labs difficulty spike

[ya boi]

I'm not the only one who thinks theres a massive difficulty spike once you enter the labs right? like, I can't go anywhere without almost immediately dying, I have full FORGE armor, a crossbow and a scrapshot but idk the enemies just pile up and dont die quickly, i managed to get a point-blank scrapshot blast off on the new Order soldier there and even that+a full rifle mag dump didnt seem to do anything. plus the teleporting thing, idk maybe I just suck at the game lmao

[MechWarden]

I can't put my finger on it, but it does feel like a harder area. But also I expected that. The bots there are harder and legit worried me. Also the purple Anteverse II critters are harder too. Plus you have the Exor warriors with the spike shooter.

If the soldiers don't have stronger armor, I guess it is just the structure of the level, allowing for more of them to swarm you if you alert them.

Also I think that Crossbow might be under powered for that area. If you have a stock of pistols and 9mm ammo, you might want to use it.

[ya boi]

Originally posted by MechWarden:

I can't put my finger on it, but it does feel like a harder area. But also I expected that. The bots there are harder and legit worried me. Also the purple Anteverse II critters are harder too. Plus you have the Exor warriors with the spike shooter.

If the soldiers don't have stronger armor, I guess it is just the structure of the level, allowing for more of them to swarm you if you alert them.

Also I think that Crossbow might be under powered for that area. If you have a stock of pistols and 9mm ammo, you might want to use it.

i havent seen the warriors but I have encountered the spike guys, and there are new soldiers, the ones with the clear face shields and yellow clothes w/ shotguns, I also haven't met the new bots yet

[scavenger]

The new bot is purple, and has "armor" plating that really is just a indicator of its health. It also runs at you so obviously a bit more terrifying. Also there is a warning line on the ground where if you cross it (or those terrorists), it will activate.
And that new soldier is called a breacher if curious, and yes, more armored, and while not deadly at range, if close enough he can rip you apart.

[Yaridovich]

At this stage of the game, you shouldn't be using the Crossbow anymore. You should have at least one pistol, but hopefully you got more from drops from the Crusaders in Manufacturing. If this is the case, then keep a pistol on you. Don't use it all the time, but use when needed.

The difficulty is harder, yes, but each area is expected to be harder than the one before while also giving you better tools. Not really a "massive" spike, just an expected one.

I've gotten through most of Labs using just a spear (Welding Spear first, then Lightning Spear) and a Plastic Shield, with a pistol on the side.

I'm not entirely sure what you're doing to be dying that much, but what I can suggest is to stay on the move, even when you're being shot at, as enemies will be a lot less likely to hit you if you do. Block with the shield when needed. Use stealth when needed, don't just go running straight into enemies when you can.

Enemies that you should give you a hard time the most are Breachers (the guys with helmets and shotguns), against them you're really gonna want to use ranged, otherwise they can ruin your day.

[Segolia]

definitely upgrade to the grinder if you're using ranged weapons, the crossbow is pretty much obsolete by this point in the game.

[scavenger]

In terms of ranged weapons, grinder is best, with arc gun 2nd but it depends greatly on the enemy its being used on. For the robots the arc gun is god, same for against the giant murderball.
As for crossbow...technically it is still viable, but due to enemy density and hp, it becomes less valid. However, going crossbow steve with them can work well, and obviously you would be wondering "whats crossbow steve?". Basically in a web novel called Wandering Inn where its a adventurer guy who has 6(8?) crossbows loaded and he basically revolvers them using a quickdraw type skill.

[Yaridovich]

Oh yeah, like it was mentioned above - definitely upgrade to the Grinder. It's a much better weapon than the Crossbow.

Electro-thrower is also good and it's rechargable without needing ammo.

[Flak Monkey]

Grinder is easily the best and most reliable weapon in the game atm. Completely outclasses security pistol, makeshift guns, smg (and god forbid crossbow). You could craft it pretty early in manufacturing actually so you need one like yesterday.

Originally posted by Yaridovich:

Electro-thrower is also good and it's rechargable without needing ammo.

Oh yeah, that thing makes killing security bots a breeze. They even nerfed it recently but it still demolishes them.

[Dave]

you are using a crossbow still? bruh lol when you hit the labs your new ranged weapon should be the grindr.. that ♥♥♥♥ slaps and you can collect ammo back (careful as damage also may return back to you and insta kill you..known to happen xD ) but yeah grindr/scrap shotgun till you get the lightning gun and that works great on the bots

[Valen Logan]

I had to develop new tactics for the labs when I got there. Like others have mentioned, the grinder and the electro-arc are you bread and butter here. I also bring the lightning spear as a back up melee options.
Also, interesting enough, the vacuum has proven very useful here. The powered up pests can kill you quick with their spammy attacks. Vacuum those dudes up and toss'em, saves you a world of hurt.
You will also 100% want to make a portable charger and carry that with you. With the amount of fighting going on in the labs you will run out of charge pretty fast. There is only one big charger in the whole place so bringing your own will make life way easier.

[Yaridovich]

Originally posted by Flak Monkey:

Oh yeah, that thing makes killing security bots a breeze. They even nerfed it recently but it still demolishes them.

Great to farm robots or at least stop them from running after you.

Originally posted by Dave:

you are using a crossbow still? bruh lol when you hit the labs your new ranged weapon should be the grindr.. that ♥♥♥♥ slaps and you can collect ammo back (careful as damage also may return back to you and insta kill you..known to happen xD ) but yeah grindr/scrap shotgun till you get the lightning gun and that works great on the bots

The instakill thing is a bug actually and only happens if you're wearing at least 2 pieces of Carapace armor.

Originally posted by Valen Logan:

I had to develop new tactics for the labs when I got there. Like others have mentioned, the grinder and the electro-arc are you bread and butter here. I also bring the lightning spear as a back up melee options.
Also, interesting enough, the vacuum has proven very useful here. The powered up pests can kill you quick with their spammy attacks. Vacuum those dudes up and toss'em, saves you a world of hurt.
You will also 100% want to make a portable charger and carry that with you. With the amount of fighting going on in the labs you will run out of charge pretty fast. There is only one big charger in the whole place so bringing your own will make life way easier.

I'd advise against using the Vacuum on the electrified Pests, since doing so makes it so you can't chop them for resources and you'll need to get some of the resources they drop, besides the meat.

Also you don't need to carry a Portable Charger around if you're not overusing the Vacuum.

Just dodge their attacks and use the Lightning Spear to poke them at a safe distance. 2 attacks and they're gone, 1 if it's a successful sneak attack.