BD@Hell Striker Guide +Grenade and Drone

[danker]

Heyho

I try to translate


Foreword:
Striker needs to strike! All other thinks are secondary. If u can Strike BD@Hell u can strike everything.


1.) Attribute distribution:
a.) Accuracy
This is the most important Attribut! You should but evry posiple point in it.
Every point more in Accu brings u +2%CDB, only with this Attribute u can improve your dMG output.

b.) Strength
The Main BD Strikeset give u the maximal  feed, no other guns/set may have more StrFeed!

c.) Stamina
ONE Stamina gives u +5HitPoints, but take only us much StamPoints as u need for your gear

d.) Willpower
Same us Strengh, ur main BD-Strike-Set is your default.

Goal is around 600++ points in Accuracy, or 1500CDB.


 

2.) Weapons

If u cant strike u are nothing,  or at least not a striker.
To make a long and old story short, there are ONLY Cannonades for Strikers left!
No Bolters,  Gatlings, Thors, HUS or Huris!

a.) BD-Strikeset

-> 2x Cannonade:
Must Have Stats:
2x Splash 20-22% ; 1x Userate 7%+ ;

Nice Stats:
Krit ; CCM - Demon/Nekro ; DmgTo - Demon/Nekro; Increase ; Decrease Powercost ;

UsefullSkillaugs:
ExplosiveGrenade; Dronen Heal; Tactical-Mode ; Escape;

Bad augs/stats:
All with more Strengh feed as your Equip gives you.


-> Mods for Cannoades:
Splash (2x17% ideal); CCM Nekro/Demon; EleDmg


-> BD Splash Radius
You just need around 80% Splash on StrikeSet for BD, more Splash is more Strengh Feed. And with to much Splash mods you miss mods with mor ccm/dmg on.
Ideal is: 2x 22%Splash on Cannos plus two mods each 17%. If 78% is to low for u, u can take the 5% archivement to get 83%.


b.) BossDmgSets
2x Cannonade with CCM. CCM augs u need to reach Critcap.
Then ExplosiveGreande is the second important stat.
Userate, Crit next importen stats, then every other Dmg improve like CDB




3.) Equipment:

Most importen Stat on Equip is userate! You should have around 30%+
Userate = "increase userate of tactical skills", the userate cap is 36%.

a.) Helmet
Maverricks!

b.) Shoulders
If u need userate then:
i.) Asymetric Defenders! 4% -5% Userate

If you have around 30% userate then:
ii.) Engi Set Shoulders;  4% Amorepene
iii.)MiniSet; 2-4%Ele , 25%-45% CDB
iv.) Sues; 2% crit (Sues are the last choice!)

c.) Gloves
i.) "Duellos of the Duelist"; 3% crit - with 12% userate aug!
ii.) EngiSet Gloves; 1-2% crit - with 12% userate aug!
until you have non of the apovewith userateaug then:
iii.) "Berks Ringers"; 1-2% crit 4-7% userate

d.) Boots
"Grimsoles"; 2% crit, 4-5% userate

e.) Torso
If u need userate:
i.) "Heros Hafshell", 4-5% userate, 12-15% Dmg to Demon
First take off Asymetrics then Heros. Heros i would only take off if you have without 34%+ userate
ii.) any Stat-Torso

f.) Belt
Miniset Belt; 5-7% Userate, 5-9% Amorpene, 1-2% Krit.

g.) Pants
NO Bughides!!
Any Stat-Pants

h.) DyeKit, Ring, ...
Black Knight; Strenghen Darkmonach 3 Krit / 60-65CDB; Necklace 5 or 7AA ; "Bracelet of Brutality" 35Schildpene /Adds Dmg 5; Costuem 2-7AA ; CritPet 10%ccm  / 5% Amorepene.




4.) Skills
a.) Musthave Skills
Smackdown (7/7); Shock and Awe (7/7); Napalm Strike (7/7);
Haste Bot (10/10); Escape (3/7); PhasenGranade (10/10);Beacon (10/10)

For Haste Bot u can use ancastset to save Skillpoints.
Escape around 3 you need for parking the Messenger on BD.


b.) Bonus Skills
Drone ; Escape ;

c.) FAIL Skills
Rocket Bot; Bomber Bot; Nano Bot ; Spider Mine;


5.) Perks

i.) Surgial Precison-> 5% crit
ii.) Cruelity -> 14% DMG
iii.) Tranquility -> 260 Mana Regeneration
iv.) Affliction -> 28% EleAttack
v.) Improve WIllpower -> 180 mehr Mana
vi.) Toughnes ->140 Amore
vii.) Vigor -> 20% Sprint Cooldown


6.) Archivements 

i.) Krit 1% + 2%
ii.) Splashradius 3% + 5%
iii.) Attriubute 2x1AA, Stam/Accu/Str +5
iv.) Dmg to je Rasse 4% +8%
v.) Dmg 2x 2%
vi.) "Going around London" -> 20% MovementSpeed +1Sek Sprint Cooldown
(f.e. i use 1% crit; 2%crit; 5%Splash; Stam +5; Accu +5;)


7.) Drone
My Drone is my Castle!
Even on BD@Hell a good Drone can tank full Waves!

a.) Dronen Equip Skills:
Gun Retrofit; Sword Retrofit; Amore Retrofit

b.) Drone Equip
i.) Gun: "Yahtel's Fist" -> Armor 175
ii.) Sword: "Wart's Peg Leg" -> 160 Armor on+6 ; 188 Armor on +7; ...
ii.) Body Armore: Any Torso with a lot Amore (200+) AND HitPointBonus,  then AA and Stamina augs.
GRD-SetTorso is nice, but not the best choice without HPB aug on it.

c.) Drone Ancast:
Like Haste Bot you can use a "ancast set" for drone to save Skill points.
Ideal are 2x OnehandGuns with "Construct Drone 3" ; "Master Engineer 3" and  "Haste Bot 3".


d.) Drone Hack:
U need two Skill Retrainer, take first and but all Skill into the three Drone-Retrofits. This give you a lot of Attribute for equip the drone. After equip your drone, use second Skill Retrainer an take only us much Skillpoints into the Three Retrofits that u just have all activ. If you now call your drone, all Equip is in use. Every time u use now Attribute Retrainer, but all points in Stammina.


e.) Dronen Gameplay:
Drone depends on how many Bonus Skillpoints u have, serious Engis should have all +20.
With Ancastset u should have MasterEngi and ConstructDrone 10/10, then u can but all left SkillPoints int "Medpak Retrofit". Drone Heal is very usefull to keep Party alife.
 The next usefull DroneSkills would be Tactical /Advance Tactical Mode, it increase DroneHeal (but withou 1AS Helmet u dont will have Skills left for this).


8.) Dmg-Formula

On the right Formula for Strike and Grenade i am still working, at moment its:
(((SkilDMG+Gun1)*0,6)+((SkilDMG+Gun2)*0,6))) * ( ele_multiplikator) * (dmg_multiplikator)
...but there are some problems with reality  xD :3

Btw DmgTo and increase is still not first choice, but its works with Cannos (other then on Bolters). With +7 Cannos and without any more Crit or CCM on Cannos then MainEquip u can to BD@Hell solo, so keep in mind: Cannos are not just better Bolters!


....................................................end of line ................................................

Hope its helpful for some to have an more up to date Guide.

And if you still life behind the moon and you use Bolters/Gatlings then watch this and think about:

That Kill ist Strike and Phasengrenade without extra explosive grenade stat on Cannos (three month old Vid - today i am stronger) and without multishoot ... just to prove a little that i know what i am talking about. (even i am still a noob )

[Bryan]

Great guide Danker,and truth be told it was a needed update

[micropanther]

Fantastic guide Danker, tyvm    What would you guys suggest gear-wise for a Strike Engineer as they level?  Wear what they find?  Or should I invest in something specific to help me as I level?  I only ask because I've seen people 6+ bolters with low level augs at low levels.  Or should I save my palla for later?

Thanks for any help!

[Bryan]

Heya,welcome aboard

Armor-wise,I'd suggest going for stat pieces and the cheaper crit pieces (Duellos/Eyes,possibly SuE and Kaiser's).As long as a piece is not of-little-benefit-and-ambiguous-cost,such as huge Stamina feeds,then it's most likely a low-risk choice.Might even be beneficial,in cases such as Lanzer's,for instance.

Weapon-wise,those players want a grinding edge so as to blast through levels.What can suffice for that much is,in leveling order:

-To start off,low-enchant bolters with +radius augs/mods.
+Crit and +enchants aren't useless,but having little base crit and base damage,respectively,renders these properties secondary.

-By lv20,one has access to Stonehenge.If previous sets don't suffice,a good way to go for lv20 to 40-50 is +radius and +crit/possibly desired ccm.
Base crit may make some difference,as one builds up their base crit.Ccm against the caste one goes after may be of more use once a foundation is laid,however.At 10% base crit,a simple +50% ccm mod yields 5% crit,as opposed to the bare 2% mod variety.

-At lv50,I'd suggest creating a set that can carry parties through Hell Shadow Pass or Harrow Deep.If an earlier set does not suffice,a +6 set of bolters with +radius,+ccm and possibly +base crit/use rate surely should.
Choosing bolters over cannonades yields lower base damage,but the 4 extra mod slots ensure a critcap through ccm mods.If one can gather them,4 ele/50 ccm mods would be of much use as well.

Then of course comes Danker's guide

[goaliepunisher]

Fantastic guide Danker, tyvm    What would you guys suggest gear-wise for a Strike Engineer as they level?  Wear what they find?  Or should I invest in something specific to help me as I level?  I only ask because I've seen people 6+ bolters with low level augs at low levels.  Or should I save my palla for later?

Thanks for any help!

I thank you as well, Danker.  This gives me some points to tweak on my engis.  Micropanther, your question about leveling and +6 bolters can be answered a couple of different ways.  It will really depend on whether you want to speed-level or if you will be running the quest/ storyline and leveling as necessary.  At low character levels I don't think it will matter too much if you have bolters vs cannonades (grenadiers for less than item level 37).  I have seen a former guildie (strikerDon) create an engi and get to level 50 in less than 3 hours using a couple tricks and one 300% exp pack.  He used a pair of Illiasters until he hit level 37, then he switched to cannonades. 

Cannonades are better than Bolters for doing damage.  The videos I have seen of the first Hell Darkan kill in Base Defense, the strike weapons were Cannonades.  Generally speaking, the best weapons for the end game boss will also be the best weapons to use in lower parts of the game as well.  Now, there are some exceptions to the general rule.  Really good augs and mods can make a bolter better to use in some instances than some cannonades.  I picked up a high level XM43 Bolter (don't remember exact ilvl, but I think it requires clvl 53 to wear) that had +17% splash radius.  I put 3x +17% splash radius fuels and a +cdb% tech on it and it gives slightly better cdb% than one of my regularly used cannonades.  I put that Bolter together purely for splash radius. 

If you follow Danker's suggestions for the most desirable attributes for weapons and armor, you will do well.

[goaliepunisher]

Heya,welcome aboard

-By lv20,one has access to Stonehenge.If previous sets don't suffice,a good way to go for lv20 to 40-50 is +radius and +crit/possibly desired ccm.
Base crit may make some difference,as one builds up their base crit.Ccm against the caste one goes after may be of more use once a foundation is laid,however.At 10% base crit,a simple +50% ccm mod yields 5% crit,as opposed to the bare 2% mod variety.

-At lv50,I'd suggest creating a set that can carry parties through Hell Shadow Pass or Harrow Deep.If an earlier set does not suffice,a +6 set of bolters with +radius,+ccm and possibly +base crit/use rate surely should.
Choosing bolters over cannonades yields lower base damage,but the 4 extra mod slots ensure a critcap through ccm mods.If one can gather them,4 ele/50 ccm mods would be of much use as well.

Then of course comes Danker's guide

I totally agree on Bryan's statement above for lvls 20 - 50 having crit and ccm for a caste.  I have a level 12 grenadier that has beast ccm and crit on it and it carried me well from lvl 20 to lvl 50/15.  I also agree on the lvl 50 equipment.

My only disagreement is on the difficulty setting.  I have been going back and forth on the NM vs Hell grinding of SH.  StrikerDon did a LOT of testing in SH specifically in experience gained per run on NM and Hell.  His conclusions are NM is better for experience.  A first-room run in NM took him 20 seconds for the room to clear; Hell took 30 seconds.  I am using a round number for simplicity sake in the following example:  Say you get 1000 points for killing one monster on Normal.  On NM, killing this monster would get you 1300 (1000 + 30%) points.  On Hell, killing the same monster would get you 1500 (1000 + 50%) points.  At three NM runs per minute, killing each of those monsters would get you 3900 points.  At two Hell runs per minute you only get 3000 points.  Running Hell first room runs gives you just under 77% of the experience you could get from running in NM. 

I think if you have a really good set of cannons with splash, crit, ccm, cdb and ele, you could carry a party through Hell Shadow Pass or Harrow Deep.  I also think those same cannons would probably clear NM faster anyway.  I could be wrong though, as I have only one 55/50 engi and one 50/20 engi. 

Regardless if you agree with me and strikerDon about NM vs Hell  grinding... T3/Handbutt/whoever-is-restarting-servers-and-calling-it-maintenance is giving the extra 200% exp buff for the next few days (assuming it is the same as last year).  This WILL stack with a 300% exp pack as well.  Counting the 30% bonus for your green condition bar being above 50% and you're looking at 530% exp bonus.  This is a striker's dream!  Get to Stonehenge now!  Shadow Pass for full party with a runner to spawn the spectrals or Harrow Deep if no runner.  Last night in 65 minutes I completed 4 ranks (16-19) soloing Harrow Deep.

[micropanther]

Wow guys thanks so much for the in-depth replies!  And thank you for the welcome

Yeah I'm a slow leveller, and love doing the quest line.  I know it's repetative, but it's so addictive, as everything in HG is lol.

I have been keeping an eye out for bolters with your suggestions Bryan, and luckily for me a pair of SuEs dropped whilst I was on my Summoner in Hell mode.

Goaliepunisher, it sounds like it might be a good idea to hold on to a good pair of bolters, even if do succeed in getting Cannonades!  Maybe one for boss damage, and another set for trash mobs?

I got stuck in Hell last night, not just literally but in Hell mode because of bad lag.  In the first quest line, and found it a bit tough at my baby level.  I managed to get a Moyer's Resource (by some miracle I killed something in hell mode lol), which is fun for low levels.  The gun that is, not Hell mode hehe.  I prefer to quest in Nightmare, farm in Hell.

So I definitely agree with you about going for experience in NM, sounds like good common sense to me!

[Bryan]

I was just informed in-game about the Explosive Grenade skill (on weapons) increasing the Phase Grenade damage,apparently due to a bug/exploit.
Just mentioning it for the sake of info being out there.

[danker]

UsefullSkillaugs:
ExplosiveGrenade; ...

And not its not a bug/exploit, its just how HG working full legit. For example in old HGL u can use EscapeMaster on Engi passiv too.

To the mechanics behind:
ExplosiveGreande (EG) increase the base Dmg from PhaseGrenades, thats why its hugh real DMG increase.
That all greandes from MM works passiv on Engi figured module out very soon. But on EG  my sugestion was that ist only crapy "increase". (One of the points it turnt out that i some times a Noob )

The way EG works, brings my to modify my StrikeDmg Formula, but i still not happy with it. I did some callculation on the german board ... with short words +2EG on BossCannoSet is like +1 ForgeUpgrade. If u have 2x +8Cannos with +6EG it like u have 2x 11Cannos.

(On the Darkan Thread i have to write some thing more too, but was right busy last time, and just to play is more enjoymned then to write much for only few intrestet ppl :/ )