Psyshot guide for Embers of Rage

[bpat]

Here's a quick guide to Psyshot. Some things have changed a little since I played this class (Molten Iron Blood nerf, Condensate buff), but most info should remain relevant.

Races
Pick whatever because none really have any synergy with this. I went with Yeti and it was good, Algrid Rage was especially helpful and Thick Fur works well with Molten Iron Blood.

Stats
Cun > Dex > Wil > Con, unless using PES in which case Str > Cun > Dex > Wil (after getting enough stats for talent unlocks)

Category points
Inscription slot -> Dread -> Avoidance or Nightmare

Inscriptions
Early you'll want two Medical Injectors and two Steam Generators. Later replace one Steam Generator for a Movement or Heroism Infusion. I don't think any other Inscriptions would be better than these, and Movement is especially helpful for quick reloading.

Prodigies
Good prodigies are Pain Enhancement System, Vital Shot, Spine of the World, and Superpower. Superpower is only good if using PES.

Psytech Gunnery: 5/1/1/1 early, 5/1/1/1 core, Blunt Shot luxury

Psyshot active does lots of damage but being mind damage is often a downside. Spam until late game.

Boiling shot is great early with Condensate, float points in early but make sure you can refund.

Blunt Shot is a stun and stuns are good. Put more points in it if you like stuns a lot

Vacuum Shot is pointless aside from the damage.

Thoughts of Iron: 3/1/3/1 early, 5/1/3/5 core, Mind Drones luxury if you have good mindpower

MIB is your best defensive talent, keep it on once you have the steam to.

Mind Drones is okay if you’re disarmed. Rarely worth a turn otherwise.

Psionic Mirror is a great cleanse that sends conditions to enemies. Sometimes it’s best to wait for them to use more debuffs before using this talent. I like to do this to enemies who spam Hexes and it works wonders against them.

Mind Injection is great. You don’t care about the modifiers as much early but it’s worth maxing later.

Mechstar: 1/1/1/0 early, 3/3/1/0 core, everything but Steamstar luxury

Metalstar isn’t flashy but it gets enemies out of your face pretty well. It doesn’t work well against enemies with good physical save though.

Bloodstar is a bit of damage and healing. Not much to say here but it’s better than it looks and it really shines against groups of enemies.

Steamstar is good for steam early, decent for damage late.

Deathstar would be good if your shoot talents were good, which they aren’t. It’s not bad but not essential either.

Gestalt: 1/1/0/0 early, 2/1/0/0 core, everything luxury

Gestalt is basically required to keep your psi up.

Improved Gestalt gives a weak shield every few turns. It’s not great but it’s free so can’t really complain.

Instant Channeling could be okay late, but only at high talent levels.

Forced Gestalt isn’t great because of diminishing returns. Not awful though.

Action at a Distance: 1/2/0/0 early, 1/2/0/0 core, 4/5 Solidify Air luxury

Condensate is only used early to trigger Boiling Shot. Wet debuff isn’t bad but why stun enemies when you can kill them instead.

Solidify Air is this class’s Stone Wall. Use to give yourself some breathing room or to isolate a single target.

Superconduction would be okay on Solipsist, but not on this class.

Negative Biofeedback sucks and even if it didn’t, you don’t have the psi to use it.

Psionic Fog: 1/1/0/0 early, 1/1/0/0 core, nothing luxury

Vaporous Step is instant therefore amazing. Only reason to precast it is to play around brainlock, seldom worth it.

Inhale Vapors adds a heal. It’s fine at 1/5.

Psionic Fog doesn’t do enough to be worth it.

Uncertainty Principle would be great if not dependent on using Psionic Fog.

Avoidance (locked): 5/0/0/0 core, 4/5 Cloak Gesture luxury

Automated Cloak Tessellation is great for obvious reason.

Cloak Gesture is good if used with Arcane Eye or similar.

Embedded Restoration Systems is alright if using Cloak Gesture, but it may cost too much steam for too little benefit.

Cloaking Device is probably decent on Normal and Nightmare but on Insane it’s garbage so I never tried it.

Nightmare (locked): 1/5/0/0 core, nothing luxury

Nightmare is only good for prepping Inner Demons.

Inner Demons slays bosses. Great if you have the mindpower to get it to stick.

Waking Nightmare is unreliable.

Night Terror doesn’t do much since any significant damage will wake up your target immediately.

Dread (locked): 3/1/0/0 early, 3/1/1/1 core, Mechanical Arms, Lucid Shot, and No Hope luxury

Mechanical Arms does little damage but it makes you take less damage and also enables Lucid Shot.

Lucid Shot makes enemies kill each other. I got the other Councilors to kill Tantalos with this.

Psy Worm isn’t good because you don’t really need psi generation.

No Hope is great for keeping you alive and enabling Lucid Shot, but good luck getting it to stick on high difficulties. Beware the massive psi cost.

Physics: 2/2/1/0 for Fatal Attractor, more for Steam Powered Armor

Chemistry: 5/1/1/5 for Unstoppable Force Salve and Explosive Shell, more for Life Support Vest

Take 4/5 Theraputics instead if you get Brass Goggles, or 3/5 if you don’t get Unstoppable Force Salve recipe.

Steam Power is good, most notably boosts Automated Cloak Tessellation

Engineering: 0/0/0/0 core, Last Engineer Standing luxury

Emergency Steam Purge owns early but scales poorly. Make sure you can refund fully if you use it early.

Innovation sucks.

Supercharge Tinkers is worse than Steam Power, and what’s even going to crit?

Combat Training: 5/1/0/0/0 core, more in Armour Training and Combat Accuracy as needed

Blacksmith (locked): never unlock, Craftsman’s Eye would be luxury if it wasn’t locked.

Survival (locked): never unlock unless you really know what you’re doing, Charm Mastery would be core for experienced players if it wasn’t locked.

Yeti Tissue rewards
1) Conditioning, go 1/5/0/0 immediately
2) Chant of Fortress
3) Dream Walk
4) Premonition

[64legos]

Nice guide! I do have a few questions though:

1) You said nightmare is only good for Inner Demons, but when I played Psyshot, I found nightmare to be pretty good. It has good range and between that and Solidify Air, I could keep enemies on lockdown, giving me some much needed breathing room.

2) Psionic fog and Superconduction reduce mental save. Wouldn't this be useful for helping Inner Demons proc?

[chandl34]

Did your Psyshot lock the game up all the time? There's been a bug since release that's made mine almost unplayable. I've shelved the character for now.

My build is invested in drones, superconduction, and fog to help with lowering mind saves for Inner Demons.

[tylor]

What is PES?

[Teber2]

PES = Pain Enhancement System?

[bpat]

Nice guide! I do have a few questions though:

1) You said nightmare is only good for Inner Demons, but when I played Psyshot, I found nightmare to be pretty good. It has good range and between that and Solidify Air, I could keep enemies on lockdown, giving me some much needed breathing room.

2) Psionic fog and Superconduction reduce mental save. Wouldn't this be useful for helping Inner Demons proc?

1) Nightmare talent is okay I suppose, but I found beating mental saves difficult and Solidify Air just better. I played on Insane though so it should be easier to beat saves on Normal and Nightmare difficulties, making Nightmare (talent) better.

2) I didn't actually notice that Superconduction reduces mental save by as much as it does. I think in combination these two talents could be really good. After I finish up some ongoing runs I think I'll try playing a Psyshot in the Maj'Eyal campaign and see how well this works.

[GlassGo]

The only artifact steamguns I'd consider using late game are Murderfang's Surekill and Glacia.

You said this about EoR campaign and Gunner, but if we talk in general, I can advise Shotgonne.
Note its damage per turn ratio.
Also I should note that it is not a "clean" damage - bear in mind PES, two heroic infusion and Ogric Wrath (16 turns).

[bpat]

Okay that's pretty great. I hadn't encountered it myself but its effect is definitely good enough to make up for the low range.

[RARaines]

That really looks like a randart. Those need to be evaluated separately.

[darkgod]

Just a note

Lucid Shot makes enemies kill each other. I got the other Councilors to kill Tantalos with this.

They are always hostile to Tantalos

[bpat]

Just a note

Lucid Shot makes enemies kill each other. I got the other Councilors to kill Tantalos with this.

They are always hostile to Tantalos

That explains quite a bit. In that case the best strategy for that battle should be to hide out in the room you start in and let Tantalos and the other Councilors kill each other, popping out to hurt whichever side is winning when you have the chance.