Crafting a staff

[Reskal]

When i want to craft a S-class-staff, i read that the head of it defines the class, not the backbone or something else, is that still right ?

I tried now out 8 or 10 spots and often i get the same heads, is it just the icon or is it the same head ?
Should i just go on trying and using new heads at new locations until i get a s-class staff when assembling the parts ?
Help appreciated, share your experiences pls

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

Not sure for his effect on the class... for what I've seen it's the entire combination that can lead to an S-rank from the get go (changing any part will change the final rank), but the head is definitely the part that decid the color of the rest of the staff...

But now when making a staff, you dont go for the class., since it can be upgraded afterward... you aim for the SC slots layout....
You'll have to upgrade the rank each time with nanites to figure it out (untill you see one of the SC slot not at the right position to give a grouped layout, or untill you find out all 4 are grouped) and it'll be costly, but if you're searching for a perfect staff, that's the way to go....

The method I used myself was to limit myself on a specific color (white, all my stuff is only white) and only with matching parts (either radiant, runic, reclaimed head, Havoc, etc... for each of them). Less possible combinations kinda eased the search. I also drop the havoc after a while since I've found it ugly....
The only goal was to get staves with grouped supercharged slots (square, S, L or T shaped)....
I had to scrap quite a lot afterward (getting some nanites back), but it was a 1 month full time job to secure 4 of them (white, perfect matching parts and perfect scs layout).

BTW I ended up archiving them all (using the save editor) and replaced them with sentinel pistols and rifles from coordinates of YT videos....
The sentinel MT have the same stats range but are better (thx to the hijacked laser).

And if you're wondering, the runic was the one that gave me the best results (got dozens of white ones with good to perfect SCS layout, white/light metalic parts and different highlight colors), second being the radiant.... I only got 1 perfect reclaimed head (very good staff for charging weapons like the neutron cannon or the blaze javelin, the head open his mouth when it's fully charged, warning you that it's ready to shoot at full power) and 1 perfect concentric transducer (weirdly, that's the first one I've found).

[caseyas435943]

The cost in nothing to see what it upgrades into.

Use the cheat to save. Go upgrade. If it turns out great fine. If not just reload and you've spent nothing.

Trash the staff go looking parts to build another. I for one think the staffs are ugly. I'd not use one. The one I get I just trash and never look back. Maybe if I got an S, I'd keep it. But then I have a S multi tool anyway be then. I'd trash the ugly staff anyway.

[Reskal]

Many thanks for the huge and detailed answers !
Meanwhile i have my S-class staff. Not directly grouped SC-slots but not that important, it has more then 65 k dmg for the neutron cannon +s-upgrades for the NC.

But one thing was interesting. I found out that sometimes/or always ? The ASSEMBLE-button works like a REROLL-button. i klicked the assemble-button, it was a C-grade staff..then i declined and clicked the assemble button again, with changing nothing, then it was a S-class staff !
But i don't know if it can happen always, just with different chances to happen.
I read, that in 3-tier-economy-systems and pirate systems the chances for s-class heads for the staffs are higher then elsewhere, so for sure this helped with the rerolling.

Good luck guys and girls, btw the staffs are great for damaging i read, for scanning and mining i have a rare-tool.

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

For the neutron cannon you need 4 slots in a cross shaped layout with the middle slot being empty. The upgrade modules go in the 4 supercharged slots and the cannon itself in the middle, in the non sc slot.
That's the best set-up for that weapon (check the number on the top right).
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3095101310
Also the S-rank modules are the best for the NC, illegal modules dont have full stats so they are way inferior (same as with the mining beam).

P.S.:
This is the closest more common sc layout you might find that is very good for the NC (the cross shaped one is beyond rare), see the numbers are very close to the dps of the cross shaped one:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3252244522
Note that the most important part is to have the 3 s-rank supercharged and touching 3 sides of the main tech, while the blueprint module also supercharged, touching 2 of S-rank modules.
Another pic showing the SC slots layout.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3252244484

[Reskal]

Holy Smoke, 193 k damage !!?

So i jus need to find a staff with 4 slots in a cross shaped layout with the middle slot being empty, or the other layout below, no matter for the class, because i go to a space station then and bring it up to S-class with nanites ?
If so this would be cool, i would have more possibilities then to find a staff i like maybe:)

(thx for the screenies and the good explanation)

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

Originally posted by Reskal:

Holy Smoke, 193 k damage !!?

So i jus need to find a staff with 4 slots in a cross shaped layout with the middle slot being empty, or the other layout below, no matter for the class, because i go to a space station then and bring it up to S-class with nanites ?
If so this would be cool, i would have more possibilities then to find a staff i like maybe:)

(thx for the screenies and the good explanation)

Just remember that for the NC you dont have to supercharge the main tech, only the 4 modules. Then if you can get the adjacency bonus too it's even better.

With that set-up fully charging the NC is already overkill, you can just tape the fire button instead of charging and still OHKO most flying sentinels.

Another trick against tougher sentinels like quads and walkers:
The dps shown in the tooltip is the dps counting all the bolts, but most of them spread and fly past the target.... Tho NC bolts explode on impact, each having a small AOE,
So to deal the maximum damages with it, shoot from above your target and aim at the ground in front of it...
Your target will take damages from both the bolts that will hit it directly and from the AOE of those that will hit the ground around it. The difference is huge, at least double the damages....

[Reskal]

Thanks again, will get a new staff at first ! :)

[Reskal]

FYI: there is a video on youtube, that explains the exact location of a Autophage-camp, where you get the stuff with 195 k dmg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb4HezviG2g