Good build for no wiki / deep knowledge of items?

[Coffee]

I put in a lot of hours then gave up in part because I realized I prefer "tactical" (flow-state, limited chaos, encounter-focused, small maps) to "strategic" (buildsmithing, finding/exploiting synergies in an ocean of possibilities, going deep into the sim systems, expansive maps wanting autoexplore) roguelikes. Which probably just means Qud isn't my thing... it's very maximalist.

But! I want to try again, if I can find a build that elides the "picky" things I don't like so much, like finding X/Y/Z items that act as "keys" to the "locks" of specific enemies or environments.

What's a no-brainer build that'll let me focus on using a more limited set of resources, ideally centered in the character itself, in specific engagements, rather than trying to research and gather disparate resources to exploit "broken builds" or item super-synergies?

[RozetaMeteor]

Sorry if misunderstood you, my interpretation skills ain't the best but let me this straight, you want a a tatical build that use the basic mechanics without needing specific items and such for example a early game truekin sort of gameplay ?

[Coffee]

Right, that's it. So basically I'm probably asking for "lazy person's most overpowered build," since the game is otherwise designed to be played by strategically assembling awesome build/item synergies using knowledge gained through either the wiki or many many many playthroughs.

[RozetaMeteor]

Originally posted by Coffee:

Right, that's it. So basically I'm probably asking for "lazy person's most overpowered build," since the game is otherwise designed to be played by strategically assembling awesome build/item synergies using knowledge gained through either the wiki or many many many playthroughs.

check this one https://www.qudzoo.com/builds/6782cc90185fe8a158ffe1d1 i got others too, but this one got some spice of tatical positioning going on to keep things interesting, if you prefer a diferent aproach just give me a tag and i will post them later.

[Pixel Peeper]

Originally posted by Coffee:

since the game is otherwise designed to be played by strategically assembling awesome build/item synergies using knowledge gained through either the wiki or many many many playthroughs.

I wouldn't say that's strictly true. For example, you could get generally good mutations and just be a melee monster if you wanted. Or use a few mutations that you can see work well together (like Clairvoyance with Sunder Mind and Teleportation) without having deep knowledge of the game.

Having a deeper knowledge of the game (for example, knowing that you can permanently turn yourself into a giant slug) will definitely help, but is not strictly necessary.

[pixl45]

Sorry about the wordyness of this (I don't really post messages on anything)

Just give me a build:
Try mutant and choose...
>chimera
>multi arms & double muscle & wings & amphibious & whatever you feel like
>stats[minimum 16 in Ego(if trading), dump int if not tinkering, 18 toughness is a good
balance, keep some willpower, focus agility also but less for strength]
SKILLS:
-multiweapon(max as you progress/get more hands)
-wayfaring(just unlock it)
-long blade(primary weapon&active skills)
-short blade(take the skill jab & fill any remaining hands/hyphea/pinchers)
-shield(get the skill before equipping)
-acrobatics(Swift reflexes & Spry before going deeper than Gritgate into the jungle)
-persuasion(if you feel like doing any trading and got 19 Ego: snake oiler is the skill)

If you want my thoughts:
Perhaps [true kin & tonics] for the encounter-focused part of your situation. unless you mean you don't want to have to get and choose tonics. If that doesn't fit "elides the "picky" things" then maybe [mutant & a specific morphotype] (e.g. Chimera for bump attack style combat, or Esper for caster style combat, or Unstable Genome for going with the flow).

I think maybe a different perspective on the "keys" to the "locks" might help as in I've known multiple different solutions to barriers and enemies in this game, try feeling a solution you want and try to see it through (smash a new door open instead of unlocking a door or vice versa) and determine if there could be a better way to ease the method.

keep tinkering level to the first at most. Because it gives grenades for emergency problem solving assuming you are fine with running to cover to be able to build them/building them before hand, and disassembling things can lighten the load.
(I am too tired from typing to add more sorry about this mess of a message)

[glass zebra]

Most things melee with high AV leans into "no-brainer" building. Getting a gun and maybe some CC or escape option should already work well. Probably also something against a few high AV enemies. Getting a big weapon with single weapon fighting and some rifle with decent armour already works well for most part of the game. Adding utility and stuff like tinkering/cooking can always give a boost even without deep combos.

Auto attack what is easy, use skills against harder stuff and shoot things that is scary in melee and run before you get overwhelmed. The game frankly has so many combos you can make yourself due to the complexity that the whole "key" thing seems more of a thing for specific builds, not for building in general. So many things are just good in general or combo easily with almost everything.

[Icedfate]

i have tried

chimera
5 unstable genomes
need to take a -4 defect to make this work, tonic allegy or brittle bones are the least bad options. I took tonic allergy on my current run.

try to take whatever option gives the extra limbs each time.
probably not the most effective, since it's so random, but it's fun to see what kind of combos you can create with just what it gives you.

If OP is worried about encountering stuff they aren't built for, i dunno. I've been going into areas with no prior knowledge and yeah, not knowing what enemies can do to me is jarring when they do something unexpected, but as others suggested, i went melee, took long sword in the primary hand, dueling stance, swipe, fill all other hands with short blades and learned jab.

i also take it slow and am overleveled, had lots of extra skill points to put into tinkering. Tactics - charge is good for any melee.
i took the first skill in bows and rifles to improve accuracy. using issakar tifle, then electrobow, then carbine, then eigenrifle, then light rail (light rail is a heavy weapon which reduces speed unless you take the second skill in heavy weapons tree), eigenrifle can be used instead.

i dunno how my strategy will work against the engame nephilims, but i was able to beat chrime pyramids as this character.
It's evel 46, so definitely overleveled , as i heard you can finish the gane as low as level 30

[💙Very Scary Dragon💠]

Are you sure you wouldn't rather play in Wander mode?

Otherwise, you're left trying to do "standard" roguelike gameplay. Focus on survivability, escape, versatility, and information-gathering. Learn as much as you can on every playthrough. Which is 100% bog-standard for a roguelike.

There's really no way around it. There's no such thing as a "no-brainer build" that'll let you reliably deal with unknown, midgame+ threats, the first time you see them. Roguelikes tend to be designed specifically so that you can't make a first-timer-do-all build, and Qud is no exception. Without spoilers, you'll die to things, then learn how to deal with them.

For instance, one of my stupider deaths started by running up to bump-attack a brande-new thing that looked weak, because when I looked at it, it said the stupid thing was both hostile and easy to kill (edited to not need spoiler tag). I don't think there was any way of telling exactly what would happen beforehand, other than guides and spoilers.

Anyway, Wander mode. There really is no "make it so I'm not playing a roguelike" build. But there is a difficulty mode! Which still allows all achievements.

[glass zebra]

Originally posted by Icedfate:

then light rail (light rail is a heavy weapon which reduces speed unless you take the second skill in heavy weapons tree)

Light rails is a rifle, not a weapon weapon. It should not reduce speed or be affected by heavy weapon skills.

[Icedfate]

Originally posted by glass zebra:

Originally posted by Icedfate:

then light rail (light rail is a heavy weapon which reduces speed unless you take the second skill in heavy weapons tree)

Light rails is a rifle, not a weapon weapon. It should not reduce speed or be affected by heavy weapon skills.

yeah, i was confused. I meant the arc cannon. I use the arc cannon quite a bit.
I got mixed up because i see a lot of light rails dropping as loot in the part i'm at.
i also keep a light rail in storage, but i don't like it because it disintegrates the corpses of my enemies, while the aarc cannon does not.
i have an overcharged arc cannon powered by a blood battery set on autocollect. the blood battery has a lot of shots in it and i carry a camel bladder in my yhrowing hand filled with blood just in case i need to refill

[XwX furry borne by ice&fire]

everybody mentioned mutants and nobody mentioned a truekin; if you would like to play as one, just pick
>Priest of All Suns
and base the build around Strength/Ego. Probably just try to put STR/EGO at 20 or more while balancing other stats just around ~16-18
for the starting cybernetic, you can go for one of these:
>night vision
>optical technoscanner (Never need to examine any artifacts anymore, HEAVILY beneficial in shops, especially when you want to buy new cybernetics)
I will advise against picking carbide hand bones (Priest of all suns starts with a 3d2 cudgel with +1 to hit);
tho, if you will find better hand-bones cybernetics (They work as cudgels and can deal good amounts of damage while counting as unarmed attacks, so can benefit from spiked gauntlets) - just install those if they are better than any cudgel youre currently having

Regarding skills, go into Cudgels and Persuasion. You have intimidation, and since you have a decent amount of ego, trust me, it will save you a lot from getting swarmed by mobs; and cudgels are great to play with, no brainer tbh. Feels satisfying to slam impenetrable creatures.
And progression is quite simple while being rewarding. Just find better cudgels and better armor, and upgrade strength (and Ego if you want even better prices at shops and more chances to intimidate enemies).

Thats all. As a roleplay mode enjoyer, this one was the most simple and got me quite far in default permadeath.

Hoping this specific example will be anyhow useful. Live and drink, friend

[naruhoodie]

The Marsh Taur mutant preset is pretty simple I find, and good for survival. Been slowly adding new skills to the base ones as suits my curiosity.

[Pizzarugi]

I ran into an overpowered build long before I used the wiki.

1. Mutant
2. Any calling
3. Any weapon choice
4. Corrosive Gas Generation
5. Temporal Fugue
6. Heightened Hearing

Done. If your infinitely-stacking acid gas doesn't kill something, your army of clones will finish the job.

I took a Tinker calling, because I like building stuff in this game. Using long blades is a match made in heaven for a tinker, because there's plenty of robots that only drop their valuable weapons you can dismantle if you disarm them. However, be aware that long blades aren't the most powerful weapon class and will easily be outperformed by axes or clubs in terms of killing power.

[DJKingGhidorah]

The number of interlocking systems and exceptional freedom Qud offers are naturally a big draw for maximalists, but these kind of discussions can tend to overstate how much optimization and "buildsmithing" is actually necessary to complete the game IMO.

Any decent guide for this game will tell you than any character/build can succeed, but that some are more effective/survivable than others. This is true, but what gets stated less often (perhaps because it's contrary to the entire spirit of build design) is that there are a whole bunch of "fine" builds that are entirely viable up to and including the endgame, but are technically sub-optimal in the sense that there are superior alternatives.

As a personal example, my first "real" run, the first that properly took off and allowed me to progress and feel like I was starting to understand the game while avoiding reliance on guides, wikis etc., was a True Kin Praetorian, who continued to use a combination of rifle, long blade and shield throughout the game. It got me much further than any of my previous attempts, and is still the source of many of my favourite memories of this game, up to and including the moment I died when I was exploring Lake Hinnom for the first time and got swallowed by a clam that regurgitated me directly in front of an oncoming Star Kraken.

Point is, that's not a "build" any maximalist would advise, and no doubt there are alternatives that are strictly superior using the same equipment and tactics. But it served me much better than my earlier attempts using the mutant presets, and I think it's precisely because leveling up those initial mutations can seem so powerful that I came to rely on them exclusively, to the detriment of equipment and, more importantly, learning how to fight, position and retreat effectively.

You obviously don't need any specific character in order to learn these skills, but I'd definitely recommend the Praetorian to anyone looking to master the basics and survive multiple situations without relying on some highly specific gimmick. And FWIW, when I recreated that char for my 1.0 run I ended up beating the game pretty comfortably, despite having only one pair of arms and a single gun.

[RealDealBreaker]

Originally posted by Coffee:

Right, that's it. So basically I'm probably asking for "lazy person's most overpowered build," since the game is otherwise designed to be played by strategically assembling awesome build/item synergies using knowledge gained through either the wiki or many many many playthroughs.

Then why didn't you ask that at first? There is no value to writing a lot if it is just a text wall of verbal diarrhoea.