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User:Kernelmethod/Sandbox:Build Guide: Difference between revisions
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Some disclaimers: | Some disclaimers: | ||
* '''This guide is oriented towards character creation and the early game.''' | * '''This guide is oriented towards character creation and the early game.''' This is where most players who are designing builds are struggling; by the time you're able to consistently reach the mid- and late-game you'll probably have at least some sense for how well different builds will fare. | ||
* '''This guide is primarily written for people playing mutant characters.''' "Build design" is, of course, just as much a concept for True Kin characters as it is for mutants. However, | * '''This guide is primarily written for people playing mutant characters.''' "Build design" is, of course, just as much a concept for True Kin characters as it is for mutants, and the ideas presented here (building toolkits for different situations) are equally pertinent. However, most of the interesting build design questions for True Kin are deferred to the mid- and late-game; they primarily survive the early game by having better stats and finding good gear. For mutants, the choices that are made during character creation will affect their entire run. | ||
* '''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. | * '''This guide is not intended to give specific recommendations.''' You won't see a "best mutations" tier list; this guide won't tell you the best stat distribution for an esper. It's hard to avoid recommendations altogether, but in general, the goal is for you to come away with 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. If you have a build idea that goes outside of the guidelines given in this tutorial, then you should try it out! To the extent that there is a best build, it's is the one that ''you'' enjoy playing with. | |||
== Additional references == | == Additional references == | ||
* [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1711493305 Dij's "Basic Qud Gameplay FAQ for Beginners"] | |||
* [[Build library]] | * [[Build library]] | ||
* [[Early Game Checklist]] | * [[Early Game Checklist]] | ||
= | = Preliminaries = | ||
== Primary stats == | == Primary stats == | ||
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= Step 1: True Kin or Mutant? = | = Step 1: True Kin or Mutant? = | ||
The first decision you have to make when designing a build is the most important: are you playing as a mutant, or a True Kin? In brief: | |||
* '''Mutants''' get their cool abilities up-front, but have lower stats and are more locked into their build than True Kin. | |||
* '''True Kin''' play more like traditional roguelikes: they don't get their superpowers until later in the game. In exchange they get higher starting stats, and they get to be more flexible in the late game. | |||
Both types of character are equally powerful, they just require different playstyles. As mentioned in the introduction, if you're interested in playing as a True Kin, character builds aren't as important for starting the game. On the other hand, if you're playing a mutant, then read on! | |||
= Step 2: Building a toolkit = | = 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 | 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 you find it helpful, but this perspective can also be quite limiting: 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: 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. | 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. | ||
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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? | * Will I be fighting enemies up-close, from afar, or both? How will this affect the tools I put in my defensive toolkit? | ||
* How will I fight large groups of enemies? | |||
* How reliable are the weapons in my toolkit? E.g. how likely is it that my attack will be miss, be ineffective, or be on cooldown when I need it? | |||
* 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}}? | * 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? | * 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? | ||
For example, {{favilink|Sunder Mind}} is a powerful mutation and is excellent for defeating enemies with high AV and high health. However, it only attacks one enemy at once and takes several turns, so it isn't strong against groups of enemies. It also has a moderate cooldown of 80 turns and is ineffective against enemies with mental shields (such as [[oozes]] and [[robots]]), so it isn't terribly reliable. | |||
== Other tools == | == Other tools == | ||
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* How will I deal with (some specific environmental obstacle)? | * How will I deal with (some specific environmental obstacle)? | ||
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 " | 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 "problems that I can live with", you'll be able to craft a build that you enjoy. | ||
== Defects == | == Defects == | ||