Most powerful endgame battlemutant?
Just for theorycrafting fun, what's the most insane direct combat setup using mutation attacks?
- Use of the debug menu is fine for testing, just don't use debug mutations obviously. This is not about how to realistically obtain the final setup in a legit playthrough.
- The main damage source must be mutation attacks. In practice that means (mostly-)unarmed melee.
- Gear and CBMs are fine as long as they do not displace a combat-relevant mutation. No reliance on power armour (but if you somehow come up with a build which already excels naked but can still wear it that'd be insane!)
- Base C:DDA content only, no extra mutation paths not included in the base game. Feel free to mention if any of the bundled mods enhance the loadout though.
- Similarly the setup should not rely on bonus stats from StatsThroughSkills, StatsThroughKills or the like, nor pumping up a Freeform character's stats. Additionally showing off with those for fun big numbers is fine.
- For simplicity's sake set all skills to lvl 10, as an insanely powerful combat monster you should be able to get there eventually.
- I'm on the Experimental build from ~16.-17.10.2021
Unfortunately I don't think mutants have any real way of dealing with a bullet hose in a straight 1v1 on an open field. Maybe a very lucky Chimera. Or fire up the CBMs of course, I don't think Time Dilation, Uncanny Dodge or Night/Cloaking conflict with anything. Here are my observations so far:
- Speed is key. Both because you are melee, and because there is no balancing mechanic between attack rate and the damage dealt by mutation attacks. Movement speed isn't as important, but Quick, the Synaptic Accelerator CBM and temporary action point boosts are great. Debug still grants the Centipede martial art which also reduces attack cost, but anything with Rapid Strike-style techniques should work too.
- It seems we don't unlearn "spells" unlocked via mutations upon losing the prerequisite mutation, at least via debug. The only somewhat useful one I've found is the leap.
- Activated attacks seem pretty weak unfortunately, Assault Barbs basically is "throw rock".
- Most mutation attack procs suck! Low static damage with a random activation chance. The strongest ones are Toe Talons (4x STR as Cutting), Bombadier Beetle Blast (15 + 2xSTR as Heat) which also doesn't seem to consistently apply a Thirst cost, and surprisingly Harpoon Tongue (15 + 3xSTR as Piercing) which means you'll want to become a post-threshold Gastropod but keep your bony legs. And also have a naked torso.
- Post-threshold Ursine gets +7 strength from Huge+Insanely Strong, this does not seem to make up for the powerful Harpoon Tongue in practice.
- Chimera has access to Large, Saber Teeth (25 + 1xSTR as Piercing, weaker than Harpoon Tongue but still pretty strong) and Hyper Metabolism which probably is more useful in actual gameplay. Then again Repair Nanobots exist and don't seem to conflict with any mutations either.
- Batrachian (frog) gets the weaker Whipping Tongue (15 + 2xSTR as Bash) and the Crushing Leap "spell" which might combo with a martial arts technique for a powerful alpha strike. The spell has a >40% failure chance for me though so that's no good.
So, what can you come up with? Have I missed any hidden gems in hardcoded effects? Can you kill a Shoggoth in a single attack action with your bear hands? And yes, anyone actually playing the game legit should just go Hoofs/Toe Talons+maybe Beak/Fangs and a martial art.
Posted Oct 17, 2021, 10:03 PM UTC
149
Mutations shine in their utility and benefits they grant you both in and out of combat rather than direct fighting prowess and thats how i utelise them so i know i come from the wrong direction
Well i would go for post threshold medical for many reasons. Acid blood punishes anyone who manages to hit you, acidproof trivializes many annoying enemies, infection immune is good for when you get bit, masochist lets you benefit from the pain both from attacks and self cauterising. Deadend is broken by removing pain which is a silent killer and fast healer is quite good.
Besides the medical mutations i like having bird wings since i can drop as many floors as i want and it makes urban movement and combat significantly easier since many of your chock points are removed and instead can be used to funnel enemies into.
A tail is quite good since its generally more beneficiall than the clothes it restricts you from using unlike horns which prevents helmets and can end you, i generally prefer bash damage since it effects ALL enemies and this is important since most mutation attacks dont use bash damage besides maybe your fists themselves.
You have already mentioned really all the directly combat mutations and it seems to me that you aim for a direct face to face fighting so i cant really suggest more (especially since im on stable) as most other combat mutations aim for a diffrent play style. Good luck
I deliberately restricted this to direct combat prowess, also because in the debug/savescumming/"endgame" context you can kinda just grab everything across different lines. Slime is similar to Medical but trades the pain negation for situational utility and gimmicks, all the other good Medical stuff is pre-threshold.
Tails are interesting. Mutants can start with +4 dodge that way and the stinger deals decent damage but later on you'd want the option of squeezing into a power armour, hazmat/ANBC suit, layered kevlar or the like. Basic horns don't restrict helmets but they deal very little damage.
What exactly do you mean here? Bashing armour seems to be reasonably common and I can't think of anything that's outright immune to cutting/piercing. Skeljugs are just a pain overall. If needed hooves+frog tongue are bashing attacks.
I tend to use my weapons as both a side arm to my guns which i more commonly use as well as full weapons. By guns i mean bows so i need a bash type weapon to deal with the heavily armored enemies. But in general to me it seems that bash is more usefull than the rest. But maybe im wrong
seeing as my last good run ended with me surrounded by hounds of tindalos that i couldn't kill fast enough with my monomulecular, i recognize i need to have a good bash option on hand. they couldn't even get through my armor. i was just trapped 3 tiles from the stairs!
Kinda yeah. These short of scenarios are why i've gotten a bash damage
How did i mutate so many times and didnt think of this 😱