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Author Topic: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100  (Read 5574 times)

Zarin

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Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« on: November 09, 2011, 22:04 »

I decided to try Malicious Blades on Ao100. I'm doing it on Medium (HNTR).
I picked Malicious Blades because you get some nice resistances almost for free (not exactly, ammo chains and boxes become just bigger ammo slots). It is a very under-powered build at the beginning, what with no Eagle Eye and really late access to SoB/SoG/Rel (depending on the main weapon). On the other hand, Technician tends to just get Whizkid (I usually have to take one before Malicious Blades, if only for hyperblaster). Later on, I pump SoB and Triggerhappy to make up for that.

Since I started this as an experiment I did save-scum a few times - just before and just after taking Malicious Blades. Unfortunately, the trait comes late enough, so Revenants already appear before you get that nifty fire resistance. Cured to a degree by a fireproof red armor, but not nearly enough. The main reason for save-scumming was trying to get 100% kill rate (obscessive-compulsive?). If you are ready to skip some levels where you hear dangerous noises (Revenants/Mancubi/Viles, even Barons), you'll be in fine shape. And I totally stopped restoring from saves after level 30 or so - by then the character can do much more without getting killed.

I had a goal of creating some cerberus armor. Eventually I did it - around level 49 (ATT for hyperblaster, TT for micro launcher, then some rotten luck never getting to it before an explosive attack wiped that T away). By then I had both Malek's Armor and Lava Armor - both with some nice plasma resists, even though not enough acid. Still, I dropped Lava Armor after finally assembling cerberus. Malek's is a different story, I love it and I'm still keeping it.

Anyway - having an 80%+ fire resistance is great! Revenants and Mancubi become a joke (don't forget to put on your grappling or gothic boots - an almost guaranteed find - to reduce knockback). And I'm falling back to two bulky knives (no luck with power mods yet!) quite often - dodgemaster + phaseshift boots let you close on even Arachnotrons taking very little damage! And those spiders take double from my melee weapons!

I found a sniper weapon pack at some point and quickly assembled an always-hitting but less powerful energy pistol. I started using it to lure the enemies to a crate / a door where I'm hiding just behind the corner with two blades for the ready. However, I noticed that I'm killing better with it than with hyperblaster, even with Triggerhappy(2)! I guess I'll try to pump SoaG next and start using it more. The insane knockback alone should prove useful.

Anyway - I can keep you posted if anyone is interested. After completing it I'll try a clean run.
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2011, 16:05 »

Got deeper. Found a chainsaw on level 57. It is not a blade! (No resistances from Malicious Blades when it's in the prepared slot; no double attack either way) So have to stay with my two bulky knives (found a couple of power mods, but used to make cerberus boots - very useful!). Hope to find more power mods to create a chainsword or two (frankly, a piercing knife might be a better choice, but Brute(2)+SoaB(4) means 10 extra damage per hit, and with two hits per action even Bruiser Brothers go down in three seconds, madly trying to get through my 75% melee resistance).

So Malicious Blades is viable once you get it going. So far only Nightmare Arachnotrons present some real challenge. Malek's and cerberus armor are quite good at keeping me protected from Viles, but not from the multitude of hits. My energy pistol as well as the newly found Anti-Freak Jackal fail to knock back those spiders all too often. Do they have any knockback resistance?

I'll keep digging...
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2011, 21:18 »

OK, won the save-scummed HNTR Ao100 Malicious Blades run. Once I assembled my sniper pistol, I just pumped everything into SoAG and SoAB - the knockback on the gun is incredible, as is the shooting speed. Towards the end of the game, assembled two chainswords and switched to them in easier situations (also having them both equipped by default since this was the only setup to which I couldn't switch instantly with Juggler). Killing a Shambler in 3 hits is hilarious (and Cyberdemon took only 1 or 2 more).
Still - it's a very luck-based and underpowered build at the beginning of the game. If you get an early assault or tactical shotgun you have somewhat better chances. Ditto for hyperblaster and/or assault rifle. Anything less and you are struggling.

Started non-savescumming HMP Ao100 Malicious Blades run. Got killed many times over, but my latest run seems to have switched to the better. After totally running out of medkits and armors, I found a Necroarmor, a couple of small medkits and advanced to Malicious Blades (with a detour to Whizkid(1) - got myself tactical shotgun, tactical launcher and hyperblaster) alive. I'm just one agility pack short of a cerberus armor (hated to start it from a regular green - ballistic vest, duelist or gothic armor would have been better). I don't have any fire resistance aside from the intrinsic yet, so still have to be extremely careful.
I have a Nano pack - now what the hell should I do with it? Armor assemblies are all cursed, boots are a joke (even though +80% walking speed is huge - can step into and out of Arch-Vile's sight range before it reacts). VBFG9000? Simply slap onto my cerberus armor after I get that? Just curious...
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rchandra

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2011, 01:09 »

Having a Nano pack and missing only the agility from the cerberus, I'd make nanofiber skin red armour or wait and slap it onto the cerberus green.  Or a rocket launcher.  With cerberus or fireproof armour plus malicious blades, you should be ok with using it a lot even in closer quarters.
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2011, 09:54 »

Went with your suggestion: slapped Nano on cerberus (found agility on level 21).  Will keep you posted. 95% fire resistance is huge!
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2011, 18:20 »

Died to a cave of Arachnotrons (damn, it seems to be a repeating theme for me).

Started a different build - Scavenger. Much easier to begin - EE(2) + Int(2) + SoaB and then towards scavenger gives you a much better killing speed early on. Assembled a tactical shotgun early anyway - extremely useful with Int(2) for constant shooting around the corners.
Got lucky by finding an onyx armor - made a cerberus out of it (infinite durability!) and slapped a power mod (+2 protection) on top. With TaN(3) (level 12!) makes Arch-Viles do only 1 damage. Neat!

Arachnotrons remain dangerous - multiple small hits are much worse with this setup than a single powerful one. The rest are much easier - I once spawned in the midst of several (6-7) Mancubi and a couple of Viles (berserkering, fortunately) and managed to emerge with less than 40% health lost. Rocket explosions wiped out the Viles pretty easily, and Mancubi are not known for great accuracy anyway :).

Oh, and got myself a sniper-modified high-power plasma rifle. Vlies go down in three volleys, Revenants - usually in one, Mancubi and spiders - in two. Since Scavenger blocks Triggerhappy, I decided against hyperblaster and am pumping SoaB now. Will assemble an assault cannon once I find/scavenge a firestorm pack.

Meanwhile got another sniper pack by disassembling a Trigun. Waiting for a rocket launcher and a few bulk mods to replace my micro-launcher. Or maybe will put in on the aforementioned assault cannon. Once I reach SoaB(5) it will kill faster than the high-power plasma. Or maybe I'll find a Minigun...
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IronBeer

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2011, 20:08 »

Or maybe I'll find a Minigun...
Assault Cannon's better than the Minigun. Just finished up an Ao100 run with a Demolition Minigun, and I must admit to being rather underwhelmed. Put that Sniper mod on your Assault Cannon, and make a ludicrous bullet death-laser. Just be sure to stock up on 10mil rounds and Ammo Chains...
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2011, 10:01 »

Thanks! Maybe I'll scavenge a firestorm mod from that Minigun when (if) I find it... So far all my scavenging yielded only sniper packs :(
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2011, 10:52 »

Yesterday I was going to post and complain that I still haven't see the damn firestorm pack in 83 levels, but then I carelessly left Doom running overnight only to come and find that my computer "was recently updated" :(.
I had a backup save on level 75, though, so I'm plowing right back, being slightly more paranoid about saving and backing up the game.

On the unrelated note - I was fortunate enough to find a Nano pack and, luckily, decided to create some gravity boots! Wow! They even accepted another agility mod on top of the assembly, bringing my move time down to 0.13 with cerberus and 0.09 with Necroarmor. Being able to step into a Vile's field of view and lob a never-missing grenade (as I already said, I was very lucky with sniper mods) at it before it can react is priceless :). Is it the most powerful assembly in the game? I'm not sure, but so far it definitely feels so.
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Zarin

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Re: Experimenting with Malicious Blades on Ao100
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2011, 16:24 »

Finally - a firestorm pack scavenged out of BFG10K on level 94!  Decided to make a storm bolter pistol - felt better than an assault cannon. Was slowly preparing for it for the last couple of levels with SoaG(2), so now should kill better and faster. Still have a couple of unused homing phase devices, so should be able to skip anything too dangerous (such as NM Arachnotrons caves) before level 100...

Well, just tried the pistol - killing Arch-Viles in two volleys! Lava Elemental went down in 4! Bruiser Brother - in 3! Revenant (with its bullet resistance) - in 2! All of this with 0.41 fire time (SoaG(2), Fin(1) + SoaB(5)). Even my sniper high power plasma rifle can only match (except for Revenants - one volley is enough).
« Last Edit: December 15, 2011, 16:39 by Zarin »
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