Blades or Street Brawler differences?

[Ash//Fox]

I don't know which of these to use, with long range weapons the difference between a sniper and a shotgun are pretty easy to understand but why would I choose katana over baseball bat or vice versa? I'm sure the answer lies in the perks but what kinds of builds do you get for investing in one or the other?

[5ean5ean]

Im going to say this as simply as I can.... Blades is the best offensive skill tree in the game.

Only reason to pick street brawler over it is if youre 100% commited to a blunt playthrough.

Blades pretty much 1 shots everything with Judge, Jury, and Executioner and you can pretty much ignore body with Deathbolt.

Alot of Street Brawler perks are mostly stamina, stun, and blocking stuff. Just terrible when you can just straight up kill people instead. I honestly think Street Brawler needs a buff.

But i will say Guerilla is a really good final skill.

[ImHelping]

While it has been a while since I looked at blades? And if you don't care about "defaults to non-lethal"

Do you want essentially infinite stamina to keep hitting a lot of people, (up to 30% for strong attack finishing hits with brawler. Gorilla arms has a legendary "full stamina refill for beating someone with gorilla arm " mod) and tiny health regen for hitting things.

Or do you want baked into your skill tree (if gated at 18 reflex) 20% health back on blade kill, and being a big blender?

There is also how much you want to bother thinking about it. Blades is all "Hey you want to play with defensive manuvers?" while gorilla arms is "punch them, sometimes you can punch stronger." and (supposedly) let you ignore stat requirements to use big guns well.

That said, actually getting WEAPONS is a bastard for blunt. Even with endgame god tier crafting I can only make some ♥♥♥♥♥♥ knives, an uncomon trash baton. two iconic katanas, and then finally maxing out with "I lucked into finding a bat blueprint" and "I can't remember if legendary katana was max crafting or found in a chest."

99% of all dropped melee weapons even in the endgame revisiting the game, are random knives. So that favors blades in an awkward sense. with you screaming into the sky "Where are the blunt weapons!?" then opting against paying more than a sports car or cyber missile launcher arms for a sledgehammer at a vendor.

I love my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 1,000 damage per swing legendary crafted baseball bat. But oh my god, I relied on my robo fists until I could make my own bats for a reason.

[whatdoesthisbuttondo?]

Blades are quite flexible, if you look at cyberware that also counts as bladed weapons:

Mantis blades - obviously blades since it's in the name already, what is not so obvious is the leaping attack. There is one katana that has the same trait, but it isn't the best katana. And they auto-level with you, no need to upgrade.

Monowire - not in the name here, but it is also considered a bladed weapon. It has a huge range (for a melee weapon) and an attack cone, so killing multiple enemies with one strike is easily possible. Essentially, if you can kill it with your shotgun, you can kill it with the monowire. Not good for areas crowded with innocent bystanders. Also auto-levels with you.

[Rabidnid]

Blunt is really effective in 1 on 1 fights. All the cyber psychos and the first 4 BoB fights can be done with just 12 body and the stun perks. 12 body will also allow the fire proof cyberwear and the increased heal and stamina cyberwear.

you can probably also do the final fight with just the 12 body and the stun perks but I had 16 body and gorilla arms the 2 times I did it. but that did not require dodging or stamina perks because the fights last about 20 seconds.

[justfaded]

The extra range on katanas is very noticeable over knuckles.

[Rabidnid]

Originally posted by justfaded:

The extra range on katanas is very noticeable over knuckles.

Just use monowire, that removes heads at 7 metres.

[Emperor's Champion]

Originally posted by Ash//Fox:

I don't know which of these to use, with long range weapons the difference between a sniper and a shotgun are pretty easy to understand but why would I choose katana over baseball bat or vice versa? I'm sure the answer lies in the perks but what kinds of builds do you get for investing in one or the other?

Blades
Byakko
QianT Sandevistan Mk.4

That's all you need.

[Bloodartist]

Originally posted by Ash//Fox:

I don't know which of these to use, with long range weapons the difference between a sniper and a shotgun are pretty easy to understand but why would I choose katana over baseball bat or vice versa? I'm sure the answer lies in the perks but what kinds of builds do you get for investing in one or the other?

Blunt weapons and blades work basically the same. Both have a different oneshot K.O. animation. There is little difference, except that you can use your fists in the boxing-sidequest arc if you have improved your blunt weapons. They also use different stats (dex vs body).

Also blades benefit from Sandevistan, while fists/blunt benefit from berserk. Not exactly, but you get what I mean.

Originally posted by Emperor's Champion:

QianT Sandevistan Mk.4

That's all you need.

Im using Dynalar sandevistan. It lasts longer.

[Emperor's Champion]

Originally posted by Bloodartist:

Originally posted by Ash//Fox:

I don't know which of these to use, with long range weapons the difference between a sniper and a shotgun are pretty easy to understand but why would I choose katana over baseball bat or vice versa? I'm sure the answer lies in the perks but what kinds of builds do you get for investing in one or the other?

Blunt weapons and blades work basically the same. Both have a different oneshot K.O. animation. There is little difference, except that you can use your fists in the boxing-sidequest arc if you have improved your blunt weapons. They also use different stats (dex vs body).

Also blades benefit from Sandevistan, while fists/blunt benefit from berserk. Not exactly, but you get what I mean.

Originally posted by Emperor's Champion:

QianT Sandevistan Mk.4

That's all you need.

Im using Dynalar sandevistan. It lasts longer.

Dynalar is good, but I'm using Byakko which allows me to leap to targets from certain distance away.

I prefer QianT because it only has a cooldown of 15 seconds, you put 3 heat sinks into it and you bring the cooldown to 3 seconds. I'm practically never out of Sandevistan.

[popsicle]

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

Im going to say this as simply as I can.... Blades is the best offensive skill tree in the game.

No way. Hacking is by far the best offensive skill. And is not even close.

[Rabidnid]

Originally posted by popsicle:

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

Im going to say this as simply as I can.... Blades is the best offensive skill tree in the game.

No way. Hacking is by far the best offensive skill. And is not even close.

Yup, blades are good only because the AI does not block most of the time, and of those the monowire makes all other blades irrelevant. 7 metre range and the highest damage of any melee build.

Guns however are more flexible and blunt is most effective against single opponents because of the stun mechanic.

Overall though, Netrunner can drop every non boss in the game with a 10th the effort of any of the other damage forms.

[valera-wrx]

street brawler is better because it's perks can be used in street fights quests + guerilla arms give you +4 to body checks
while reflexes only give you damage nothing else, but even with all the nerfs damage is hardly an issue in the game

[ImHelping]

Raw damage per hit also still matters in various circumstances. My endgame baseball bats have over 1,000 DPS because they hit for over 1,000 per swing and break +55% crit damage bonus right now.

So I wonder if crits with them matter way more than a katana or mantis? The same way in my 20 body/6 reflex run my god tier non-iconic carnage shotgun has 1,400 DPS, but it is my 600+ (700+ without silencer) revolver that vaporizes skulls.

While counter intuitivley, lining up an execution style shotgun headshot on an optics reboot helpless target often only make them fall down almost dead (and on fire, usually). Same if I 'downgrade' to a tactician with a dot sight on it where 90% of the pellets hit their face.

Hmm, with mono wire less ♥♥♥♥♥♥ than at launch, might toy with a wire headshot build later (DOES the +25% headshot damage cybernetics apply for melee headshots?)

[popsicle]

Originally posted by valera-wrx:

street brawler is better because it's perks can be used in street fights quests + guerilla arms give you +4 to body checks
while reflexes only give you damage nothing else, but even with all the nerfs damage is hardly an issue in the game

I'll give you that. When I was developing my netrunning skill, my body never actually developed. And was struggling with those 1 on 1 street fight quest encounters.

[justfaded]

Originally posted by Rabidnid:

Originally posted by justfaded:

The extra range on katanas is very noticeable over knuckles.

Just use monowire, that removes heads at 7 metres.

Monowire is lame though. Imagine a buffed up cyberpunk twirling cheerleader ribbons.