Gateway from Mercenary to Acrid

[MTLVMPR]

Got in the game because I thought Mercenary is cool.

I dumped Commando really quickly and started dating Huntress instead but once I got Mul-T, the real fun began. After finally getting Mercenary I noticed that I didn't love him like I thought I would. Instead I realized that I fell in love with the Loader.

I watched some videos with Engineer. Blew stuff up with Arti. Backstabbed with Bandit.

Though I wasn't expecting how fun Captain would be. I started hanging with Rex soon after and everything was going swell.

Now I rescued Acrid from the cell and that thing does not spark joy.

Do you love Acrid? How can I learn love the Acrid? Is this a power that can be learned or should I just toss Acrid next to Commando

Sorry for ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[Flori281]

Heresy, commando is epic

speaking seriously uh it might just be a matter of time. also just preference. i love commando and merc and everyone else but dont really love huntress and engie. at first i only played commando and merc but after some time with each i warmed up to them.

[elvendualwielder]

I see you haven't played RoR1, where Commando really was one of the worst options. Now, post double shotgun blast secondary, he's one of the most consistent characters to play as, with good short and long range options, getaway abilities (and one of a few characters that gets I-frames), and a special that either locks down all enemies it hits or kills a bunch with low effort. I feel spoiled now playing as him, but he's finally playable.
However, each character has a specific playstyle for a reason. For example, I hate Loader and love Engineer. That's because I enjoy having a shield and minions and don't like being the lone zipper. Every character requires you to adapt to them and get used to their quirks, like Artificer having no mobility skill to start with.
So WhaT'S tHe DeAl wiTH Acrid? Play safely, throw acid, spit on everything and infect all you can like a plague doctor. That makes enemies easy pickings either for your slam, claw, or a followup spit. He's actually so good top level players can carry a team with him and never need to pick up an item.

[Jerry San]

I think you may come to like him, he has a specific play style, but I find that he has more similarities to loader than Merc

[MTLVMPR]

Originally posted by elvendualwielder:

I see you haven't played RoR1, where Commando really was one of the worst options. Now, post double shotgun blast secondary, he's one of the most consistent characters to play as, with good short and long range options, getaway abilities (and one of a few characters that gets I-frames), and a special that either locks down all enemies it hits or kills a bunch with low effort. I feel spoiled now playing as him, but he's finally playable.

But to unlock skills for Commando, you need to play as commando for multiple hours. Eww...

However, each character has a specific playstyle for a reason. For example, I hate Loader and love Engineer. That's because I enjoy having a shield and minions and don't like being the lone zipper. Every character requires you to adapt to them and get used to their quirks, like Artificer having no mobility skill to start with.
So WhaT'S tHe DeAl wiTH Acrid? Play safely, throw acid, spit on everything and infect all you can like a plague doctor. That makes enemies easy pickings either for your slam, claw, or a followup spit. He's actually so good top level players can carry a team with him and never need to pick up an item.

I'll give Acrid some more time but I feel like the playstyle is not for me.

[elvendualwielder]

Originally posted by MTLVMPR:

I'll give Acrid some more time but I feel like the playstyle is not for me.

And that's a perfectly reasonable conclusion to come to, at the end of the day. There's enough variety most people can find 2-3 survivors they love and another 2-3 they enjoy. If one's a miss for you, don't bother playing them too much.

[Flori281]

Originally posted by elvendualwielder:

I see you haven't played RoR1, where Commando really was one of the worst options. Now, post double shotgun blast secondary, he's one of the most consistent characters to play as, with good short and long range options, getaway abilities (and one of a few characters that gets I-frames), and a special that either locks down all enemies it hits or kills a bunch with low effort. I feel spoiled now playing as him, but he's finally playable.
However, each character has a specific playstyle for a reason. For example, I hate Loader and love Engineer. That's because I enjoy having a shield and minions and don't like being the lone zipper. Every character requires you to adapt to them and get used to their quirks, like Artificer having no mobility skill to start with.
So WhaT'S tHe DeAl wiTH Acrid? Play safely, throw acid, spit on everything and infect all you can like a plague doctor. That makes enemies easy pickings either for your slam, claw, or a followup spit. He's actually so good top level players can carry a team with him and never need to pick up an item.

huh, commando was super solid in risk 1

[elvendualwielder]

Solid, yes. But not good. He was a triangle trying to fit in squares. Close range? Enforcer, Mercenary, OG Loader, Miner, and Acrid had him beat there. Long range? Huntress, Sniper, Engineer, and Bandit had superior range on him and higher damage too. Maneuverability? Huntress, Miner, Mercenary and Sniper all had more I-frames and were more mobile. Crowd control? Enforcer, Chef, and to a lesser extent Mercenary, Acrid, Engineer and Huntress could decimate crowds with little risk to themselves. Damage potential? Sniper, Engineer, Enforcer, Chef... see where I'm going with this? Any job Commando could do any other class could do better. Which was unfortunate, because he was super solid, as you said. He just didn't fit any real role.

[Glycyanure]

Mercenary, morelike "samurai" is the best and the more stylish character.
His gameplay is like marvel, air combos, and awesome moves slashing at the speed of light.
You can fight in the air also like Dante...
Samurai is the best character...Things said ^^ !!!

[Heavouslicious]

Tossing Commando = Un-Chad

[Ittrix]

Well, Acrid is a weird character.

He is simultaneously both the best character in the roster and the worst at the same time.
Lemme explain better.
Pros: Acrid Scales With The Enemy
Cons: Acrid Practically Only Scales With The Enemy

Lemme explain better better.
Acrid's main schtick is his poison. In a nutshell, it does x% of base damage over the duration or 10% of the enemies' max HP over the duration- whichever is higher. The ticks themselves can't proc or crit or scale with most items you'd pick up. The only thing they can scale with is %damage increases, and even then that's only if x% of his base damage is bigger than 10% of the enemies' max HP.
In a nutshell, Acrid is terrible at scaling. Most items in the game for him fall into the 'meh' category.

The good news is he doesn't need items either. He can kill ANYTHING within 100 seconds; no matter how far behind you are.
Got 90 energy drinks? No problem.
Got 72 fuel cells and haven't found any equipment yet? 100 seconds, baby.

Got absolutely nothing?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2343171999
#RemoveAcridsAbilityToPickUpItems

[Ittrix]

In terms of actual tips for Acrid...

Acrid is not a melee character. I know it says he's a hybrid. He's not, unless you pick up every skill for melee and are okay being a worse melee character than the others because you find it fun. He lacks the extreme survival tools most melee characters have which makes it pretty not plausible to do it for forever. I'm not gonna say it's impossible because people *do* do it, but... y'know. Acrid just doesn't have the awesome tools like being literally invincible or being on the other side of the arena when you're done attacking.
TL;DR he's not melee. Don't play him like one.
If you want a melee hybrid go play Commando with his 2m 95% damage fall off. (May or may not be that extreme)

He's supposed to play like a Guerilla fighter. Poison the enemies... then leave. Dot them up again every 10 seconds or so until they're about to die, then pounce. Spit epidemic at a horde of weak enemies to make them all die, pounce in and kill everything that's weak, or pick off one weak enemy with your M2. It's the closest he can get to melee where he pounces on a group of weak enemies who die immediately. You don't need to be invincible or on the other side of the stage immediately if the angry stuff is dead.
Pretty much any item that automates killing off 1 HP enemies is great on Acrid. Gasoline, Will-o-The-Wisp, Guillotine, Razorwire, etc. Anything for survivability (IE not dying while you run away) is good too. Not to say you want to avoid everything else... even if his ultimate only does 100% damage that can actually proc things, it can and will be enough for god mode if you get enough random junk.

[Rainy days.]

Originally posted by Ittrix:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2343171999

Just out of sheer curiosity, how did the fight with Mith go?
Like, honestly it seems like Mith would out-speed you, even with Acrid's lunge.

[Ittrix]

I just stood on elevated ground usually.

[Rainy days.]

Originally posted by Ittrix:

I just stood on elevated ground usually.

Mith didnt, at all, jump for you and/or come "falling" down on you?

[Ittrix]

I did that run in December. He did not at all. Has there been a patch since that lets him? :o