/vr/ - Retro Games

Don't use backpacks in combat unless absolutely necessary. They increase the AP it takes to move. Drop it before the fight starts. Also you almost always want your guys to be running (R) during battle.

Having someone good at throwing early on will save your ass often. Blood is a good example of this. That nig was throwing knives with near perfect accuracy at ranges where guys with pistols had zero chance to hit.

On that note, the New Chance to Hit system is a neat concept but it's squirrely as fuck in practice so I rarely use it.

Always explore a sector fully and pack a lockpicker / crowbar / someone who can shitkick those locks really well (Bull, Grizzly, Blood, Dr. Q) . Some sectors have secret weapon caches that can net you surprisingly good shit.

Make use of the new "real-time sneaking" system. Basically this means you can have a spotter / sniper scouting enemies without forcing you into turn-based as soon as you spot an enemy. Binoculars are immediately available from the start of the game, too. This also allows melee / stealth mercs to really shine and - if you're careful - solo an entire sector without firing a single shot.

Get an explosives merc ASAP. For early-game this almost always means Barry or Red. Give him all your grenades. Early-game challenges like the Drassen Counterattack rely on crowd control to win.

I usually don't rely too heavily on Bobby Rays for gear since it has the potential of sucking the fun and challenge out of your playthrough, but in certain situations you may have no choice. In my experience, if you don't have a scoped weapon (even a 2x scope) by the time you fully take Drassen you're gonna have a bad time.

Keep the truck, ditch Hamous.