Contacts, Enemy Type, Origin path stuff

[CmdrSlack]

So I now have 5 contacts in Talos Island at lv 20.  Somehow, even as a mutant, I've managed to get two clockwork souveniers, the Dr. Vahz souvenier, A Tsoo souvenier, that Hellions v. Skulls one, and one other I can't recall offhand.

It looks like a lot of my contacts have multiple beings as their enemy types, but I don't think I have many that engage in Tsoo missions, and none with Devouring Earth.  

Most of my contacts were not choosable, and I always chose ones (from the two options given) that went after Vahz or 5th Column.  

I don't mind spending Influence on DOs and SOs, even though this new tailor thing has me drooling for about 11k more influence so I can get my lv 20 costume.  The thing is that I want to do mission types that get me to the mutant end game.

Is there any way to influence who your contact refers you to as a new contact?

[ajax34i]

As far as I know, no, heh, not if they only have one choice for you to "pick" from.

My experience at level 20 was that the enemy factions changed; no more vazhis, skulls, helions, and hello banished pantheon, and family.  I seem to have gotten one contact for each faction, but to start their story arcs, they did give missions involving seemingly random factions.  I think the pantheon story arc started with me having to kill 20 lost or something.

And at low levels (I created lots of alts), I'd always get the same contacts (more or less) later on no matter which ones I chose in the beginning.

So I think the game's coded to give you access to all the missions anyway; there are 5 origins and you always get 5 agents, so...

[SurfD]

i am pretty sure you wont start getting DE missions till around 25+

[Big Gulp]

i am pretty sure you wont start getting DE missions till around 25+

You are correct, sir.  As a science char, they are my scourge.  I'd much rather fight more 5th Column and Crey.

Oh, and the Freakshow are pains in the ass, also.  I hate that they reanimate after death, particularly if it's one of those tank bosses that stun you left and right.  Yay!  I get to kill an annoying boss twice!

[SurfD]

Interestingly enough I love the Freaks because they Rez.  Nothing like getting double the EXP and a repeat chance for Enhancer/insp drop.  That they drop Tech Enhancers is just icing on the cake.

As to the DE, I love them, not because they drop in my origin (they dont) but becaye they are an Energy Blaster's best friend :P  The rock ones seem unusually slow during their "stand back up" animation, and all the plant based ones have an interesting character quirk where if you knock them down, about 1 out of 3 times they STAY down for nearly 5 times longer then normal.  They just lie there, flat on their backs, for a good 15 seconds or so, and let you pound the snot out of them.

[Big Gulp]

They just lie there, flat on their backs, for a good 15 seconds or so, and let you pound the snot out of them.

The problem I have with them is that they're resistant as hell to blunt damage.  Basically I wind up having to whack them twice as much as anything else out there because of it, while dealing with those goddamned swarms.  The swarms don't bother me damage-wise, but if I weren't a tank they probably suck.  What I hate is how much they slow your attacks from recycling.

That's except for the Bedrocks and Geodes.  Those seem to be more susceptible to blund damage, and don't spit swarms of bees at me.

[SurfD]

Yes, boss fights with them are a royal bitch.

My main Boss tactic as an Energy Blaster is to Haste, Build Up, Snipe, Regular Attack, Guaranteed Knockdown attack, by which time snipe has recycled, and then try to repeat.  Basicly, i can usually keep them TOTALLY off their feet and unable to attack most of the time.

The bosses, however, generate swarms, and while in the process of summoning a swarm, become resistant to knockdown.  Then, the swarms disrupt my attempts to snipe essentially reducing my cyclical damage output by half (not a good thing when one of these bastards can kill me in 3 to 4 good hits at mele range)