Favorite partial set combos?

[Purple Eyestabber]

Partial set bonuses are a great new addition to the game. However, I don't see much discussion on the topic, as even the YT who make build videos don't seem to care much for partials. Anyway, here is a list of combinations that I found useful so far:

- Nano Ward + Lynx: defend forever, never run out of stamina
- AID Eclipse + Rhino: fun hammer time
- Wraith + Gaia/Helena: minigun madness
- Wraith + AID Nightfall: drone build. Nightfall helmet is among the best in the game
- Chrysalis + Archangel: NG+ elemental build. You can either go full nano with metamorphing talons or pick up Brother Truman's Spear for some easy stuns
- Spark Galvanizer + Chrysalis: NG elemental build

[⭕TheSodaman]

I think it's the potential lobsidedness of certain combinations or more specifically, full Cerberus.

Scarab and Cerberus: After 3 batteries, the defensive boost is fairly dramatic. Couple this with the Medi-Force Converter and a way to sustain three batteries (either high Battery Efficiency plus the Rig Capacitor or the three battery Rig Capacitor, etc.) and you are a walking face tank.

Nightfall and Centuri: Couple this with the Drone Proximity Adapter implant and your standard laser drone for burst damage on any given enemy on a corpse run. (I have yet to try this against a one phase boss).

[Drake Ravenwolf]

For me:
Galvanizer + VULTR = my default set for most of the game (with Stranger head and Wraith chest)
RHINO + LYNX = for tougher bosses
SCARAB full set for Celeste or any other electrical fights

Oh and can swap out VULTR for eg Liquidator or Archangel, only takes swapping around 2 slots for w/e you want/need

[Purple Eyestabber]

Originally posted by TheSodaman:

I think it's the potential lobsidedness of certain combinations or more specifically, full Cerberus.

Scarab and Cerberus: After 3 batteries, the defensive boost is fairly dramatic. Couple this with the Medi-Force Converter and a way to sustain three batteries (either high Battery Efficiency plus the Rig Capacitor or the three battery Rig Capacitor, etc.) and you are a walking face tank.

Nightfall and Centuri: Couple this with the Drone Proximity Adapter implant and your standard laser drone for burst damage on any given enemy on a corpse run. (I have yet to try this against a one phase boss).

Gr8 ideas, m8. I was wondering whether or not Cerberus and Scarab would stack, since their partial set bonuses are identical. Did you test it?

As for the second combo, seems like a nice workaround the fact that Centauri's full set bonus is currently bugged.

[karol]

Early hammer combo: eclipse (arms) + jaguar.
High impact and low stamina consumption.

[⭕TheSodaman]

Originally posted by Purple Eyestabber:

Originally posted by TheSodaman:

I think it's the potential lobsidedness of certain combinations or more specifically, full Cerberus.

Scarab and Cerberus: After 3 batteries, the defensive boost is fairly dramatic. Couple this with the Medi-Force Converter and a way to sustain three batteries (either high Battery Efficiency plus the Rig Capacitor or the three battery Rig Capacitor, etc.) and you are a walking face tank.

Nightfall and Centuri: Couple this with the Drone Proximity Adapter implant and your standard laser drone for burst damage on any given enemy on a corpse run. (I have yet to try this against a one phase boss).

Gr8 ideas, m8. I was wondering whether or not Cerberus and Scarab would stack, since their partial set bonuses are identical. Did you test it?

As for the second combo, seems like a nice workaround the fact that Centauri's full set bonus is currently bugged.

Summary

The Cerberus and the Scarab gear set defense bonuses can stack. The defensive buffs from gear set bonuses (3rd and 5th batteries) and implants (Deflection Auto-Defender, Deflection Hardener, Tissue Hardening Injector) can total up to 250 additional Defense by default (e.g. if your base gear defense is 500, your max defense with that gear is 750).

Full Cerberus sustains slightly more damage per hit (about 20 damage more in the below scenario), but compensates by dealing 20% more damage. When coupled with health leeching, this recovers more health per hit, defeats the enemy faster, and starts to obsolete my happy Cerberus + Scarab build.

The numbers below could benefit from using MK XX sets of all armor sets included. This does affect the outcome of this scenario by several points of Defense.

Screenshot Examples of the Stacking

Example of MG Cerberus before the three battery defense bonus. The Nightfall Leg gear defense was the closest I had to my SCARAB legs defenses which were 79 + 77. Defense 571.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1889887444

Example of using only MG Cerberus with three battery defense bonus. Defense 646.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1889887461

Example of MG Cerberus and SCARAB three-battery Defense bonus. Defense 746.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1889887482

Damage Received Samples

Sample testing consisted of an enemy in Jericho City on New Game+2 sustaining an attack from his second horizontal combo attack while facing him directly without blocking. While armored and against this specific enemy's specific attack, each point of Defense reduced the damage I received by 0.32 points of damage (Every 3 Defense to reduce damage by 1).

At Defense 571, took 117 damage. Before defensive gear set bonus is activated.
At Defense 646, took 93 damage. Partial MG Cerberus gear set defense bonus is activated, 3 batteries and gear to three remaining pieces to mirror my Scarab's base defense.
At Defense 674, took 84 damage. Partial MG Cerberus gear set defense bonus is activated, 5 batteries.
At Defense 746, took 61 damage. With MG Cerberus and Scarab gear set defense bonus activated, 3 batteries.
At Defense 787, took 48 damage. With MG Cerberus and Scarab gear set defense bonus at 5 batteries, 5 batteries.
At Defense 821, took 37 damage. With MG Cerberus and Scarab gear set defense bonus activated, 3 OR 5 batteries, plus Tissue Hardening Injector OR deflection bonus. (not sure which is not stacking, but this combination was capped at Defense 821.)

Implant Defense Buffs and Debuffs Expanded

It appears that you can only receive an additional 250 Defense from the partial gear set 3rd battery and 5th battery defense bonuses, Deflection Auto-Defender, Deflection Hardener, or Tissue Hardening Injector, etc.

If you equip an implant that reduces your defense, such as the Kineto-Channel Dynamo (-250 Defense), you can then benefit from more Defense from all those aforementioned bonuses (e.g. in this case, up to 500 Defense, same cap, just harder to reach/sustain with the Dynamo equipped).

Similarly, if you equip the Pain Enhancer (-1000 Defense), then all of the aforementioned bonuses stack (200 Defense from the 3rd and 5th battery defense bonuses of two partial sets, 100 from the Tissue Hardening Injector, and 500 from Deflection Auto-Defender and Deflection Hardener on successful parry for a total benefit of 800 Defense). The theory here is that while the Pain Enhancer is slotted, you could theoretically benefit from 1250 Defense if there were enough buffs / bonuses in the game.

Uncertain Damage Calculations, Not Fully Related

There appears to be some other damage calculations involved, possibly for striking an unarmored body part versus armored. Here are some samples from sustaining the second horizontal swing on that same enemy (who does not use headgear, not sure if that affects his damage).

At Defense 250, took 298 damage, nakkid with Deflection bonus active.
At Defense 250, took 249 damage, using armor with body piece and an arm piece.
At Defense 250, took 260 damage, using head piece and two arms OR head piece and two legs.
At Defense 251, took 270 damage, using body piece and a leg to simulate. (I'm afraid I couldn't get Defense to 250 with the gear I had, but I ended up taking more damage with the extra defense in this scenario).

The Defensive Effectiveness of Full MG Cerberus

The MG Cerberus has higher base defense than the Scarab. While this will need to be tested with both suits capped at MK XX, the Cerberus performed as follows (approximately 12 or so less Defense than what I could have had it, but to better represent.)

At Defense 617, took 101 damage. Full set of MG Cerberus.
At Defense 692, took 78 damage. Full set of MG Cerberus, set defense defense bonus is activated, 3 batteries.
At Defense 718, took 68 damage. Full set of MG Cerberus, set defense bonus is activated, 5 batteries.
At Defense 818, took 37 damage. Full set of MG Cerberus, set defense bonus is activated, 5 batteries, plus Tissue Hardening Injector. This is feasibly sustainable.
At Defense 867, took 22 damage. With MG Cerberus gear set defense bonus activated, 3 OR 5 batteries, plus deflection bonus for a few seconds.

At 3 batteries of full set of MG Cerberus, you might be dealing an additional 10% damage per strike. At 5 batteries, 20% damage.

Using a fast weapon on the attacker's unarmored head, I ended up striking him for 1017 without the Cerberus damage bonuses and 1220 damage with the full Cerberus damage bonus. Coupled with the Medi-Force Converter injection, I am stealing 40 more health per attack in full Cerberus. Without the Tissue Hardening Injector, I'm only taking 20 more damage from this type of attack compared to the Cerberus + Scarab's five batteries gear set defense bonuses.

Conclusion

Upon reflection of what I've observed this evening, I'm not as confident as I once was in the Scarab and Cerberus combination compared to just full Cerberus.

[Mictlante]

My favourite combination is a half mouse half dog hybrid boxer.
Iron Mouse legs give nice armor and dodge
Iron Mouse body give nice armor and stability without a lot of stamina drain
Black Cerberus arms give nice armor and impact, which nicely compliment IM set bonus
Black Cerberus helmet - highest armor damage bonus if I'm not mistaken
General's ACU 2.0. - curently best punching weapon - it got stacking speed bonus [10] and each punch does better damage then IM gloves, even when the latter one got better stats on paper.

[Purple Eyestabber]

Originally posted by TheSodaman:

Cerberus/Scarab X Full Cerberus

Wow, very in-depth and well researched comparison. I just hope making this post was your plan all along and you didn't do it because I "demanded proof of stacking"

[⭕TheSodaman]

Originally posted by Purple Eyestabber:

Originally posted by TheSodaman:

Cerberus/Scarab X Full Cerberus

Wow, very in-depth and well researched comparison. I just hope making this post was your plan all along and you didn't do it because I "demanded proof of stacking"

No worries! The only part I knew was that they stacked, but I hadn’t tested to see how effective each of the combinations were. I also hadn’t looked into the defensive bonuses stacking / not stacking. Then I kinda got carried away with finding the potency and considered making a separate mechanics thread on it as it started to take life on its own.

[Masada]

Personally love Chrysalis + Archangel: combined with icon of the spark V2. Lots of electric damage combined with some nano, however with the speed of attack the icon generates when dual wielding the damage is amazing.