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  1. - Top - End - #31
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    PART 11
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    We actually don't have any jobs lined up right this second, so let's check our inbox.

    Accepting the Pharma Cleanup job.
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    So we have to go in, guns blazing, and blow away anything that moves.

    We're good at that.


    None of the team has anything to say at this point, by the way.

    Preparing for the run
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    Gunari's got some nice armor. Any of these would be upgrades for me. Aljernon and Maliit also have armor for sale. At the moment I buy the Armored Vest with Plates, since a better chance to hit with my machete (which I really need to upgrade too, but I can't afford it right now) and more HP are helpful for a character like myself who spends so much time at the front lines.

    You can bring along whoever you like for this run, but personally I'm bringing Dietrich, Glory, and Blitz. I'd prefer to bring Eiger instead of Blitz, but there are a couple Matrix sections I want to show off.

    I also buy this to loan to Dietrich. I've never really used barrier spells before, but it can't hurt to try them out, I guess. Unfortunately, barrier tiles have to be contiguous.

    As far as equipment: Jazz, medkits, at least 1 Trauma Kit for everybody, and grenades are the order of the day - this entire run is almost nothing but a gauntlet of enemies to shoot down and blow away. If you're bringing Blitz, make sure you don't loan him so much stuff that he can't bring along his hit of Cram - it's going to be important. Don't use it until I mention it, however, as there's a specific place you'll want to have him take it.

    I also loan Glory the Defiance Super Shock stunner, as well as the Slapdash Pistol, in place of her default Savalette Guardian. In retrospect, the latter isn't a great idea, since while the Slapdash Pistol is great if you can get someone flanked or in the open you can do some solid damage, but against enemies behind medium or heavy cover, it'll only tickle them.


    The run (section 1)
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    We start in combat mode, and there's a good reason for this.


    There are two guards in the next room, and two more will be showing up in a couple rounds. Move everybody up and behind cover, then have Dietrich start buffing with his Dragonslayer Aura and Aim spells.


    The 'Unbalanced by Nerve Bolt' message means that the target has lost their Cover bonus. Very handy.

    Once the Knight Errants are down, have Blitz move up and jack into the Matrix terminal.


    He hasn't gotten his deck upgrade yet, so I wind up swapping out his Exploder ESP for the Shield one, and Erosion for Sniffer.


    It hasn't come up before, but if you've got a decker in the Matrix during a combat situation, then the game's focus will switch back and forth between your decker and the rest of your team. Every 3 rounds spent in the Matrix is equivalent to 1 round passing in 'meatspace.'


    A couple more Knight Errants will pop up after a couple rounds, but they're nothing to worry about.

    Anyway, the Matrix system here is pretty small and I didn't get any screenshots of it, but the cube-shaped IC is basically 'melee,' so they can't hit you or your ESPs unless they're adjacent, so your Attacker ESP's Tar Bomb ability will lock them down.


    Once you're done eliminating the IC, have your ESP hack this node, while you return to the exit node and jack out.


    The run (section 2)
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    As you can see, we now have access to the security cameras in the next room, where more security is waiting. I prefer to enter from the southeast door, because more Knight Errants will be entering from the room across the hall from the northwest door.


    Also note that there's a passage here you can send drones through, if you have any. I hold my position by the door while Max gets into position.


    If a drone is right by a passage like this, they can pass through it for 0AP, allowing them to play an incredibly annoying (for the enemy) game of whack-a-mole.


    Damn. Guess the guy we're here to eliminate made them pay for taking him captive.


    Also, the Enforcer enemies have flashbangs, so don't group up stupidly like I did here.



    But be sure to take advantage of the enemy doing it when you get the opportunity, though.


    After one of them goes down, they'll call for backup, so try to eliminate two or even three at once if you can with an AoE attack.


    After a few more rounds ANOTHER couple Enforcers will show up. Fortunately, these are the last reinforcements for this part.


    After the fight, be sure to grab the Advanced Medkit and Kamikazee in this room. Kamikazee is a stim that adds +2 Body, +1 Strength, and +1 Willpower for 5 rounds. Head through the northeast door from the room we just killed all those people in.


    The run (section 3)
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    Oh boy, there's a whole bunch of 'em.

    Move into the room, but not too far, taking cover behind the counters and crates along the edges of the entry.

    The drones only have 20 HP, so they should go down in one or two good hits. The guy at the back of the room is a conjurer, so as always, he's priority #1.


    After a few rounds, a mage and another Enforcer will show up. Again, the mage is top priority.


    These two turrets can be eliminated safely via drones playing whack-a-mole, but if you spend too long on this fight then more reinforcements arrive.


    OR you could just use this terminal behind them to destroy them immediately. There's another terminal at the northeast end of the room you can do this from too, but getting there forces you into their line of fire... though the counter just to the southeast provides some great cover. Heal up and head down the elevator behind the turrets.


    The run (section 4)
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    Be sure to make a backup save before you open this door.




    THIS is where you want to have Blitz pop his Cram, then his Bliss. Then have him move to the southwestern corner of the room where there's a Matrix terminal to jack into. Have the rest of the team take cover and start picking away at the enemy. There's another Conjurer here, and we know what to do with them by now, don't we?


    We need to eliminate the IC here and hack that node to lock out the incoming reinforcements.


    Success! There's another section to the southwest from here, where we can get some paydata, so head down there along with your ESPs.


    The IC you're up against here. I have Blitz flank to the southwest, while his ESPs hold off the IC in the southeast. Once you've got the paydata, have Blitz return to the exit node and jack out.


    Meanwhile, in meatspace, the rest of the team is hanging in there, but taking some punishment. The conjurer is down, though, so pretty much all that remains is cleanup.


    FINALLY done, even though the crew took a pretty heavy beating, and it wound up being pretty close. It's not usually this hard.

    That aside, if you don't have a decker you can have someone go up to the terminal in the western corner during the fight and use it to open the basilisk cages. They'll attack whoever's closest, so try to keep the Knight Errant forces in between them and your team. Also, doing this will cause the reinforcements to arrive one round earlier, so you don't want to release the basilisks THEN jack in because that'll be cutting things extremely close, though if you want you can have someone besides your decker release the basilisks after you've locked out the reinforcements.

    Regardless of how you do it, once Knight Errant is eliminated, head up to the rigger's cell.


    Conclusion
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    I recommend you do this. Or, if you decide to talk to him first, at least make a backup save so you can reload and do this. You'll get 3 more karma this way.

    Assuming you DO want to talk to him, though...




















    That Pain Inducer sounds nice. He even joins the crew for the moment, though unfortunately he won't be a long-time prospect. Head outside.























    Thorvald certainly is a jolly fellow.






    Just for the hell of it, let's side with Thorvald here.








    He delivers as promised. This Pain Inducer of his is a pretty nifty gadget, too, even if it does take 2 AP to reload. In my opinion though, it's not worth sacrificing 3 karma for.

    If you side with the company man and execute Thorvald, or kill him in his cell, he just says something like "Good to see you're reliable" and leaves.


    Unexpected delay
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    Lots to investigate here. On the ground is a fuse, so grab it, along with the advanced medkit on the wall. Then check the fusebox.




    Check out the bridge by the train car next and extend it, then cross.


    To the northwest here is a door you can force if you have Strength: 6 or a teammate who does.


    Damn, that's a nice grenade. Anyway, head through the northeast door and reset the breaker box you find there.


    An ambush, what a surprise. Anyway, it's 3 on 4 (or 5, if you count Max) so it's not a terribly difficult fight.


    Once the three of them are down, grab this encrypted PDA one of them had, then move south. There's another fight waiting for you on the other side of the door.


    Once again, who's top priority?

    Anyway, once they're eliminated you can cross the bridge again, raise it, board the U-bahn, and make it back to the Kruezbasar without further sidetracking. You get 8 karma for completing this run.

    If you free Enstad, you unfortunately don't get paid twice like he suggested. Also, the team isn't real happy with you for letting a guy like him loose into the shadows again... Paul also chews you out for abandoning the run, since it'll hurt your reputation (this doesn't have any actual in-game effect, though.)

    If you just blow him away without talking to him, the team (except Eiger) thinks you should have at least heard him out.




    Post-run
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    The team leveled up again, so I choose the following options for them
    -Eiger: Sharpshooter - Upgrades her sniper rifle. 20 damage, 6 round clip, pierces 2 armor. The other option is Wired Reflexes, which passively increases movement by 1 (meh), and when active causes the user to dodge the first attack made against them each round. Not bad, but I prefer the rifle. Depends on whether you prefer having her snipe or up front blowing people away with her shotgun.
    -Dietrich: Static - Electro Core now costs 1 AP to cast. The other, Conductivity, causes his Electro Core to hit a 5x5 area instead of a 3x3. Let's do some quick calculations here: a 3x3 AoE hits 9 tiles, while a 5x5 AoE hits 25 - just under three times as many squares. Both options are really good, honestly, but I prefer Static.
    -Glory: Enhanced Adrenals causes her Adrenaline Pump to last an extra round, but the cooldown also takes an extra round. Adrenal Injection allows her to use her adrenaline pump as a Trauma kit, reviving a downed ally. This doesn't come up often enough for me to care much, so I take Enhanced Adrenals.
    -Blitz: Deck Upgrade - Blitz's old cyberdeck is replaced with a Fairlight Excalibur - the 'holy grail' of Cyberdecks, which makes him more effective in the Matrix. Among other things, it grants him 4 AP instead of 3 while he's jacked in, as well as an extra ESP slot AND an extra program slot. The other option is cyberware, a Hydraulic Jack, which allows him to increase his movement by 4 tiles per AP for 1 round as a 0AP action. Blitz is my decker, so I consider the deck upgrade way more useful.

    As for myself, I use my accumulated karma to raise my Melee Weapons skill to 5 (netting me the Cleave ability, which strikes all adjacent targets in a 180 degree arc with your weapon) and Biotech up to 2.

    Anyway, we need to see Paul.





































    We'll talk to her later.

    Incidentally, while the Barrier spells are interesting, they're not all that useful, and honestly seem counterproductive... You can surround an enemy with them, so they can't move, at the expense of granting them cover... or you can erect cover for your team, but at the expense of blocking them off from the enemy (which is bad considering that my protagonist is specialized in melee weapons.) Meh... Probably going to just replace it with Manaball or something. I'm really not impressed with the Conjuring spells overall, with the exception of Haste.


  2. - Top - End - #32
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Personally I tend to think the only two-shot stunner in the game is worth more than 3 points of karma.
    Also, it seems totally in character for a runner in need of a lot of money to try to double-dip...

  3. - Top - End - #33
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    If you'd prefer the stunner over the 3 karma, go for it. I personally don't care for it, because it's got a relatively short range, and the 2 AP reload cost is kind of steep. Bear in mind, though, for this playthrough I'm playing a build that's pretty demanding on karma. Furthermore, the only person in my party who can use Thorvald's custom stunner (which is classified as a type of pistol) is Glory, who's already got a stunner, as well as the Slapdash Pistol, in addition to her default Savalette Guardian.

  4. - Top - End - #34
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 12
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    I meant to do this earlier, but forgot. So here it is now: Conversation with Dietrich
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    The Lodge is bad news, you say. I'd never have guessed.


    Anyway, after this I claim the payment for the Humanis safehouse data and put the Pharma AG data up for sale.

    Mail inbox
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    You can watch the DVDs on the same TV you watched the first one on, by the way. Also it's good to know Silke's doing better, and to hear from Jana, even if she is under the thumb of the Lodge...


    The rest of the team doesn't really have anything to say, except Blitz

    Conversation with Blitz
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    Maybe having him on the team wasn't such a great idea after all... Anyway, head to the U-bahn.



    BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO MEET WITH FRAU MULLER

    Frau Muller
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    The Aztechnology run is one of the more difficult ones, so I'm going to be saving it for pretty much the last thing I do.

    Might as well talk to Paul while we're at it.


    Paul
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    Words words. God. More work, but it's tedious. Anyway, we'll get to all that later.


    I want to stop by Aljernon's to see if I can afford any other spells for Dietrich (I can't,) but before that I talk to Absinthe.

    Absinthe
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    Interesting.


    Anyway, let's FINALLY get started on Blitz's thing. I recommend you bring 1 dose of Jazz, but more than that shouldn't be necessary. Again, don't use it until I mention it.

    Blitz's run, part 1
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    I'm getting the feeling that Blitz may not have thought his cunning plan all the way through.


    Anyway, during this run you'll periodically switch between the stuff going on in meatspace and Blitz in the Matrix. This is the primary reason I wanted to get Blitz that Fairlight Excalibur before tackling this run. Anyway, head northwest from here.






    Head northeast, then northeast again through the next room.







    Head inside and take the northwest door.








    What a pleasant fellow Hasenkamp is.


    Leave the medkit on the wall for later, we'll be coming back. Check the desk first.












    Check the garbage next.











    Best buds, that's us!

    Also, because I forgot to add it earlier, let's take a look at Hasenkamp's stats and gear.



    "Accountant," huh? He's pretty deadly for an accountant. His outfit is just a normal cloth suit that doesn't provide any armor. He does, however, have two cyberarms, a hydraulic jack in his leg, and a laser designator in his eye. He sounds like one hell of an accountant.

    Anyway, head through the northeast door here.



    I have no idea what the code is or how you might find it, so let's bluff our way in.










    Lying is always a great idea!


    This guy's not much of a fight, especially since he's alone, so blow him away with whatever you've got. Conserve your grenades, though. Afterwards, grab the keycard from the desk, then check the terminal.


    Blitz in the Matrix
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    Control switches to Blitz in the Matrix again. The area he's in is kind of a puzzle, but it's not hard. There are various 'bits' here, which are basically keys, and placing or removing them removes or erects walls, respectively.




    Grab the first bit from the northwest, then place it in the empty node in the northeast, then check the data node.














    What a wonderful day this is turning out to be.


    Anyway, grab this bit, then the one you placed before checking the data node, and head back to the empty node directly south of here, though you have to loop around to reach it.


    This node and the one to the northeast of it keep the same passage open, so place the bit here, grab the bit to the northeast, then come back and pick up this one again.


    Then place all three bits in the empty nodes here, and activate the node behind the walls they just removed.





    What this did was open the door to the southeast of where your protagonist and Hasenkamp are. We'll check that in a second. For now, grab your control bits again and head northwest.


    Place two here and hack that node.





    Control switches back to meatspace. Head through the door directly southeast of where you are.


    This is okay I guess, but I never found any real use for it.


    Part 2
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    Head through the notheast door to the server room, then take the southeast door in this hall.


    Check out the computer to the east first.



    I don't know how you're supposed to guess this password without being told.






    Interesting, but not useful. Check the other desk now.















    You can't get the credstick if you don't have Strength: 4, but it's not a big loss anyway.

    Head back to the hall and take the first door.


    There's a hit of Cram on the table. The vent just goes to the next room, which is unlocked anyway.












    I guess he is an accountant. Regardless, we're done with this part.


    This run is turning out to require an awful lot of screenshots, so it'll be completed in the next post.

  5. - Top - End - #35
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Okay so

    This isn't abandoned, it's just on hiatus. A number of things, mostly simple lack of motivation (I hadn't realized how damn much work this was going to be when I started it) have kept me away from this. I haven't worked on actually writing anything (well... I've written stuff,just not anything about this LP) since the last time I updated, almost exactly 3 months ago.

    I've got about 19-20 parts in total written, everything up to the Aztechnology run and the endgame after you pay off Alice. Probably I'm going to replay the game up until that point with a different build (either a samurai focused in pistols or a dwarf mage, haven't decided yet. I don't like martial adepts very much - their damage potential is great, yeah... but having to be in melee range, unable to use most cyberware, as well as all the other karma demands your protagonist has, make Anders feel spread pretty thin) and continue writing the LP once I get back up to that point.

    Any future hiatuses I'll try to remember to announce, but they weren't really decisions so much as just how stuff worked out.
    Last edited by Shpadoinkle; 2018-12-15 at 05:59 AM.

  6. - Top - End - #36
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 13
    Second half of Blitz's run
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    Part 3
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    Exit the hall to the northwest and pass through the next couple rooms.







    Back in the Matrix, head through this passage. In the next area head northwest.






    Back in crontol of the progatonist, head through the now unlocked northwestern door.





































    That's great. Since I don't have the requisite Decking stat to disable the alarms myself, I'm forced to trip them on my way out.


    Two security guards and a drone pop up, but they're nothing much to worry about. Conserve your grenades, there's more combat ahead, and Hasenkamp's Warhawk pistol does a ton of damage. Head southeast once you're done here.










    In this section and the next we'll be switching back and forth between the Matrix and meatspace. Remember that three rounds in the Matrix pass for every one round in the outside world.


    Have Blitz deploy his Attacker ESP, and lob some Blasters at the congregated IC here. Unfortunately for me, my Attacker is destroyed instantly. Great.


    Have your protagonist and Hasenkamp stay near each other, for mutual support, and head towards either room on the east side of this one. Your goal here is survival, not killing everybody, so avoid damage as much as you can. I also recommend only killing one of the first wave of guards, and leaving the other one alive - more, and in larger numbers, will spawn once you've eliminated both of them.

    In the Matrix, have Blitz head the same direction.


    When you reach this point you'll trigger two more IC. Destroy the one in your way for now, the other can wait.


    You'll have to destroy both IC here to access this node.



    Blitz will have to hold these doors open, meaning he won't be able to do anything else in the Matrix until after you've disengaged the locks.


    Also, grab the Medkits on the wall if you need them. Once you're done with one room, repeat the process for the other side.




    Once both locks are opened, head out the southeast door you oroginally came through.







    Grab the medkit from the room to the southwest if you didn't already, use it if you need to, then head out the front door to the southeast.


    Blitz's run, finale
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    Hasenkamp will run ahead of you here. Make a save before following him and activating the terminal.















    DECISION TIME! If you choose to kill Hasenkamp, (option 1 below) your protagonist fights him one-on-one (plus the turrets that Blitz turns to your side) while Blitz deals with an enemy decker. Afterwards Blitz will get a program that 'scrambles' hostile IC. This works like "Charm" status in some other RPGs, like Final Fantasy; it causes the affected IC to change allegiance for a few rounds, attacking its former allies and defending Blitz.

    If you choose to tell Blitz he's a dumbass, though (option 2 below,) you and Hasenkamp will have to fight off more security forces together, and afterward you get the box Hasenkamp took from the safe, which Blitz can plug into his cyberdeck to allow him to hack commlinks - this works like the 'scrambler' program, except it affects enemies in meatspace.

    Personally, of the two I prefer the box, so that's the one I'm going to be continuing with in the 'real' game. Neither is really better than the other, but it should be noted that Blitz's new scrambler program takes up a program slot in his cyberdeck.


    Option 1
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    Like the last couple fights, this one will switch between Blitz in the Matrix and your protagonist in meatspace. Plotz has an Attacker ESP which will hack turrets to kill you, starting with the one in the west and generally moving clockwise. Have Blitz's own Exploder program hack the other nodes in the northeast and southeast, while Blitz himself and his Attacker ESP face off with Plotz. Have your Attacker take the opportunity to Tar Bomb Plotz' if you get the chance, though.



    Back in meatspace, have your protagonist pop any Jazz or Cram you might have brought, and take cover from the enemy turrets behind the one that's programmed to attack Hasenkamp.

    Once Plotz is dead, grab his custom software and have Blitz and his ESPs hack the remaining turrets. Blitz will jack out, and the remainder of the fight pretty much takes care of itself.







    Option 2
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    It SHOULD go without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway: If you haven't found the dirt on Grinder and Plotz working together to form a monopoly, then you don't get this dialogue option.

    The Matrix section is pretty much the same, but the protagonist and Hasenkamp have a different enemy to face.


    The security forces you and Hasenkamp will be facing off against. Between his grenades and the turrests, however, this isn't that difficult a fight.


    After you've elimated the first group, a second one will pop up, but by this time you should have all the turrets hacked, so it's not a terribly difficult fight.











    And that's the end of this run.


    Post-run
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    You only get 2 karma for this run, which kinda stinks for how annoying it is... Plus either the custom program or the box for Blitz. Anyway, we need to have a talk with Blitz.
















    We only got 2 karma and not much cash from this run, but the cash is enough to allow me to afford a hand-forged katana from Gunari for 1,750 nuyen. It's not a huge upgrade, but it does increase my damage by 2 points per hit.


  7. - Top - End - #37
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 14: Operation Earwig
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    Before getting started, let's talk with the gang. Dietrich doesn't have anything to say, incidentally.

    Eiger
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    Well, that explains part of why she was so angry, and why she took it so hard when Monika died.


    Glory (long conversation here)
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    Blitz
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    I can't say I'm real surprised that someone like Blitz has a history of relationship trouble.


    Anyway, let's get started on that preparatory run on OTK for the big one against Aztechnology. There are two ways to do this: The Brute Force Way, or the Decker Way. Of the two, the Decker Way is both easier and more rewarding. Obviously, however, it's going to require a decker. Head to the U-Bahn and take to the OTK International offices. I'll be detailing both.

    Part 1
    This part is pretty much the same whether you choose the Decker Method or the Brute Force Method.
    Spoiler
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    Head through the door and down the hall to the northwest.







    He's just a guy trying to do his job, no reason to kill him.

    You can also hide when he turns around (requires Quickness: 4), or kill him without him raising an alarm if you have Close Combat: 4. You can also take him out if you have the Stunbolt or Manabolt spells. But still.. he's just a regular guy trying to get by, why murder him when you don't have to?

    Anyway, continue to the northwest and through the two doors there to the rest of the team in.










    Again, no reason to murder someone just because they had a stroke of bad luck. If you don't have Etiquette: Corporate, you can tell her you're a friend of the boss (which she doesn't believe,) then tell her that your gang was splashed by a passing truck, which is why you're not in your uniforms. Either way, head back southeast to the place we ran into the first guy, then head to the northwest of that room.


    Lots to investigate here.





    Hmm. Anyway, check out the guy's desk.





    The Strength: 5 option lets you just force the drawer open. If you can't pass that, however...

    You can either hack the guy's computer, have your decker attempt it, or guess his username and password, which are
    Spoiler
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    swilliams and 0629

    as evidenced by all the stuff around his office. Afterwards you can unlock the drawer. However you get the drawer open, you'll get a supervisor's ID badge from the it. Head back out the door, then to the room across the hall.




    If you don't have the supervisor's ID badge you can attack the drones, but doing so raises an alarm.


    Part 2 (The Decker Method)
    Spoiler
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    In this room, where the janitor we talked out way past came from, there's a Matrix jack-in point, which you can use to access the center room if you don't feel like messing around with ID badges.


    It's a pretty small and easy to deal with system, though, just be sure to keep using Suppression every time you can, because the alert level is already pretty high, and don't call up more than 1 ESP

    However you get into the room holding your destination...




    Either the badge or Etiqutte: Security will get you by here (the latter is only needed if you forced open the door to the northwest.)

    Anyway, check out the terminal in the middle of the room and have your decker jack in.

    This matrix network isn't very big, but the alert level is already fairly high, so you'll want to keep your number of ESP programs to a minimum. There's only the one thing we need to do, but there's also some paydata to be had. You'll want to run your Suppression program as often as you can.


    At this point I recommend moving here and using an Attacker ESP.


    Because these guys will pop up as soon as you move in.


    After eliminating those three IC, these two will pop up. Have your decker move to the south and hit them from there, while your Attacker takes them from the northwest.

    Once they're elimnated too, have your decker move around the west side and take the northeastern exit from this area. (If you go around to the east you'll trigger two more IC, which we don't want to do yet.)


    More IC to deal with, what fun. Anyway, your Attacker can lock down the two cubes with its tar bomb program, while your decker focuses on the Sparky to the north. Going around via the west side triggers a sphere IC, while the east route triggers a cube IC. Pick your poison and eliminate it so you can hack the node.


    We're technically done here, but there's a bonus we can get if you're up for it. Head back to the previous room and go southeast (eliminating the cube and sphere IC along the way)


    OTK's Financial data sounds like something that someone would be willing to pay for. Anyway, this isn't difficult, just take cover and lob some Blaster and Tar Bomb programs at the two sphere IC after eliminating the cube. Once that's done, have your decker head back to the jack-out point while your ESP grabs the financial data. You'll also get 1 karma for successfully downloading it.


    Afterward, just head out via the same door you let your team in through.




    Part 2 (The Brute Force Method)
    Spoiler
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    If you choose to do things this way, you'll want to bring Eiger instead of Blitz, since she's way better in a straight-up fight. Also, be sure to bring along some medkits, a Trauma Kit for everybody, some grenades, and a couple hits of Jazz.

    Handle the wageslave and the janitor the same, and grab the supervisor's ID badge from his office too - it'll let you get into a better position before the fighting starts.


    If you have Drone Control: 4 you can disable some of the drones at the terminal behind the northwestern door in this upcoming fight, and if you have Drone Control: 6 you can actually reprogram them to attack the security forces. Assuming you don't, though, our destination is behind the northeastern door in this room.




    Since we're not actually supposed to be here, we might as well get the drop on them.


    These two guards aren't much to worry about, but they've got reinforcements coming. The one to the southeast in this screenshot will drop a key to the server room door.


    Of course, there's a bunch more security between us and our destination... Incidentally, this is a great opportunity to lob AoE spells and grenades at the lot of them.


    You really shouldn't have said that, buddy, since you just made yourself our top priority target.


    Indeed we did.


    There are another two drones guarding the server room, but they only have 20 HP each, so they're not a big deal. Don't send more than one character in to deal with the servers, though. You'll need everybody else to hold off the guards, who will keep coming in a few at a time every couple rounds.


    After a couple rounds another guard with another pair of drones shows up, but again, they're nothing special, and the drones aren't very strong.


    Anyway, once all the servers are smashed up, your only job is to escape. Head out the same door that you let your gang in through.


    For completing this run (either way) you get 4 karma, which I use to boost my Intelligence to 5. If you had your decker steal the paydata from the Matrix system, don't forget to put it up for sale.


    Current stats (Adept.)


    Current stats in my Pistol-based Samurai re-play.

    Armor is a Secure Long Coat (5 armor, +1 Ranged Combat, +5 HP) and weapons are a Defiance Super Shock, a Ruger Warhawk, and an Ares Predator, the latter two with smartlinks. I mostly use the Warhawk because it does more damage and I can reload for 0 AP, but I'm hanging onto the Predator because of this:


    I don't have enough karma for it yet, clearly, but I will soon. This lets you really punish anybody dumb enough to let you flank or leave themselves in the open. I can't use it with the Warhawk because it's a revolver, which is why I'm keeping the Predator around.

    Samurai Cyberware: Datajack (Head, 0.5 Essence)
    Arm: Muscle Augmentation (+1 Strength, +1 Quickness, 1 Essence)
    Leg: Aztechnology Cyberleg (Basic) (+1 Quickeness, +8 HP, 2 Essence)
    Last edited by Shpadoinkle; 2018-12-24 at 12:36 AM.

  8. - Top - End - #38
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 15
    Mark VI Extraction
    Spoiler
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    Pre-run
    Spoiler
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    I probably should have done this run before the last one... Anyway, check your mission computer and accept the Mark VI Extraction Run job. There's a LOT of fighting in this run, but it's not that bad, for a couple reasons, the first being that there's a lot of cover to take, and the other reason you'll see later.

    The reason I'm doing this run before the Aztechnology run is because that one is one of the hardest in the game, and I'm going to want all the karma and supplies I can manage.

    All that aside, you'll want to buy a couple flashbang and/or concussion grenades from Gunari if you haven't been keeping them in stock, and be sure to stock up on Medkits as well. Also, be extra sure to bring a couple Earth Elemental talismans, at least Force 2, for Dietrich.

    Once you're stocked up, take the U-Bahn to the AG Chemie Europa facility.

    As for who to bring, there's minimal decking necessary for this run, so Blitz isn't necessarily a fantastic choice, but like the run for Ezkibel in part 10, he can get us a nice bonus... though you can get it yourself if you're playing a rigger. Again, it's not huge, but it's nice.


    Part 1: Parking garage and the 24th floor.
    Spoiler
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    We start in the parking garage. Head to the console in the northeast.






    That should be useful. Head to the elevator next.








    Personally, I don't like Luca very much. Continue to the elevator.



    There's lots to do on this floor. Start by going southwest.


    Oh joy. Continue to the room to the southwest and check the Observation Console.





    We'll have to come back, but at least we know what we're looking for at the moment. Of course, you can do stuff here first if you have Biotech: 4. Head back to the elevator and go through the door almost directly north of it.




    This is the second of only two times that I know of in the entire game where Etiqutte: Socialite is relevant. If you have it you can pick out a bottle worth 500 nuyen to Altug, but it's not worth investing in it JUST for this check. Anyway, check out the computer terminal.








    More information to steal for the Shockwellenreiter. Check the room to the northeast of this one.



    If you're not playing a spellcaster you don't get the astral perception option. Anyway, since this is supposed to be a guide, I'm going to show you where to get the passcode for this door. Incidentally, if you take the astral perception option, you get the digits, but not the order.


    There's a fight here. The security personnel inside includes both a conjurer and a mage, but they don't put up much of a fight, so be sure to conserve your resources.



    Not bad, but nobody in my crew can use it.



    Nice. Now we can get into that office we were just at. Also note that you don't actually have to have this code in your inventory to open that door: If you know it, say, from a previous playthrough (or a guide,) or finding it then reloading to before the fight with security, to conserve resources.





    Score. These two codes are going to let use do pretty much everything we need to on this level. Check out the office to the northeast next.




    WELP. Anyway, now check out the storage closet.



    This is pretty useless by now, but you might as well pick it up anyway. Free loot is free loot. Go one more room southwest from here, to the datastore we were at earlier.



    Note there'd a Decking: 5 option to bypass this, but we don't really need it.







    Formula 17, huh? sounds important. Let's keep poking around.
















    And that's everything the Shockwellenreiter wanted. There's one more thing to check out here. Remember that gas that's making the lab inaccessible?






    Score. Now we can sterilize the lab and explore it. Head back to the observation console.






    You can also just enter 'ammonia' for the substance to introduce to sterilize the lab, without passing the Biotech check. Anyway, head inside.



    Not surprising. Check the terminal next to him.















    Well, now we have a better idea of what's going on, at least. Grab the Jazz from the table and the Medkit from the wall. We're done with this floor, so head to the elevator southeast of the one you used to arrive here. Before you head to the elevator, be sure to grab anything left on this floor that you want - you won't get another chance.







    Off to the 25th floor.


    25th floor
    Spoiler
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    It's definitely not, but continue to the northwest anyway.







    That's... cheerful. Check out the terminal next to him.
























    Um... damn. So in short, they genetically engineered a troll able to withstand the huge amounts of cyberware they had to install in him, then pumped him full of this Formula 17 stuff to keep him docile, unless he's under someone's direction. In short, he's basically a living tank.

    Now you might be wondering "Why not just build a robot or something to do this?" Well, in the Shadowrun universe, AIs, even rudimentary ones, are a crapshoot at best...

    Anyway, we need to get this guy out of here.


    If you're playing a rigger or brought Blitz along, you can instead activate your rig setup (or have Blitz use his) and control the Cyberzombie that way.






    Sweet merciful crap. This guy's a monster... We REALLY need to get him out of here. Head back to the elevator.







    I tried to reason with him...


    Taking out that rigger (and others we'll run into later) is your number 1 priority. He'll take a couple rounds to do it, but he WILL take control of the cyberzombie and turn him against you. Fortunately, the cyberzombie is damn near invincible, so he can pretty much take care of that by himself while the rest of your team deals with the rest of the enemies. As always, stay behind cover, and the mage and conjurer should be your top-priority targets.


    Also note that the cyberzombie gets 3 AP per round by default (he gets 4 AP if you're having a rigger direct him, but I didn't think that was worth bringing Blitz, honestly.) His minigun churns out huge amounts of damage, but it takes 2 AP both to fire and to reload, so I mostly wind up having him use his axe. Be sure to make use of his Cleave ability. Once the security on this floor has been dealt with, head to the elevator.


    Time to fight! Part 1
    Spoiler
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    You're gonna have to take the long way around to get to the elevator down to the parking garage, unfortunately. However, with our new buddy on the team (for now,) it's not that difficult.


    Again, the rigger is your top priority. Have your team move up and take cover, while the cyberzombie holds back for the moment - we don't want him to engage with the enemy until the rigger is dead. I do this primarily by having Dietrich cast Haste and Aim on Eiger, then have her pick away at him.


    Time to fight! Part 2
    Spoiler
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    Once they're eliminated, take the opportunity to heal up with medkits, then head up around the wall and into the room to the northwest.


    There's no rigger in this fight, so don't worry about the Cyberzombie getting highjacked. have him run in and go to town on the mage and conjurer in the back.

    Once everybody here is eleiminated, heal up with medkits and continue to the northwest. There's a terminal you can use to jack in to the Matrix to the northeast, but there's not much of a reason to do so.


    Don't go past this point until you've got the whole team up there and ready to move, though. Once the whole team is grouped up here, have Dietrich summon an Earth elemental (you DID bring an Earth talisman, right? RIGHT?) and have it use its Guard spell on the team.


    Almost there! Part 3
    Spoiler
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    There's a mage and another rigger here, so be sure to take them out quick. Moving Eiger to this point allows her to pick enemeis off with her sniper rifle without exposing herself to danger. There's a similar desk to the southwest you might want her to move up to later.

    Have the Mark VI move in as soon as possible and melee the enemy rigger. You might have to give him a hand to kill the rigger before he can take control, but that shouldn't be hard.

    Also, take advantage of the enemy's tendance to group up to hit them with grenades and AoE spells, and as always, be sure to stay behind cover, and don't group up too much yourself. There are also a couple places you can summon spirits from, if you brought Dietrich or if you're playing a shaman yourself.


    After killing a few of the first wave, a second (and last) group of reinforcements will show up. Again, take advantage of them grouping up like this if you can with AoE attacks. They tend to spread out a bit and take cover to the northwest of where they are in this screenshot.

    Once all the Knight Errant forces are eliminated, head to the elevator and take it down to the parking level.


    Conclusion
    Spoiler
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    They have a point. Here you have three options: Deliver the prototype to Herr Schmidt, deliver him to the Lodge, or talk to him. Let's go with the last one for the moment.












    Dietrich does have a good point, there... You will get paid, even if Herr Schmidt is pissed about what exactly you delivered, and the team is happy with your decision as well.

    Of course, you could deliver him to the Lodge. Doing so only gets you 2,000 nuyen however, compared to the 3,750 Herr Schmidt pays.



    Post-run
    Spoiler
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    For completing the run you get 10 karma.









    Before we talk to Paul, let's deliver the paydata to the Shockwellenreiter, and see Altug about that wine.



    2 karma and 1,000 nuyen isn't bad for as easy as it was to get that data. Off to Altug.



    If you took the bottle you can get with the Etiquette: Socialite option, he'll pay you 500 nuyen instead. Still not worth it, though.

    And as long as we're here, let's talk to Luca.


    Meh. You're a rude, pompous, condescending jackass anyway.

    Be sure to restock on grenades and Medkits. Alright, back to Paul.























    ... Oh boy. We're in for lots of fun, aren't we?

    All that aside, I've got 15 karma total from that last run. I spend 10 of it to get my Willpower and Chi Casting up to level 5 each, and 3 more to raise Biotech to level 3.


    Current stats. Getting Chi Casting up to level 5 lets me use martial Defence 1 (Gain a Light cover bonus against all attacks for 4 rounds, 0 AP, Cooldown 6 - not bad, doesn't strike me as all that great) and Counterstrike (Ends your turn, but you'll counterattack up to 3 attacks with your currently selected weapon when you're attacked.) Lets give them a try on the next couple runs.



    Stats and gear in my dwarf mage re-play. As far as stat checks go, Strength and Quickness are nice and can get you some extra money and such, but they're actually not critical at all.


  9. - Top - End - #39
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 16

    This is mostly talking, so I'm going to post this update and the next one at the same time.
    Spoiler
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    Blitz
    Spoiler
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    Dietrich
    Spoiler
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    Eiger
    Spoiler
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    This is the lead-in to Eiger's personal sidequest. It's kind of a shame this comes so late in the game, it would have been nice to do earlier >_> Anyway, we'll cover that in the next update.






    Glory
    Spoiler
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    And this is the lead-in to Glory's personal sidequest. That will be the update after the next.


    I want to do Glory and Eiger's sidequests before the Aztechnology run. Neither is particularly difficult if you're prepared, but I consider Glory's to be slightly harder, so Eiger's comes first. Their personal runs will also give each character an upgrade, similar to Blitz' run.

  10. - Top - End - #40
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 17
    Eiger's run
    Spoiler
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    Before starting on this run, I STRONGLY recommend you have a few Medkits in tow, as well as one hit of Jazz each for your protagonist and Eiger - it'll come in really handy. Don't use it until I bring it up, however. Anyway, to get started on this run, head to Der Weinkeller, which is in the northwest of the Kruezbasar, near Simmy.

    Meeting Bannik
    Spoiler
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    You'll get a Cyberware Deactivator. Add it to your inventory and head to the U-Bahn. We're off to Schattennest.


    Schattennest
    Spoiler
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    As was stated earlier, it's going to be just you and Eiger for this run. Fortunately, it's pretty manageable with just the two of you. Head northwest from here.



    At least he's not going to try to stop us again. Head northeast.


    There's a dose of Bliss here, which is okay, but not necessary.


    You CAN fight the Rammbock here if you want, but there's no reason to. You don't get any nuyen or karma from the fight, so there's not really any point. Head through the alley to the north to bypass them.






    It looks like we'd be doing this kiez a favor by taking out the Rammbock, but another gang would probably move in in a couple days and things would be back to normal. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, and all that.








    Head southwest from here.




    You CAN just blast your way in, but let's try the subtle method first.






    You can get the code for free if you have Etiquette: Street or Strength: 5, or you can just pay her off, then load a previous save, since the code doesn't change between playthroughs. The code, by the way, is...


    However, if you want to blow the door, Eiger mentions she'll need a propane tank, which you can find...


    Here.


    Inside the warehouse
    Spoiler
    Show





    Regardless of which way you get in, you're going to have to fight through some goons to get to our target, The Engineer. He'll escape out the back door, but he won't begin actually fleeing until you exit out the back door as well.

    Also, there doesn't seem to be any difference in the actions of the enemies here, or their number, if you choose to blow the door instead of get the code.

    ALL THAT ASIDE, THOUGH, get inside and get ready to fight.


    To begin with, there's a conjurer and a generic ganger to the northwest - guess which one we take out first? After a couple rounds another ganger will filter in from the east as well.


    After all three are down, heal up if needed and go through the door to the southeast, and loop around to here.


    Again, the mage is our top priority target.


    Once those two are down, head out the back door and deal with this guy, and once he's been taken care of, take the opportunity to heal up and reload your weapons before exiting the warehouse.


    Pursuing the Engineer
    Spoiler
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    The Engineer will run southeast from here, past a couple more of his goons, and all the way to the northeast end of the alley there. Sometimes he just hides behind a garbage container, but most of the time he'll try to escape. If you brought a hit of Jazz, use it on whoever's holding the Cyberware Deactivator and run up to him to use it. Remember, we're NOT here to kill him, so don't attack him with your regular weapons. Flashbangs, however, aren't necessarily a bad idea.


    Once he's down, clean up the goons (if you haven't already) and you'll automatically head back inside the warehouse.


    Interrogation
    Spoiler
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    There are three things to investigate here, so head out the south door first.




    Head back through the center room and out the north end this time.









    Leave this for now. Check out the room to the northwest.






    Well that's... gruesome. Let's check in with Eiger.



















    Let's check out that drone again.







    Well, it's something. Back to Eiger and the Engineer.














    Now we get to check out the dead guy in the other room. What a fun day.




    I strongly suggest you make a backup save here so you can check out both options for the conversation




















    DECISION TIME! If you let him have the chip, Eiger will get a new rifle out of the deal. It's a good mid-range weapon - between the new rifle, her shotgun, and her sniper rifle, this allows her to be effective at any range. It can also fire a custom "tracker" round similar to the decker's 'mark target' ability, which makes the target easier for the entire team to hit for a few rounds, and finally it has an 'auto-fire' feature similar to the one most Glory's Savalette Guardian pistol has, which has a higher chance of scoring critical hits, which is creat for punishing enemies who are caught without cover or flanked. If you don't let him have the chip, she'll learn how to make a custom grenade that does both AP and physical damage, but she'll only get one per mission. Of the two, I prefer the rifle, but it's your choice.


    Give 'im the chip!
    Spoiler
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    A look at the gun's stats. Pretty nice, and better than any of the other assult rifles you can get.


    DOOON'T GIVE 'IM THE CHIP!
    Spoiler
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    The grenade is actually pretty good - it does both physical and AP damage, and it hits a big area, but as I said you only get one per mission. Not worth giving up the rifle, in my opinion.


    Regardless of how you finish this run, you get 2 karma, and whichever equipment upgrade you chose for Eiger.


    Anders' stats.



    Gear, spells, and stats for my dwarf mage. The bat is just for the sheer hell of it, I never actually use it. Urist would call it his magic wand.

    Anyhow, said spells are Manaball 2, Heal 2, Armor 3, Aim 2, Fireball 2, and Flamethrower 3. Combat with himgenerally goes: Buff up with Armor and Aim, then lob Flamethrower spells in between moving into a good position to blast the enemy with Manaball and Fireball spells, and use Heal 2 to mitigate damage fromany big hits the team takes. The Powerbolt spell (which is more like a weapon, which is why it's listed as such) really only gets used if I'm trying to take down a single enemy and using both AP that round to do it, AND by my Fireball and Manaball spells are on cooldown, since Flamethrower has a 1-round cooldown.

  11. - Top - End - #41
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Iruka's Avatar

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    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    A bit late to the party, but glad to see you keep doing this. =)

    I never had it in me to give the Mark VI info to Schockwellenreiter. That stuff should not be publicly available.


    "Children grow up to be people? All the children I knew grew up to be machines."
    ~Augustus von Fabelrath~
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Somebody should have that sigged.
    Member of Peelee's Church of Sudden Skylight

  12. - Top - End - #42
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Apologies for not updating this weekend, I've been busy with stuff, and besides which I've been experimenting with another martial adept build I came up with (though I'm pretty unsatisfied with it.)

    The problem with adepts is that they simply don't do anything that a samurai couldn't do just as well, if not better, with cyberware. Since Adepts have to go pretty light on the Cyberware (which costs money, not karma, and there's no way to spend money for more karma,) an adept is going to be either spread pretty thin, or simply not able to pass several stat checks, many of which are (or at least I consider to be) important.

    The adept build I came up with, if anyone's interested.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Race: Troll (NEED ARMOR WITH +1 INTELLIGENCE! Namely: Combat Medic Armor from Maliit)

    Total karma cost
    Body 6 (20 Karma) 20 K

    Strength 6 (20 karma) 40 K
    -Close-quarters combat 6 (21 karma) 61 K
    --Melee weapons 5 (15 karma) 76 K

    Quickness 1 (0 karma)

    Intelligence 6 (20 karma) 96
    - Biotech: 5 (16 karma) 112

    Willpower 7 (27 karma) 139
    - Spellcasting 7 (28 karma) 167
    - Chi casting 6 (21 karma) 188

    Charisma 6 (20 karma) 208

    Spells: Magic Resistance, Stride, Heal Wound 2*, Aim 3*, Armor 3, Stunball 1

    The reason for the character being a troll is due to the +1 Strength and +1 Body they get, which is worth 4 karma altogether. Humans, in contrast, get an extra 3 karma to spend wherever, and all the other races only get the equivalent of +2 karma with their stat bonus.

  13. - Top - End - #43
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 18
    Glory's run

    Spoiler
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    This run isn't enormously difficult, but it's slightly harder than Eiger's. Be sure to restock on medkits before you start on this mission. Stims and grenades are nice, but not enormously useful, since we won't be fighting more than 2-3 enemies at a time for this mission. If you do bring any, I'd recommend not more than 1 of each.

    There are a number of spellcaster enemies in this mission, so having Glory bring along a stungun isn't a bad idea, but if you prefer the Slapdash Pistol instead, there's going to be plenty of use for it as well. The Adept power Magic Resistance will also see a fair bit of use in this run. It's nice if you already have it, but don't invest in Chi Casting just to get it for this run.

    I also purchase an Aim 1 spell for Anders. It only lasts 2 rounds, but Glory's accuracy is terrible, and mine isn't much better because of how thin I've had to spread my karma. On the plus side, at least it has a cooldown of 0.

    Finally, this run is pretty much the only time Etiquette: Academic comes into play. I actually modified my save file to give Anders this, because I want to show the stuff you can do with it. It's in no way necessary, however.

    To start the mission, head out the backdoor of the safehouse and take the van to Harrow's compound in Tubingen.

    Pre-run briefing
    Spoiler
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    As with Eiger's run, there are two options we can take here: Kill Harrow, or save the cultists - either one gives Glory a different upgrade. Killing Harrow causes her claw attacks to do 5 'Mana Burn' damage per round for a couple rounds, instead of 2 bleeding damage. Saving the cultists however gives her a healing ability called 'Hearthfire,' that's functionally identical to the Heal Wound 1 spell.

    Either way, head inside.


    Inside, part 1
    Spoiler
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    The compound is basically a big squared-off ring shape. Start off checking out the door to the west with the yellow 'objective' mark above it.






    Nothing's ever easy, is it?


    Head northeast from here to the next room, with the bearskin rug out front.

    Harrow's Office
    Spoiler
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    Well, that's a bust. It only nets us some paydata, anyway, not a big deal. Check out the book in the corner.































    The 'Seeker' enemy here is basically a fairly weak fire elemental. Not hard to eliminate.




    Nothing left to see here.


    Head to the first room northeast from this one.

    The kitchen
    Spoiler
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    Man, it almost seems like this Harrow guy isn't a very nice person.


    The two doors southeast from the kitchen are the bathroom, which just contains a medkit if you need it, and the dorms. We'll deal with the dorms last. Head to the third door to the southeast of the kitchen.

    Garage
    Spoiler
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    Not really anything to see here, just more exposition.


    Go southwest from the garage to the first door you see.

    Acolyte's Lounge
    Spoiler
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    There are three acolytes in here, who only have the Acid Bolt spell, so they're not really much to worry about, BUT they do get the drop on you AND you don't have a chance to take cover beforehand, so your protagonist might take a couple hits on the chin. Focus on eliminating one at a time.

    After the fight, Glory will say 'There's something here I want to see.'

















    From here, head around the southwestern corner.

    Rec Room
    Spoiler
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    Pretty much the same as the last fight, just against two people instead of three.
















    As far as I know it doesn't make any difference whether you tell him to keep quiet or not. After he escapes, check the television.





    Head back to the garage. In the loose vent the ranger mentioned you'll fine a Gold Trauma kit and two Premium Medkits.

    Initiates' bunk room
    Spoiler
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    If you haven't investigated all the other rooms yet, you really need to do so before entering this one.

























    Last chance to check out everything else - it's going to affect how the conversation with Marta goes. And buckle in, because it's a fairly long conversation.

    This is getting pretty long, so I'm going to split this up into a second post.

  14. - Top - End - #44
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 19
    Aztechnology (AKA Bloodline)

    Spoiler
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    Before you get started on this run, I really have to recommend you have at least Charisma: 4. It'll make things go SO much more smoothly. There's still going to be fighting, but with enough Charisma you can talk your way past a fair bit of it, and you're going to want to conserve your resources as much as possible.

    I also saved this run for last because I consider it to be the most difficult in the game.

    Discussion with Paul
    Spoiler
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    Aztechnology, gaining entry
    Spoiler
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    You CAN blow away the guards here and get access that way, but there's going to be a lot of fighting in this run no matter what you wind up doing, so stealth, guile, and charisma are going to let us skip a lot of them, and conserve our resources.

    Also, I didn't get screenshots of it, but Luca will contact you and ask you to give a message to one of the Aztechnology execs (BEFORE you blow the building, of course,) and the Shockwellenreiter will also have a job for you if you check the dead-drop in the phone booth next to where you enter the area: Find the Bloodline project data.

    All that said, let's see if we can't find another way in. Head southeast from here.













    Hmm, hapless civilians being opressed by the giant evil empire? Surely they would welcome the aid of brave and valiant heroes! Now if only there were any around...









    Might as well, right? Head down the hatch.













    These drones are pathetic, so there's no real strategy involved here, just junk them. For saving Danni, you get 1 karma.





























    You have options here. You can either ignore Danni's protests and cause a power spike, or you can agree not to... then, after she leaves, you can go ahead and do it anyway, if you want to.

    HOWEVER, assuming you don't want to sell these people out for your own gains, or just blow away the front door guards, there IS a third way to get inside. It requires either having Decking: 4 OR having Blitz along, THEN passing a Charisma: 5 OR Strength: 6 stat check, however.









    If you can pass the Charisma: 6 stat check, you'll give the maintenance worker 100 nyen instead of 300. For talking your way past her, you'll get 1 karma, and access to the building's side door without a fight OR selling out the slum dwellers.


    This is the point where I wind up overtaking the game with my dwarf mage playthrough. I'm probably going to be finishing the game with him as the protagonist because... well, like I've said earlier, my martial adept just wound up feeling spread really thin and therefore not really very good at anything.

    Current stats and gear for my mage:



    The Urban Mage Cloak isn't that great armor-wise, but the Armor 3 spell lasts until a battle ends and raises one ally's armor by 6, so the Cloak's lack of armor isn't that big a deal.

    Spells are: Heal Wound 2, Manaball 2, Armor 3, Fireball 2, Flamethrower 3, Aim 3

    Ground floor
    Spoiler
    Show



    After Paul's done talking, head northeast to this terminal.


    In the Matrix, head northwest to this area. Remember to use Suppression every chance you get.


    Entering the square section in the middle will spawn these IC. Call up an Attacker ESP and elimnate them, they should be easy for you at this point. Afterwards hack all three nodes here and jack out.


    With the cameras hacked, we can now tap into them and see around the level. For now, though, head through that door to the northwest.


    Hack the terminal inside to get a DNA 'donor' list, which you can sell on your mission computer later. After that head southeast.


    Wait for this guard to enter the room to the southeast, then run to the door marked 'Secure Door 1' to the northeast (though I didn't get it in this screenshot, sorry, but it's just at the end of the hall that 'Secure Door 5' is in.) The terminal next to it leads to the exact same matrix system we were just in, so ignore it.




    Check the lockers here for some uniforms, which you can use to finesse your way past the guards, which we're going to have to do. OR we could just kill them, but shooting is best saved for when you've exhausted all your other options: You can always fall back on it, but if you shoot first, then the opprotunity to talk is gone. From here, head to the door marked 'Secure Door 5.'





    That guy we just passed stops me, but I talk my way out. The guy in the room behind Scure Door 5 can be talked past the same way.


    This is the guy that Luca wants you to give that message to. No reason not to do it. You don't get any karma or nuyen for it right now, but after the run, go see Luca and he'll pay you.






    That's all there is to do here, so head to the elevator and take it to the next level.


    Basement
    Spoiler
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    Passing either check works here, otherwise you have to fight them. Head through the door behind where they were.



    You have two options here, so I strongly suggest you make a backup save here so you can try them out. If you have the stats for it (specifically you're going to need the following: Etiquette: Security, Charisma: 6, Body 6 OR the Adept spell Pain Resistance OR the Adept spell Magic Resistance) you can try the finesse route, but if you don't then your best bet is to go in shooting. If you only finesse things haflway, when the shooting starts it's actually going to be way harder because you're going to be surrounded by some mages on one side and security teams on the other. The last part of this run (which is coming up) is also harder if you take the brute force route - hence why you ought to make a backup save right here.


    A convenient Matrix terminal.


    As always, you're going to want to use Suppression as often as possible,and keep your ESP use to a minimum. Head southwest from the jack-in point.


    Straightforward enough, right?


    Except for the IC, of course. A couple of cube White IC will come from the west after a round or so, so hold off on your Tab Bomb until they show up. The Sentry IC will buff the cubes with Sniffer (which increases accuracy)


    The only thing you NEED to do here is eliminate the IC in this area and open the door, but let's go exploring. There are two brances to the southwest, one going southeast and one going northwest. Go southeast first.


    This sphere spawns immediately, and a cube will come from the southeast after a round.


    Knowing what the enemy is doing is always an advantage. Head back to the last area and head northwest.


    Here we have the same thing, including the IC (already destroyed int his screenshot,) just rotated. Those records sound interesting...



    But they're really not. Anyway, we're done here. Head through the blast doors we unlocked.





    Lying is always a great idea! Anyhow, if you can't pass these stat checks you have to resort to shooting. Either way, head to the next room and approach the Biometric Scanner.





    If you have a BrightLight CyberEye installed you can get the drop on him, but as always, let's try talking first.














    Again, if you can't pass all these stat checks, you're forced into a fight, and this is a pretty difficult one.














    What a bleak existence. I get the feeling these blood mages might not be very nice people.



    Let's check out our other options first. Head through those doors to the northeast.


    This is what we came here to do: Overload the generator and vaporize the whole building. But let's check out the Matrix the the other room first.




    By the way, the entire facility is build on top of a huge nexus of dragon lines. Anyhow, jack in. While you're at it, you might as well position your team to take out the blood mages, but be sure NOT to attck them yet.


    What's the most important thing we do? That's right. All three areas are pretty much the same, so go northwest or southeast first, there's more to do in the northeast. Again, keep your ESP use to a minimum, since the more you have active the faster the alarm state raises.


    Dismantle the IC, hack the door, and head to the next. After a couple rounds, the High Threat Response Team will be called in, and you'll have 20 rounds before they arrive. Also all the Blood Mages and guards will turn hostile, so be sure the rest of the team is in position. 20 rounds is WAY more than enough time to get stuff done, so don't be too hasty, but don't linger, either. If you didn't fight your way in, the guards from the previous area will come in as well.



    Anyhow, for freeing all three of the test subjects you get 3 karma. Once that's done, have your decker head here.



    There are a few more IC to deal with in this area, but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle by now. Once they're decomissioned head to the next part of this section.


    Buddyboy here is going to put up a valiant effort, but alone it's just no match for an experienced decker. Once this IC is eliminated, hack the node and head back to the jack-out point to do so, and join in the fight in meatspace.


    After hacking the node, have your protagonist move to this terminal to download the data that the Shockwellenreiter wanted.


    I didn't get a screenshot of it, but hit these barrels in the previous room to make them explode and deal some damage (about 10-20ish) to the security team coming to stop you.

    Remember though: the goal here isn't to eliminate all the baddies, it's to set off the generator then get the hell away.










    You get seven turns once you've set the generators to overload to make your escape. The escape, by the way, is the room to the east where the clones are hiding (assuming you freed them from their cells, anyway.)


    Incidentally, one of the Apocalypse spirits that the Blood mages summoned went berserk and started attacking the Aztechnology employees. Don't count on this happening, but this makes a nice distraction while my team slips away.


    Anyhow, there's a (short) matrix section to actually unlock the door that allows us to escape the building before it becomes nothing but char and cinders, so have your decker jack in.


    Don't bother running Supression here, this entire section is only about two screens long, so just gun it for the door controls and blow away the IC. Once the door's unlocked, have your team run like hell. (I didn't find this out until after writing this part, but if you manage to talk the blood mages into leaving you alone until you actually start doing stuff, you can come here first without raising an alarm, so you don't have to have your decker move up here and do this Matrix section while under fire.)


















    You can't do anything else for the clones, at least as far as I know.


    Post-run
    Spoiler
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    You get 12 karma for completing this run. Don't forget to restock on medkits, stims, and trauma kits.



    Assuming you didn't tell Luca to take a hike, you can get paid for delivering the message to the exec like he asked you to. 1,000 nuyen isn't much, but then again it wasn't much of a task. We've also got the (optional) objective of "Find someone to decipher the Aztechnology data." Considering they were experimenting with magic, our next stop is Aljernon's.











    Well that's... interesting.

    So now you're faced with a decision. You can either delete the data, or you can deliver it to the Shockwellenreiter. Deleting the data (by going to your mission computer in your hideout and selecting that option) gets you... 1 karma.

    Giving it to the Shockwellenreiter, however, gets you 2 karma and 500 nuyen.

    At this point, since I've done all the other Shockwellenreiter objectives so far, they'll give you a custom piece of Bioware (which is like cyberware, but made of organic components, meaning it has less essence cost.) You can actually get this without delivering the Bloodline data, by the way. To actually access this, though, you have to visit your mission computer and read the message from them in your inbox. Their gift is the Adrenal Contractor, which takes up the Body slot, has a 0.0 essence cost, and is essentially identical to Glory's Adrenaline Pump, except that while it's active you also take an extra 3 damage from every hit. They'll also pay Ezkibel to install it, so it's effectively free.

    Also, don't forget to claim payment for this job, your cut coming to 6,000 nuyen.

  15. - Top - End - #45
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 20
    Down the Rabbit Hole

    Section 1: Lots of action
    Spoiler
    Show





















    Paul pretty much covered everything, I don't have anything to add. If you raised more than the 50,000 nuyen that Alice needs, the extra will be transferred to your credstick. Don't spend it right now, some better stuff is coming up soon.

    Head to the U-Bahn.












    Back to the Kruezbasar.
































    ... Damn. Things really went to Hell fast.

    All that aside, your team's +1 AP is something you're going to have for the rest of the game. Exit the U-bahn station.


    ... Huh. There appears to be a Hellhound attacking the people invading the kiez. There are a few mercenaries here, but nothing you shouldn't be able to take out in a few rounds. As always, eliminate the mage first.








    So... Dante's a Hellhound. Huh. ANYWAY, he'll be around for the rest of this mission, and he joins the team as a possible party member afterward. If you haven't been nice to him between missions AND you can't pass the Willpower: 3 stat check, then you have to fight him.



    Stats and spells. The bones in his inventory are basically just reskinned consumables like the ones you've been able to buy the whole game, and his Flame Breath is his only unique spell.


    Dante also has this ability, which isn't bad, but it's not that great, either, considering it has an 8 round cooldown.

    Glory can be found to the north, in the park, while Dietrich can be found to the south, near the cafe. Let's head north first.


    Glory's been backed into a corner by a trio of goons, one of which is a conjurer, so that's your first target.


    And this guy will try to sneak up behind you as you approach. This isn't that difficult a fight, just make sure to take out the conjurer first, and have Dante and Eiger handle the guy trying to sneak up behind you before focusing on the rest. Heal up if you need to and head to Cafe Cezve.


    Another four mooks here (one is off-screen to the southwest,) including a mage. And what do we do with mages?

    Anyhow, first off you should have Dietrich lob an Electro Core spell, then take cover behind the trailer to the bottom-right while the rest of the team moves in.





    Off to the sewers! If you don't recall, they're just next to where Gunari's shop is set up in the east. But before we can actually enter, another group of pinheads decides they want to play. Again, they're nothing special, so deal with them in the usual way.



    So 11 rounds might not seem like very long, but it's actually plenty of time. You'll also want to split the party up into two teams here: I suggest they be Eiger, Dante, and your protagonist (team 1), and Dietrich and Glory (team 2.)

    Start by sending team 2 to the northwest, while team 1 heads east.


    The first bomb is here.


    And the second bomb is here. You'll notice that near both there's a ghoul (assuming you didn't kill them or tell them to take a hike when you were here earlier in the game.) They'll help you out, attacking the mercenaries here for mediocre damage, as well as adding the 'infected' status, which does damage over time, so be careful not to blast them with grenades or AoE spells.

    There are also four mercenaries guarding each bomb, but even with your forces divided, it shouldn't be too difficult to eradicate them. Once both bombs are defused, head across the bridge to the northeast and to the room up there. You can ignore the ghouls, they'll kind of run around aimlessly after the enemies are gone.


    The final bomb is there, along with another four mercenaries, including a mage AND a conjurer, along with a third ghoul. Again, deal with them in the usual way and defuse the bomb. Head outside and back to the safehouse.


    Section 2: Lots of talking
    Spoiler
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    Head to your mission computer to check out the optical chip.

    LONG conversation incoming.
    Spoiler
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    In summary, if you don't want to read all that:
    Spoiler
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    Vauclair's at Harfeld manor, the place where Monika died. An AI called APEX has basically been put in place by whoever's running Harfeld Manor to guard whatever they've got in the basement, which what fried Monika's brain. Our next task is doing something about that AI, by tracking down the computers it's actually stored on and activating the killswitch.

    Incidentally, if I haven't mentioned it before, Black IC is similar to the White IC we've been encountering throughout the game... except instead of simply damaging your Matrix persona, it causes actual brain damage, possibly even killing the decker. It's also illegal to have in your Matrix system.


    All that aside, the team has earned their final upgrade. My choices:

    Eiger: Both are pretty good, actually, but I choose Snap Fire, which allows her to target two enemies in a single action with her sniper rifle. The other, Tactical Reload, allows her to reload all her weapons for 0 AP, but has a 7 round cooldown.

    Dietrich: Dragonslayer's Shield. Increases the amount of damage his Dragonslayer Idol totem blocks, from 3 to 5. The other option replaces his Dragonslayer Idol with Dragonslayer's Wrath, which does 16 damage to enemies within 3 tiles and causes them to lose 1 AP and take 5 damage on the next round. This just isn't that great... His Electro Core spell does basically the same thing, and at range, too.

    Glory: Again, both options are pretty good. The Platinum Trauma Kit revives 1 character with 100% health... but you only get the one use of it per mission, and besides which, you can buy them. The custom Warhawk, however, pierces 4 armor, making critical hits more likely. I prefer the Warhawk, but if you like having Glory use a stungun or throwing knives instead, you might prefer the Trauma Kit.

    Blitz: Pain Suppression: Augment Decking causes him to take 3 less damage per hit while he's jacked into the Matrix, which isn't bad, especially considering there are a couple Matrix-heavy sections coming up... The other option, Novahot Targetting, causes anyone he marks to lose 2 armor. This isn't bad, but Strip Armor spells exist, so I prefer the decking option.

    Finally, everybody's back to the neighborhood now that the fighting is over. The merchants have upgraded their stock again (Maliit now stocks some S-class drones, for instance,) so be sure to have a look at their new stuff and pick up anything good. You can also talk to most people about their part in the fighting, and they haven't escaped without casualties...
    Last edited by Shpadoinkle; 2019-02-03 at 08:43 AM.

  16. - Top - End - #46
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    The midwest.

    Default Re: Let's Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall

    Part 23
    APEX Rising, part 1

    Spoiler
    Show

    Pre-run
    Spoiler
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    Let's visit Absinthe and Aljernon before we head out.

























    Well that's... ominous.








    I told you, Dante's a good boy. You HAVE been nice to him between runs, right? RIGHT?

    Notable spells:
    - Blur 2 (a Conjuring spell, which Dietrich can use) increases one target's movement by 2 for one round, as well as making them harder to hit.

    - Haste 4 (again, Conjuring) increases one target's AP by 2 for 3 rounds - REALLY nice. Requires Conjuring 8, so unfortunately Dietrich, having a Conjuring of only 6, can't use it.

    - Slo-Mo (also Conjuring) increases the AP cost of all actions by 2 for a single target for 2 rounds. Great for locking down a particularly nasty enemy. Also unusuable by Dietrich, as it requires Conjuring 7.

    - Fireball 3 is a direct upgrade from Fireball 2, doing an extra 5 damage in the initial explosion, though otherwise it's identical.

    I pass on the folowing spells, however:
    - Flamethrower 4, while it does more damage than Flamethrower 3, I pass on. It has a cooldown of 2, while Flamethrower 3 has a cooldown of 1. Besides that, it only does 5 more damage.

    - Manaball 3, despite doing 5 more damage on the initial explosion, has a cooldown of 4, opposed to Manaball 2's 2-round cooldown. I prefer the faster cooldown myself.

    Notable gear:
    - Sorcerer's Robes. 6 armor, +1 to Willpower, Spellcasting, and Charisma. Not that I really need the stat bonuses, but they're nice to have nonetheless.

    - Powerbolt 4: 15 damage. Only does 2 more damage per hit over Powerbolt 3, but with my default 3 AP per round, I'm probably going to be using it more,so I'll take every ounce of extra damage I can get.

    I also picked up some program upgrades for Blitz from Maliit.


    Apex Rising, part 1
    Spoiler
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    I bring Blitz (who's necessary, since there are some mandatory decking sections,) Eiger, and Dietrich. I also lend Dietrich a couple Earth Elemental fetishes and some medkits to the rest of the team - I replace Eiger's Fichette Frag Grenade with a Premium medkit, because at this point int he game, the 12 damage the frag does just isn't that great. Glory isn't a bad choice, but I prefer Eiger, and Dante is... he'd be nice to have along if he didn't take up a team member slot, but he does, so he gets to hold down the fort at home. Dietrich comes along because, even though I'm playing a mage myself, because it's pretty hard to overload on the casters. Having another person who can case Heal Wounds is great, as well as having an AoE attack that can be used repeatedly, unlike grenades. Dietrich is going to be casting mostly buffs and debuffs and throwing out damage where he can, while Urist is going to mostly be lobbing Fireballs and Manaballs, and buffing and debuffing where he can. Don't hesitate to pull out as many stops as you want: this is the next-to-last run.








































    You can blow away these guys if you want, but I'd recommend against it. If you have Etiquette: Gang and ask for a better reqrd, he'll promise you a weapon, which is stored in the basement. Anyhow, if you kill the Arbieters, then you can't collect the bounty for killing the Magnifikers, and besides which, this is a fairly long mission and you'll want to conserve your supplies. Head inside.


































    Everybody wants something. Head across the hall.














    He has some basic medkits and a trauma kit, along with a few doses of Cram. Stock up on Cram if you want. Head down the hall and take the stairs up to the third floor. If you check the elevator on the way, you'll find that several key components have been torn out.


    Second floor
    Spoiler
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    The Magnifiker gang is made up of mages and conjurers. Fun. Move in and blow them away, but the ones named "Maginifiker Healer" should be your top priority.

    22-120
    Don't forget to grab their amulets after killing them, if you made the deal with Ullrich. The game helpfully keeps track of how many you have for you. Head into this room behind where the gangers were, to get some Powerbolt 3 and Glue spells. Head to the room to the southeast.


    There's some nuyen here.


    Cultish graffiti.


    A hit of Bliss here.


    'Shark Tank' is probably a password. Next stop is the room to the southwest.











    If you ask him for compensation he'll give you 500 nuyen, but that's not much at this point in the game, so it's up to you if you want to squeeze it out of a bunch of terrified homeless people (but I recommend against it.) Back to the stairs and up to the third floor.


    Third Floor
    Spoiler
    Show


    Might as well start here.


    There are 5 spirits here, though right now only this one is aggroed. Don't group up too much, because it has an AoE spell that'll do acid damage over time.

    There's another one in the room to the northeast, and other three are in the next room. I prefer to split up and take them in a pincer attack, but you don't have to. Remember to make use of Dietrich's Nerve Bolt spell to flush them from cover, if necessary. Check the dresser in the northwest room once they're dead for a Premium Medkit. Back to Franz.







    Well, at least someone likes us. You also get 3 karma for this... unless you asked for payment earlier, in which case you don't. Back up to floor 3 again. You can talk to Franz, but he doesn't really have anything to say besides 'Thanks.'



    More Magnifikers here, a total of five. They're kind of spread out, so take them in stages.


    There's also a Force 5 nature elemental fetish in the back, as well as a Shadow (Conjuring) spell, which creates an area that prevents anyone inside it from being targetted. Head southeast from here.


    We don't have the code for that door, so head to the open one.


    Huh. A suspiciously empty room. Let's head back to the second floor.



    There are a number of ways to bypass this door. If you (or your Decker) have Decking: 6, you can force it open. If you have Charisma: 6 you can talk your way in, and if you found the note, you can give the guy the password 'Shark Tank.' You also had the option of asking Franz for help getting in, and he'd have told you the password.
















    Back to the first floor. Of course, you can always just take it, but that provokes a fight, naturally. If you can pass the Decking: 8 check, you can bypass the need for the piece directly, leaving the terminal intact without it... but I don't particularly enjoy playing Deckers, myself.











    You can pay him for it if you want, but mentioning Janet get you the part for free. I'm pretty sure you have to actually click on the picture behind him to examine it to get that dialogue option, though. Back up to the second floor.





    We're conserving supplies, remember, so we're avoiding unnecessary fights. Back to Parson.











    This post is kinda long already, so we'll tackle that in the next one.



    Also, this LP is probably going on hiatus for a while. Work and life and stuff have been getting in the way, and consequently I haven't had much motivation to work on this. It should be noted that we are nearing the end of the game,however, but the last run is a pretty long one, so covering that will probably be multiple parts. Maybe three to five, as a rough estimate.

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