I'm just starting to get my feet wet with the new crafting system in the game, and it seems pretty in depth. Its similar to Dragon Age Inquisitions system at a glance, maybe a little bit more streamlined with the augments system, but I guess it operates similiarly to Fade-Touched materials from DA:I.

So far I gather the system works as follows:

• Gather resources/Augments/Mods
• Select the item you wish to craft
• Select the Augments you wish to add during fabrication
• Attach mods to the finished product

I've noticed you can find any number of unique and varying augments in your travels; items as mundane and boring as 5% bonuses to as exciting as turning your sniper into a long range grenade launcher or a beam weapon. Most augments will come with different properties depending on which class of item you've attached them too (ie. Diablo gems). So an item might say "Chest: 30% Damage Resistance once shields are depleted, Legs: Deploy a Cryoblast after a jump attack". The usual kind of stuff.

One thing I'm not clear on is the researched Augments. Do you have to research it again each time you use it or are they unlimited once you've researched it? I spent 200points on this really cool Remnant Augment that changed how my shields functioned but I haven't installed it yet as I'm saving it up for a better blueprint... however if its unlimited then I might as well not even bother!

What are your guys' experiences with the system so far? Any interesting pointers?

To answer your question, when you research an augment you get one copy of it and then it's added to the loot tables (you can find more from enemies/chests/whatever). You can't buy more copies, unfortunately :(

ah bummer, was wondering that as well. I don't mind a cost or whatever but a one use is annoying. I have become less resource shy with games but that's still one that would get to me.

A bummer indeed! Good thing I was saving it then.

Does anyone know what the highest level an item can get too? The highest I've seen so far is level III

@junkerman: From the research table alone they go up to V don't know if anything lies beyond that

Level 10, although I think 5 is the soft cap for first playthrough

Don't be afraid to apply augments to any of your gear. When you can craft something better later, you can dismantle your current gear and get the augment back and apply it to the new one.

Never sell gear you've crafted if you put some valuable augmentations into it, always dismantle it to get the augmentation back.

@ll_exile_ll: ah cool okay then! Thanks for the tip. Just did put one on armor because I had two of it somehow but good to know. You can get some really cool ones.

Can you accumulate enough Research and Materials to experiment with different weapons and armor without having to grind or wait for the AVP rewards?

I've researched most of the augmentations, a few weapons (all level 1), and one armor set (level 1 as well), and I'm already strapped for Milky Way research. At this point (character level 18-ish) it feels like I'll never have enough for level V+ weapons and armor.

@ethanielrain said:

Not entirely correct. There are quite a few augments you can buy. I haven't been able to find the ultra rare ones (beam augment, plasma seeking, etc), but the others are there.

For crafting, I actually found the game a lot better once I finally found a weapon I liked. I took the Remnant beam assault rifle (not the Sweeper, the other one... I don't remember the name), added the augments for electrical currents, stability, and clip size. Really tears through things at short/medium range, sounds nice, feels good to fire.

Also had a good time with the Revenant assault rifle (Milky Way section) with augments for stability (I always use these for assault rifles), plasma seeking, and bio-leech (I think that's what it's called - when your clip runs out, you take 5% health damage and it automatically refills your clip). I can basically just hold down the fire button and never have to stop for reloading.

For shotguns, I really like the Dahn (Heleus) one - it fires a single "shell" and does a ton of damage. For sniper rifles, I like the Isharay (Heleus) sniper rifle. It only has one round in the clip, but it does an absurd amount of damage - often as much as 2 or 3 shots from other sniper rifles.

@bane said:

If you're diligent in scanning, you'll have plenty for Heleus and Remnant. Milky Way tends to be a bit harder to come across, for the most part. I still had plenty to max out two or three weapons and I'm not done with the game yet (although I am level 40). One thing I noticed: If there is something to scan nearby, there's a quiet tone that sounds and you'll get whatever hotkey scanning is assigned to popping up in the lower left corner. On PC, by default, a little "(G)" will pop up, letting me know there's something I can scan very nearby.

I can't tell if anyone's said it, if you deconstruct a piece of gear with an augmentation on it, you get that augmentation back. You'll only get a fraction of the other materials you put into the weapon, but you can totally experiment without ever losing your augmentation. Just don't sell the weapon. Then, it's lost forever.

Also, after I bumped up weapon stability...a lot (A LOT), my Indra with sticky grenade launcher augmentation is crazy good. Have I mentioned weapon stability? Because it jumps all over the place without it

@deathtrap: Yeah, I've got plenty of Heleus and Remnant research piling up already. I find that I'm rather uninterested in the Heleus Cluster equipment for some reason.

It's good to know you were able to max out a couple of things at least. It looks like I'll have to focus on the N7 Armor and N7 Valkyrie assault rifle. Maybe I'll be able to research a couple more items if I've got the points to spare, but that seems unlikely.

Edit: I forgot to mention, it's a shame they didn't use the crafting system from Dragon Age: Inquisition. In that system the design of the item and the materials it was made from were separate, and the materials were what gave the item its properties. In this game I feel obligated to use the N7 Armor for its properties even though it makes me feel like a dirty heathen because the Pathfinder isn't N7. I'd rather use the Hyperguardian Armor because it's something new and unique to the Pathfinder, but its properties aren't ideal for my build.

all i know is, Bio Converter+Isharay and Bio Converter+Dhan is OP as fuck... Basically converts the Isharay into a semi auto sniper since it doesn't have to reload with insane damage and I basically destroyed Insanity difficulty with it(it depletes 5% health but energy drain basically leeches your life back)

Since gathering resources is boring and nothing you craft seems anything more than "make this for biotic, this for soldier, this for tech" the whole thing feels combursome and overdone. Nothing i feel compelled to engage in honestly. :-(

@oursin_360: More or less the same deal as with DA:I's crafting system. Basically all the flaws in DA:I rear there head here once again. It's kind of crazy, if it weren't for the setting and the combat I would probably really dislike this game.

What are your thoughts on the Vintage Heat Sink weapon augment?

I thought it was a no-brainer, and put it on my rifle as soon as I could. I've used it for awhile now, and I don't really like it. Maybe it's because the N7 Valkyrie has a small clip size, but it seems like I spend more time waiting for it to cool down than I do shooting the damn thing.

Also, I don't think the clip size weapon mods do anything if you're using the vintage heat sink. I thought maybe it would give me more shots before overheating, but it doesn't appear to work that way.

@bane: I feel it's kind of meh, but that is mostly because I never ever ever found ammo to be even close to a problem in Andromeda, so just reloading is faster then waiting for the battery to recharge.

@bane said:

Clip size definitely has an effect on overheat if you're using Remnant weapons, since I put one on my Sweeper and can now shoot about twice as long. Not sure about how it works with the Vintage Heat Sink.

I just solved my ammo problem by using a Valkyrie combined with a Sweeper. If I start running low on Valkyrie ammo, I just swap to the Sweeper and get unlimited ammo until I find a pickup. Also, you can carry more than one of the same type of weapon, and they have separate ammo pools, so I'm currently working to get my carry capacity up so I can carry another Valkyrie around.

@tennmuerti: Reloading is definitely faster. And you're right, there are ammo crates everywhere. I did run out of ammo a couple of times, but it hasn't really been an issue.

@lawgamer: Carrying around two of the same weapon is an interesting idea. One with disruptor ammo, and one with incendiary ammo perhaps? I don't have the carry weight for that either, but it might be something worth working on. I should probably put the vintage heat sink on a sidearm to use as a backup in case I do run out of ammo for my rifle.

I'm just starting to dabble into the crafting. Like Inquisition, there's a ton of stuff and it makes the menu look cluttered even when searching by weapon type. I do think having to research basic Milky Way weapon designs is pretty silly, especially since some of the item descriptions explicitly state stuff like "a small supply of these weapons was given to the Initiative." But that's not a huge issue, just one of those funny "this is video games" things. I just wish Milky Way research was easier to come by.

I don't like the look of the Heleus Cluster stuff, but when I saw that the Remnant had weapons without ammo, I decided to research at least the assault rifle. I happen to think the use of ammo is one of the worst design decisions of the series since the first game.

@bladeofcreation: The science cryo pod that gives you periodic research gives you a steady amount of Milky Way research. Although I will say that all you need to do is have enough research to max out the Valkyrie. The armor is mostly useless since you can buy it in a store anyway.

As to the ammo inclusion, I thought they did a pretty good job of at least trying to justify it in the original series. I just thought that the original concept of ammo being a solid block of metal in the first game fit that universe so well. The real problem with ME:A is that enemies are so bullet spongy you are constantly running out of ammo. Hence me running with a Valkyrie and the Sweeper for back up when I'm low on ammo.

@lawgamer: wait, is it even possible to research the Valkyrie? I haven't seen the blueprint at all in game, only a completed weapon from a crate/chest on Eos.

@lazriel said:

It showed up on my list by default. I got the game day of release, so I don't think it's a preorder thing, either.

Also, just discovered this, but items do go above Level V. You need to be at a high enough level (like 35-40) AND have researched the prior version up to Level V. Then you unlock the "Advanced" version of that tech, which goes to Level X. Very obtuse how that gets handled, and I ended up wasting a bunch of research I'd rather have put into better items. But it's nothing new with that UI.

@lawgamer: It was just that the whole thing about using "thermal clips" was justified. I just thought it was justified poorly. Supposedly it's from reverse-engineered geth tech, but I remember the geth pulse rifle in ME1, so...

Not only that, but even if it was reverse-engineered geth tech, it sure as hell doesn't explain why everyone in the galaxy, including mercs and people on backwater outposts, have access to it. Not to mention that no military designs, tests, fields, and issues a weapon that quickly when not in time of war, which the galaxy was not in (as far as the authorities were concerned). For gameplay, in ME2 it made the encounters much more tedious and I remember running around after battles to pick up clips. In ME3 and ME: A, it seems better about that at least.

And yeah, I know my dislike of the narrative justifications are kind of ridiculous. But I...I just care, okay?!

I am the complete opposite. Every gun and piece of armor I have is crafted and I wouldn't use anything not crafted. I am playing as a biotic and my N7 armor is all crated Specifically talking about weapons, I have a Carnifex V with heat sink and 3% weapon damage increase; A Carnifex V (Freeze Gun) with Cryo Ammo Freeze duration +100% and +5% power damage bonus to armor; a Scorpion V with Incendiary Ammo + 25%, +5% power force, +5% all combo damage, +3% weapon damage; and a M-96 Mattock V with steams of electricity and disruptor ammo *25% shield damage

You can force the vendors on the Nexus to restock by departing on the Tempest and docking again straight away. I bought up a bunch of biotic augmentations and Nomad paint jobs doing that three or four times in a row.