[THIS GUIDE IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS]

[Contains spoilers]

This guide was primarily made to orient myself on how a melee build could be viable and what I should focus on.

Currently, melee is one of the worst ways of playing the game right after unarmed/fists. Of course in my experience, playing on the difficulty setting very hard is very easy with guns therefore I thought it more interesting to put skill points into melee.

The guide will include:

- Background.
- Traits.

- Skills.
- Starborn powers.

- Base Weapon
- Armor crafting effects.
- Clothing effects.

- Chems.
- Foods.


The guide will not include:

- How to level using a melee build.
- How to use the melee build effectively.
- Discussion of the feasibility of using a melee build.
- What magazines (for several reasons).


Extra notes:
If you have any suggestions on what should be included please say so in the comments below

Focus on Health and Oxygen,
- Needs to jump/warp with the ship sometimes.
- Food and healing items are not as effective.
- More effective on planets, less effective in space like on e.g. ships or star stations.

Skill Overview:

- Dueling 4
- Isolation 4
- Wellness 4
- Fitness 4
- Stealth 4
- Martial Arts 3
- Concealment 4
- Rejuvenation 4





Synergies of the build:
Our Traits are all focused on Health and Oxygen.

- [Health] That means that Wellness 4 (+40% health) increases that health further, which is then calculated into the skills Rejuvenate (Regenerating a health % in and out of combat) and Dueling (Melee kills heal 10% of health).

- [Defence] Isolation (120 damage resistance for wearing a spacesuit and a helmet without a companion) giving us more survivability. Dueling (15% less damage taken) + Martial arts (10% less damage taken)

- [Movement/attacks] Oxygen is calculated into the skills Fitness (+30% oxygen, and sprinting and power attack use less oxygen)

- In concern to raw damage Dueling (+50%) + Isolation (+40% damage) + Concealment (x10 the damage when sneak attacking with a melee weapon)


OPTIONAL:

- Gymnastics 3 (Replenish some 02 after mantling)
- Gymnastics 4 (Increased jump height & Run faster after Combat sliding or mantling)
- Boxing 2 (50% less 02 used when using a power attack)
- Boxing 3 (Running consumes 30% less 02)
- Martial Arts 4 (Reflect 50% damage back when blocking a melee or unarmed attack)
- Weight Lifting 4 (Gain 50% resistance to stagger)


- Nutrition 4 (Food and drink are now 50% more effective)
- Gastronomy 4 (Crafting food and drinks occasionally doesn't use up resources. You can research and craft exotic recipes)


- Chemistry 3 (You can research and create cutting edge chems)
- Chemistry 4 (Crafting chems occasionally triples the amount created)

- Spacesuit design 3 (mod spacesuit, helmet, and packs e.g. reducing sound of armor)

Recommendation:

- Grav Dash (Takes you forward and briefly increases any damage you inflict)
- Phased TIme (Spam attacks both in stealth damage and normal damage)
- Void form (You are invisible, it will be easier to avoid damage and do stealth damage)
- Gravity Wave (Makes 1 enemy fall down for a few seconds, can be casted several times)
- Gravity Well (Enemies in a small area fall down for a few seconds)


OPTIONAL:

- Personal Atmosphere (Infinite oxygen 02)

Va'ruun Painblade is the highest damage weapon in the game, with all the recommended skills above it will do a base damage of 130. If you can get a legendary of it, great.

Requires: lvl 3 Spacesuit engineering and then researching spacesuit mods 3.

Armor:
- Slot 3: Exo Servos. (Increases Melee Damage)
- Slot 2: Optimized Servos. (Reduces Oxygen cost for sprinting)
- Slot 4: Gravitic Composites. (Reduces detection from enemies)

Pack:
- Slot 1: Oxygen Reserve. (+10% oxygen capacity)

Helm:
- Slot 4: Gravitic Composites. (Reduces detection from enemies)

Your clothes (under the spacesuit) should be the Operative Suit from the Ryujin story line.

With the headwear that comes along it or alternatively I recommend a Ryujuin Neuroamp like Neurotac Mark 3 with the 15% Instigation chance boost so it caps at 60% chance for success (There is Intimidation, Instigation, Diplomacy boosting neuroamps).

I have mostly excluded time slow and some short duration chems in favor of minute long ones and recommend and grade chems primarily in this order:

1. Damage.
2. Damage Resistance.
3. Movement
4. Time slow.

Some of the chems on this list can only be accessed through Chemistry 3 crafting.


Damage

1. Redamp
2. Supermassive black heart.
3. Subgiant heart
4. Red trench
5. Frostwolf
6. Whiteout
7. Squall
8. Cobx



















Resistance

1. Heart+
2. Boudicca
3. Battlestim








Movement

1. Amp
2. Black hole heart

The skill Nutrition 4 will make food and drink 50% more effective.


Food:e

- Alien Genetic Material (000C1F57)
- Nebula Wat (00122E96)
- Stellar Kebabs (00122E98)
- Galaxy Lo Mein (00122E94)
- Star Cluster Marsala (00122E95)
- Grandpa's Meatloaf (00165073)


Drinks:

- Alien Energy Drink (0029B047)
- Boom Pop! Dynamite (0029B040)
- Runner's Rush (00249C1E)
- Sparkling Water (000304CC) OR ANY WATER TYPE