Jack Workshop Thread: builds, variants, thoughts, and testing

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 3:36am

Simply put, this thread is being started because many of us are enthusiastic tinkerers, and not every build variation needs its own thread. Many builds revolve around common cores, yet still vary dramatically in performance due to differences in a few points and a class mod change. If you have a bold new idea, a minor tweak on a well known concept, or even habits based on personal preferences, this thread is a good place to discuss them. Big or small, every idea is OK to share here. We respect the time you put into what you do. Actually, I think it’s better to say…

YOUR SACRIFICE IS APPRECIATED!

Share away!

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 3:50am

I’ve recently realized that I build around a frame of 59 points, and still have very different play experiences based on how I distribute the last 11 points. My frame is a basic ‘Deputy Jack’ style set up with Leadership, AA, and Sponsored By, but I often leave the Projection or CEO mods behind in favor of other choices in order to focus on a specific weapon or type, or to have fun with a concept.

This is one such concept. It revolves around my open love of Resolute. Specifically, I use a blue Superstar Role Model to get +6 Resolute and +5 Persistence, with this skill distribution:

This is “Jackster Cogburn” (after the similarly named character from “True Grit”). He’s an old, cranky, tough-as-nails cowboy who simply refuses to lose his starch. That is, he has 11/5 Resolute, so hurting him only serves to crank up the damage he’s pushing out with his Maggie or Flayer!

Key gear:
Superstar Role Model
Flayer (ideally with a mag size of 9) for bosses and badasses
Maggie for mobbing and impressing ladies at the brothel
shields chosen for effect, rather than shield stats (adaptive and absorb types are awesome)
hyperion ‘others’ to boost accuracy and crit damage via Company Man

Basic strategy:
spam grenades to 0, always. This keeps up the mag capacity on the Maggie and Flayer so that you can get out extra shots between reloads. You’ll also accidentally kill a lot if you’re using good grenades. I use a Quasar to strip shields and group enemies, and many simply die from grenade spam.

Play report:
Honestly, it’s still faster to use a Projection COM against Eclipse & EOS or the Invincible Sentinel. Everywhere else, Cogburn smashes face so fast, it’s actually funny. I’ve never killed Denial Subroutine faster than I do with this, and he absolutely trashes Felicity (use a corrosive Maliwan gun to toss corrosive on the Flayer). Mobbing is downright funny.

Interestingly, ammunition efficiency is a non-issue. Between the 40% chance to not use ammunition and weighted drops continually re-upping your grenade pool, you’ll pretty much sprint through mobs.

BTK420247 · January 30, 2016, 4:03am

I run around with this and the Celestial Mod

I use the Deadly Bloom and let my Jacks decimate mobs with Explosive Novas and my go to weapon a Glitched Cryo Practicable Thinking.

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 4:06am

I imagine you don’t have to shoot much. That’s a lot of explosion!

BTK420247 · January 30, 2016, 4:09am

Indeed. Lets me focous more on flying enemies like the Boson. His grunts come at me and get exploded while I deal with him.

Adabiviak · January 30, 2016, 5:19am

I only very recently bought this guy, and am currently at like level 12. Right now the only active skill I’m playing with is Incentives (but my swap speed and reload speed are still low enough that I have to choose reloading or firing before the stack falls off). I imagine this would have much better rewards with the benefit of faster reload/swap speeds.

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 6:56am

I love Incentives, but I passed on it until after getting 5/5 in High Frequency Trading. HFT adds so much speed, it becomes very easy to maintain 4 stacks of Incentives. It also allows swaps to compensate for those slow reloads. I’d often keep a shotgun full in one slot for bail out swamps, since you’re only under time pressure up close (almost a universal truth).

Hoyle4 · January 30, 2016, 4:03pm

Cliche Antagonist + SOA = win

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 4:05pm

I like Well Dressed. I call that set up ‘Charlie Sheen’. “Duh. WINNING!”

EDDIE adds extra laughs.

Hoyle4 · January 30, 2016, 5:03pm

Don’t underestimate 50% damage mitigation though

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 5:15pm

Very true, sir. You can straight up face tank anything in the game with the right set up.

Handsome_Dad · January 30, 2016, 10:30pm

Finally pulled a shock Longest Yard today, after getting cryo repeatedly. Immediately went to try it with this:

blue Projection COM, 7 Hyperion items in total
cryo and shock Longest Yard, glitch Thinking, Vibra-Pulse for Sponsored By. Prismatic Bulward and Eddie.

It worked well, of course, but it feels less consistent than using actual sniper rifles. I was surprised at how often the beam seemed to hit off center while ADS. Weirdly, I felt more efficient hip firing.

Eventually, I swapped the cryo LY for a cryo Mining Laser and went crazy. That thing is a beast.

khimerakiller · January 30, 2016, 11:18pm

But muh trade secrets.

“You’ll never get me lucky ~~charms~~ builds.”

Handsome_Dad · February 1, 2016, 7:32am

Eridian Vanquisher take on a Flayer spam build. Just Compensation 9/5 and Absolute Advantage 5/5, plus a base mag of 9 get you an average of around 13 shots between reloads. Also has 9/5 Synergy and 9/5 Integrity, so it hits like a truck.

Handsome_Dad · February 1, 2016, 11:49pm

Tackling the Holodome…

This is a frame set up to work with multiple, non-legendary COMs. The specific purpose is to help you work through the Holodome, including the BA round, with easy to obtain gear. All items suggested are quest rewards or drop from farmable bosses. Gear also excludes drops from the Sentinel, Eclipse, and EOS. Skill choices and gear are set up to allow burst, survivability with the action skill cooling down, and ammunition efficiency to allow you to hold up during that long BA round.

Suggested COMs:
Antagonist or Entrepreneur because of Winning. CEO or Hero are also very good. Eridian Vanquisher (farm from the X-stalker)

Shield of Ages or an Absorb Shield
Eddie or a Bomber for the oz kit
Quasar
Vibra-Pulse
Striker
Excalibastard
Mining Laser

Basic strategy is to use the lasers against most enemies, with the Striker for the big nasties. Use the Striker to add damage to the Vibra-Pulse via Sponsored By, or the Vibra-Pulse to add shock to the Excalibastard or Mining Laser.

Handsome_Dad · February 5, 2016, 7:40pm

“Jack Stallion”, a Boomacorn build

Bomber oz kit
Projection COM
Quasar
Shield of Ages
3 Hyperion guns for Company Man (that makes 6 total Hyperion items)

Keep throwing grenades to stay at 0.

You’ll sound like a whole herd of wild horses, and everything will die. So much fun!

Handsome_Dad · February 9, 2016, 3:31am

Denial Subroutine crusher, and general boss bully.

Eridian Vanquisher (helps here by boosting Just Compensation, Synergy, and High Frequency Tradin)
Casual Flakker
Nukem
Bomber oz kit

Toss grenades to 0/10. Activate action skill on the platform before taking the jump pad to DS’ island. Go get 'em.

Handsome_Dad · February 16, 2016, 12:05am

I’ve been mostly sticking to this skill distribution this week: http://thepresequel.com/Jack/50500100000000550505115101550015005051

The only tinkering has been going back and forth with the points in Just Compensation and Jack’s Cache, which I’ve moved to Integrity (with 1 stray point) and back a few times. What I’m finding is that I’m substantially more powerful with JC + Cache than I am with Integrity. The grenade boosts, even unsupported by a COM, pretty much allow me to clear areas with little more than grenade spam. I only really feel Integrity against Eclipse, EOS (a little), and Iwajira (a little), while I notice JC + Cache very strongly everywhere except against Iwajira. Against EOS, I typically cancel my action skill when the minion waves come, and keep kill skills up by tossing Quasars. Against Denial Subroutine, I don’t bother cancelling my AS anymore, because Quasar spam wipes the waves so fast that I can kill the boss in one cycle of my action skill.

Just Compensation and Jack’s Cache are incredible skills. They turn a Quasar into one of the most powerful weapons in the game.

khimerakiller · February 16, 2016, 12:50am

I’d personally recommend dumping ‘Supply and Demand’ in favor of ‘Integrity’. You don’t need it, especially if you are using a SoA.

In fact that is 95% my Deputy Jack set up. I personally like to run with ‘Marginal Benefits’.
http://thepresequel.com/Jack/50500100000005550505115101500515005001

BTK420247 · February 16, 2016, 6:21am

Does anyone know if Optimism is glitched in some way? Ive been playing around with a new build and I’ve noticed large enemies dying way too fast. I took this pic showing the kind of explosive dammage I seem to be inflicting.

Why is it doing so much dammage? It doesn’t happen everytime but I get huge spikes.