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

[The Dutch Ghost]

I 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.

Sometimes DLC can be really good, adding more content such as story, locations, items, etc. like the Fallout New Vegas ones.
Not all of these were on equal level as I felt for example that Dead Money was the most 'tight' experience when it came to story, characters, quests, setting. HH and OWB depended too much on fetch quests, and LR had a rather weak storyline and pay off at the end.
But in the end I still felt that they added to the FNV experience.

Others though like for example the Mass Effect ones were IMO of a really mixed quality. Two or three could and perhaps should have been added to the main game and integrated into the campaign, but the rest was just filler.
I don't even think there were season passes yet, but if there were than a lot of these DLC were made up to give people the idea that they got something more for the additional 20 or 30 they spend when they bought the main games.

I recently picked up Terminator Resistance - Annihilation Line. As soon as I have a better PC (my current rig could barely play vanilla Terminator Resistance before the patches) I will play it and the vanilla game again, but I doubt I will play it more in the future.
I like the Terminator franchise and I do think Resistance and its DLC recaptures the mood from the future scenes of the first two movies, but I don't think these two games have that much replay value once you have seen everything.

 

[mediocrepoet]

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

I'll be the last one to pass judgement on someone buying too many games, but... seriously, there's so much stuff on the market these days that if you're not sold on someone and have to agonize over a purchase, just don't and move on. Your wallet will be much happier and your backlog will be much healthier. I'm trying to internalize this lesson since historically I've gone the way of, "it has something that's about 5% interesting, I should pick it up for the collection!"

 

[Zombra]

Sometimes DLC can be really good.

Of course. That's why I said 9 times out of 10. New Vegas is an exceptional game. If you think Wasteland 3 is exceptional too then you should buy all the DLC while it's cheap.

 

[Bigg Boss]

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.

Steeltown can be played at around Level 10 so it fits into the narrative well. I get what you mean about the second DLC though since it sucks. It's just the theme is not the problem. It is the shitty level and encounter design.

 

[chuft]

Have considered getting this game but was put off by the word "depravity" showing up everywhere in reviews and descriptions. I'd prefer a game as clean as an elven arse.

Total degeneracy doesn't really seem to fit themes of desperate survival situations. You never see cultures of people scrabbling to survive (which requires cooperation) who are living like urban degenerates whose are rich or whose bills are being paid by the government in real life. Total degeneracy comes with wealth and ease or at least with welfare checks, or parasitic gangs that live off an otherwise stable society where somebody responsible keeps the lights on.

I can make exceptions for movies set in deserts with exceptional automobile stunts.

 

[FugueLah]

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.

Has anyone tried increased skill checks + permadeath with the lower difficulties to see if it is a more balanced play experience? My first and current play-through is on supreme jerk and it is kind of ridiculous the difference between going first or second is.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Been playing for few days. Much better than previous, especially combat, which is really fun and thoughtful.
Question. I play it or Ranger with friendly fire on. Most set piece fights ar quite challenging, with some people sometimes being downed, but i don't think i've had a need to reload even once. This for me usually is a sign that the game is probably a bit easy, although i play really slow and ponder on things. People, who play faster maybe have less success rate. I want to know what kind of additional "hardness" Supreme Jerk introduces. Is it just bullet sponges? Because i definitely don't need the -2 in skill checks, which basically will amount to not being able to crack some safes, to which there will be urge to track back later just to get the loot (fuck that) or using smart/kiss ass to avoid combat or gain insignificant boons.

So how do you men understand the main difference between Ranger and Supreme Jerk levels. I'm now in warrens of Bizzare. It's fairly challenging, but i feel i can get away too easy with my style of play. Maybe it's also that the party is too big. I have all 6 ranger types, 2 animals and a clone + can throw a mech with one of my chars. Also encountered this latino Provost guy. Is he good at combat too? because it would make like 10 guys in the party now, which makes everything even more trivial.

 

[Roguey]

I want to know what kind of additional "hardness" Supreme Jerk introduces.

https://wasteland.fandom.com/wiki/Wasteland_3_difficulty_levels
Enemies have double the health, you take double the damage.

 

[Smerlus]

I beat the CotHD a couple days ago which finishes everything I wanted to do in the game. I ended up losing a really good party member to try and settle everything amicably just to get shoe horned into a weird/annoying boss fight.

I could see me having a more positive feeling about the DLCs if I was playing through the game for the first time or if I was interested in playing through it again. However I just tacked them on near the end of an old save and they feel pretty meh.

 

[Gnidrologist]

I want to know what kind of additional "hardness" Supreme Jerk introduces.

https://wasteland.fandom.com/wiki/Wasteland_3_difficulty_levels
Enemies have double the health, you take double the damage.

Okay, then that sucks. They're already spongy.

 

[Haplo]

Try limiting your party to 4-man maybe? I had more fun that way (though I also played on SJ).

 

[Roguey]

Lord_Potato why did you give me a citation needed when I included the link to the citation?

 

[Lord_Potato]

Lord_Potato why did you give me a citation needed when I included the link to the citation?

Sorry, must have been a misclick during scrolling down the thread on a phone.

 

[Tenebris]

Haven't touched this since beating it around launch. Did they ever do anything with that coma lady?

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

Ive bought it recently, and im having a blast playing through it.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Any of you notice the GOG expansion pass doesn't list the second DLC in description?

"Description

The Wasteland 3 Expansion Pass gives you access to two expansions. Both DLCs expand on the base game’s locations, characters, combat, and systems, further expanding on the Rangers’ mission while in Colorado.

The Expansion Pass contains:
DLC 1 - The Battle of Steeltown – Available June 3, 2021
The towering factory complex of Steeltown manufactures all the tech that keeps Colorado running and the Patriarch in power—trucks, armor, weapons, and robots. But deliveries from Steeltown have stopped cold, and all the Patriarch is getting from Abigail Markham—Steeltown's leader—are excuses. When he sends the Rangers to investigate, they find the place is a powder keg with the fuse already lit. The workers are striking, bandits raid with impunity, and nobody is allowed through the gates, not even on the business of the Patriarch. Without help, Steeltown could crash and burn for good, and take Markham with it—but maybe that's just what it needs. The Rangers will have to decide that for themselves.

DLC 2 – Coming Summer 2021
The second expansion for Wasteland 3 will also include a new location, characters, challenging combat, and Wasteland’s signature focus on player choice and consequence."

So uh... wtf? Let's not even get into the different edition (Deluxe, Colorado). Lol. For completionists GOG loves doing this shit. Sure, I could deduce thd 2nd DLC is Cult of Holy Detonation but it's be fucking nice and professional to list it and keep your descriptions up to fucking date.

EDIT---
Yeah, Expansion Pass has both DLCs. If you want the full package:
Deluxe Edition
Expansion Pass
Survival Gear

That should do it.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Okay, playing it now on Jerk with friendly fire and no skill check nerf (that's rertarded) and obviously no permadeath. Obviously it's all about spongy enemies that take quite some time to kill off and being vulnerable as fuck, so not much fun, but on Ranger it just felt like breeze so not fun either. Like the challenge, but tactically game is quite diverse so it's always possible to think out of the box, which is good. Lots of tools apart from shooting.

Couple of questions and there maybe be more later.

Two things i've read in some place including Codex is that SMGs rule over ARs. I don't see it, because on Jerk you want to be as far from enemies as you can. Their radius is awful. I use Kwon and now Stchmo with smg/shotgun and they barely even participate, because i do all the heavy lifting with my sniper, ar and heavy mg dude with occasional rocket into their asshole. Pistols can be used, when approached close. Shotguns and flamethrowers are obviously out of the question, when you get surrounded because of friendly fire. SMGs do the same damage as ARs and are still unusable at super close distances. So why are SMGs hailed above ARs? It seems that just like in W2 you'd be surely more powerful with bunch of ARs and also MGs, which are better than in W2. Pistols are quite cool and damaging and can be used now to better extent, but still as only a sidearm. Most low radius weapons are shit on highest difficulty just like they are in most such games. Squad of 2 sniper 2 ARs and two MGs would still rule, with addition of someone having rocket launchers and some weird science weapons.

Second one. I've read harping about how "Draw" perk is overpowered and everyone, even non small arms guys should get it. Am i missing something? If you're not retarded and don't go into a battle with one bullet in your chamber, it's almost never used. Even gun with 4 bullets will most of the time last you a battle, because, if you don't win in about 4 turns, you're dead anyway. Maybe they patched some shit up and i read some outdated info, but this "hey guys, get Draw on every one of your characters" is rampant on the interwebs solutions sites. What gives? Draw is almost useless perk unless you use arbalet or some such single shot weapon.

ps. Does it matter how may guys there are on the squad in terms of XP gain? I wouldn't level faster with less numerous squad. I do know that skill check xp goes to one that uses the skill. Just haven't bothered to check.

 

[Haplo]

SMGs are strong because alpha strike tactics are dominant. If you kill the enemies before they can react, it hardly matters that you're squishy and exposed. And SMGs get some nice free actions. It's also easier to shoot accurately up close. And the SMG Strike is quite broken also.

That said, I did like Assault Rifles a good deal more then people give them credit.

Shotguns can be über with long range chokes + scopes (they should not have scopes IMO), also the late game variant Jackhammer is quite unbalanced. Apart from that, I agree they are not that good.

Draw! is clearly not for every weapon. But it can be really awesome with rocket launchers, Meat Maker harpoon (AR) - shoot for 1 AP, Ray Tracer (über sniper rifle) -shoot for 3 AP rather then 7 after the first shot, also various arms with the Unload special.

 

[Roguey]

Does it matter how may guys there are on the squad in terms of XP gain? I wouldn't level faster with less numerous squad.

No. In fact everyone you leave behind at the base levels up with you.

 

[jackofshadows]

SMGs do the same damage as ARs and are still unusable at super close distances.

This wasn't the case at release at all. They've surely did a lot of tuning it seems. As far as I remember tho, SMG still has better perk tree.

If you're not retarded and don't go into a battle with one bullet in your chamber, it's almost never used.

If you as you say aren't retarded and have Draw, you will go into a battle with one bullet/burst to abuse the shit out of it. It's kinda op only for snipers tho imo.

 

[Gnidrologist]

First of all, i don't want to 'game' system that way. That's joyless and exhausting. Secondly, it's irrelevant for snipers as well, because even four shots means four turns. You want the battle to be won by that time. They rarely last more than 4-5 turns.

 

[Haplo]

First of all, i don't want to 'game' system that way. That's joyless and exhausting. Secondly, it's irrelevant for snipers as well, because even four shots means four turns. You want the battle to be won by that time. They rarely last more than 4-5 turns.

I never manually emptied the magazine either.
But Ray Tracer is a 1-shot sniper rifle... So you benefit already after the first shot.
Same deal with the harpoon (and it can be gotten quite early if you avoid the monster army merchant until you gain some rep in Bizzare).

Of course the mag mod that makes reload -1 AP at the cost of reduced ammo capacity is very helpful (can't go below 0).

 

[jackofshadows]

First of all, i don't want to 'game' system that way. That's joyless and exhausting. Secondly, it's irrelevant for snipers as well, because even four shots means four turns. You want the battle to be won by that time. They rarely last more than 4-5 turns.

To each their own, I also draw the line with abusing generally, just a bit further. This is unintentional stuff but on the very surface. High tier rifles has like 3-4 ammo and you really want that trait for sniper which gives AP for ability to wear armor so you could shot 2 times per turn. Finally, not all fights are meant to last 1-3 turns, just most of them.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

Is field stripping guns any good ? The amount of scrap seems really low and seems to be below the sell price(comparing barter 10 and weapon modding 10 with perks).

 

[Roguey]

Is field stripping guns any good ? The amount of scrap seems really low and seems to be below the sell price(comparing barter 10 and weapon modding 10 with perks).

It's better to just sell if you want money.