Noob problem with Race/Type combo... Please help!

[Neomaxim]

I'm new to PSU despite having logged thousands of hours into PSO. I've spent the past two days pouring over these forums, learning mechanics, tips/tricks, etc... but am left with a question I think I need to ask before I get started.

Frankly, it feels almost silly to say, I dislike the way Casts in the game look. I'm familiar with them of course, but never played them in PSO as I felt the utter lack of techs was too prohibitive in a game I spent so much time solo-ing.

Problem is, I really want to focus on a ranger type in PSU. I've narrowed my choices to Gun-Techer, or ForteGunner, and realize, especially for the later, that Cast is far and away the most statistically logical choice.

As i've said, i'd much rather play any other race, and was thinking human, as I like the aesthetics.


I know Humans get a bonus as Gun-Techer. Does this stat bonus put them anywhere near the level of a Cast Gun-Techer? I recognize the fact that a Cast will have terrible TP/MST, but if I went Gun-Techer it is purely because i'd like the ability to self-buff (with the stray resta), so I figure it isn't too big of an issue. Plus, I freaking love how bows look.

So, I suppose the question is... how well do Human Gun-techers hold up against Cast Gun-techers, and if I ever did switch to Human Forte-Gunner, would I be so embarrassingly gimp, that it wouldn't have been worth even trying?


Oh oh, and one tiny question. If I choose a humanoid head as a Cast, can I wear sun-glasses, etc... like other races?

[CelestialBlade]

Human Guntechers rock, Cast is actually not the clear-cut choice for GTs in my opinion. They still have decent attack power, plus their TP is actually respectable (and will be moreso in the upcoming expansion, Ambition of Illuminus). Guntecher is one class where each race can play the class well, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Human is probably the most well-rounded choice, there is no aspect of the class they are bad at. Newmen aren't bad at any aspect either, they just err a little more on the Technic side.

You seem to want to use Guntecher because of their Support role, which is a good idea because their Attack technics aren't much to write home about. You're almost better off melee-ing a bullet-resistant enemy rather than use Attack technics, except maybe on a female Newman with a grinded 9* Wand. This may or may not change in AoI.

In short, Human Guntechers are definitely not gimp. You won't have the raw attack power of a Cast, but you have far better Support abilities and better Evasion. Go for it.

[Kimil]

Nice to know some people read up on the info

Humans do get a boost as Guntechers, but Casts still will beat humans in everything but Tp (useless for a GT other than Resta and maybe Shadoogs), Evade and MST (being a gunner class though, strafing and dodging will make your defensive stats more or less overlookable. that isn't a word, but you get what I' sayin I hope =)

And yes, you can wear sun glasses with a fleshy cast
It depends on the hairstyle you chose though

[Neomaxim]

Thanks for the tips guys/gals.

For me, the choice of Gun-Techer comes largely from the odd hours I tend to play. I don't usually do my gaming when the average American gamer does, and as a result, I anticipate a lot of time spent solo-ing. That said, self-Shifta/Deband, etc.... is damn near a requirement and the only reason I don't rush straight toward Fortegunner.

Also, I love the SE element of the game, and think its great that flat % things like Virus/Burn at least mean I won't totally gimp out any gunner, so long as I land the occassional ailment.

So that said, solo-ing in mind.... what are your thoughts? I don't necessarily need speed-run style DPS... I just need viable ability to solo stuff when I can't party, and yet be useful to a party when i'm around 'em.

Oh, and where can I find out what hair-styles go with what accessories? I want one of the crazy Bono-esque sunglasses. I'd heard AoI does away with linking accessories to specific hair anyway right?

[CelestialBlade]

Guntechers win hardcore at soloing due to their ability to Support and their sheer versatility. They have weapons for any given situation (they can melee, do ranged, AND cast technics), and when the big monsters come along, they are one of the best, if not THE best, in the game at spreading SEs. Guntechers are not the best DPS out there but don't let anyone tell you they're horrible at it, because if you build them right they can dish out competitive damage. Just don't ever expect yourself to be the *best* at DPS.

Burn and Virus are definitely the best DoT you'll have, so make sure you're capable of dishing that out in SE4 form (Rifles are perfect) and SE3 as well (Crossbows, maybe Traps). Easily brings Jarbas, Gol Dolvas, etc. down to your level. Stuff like Silence, Confuse, and Shock are good to spread around as well, but that's more for Party use.

Just keep in mind that your buffs will be sub-par until AoI, when we get level 30 Support technics. At that point we are going to be second only to Acrotechers in the buff department (because we tend to be more mobile than Fortetechers).

[Tetsaru]

If you're just wanting buffs, you can always just hoard up on Agtarides, Defbarides, Zodiarides, and Retarides, which you can buy practically anywhere. You can also look for Megistarides, which give you all four buffs, but causes a poison-like effect for a short time (which you can easily heal if you're not too bogged down). I'm not sure what their strength in level is compared to Shifta, Deband, Zodial, Retier, and Megistar at max levels though... but keep in mind that, until AoI, you'll only be able to raise them to level 10 as a GT, as compared to 30 with a FT. Later on, once AoI splits technics into attack and support, GT's get level 40 support techs, which will be the new maximum. :3

Just from experience though, my main character is a male CAST FG, and I love it. I tried going GT with him once, but my Resta spells weren't helping much. Any FT's in the party would laugh at you, for both support AND damage, lol... but hopefully AoI will change that, since FT's keep 30 as the max for support techs, as far as I know. And there's always AT (dunno much about it, though).

That aside, it's okay to try out both and see which works out better for you. You can always make an alternate character if you wish, or just switch classes as you need. Or, depending on which weapons you like to use, you might want to pick a class that can use S ranks for those weapons. You might also try a Newman GT, since they're great with techs, and have the 2nd-highest accuracy of each race. I never liked Humans, personally... Also, keep in mind that CAST's can use SUV weapons at level 20+, which help tremendously. There are a lot of things to consider.

[beatrixkiddo]

No, in AoI each hairstyle has its own 'set' of usable accessories, just like the current client does.

[mvffin]

i have a cast gt, and it works pretty well, except that i had to use 3* wands up to like level 50 or so. but if you dont like cast, go human. its all about your personal preference. I believe any race can do well as any class, you just have to adapt a little and play it a little differently.

[Neomaxim]

Thanks for the insights all. Just a last question or two if you all don't mind?

1. I've heard, but not fully understood, arguments on burn versus virus as it pertains to large/medium/small targets. Is it the cast that the system is bugged and some SE's don't WORK on certain sized targets, or is it just a number crunch efficiency debate of DoT versus enemy max HP?

2. I've heard Guntecher has a MAJOR weakness when attempting to solo bosses due to a lack of AoE damage, like say launchers. Is this the case? Outside of the launcher, I thought FG and GT had access to the same weapons. That said, do all ranged attackers end up using launchers on all bosses? Can bosses even be hit by SE?

[beatrixkiddo]

The system isn't bugged. Small enemies (with few exceptions) have STA from 10-19. STA is status resistance. This means they can be inflicted with Status Effects that are Level1 and higher. Of course, each individual enemy can have Immunities, but that's how the size system works.

Medium enemies typically have from 20-29, meaning they need Level2 Status or higher.

Large enemies have anywhere from 30-40, meaning some can be inflicted with Level3, while others require Level4. On top of that, many large enemies have a lot of status immunities.