The Surge - Sci-Fi - Melee Combat RPG

[GreenGoo]

Noticed that my firebug twin rig weapons were labelled v2.0. Turns out if you pluck all the legs off the firebug you get the 2.0 version. When you backflip you do a blast of fire damage as well. When you spin you draw 2 circles of fire around you.

I wonder what the other bosses drop and what is required for them to drop it.

[coopasonic]

Firebug had one leg left when I killed it. *sadface* but in NG+ I killed it with the firebug throttle. "Was That Yours?" trophychievement obtained!

I have the 2.0 weapon from Big Sister. I think you have to NOT kill the welder(s) that is poking at you in phase 3 of the fight. I just did Big Sister this morning on NG+ and I killed that bugger and got the 1.0 version.

I just finished up R&D on NG+, I did pretty much the whole thing without returning to base, came back to Ops at the end with 250k scrap. I was able to upgrade my weapon (still using the claws from the end boss) to Mark X... 245 damage. It can be hard to harvest limbs when you kill on the fourth hit.

On Black Cerberus you might have fought more of the guys along the way, I just ran past them. I only killed one of the maintenance robots on each trip. I am *not* looking forward to doing that fight again!

PAX - first try
Firebug - second try
Big Sister - second try

Yeah this game is a lot easier the second time around!

On NG+ the upgraded rig only gives you 1 more slot (at 115 core power)... 15 heals for me thx.

[GreenGoo]

Holy crap! You are rockin' it!

I can confirm that the Rhino suit is complete crap compared to the Lynx. It reduces stamina usage by a significant percentage while offering a few points of extra defense. Getting hit in this game is a good way to die so the extra defense only matters if you're getting hit, and even then it's not a noticeable improvement over the Lynx, while the Lynx allows for more dodging AND hitting.

The suit bonus on the Rhino is also of questionable value. I can't get this thing off fast enough.

[GreenGoo]

So I did a quick calc in my head. If every power core after 80 is around 40k, you would have had to have at least a million more scrap than I did in my first play through, assuming the power core costs didn't go up, which they do, so...

Yeah, since you offered earlier, I want to know how you did that.

[GreenGoo]

Grabbed the spitfire rod v2.0.

Doesn't seem to do anything special. Am I missing something? Like I said, the firebug throttle 2.0 does some nice animations and extra elemental damage.

edit: I see it sets guys on fire, so that's good.

[coopasonic]

Yeah, since you offered earlier, I want to know how you did that.

Spoiler:

Go to your equipment screen, select a piece of equipment to get to the equippable inventory, go to a piece of equipment that is not equipped, hold down the delete button and immediately press the equip button while still holding down the delete button. When the delete completes you get the scrap but the items doesn't get deleted.

Try it on a piece you don't care about first. Once you are comfortable with how it works, do it on your best piece of gear to get the most scrap at once. unequip and do it all over again.

Total exploit... or time saver is my preferred term. The game is fun but the grinding for scrap part is not. You'll still have to grind for upgrade parts, but it's nice not to worry about scrap (until it is patched anyway).

Grabbed the spitfire rod v2.0.

Doesn't seem to do anything special. Am I missing something? Like I said, the firebug throttle 2.0 does some nice animations and extra elemental damage.

edit: I see it sets guys on fire, so that's good.

Yeah it does the burning, but as a staff it has a much greater range than most weapon without being heavy weapon slow. It was my go to until I got the claws. I was using PAX before that. I never really gave the dual rigged stuff a fair chance before the claws.

I just took out Black Cerberus, that took about a half dozen tries. One more boss. I had family stuff today or I would probably be cursing about the end boss right now. The game goes a lto faster when you have a good idea what to do and where to go.

[GreenGoo]

Hmmm. I tried it a bunch of times and it didn't work, so I assumed it only works on the PS4 version, but then magically it worked. And then it didn't work again for multiple attempts.

Is there a trick to it besides having the destroy bar filling up when you equip it?

edit: Ah, I wasn't finishing the delete. Works as you describe. Now to see how much willpower I have.

[coopasonic]

My PS4 version was patched this morning. I didn't check to see if the exploit was fixed and I can't find the patch notes online. I generate endless scrap at this point. I ran through the Executive Forum this morning and ended with 165k scrap and 12 heals left. I just have to hit the door guards to open up the nucleus. I'll get 3 more trophies there and then I'll just have one left... the damn sunglasses.

[GreenGoo]

My PS4 version was patched this morning. I didn't check to see if the exploit was fixed and I can't find the patch notes online. I generate endless scrap at this point. I ran through the Executive Forum this morning and ended with 165k scrap and 12 heals left. I just have to hit the door guards to open up the nucleus. I'll get 3 more trophies there and then I'll just have one left... the damn sunglasses.

PC patched too. Exploit fix mentioned in patch notes. They added fall damage even when doing a drop attack. That kind of sucks, as it added some tactical options. It's a rare day that you're willing to take damage in order to do damage.

[coopasonic]

The ability to eliminate fall damage was nice but hardly necessary.

I finished my executive forum run to unlock the Nucleus and checked into Nucleus Ops with about 250k scrap. I need a couple kills to get parts for the chest piece and now all my equipped gear (still scarab and claws of gestalt) is Mk X. The chrysalis guys are tearing me up. I am not used to being challenged in this run, so it's a nice change. I also ran back to R&D and got the Homo Machinalis trophy

Spoiler:

kill Robo-Barrett

Oh I also managed to get the peacekeeper staff off Irina this time. I haven't checked it out yet.

One more iron maus comic, the maddy quest, the sunglasses and the other ending are all that is left in my platinum trophy quest.

Considering NG++ for the sunglasses, or I have to load an old backed up save. Have to get to R&D for that, so 3 bosses in NG++. My backup is just before Firebug.

[coopasonic]

Platinum Trophy achieved. I need to check on my total played time. The second playthrough was much quicker, but I want to know how much.

I expected more challenge out of NG+. Maybe I should play NG++ and see if that brings any more pain.

The final boss on NG+ took two tries. On the first try after his second "episode" I couldn't hit him any more so I am not sure I should even count that one. Anyway I think I am done. Back to Persona 5.

[GreenGoo]

Congrats Coop! I'm on the final fight in my second playthrough (not ng+) and I gotta say, it's just as big a pain in the ass when you know what you need to do versus when I was running in blind.

I'm impressed that you only took 2 tries. I think I'm on 20+ again and I can't get past the first stage. He has attacks that do 1/2 my health and some that hit twice so it's basically a one shot if you get hit and staggered. He seems incredibly random. Sometimes he'll sit/stomp you when you're in close, other times he'll swing his big right meathook. It's always fun when he launches 4 shards and then leaps trying to land on you when you're at range. You have 4 projectiles (each doing 1/2 your life) and the big guy to track and dodge.

I can't help but feel it's a crap shoot. Add in the camera angles going berzerk when you're under him and circling, having your dodge blocked by a leg and having your swings doing nothing while you're clipping into him and it's...incredibly random.

I should note that the first time I fought him, once I made it through the first stage, I finished off the second stage without any problems. It's this first stage that seems, I can't think of any other word but random. Given that the rest of the game is not random, I must be missing his cues or something but man, I've spent engagements just watching him in action and while I can tell in general which "sets" of attacks he's likely to use, they differ enough that anticipating one leads you into certain death if he chooses another.

I guess I'm mildly annoyed. I'm better equipped (all mark IV gear including 4 pieces of black cerberus) than the first time I did it and it's not any easier.

edit: I forgot to mention that I still only have about 80 core power, which means that the armour is eating up most of my power. I have a lot of hp but other than that I'm not overly happy with my implants. Lower power armour plus better implants would probably be better.

edit2: Ok, I think I've got it's number finally. I think I made the same mistakes last time.

edit3: Yeah, I finally figured it out and things went smoothly after that. It's not so much that I was able to predict what it was going to do next, I got a better grasp and what I was damaging so my attacking was more effective and I just stayed the hell away from it when I didn't have a clear shot. Got the claws this time. In fact the only v2.0 weapon I didn't get was the first one from PAX.

I will probably start an ng+ game but I'm uncertain if I'll finish. I've had 2 runs through now and like you, I think that's enough. I'll cruise around to see what's different in ng+, open some of those security doors you can't the first time through and that sort of thing.

I was unable to kill all the loaders because you need hazard gear from the one in the biolab area and you haven't even seen the armour on an enemy by that stage. So 4 out of 5 coins.

I did finish the maddy quest line this time through, so that was good. I did finish Irina and Jo's too, but those are more straightforward.

Hilariously I STILL took over 30 hours, which puts me in line with your first run through. I'm very impressed with your time. On the plus side, it's less than 1/2 the time it took for my first run, so at least I improved over my personal best.

[coopasonic]

My strategy for the first phase of final boss wasn't very strategic, hack away and get the drone shield up, then hack away some more. I would dodge the swipes, but just suffer the "sit and poke"s. Having 700 health, 15 x 320 point heals and +50% energy generation helped I imagine (note these are NG+ numbers, they aren't even possible in NG). The second phase is easy compared to Black Cerberus and the damn Chrysalids.

I will probably start an ng+ game but I'm uncertain if I'll finish. I've had 2 runs through now and like you, I think that's enough. I'll cruise around to see what's different in ng+, open some of those security doors you can't the first time through and that sort of thing.

You lose your security status when you start NG+. Yeah, I was disappointed with that too. If you want to see what those security doors lead to, you have to do it before you beat the boss. The only difference I noticed in NG+ is each level has one or two tough enemies that don't respawn. There are a few other changes to enemy types in certain locations, but nothing mind-blowing at all.

My NG+ run took 9.5 hours btw.

You don't need hazard gear for the biolabs smelter, you just need to kill him quickly. I may have killed him in one combo (it might have been two, I did a lot of killing over the last couple weeks). When the side flap is up and his guts are exposed he takes a LOT of damage and I had the stamina to take advantage.

[GreenGoo]

Yeah I noticed about the security status. Ah well. I also noticed the tougher units that don't respawn. They are remarkably tough, seem to have 2 health bars (or 1 that needs to be drained twice) and all the moves that you the player have. They also don't stagger worth a damn, dodge relatively well and hit like trucks. Took me more than a few tries to adjust to their fighting style.

Having fought the loaders many times I can say with relative confidence that they cannot be killed in 1 or 2 combos with gear that is "normal" for when you reach them. At least not the biolab one. Given that the standing in goo does progressively more damage the longer you stay in it (up to 20 pts a tick max, I think) and that you have somewhere around 120-150 hp at that point in the game, it would take an amount of hit/run/heal/hit cycling that I just wasn't willing to do. Combine that with the frost effect that stops stamina regen and armour plates that need to be knocked open before you can do any real damage, I just can't see it being done that easily.

It's not that I doubt you Coop, it's just that my experience seems to differ wildly from yours. And of course I could be missing something. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

I doubt I could run through the game in 9.5 hours even if I never, ever died. I mean, maybe now that I've done it twice but I definitely got lost again in the usual areas on my second play through. So 9.5 hours is crazy, especially if you were making sure you got all the achievements you missed during the first run. Well done. I feel like I might be able to shave another 10 hours off my run, if I don't get stuck too badly on something newly added for ng+, but that's still twice as long as you.

Maybe I'm just jealous.

[coopasonic]

To be clear, I only killed one smelter in my first run. I killed all five (well four, Irina took out out for me) on NG+.

Here's my PSN profile so you can confirm my platinum trophy.
https://my.playstation.com/coopasonic

After the stuff Bloodborne throws at you, The Surge just isn't that hard.

[GreenGoo]

After the stuff Bloodborne throws at you, The Surge just isn't that hard.

Fair enough.

As I said, I don't doubt you, just some of it seems counter to my own experience. Like I said, maybe I'm just not as good as I want to believe. The sheer number of repetitive deaths without learning a damn thing would appear to be evidence against my belief.

Which did you prefer, Dark Souls or Bloodborne?

[coopasonic]

I think I made a mistake playing Bloodborne first. The Dark Souls world seems kind of empty by comparison. Note that I have only played through maybe a quarter or a third of Dark Souls I and I have 25 minutes into Dark Souls III. Also the play style is different between the two.

In Dark Souls you are generally playing with a shield, but you can switch to two handed and things happen at a slower pace. You parry with your shield and riposte to do bigger damage.

In Bloodborne, shields aren't really used at all. The best defense is a good offense. If you get hit, your health isn't actually gone for a few seconds and you can get some or all of it back by damaging an enemy in that time window. You can still parry and riposte, but your parry is actually a pistol shot with your offhand. When you switch between one and two handed your weapon changes form which is just cool.

You'll get a lot less direction and story in either game than you saw in The Surge. Also a lot fewer ventilation shafts and maintenance tunnels.

[GreenGoo]

But then how do they ventilate or maintain anything?

I'm gonna give the first Dark Souls a try but after that I'd like to play the better of the 3 others (Bloodborne/dark souls II/III).

[coopasonic]

You have to buy a PS4 to play Bloodborne... if that isn't going to happen, the whole world agrees that DS3 is better than 2.

[GreenGoo]

You have to buy a PS4 to play Bloodborne... if that isn't going to happen, the whole world agrees that DS3 is better than 2.

Which probably explains why the monthly humble bundle has DS2 in it.

So I got around to playing an NG+ game, but I'm sort of stuck on the final boss (again). It took me around 30 hours to get here, give or take, which is about what my second playthrough took. I was freakin' happy once I figured out the Nanite blob's number. They are no longer a threat outside of bad luck or cramped spaces.

My weapons are only Mk VII though, so it's a long process with the last boss to get it to stage 2 (which I have yet to accomplish). It also seems to be slightly more aggressive and might have 1 or 2 moves that I didn't see in the normal playthrough. He's got a wrap around attack that seems to reach all the way from one side to the other, whereas I remember that you could remain relatively safe on the far side before.

I have around 500 hp, 200 stamina and I'm not sure how much max energy. A good chunk anyway. Plus -100% energy decay (which I believe puts it at about 50% normal), which is pretty helpful.

I'm wearing full Black Cerebus with about 120 core power (the rig maxes out on implant slots at 125). I haven't had to farm, as I spent most of this game with a +40% scrap implant installed, and later on I added another. I regularly had 100k in scrap from even the most generic and unthreatening trips away from the med center.

I still died pretty often. I would either get cocky or lulled into a sense of security and suddenly 2 hits (often back to back with the second being unavoidable if I took the first) and I was dead. What helped immensely is that I mostly knew where I was going so I didn't have to redo large sections of the map when I got lost.

The game is just a pile of fun for me. If there was even the most basic way to differentiate between playthroughs (say, different classes that played slightly differently) I would almost certainly play it again. Even without that, the idea of playing yet again is not offputting.

[coopasonic]

My weapons are only Mk VII though

I am pretty sure I had a Mk X weapon before I finished R&D.

There is something I don't think I ever mentioned before that will probably piss you off. There was a pre-order bonus item called a proximity sensor. It is a zero core power implant that makes a noise when you get close to a hidden item. It's a huge help in picking up all the crap laying around all over the place. I am guessing without it you missed a bunch of stuff that would be helpful and it might be why you weren't able to keep up with weapon upgrades.

It is available as DLC for US$3.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/55530 ... loyee_Kit/

[GreenGoo]

I actually saw that when watching someone with a beta copy. He hated the sound and eventually swapped it out because he couldn't handle it constantly going off. It didn't bother me but then again I was only watching him play. I never heard about it outside of that one video and had forgotten about it.

While I'm sure I missed some stuff, it doesn't bother me, but I do appreciate you mentioning it.

[GreenGoo]

Grabbed the Brave New World achievement. I accidentally uploaded the virus the second game (and did it intentionally the first game), so this time I made it a point to not go anywhere near the terminal.

Man, I had a really hard time getting through the first stage of the final boss. I ended up just heal tanking it, which felt like cheating. I guess I failed to mention that I had only been using a single HoT implant plus the energy to health converter for most of my play throughs.

Anyway, lots of fun.

edit: I'd also like to point out that I beat that first guy when you revive with the basic relaimed piston and no armour because I didn't realize I could equip it yet. I died a few times first. although I did manage to keep the starting scrap.

[coopasonic]

edit: I'd also like to point out that I beat that first guy when you revive with the basic relaimed piston and no armour because I didn't realize I could equip it yet. I died a few times first. although I did manage to keep the starting scrap.

That's... pretty hardcore. I equipped all my gear and he still crushed me the first time. I'll claim it was due to surprise.

It reminds me of the ChristopherOdd playthrough of Bloodborne. You are supposed to die to the first enemy you run into. It's a pretty strong werewolf and you have no weapon and little health or healing. He beat the thing with his bare fists.

[GreenGoo]

It's not nearly as big a deal as it sounds. I still had all my implants installed, although now that I think of it, without the power core, I'm not sure they worked.

In any case, I was surprised at how easily he killed me the first few times. It was the odd mix of the normal starting dudes and the more hardcore dudes that confused me at first. Some you could kill with a couple of swings, others you had to hit and run because you could barely stagger.

That's when I understood what you meant about the non-respawning tougher mobs.

[GreenGoo]

My first playthrough I had 4 drones. My next 2 playthroughs I only found 3 (wasn't really looking for them, and the concussive drone is the best anyway).

I now see there are 5. Did you ever get the flamethrower and if you did, how was it? I realize you said you didn't pay much attention to the drones but I thought I'd ask anyway.

edit: Lol, I see I missed the shield drone for my ng+ game. That might explain the sheer amount of damage I was taking. Sigh.

[GreenGoo]

Just lost 700,000 scrap.

Not sure why I'm still playing this. Still enjoying the combat.

[coopasonic]

I have no idea if I found the flamethrower drone. After trying out the first two options, I never used anything but the shield drone and generally that was only for bosses.

[GreenGoo]

I've got all drones now. The flame thrower is surprisingly effective, although you should probably try not to stand in the stream.

Can take a security dude down by 50%, which is significant.

There is also an electromagnet drone. Acts like a black hole for people sized mobs and smaller. Was pretty meh for me but I'm sure some people can make it sing. Since you need to target before drones will fire, you can't send it over a cliff and pull everything over with it. At least not easily.

[GreenGoo]

So you know those non-respawning tough guys in NG+? They will teabag you if you die and your body is near their feet. I thought it might be my imagination but then a second guy did it and I was like...seriously? Lol.

[coopasonic]

That's... disturbing.

I mean, that you are still dying.

You certainly believe in getting your money's worth. I thought I was doing well playing the whole thing twice.

[GreenGoo]

That's... disturbing.

I mean, that you are still dying.

Hah. Did you even get one with a staff? The weapons appear to be randomized and my last 3 were all staff wielders. It's like trying to turn off an industrial strength blender filled with ginsu knives and the on/off switch is at the bottom.

[KDH]

...

... STEAM page

Spoiler:

Survive a few hours of cult hit The Surge in the official PC demo!

The world took up the challenge to survive hardcore action-RPG The Surge launched in May, and now you can jump in completely for free!

Play the game from the very beginning as you start your battle through CREO, a megacorporation that has been hit by a devastating catastrophe. The demo features hours of unlocked content, and progression will even carry over to the full game when you decide to continue the fight. You’ll pick up exactly where you left.

Today, watch how others reacted as they took up the challenge, fighting with The Surge’s innovative loot system and directional limb-targeting to discover the truth about CREO.

Master positioning and speed, risk reward, as you slice, loot, and survive an industrial complex overrun by malfunctioning machines and discover mysterious machinations through its emphasis environmental storytelling, placing the player in control of everything.

The Surge’s demo is now available on PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and PC.

[KDH]

.
... The Surge Adds Free DLC
.

Spoiler:

This Steam post announces the release of the Cutting Edge pack for the Windows edition of The Surge on Steam, adding free content to Deck13's action/RPG. To celebrate, the game and its premium DLC are all currently on sale for up to 75% off. Here's word on the free DLC:

Dystopian Action RPG The Surge is preparing to unleash its latest free DLC for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC players: the Cutting Edge Pack, and as good news always comes in pairs, the game and all of its DLCs are up to 75% off on Steam and Xbox One.

The Cutting Edge Pack DLC will grant 3 new armor sets providing a variety of useful boons when worn in their entirety, 3 devastating weapons, as well as 3 brand new jumpsuits:

The ANGEL was originally designed for operation in the harsh vacuum of space, some of the most inhospitable conditions known to man, and bestows faster attack speeds, better energy gain, harder impacts on CODENAME weapons.
The ASCLEPIUS was meant to assist army veterans in gaining a new lease on life, but its regenerative powers will work well enough for you too.
The NANO WARD gear uses bleeding edge technology to give your blocks some serious explosive power – if you can time them right.

On the more offensive side, CREO’s new weapons are the latest technology, prototypes for blue-sky projects that may never see the light of day – and certainly haven’t been safety-tested!

The Experiment 44H, known as the Dark Star, never saw full production due to the madness of its creator leading to him sabotaging the whole project before more than one could be made. Its unique containment field will wreak havoc on enemies.
The Engelhart is a boost tool that uses state-of-the-art technology to become searing hot anytime, anywhere. As potentially dangerous to the wielder as their enemies, it requires skill and practice to use effectively.
The BioN J-1, codenamed Last Aid, is quite literally a surgical tool, originally designed for use in medical hospitals. After an unfortunate incident with a rogue doctor, it became known as a tool of carnage.

Once the DLC is installed you will find six fierce new enemies in Abandoned Production, Executive Forum, and Nucleus that must be defeated to acquire the new items.

.
.

and .... The Surge 2, coming 2019

[coopasonic]

Hooray on both counts. I finished it twice on PS4 and just couldn't get the excitement back to replay it with the expansion on PC, maybe now I can.

The Surge 2 will be a day 1 purchase for me.

[Sepiche]

I really want to like this type of game as there's a lot of appeal to the exploration aspects, but I just have so little tolerance for the constant replaying of sections I never seem to get very far. I think I got about 3/4 of the way through the second area in this before I burnt out.

[coopasonic]

I think the correct response here is "git gud" but in addition to that, these games are really about finding and unlocking the shortcuts which are pretty much all set just beyond the limits of your patience.

Of course I also lost interest in the second area on my third play through. It is a lot more complicated than the first (though trivial compared to the last).

From a combat perspective, I liked Bloodborne better. I'm not as much of a fan of the Souls games. They are very... sterile? The sci-fi setting of The Surge and harvesting your enemies for parts is still pretty awesome though.

[Paingod]

I picked this up on a Summer Sale and have been enjoying it.

I'm not big on controllers and have been using my KB/Mouse without much issue. Much.

I'm still in the starter area after a couple hours of play, mostly getting used to the way combat feels and trying to work on timing. I've killed a slew of hover drones and a large number of zombies and died a few times because I wasn't watching my health and wasn't reading the enemy attack animations correctly. The zombies move by staggering. They also attack by staggering. Sometimes I'm just standing there blocking while they stagger towards me.

I've never played a "Dark Souls" like game, so this is new to me. I haven't even played a tough brawler since the original Mortal Combat 20+ years ago. Games with hectic, past-paced melee generally don't resonate with me - but the setting in this one does, so I snagged it. I can't call it a button masher, since mashing buttons will get me killed. It's more like building muscle memory and matching it to visual cues to execute combat maneuvers.

I've killed the first 25 enemies enough to craft/equip a full suit of Lynx armor, and have the starter piston, a medium grade hedge trimmer, and a heavy slow laser cutting arm. I seem to work best with the heavier weapon.

I'm reluctant to move on simply because I still keep getting beaten down and think I just need to practice fighting more.

I did have a quick question. I read through the thread hoping for an answer and stopped when I saw all the talk about the game much further on than I am. In the first area, about 30 yards from where you first wake up, there's a nasty - NASTY - dude wearing white armor and a golden dome head. I've gotten him down to like 2% health, but haven't managed to kill him in about 10 attempts. Am I even supposed to be able to beat him? He can heal himself back to full anytime he goes below 40% and he's sitting behind a sign saying "Hold Q to Block"

[coopasonic]

Do you have the expansion? I don't remember anything like that, though I even started on PC with the expansion so I guess I should have seen it as well if that were it. Maybe they changed something in a more recent patch. If I think about it I will load the game tonight and see.

[Paingod]

Only the free ones, and I think that guy's included as he's right on the cover art for Cutting Edge.

I probably just need to get a little more experienced and beefed up before I tackle him. I just really wanted to lop off his arm and hit things with it.