Combat Tactics :(

[Unheil]

I started to play Prey at hard and, wow.. it is challenging. So I tried to some alternative tactics rather than run and gun. But I had bad luck, as it seems to me that the game design does not give you much of a chance when you try to be slick. Or maybe I'm just not doing it right? Here some experiences:

Scenario: Facing two compromised operator bots in the workshop with low ammo and maybe 10 HP, I am instantly dead as soon as the operator faces me. But, there are some nasty gas tanks. Yay!

Try 1: The operators react well on noise (in fact, I just need to take a step while not crouching and I'm dead), so I throw a plasic bottle (window cleaner) towards the gas tanks to bait the operators. The gas tanks explode when the window cleaner only comes close.

Try 2: I toss the plastic bottle a bit aside of the tanks. Operators don't react. Stand up,make a step, operator is next to me in half a second.

Try 3: Wait for the right moment. Takes time. Shoot 9mm. Gas tank does not explode. Needs window cleaner.

Try 4: GLOO and 9mm combo never worked (not enough ammo, you need tons)

Try 5: GLOO and wrench: The bot explodes and you're fricked.

Try 6: EMP charge - same effect, the bot gets down, but I can't kill it as it explodes when I'm too close

Try 7: Taking the gas tank and tossing it.. Wow, this is the most silly strategy of all and actually works most of the time. But sometimes, the gas tanks explode when you pick them up. Maybe because of carrying a bottle of window cleaner?

Next situation: Alone in my office room with a phantom. I'm hidden under the desk in the recycler/constructor area, the phantom patrols near the door in the office area. I got a handy recycler charge.

Try 1: Tossing the charge works badly, as the phantom has a good chance to survive if the charge is not at his feet when detonating.

Try 2: Putting the charge at a wall and getting the phantom into it doesn't work well. You need to hurry to get away from the charge, tossing something (FlexiFoam) only near to it to decoy the phantom will make the charge explode.

Try 3: GLOO and recycler charge work, at least.

Situation: A phantom coming upstairs, right next to him a wonderful gas tank. But, out of reach of my gloo cannon

Try 1: Shoot the 9mm. Doesnt explode, the phantom teleports to my location, I'm dead. Damn, I wish I had window cleaner now!

Try 2-n: Shoot, GLOO, detonate, whack.. nothing worked

Try n+1: Jump down the whole staircase, gloo and run like hell. Worked, but very unsatisfying.


TL;DR: I was hoping strategies like using gas tanks/gas pipes would work, but as I was unable to bait the enemies, I merely see two options: Either gun+run (which does not work well either, and it's not that type of game) or stealth all the time, which I find a bit unsatisfying. Any advice?

[ErikW]

That's weird since I haven't had any trouble getting enemies to walk next to well placed destructables and detonating them. Your pistol should make red tanks and O2 bottles explode after one hit. Setting charges only really works if you take a minute to analyze the path of the enemy and set it where they'll walk into it. Overall, playing on max difficulty hasn't been very hard, even though I've spent all my nuromods on recycling, hacking, repair, and lifting/leverage so far and nothing on damage/weapon upgrades. I picked up the first level of sneak so I sneak a lot but I also take time to fully clear any and all Typhon I run into such that at this point it's become more like farming for nuromod material than actually trying to progress lol

My best advice is to keep trying different tactics until you find something that works for your playstyle. I'm HEAVY into sneaking, timing patrols so that I can move past them, using turrets, lure grenade + recycle grenade works wonders, gloo gun + heavy wrench attacks, gloo gun + point blank shotgun, etc. If you want to run and gun then you pretty much MUST invest in improving weapon damage by taking the gunsmith (or whatever it's called) nuromod in the security tree as well as picking up more health and more weapon damage through the top skill in security.

No matter what you do though, you'll never really be on "even" footing with the Typhon, especially on higher difficulties. This game isn't really designed to be played with you being Master Chief or even Corvo, you'll spend a good amount of time dodging the more powerful enemies and even the mimics can overwhelm you if you don't pay attention to the environment. Make good use of the quick save and quick load options if you want to try something complicated since, at least for me, enemy pathing changes every time I reload.

My tips for the enemies (I'm playing Human only with no weapon enhancements yet):

Mimics: One or two shots from the gloo gun immobilze them and they will die to one heavy wrench attack.

Greater Mimics: Gloo gun them and then point blank shotgun works wonders.

Phantom: Gloo gun + heavy wrench attack will usually knock them down (I think I also have a chip mod that makes it more likely) after initial heavy wrench attack quick switch to shotgun and point blank them a couple times. Or, if they get knocked down, just swing your wrench a few times and they're done.

Special Phantoms: Hit and run 4 days. Sadly they can be pretty cray cray so it really helps to have some turrets available. Or you can make us of passages and air ducts to snipe them from behind cover that they can't reach. Overall not to difficult since they tend to appear in areas with a lot of options for circumvention which also means you have many different points to attack them from. The etheral one though can give you a heart attack with how fast it can move around lol

Corrupted Bots: More annoying than anything else to be honest. Gloo gun till they drop and then wrench em to death. Just make sure to get away when they die since they do a little mini explosion.

Technopaths: My most hated enemy so far. They are bullet sponges if you don't have weapon upgrades. Don't bother to use bots/turrets on them since they can mind control them instantly. Best best it so creatively place explosives in their path. An anti-psi grenade (forget the name) will let you run in and point blank it with a shotgun for a bit before you need to retreat.

Poltergeist: Funny little guys. Some you can just stand there and they wont do much of anything. I usually just chase them around with a wrench lol

Telepaths: Stun/kill their mind controlled minions first. Then make use of the nullwave grenade and plink them full of holes.

Weaver: Q-beam. Only thing that really works "well". If you don't have decent upgrades on your weapons then it's not really a great idea to fight these since they have shields that quicly regen AND they return part of your damage delt back to you.

[Unheil]

Wow, a lot of info, thanks! I'm still at the very beginning (just watched part 2 of the video), so one major problem is that I missed out the shotgun. When I continue playing, I will try to get one first. However, I wish my tactical approaches worked, as this would add more fun to the game. Especially baiting enemies into traps would be helpful.

[Mika]

hmmm... So I'm still a noob, so i won't be very helpful, but here's my 2 cents. Craft a ton of ammo. I mean a ton. And craft some medkits too. You just need to look around a bit and you'll find teh recipes for thsi stuff. And how I fight is an axplosive gas canister, paired with some bait (wither it's me or a lure) and a gloo gun. I then get them close, cover them in gloo (you get a damage increse if they're covered in the stuff) and then shoot the gas casister, and then scream KAMAZAZEEE and empty all that ammo you crafter into them.

Plan b: Look around the room for a bit. this will take longer, but usually tehre's a natrual booby trap somewhere just waiting to be sprung.

Hopefully I helped on some level. Good luck!!

[Unheil]

I usually forgot the screaming. Might be that caused the issue. :D I'll definately give it a try. Wonder if GERONIMMOOO will work as well? :D Anyway, thanks for the tips.

[Corey]

Since I've only had a chance to try just the demo version, I've not much to add, but I did run into a Technopath in Fabrication, and after some tries (first time I tried using turrets that were placed nearby... man I was in for a nasty surprise, damn :D) I realized that the Disruptor Gun might actually be useful against robotic targets and my assumptions paid off: If you manage to get close to the Technopath you can use the Disruptor Gun to stun AND damage it at the same time.

Here's how the fight went:
By that point in the demo, I had a few recycler grenades which can also damage enemies, so I waited out of sight until the Technopath flew closer to the ground with its turrets. Then I hit it with a well placed recycler grenade, which instantly took half its HP down, then ran close and spammed it constantly with the Disruptor gun.
Not the most intuitive way to take it down I guess but I did ended up without any serious injury :)
It might be that an upgraded Disruptor Gun is more effective against them damage wise.

[The Highwayman]

Yes, the bot will explode when you destroy it, but only after a delay. Once you take their health to 0, they're dead, just back off and stop hitting them.

Don't worry TOO much about the shotgun. I didn't get one for a few hours tbh...I still rarely use it except against really strong groups. At almost 7 hours in I've only used it twice.

[The Roach Dealer]

Weavers are easy with psychoshock.

[ComplexGame]

Here's the thing about Weavers. They don't have any fast, direct physical attacks. In zero gravity, I just roll right by. I consider them a passive threat in zero gravity. In microgravity, I might be tempted to kill them if I thought they were going to genesis a nearby corpse.

[KerZerBer]

You can get a stun gun super early, near where you get your first neuromod! Easily the best and most useful weapon.

[Pizza Basil]

Freeze and shoot tactic works if you want to be sneaky get bolt caster and just dart areas you want enemies and bot damage when they explode is laughably low to even care about just eat 5-3 food items you solid also maks use of your alien powers. The one that disables typhon from using thier powers works well and using traps such as the gravity well that suspends enemies into the air turns them into cannon fodder for you.