So I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out my build for Moze. I know it will probably be impossible to know what my final build will look like until I get my hands on the game and I can see all of the class mods, shields, etc. but I’d like to have a good idea of where I’m working towards going into the game. I’m going to be playing co-op with one other friend who will likely be playing as Amara.
Skills that I know I want:
Shield of Retribution
Selfless Vengeance 5/5 - Anything that helps my teammate is a must have for me. Giving them incendiary damage is great and losing health will synergize with the rest of my build thanks to the skill Desperate Measures.
Drowning in Brass 5/5 - Again, anything that helps my teammate is a must. Constantly giving them a huge buff to gun damage as I’m killing enemies sounds fantastic. It may become less important if my friend decides to focus on melee as Amara but I feel like it’s still a huge source of damage for Moze as well.
Full Can Of Whoop-Ass 1/1 - I’m probably going to be using Iron Bear as an “Oh s***!” button and this helps my teammate with survival as well.
Phalanx Doctrine 5/5 - I mean, this is just a crazy amount of damage to leave on the table. One thing I’m not sure about is the additional max shields. Does this immediately give me more shields or does it simply increase my pool of shields and it will only come into effect if my shields recharge fast enough? Either way I feel like the damage alone is too good to pass up.
Desperate Measures 3/3 - Another massive damage buff that will synergize with Selfless Vengeance and Thin Red Line. But more on that in a bit…
Force Feedback 1/1 - I don’t see any reason to avoid this skill if I’m going to be relying on shields with this build.
Tenacious Defense 1/1 - Same deal here. Seems like a no brainer given the rest of the build.
Bottomless Mags
Cloud Of Lead 5/5 - I like the idea of doing bonus incendiary damage and giving my guns more sustainability. I feel like this skill along with Selfless Vengeance sort of pushes me towards focusing on incendiary damage which I don’t mind but it does inform some of my decisions later on. I don’t like the other option here, Matched Set, because I don’t want to limit the guns and gear that I can use based on the manufacturer.
Redistribution 1/1 - Just seems like a nice skill to have to add even more sustainability to my guns. I’m planning on using assault rifles so it should be beneficial along with Cloud Of Lead even if I’m not fully investing in the Bottomless Mags tree.
Stroke the Embers 3/3 - Since I’m going with Selfless Vengeance and Cloud Of Lead, I feel like I may as well go all in on incendiary damage. This might be a mistake though… I’m not sure if this bonus damage is necessary.
Rushin’ Offense 1/1 - The main reason I’m in this skill tree. I love the mobility that this skill gives me.
Now onto the hard stuff… here are the skills that I’m debating right now:
Shield of Retribution
Security Bear 1/1 - I like the idea of using Iron Bear as a mobile shield for my partner. I’m not sure if this extra shield is necessary for that purpose but if it guarantees that I’ll be blocking all of the shots going my friend’s way then I think I’d like to take this skill.
Experimental Munitions 1/1 - Again, since I’ve gone this far with incendiary damage I feel like I may as well go all the way and this is only one skill point investment.
Thin Red Line ?/3 - I know that I want this skill in order to synergize with Desperate Measures but I don’t know if investing all three points is the best idea considering that I will also be losing health thanks to Selfless Vengeance. I’m also unclear where the threshold is for the max damage increase you can get from Desperate Measures.
Armored Infantry/Vladof Ingenuity ?/5 - I’m torn between these two skills. With this build I could have a practually permanent 15% damage boost with armored infantry as well as the 13% damage reduction (from all sources I’m assuming?). Is that more valuable than increasing my max shields and reducing shock damage considering how important my shields are to this build? Is this a glass cannon vs. tank scenario or will Vladof Ingenuity become less important as I obtain higher end shields?
Bottomless Mags
Scrappy ?/5 - I need at least one more point in the Bottomless Mags skill tree in order to get Rushin’ Offense. I really like all of the benefits of scrappy but I’m not sure if this is the best place to use my few remaining points.
Dakka Bear 1/1 - This is an alternative to Scrappy for that one extra point and I like the idea of giving my teammate something to do when I call out Iron Bear but… how powerful is this turret going to be. Will Security Bear keep my friend shielded when they are on Iron Bear’s shoulder?
Demolition Woman
Deadlines 3/3 - Obviously I’m not focusing on Iron Bear too much with this build but I feel like three points into this skill is a really good investment. Just to be able to keep Iron Bear out a bit longer when I do need him. Since I’m probably going all in on incendiary, I will likely be using the fire-based railgun and the flamethrower and this skill will help mitigate the fuel drain from those skills.
Grizzled ?/5 - This is coming down to the wire when it comes to available skill points but I know Iron Bear has a long cooldown. Would three points be worth it in this skill? One point? I don’t know if I can spare all five points and I don’t know if I’ll be using Iron Bear enough to justify any in the first place.
So THIS is the build that I’m looking at right now. I feel like I’m probably overestimating or underestimating a lot of skills though. Do I sound way off the mark on any of these skills? I’m really interested in everyone’s thoughts on Armored Infantry vs. Vladof Ingenuity in particular. And whether or not it’s worth investing in all of that incendiary damage.