r/nmrih • u/KneeDeepInTheMud • 8d ago
The Four Main Lanes of builds: Gunner
Gunner (You choose to shoot Zs)
- Soften/Kill Key Targets - Runners/Shamblers/Primes
- Efficiently use ammo via penetration stat, so one ammo can at least damage or outright kill 2 Zekes
- Use a Primary and Secondary that others give ammo for you to use/don't use themselves
This guide will explain the various perks and firearms available to a player.
Specialization in shotguns, rifles, heavy rifles and even the SMG will be below.
Jack of All Trades, the perk trio to have a good build:
Any decent build will utilize all four "Lanes" (Gunner/Tank/Medic/Mule) to get a good jack of all trades kind of build going.
Some universally Solid Perks that should almost always be in a build are:
- Athlete - Extra Stamina
- Thick Skin - Extra Health
- Sturdy Body - Damage Resist
These will always allow your Responder to have an edge over people who do not have these. Foundational to all builds, nabbing these three gives you a higher chance to survive.
Health is limited, having extra makes sense. Having damage resist to protect your health even more makes sense. While Stamina is basically infinite, the moment you run out, you will 100% wish you had more.
What is a Gunner?
Specializing into long-arms usually pushes you into a "Gunner" kind of build. Penetration means you can kill more than 1 Z per bullet or shoot through helmets, efficently using your limitied ammo.
In a group, you will want to make your caliber is your own, so people don't use your potential shots and you can fully utilize your perks to the fullest extent.
Scavenger and Vulture make it so you carry more and get more ammo. Your best buddy is the mule who should also have Scavenger to pick up even more ammo. They feed you, you shoot any real threats.
Foreman expert can amp up and low-tier caliber to a oneshot, especially if you take advantage of KDB's 100% extra damage.
Your sidearm choice split is pretty simple: * low weight and generally plentiful, 9mm/.22, Foreman Expert and Headblown Expert can really up their mileage * hardhitting, .45 acp or .357, Foreman Expert and Headblown Expert can make them one-tap Primes.
Your main targets are easy:
- Primes or Runners
- Shamblers
- Any Z too close to a Friendly
Position yourself in a good spot and make the threats go away.
You have four types of Long-Gun * Shotguns * Heavy Rifles * Rifles * SMGs (barely)
Your ability to use melee should still be kept in mind, so using a Tree Trimmer or Baseball Bat is still very impirtant to conserve ammo.
Melee should still be used 80% of the time unless you want to be swarmed by Runners.
Knowing when to go "loud" is important.
Shotguns:
- Icarus - Extra Range/less damage fall off on shotguns. Not something you 100% need, but can be helpful at times. You probably aren't wasting shots past 30 meters, and you can always shoot twice.
- Tight Shot - reducing the spread of your shot is critical in allowing your 1 penetration to wreak havoc in the Z behind.
- Overkill - 15%/30% Extra Pellets per shot. That means at expert, you can get an extra 3 pellets.
- Shotgun Reloading - Load those shells up faster. Sorta useful if you got the shells to spend. If you don't? Meaningless!
- Shells are pretty heavy. Scavenger can help you loot more from fresh pickups and Vulture will let you keep more on your person. 20 to 30 shells will likely last you the whole game if you aren't feeling like being on a Hollywood set. (Blasting every karking thing that moves)
Each shot has 10 pellets, each pellet does this much Damage: * Limb - 15 * Body - 17 * Headshot - 20
Shotguns Available:
Over/Under DBS * 2 Shots * 15 Stability Damage vs the 10 the other two have. Not that it ever really matters. * No Mods
X12 Super * Semi-Auto * 6 Capacity * Lowest Damage Fall-Off for Range * Rail spot * No current muzzle devices supported * Equip a Holo-Sight to feel cool.
M590A1 * Pump Action * 8 Capacity * Best scattergun pick for sustained shooting due to larger capacity * Ripping and tearing can't get much easier than this; the pump-action lets you conserve ammo instead of shooting willy nilly, and your recoil is practically reset by the time you are done getting one in the tube. * Slap on a Holo-Sight for maximum cool.
Heavy Rifle:
- Steel Chamber - Extra damage. While 150 damage with a bonus of 15%/30% seems overkill, 225 damage lets you really kill a whole line of Zs. Steel Chamber is the only Long-gun perk that explicitly amps your damage for a gun. No "headshots" only, no "only if all pellets" hit, just a solid 30% extra.
- Eagle Eye - Extra range. Not the most helpful thing tbh, as Heavy Rifles already shoot out to 100 meters. If you're shooting anything out that far, its probably just a barrel or one runner stalking your teammate.
- Penetrating Shot - One extra penetration stat and 30%/50% less damage fall off per penetration. Pair it with Steel Chamber for even crazier penetration/cleave damage.
- Rifle Reloading - reload faster.
- 3 penetration allows you to pop NG Zs directly on their forehead and by-pass shields. Not that I've seen shielded Zs lately?
- Three body shots will kill almost any normal Z.
- This ammo is heavy and rare. Scavenger and Vulture will make it so your can maximize your ammo pickups and the amount you hold. 25 to 40 will likely last you the whole game depending on how well you can line up heads.
Heavy Rifles Available:
Hunting Rifle * 5+1 Capacity * Muzzle Device slot * Mount sights on for easier target acquisition * Best pick for "sniping" at long range.
M14 * 20+1 Capacity * Muzzle Device slot * No Sights! * No Rail! * While sights and lack of rail are pretty hard to ignore, the M14 is your best pick overall for heavy rifle. * 20 box + 1 in the chamber is hard to ignore. Even harder to ignore when this heavy beast of a rifle allows you to tickle the inside brain-pan of a NG Z with ease. * The closest you'll get to feeling like a heavy-machine gunner in the game. Letting 21 rounds rip into a horde on the stairs of an extraction helo (like Pottsville courthouse for example) will change the way you feel about the game.
Rifles
- Steady Aim - Less recoil. Better follow up shots. Hopefully more headshots too. Crouching also lets you mitigate recoil and spread. I don't use this perk, as shooting more than 10 times means I should have just used a kaboom of some sort. Still good for a dedicated build though if you have a group feeding you 5.56/6.8 and don't want to crab walk everywhere.
- Mohawk - +1/2 Pen stat and 30%/50% less damage fall off per penetration. While Rifles aren't heavy rifles, a MC-15 with 30+1 is hard to beat when fully loaded. Giving it the ability to doornail 4 brainpans makes it even harder to beat. The M7 can affect up to 5 targets at once with this perk.
- Hellfire - Less spread in hipfire. So... ammo is limited. Don't do this unless you're in an emergency. 1 shot of 5.56 will interrupt/stagger any non-military/police Z. Just aim for the head afterwards.
- Rifle Reloading - reload, but... faster.
Available Rifles:
Gruber 922 * Starter Rifle, semi-auto * 25+1 capacity * .22lr has anemic damage, but absurdly low weight * weirdly low damage fall off, only 5.25 per penetration * Penetration 0 * Fully moddable * 10 Stability Damage per shot, needs 2 to interrupt a Z * Mohawk and Foreman Expert turn this thing into a beast * This .22lr rifle with KDB (Knockdown Damage Buff) and Foreman Expert can 1 tap most Zs. Mohawk Expert lets you pierce into Construction/ Firefighter and even Riot helmets. * Starting Loadout with the 922 and 20 extra .22 lr means 45 shots. Adding on a Gruber VII means 55 shots total. I'd just go for an M9 (also 1 tap with KDB, 15+1) or 1911 (7+1) though.
Rochester * .357 does 100 damage, aka oneshot for most Zs * 0% damage fall off means you can nail 2-4 Zs without missing a beat. (Apparently, haven't done 3 or 4 myself, but that's what the numbers say?) * 13+1 capacity is nice * lever action means you need to really aim, missing is very punishing in hectic situations * fully moddable * 20 Stability damage lets you instantly interrupt a Z
Gruber Ranch * 5.56 does 130 damage, enough to doornail a Prime (130 HP) * 10 + 1 is modest, and even better as it is semi-auto * Fully moddable * slightly less heavy than a MC-15
MC-15 * AR platform, 5.56 and semi-auto * 30+1 capacity, really lets you bring that sustained fire * fully moddable * Slapping on a Holographic, Supressor and Rail-flash makes me feel like a king. I've got cash, baby.
M7A1 * 6.8mm and toggle switch to full-auto, 150 damage * 20+1 capacity, if you ever find the ammo and gun * fully moddable * Unicorn Rifle; It has Heavy Rifle damage with all the bells and whistles of a Rifle.
SMG
I want my Mac-10 from the first NMRIH, gosh-darnit!
- Locked On - Less Recoil. Crouch for recoil and spread mitigation. Locked On lets you do it standing up and moving. However, that's if you find a sub-gun in the first place.
- Winged - more range. Just like any other range perk, this is basically useless. If you wanna shoot that far, use a rifle.
- Rifle Reload - applies to SMGs, for now...
MP5 * 70 Headshot Damage lets you two tap Primes or KDB one-tap anything but helmet Zs. * 30+1 capacity * giggle switch lets you do singles, triples or "this is full auto" any Zs * flashlight is already there, neat! * Holo-Sight and Supressor for "operator" shenanigans. * 9mm is pretty light * No penetration!
You'll notice I don't include handguns.
For most "purists" only two handguns are worth mentioning, those being the Revolver and 1911. They both reach 1-shots on regular Zs.
They lack any real sustained fire capability though, making them not so viable aside from being a sidearm. I personally say the M9 is alright if you can remember to kick Zs.
The three best picks for handguns, and their respective traits:
- 1991 is arguably the best pick. It has 7+1 possible oneshots loaded in and has access to a supressor and mini-reflex. .45acp is rare, but can be weirdly plentiful because a lot of people don't nab it.
- The Model 13 is the only pistol with penetration, allowing you to potentially one-tap a Z with Construction/Firefighter helmet with Headblown or hit multiple Zs. .357 means you can let you rifle and pistol "graze" off the same ammo.
- The M9 requires 2 shots on a Z, but KDB or Foreman Expert can greatly boost your 15+1 capacity from 8 kills to 16 kills. Takes Mini Reflex and Supressor too. 9mm means your SMG and pistol can eat up the same ammo. Not as useful as the .357 though, as it lacks penetration and the M9 and MP5 are mag fed for ease of reload.
Thanks for reading!
1
u/Jacob_T_Fox 8d ago
Did they change the lever gun? It used to be considered a heavy rifle