How hard is Phobos supposed to be?

[Triacular]

I'm a free-to-play guy who is decent at the game. My adventures were brought to an abrupt halt when I got to Phobos. Here are the problems I ran into. Though I don't know it it's related to my computer, the servers, or the developers.

Corpus locks- takes up all spaces, some don't have valid combos, they keep kicking me out when there was still enough time.
Stealth- invisability via Huras Kubrow is getting me spotted, lazers enable when in the middle of dashing, alarms go off at random.
Bounties- can't damage most of the Grineer, sometimes things such as items don't spawn, one shot kills on low level missions. (As a result, I cannot obtain any frame parts)

[r-kid]

Phobos is still a starter planet so is easy.


Corpus hacks always have a solution.

Start with the outside, either 3 prong or wide 2 prong. Line up all the outer ring, then spin the centre to solve.

If you are really struggling, then buy the cipher blueprint from the market for credits. Build a good few and equip to your gear wheel. Then press y to auto solve the hack.


Generally if you are dieing easily or not doing damage on enemies then you need to look at your modding. All the power comes from your mods.

[[R] Nerva]

In addition to the above...

Huras Kubrow invisibility only activates when enemies are nearby and the Kubrow is close enough. Enemies can see you at ranges further than the Kubrow will activate invisibility. Huras Kubrow does nothing to silence your weapons - enemies hearing gunfire or who spot dead bodies or hear a ally hit the ground dead will run for alarms if they can't engage you directly.

Laser gates only enable if a camera sees you, or if you're in a spy mission inside of a vault; there's always either a way past them, or a way to shut them off by hacking a console or killing a camera. Better situational awareness and more thorough knowledge of the stealth mechanics will help you a lot; practice staying unseen on Spy missions, or maybe practice a Stealth mastery test if you've unlocked one.

Alarms never go off at random except in invasions or crossfire missions - in this case, it's not you setting off the alarm, it's enemies detecting other enemies that aren't of the same faction and setting off the alarm. At any other time, the alarm is going off because someone spotted you and got to an alarm panel, or you stood around in an aware camera's view for too long.

Bounties - enemy level is dependent on location. The further from Cetus an enemy is, and the closer it is to night time, the stronger the enemies get. The strongest enemies are out at night at the edges of the map. Just because a bounty is low-level doesn't mean you won't fight high-level enemies if you take the bounty at a bad time (like at night) or if it sends you deep into the map. Work on your modding, maybe see if you can get a friend or two to help.

[FourGreenFields]

Don't forget your frame's abilities either. Excalibur's Radial Blind can both buy you time, and allow you to do a finisher on tough targets (dealing massive damage). Exalted Blade deals loads of damage, and will quickly clear clusters of enemies (and only costs about 35-50 energy if you deactivate it afterwards). Mag can use Magnetise both to kill a specific target (dealing twice the normal damage against health), and for crowd-control (soaks up hostile fire, deals damage over time, explodes once done). Not sure about Volt, haven't used him yet.

With that you should be able to kill most foes quite fast, and you generally don't have to kill many enemies.


And as above, use the right mods. Especially "+X% damage", as those apply to all damage, including damage added by elemental mods. And don't forget to upgrade them.
Wiki-article tells you where to get them too:
Melee: http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Pressure_Point (dropped by loads of enemies)
Secondary: http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Hornet_Strike (mostly as a reward for doing well in missions, e.g. getting all 3 data-vaults in a Spy-mission)
Shotgun: http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Point_Blank (level 5-15 bounties on the PoE, stages 2 and 3)
Non-shotgun primary: http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Serration (mostly as reward for missions, just like Hornet Strike)

PS: If you have the choice between several elements, take a look at the damage-page of the Wiki: http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Damage_2.0
Look at the overview table. E.g. if you're fighting Grineer with a weapon that deals mostly slash-damage, it'll do relatively poor vs alloy-armoured foes. Radiation or cold damage will help against them (or you could use e.g. Viral, because nearly all Grineer units have "cloned flesh" anyway - but 75% bonus vs health is worse than 75% bonus vs armour, because the latter also ignores 75% of the armour)

[jonnin]

you are still in the early game but you have gotten to the point where not having (good, ranked up) mods matters. What frame and primary gun are you using?

[Triacular]

Originally posted by jonnin:

you are still in the early game but you have gotten to the point where not having (good, ranked up) mods matters. What frame and primary gun are you using?

I use Volt, and my primary gun is the MK1-Braton. But I mainly use my Dual Heat Swords and Lato pistol, along with using my powers to kill several at once and turning invisable via Huras Kubrow. I do use upgraded mods, using some to mix elements, currently upgrading invisability range to sneak up on enemies better.

[jonnin]

great. volt's shield is nice, extra damage and defense. use that and it may help some.
mix up corrosive for grineer.

sneaking, unless playing ivara, is not really something to focus on. You can do it for fun, but don't burn a lot of resources or waste time on it. Its a lot faster, and a lot less trouble, to use say a CC diriga... he can shock/stun (and with coolent leak, freeze too) nearby enemy, so a quick movement burst to fling yourself on top of them then chop chop is faster and just as effective as trying to sneak up on them. The faster you clear each mission, the more stuff youll get, and volt's speed lets you dash in fast anyway.... Regardless, sneak if you want but pay attention to it and make sure you are not wasting too much effort on a minor game mechanic.

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by Triacular:

Originally posted by jonnin:

you are still in the early game but you have gotten to the point where not having (good, ranked up) mods matters. What frame and primary gun are you using?

I use Volt, and my primary gun is the MK1-Braton. But I mainly use my Dual Heat Swords and Lato pistol, along with using my powers to kill several at once and turning invisable via Huras Kubrow. I do use upgraded mods, using some to mix elements, currently upgrading invisability range to sneak up on enemies better.

I'd recommend to get some new guns. Mk1 Braton and Lato are both available from the tutorial, and there are better weapons out there (allthough it won't make that much of a difference, but at the very least it'll help grind mastery-ranks).

Lato isn't that important to replace (seems to be decent enough now that I check the stats), but you might want to try other stuff too (e.g. Furis has worse ammo-economy, but more damage per mag at same DPS; Lex can be used somewhat stealthily, with damage mods and Suppress).

The primary I'd definitely replace though. The following should be easy enough to get for you:

• Braton (non Mk1) is much better (lower accuracy, but still accurate at most ranges; more DPS, same damage per mag, better ammo-economy).
  
• Boltor deals slightly more damage still, but projectiles have travel time.
  
• Latron if you prefer semi-auto, Burston for burst fire.
  
• Strun (again, non Mk1) is a good shotgun if you want one, and actually useable at range (allthough it deals only 60% damage, most pellets will still hit).

[techparadox]

If you think Phobos is rough, you're going to hate yourself when you get to Jupiter. :D

In all seriousness, though, based on what you've said your big problem is your weaponry and mods. Mag isn't a bad frame to work with, but the majority of the increased damage you're needing to be dealing comes from the mods you stick on your weapons, frame, and companions. I would advise the following general points:

* If you have mastered the Mk-1 version of a weapon and you love how it works, get rid of the Mk-1 variant and build a new, standard one. The Mk-1 variants are basically the training wheels versions of the guns, and the standard ones hit harder. Back up a couple planets and level them up, because you're going to need the points for...

* Mods. Slot them, level them, and make sure you're pumping up the right mods for the right enemy type. Whether you want to go for elemental mods vs IPS mods is going to be dependent on the enemies and type of inherent damage the weapon is dealing.

* Experiment with different weapon types. As someone else mentioned, it's worth going and reading the Damage 2.0 overview table and learning what types of damage are best suited for killing given enemy types. There's not really a "one-size-fits-all" weapon in the game, so expect your armory to grow to fit your play style and the enemies you encounter.

* Work toward building other frames and learning them. Familiarity with a specific frame is great, but certain frames, like ones with inherent invisibility abilities, will make certain mission types infinitely easier than others. Given that you're up to Phobos, you should be able to farm up an Excalibur and Rhino, if you don't already have them. Rhino makes an excellent solo frame, due to his being able to go nigh-invulnerable for short amounts of time, and was my go-to for solo runs until I got my mitts on Frost.

Hope these pointers help, and if you want specifics ask around - the community will be one of your best resources in the early game.

[jonnin]

he said volt. did I miss that he has mag?
mag rocks. pull and shoot or pull and stab deals with anything except bosses and nullifiers, and pull can be dropped to 6 power per cast. Shield heal while wrecking the enemy gives a form of healing/durability and aoe. One of my favorite frames.

What they said.... getting new stuff would be helpful, but only to a degree. New stuff only helps when you have good mods. Mods are the key to the game, everything else is really secondary to them.

[techparadox]

Actually, you're right - he did say Volt. Not sure where I got Mag from, but that just adds another layer to frames he could farm while up to Phobos. You could easily find a PUG that's farming Iliad and be able to work with them to get the plans for the parts from drops.

[Triacular]

Originally posted by techparadox:

Actually, you're right - he did say Volt. Not sure where I got Mag from, but that just adds another layer to frames he could farm while up to Phobos. You could easily find a PUG that's farming Iliad and be able to work with them to get the plans for the parts from drops.

I am attempting to get other frames, but I only have the blueprint for Frost and Gara. But I still don't have the blueprints for the parts.
I am doing better by just bringing cyphers and reworking the invisability strategy for an Attack/Defend tactic. Though I didn't realize how cheap cyphers where until it was suggested.

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by Triacular:

Originally posted by techparadox:

Actually, you're right - he did say Volt. Not sure where I got Mag from, but that just adds another layer to frames he could farm while up to Phobos. You could easily find a PUG that's farming Iliad and be able to work with them to get the plans for the parts from drops.

I am attempting to get other frames, but I only have the blueprint for Frost and Gara. But I still don't have the blueprints for the parts.

The main blueprints for Mag, Rhino, and Excalibur cost just credits. Doesn't matter much if you have the main BP, as long as you have the components (or their BPs).

If you do want to switch frames (even if just to try something different, or farm mastery ranks):
You get Mag's component-BPs from The Sergeant (Iliad, Phobos).
Rhino's you get fighting Jackal (Fossa, Venus).
For Excalibur you'll have to fight Lieutenant Lech Kril (War, Mars).

If you're lacking credits, look for infested-missions that show "+X% resource drop rate". Even Coba on Earth gives about 12k credits if you extract (doesn't matter much if you do just 5 waves or more), and later missions provide much more.

[Malidictus]

Something to note about the Grenier - they're the game's "Heavy" faction and in my experience its biggest gear check. Both Corpus and Infested you can cheese with just a lot of damage or crowd control, but if you don't bring enough firepower to higher-level Grenier missions you may as well go in unarmed. Even just "lots of damage" doesn't always help against their heavily-armoured units like Bombards and Heavy Gunners.

Someone suggested reading up on Damage 2.0, and that absolutely is a good suggestion. The long and short of it is this, though - bring Puncture damage if you can, and if not bring either Corrosive or Radiation damage. Corrosive is REALLY good against the lightly-armoured units and diminishes the armour of the heavier units via its secondary effect. Radiation is VERY effective against the more heavily-armed units, though neutral against the weaker ones.

The Braton (assuming you trade your MK1) isn't a terrible choice. It has an even split of damage types so it should be about equally good against everyone. If you're looking for an anti-Greneir weapon, though, an easy low-level option is the Boltor. It's a little harder to hit with due to its slow-flying projectiles, but it's damage is predominantly piercing which should help a lot.

I ran into a similar difficulty spike ~ level 20 myself, when I was still using my basic Gorgon. It does predominantly Impact damage which the Grenier resist and the mods I had at the time also only let me mod it for Magnetic damage, which they also heavily resist. The result was an inert gun.