Deep Rock Galactic (with Phoenix) - Driller Promotion Part 1
Having attained level 25, the next step for me is to attempt the driller promotion to unlock more in-game content. This will be a series of 4 missions that should be easier than the previous video. Due to fatigue from trying to get that one to work, we wanted to kick back a bit, which is why we knocked the hazard down so significantly. This was essentially the final game of the weekend, so we wanted to take it easy. Driller promotion will continue next weekend barring catastrophe. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh23DUM3gKw
There are no story battles in this one, so I do the optional fights to show what they look like and also get resources to make Frederica a little stronger for the coming battle. Other than that, we have our first vote to determine whether we go to Hyzante or Aesfrost, and I get to use some of the money I've accumulated to upgrade gear/skills/innates or whatever you want to consider them. For the vote, we need to use the information we've gathered to persuade the team on whichever side we wish to go (assuming there is a preference), so hopefully you've been talking to people.
For the skills, I don't know when the merchant inventory refreshes, if it even does. I do not buy out the merchant in Hyzante, which looks to be the proper thing to do if that guy only refreshes once per chapter. Anna's upgrades give the best return in damage, but in order to farm, I leave her at her base stuff.
Finally, as for the fights, the first is a very simple tournament ground fight with nothing complex going on. The second one has you surrounded, and also has some important resources on the dock. You need to strike at openings without compromising your position, and then deliver a decisive blow to send the enemy reeling. Make sure to grab your loot before you leave.
When we pick up next time, we will get a new recruit as we learn about some of the failures of the legendary medical research team...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmoDJEyR-CQ
Basilisks have attacked a village on our route to the enemy and turned the people there to stone. It appears they received help from an unlikely source who befell a similar fate. Luckily, there seems to be some kind of mirror that can help them, and in doing so, we may be adding to our ranks...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u441IMTfZk
Conducting our investigation at the bank, Tio locates the hacker operating in the Geofront, but it is a section that we have not visited before. Picking up the entrance key at City Hall, we head over to the residential areas and enter. The enemies there are fairly simple with the only problem being the self-destructing enemies that include the area boss. Upon finding the hacker, we receive the proper challenge letter and are able to collect the recipe for pizza.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhmVJnSUE84
I think by the time we've reached this point, the Watanabe line has been ended. So to make up for that, we are using some communications equipment one of them invented before their inevitable demise. However, it turns out the antenna then assumes their fate.
There are 2 Watanabe scenes left in the game, so in a few days, we'll have seen them all. Stay tuned.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKhx7v8UuIQ
Here is the first bad ending you could get, the one that I immediately attempted to see if they would let me, and they do. Succumb to your paranoia! That blonde would never leave John alone if she knew he existed! We just need to make the first move!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2owmkvsUlU
Here we have the first factory mission, and they are pretty overkill on hard mode. The only saving grace here, which unfortunately makes things extremely random, is that when Flak generates a unit, they are given a tile to protect that is completely random. You need the heavy duty units to get assigned somewhere in some corner that you can ignore them while you focus on the mission itself. There is barely any coordination in his units in most scenarios, so you get to walk up to the seam and take it out for the win.
Unfortunately, if you are given a valuable tile that the AI chooses to protect, then you are most likely out of luck. You will need to restart the mission to get the RNG rolls you need to get through. It is pretty bad/lazy design here, but luckily once you have access to Grit, you can brute force the Blue Moon and Yellow Comet maps. I have yet to get to the Green Earth one to see how much it differs just yet.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3VbDDuMbhE
Once we rode a Sunrider, now we must become it...
The Prototypes want to seize the opportunity to secure Shields, so we have our final battle of the game where we must fend them off. A maxed offensive Phoenix can make short work of the drones, meaning you only have to worry about the Widow. Even without shenanigans like you see here, at this stage, you should have the firepower to smash them when they get close, so you only have to worry about the Widow.
Drawing from Kojima, the Widow is immortal via nanomachines, and has the ability to restore itself every turn. This means we cannot rely on the disable shutdown like we have been for most of the game, which is why I have been building up Asaga's pulse on the disruption route. Even if Chigara restores her status, she cannot do anything for her missing energy, so you are forcing her to idle while the story plays out around her. Widow is extremely dangerous, so I recommend this route so you don't have to burn resources on a resurrection...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcy-JpIJhq0
This is just a two man team video where Blue and I go to town on some unlucky saps. The strategy here was to try to use Slowbro's CC to hold them down so he can get some kills and start snowballing. As simple as it is, I won't spoil whether or not this is one of the games that goes off the rails...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezw4ealsCXI
The time has come to pick up the next wave of recruits. Durlan and Aleior are found in the mine beneath the city, but you need to trigger a few things before Aleior will be there.
Syd just needs some items that we can grab while in the mine.
Selbineth requires a castle expansion and then you have to play her minigame. The first time, which you see here, I lost. The second time I won and characters were launched over level 60, so Garr and the others are going on the bench until I'm forced to bring them out later.
CJ has a dungeon that requires you to recruit Isha and bring her and Garoo with you to enter (reference to the Rising game). This dungeon offers accessories for higher item and baqua drops, so I recommend going here. These are better than the ones already available (I will not show the lesser item accessory until we get to Kurtz's video). Plus all of the item drops I get from this makes it an extremely profitable trip that will fund future adventures.
Clarke is a RNG character where you need an item to spawn in the store to buy. I was peeking in while doing other stuff and hit record once I found it. Buy it there then run it over to him to get him to join.
Like Selbineth, Dalton requires a castle upgrade, this time to Gocteau's guild. It is in your best interest to upgrade it whenever possible to get some passive item farming going on.
So with these out of the way, I need to see if we can hop back into the story.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iif3sHBQsNk