | |||
Qud isn't all about running away; sometimes you'll need to stand and fight, too. When designing your build, you should be able to answer the following questions: | Qud isn't all about running away; sometimes you'll need to stand and fight, too. When designing your build, you should be able to answer the following questions: | ||
* How will I fight large groups of enemies? What is a '''reliable''' weapon that I can depend on even after I've defeated twenty enemies in a row? | * How will I fight large groups of enemies? What is a '''reliable''' weapon that I can depend on even after I've defeated twenty enemies in a row? | ||
* How will I fight ''specific'' enemies? E.g. how will I defeat enemies with high AV, like [[tortoises]] and [[cragmensch]]? How will I defeat ranged enemies, like {{favilink|snapjaw hunter|plural}} and {{favilink|slugsnout|plural}}? | * How will I fight ''specific'' types of enemies? E.g. how will I defeat enemies with high AV, like [[tortoises]] and [[cragmensch]]? How will I defeat ranged enemies, like {{favilink|snapjaw hunter|plural}} and {{favilink|slugsnout|plural}}? | ||
* What other effects am I applying to enemies? E.g. can I [[dismember]] them, or inflect [[bleeding]] on them; and if so, how will these affect the battle? | * What other effects am I applying to enemies? E.g. can I [[dismember]] them, or inflect [[bleeding]] on them; and if so, how will these affect the battle? | ||
* What is my trump card? If there's an enemy that I absolutely need to defeat and can't run away from, what can I do to guarantee victory over them? | |||
== Other tools == | |||
Having strong defensive and offensive toolkits will help you survive in Qud, but throughout the game you'll also run into situations that require a different set of abilities. It's impossible to enumerate every single thing you'll need to consider during a run, but here's a small sample of the scenarios you should at least think about: | Having strong defensive and offensive toolkits will help you survive in Qud, but throughout the game you'll also run into situations that require a different set of abilities. It's impossible to enumerate every single thing you'll need to consider during a run, but here's a small sample of the scenarios you should at least think about: | ||
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It's not really possible to craft a build that will handle every scenario in a satisfying way, but if you can prioritize scenarios from "things I absolutely need to be able to handle" to "tough situations that I can live with", you'll be able to craft a build that you enjoy. | It's not really possible to craft a build that will handle every scenario in a satisfying way, but if you can prioritize scenarios from "things I absolutely need to be able to handle" to "tough situations that I can live with", you'll be able to craft a build that you enjoy. | ||
== Defects == | |||
If you're a mutant, you'll also need to think about what [[defect]] you'll want to take (you don't have to take one, but most builds do). When picking a defect, the three main considerations are | If you're a mutant, you'll also need to think about what [[defect]] you'll want to take (you don't have to take one, but most builds do). When picking a defect, the three main considerations are | ||
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As another example, {{favilink|Amphibious}} gives you three new mutation points. It is a nice defect in that it is unlikely to negatively impact any offensive or defensive tools, but it introduces a new problem: you now consume water much faster than you would otherwise. As a result, you'll need to find a way to make up for this new problem. For example, you could pick up the [[Fasting Way]] skill as soon as possible; alternatively, you could push up your ego so that you can sell items you pick up during your travels for more (and thereby make up for the water you've lost). | As another example, {{favilink|Amphibious}} gives you three new mutation points. It is a nice defect in that it is unlikely to negatively impact any offensive or defensive tools, but it introduces a new problem: you now consume water much faster than you would otherwise. As a result, you'll need to find a way to make up for this new problem. For example, you could pick up the [[Fasting Way]] skill as soon as possible; alternatively, you could push up your ego so that you can sell items you pick up during your travels for more (and thereby make up for the water you've lost). | ||
= Step 3: Choosing your stats = | |||
Once you've figured out what your toolkit looks like, you should start picking stats that support your toolkit. | Once you've figured out what your toolkit looks like, you should start picking stats that support your toolkit. | ||
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A good rule of thumb is to '''select initial stats that make your character well-rounded, and then specialize as you level up''' (however, this rule is very flexible). | A good rule of thumb is to '''select initial stats that make your character well-rounded, and then specialize as you level up''' (however, this rule is very flexible). | ||
== | == Selecting a caste / calling == | ||
= Some examples = | |||
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Our first build doesn't fit into the "melee" / "ranged" / "esper" trichotomy at all, but it still works very well by following the framework we've outlined: | |||
* '''Offensive toolkit:''' Gas Giant's exclusive source of damage, the center of its offense, is the {{favilink|Corrosive Gas Generation}} mutation. This mutation requires us to be close to enemies and is difficult to direct, but it does a ''lot'' of damage, and is very good at killing large groups of enemies. Because we rely on Corrosive Gas Generation so much for damage, we take both {{favilink|Heightened Quickness}} and {{favilink|Adrenal Control}}. Both increase [[Quickness]], which is always good, but for this specific build it's even better as it allows us to release gas faster. Adrenal Control also raises the level of other physical mutations, which benefits both our offensive and defensive toolkits. | |||
* '''Defensive toolkit:''' we take {{favilink|Carapace}}, which helps us absorb more damage by increasing our base AV. It pairs nicely with Corrosive Gas Generation because we can start generating gas and then tighten our carapace, so that we can keep generating gas while greatly reducing the damage dealt to us. To accompany Carapace (and provide a "get out of jail free" button), we take {{favilink|Sleep Gas Generation}}, which knocks out any enemies who are causing us trouble. It also pairs nicely with {{favilink|Corrosive Gas Generation}} because both mutations can benefit from {{favilink|gas tumbler|plural}}, which we can find in the mid- and late-game. | |||
* '''Defects:''' {{favilink|Irritable Genome}} is essentially four free mutation points, because all of our mutations are good and we want to level up all of them (although we probably want to level up Corrosive Gas Generation the fastest). As a result, the downside of Irritable Genome (every other mutation point gets randomly spent) has little impact on us. | |||
* '''Stats:''' this build relies very heavily on three activated abilities -- Corrosive Gas Generation, Sleep Gas Generation, and Adrenal Control. As a result, we want to boost [[Willpower]] as much as possible, since it will allow us to use these abilities frequently. Because we don't do any melee damage, we're okay with dumping our [[Strength]] stat a bit (we still need some Strength so that we have a decent amount of carry capacity).<br>We could probably also dump [[Ego]] since we don't have any mental mutations, but -- going by our rule of thumb earlier -- we usually want our early-game build to be well-rounded. It would be irritating to have low carry capacity ''and'' to have to sell everything at a low price. | |||
Notice that the offensive and defensive sides of this build synergize very well together. For example, Adrenal Control and Heightened Quickness benefit both our offensive and defensive kits; Carapace allows us to defend (with "tighten carapace") while we're still attacking; and Willpower is a good stat for both our offensive and defensive mutations. The one major downside of this build is that we've pinned all of our offensive hopes on Corrosive Gas Generation, which (by its imprecise nature) is difficult to use in certain mid- and late-game scenarios. However, all of the other advantages we've described allow it to clear early-game areas like {{favilink|Golgotha}} and {{favilink|Bethesda Susa}} with ease. | |||
{{Cryptogull|title=Rhinoconaut|code=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|author=Gnarf}} | {{Cryptogull|title=Rhinoconaut|code=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|author=Gnarf}} | ||
== Footnotes | Rhinoconaut is a dagger-focused build by one of the Caves of Qud devs; I've played variants of it and found it very approachable. | ||
* '''Offensive toolkit:''' this build is designed around using {{favilink|Horns}} (which functions as a [[Short Blade]]) as its primary source of damage. Short Blades benefit even more from raising [[QN]] than most other weapons<ref>[[Quickness]] is a universally good stat -- Qud is a turn-based game, and anything that allows us to do more per turn is useful. However, [[Short Blade Expertise]] reduces the action cost of short blade attacks, which is functionally equivalent an additional 33% QN boost (thereby increasing the effectiveness of {{favilink|Heightened Quickness}}). Pistols benefit greatly from QN for similar reasons, thanks to the [[Empty the Clips]] and [[Fastest Gun in the Rust]] skills.</ref>, which makes {{favilink|Heightened Quickness}} an attractive option. Horns is unusual as it has an unlimited [[PV]] cap, which means that it can do an unlimited amount of damage with sufficiently high [[Strength]]. However, the Short Blade skill tree requires [[Agility]] for all of its skills. As a result, Rhinoconaut takes both {{favilink|Double-Muscled}} and {{favilink|Triple-Jointed}}, which increase its base Strength and Agility, and provide further boosts the more we invest in them. Their side effects also complement Horns (e.g., Triple-Jointed allows us to perform [[Shank]] more frequently). | |||
* '''Defensive toolkit:''' {{favilink|Two-Hearted}} improves this build's [[Toughness]], thereby raising its hitpoints. It also makes it easier to run away from enemies. Heightened Quickness provides some defensive utility by allowing the player to move faster. In general we can see that Rhinoconaut's defensive tools are a little more limited than Gas Giant's, so it doesn't have as many options for running away from danger. It makes up for this by having a very strong offense. | |||
* '''Defects:''' as with Gas Giant, all of our mutations are good; we want to level up all of them. So {{favilink|Irritable Genome}} is a good defect for us to pick. | |||
* '''Stats:''' this build relies on both Strength and Agility for its offense, so the stat distribution is very well rounded-out. It is a little more specialized towards [[Agility]] since the [[Arconaut (Calling)|Arconaut]] calling, which is good for Short Blade users, has higher Agility. It takes fewer points of [[Ego]] because it doesn't have any mental mutations, and hence doesn't benefit from Ego very much. | |||
<br> | |||
{{Cryptogull|title=Duke Nuke 'Em|code=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|author=kernelmethod}} | |||
We end with another build that doesn't cleanly fall anywhere in the "melee" / "ranged" / "esper" trichotomy. I've selected this build because it allows us to explore how the core toolkit of a build can evolve throughout the game. | |||
* '''Offensive toolkit:''' this build has two mutations for dealing damage in the early and middle game: {{favilink|Electrical Generation}} and {{favilink|Light Manipulation}}. The damage of both of these mutations can be increased by investing mutation points into them without investing attribute points (unlike e.g. melee and ranged weapons, which require us to level [[Strength]] and [[Agility]]). This allows us to level [[Intelligence]] instead, so that we can take skills in the [[Tinkering]] tree and make tinkered items a staple of our offense in the mid- and late-game. {{favilink|Triple-Jointed}} exists as a way to increase our Agility slowly as we level up, which will make it easier to use [[Pistols]] and [[Bow and Rifle|Rifles]] in the late game as a source of damage as well. Both of these options will pair nicely with our choice of Electrical Generation, since we can then mod items with [[jacked]] to give them a free power source. | |||
* '''Defensive toolkit:''' the primary defensive tool in this build is {{favilink|Phasing}}, which makes us temporarily invulnerable from most enemies and makes it easier to run through obstacles. In the early game it pairs nicely with Light Manipulation, since its projectiles will hit enemies while we're phased. In the mid- and late-game, Phasing is particularly useful because it allows us to avoid the effects of bombs we set and grenades that we throw. It's also more useful to us than if we had picked up a defensive mutation like {{favilink|Force Bubble}}, whose effects we can replicate using tinkered items (e.g. {{favilink|force bracelet|plural}}). | |||
* '''Defects:''' {{favilink|Amphibious}} gives us three mutation points without limiting the effectiveness of any of our tools. The downside (we drink more water) can be dealt with by picking up [[Fasting Way]] in the early game. | |||
* '''Stats:''' our offensive toolkit depends on [[Willpower]] (for Electrical Generation) and [[Ego]] (for Light Manipulation) in the early game, and [[Intelligence]] (for tinkering) and Agility (for ranged weapons) in the late game; so we can't dump any of these stats. However, it never particularly needs high [[Strength]], so that's one stat that we can dump. Since we want to get to [[Tinker III]] as quickly as possible, we choose [[Scholar]] for our calling. | |||
Unlike the other builds we've described, this build's offensive toolkit changes pretty dramatically over the course of the game. This isn't frequently a good idea; if you pursue two orthogonal goals then you're unlikely to achieve either of them. The reason that it works for this build is that these goals aren't totally orthogonal -- by improving Electrical Generation in the early and middle game, we have a very strong power sourced for [[jacked]] items in the late game. And we can pursue them in parallel, by investing most of our MP in improving our early-game offenses and most of our AP into our late-game offenses. | |||
= Footnotes = | |||
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