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With her ability to open all doors, she saves tons of time moving around maps without having to find guards. That's great in and of itself. But, I feel, adding her paralyzer as well gives players too much leeway to knock out guards, especially on the early maps. I can't justify replacing her with anybody on my squad simply because those two skills make snagging prisoners or busting vaults too easy.

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I also agree that Banks is the strongest of the agents, but I do not think that any of the agents are "too strong". For an agent to be "too strong" it seems like they would need to guarantee victory at least some of the time.

 

I would argue that the other agents are too weak. They each have their strengths. Deckard has extra movement and cloaking. Internationale has wireless. Shalem11 has a rifle. Banks has a passcard and paralyzer.

 

I always use Banks and Internationale, but I also really like Deckard. I think Shalem11 is worthless because killing guards should always be a last resort and just ends up making things harder and more expensive.

 

In this game, time is key. Banks allows you to save time by going through doors without having to find a passcard. Internationale allows you to see through walls and hack cameras earlier which gives you information about guards and layout. Deckard moves farther and can sneak past stationary guards. All of those abilities save time.

 

If any adjustments are to be made I would argue for improving the other agents rather than nerfing Banks.

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Toss another vote in for boosting the other agents rather than nerfing Banks. Her ability, like Internationale, is interesting and unique. You can buy a cloak (it's not cheap, but still) leaving Deckard with just two extra move points (not really that great.) And I've never even used S11, to be honest. I would do it if it were a tranquilizer, but then it's the same as Deckard: starting with something you can buy later. And with the nerfed melee tranq, S11 really is just awful.

They both need unique, non-replicatable abilities like Banks and Internationale. Something distraction based for Deckard, maybe, in keeping with his stealth theme, and for S11 a ranged tranq that's on cooldown rather than consuming ammo? Just ideas.

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Totally agree about S11. Unless you get the gear that doesn't trigger heart monitors on kills, you only use his particular skillset when something has gone horribly wrong.

 

If you're near the end of a mission, he can help you pick up a few safes or other things any other character would leave behind.

 

His advantage is situational, but when it comes in handy, it can be a bigger game-changer than Banks' ability. Less consistent, more powerful.

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I think Banks is too strong, because both of her abilities are very useful. In fact I think opening door is better than paralyzer. Paralyzer can be relatively easy to obtain (there are quite a few missions where you can break-in to Nanofab facilities). Opening door can often be invalueable as not always you have the option to steal a passcard from the guards (although there are situations where Deckard can do it).

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Actually, after playing earlier versions, I feel possibly the latter or bump the other agents up slightly. All agents should have two active abilities that have some continuous use (IMHO) However, it's also possible to simply make some of Banks' abilities weaker contingent on finding items/augments she must purchase to have her "true potential."

 

But honestly, I think we all need to play more than a few hours before we make an overall judgement if she (or they) should have their talents go up or down.  When we start completing the story mode regularly, then we'll have that skillset to make these judgments. 

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I agree that it isn't that banks is too strong, just that the others are too weak.

 

Deckard is probably the least useful. Having starting stealth is nice, but the early missions are the ones where you can afford to have less, and the cloak isn't really unique.  It's just an item, and not quite strong enough to justify him as a pick.

 

Salem at the very least is a nice "everything is wrong" option.  I don't often use the gun, but when you do it's usually the only option that'll save you(and honestly I can't even do the rescue missions withoutt killing a few guards. That 5AP and no sprint is just killer.)  Also the extra inventory slot helps early.

 

Internationale has two completley unique skills that are amazing.  Finding a camera in a room you didn't know was there(i almost always end my turns 1ap short so i can get a scan) can help so much with planning a level and heading in the right direction, and that wireless power pull helps a ton.

 

Banks, as mentioned, is just good.  Door unlocking helps both her and the teammate while making missions shorter and safer.  The paralyze is one of the only ways early game to actually handle maps with large amounts of guards, and the anarchy start means she can still make you money off guards without knocking them out and losing the patrol pattern.

 

Ideally I'd like it if deckard got something actually unique to him, and for salem, i really think the fact that each bullet costs 200 is already a huge deterrant, and would love it if early game guards didn't all start with a heart monitor(maybe some would, but not all of them, and then ramps up with time).

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[Deckard and S11] both need unique, non-replicatable abilities like Banks and Internationale. Something distraction based for Deckard, maybe, in keeping with his stealth theme, and for S11 a ranged tranq that's on cooldown rather than consuming ammo? Just ideas.

 

I really like this idea. If S11's gun had a cooldown then I might consider him. Although I also think his melee attack should not be gimped. Also, how about Deckard starting with the Ping ability to distract guards?

 

I also agree with the posters that mentioned the thing that define Banks and Internationale cannot be purchased.

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Deckard's cloak has a shorter cooldown than the standard cloaking rigs.

Deckard starts at level 2 stealth (9AP), but has 10AP.

 

Shalem 11 starts with the ability to permanently eliminate a threat.

Shalem 11 starts with the ability to hit enemies at range.

Shalem 11 starts with the ability to pierce armour.

 

Banks starts with the ability to keep KOs down for longer, on a cooldown.

Banks starts with the ability to bypass locked doors.

 

Internationale starts with the ability to hack items at range.

Internationale starts with the ability to scan for nearby hackable items for 1AP.

 

Every time I start to think the character I've been using most is OP, I switch to someone else and notice something new that makes me think the other character is OP. Everyone is OP. And when everyone is OP, nobody is.

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Actually I think Bank is the worst of four. Because she is arguably slowest and time is of the essence.

 

You don't need ability to bypass locked doors if you don't know level layout. Exploration of level most likely will take same amount of action points even if you don't go through locked doors. On the way back you most likely will have an access card anyway and will be able to take shortcuts if needed. Her ability is only useful for technology missions, where the safe is behind locked door.

 

Her 2nd level in anarchy slows her down. At the start of the game it is quicker to shock guards ASAP then to try avoid them. Three guards cant snowball on you.

 

Tranquilizer is not that useful because again, you don't really know if you want to tranquilize this particular guard if you don't know level layout. And if know the layout you can probably escape guards, which are actively searching for you. 

 

 

Where is:

Shalem 11 can dispatch enemies with armor from the distance with no cool down for $200. So you can play very aggressively disregarding possible patrols. Which works nice when exploring a level of any difficulty.

Deckard run further then anyone. Can bypass and neutralize stationary guards without luring them out and waiting for them. Which works awesome when exploring a level. 

Internationale doesn't need to spend AP access consoles and can access consoles in guarded rooms, which saves time. Moderately useful at the begging but is a lifesaver in later missions. 

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Actually I think Bank is the worst of four. Because she is arguably slowest and time is of the essence.

 

You don't need ability to bypass locked doors if you don't know level layout. Exploration of level most likely will take same amount of action points even if you don't go through locked doors. On the way back you most likely will have an access card anyway and will be able to take shortcuts if needed. Her ability is only useful for technology missions, where the safe is behind locked door.

 

Her 2nd level in anarchy slows her down. At the start of the game it is quicker to shock guards ASAP then to try avoid them. Three guards cant snowball on you.

 

Tranquilizer is not that useful because again, you don't really know if you want to tranquilize this particular guard if you don't know level layout. And if know the layout you can probably escape guards, which are actively searching for you. 

 

 

Where is:

Shalem 11 can dispatch enemies with armor from the distance with no cool down for $200. So you can play very aggressively disregarding possible patrols. Which works nice when exploring a level of any difficulty.

Deckard run further then anyone. Can bypass and neutralize stationary guards without luring them out and waiting for them. Which works awesome when exploring a level. 

Internationale doesn't need to spend AP access consoles and can access consoles in guarded rooms, which saves time. Moderately useful at the begging but is a lifesaver in later missions. 

Do you mind to tell me how is she slow? Everyone (expect Deckard) starts with 8 AP...

 

Unlocking doors is very much useful early on and later on as well. It means you don't have to go on looking for a passcard, you can even use her extra anarchy point to steal a passcard to her team mate without knocking a guard down.

 

Her paralizer saved my a** so many times I can't even... It lets you deal with a guard for 5 turn and procede to somewhere else entirely.

 

I just find it funny that you find her slow when all the other agents are too. But that's your opinion. My opinion is that Shalem 11 is the worst, but that's just because he doesn't suit my playstyle, I avoid guards whenever I can, I can buy an armor piercing gun in a shop and I don't really care about his extra inventory slot.

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I'm liking Shalem 11 a lot. Starting with a ranged weapon that pierces armour and completely removes a threat for $200 and +2 on the alarm counter if very good imo. Great for getting rid of a special guard like an enforcer off the bat, plus having immediate access to over-watch is nice. 

 

Now that I've fooled with Banks, she seems fine. Being able to open locked doors at will is great and the paralysis serum being applicable only on knocked out opponents seems fair. 6 turn cool down doesn't seem too bad, that's a full cycle and a half on the alarm counter. At worst, maybe make it 8 turns?

 

Deckard starting with a cloaking device, +1 into what is probably the most important skill in the game and an innate +1 to stealth is nice too. He's not as fancy as the others, but he's the best at what he does. :-)

 

Internationale has the device scan and wireless hack to get at console through walls, very nice as well.

 

I'm liking the overall character choices. Nobody seems too weak or too strong atm, and you can mix and match according to play style and preference.

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I think Banks is the best agent currently, being able to open locked doors straight away is a pretty big advantage when you consider that locked doors can often get around stationary guards, lasers and infrared fields, as well as being able to get into the locked room on Security Dispatch missions.

I use Deckard a lot because I like having cloaking and extra AP early in the game, but later on those become a lot less useful with better cloaks and the fact that with the same stealth level he's only got 1AP more than other agents. Basically he gets less useful as the game goes on whereas Banks and Internationale stay useful.

 

I can't really comment on Shalem11 because I haven't used him much, I get by just fine without killing so I'd rather not have someone with a inferior disrupter.

 

I think each agent pairing should lean towards certain play styles, and that individual agents should lean towards certain builds, at the moment I don't feel the agents are different enough for that. I'd like to see agents with qualities as different as the characters in Don't Starve or maybe even Borderlands.

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Banks and Internationale both have unique abilities. Future agents should follow this model.

 

Starting with a lame rifle or with +2AP and a lame clocking device does not make for it at all unless you restrain other agents from using those items later on.

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It is like, super rare, that locked doors are placed in the meaningful way.

 

Well, all I can say is that I've used locked doors in a meaningful way enough times to want to keep Banks on my team, especially in the later parts of the game when your inventory is full of equipment and a pass card would just take up a slot that could be carrying Net Downlink or Stim III or whatever instead.

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I agree that Banks is incredibly useful, but my only quarrel with her is how 2 of her drawing points really clash with each other.

 

She has the tranquilizer, which is a nice bonus to being able to taze guards early in levels and essentially stalling out an entire alarm cycle before they wake up and start searching.

 

But then she has innate lockpicking and a second level in Anarchy to unlock stealing un-downed guards. With any other set of agents I try to take the second level in Anarchy ASAP so I can gain access to the level faster(pickpocket card keys) without having the guards deviate from their patrols.

 

With Banks I essentially see that perk as just a free inventory space because despite her easy access to pickpocketing card keys, she doesn't need them.

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Well, you're not guaranteed to find card keys on a guard that you pick-pocket afaik. So, having innate lock-picking can be very useful, which also carries over on missions. I feel like the second level of anarchy is just for the cash bonus.

Second level of Anarchy unlocks pickpocketing conscious guards and the use of the Anarchy items "Buster Chip" and "Paralyzer". You don't gain the 25%/50% until ranks 3/4 respectively.

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Second level of Anarchy unlocks pickpocketing conscious guards and the use of the Anarchy items "Buster Chip" and "Paralyzer". You don't gain the 25%/50% until ranks 3/4 respectively.

 

Yeah, I should have been more specific. By cash bonus, I meant being able to pick-pocket guards without knocking them out. I completely forgot about the item requirements though, thanks for the reminder.

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