Wasteland Wasteland 3 + Battle of Steeltown and Cult of the Holy Detonation Expansions Thread

[Yosharian]

Yes I completely agree, there was a distinct lack of strategy in most of the fights. One fight in particular, I had reached 'god mode' with my characters and their level of equipment, I went in to some warehouse and got a dialogue scene following which the entire enemy force got to go first and annihilated my team of megachads in one round with volleys of energy fire. No chance of survival.

So I reloaded, positioned my guys outside, and launched a rocket at them with my rocket dude which took out half their force. My team got to go first, my sniper and other damage dealers mopped up the rest in one round more or less. It's 'fun' of a sort, but a very mindless kind of fun, not at all the satisfying level of strategy you might find in XCOM 2 for example.

And yeah I agree that the wacky nature of the game is its downfall at times.

 

[Saduj]

The combat in the DLCs were just way too difficult for me unfortunately.

Assuming you tried to bring a party close to the mission's recommended level: If you made a lot of saves during your initial playthrough, try bringing a higher level party that has better gear than the one you were using. There is level scaling but the quality of your weapons makes a big difference. If you're already bringing an end game party then you should really be a little OP for these fights.

The biggest thing in the DLC, just like the original game is: Always initiate combat and make your alpha strike count.

Also, if you're just going back to do the DLCs after having beat the game previously, there is no reason to hoard deployables when playing the DLC. Use rockets, grenades, turrets, sawpups and decoys like they are going out of style if you need to.

In Steeltown, there is one class of enemy that buffs other enemies with elemental shields. If you always initiate combat and focus down that guy first, that makes life easier. If elemental shields do get deployed, don't even bother trying to match damage types. Kill everyone else first and the shields wear off after a few turns.

For the Holy Detonation DLC, do your best to beeline to the special objectives. Killing enemies needs to be secondary to getting to whatever switch you have to flip because the enemies will just keep spawning. Figure out how best to reach the objectives, assign a squad member to each one and use everyone else to clear the way or distract enemies. You can't just totally ignore enemies and run to the switch but being really aggressive about reaching those goals is probably not as dangerous as you think.

 

[Zanzoken]

I am running into the same problem with this as I did with WL2. I spend an hour at character creation trying to make characters I like, fail to do so, then turn the game off.

Idk what it is about the Wasteland setting that makes it seem so ass to me, but I can't get into it whatsoever.

 

[Lambach]

Yes I completely agree, there was a distinct lack of strategy in most of the fights. One fight in particular, I had reached 'god mode' with my characters and their level of equipment, I went in to some warehouse and got a dialogue scene following which the entire enemy force got to go first and annihilated my team of megachads in one round with volleys of energy fire. No chance of survival.

That's what's frustrating about the game. Everything other than Supreme Jerk is too easy, but on Supreme Jerk, you're more-or-less forced into the same strategy for every encounter, and if you don't hit first, you're likely going to get smoked because they'll very likely take out at least a party member or two, crippling you heavily in your first turn and it's pretty difficult to recover from that.

 

[Yosharian]

I wasn't even playing on SJ, it was the next one down from that, Ranger I think it's called

 

[Fargus]

Just started playing. Can anyone suggest me brawler and sniper builds?

 

[jackofshadows]

For sniper just stack ap and crit chance as much as you can starting with death wish plus consider taking perk "draw" from the pistol branch. For brawler... don't play melee here. If you insist then idk, stack armor I guess. No idea actually.

 

[Devastator]

Finally tried Wasteland 3, I'm about 30 hours in (haven't played W2 yet). It seems good for what it is, seems about 8/10 for the base game, but I haven't finished it yet. Steeltown DLC seemed about 6.5/10, I will not bother with Holy Detonation due to mediocre reviews anywhere I look.

In addition to the camera feeling clumsy, the zoom level is claustrophobic. I guess the devs wanted to show how "epic" the graphics are? I think this visual approach is inferior to games, such as Fallout and Underrail.

Perhaps I'm too critical, but it seems inXile didn't optimize Unity very well. Unity gets a bad reputation because way too many devs don't optimize the game properly.

 

[ferratilis]

the zoom level is claustrophobic. I guess the devs wanted to show how "epic" the graphics are?

It's because of the consoles.

 

[Zombra]

In addition to the camera feeling clumsy, the zoom level is claustrophobic.

inXile seems to really love restricting your camera control. I had the same complaint about W2. Almost makes me want to replay Afterlight just to appreciate how free and good the camera system was.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Why can't they just have decent zoom levels and a proper isometric camera angle as in ATOM RPG Trudograd?

Trudograd is made by a small indie developer on a shoestring budget and it, just like Wasteland 3, also runs on Unity. InXile raised a lot of cash on Fig and then they got an infusion of Microsoft money, they had profiled writers but still managed to do worse than ATOM Team with Trudograd. Trudograd being so good just makes Wasteland 3 appear glaringly mediocre in comparison.

 

[jackofshadows]

Trudograd puts WL3 to shame in terms of how it runs - yes, but other than that, it's arguable at least. I'd say writing is way better in WL3 despite the overabundance of clown fuckery.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Camera feels clumsy because there's no reason to have full camera control in these kinds of games.
I've yet to play a 3D bird's eye view(fully incloosive of things like NWN all the way to WL3) cRPG with full camera control where I actually liked the camera and didn't feel like I was constantly fighting with it. I fucking hate cameras in these games, I want to take the camera out back and shoot it.

If the point is to make the player feel more 'immersed', then they should just make exploration first person or third-person over the shoulder or somesuch. And I know one of the big reasons devs do it is because people whine, bitch, and cry about it when games don't have it. Yeah, well, those people are dumb and wrong.

 

[Zombra]

I've yet to play a 3D bird's eye view(fully incloosive of things like NWN all the way to WL3) cRPG with full camera control where I actually liked the camera and didn't feel like I was constantly fighting with it. I fucking hate cameras in these games, I want to take the camera out back and shoot it.

Y'all obviously never played Afterlight. Full camera control is so simple and easy to do when you aren't worried about "Oh no, what if the player decides to move the camera to an unflattering angle?????"

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

So if I understand correctly Avellone worked on the first version of Cheyenne? The one with the Faders faction that did not make it into the final version of the location that appeared in the Holy Detonation faction?

I would rather have seen that than the pointless mutant cult nonsense. But mutant radiation worshipping cults, and secret bases with super soldier clones are pretty cliche in PA settings now.

Edit: I am really conflicted about getting this now that it is on sale on GOG, mostly because a lot of the content just doesn't sound that interesting.

 

[Zombra]

Edit: I am really conflicted about getting this now that it is on sale on GOG, mostly because a lot of the content just doesn't sound that interesting.

If you only buy games that are guaranteed to be blow jobs from Jesus, I want to see your Steam library. This is good and certainly worth $13.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Edit: I am really conflicted about getting this now that it is on sale on GOG, mostly because a lot of the content just doesn't sound that interesting.

If you only buy games that are guaranteed to be blow jobs from Jesus, I want to see your Steam library. This is good and certainly worth $13.

Is that a pre-order bonus or DLC pack for something? Just wondering, it hits all the right gay and sacrilegious notes to sound right up my alley.

 

[Alienman]

Edit: I am really conflicted about getting this now that it is on sale on GOG, mostly because a lot of the content just doesn't sound that interesting.

If you only buy games that are guaranteed to be blow jobs from Jesus, I want to see your Steam library. This is good and certainly worth $13.

Well, with refund my accumulated games have barely moved these last years

 

[Haplo]

For sniper just stack ap and crit chance as much as you can starting with death wish plus consider taking perk "draw" from the pistol branch. For brawler... don't play melee here. If you insist then idk, stack armor I guess. No idea actually.

For sniper stacking Charisma and Strike chance also used to be a pretty good playstyle. Having guaranteed Strike every 2nd offensive action (and Mark Target counts) was rather good. At least before they nerfed the Strike rate on early game sniper rifles, I guess.

Do pursue Energy bonuses. And get that pistol Draw! perk if you're gonna go for Ray-Tracer end game.
Regardless modding that Eliminator with Cold or something is not a bad idea.
And before that there's also Megascope and Neutron Rifle.

 

[Bigg Boss]

So if I understand correctly Avellone worked on the first version of Cheyenne? The one with the Faders faction that did not make it into the final version of the location that appeared in the Holy Detonation faction?

I would rather have seen that than the pointless mutant cult nonsense. But mutant radiation worshipping cults, and secret bases with super soldier clones are pretty cliche in PA settings now.

Edit: I am really conflicted about getting this now that it is on sale on GOG, mostly because a lot of the content just doesn't sound that interesting.

Easy bet is to skip the cult nonsense by not buying that DLC.
That cult nonsense does fit the setting and lore though since part one was packed with them.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Easy bet is to skip the cult nonsense by not buying that DLC.
That cult nonsense does fit the setting and lore though since part one was packed with them.

You would just recommend getting the base game and perhaps Steel Town DLC in case I want to play this.

Edit: it is not that the mutant cult doesn't fit the setting as I am quite familiar with Wasteland 1 and 2, but that it does not add much to the main game as it does not affect the campaign, and I keep reading here how its campaign and the fights are not really fun.

And yes I am serious about being in doubt about this title as I am getting very conflicting signals from this forum to decide this game is really worth my time.
It is really not as if all the games on my Steam list were all classics or the best of gaming. There are plenty of dud and average titles on this list like there are on my GOG list.
That is why I do not want to waste more money or my time as I don't want to waste more of either on something that is not worth it.

 

[FreshCorpse]

There is no reason to get the DLC when starting the game anyway. It's midgame DLC. You can look at the season pass (or, probably better, just Steeltown) when you're 10 hours in an enjoying it.

Just get the base game, see if you like the setting. Bear in mind that the intro area is even more "over the top" than the rest of the game in terms of cheesy exaggerated violence.

 

[Acrux]

If you're barely interested, why buy it? It's okay, not amazing.

I know this is absolutely haram, but as time goes by, I think I liked W2 a little better (as boring as that was).

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

There is no reason to get the DLC when starting the game anyway. It's midgame DLC. You can look at the season pass (or, probably better, just Steeltown) when you're 10 hours in an enjoying it.

Just get the base game, see if you like the setting. Bear in mind that the intro area is even more "over the top" than the rest of the game in terms of cheesy exaggerated violence.

Thanks.
I decided to get the base game as some people kept telling me that I should try it out for myself before I make an opinion about its content such as gameplay and campaign

I don't mind a degree of silliness or wackiness to lighten the mood in a PA setting (I never liked the dead serious ones), but I understand that it is rather all over the place, going to absurd heights sometimes that it comes over that a lot of people have simply lost their mind and yet for some reason manage to survive. I don't know at the moment to describe it the best but it gives a very schizophrenic atmosphere.

If you're barely interested, why buy it? It's okay, not amazing.

I know this is absolutely haram, but as time goes by, I think I liked W2 a little better (as boring as that was).

I liked some parts in Wasteland 2 (I was one of the Kickstarter backers), but I had hoped it had been more like Fallout 1 and 2 as that is why I originally supported the campaign.
The final product was not what I had expected but that also is in part my own fault as I never played Wasteland 1.

In what way do you feel Wasteland 2 was better?

 

[Zombra]

In general, don't buy DLC unless you really think you can't get enough of a game in the base release. 9 times out of 10, when a game is over, I am ready for it to be over.