Decker not viable.

[Poor Peasant]

Simply put. I have ran through the mission to save Cayote 6 times and failed now. My character is a decker and specialized in the hacking aspect of the game. Unfortunately im forced into so many combat scenarios he cannot stay alive to deal any real damage (because he is not tailored to constantly be in combat) I was hoping id be able to avoid fights and use the technological enviorments against enemies but nope....

[Pixel Peeper]

Yeah, I wouldn't have expected a pure Decker to be able to get through anything. I suppose they could have put conveniently placed terminals and automated defenses and whatnot in every area where you can't bring a team of meat world combatants... not very realistic, but it's a sci-fi/fantasy video game so that's pretty much out the window anyway.

Some basic gun skills are pretty much necessary, for the default story at least.

Most likely there will be some user-made campaigns that are more Decker-friendly, or even Decker-focused.

[Sugoi]

Decking is viable, but having a decent ability at combat is still necessary. Just as I built my adept with a focus on melee but secondarily pistols, you might want to consider putting a few points into a weapon category.

Probably rifles are the biggest bang for your buck (they're overpowered).

[msjordan]

Wouldn't have been viable in PnP either. Sometimes you just have to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ shoot someone.

Shotguns are way better than rifles. Kneecap is the bomb.

[Voldski]

Well think the biggest mountain mover is to pump up on dodge, i did so on my mage which made him close to indestructible, getting hit only about 1/10 times even up close.

[Lusoka]

I combined it with using drones and just activating them after finding suitable cover

[myoko]

Yep played my decker/rigger thru the whole storyline with no problems at all. Put a few points in pistol also and he is a killing machine.

[Poor Peasant]

It is a shame I cannot have more freedom in a game thats based off a table top paper and dice game.

[Sugoi]

If you think of it more as an adventure game that also has combat, the limitations are more understandable.

[Can_GooRoo]

hey, mate, if you hacking something in cyberpunk world you must expect some trouble, and have some brutal force in this case. So looks like its only your mistake that you not ready for this

[myoko]

yep even a good hacker needs to have someone watching his back. If there is no one else you have to rely on your own skills. Decking doesnt solve everything. My PnP team would kill me if I brought a decker that was usless in the meat world.

[rekzkarz]

Not really a game where decking is 'essential'. You'll note that all conversation skills are wrapped into charisma ettiquette 'packages' instead of skills. Decking could have been the same -- it's crippled.
In a world here matrix is everywhere controlling everything, in this ShadowRun game a stolen keycard is more important than decking. (Kinda sad.)

[Cutlass Jack]

Decker is completely viable. But you should try to keep a weapon skill on par with your Decking skill. Keep your decking skills on par with the best deck you can currently buy, and put the rest of your points on other skills.

The Coyote mission isn't too hard at all even if your skills aren't stellar. She'll even assist in her own rescue if you take the stealthy approach up the back stairs (and bring zebra meat.) Its scary how dangerous she is with a shotgun especially considering her medical condition.

But you'll need at least a 3 Charisma to get up the sneaky way.

[Sugoi]

Originally posted by rekzkarz:

Not really a game where decking is 'essential'. You'll note that all conversation skills are wrapped into charisma ettiquette 'packages' instead of skills. Decking could have been the same -- it's crippled.
In a world here matrix is everywhere controlling everything, in this ShadowRun game a stolen keycard is more important than decking. (Kinda sad.)

This is a very valid complaint; I honestly expected that I was going to miss out on more by having a non-decker character than I did. There probably should have been more alternate approaches and options specifically tailored towards Decker characters, and hopefully that's something that HBS is keeping in mind as they work on the Berlin campaign.

[LV_JR83]

i finished my first playthrough roleplaying an elven decker and only a few missions proved challenging. Knowing that I was probably going to invest nuyen in cyberdecks/programs I chose pistols as a cheaper combat option combined with hiring strong shadowrun teams. I was a little dissapointed to learn that picking the "Shadowrunner" speach option in character creation didn't earn me discounts on hiring like I assumed it would (or maybe it does, I don't know). Also, pistols become damn deadly late game with the ability to fire off 4-5 shots with a high critical chance and accuracy.

[DroppinLoot (DavyDave)]

Wow, my playthrough was similar to yours. I just finished today as a human decker and it went smoothly. I maxed out decking and upgraded pistols as far as I could. Just because you're good at hacking doesn't mean you can't learn how to use a weapon.

Originally posted by rossijohn10:

i finished my first playthrough roleplaying an elven decker and only a few missions proved challenging. Knowing that I was probably going to invest nuyen in cyberdecks/programs I chose pistols as a cheaper combat option combined with hiring strong shadowrun teams. I was a little dissapointed to learn that picking the "Shadowrunner" speach option in character creation didn't earn me discounts on hiring like I assumed it would (or maybe it does, I don't know). Also, pistols become damn deadly late game with the ability to fire off 4-5 shots with a high critical chance and accuracy.