Ye Olde Ranged Soldier

[DeletedUser]

Hello, again!

So I've been scouring the boards for information about Soldiers, and it seems that the general consensus is that it is very hard for Melee Soldiers to finish the Soldier quest chain.

However, the Soldier-specific suggestions I've seen for AP advancement are to put the majority of points into Strength, which doesn't seem appropriate given the above information. As Duelling appears to be an extraordinarily subjective activity with which to recommend AP/SP placement, I'm curious if there are general practices to adhere to with building a Ranged Soldier. The Pure Melee Build is fairly straightforward with the advantages of the Strength AP focus, but the complexity of mixing up Shooting, Aiming, Toughness/Reflex, Tactics/Appearance, some Dodging, and the ever-advantageous Soldierly Health Points inside of another AP focus is a bit daunting. Added to that, I'm new to the game, have yet to duel outside of quests, and am not entirely clear whether I want to play an offensive or defensive soldier or something in between.

What tends to be the normative build for a Ranged Soldier?

Also, if I'm a Soldier out on a quest, am I still available to "protect" my town?

Is being a Charisma-heavy Soldier for the high Tactics and Appearance and questing utility an extremely outlandish build, or does it have some merit?

Finally, is the Melee Soldier really that much of a dead-end?

My thanks for your comments.

oh!... in my forum-browsing, I came across a splendid post discussing in some depth each of the duelling-related skills and thought I had committed the thread title to memory. 30-40 posts later, I realize it has all become a blur and I can no longer locate that extraordinary post. Anyone happen to know where the post I'm thinking of resides?

Happy Hunting/Shooting/Stabbing/Building!

 

[DeletedUser]

Also, if I'm a Soldier out on a quest, am I still available to "protect" my town?

Not exactly, if you're doing a quest that requires travel, but you're never gone that long. You can always retaliate when you get back.

Is being a Charisma-heavy Soldier for the high Tactics and Appearance and questing utility an extremely outlandish build, or does it have some merit?

It has merit. I have a high appearance adventurer firearm dueler. I don't have any problem dueling most soldiers, although you'll occasionally run into a soldier with high tactics, but you can adjust by switching to appearance gear (putting on that shawl and fancy shirt) and aiming at the arms...I think! I'm not entirely sure how aiming at arms, shoulders, or head affects attack rating from appearance vs. tactics. Appearance also gives some great jobs, but it takes a while to get there.

Finally, is the Melee Soldier really that much of a dead-end?

There's more to the game than quests. Personally, I think with all the talk about the superiority of melee, firearms aren't a bad idea in a new world. People tend to put more SP into defense against the more common of melee or firearms, plus melee duelers will tend towards more toughness than reflex just from their strength.

 

[DeletedUser]

In terms of skill placement, I'll quote what I said in Guide to being the Greatest Dueler in The West, by the Latigo Kid...

There is really no right answer to the best skill placement for a dueller. Because each person you fight will have different skillsets, some might look identical in gear/levels but you will get entirely different results.

You can build for accuracy with appearance and aim; or defense, making it harder for people to get a hit; or for hard hitting and health to make sure your damage will be high and you are hard to knock out. Or you can try to create a balanced fighter. Whatever you choose, there will be people who will beat you.

It is all about learning your own capacity, compensating for (or repairing) your weaknesses, and picking your opponents carefully.

This applies to any player who want to be good at duelling, regardless of their class.

 

[DeletedUser]

Well said. Thanks, you two!