Guide to "Skill Increase Bonus" on weapons

[Henceforth]

tobad Im maxed out with SIB laser pistols already, if I want to have SIB to higher levels I need to go to BLP pistols but they are so expensive (svempa T15/X1) I guess I keep using H400/P5

[lours219]

thanks for this thread it helped a lot of noob like me i guess!

[MBlackstone]

i have a SIB question..

i'm using level appropriate weapons according to the chart, and i've hit 100%. does that mean i should go to the next weapon up, or does it just mean that skilling is going to be slower until i get to a level where i should use the next weapon?

[Immortal]

Originally Posted by MBlackstone

i have a SIB question..

i'm using level appropriate weapons according to the chart, and i've hit 100%. does that mean i should go to the next weapon up, or does it just mean that skilling is going to be slower until i get to a level where i should use the next weapon?

It's your choice, really. I liked skilling on weapons i just unlocked..but i think the % m/u on some and availability of such weapons will be the main factor in determining if you use them. If the weapon type you want isn't available, you can switch to a weapon class you haven't used yet. P5a+104 is a nice weapon to use as a backup when you are not skilling: it's cheap and lasts ages.

[Quark]

Maybe you have seen it by now. I know there are Embra Laser Sword C1 (L) and the regular kind. I am also hearing reports that there is an improved, let alone modified version of the C1 (L). Supposedly there is a C2 (L) too but again, I have never seen them nor can I find any information or screenies of them.

Kind of stuck here, do you know anything about those rare longblades?

I still loot the C1 (L) from those fugly Phasma in Amethera. I really hate those things, don't realize they are on you until they smack you around a couple of times. That and they are almost perfectly camoflauged in that artic woods setting.

Thanks for reading this...

-Quark

[Quark]

Originally Posted by Will Henceforth

tobad Im maxed out with SIB laser pistols already, if I want to have SIB to higher levels I need to go to BLP pistols but they are so expensive (svempa T15/X1) I guess I keep using H400/P5

What I use is the Svempa T5 (L) or Emik T10 (L) when I can find them. The trick is this, get a gun that has a descent fire rate, get a creature that takes a bit to take down with that gun (don't amp it). It only adds to your hunt cost. Raising your skills is based on how much you hit it not the damage you do when you hit. Like Fungoid Young to Matures, maybe an old (use good acid armor for them), atrax and atrox too.

The big argument is this, attachments on (L) weapons or not. Since VU 9.0 I have noticed a difference in accuracy, damage potential, and overall damage when using attachments (not the amps). This is what I do with all my guns. Have at least a scope and laser sight. The higher the skill mod in % is the better off you are but stay well within your budget. The extra laser sight on the scope isn't needed, it actually cuts down the damage you do with the (L) weapons, although you do hit more, the price per shot and the decay of the gun, just isn't worth it to do that. Also keep the attachments at least in the yellow, if they are in the red you will have accuracy problems. If you have a dead attachment still attached take it off. If you don't you will miss a lot more (found that out the hard way, several VUs ago).

I tend to get handgun skills faster with the BLP handgun than laser, even though as an example the Svempa T5 (L) reloads slower than the Korss 400 (L). Another thing to look at is the professional standings and avatar skill information. When you approach certain ranks it becomes abudantly obvious you are slowing down in skilling, so go the path of the least resistance (I don't mean down the drain either), goto another handgun technology and start to build that up.

After awhile you will see your professional standings for ranged damage and hit go up on other types of ranged weapons. That's because of all the other stuff that is used in the combat section that applies to ranged combat gets increases from anything that uses those skills. So if you are stuck in laser or plasma, try BLP, or stuck in BLP try the others. Even rocket launchers!

The Skildek P 40 (L) are really fun little rocket launcher, I love to blow up tants, snables, argo, molisks, and other nuissance mobs, either cause I don't like the noises they make or they are aggressive when I am mining.

[Blinding Light]

+rep as soon as I can


any plans on creating one for FAP's and some of the new (L) things? like the colorator?

[Oleg]

Originally Posted by Quark

What I use is the Svempa T5 (L) or Emik T10 (L) when I can find them. The trick is this, get a gun that has a descent fire rate, get a creature that takes a bit to take down with that gun (don't amp it). It only adds to your hunt cost.

Not true. Amps (the good ones, at least) make you much more efficient. The cost per shot will be higher, but the cost per mob will be lower. This is especially true with L weapons and an unlimited amp, because you're not paying markup on the amp with every shot.

T5+Beast will give you a much better damage per pec than the T5 unamped.

The L Amps (Bull Tac range for the BLP guns, for example) don't have such a positive effect because a) you have to pay markup on them and b) even without markup they're not as efficient, in general, as the unlimited amps. For some combinations they can make you less efficient in terms of dmg/pec, depending on the markup paid.

[Quark]

Originally Posted by Oleg

Not true. Amps (the good ones, at least) make you much more efficient. The cost per shot will be higher, but the cost per mob will be lower. This is especially true with L weapons and an unlimited amp, because you're not paying markup on the amp with every shot.

T5+Beast will give you a much better damage per pec than the T5 unamped.

The L Amps (Bull Tac range for the BLP guns, for example) don't have such a positive effect because a) you have to pay markup on them and b) even without markup they're not as efficient, in general, as the unlimited amps. For some combinations they can make you less efficient in terms of dmg/pec, depending on the markup paid.

Well it's big for people with a PED card pinch... Ever take a look at the price of the amps lately for BLP? I used to make the BLP amps before the (L) ones came out. Ironically, I do agree with you about the Beast amp but the markup on that is pretty signifigant. I just pray for all of you when you get the T5 or T10 that you get a HoF over 3k, then get a beast or two.

I have had trouble with the Dante and Evil amps in that, it seems to be inconsistent in decay, even when you let the gun reload. Could be a timing issue, it's just unstable. If you know what I am talking about, speak up.

Basically it decays faster than it should (sometimes) while other times it's ok. It happens on all the BLP weapons that can utilize it too (to the fullest extent possible). That was my original warning about avoiding amps for the BLPs. I contacted MA about this several VUs ago, the reason why I contacted them about it was that I was hunting big trox with it doms to old alpha (lol can't do prowlers and stalkers yet lol, err at least not solo).

I would hunt specific maturities only and count my shots, including misses and when done with the hunt (including the original ammo I used) I would compare the decay on my stuff and noticed the high end amps seemed to have unreliable decay. I thought I was doing something wrong so I had a friend do the same test and I had him borrow my amps and he reported the same thing to me after he was done.

This was back in VU 8.9 before the agro patch was put into place (when the creatures are more angry and stay pissed longer, let alone do more damage from further away).

MA is it really necessary that have the Araneatrox (spiders) hit me from 100 meters out and never miss me? Starting to hate mining in Minopolis because of that. Incidently for those reading this post, the spiders protect the good mining spots. There are some good spots that aren't covered by them too but the stuff I want happens to be "secured" by them.

[Quark]

Originally Posted by Blinding Light

+rep as soon as I can


any plans on creating one for FAP's and some of the new (L) things? like the colorator?

Well, I can't give all that information yet because I haven't used all the new stuff yet. I need the experience to back that one up. I have used quite a few different Vivos, and I love the Hedoc SK-20, even though I am maxed on the skill for it.

Note: Just because you use a SIB item and you max it out doesn't mean that you don't skill anymore with it, in that respect you will skill faster with an (L) device, but you don't get that extra little boost at the end of learning it.

I have a screwy way of dealing with SIB type equipment. Use the device that you have already mastered and is a (L) type, then look at the learning period, I use this indication of when it should be time to switch for maximum economy. Most people will switch as soon as their skill progress says 100% in the areas that mentions it. That's true, but I have people build the skills on the item before that one (since they are maxed out) and it tends to be cheaper, then when you hit say 85% mastery on the newer item, then switch, sometimes up to 90%, depends on the item. I also tell people to wait for example if it's a sword, to get at least 7.5 HA on new one. So you get some descent hits in.

I had a person I had met in the field and this person's mentor deserted 'em (no surprise there). Basically I became the effective mentor, this ava was female but is a guy in real life. This person was using a Kat Det on small mobs, I see this problems all the time. Missing over 92% of the time and still getting killed. I had this person get an Embra Laser Sword C1 (L) from auction and skill on it, it took 3 full TT value C1 (L) sword of them to master it with HA and CHA at 10.0 but got out of the mentorship program 2 weeks after he got stuck in it. I did recommend building from Loughlins but there were none to be found so that is why I defaulted to the other sword. When this person graduate, does way more damage with the C1 vs. the Determination because of course it's a mastered device, it's more economical, and gets way more criticals in a row.

Using the mastered devices are still a great way to skill until you can make an economical upgrade to the next level or next set of levels. There are pieces of equipment in the game that I deem unnecessarily cruel to the PED card because of the horrible decay on some of these items.

On another note: I am still working on the texturizer and colorator (L) series, since the stuff has changed signigantly, it's going to be awhile. Sorry for the delay but I don't know everything MA has up their sleeve.