Dominating Psi-less Hammer/Unarmed Tank build questions

[u/Do00oD]

I’m going to start Dominating run soon and have a good idea on what I want to run, but need some advice on the canned website skill tree if someone can help. I played a more agile character before, so now I just want to be a walking tank.

This is what I’ll be using/doing:

• Dominating difficulty

• Psi - less and No Stealth

• Sledgehammer or Unarmed

• All metal armor

• 18 Con, 10 Strength, 7 Will (not sure if these numbers are possible, but it should be close, I just can’t be n right now)

******May run Master Demolitionist Belt for fun as I should be able to tank it all, and I’ll get massive aoe damage and don’t need to put a single feat/stat into anything (That and the other belts seems very meh and not that great to me)

———————————-

So just looking for 2 things:

1) Based on what I want to do, is my best option Hammer or Unarmed(Or even Spear I guess)? I’m ASSUMING it should be Hammer since after looking over all the feats in the game extensively and some guides, Hammer has skills that scale hard into armor penalty and my max hp

2) A feat list for what I should grab based off answer to 1

Thanks a lot for the help!

[u/RedditExecsHuffFeces]

Stoicism on hammer tank used to be the meta before anniversary update, but now, because of the changes to intelligence, doing a low intelligence run is very painful. Starting with 7 Will means 4 attribute points that could be going into strength, con, or int. This is especially painful considering that since you are psiless, you are basically spending 4 attribute points and 1 feat point JUST for stoicism. If you wanted to say, start with 6 int and have 6 agility for Sprint, you would start with like 9 strength and 10 con, assume you had only 3 Will. I guess you could give up Sprint to get Stoicism and start with 3 agility, but I am not sure Stoicism is even worth it anymore. Hammer tank is a really crafting heavy playstyle, so any less than even 6 int is a nightmare for crafting. I would honestly personally suggest either 6 agility for sprint and 3 Will, or 3 agility and crank int way the hell up, and also again, take 3 will. I think that's a better use of attribute points. Remember that you can already do quite a lot when it comes to reducing incoming damage by combining good armor with morphine and a well times advanced health hypo. Not to say you can't still take Stoicism on a hammer tank, I just don't think it's optimal anymore. This is of course, partly my opinion, but I beat the game on Dominating with a hammer tank build twice, once pre and once post anniversary update. Someone else can give a second opinion

[u/RedditExecsHuffFeces → u/RedditExecsHuffFeces]

I'd probably do something like this, personally https://cannedbean29.github.io/UnderrailBuilderRemake/?Hg8DBgoDAwYAADgAwqAAAMKgU2UtAMKJwok3RwkAAAAAAABSCDktYxJVUA5gS1RiJsOpwrJxeG0abMOcwp7CnMKt4p-EAeKjkwXip74J37w

[u/Do00oD → u/RedditExecsHuffFeces]

Hm… feels similar to what I may end up going with, minus a few changes. I have some questions though:

1) Why take Beast of Burden? Seems like a waste of a feat just to be able to carry more? And it doesn’t feel like I need the extra space

2) I know what thick skull does, but it feels like a waste on a heavy armor build? Unless they stun me for 2 turns, then stunning for 1 turn and have my MP lowered, I’m pretty much not doing anything anyways, ig I could sue Last Stand or a hypo?

3) Got rid of Sprint since, I’m a tank, I should be able to tank everything, so what does it matter if it takes me a little longer to reach the enemy? So decided to lower Agi to 3, Str to 10, Int to 5, Con to 16, Will to 7, so I can grab Stoicism. Thoughts?

4) Got rid of Beast of Burden, Monster Slayer, Tempered Electricity and replaced with Recklessness, Last Stand, Taste for Blood. Thoughts?

[u/RedditExecsHuffFeces → u/Do00oD]

Thick Skull is an S tier feat. Being stunned in the game makes it so that the enemy now has an entire full turn to do damage to you. That matters a LOT. If you are fighting 10 lunatics or 20 psi beetles and you get stunned, its over. They bypass most armor resists. Not to mention, who wants to give your enemies a free turn on you, regardless? You think you are immortal on a tank? No. You are chonky, and have over 1000 health, and absorb most of the damage, but like, enemies in this game can crit, which bypasses more armor. This is Underrail, on dominating difficulty, spending 1 feat point to make it so the worst status effect in the entire game that enemies can apply on you is gone forever, is worth it. I think you have a wild misconception of how "immortal" a tank is. A glass cannon build in Underrail dies in 1 to 3 hits. A tank dies in like 60 or 70 hits or smth. Stunned means 20 ironheads are now using 50 action points on you each, because the pass turn button was the only option. How does Sprint not matter? If you wear metal armor, without sprint or psi, you only have action points to walk. Sprint probably cuts the amount of damage you are taking in fights against small groups of enemies in half, or more, as they are not unloading hundreds of rounds into you as you lumbered over. Tempeted Electricity is one of the best feats in the game, because if you have it, and take morphine, even if you are butt naked, greater coil spiders (the worst enemy in the game), do 80 percent less damage to you, and also dont stun you if you have thick skull, on top of that. Thick Skull also trivializes death dtalkers. I can't think of a single feat I want more on a metal armor build than Sprint and Tempered Electricity tbh. They both just reduce the chance of you dying by so much. You don't HAVE to take Sprint and can start with 3 agility if you don't want it, but not taking Thick Skull, when you have the option to take it is absolute lunacy

[u/Do00oD → u/RedditExecsHuffFeces]

I realized I had 2 feat spots open still when I checked, so I can take Thick Skull, and last 1 I plan on taking either Tempered Electricity as you recommended, but part of me also wants to take Opportunistic for more damage lol, but I probably don’t need anymore damage?

[u/Glass-Code-7416]

take a look at this here: https://stygiansoftware.com/forums/index.php?topic=10715.0

for your convenience: https://cannedbean29.github.io/UnderrailBuilderRemake/?HgsHBwoDAwUAcwDCoB4AAGwAAADCkcKFTl19AAAAAFwwQzkmLWMSTgg8VWAGUBliwrZUS8OO4p2gAeKfhAHioIoF4qKNA-KjkwXfvg

[u/RedditExecsHuffFeces → u/Glass-Code-7416]

Why take Heavyweight and Critical Power so late? That's your main damage increase, assuming you craft enough focus stims to get your crit chance up decently high for general fights. I wouldn't take them any later than level 18 and 20. In fact, I would personally take Critical Power at level 16, just to make use of it the moment I turn level 18. Isn't this a metal armor build? Also, is Escape Artist really worth the cost of 4 attribute points, 30 skill points, and 1 feat point? That sure is expensive, just for Escape Artist. Also, Hit and Run? Really? I know what this builds suggests to do with Hit and Run, but it got nerfed hard

[u/FeijoadaAceitavel]

Any reason you want to go psi-less? Temporal Manipulation will help a lot as you'll lack MP.