Some help for the Bosses you're stuck on!
I'm always a fan of observing progress, and in spite of being an incorrigible shitposter I do enjoy helping others who seek it. That said I have several builds I wish to share with the community, in an effort to assist people with various bosses. Every one of my builds is made with parts available at that point in the story. Many are probably not very good for the story leading up to it (Like Balteus) however, if you save it and have the parts, the game will let you load the AC at death.
A couple notes before I start. Every build I provide, unless stated otherwise, uses Terminal Armor OS. I spent every last other point upgrading Damage Mitigation, and Repair Kits Optimization. Secondly, as it impacts the damage I take and deal, with Chapter 2 onwards I spent points on Damage Output modifiers (Kinetic,Explosive, and Melee) and picked up Boost Kick. Thirdly, none of my builds use Tank Treads. I prefer reverse joint/Bipedal where able. Only later do I build with a Quad. Fourth, I collect. I am a collector. My builds will use Secret Parts from both Loghunt and a Generator (MIND Alpha/Beta and AORTA specifically show up periodically). If you are missing these parts when you try to load, it will not let you use my builds. Lastly, I don't know how Lemmy spoilers work, so each Boss will have its own section with only the name showing. Without further ado:
I went for the Bad ending first.
Attack the Dam
Focus: build for either High DPS (twin needles) or high mobility (Missile spam) One enemy has a LOT of stagger hits, the other is fairly agile but doesn’t hit particularly hard.
Wallclimber AC
Focus: Vertical missiles + good air times to not step on mines
::: spoiler spoiler
I do not have a build for him, but merely a recommendation. an AC with a good Booster or good generator to stay in the air, and/or Vertical Missiles. Vertical Missiles stagger this boss like crazy for zero risk. Later you can make builds to fly over him and shoot, but for what's available at this time, Verts. :::
Baltheus
6NEJ3K8T58NK AC: Baltimore Smash
Focus: Chip damage, Close Combat with QB to dodge flamethrower
::: spoiler spoiler
The focus on the AC at this stage was using QB at the very beginning and using the melee to land hits on the shield. Rockets are fired one shoulder, then the other, to cause chip damage. I include a Pulse Gun to chip at the Pulse Shield intermittently. The key was to fire missiles as they become available, and then when the shield is low to use the Pulse Gun, then when his shield is down, melee him for damage. The booster and Generator focus on mobility to keep up with him, while the arms, chest, and head focus on Explosive Damage mitigation. :::
Smart Cleaner
QEN0VB6298PB AC: Broom and Dustpan
Focus: staying in the air, and explosives to send down the smokestack
::: spoiler spoiler
This boss has SO MUCH health it doesn't matter if you can stagger it. Double Songbirds and a high capacity Generator and low burn Booster keep you in the air, and let you fire the songbirds right down the smokestack. A (Gou-Chen) Grenade launcher is on hand for extra stagger or damage where needed, and a minigun is on hand to prevent Stagger from dropping. A few taps here and there to keep the pressure up, but it's not doing the heavy lifting here. When staggered, the roomba stops moving and you can drop a double songbird and Grenade Launcher right into the open faceplate weakspot that is normally a pain to hit. As stated, this build was retroactive, so if Songbirds are not available, the next best thing is Vertical missiles. the ceiling is low, so you spend a lot of time boosting away from it. If you can see the weakpoint in the smokestack, you are too high for V. Missiles. Stay under that height, and wait for the roomba to move and then stop, and then fire into the stack. Same as my normal build with a minigun for pressure and Grenade Launcher to build extra Stagger. I tried the Bazooka, and it just was too slow to load. the Detonating Bazooka is just too heavy and you lose too much speed to climb altitude with these weapons. Focus was staying away from the roomba and facilitating the hits on the stack, not faceplate. :::
Sea Spider
DJ5TRV7JJD82 AC: My Left Shoe
Focus: Good Thrust to stay above the Spider, Staggering to prevent lasers
::: spoiler spoiler
I hate spiders and I know you do too, so grab My Left Shoe to squash them. This build focuses HEAVILY on staying airborne. Sea Spider is not very agile, and Double Songbirds takes advantage of this. Get above the Sea Spider and fire them at the same time. This keeps your reload for the songbirds together rather than trying to land hits too far apart and losing the stagger meter. On all 4 Songbird shots hitting, fire the Detonating Bazooka (Chosen for THIS reason) to finish the stagger meter This build guarantees the stagger on this combo. Land on or near it and fire the Pile Driver right into it. Phase 2 will change this rhythm! To help keep you in the air and off the ground (Where the Flying Mode Spider hits the hardest) fire the Songbirds one after the other. Songbirds halt your fall to fire, and this gives you free air time. Same pattern - stay above the Spider, land all 5 hits, and then Pile Driver for damage. :::
PCA Squads
YJ8NKY476CWD AC: PCA Hit Squads
Focus: nothing special, but may give trouble
::: spoiler spoiler
A moderate build specifically to deal with the new HC at the Mine. Most people may not need this build, but for those that do, it breaks the standard of Songbird/Zimmerman, Minigun is for enemy cleanup, and then Missiles for pressure and Songbird for enemy mess-ups. The new enemies like to linger too close for their own good, and the blade punishes them for it. :::
Ekdromoi
W2JZV19UB3EN AC: EKDROMOI Killer
Focus: 2x Zim+2x Songbirds to keep the heat up
::: spoiler spoiler
These dudes were total tools and I greatly disliked them. This build uses double Songbird and Double Zimmerman. Use the Songbirds one at a time for building damage, and when the blade AC rushes you, punish him with a double Zimmerman. He often moves too fast to get a Songbird hit, but the Zimmermans do the job. Build focuses on mitigating Energy Damage because his partner is the second half of the fight, and without this protection he will chip away at your repair kits while you're dealing with the blade user. The second half of this fight he does some spiderman bullshit and runs collision course for instant stagger if he hits you. Double Zimmermans same as the blade guy. :::
Eliminate V. VII + Rosumonsen Notes
Focus: build for mobility, and Energy resist+Kinetic/explosive damage type
::: spoiler spoiler
This guys AC is nothing too special and indeed, he isn’t the threat. It’s when you take him up on his deal that it gets hard. Rosumonsen has high energy damage, and I found a variant of PCA Hit Squads is best. I replaced the blade with the Pile Driver. HE has a real propensity to charge you for a Kick, and unlike the PCA, he lingers just long enough that a Pile Driver or Songbird can hit him. Build for Energy Resistance, and smash VII as fast as you can because Rosumonsen will eat through your Repair Kits. :::
"Honest" Brute
8PEB3S2YPZ4Q AC: Et Tu Brute?
Focus: Explosive proof for level, long range missile spam for Brute
::: spoiler spoiler
Explosive proof AC with a focus on mobility. This came in handy for the mission as well because of all the missile spam, but the main focus was staying out of Brute's range using all these missiles. His flamethrower makes tracking him at close range with the camera near impossible to see what he's doing, and he tends to dodge Songbirds) This AC uses 4 sets of missiles. Fire them one at a time and use the decent mobility speed to just QB and keep away from him. Easy build for an easy boss. :::
Ice Worm
11UJ9KAMYR30 AC: Ice Dewormer
Focus: DPS and hover
::: spoiler spoiler
Ice worm can be ludicrously hard to land shots on for ground dwellers. This quad build focuses on staying in the air with Hover and waiting for the Worm to poke up and land a Stinger shot. Everything else is pure DPS. As soon as the shield is off and it drops to the ground, fire the Pile Driver and then Songbird. The Minigun is on hand to ensure that you have something for "a little extra" damage in cases where you miss a shot and need to make up for it, or the drones are getting in your way. The build uses a high capacity but slow recharging generator, and the Mule boosters for their low energy use to push you straight up. The build DOES suffer from high energy consumption during Overboost, and you will need to ensure you're following the worm as appropriate to not be out of energy just getting over to it on the massive arena. This build features enough extra Weight and Energy to mount a second Stun Needle when you clear the mission, and is a great farming mission when you get the timings for the head right. :::
Loghunts that were too difficult and I returned to later:
Eliminate the Enforcement Squad (Loghunt)
Y1J82ZZ4B7WA AC:Double Dip
Focus: Damage output via twin needles
::: spoiler spoiler
Ring Freddie has just enough health to make the fight at the end of the level too difficult for me to spend 3 hours trying over and over. So I built this to come back to it and get it. Double Dip carries 2 Stun Needle Launchers, a Zimmerman, and the default laser sword. It’s built for Explosive and Energy Resistance from the newly unlocked VE and VERRILL lines. It’s so heavy the only booster to keep it going is BUERZEL, and it still CHUGS energy. I chose the VE-40A core for its amazing ability to boost energy provided, letting you have so much energy you can “double dip” the stun needles. Ring Freddie will dodge these, but he actually moves in a circle, and more importantly, doesn’t dodge when he’s approaching you, and says “behind you” letting you land both on an opening hit. When he comes full circle he drives right at you, and is susceptible again. The Zimmerman provided is for killing the little enemies, just be careful of energy usage and health. You’re approached by 2 PCA Hit Men, but they deploy from the gate, and firing both Stun Needles and then a shotgun blast downs each of them. The Melee provided is fantastic for closing gaps, rather than as a melee here. Inside, use the tunnel as cover and let the MTs come around the corner one at a time, one shotgun blast at this range kills them. At this stage if you have less than 9,000 HP with no repair kits, you’re already done, reset the mission. In the final room, I Overboosted straight to the HC, and fired both Stun Needles into him, while they reloaded I dodged as best I could and shotgunned his MT backup one at a time. Another Stun salvo and shotgun blast and he shouldn’t have much HP left. This range means he will Shield Bash a lot more, but ultimately it means he’s using Energy for that rather than flying away and has almost none left for Stun Needle dodges. Upon completion, I got as far as Mind Beta legs. :::
Attack the Spaceport (Loghunt) and “Honest” Brute revisits and Loghunt
AQ8Q0KHE9GGP AC: Double Dip M1A2
Focus: Missiles and high capacity energy for flight control
::: spoiler spoiler Similarly, this mission was too difficult to do with just what was on hand at the time. Features the new Mind Beta reverse Joint and Aorta, with the 2 Needle Cannons. This makes quick work of the boss units, while Gatling cleans up trash. You will be low on ammo from doing the Log Hunt so use the resupply in Spaceport. The weight is a little heavy, so it uses its Energy very poorly, however it completes all the necessary jumps and even Brutes Laser puzzle. :::
Returning to the main questline
Delving 1,2,3.
FNTQ2J4HNHZF AC: Delver Olin
Focus: Stay in the air, missiles
::: spoiler spoiler This AC isn’t my best work, nor is this mission difficult, but I wanted a challenge. Something that did all 3 missions in one go. It does this. A focus on using the good Jump Distance of the low weight legs, and decent OB distances for chasing things down. The only “new” part in this lineup is the doubled laser shoulders, of which are fantastic for Iguazu, the small disk mechs, and firing on the Laser Cannons without exposing yourself too long. Both Institute bosses go down with its mobility and uncanny dodge. This netted all the Logs in the first pass. It unlocks S rank Arena. :::
Redguns+G1 Michigan
QXJ9UL92Q4ST AC:Bad Fall
Focus: Laser missiles and multitargetting, Explosive resistant. Melee for saving ammo
::: spoiler spoiler Shield MTs in Waves 2,3,and 4 will not go down with normal missiles, but Plasma missiles have AOE and kill them. Additionally, Michigan himself isn’t too great at dodging due to his heavy build. His Songbird is the only Explosive he has so a melee is a great follow up to punish him. Focus down the MTs even after he spawns or they will chip SO much health. Sometimes he will get stuck on the broken laser in the middle of the room, giving you free time to kill MTs in wave 4. Wave 5 has NO SHIELDED MTs and you can go back to using standard missiles for these Melee helps conserve SO MUCH ammo, and the starting laser gets 2 strikes and not only hits more often than the others because you charge down enemies with it, but it also guard break + Kill Shielded MTs.
G1 Michigan died of a Bad Fall. :::
Coral Convergence
EZYXCPFFUFSB AC: Femoral Artery
Focus: Missile spam. Uses all “Femora” parts.
::: spoiler spoiler Really not much to do here. You need something that will always have energy to be moving, or you will get hit by the laser blades. Circle strafe while firing the missiles one at a time, and then overboost in when she staggers, and kick since this build has no melee. Terminal Armor is a huge boon in getting the last few hits in with this 2 stage fight. :::
This begins the crescendo of the game.
The next one that I built carried me through to the final bossfight.
TM2RCM4HSHD8 AC: Fruedian Slip
Focus: Close range FCS – all the fights on this map happen mid-Close range. High DPS weapons
::: spoiler spoiler
Not sure if VI. Freud was hard for some people so I wanted to upload this just in case. This will carry you through the Loghunt on the same map, and HC fight before Freud too. Close range FCS excel in this fight because he constantly gets caught on buildings.
:::
Fires of Raven
020598MMRWZ7 AC: Fires of Raven
Focus: FCS to keep on target, close-Long range (No mid range needed). Energy damage Resistance!
::: spoiler spoiler The Bad Ending first. Double Zimmerman to punish her for close range, Double 12 load missiles to chip her shield. She deals straight up Energy damage, and the Femora Parts help cover this. She’s a faster, harder hitting Balteus. The build needs lots of energy to get into the air to avoid her Phoenix Flight and it definitely needed QB for her Melees. Lock on is mandatory – otherwise you will have to look around for her and that will lose you SO much health. :::
NEWGAME +
This completes my first playthrough. My second playthrough I challenged myself to have as few builds as possible, and streamline this. Some are buildable early, some need NG+ parts. . By the end of the game you probably have developed the fundamentals for NG+ and NG++, so I congratulate you for it. Noone probably needs these, but I will include them for anyone who wants them, both as a testament to my efforts, and for those who just want them. The Paint and naming convention I went with Arasaka from Cyberpunk. These 5 are all I needed for Good Ending.
8JE2HGRK39U7 AC: End of Arquebus
Focus: Improve the Balteus Killer AC. 8MY4FYVV2XCR AC:Repairman Class S
Focus: Double Songbird lightweight build
FF1A785Y52DY AC: Vanguard
Focus: Plasma Missiles and Double Zimmermans
D3HKRAYVG917 AC: Bug Exterminator
Focus: Higher DPS than Repairman to get staggers in and then Rail Spike.
Chapter 5 got an entirely different Build
JF8742ASZ7N7 AC: Code AS
Focus: Meta Build around double needles and Energy Resistance
NEWGAME++
At this stage, you have all OS chips and should have everything from the shop. This AC completed NG++ and beat the boss. It's not easy, and I don't think it was the "easiest" build, but it can do it.
VF7BW4LVLTHY AC: Daisy Avenger
Focus: It only does Everything.
::: spoiler spoiler Stun Baton for melee, EARSHOT and Needle, Zimmerman. Explosive, Kinetic, Energy, and Melee. All on a mobile build. It’s Overweight so you need the OS chips to use it, however the only way in which it suffers is a little extra energy consumption. (It’s 2k over Load Limit) If you prefer to use a different generator than NGI-000 you’re welcome to do so, I just wanted a build that uses all of the IB class IBIS AC parts. :::
S rank Mission Guide That I will be using
BONUS Cores: All VE parts 68EK705QQLCH AC: VE-Heavy Core M1A2
Institute parts LY496R36Q23K AC: Fire of Ibis
And some free Emblems HLCXRZ65BQ8M Arasaka logo, see-through (from Cyberpunk2077)
PG25N13AG4BT Arasaka Logo, black logo (from Cyberpunk2077)
1TC5TNYSN53A Arasaka brand name (The word in Stencil) V2S6R6REHUES Trauma Team logo (from Cyberpunk2077), taken from Reddit
XEFVWP8RJNHX Doomslayer, taken from Reddit
Resources Used: Exputer's Loghunt and Charlie Intel's Missions List