This is a guide to explain simple mechanics to allow new players an easier first experience, and then learn by themselves to master the game.
Introduction
The aim of this guide is to help people to get into this game without having too much trouble. I, in the beggining (although it was early access, so probably there was also some miss balancing), got destroyed and had little to no info to how to play this game and this was frustrating.
I'm going to give you some pieces of advice according to my experience with the game, but this means in no case that it is some "perfect build" thing, if such thing exists. The aim is just for you to do a nice first run (by telling you what worked for me) to discover by yourself how do you want to play next. Don't worry you'll find the ultimate combos ! (Quick strike + maintain I see what you did there).
I think this game is really cool and I would not like people to be thrown away by it's first difficulty, because it deserves attention.
This is an incredible game because you have exploration, deck building, strategic fight, talent choosing, etc. Do not overlook one of these aspects.
Basics
Card Types:
- Weaponry (bullet icon).
- Scavenger (triangle icon).
- Medical (pill icon).
- Tech (battery icon).
Special words you don't know: there's a codex in the menu you can refer to in game when you don't know this stagger word the ennemy just inflicted to your crew.
Base:
- Contracts: Take these before going anywhere, it's good money, new unlock each time the sub-governer discovers new derelicts.
- Research: upgrade your perks with money.
- The shop: sell your useless things and equipements and check out after each mission for new ones.
- Station: to give the data you collected and discover new derelicts when you collected enough.
- Med: pay money to have health.
Derelicts:
- Basically you will explore a little bit and then come back to station to replenish your energy. Don't be greedy with energy, because anyway the flight costs 0 and you pay energy according to what is left in stock (i.e. if you have 500 to replenish you pay 50 and if you have 1000 to replenish you pay 100, so don't say like "okay i have to go back to ship with the less energy I can").
- You will need to find data (for the main quest) and you'll generally have to do something to obtain them (kill someone, etc.) but there are also side quests and juicy loot that remain in there even if you got the data, so go into the derelict till you have discovered and pillaged everything (for better levels and gear).
- Read the text, it is really fun and if you skip everything to just fight it'll get boring. If you get into the atmosphere, some of the lines will make you laugh real hard, and it'll be way better.
Team Building
First of all, name your characters, give them portraits you like, so you're deeper into the adventure!
Okay there are lots of classes and perks, what to choose?! Well let me clarify this.
- Ennemies have various melee/range protection, so you want to have both.
- Scavenging stat increases loot, so basically gives you better gear and more gold by selling.
- Mental increases gold rewards.
- Each class has a stat predominant, so it's class's card will be focused on this stat and will earn points in this stat by levelling up.
Here are the classes and how a beginner team can be built:
- Tracker: Weaponry based, good dmg both ranged and melee, has crit synergies.
- Bruiser: weaponry based, has good taunt and protective abilities, but can also deal good dmg but only melee.
- Tech: tech based, focuses on repairing and boosting shields but also spawning various bots (heal, taunt, attack, etc.), has also a variety of skills meant to disturb mechanical units.
- Medic: medic based, okay let me say this: there is no heal but the hospital, it's not a healer. He focuses on boosting your crew dmg/crit/initiative, removing negative status, etc. He also has skills meant to disturb biological units.
- Leader: mental based, he has various buffs to taunt, draw, protect, apply negative effects, etc.
- Scrapper: scagenging based: he uses bombs and traps, good spread dmg and control, uses recycle for him and his team (the card isn't discarded when played) and can do nice combo with it.
What you want to beggin in this game is one defensive support (Tech/medic), one controller and money earner (Leader/scrapper) and finally a dmg dealer (Tracker/bruiser).
For the following chapter we are going to use an example:
- MEDIC + TRACKER + SCRAPPER
The perks can be chosen depending on what you prefer, but first i'll suggest recycle on everyone, as it's always nice to have card advantage (or evasion for sustain).
Deck Building
Okay so I'll be using our example to talk about this because there are so many options.
So here are some things I found out:
- A - Classes have 1 really strong stat, and the others not so much, so use this one.
- B - Even though there are pre-chosen equipement slot (you cannot equip a power glove to a tracker for instance).
- A+B - Do not be afraid to unequip things to get a smaller and more consistent deck. It's unefficient to equip your medic a weapon and he'll do 15 dmg within a turn when your tracker would do 50 unbuffed. With our example, the medic was equipped ONLY a shield during the whole game, so his deck was really consistent.
- C - Every class has a defense mechanism in its talent tree (evasion, dmg resistance, invisibility), so I do not think it is worth it to dedicate someone to being a tank. Moreover if you deal enough damage you won't have to tank alot.
Generally I think it is better to specialize your team so everyone has a role and you always have the cards you need in hand.
Let's with our team tracker + medic + scrapper how it goes:
TRACKER: will do heavy single target dmg, both ranged and melee.
- So it has equipped Precision weapon + Energy blade + Weapon booster + Shield.
SCRAPPER: will throw bombs at groups with little HP and otherwise set traps which will stun and interrupt the ennemy. He will also have recycle boosting cards for his team. Do not think he is useless because he does less dmg, he is the one bringing you tons of loot.
- Equipement: Scavenging tool: Shield.
MEDIC: will buff the tracker (or the scrapper if it's a group of ennemy) and stay in invisibility.
- Equipement: shield.
Choose wisely your class cards and do not hesitate to deactivate the ones you don't like (for instance mark target on your tracker if you feel it's a loss of tempo).
You also have, at level 4, a second class to choose. I suggest choosing something related to your main stat (i.e. tinker for scrapper because both use scavenging stat). You won't need everything, but even 1 or 2 excellent perks for your build are enough to choose this specialization.
The fight looks like:
- Medic: Throwing adrenaline and dmg booster at everyone, then vanishing.
- Scrapper: Trapping and bombing the way.
- Tracker: Has so much buffs it deals 500dmg a hit, can play 5 cards a turn and has over 100% evasion.
Obviously if you use a Bruise, because the bruiser cannot be the only dmg dealer as he is only melee, so you would have to use a scrapper and his bombs for instance (which rely on scavenging skill to get boosted instead of weaponry, so it's fine).
Okay I hope I was clear enough for you to understand the point. I know this is not a perfect recipe or an ultimate build, but I wish it helped you and made you understand a little bit of the game so you can get into it more easily.