Tank/Soldier

[fjutte]

I'm starting a new tank/soldier soon. How should i set him up? Pure HC. Maybe he should be able to drive at least a hovertech too but a Rhino would be great ;) Of course he has to be able to gun a Rhino - at least!
What skills? What con? What weapons should i use? Thanks for any help

[Capt. Rik]

Firstly, welcome!

As a tank you have no chance of being able to drive a Rhino, i'd stick to hovercrafts to start with (although vehicles are not cheap :( )

If you're into solo levelling and driving then i'd suggest getting hold of the NEXT epic reward (Reveler Chaincraft 2.5) once you're higher level.

As far tank setups go, there are two types to choose from - Melee Combat (MC) or Heavy Combat (HC)

STR
Whichever one you pick, stick all your STR points in that skill. It's not worth trying a combination of both at lower levels. Your armour should provide you with plenty Resist Force and your Transport will rise as your STR does.

INT
HC weapons also require Weapon Lore (under INT). As a tank, you don't get many INT points so stick everything into WEP. If you are MC then put your points either into Implant or into Hack.

DEX
Put almost everything into Agility (AGL) especially if melee as you depend on pure speed. If you still want to drive vehicles then the max Vehicle Use you'll need is 37 depending on what you're driving

PSI
Put enough point in MST to use Basic Resist 1, HC/MC Booster 1, Basic Deflector and Basic Heal then dump the rest in PPW and PPU

CON
An often debated subject. As a rough guide aim for 50 in Body Health and 50 in Athletics to start with. Tanks can use armour that gives protection against Energy and Fire so you'll eventually need a large ammount of points in XRay, some points in Fire and Energy depending on armour setup and also maybe some points in Poison resist.

Grab a copy of AlphaGremlin's skill manager and try out a few setups. It should provide you with plenty of information to get you started. If you have any questions then don't be afraid to ask.

Also check out http://nc.synergyxr.net for full item listings.

Good luck!

[fjutte]

What faction should I belong to in the beginning and why?

[Capt. Rik]

Tough choice really.

The obvious ones to consider are Biotech, Tangent, Protopharma, NEXT or City Mercs:

Biotech - Reward is the MOVEON chip (CON +3, STR +3 + some other useful tanky bonuses)

Protopharma - PP Resistor chip (+15 to all resists except poison)

Tangent - Prototype Tangent Laserbeam (Good levelling laser cannon regs: STR 75, TC 71, HC 102)

NEXT - Reveller Chaincraft 2.5 - The best vehicle a tank can use if you are into solo hunting. Great damage and indestructible

City Mercs - Speed Gatling Cannon (Every tank should have one of these to fight those pesky monks :p)


The other factions all have their advantages as well but those above have rewards that are particularly relevant to Tanks.

What server are you planning on playing on? Terra i'd guess as you speak english...

[fjutte]

Yes, Terra of course

[Capt. Rik]

Protopharma have quite an active faction on Terra right now, might be a good start for you..

I'm not really the best person to ask for that advise however, all my chars are still LE'd until I finish sorting them out and levelling up

[Prom_STar]

Come join us in NExT... 101st can always use more gunners.