True Kin and Ego

[BudMickDud]

Right, new to the game, it's a blast to play, and recently i've been trying out how playing as a True Kin at the moment. What i've been curious about/wondering is how beneficial the Ego stat is for A true kin, since (To my no doubt limited) knowledge, ego for a true kin kinda isn't important since they can't shoot lazers into people's heads like a mutant esper could, just some advantages when trading stuff, the usual.

TL;DR: Since True Kin get cybernetics and can't kill someone with their mind, Ego isn't to important for the most part, right?

[rooster918]

I think ego plays a role in how effectively true kin can rebuke robots, which turns robots into followers.

[Hy5dra]

Well, aside from trading, Ego can and does contribute to mental mutations granted due to cooking and relics. Moreover its the stat which determines how effective their rebuke robot ability is.

[Aquillion]

Ego affects:

* Prices when trading, fairly dramatically.
* Mental mutations gained from cooking and relics.
* Rebuke Robot effectiveness
* The effectiveness of most Ego-based skills.

Also, while Ego only has a few skills, they are very powerful ones, especially Proselytize. Recruiting followers is absolutely valuable for True Kin. Intimidate and Menacing Stare are useful because you will often have few other reliable escape-button powers the way a Mutant does. You can have both a rebuked robot ally and a Proselytize ally at the same time, and inspiring Presence will boost both.

That said, you're probably going to have to dump some stat if you want to maximize a stat elsewhere, and Ego is definitely an option as long as you don't mind paying higher prices.

Using the water ritual, you can also learn Snake Oiler from Asphodel or the oddly-hued glowpad to offset the high prices, and can learn Proselytize from Eschelstadt II in the Six Day Stilt - the success rate will be terrible, but you can still get an ally with it. So you may not need much Ego even to get those benefits.