NeoZeon

@mike: Then it is a little worrying after all. Thanks for clarifying it for me. Sorry for missing that in your post the first time around!

@mike: I see. For some reason I feared it became the only currency and that sounds too grind-y, even for me. Then again, at the rate people are finding out farming locations, it may not be so bad in the long run. Doubly so if I can wrangle some other level thirties into making some runs together. I have a little ways to go myself, being level 26 and all, but it's nice to know that the game mixes things up even when you hit the cap.

@two_socks: Really? Well, great, that just sounds like a hardcore grind. To their credit though; "Phoenix" is a great name for a currency. I don't know why, but it sounds cool.

I only ever bother crafting something if the gear, even at it's lowest possible number, gives me those lovely green up arrows showing an immediate improvement. As for re-rolling, I've only done it to get buffs for my turret if the armor doesn't already have it. Not sure if the game is trying to force my hand or what, but every bit of armor I pick up seems to be pushing Sticky Mine (which I don't use) bonuses my way. That being said though; I would recommend not re-rolling much until later on. I'm level 23 and, since anything more than one re-roll is stupidly expensive, multiple rolls are going to bankrupt me. Probably best to wait until you hit the cap when you have more cash to toss around. Better crafting blueprints too of course.

Actually, I would think that having lived in the area it's based on would make you far more critical of the game. You would be more qualified to think something like "Hey, that street isn't actually that close to this subway station." or something equally immersion breaking. I know you mentioned streets being omitted in your OP, but I'm glad to hear that the game hasn't caused that feeling to detract from your enjoyment of playing it. I've only been to NYC a few times myself, mostly to do your standard tourist nonsense (Times Square Shopping, Empire State Trip, Etc.), but even I felt that it nailed the sensation of being there, or at least being pretty damn close.

Only real thing that hampers my fun as far as setting goes isn't related to your post so sorry for going off a bit, but...damn those echos/phone recordings can get really depressing. Just flat out ruin your day kind of stuff in there. Guess that means they created a believable world, but man they tug hard on the heartstrings. Especially the echo where (POSSIBLE SPOILER INCOMING) - You see someone toss a grenade into a cell to kill a bunch of petty criminals while a cop shouts for him to stop.

Wasn't sure whether to tag this as a spoiler or not, but which NPC quest giver are you a fan (and not a fan) of?

For me, my favorite has to one of the earlier folks, the one that is always talking about allergies or sneezing during quest dialogue. I'm not sure why I like him so much...maybe his not-so-serious tone breaks up the hyper serious tension the rest if the game aims for.

Least favorite, well, that's sadly an easy one too: It's your handler who speaks almost entirely in mafioso slang. Think he's near Times Square somewhere? Whatever the case, dude is tiring to listen to. It's so cliche that I keep expecting him to say bada boom bada bing at some point.

Excellent tip. Think I was lucky enough to stumble upon it in the beta, but it really is helpful to know, especially when you don't have pulse equipped. Gave me some Rainbow Six flashback when the countdown starts!

@humanity: I never knew that. Then again I usually end up rolling with people who all have the pulse skill. Ever see three of those go off at the same time? It's enough to send a bat into a wall. I mean, I assume anyway. All I see flying around in the game are ravens.

PSN: Rezorian

USA, EST, Usually play on weekends, but I try to be on whenever I can.

I have a headset and make terrible jokes, also puns. Hope that fact doesn't cause a division in the community.

I make no apologies for that pun. None.

After running the normal missions solo on Hard, I thought I might have had a chance on the "Challenging" difficulty since it seemed doable at that point. I didn't realize that they make every enemy elite level! That sounds like some kind of Hell at my current level (20). Unless it matches them to your level if you're by yourself, which I doubt it would do in such a team-oriented game.

I don't find myself using the SMGs much either. I like them, but at my current level (19) and without any magazine mods, they just seem to burn through ammo too quickly and then leave me with nothing but my secondary, which I use for long range, or my sidearm. Speaking of which, I'm not sure if people will call me crazy for it or not, but I have a double barreled shotgun as my sidearm. Didn't seem like a good choice at first, but when I'm running solo and those damn assault guys come running, one blast from that gun usually drops them and gives me some space to work with. I'm not sure how often they drop in regular loot, but I received mine when I traded with one of the "civilians in need." Why they were willing to trade a shotgun for an energy bar, I'll never know, but it's been really helpful.

As for build itself I am currently focusing on damage and electronics with the modded first aid skill as my main way to heal. I know it would be more effective to have some health focus in there, but with the ability to over heal (from the skill mod) and the turret equipped, I haven't run into many problems. The person in the video was spot on about the turret as well; so long as you don't throw it in front of an "elite" enemy (who will just kick the thing and destroy it pretty quickly), it draws aggro like crazy. Not a fan of the flamethrower and shock mods though. They work in a pinch I guess, but I prefer the mod that gives the turret more accuracy. It seems to stagger enemies more easily that way. Granted, that is partially down to my build favoring electronics, but I would rather it rain lead than shoot a stream of flame that may or may not proc the "On Fire" status.

I'm cocky now, but I'm sure I'll be hitting a wall at some point as I level up. For now though I haven't encountered many problems running this build solo.