Cognition Mechadendrite

[Sev]

Hey all,

I'm curious about this equipment. Some guides I've said say this is 'free cognition', but in my limited testing it looks like it just gathers cognition the same way you would if you're standing next to a cognition resource.

Am I doing something wrong, or was it balanced?

Thanks!

[Grim]

I've acquired this one lately too, and from what i've experienced, it can be used at range of one square, on enemies, consoles and maybe more things, to gather additional cognition. It is very useful on first line techpriests, but you can't just use it anywhere like the description might suggest.
You can click on it to see cogs appear where you can acquire some.

[Baron]

Originally posted by Grim:

I've acquired this one lately too, and from what i've experienced, it can be used at range of one square, on enemies, consoles and maybe more things, to gather additional cognition. It is very useful on first line techpriests, but you can't just use it anywhere like the description might suggest.
You can click on it to see cogs appear where you can acquire some.

yeah at first I thought "wow, this is like a second servo- skull this is great!" but that turned out to be wrong, and the scanner is just infinitely more effective if you can get it

[ulzgoroth]

Originally posted by VikingAO11:

Originally posted by Grim:

I've acquired this one lately too, and from what i've experienced, it can be used at range of one square, on enemies, consoles and maybe more things, to gather additional cognition. It is very useful on first line techpriests, but you can't just use it anywhere like the description might suggest.
You can click on it to see cogs appear where you can acquire some.

yeah at first I thought "wow, this is like a second servo- skull this is great!" but that turned out to be wrong, and the scanner is just infinitely more effective if you can get it

How so? The scanner only works on things that contain accessible cognition (obelisks and dead enemies) - you don't get any additional cognition by having it, just pick up the stuff that's already there. If the mechadendrite can give you cognition that you wouldn't pick up automatically by standing next to the target, it's got a big advantage over the scanner.

[Baron]

Originally posted by ulzgoroth:

Originally posted by VikingAO11:

How so? The scanner only works on things that contain accessible cognition (obelisks and dead enemies) - you don't get any additional cognition by having it, just pick up the stuff that's already there. If the mechadendrite can give you cognition that you wouldn't pick up automatically by standing next to the target, it's got a big advantage over the scanner.

because in the five or six games I have played, I almost always get three to four ranged tech priests before any melee tech priests, as ive almost always gotten skitarii rangers fairly early on, and just use them to tank with maybe one or two tech priests behind them to heal, also ive just found the play style to use less blackstone (though this isn't much of a problem in most games)

[Thrax]

Scanners only work on structures bearing cognition, and have a relatively low range with a 3 turn cool down.

Cognition Mechendrites generate cognition from terminals, enemies that are up or down, and have a cool down of 2. Even with the passive that allows you to use scanners at a 2 turn cool down, I would go with the Mechendrite.

Scanners use the back slot, and the Mechendrites use the tendril slot. So you could use both at the same time, but I find that on aggressive builds the back slot is much more suited towards canisters that boost damage, allies, etc, while the Cognition tendrils keep the weapons ready to rock.

Had a tech priest with two canisters that boosted physical damage by 4, and used the small and large incinerator for range and width. Being able to pull 6 cognition out of an enemy every two turns is an excellent way to keep that kind of build going.

I find that in almost any situation a scanner would be useful, a super mobile techpriest would be just as useful and more. Scanners honestly could use a buff, like +1 cognition, or resetting whatever they pull from, etc.

[Sev]

Originally posted by Princess Soap:

Scanners only work on structures bearing cognition, and have a relatively low range with a 3 turn cool down.

Cognition Mechendrites generate cognition from terminals, enemies that are up or down, and have a cool down of 2.

Hang on, so you're saying if I have the Cognition Mechendrites and I'm nearby an enemy or structure, I can generate a CP regardless if the enemy has a CP, I just need a target?

[Thrax]

Originally posted by Sev:

Originally posted by Princess Soap:

Scanners only work on structures bearing cognition, and have a relatively low range with a 3 turn cool down.

Cognition Mechendrites generate cognition from terminals, enemies that are up or down, and have a cool down of 2.

Hang on, so you're saying if I have the Cognition Mechendrites and I'm nearby an enemy or structure, I can generate a CP regardless if the enemy has a CP, I just need a target?

Yes. And at higher tier items, it can generate 1/2/3 CP.

Specifically enemies, and terminals you can scan/destroy. Stick em with it, won't hurt em, but it will give you some CP.

[Valmar]

I use them on every tech, I love them, they give free cognition everytime here and there.
Hate scans though, but mechadendrite are awesome.

[Black Ram]

I use 2 on my melee techpriest
Get in close
Generate 2 CP
Rip the enemy a new one

[Voroff]

" Hold still, ennemy shield generator and/or terminal ! I'm gonna stab you FOR SCIENCE !!! "
Alternativly : stabbing the science out of your machines ... ? Mechanicus is weird like that.

For flammers and so on : the first and last skills of Dominus path extends the range of weapons, even for flammers, yes ?

Meanwhile, happy beepings.

[Cyiel]

Originally posted by Voroff:

" Hold still, ennemy shield generator and/or terminal ! I'm gonna stab you FOR SCIENCE !!! "
Alternativly : stabbing the science out of your machines ... ? Mechanicus is weird like that.

For flammers and so on : the first and last skills of Dominus path extends the range of weapons, even for flammers, yes ?

Meanwhile, happy beepings.

Yes because Flamethrowers are ranged weapons that can be use in melee so it works with Rites of Range but not with the last skill in Explorator tree.
Additionally offensive dendrites don't cancel Rite of Range either, so the one that can push enemies can be useful if you rely on having only non-flamethrower ranged weapons.

[Voroff]

Originally posted by Cyiel:

Yes because Flamethrowers are ranged weapons that can be use in melee so it works with Rites of Range but not with the last skill in Explorator tree.
Additionally offensive dendrites don't cancel Rite of Range either, so the one that can push enemies can be useful if you rely on having only non-flamethrower ranged weapons.

Don't even need the melee dendrite at all, with the Benedictions spamming (for 2 PC only ! Broken) i fry everything in sight with death-lasers that can and will clip 2-3 necrons per shot, and the dead piles acts as free cognition-dendrite refill points on the way forward, to keep pushing like raging hell. Usually i finish levels in one turn, including monitors for blackstone + destroying said monitors.

The cog-dendrites allows to keep pushing like no tomorrow.

Equipped Benedictions : machine spirit taming, ignores armor for 6 next attacks, +9 PC. And keeping spamming them is increadibly powerfull.

[Kal]

Also if you can spare the blackstones 3 ranks in explorer for the talent that avoids AoO makes pushing dendrites entirely obsolete. Also the extra movement is very useful even for non melee guys, to help with positioning/reaching cognition sources/rushing an objective.