Underrail: A high intelligence build for lore enthusiasts

My playthrough is on normal difficulty, which makes no difference for lore enthusiasts. But theoretically, the build also works on DOMINATING difficulty, with some modifications that I’ll point out later.

I played with Expedition DLC, without Heavy Duty DLC. But the build can also beat Heavy Duty DLC.

I used cheat engine to enable unlimited weight capacity. If you also don’t enjoy backpack management, you are recommended to do so, especially for crafters, who will be constantly hauling components.

Strength 5 is needed for Steadfast Arm feat.
Dexterity 7 is needed for Quick Tinkering feat. The higher, the fewer AP cost for light weapons.
Perception 6 is needed for Aimed Shot feat.
High Will is required to interact with some psionic objects, for lore purpose.
10 Intelligence + 2 Intelligence by picking the Increased Intelligence feat at Level 26. The highest ability check with lore contents requires 12 Intelligence.

As a high intelligence character, you don’t need to invest much to become an all-round crafter.

Investing in Thought Control produces a little more lore contents than other psionic disciplines. Nevertheless, every discipline has its unique lore contents to unlock.

If you don’t feel like being a negotiator, you can ignore Persuasion at all. The extra lore contents usually have intelligence checks, not persuasion checks.

Mercantile skill allows you to access Special merchandise of some traders. This is very helpful to a crafter.

Equipment to acquire to increase effective abilities and skills:

Cave hopper clothes and shoes to increase Agility;
Crafted leather armor with Black Cloth and Soft Foam Padding, crafted Cloaking Device to increase Stealth;
Jackknife, Trapper’s Belt to increase Traps;
Jackknife, Huxkey, Lemurian Engineer Suit to increase Hacking, Lockpicking;
Electroinvestigative Belt, Lemurian Engineer Suit to increase Technology skills;
Crafted Thought Control Headband to increase Thought Control;
JKK Tactful Jacket, Hypno goggles to increase Persuasion;
Large Waist Pack to increase Mercantile;
Rathound Regalia, Tabi Boots to increase walking speed.

If you cannot acquire certain equipment in your playthrough, you may need to invest more points in the relevant skills. For example, if you don’t join JKK, then you cannot get JKK Tactful Jacket and Hypno goggles. Then you should invest more points in Persuasion.

Opportunist
Snooping
Aimed Shot*
Trigger Happy
High-Technicalities*
Point Shot
Steadfast Aim
Quick Tinkering
Disassemble
Execute*
Grenadier
Trap Expert
Cooked Shot
Critical Power*
Increased Intelligence
Mad Chemist
Three-Pointer

*These are the main sources of your damage. As a high intelligence character, your energy pistol dominates.

As for specialization, 5 levels in Disassemble is a must for a crafter. Other than that, you are free to choose. I chose Snooping, Quick Tinkering: reduce AP cost and Cooked Shot: reduce AP cost.

For DOMINATING difficulty, Critical Power should be selected early on, and 10 levels specialization is a must, since it is the main source of your damage. Also, you may change Three-Pointer to Practical Physicist.

These are your combat equipment.

Crafted with Smart Module, Circular Wave Amplifier, all with quality 150+. Kills most things with one aimed shot.

You should also craft a laser pistol and an electroshock pistol with the same setting. The laser pistol is for daily use; the electroshock pistol is for robots.

Acid entanglement is a good way to immobilize your enemies. A cooked shot is efficient in crowd control.

Without Heavy Duty DLC, this is the only weapon that can burst .44 explosive bullets. Efficient in crowd control.

Only need it when fighting a boss. You should also craft goggles with adaptive lens and motion tracking lens for daily use.

Crafted with 2 Low Frequency Shield Modulators, High Efficiency Energy Converter, all with 150+ quality. Provide you with 1500+ shield capacity.

Other combat equipment include:
Frag Grenade Mk V, Plasma Grenade Mk III, EMP Grenade MK III, Napalm grenades, Toxic Gas Grenades;
Poisonous Bear Traps, Acid Blob Traps;
Advanced Catalyzing Belt;
Taser.

The following calculations assume 0 damage resistance. Help yourself to multiply the damage resistance for a specific enemy.

Theoretical highest damage: A plasma pistol critical-hit execution, with 10 level specialization in Critical Power, with medicine hypercerebrix.

Base damage: 54-84. Take it as 70 (half energy, half heat)
Gun skill: *(1+0.7*187/100) = *2.3
High-Technicalities: *(1+0.08*9) = *1.72
Execute: *2.5
Smart goggle & smart module: *(1+0.4+0.6) = *2
Critical power & Practical Physicist: 1+(1.2+1.85+0.25-1)*3 = *7.9
Opportunist: *1.25

Total damage = 70*2.3*1.72*2.5*2*7.9*1.25 = 13672 (6836 energy, 6836 heat).

Pros: Probably the highest one-hit damage in game. Can even be higher if you find components with 170+ qualities.
Cons: Need Incapacitation. Need some luck to score a critical hit execution.

Practical high damage: A plasma pistol aimed shot, without Practical Physicist, without specialization in Critical Power.

Base damage: 70 (half energy, half heat)
Gun skill: *2.3
High-Technicalities: *(1+0.08*7) = *1.56
Smart goggle & smart module: *2
Critical power: 1+(1.2+1.85-1)*2 = *5.1

Total damage = 70*2.3*1.56*2*5.1 = 2562 (1281 energy, 1281 heat).

Pros: Kills most bosses in DOMINATING difficulty with just an aimed shot.
Cons: Some enemies cannot be critical hit.

Efficient damage: A laser pistol aimed shot, without smart goggle.

Base damage: 20-27 (energy), take it as 24
Gun skill: *2.3
High-Technicalities: *1.56
Smart module: *(1+0.6) = *1.6
Critical power: 1+(1+1.85-1)*2 = *4.7

Total damage = 24*2.3*1.56*1.6*4.7 = 648 (energy).

Pros: Kills most bosses in normal difficulty with no more than 15 AP cost.
Cons: No cons. Even for enemies that don’t take critical damage, it is still an efficient weapon against them.

The build is so broken that you almost don’t need any combat strategy, except in the early-mid game, when the build is still not finished.

Arena
For melee enemies, just immobilize them by quick tinkering traps or acid entanglement. Then they can do nothing.
For ranged enemies, with Trigger Happy you usually can win the initiative. In the first turn, grenade them, then run to the back of a pillar. The enemies will do nothing but chasing you around the pillar. Kill them in the next turn.

Ironhead
The boss area has a lot of enemies that may overwhelm you. You can first clear out one room with only one door. Set 6-7 immobilize traps around the door. Bait your enemies here (with noise). Throw an incendiary grenade or a toxic gas grenade among the traps. When they trigger the traps, you can shoot them down one by one.

The two strategies above can cover most of enemy encounters in game. For example, Crawlers are also melee enemies. Though it is difficult to see them, they will walk to you and get pinned down by a trap.

Faceless
Don’t kill any faceless, even during the invasion. Befriend them, and you will be rewarded with a lot of lore contents later.

Certain robots in Expedition DLC
They have high energy resistance, but middle electric resistance. Use EMP grenades and electroshock pistol.

Enemies that pervail in number in Expedition DLC
Buy the Devastator jet ski from Ray’s shop. You can use plasma cannons to annihilate whole faction(s), as long as their people live closed to the water.

Last boss
For normal difficulty, just run to the boss, plasma aimed shot, apply corrosive acid, throw plasma grenade, another plasma aimed shot, finished. No need to solve any puzzle or destroy any optional object to weaken them. Your 1500+ shield emitter is enough to endure all their damage.
For DOMINATING difficulty, solve the puzzle, destroy the optional objects, kill the boss in the usual way.

I would suggest to play the game with the wiki webpages on the side. I usually played the game and read the wiki simultaneously. I summed up some suggestions with minimum spoiler, that will provide the most lore contents. You may use it as a checklist when playing the game.

Early-Mid game
1. Befriend Abram in Junkyard. He will eventually lead you to a “cool place”. There is a computer there that requires 110 Hacking skill to explore more lore contents. There is also another lore enthusiast like you, who is happy to have some discussions.
2. Befriend a dude in Rail Crossing.
3. Don’t kill any faceless, even during the invasion. Befriend them, and you will be rewarded with a lot of lore contents later.
Expedition DLC
4. There is a lonely cave man. Befriend him. You can understand all his talks with 10 Intelligence.
5. There is a ferryman. With 10 Intelligence, you can have a smart talk with him.
6. You may stumble upon a graveyard. There’s some grave digging to do. If you don’t have any idea and are closed to the end of expedition, check the wiki page[www.stygiansoftware.com]. Spoiler alert. Once you dug out the thing, you can show it to the lore enthusiast in the “cool place”, and to a client of yours in the late game.
End game (after defeating the final boss)
7. With 12 Intelligence, you can see through the identity of a client of yours.
8. Before reporting back, go to see the dude, and also the lore enthusiast in the “cool place”.

In summary, Underrail is not a world that only gigachads can survive. A high intelligence build is both powerful and rich in lore. Wish you enjoy the lore as well as breaking the game.