What I am talking about here, "the Solo", means to never take anybody besides your Main Character onto any runs if you have a choice. You are however allowed to fully use any and all characters that join your party without you having a choice. In short: the initial missions are not solo'd. You'll have around ~90 Karma when the true solo starts. It could be less depending on character.

This guide is not a Walkthrough. This guide makes a Solo possible yet does not abolish all need for good play. A Solo remains a challenge. Especially without manual saves, always assuming you play on Very Hard. A Solo is supposed to only be attempted after you played through the game at least once, enjoying the story, the atmosphere and the many possibilities Character Generation offers. You honestly don't need a guide for party play. Let me assure you: there is room to do whatever you like in an ordinary game. The guide might still inspire - that's up to you to decide.

That said the guide is applicable to a normal game. Mind some stuff can be misleading in that case. E.g. Decking giving you a bunch of extra Karma and Nuyen: that's only the case compared to having no Decker of course. If you take Blitz along anyway you do not need to have Decking yourself to unlock that Karma & cash. Mages aren't short on money either, for the same reason. Should you want to use this guide for a normal game I'd recommend to also read the Advanced Classes chapter. In a Solo those are harder yet no less fun. In party play those can be very powerful since you can afford to specialize, leaving defense to your team to worry about.

Anyways: the most important thing for any kind of game should always be to...
Have Fun!

DF offers solutions to problems, like a puzzle. The problems can be tough and you may not be able to pass them if you lack the actual solution. Many parts can be forced without any actual solution by using the dark force known as Quick Save, depending on character.
In any case the main problem is you dying, which obviously means you taking more damage than you can sustain. The easiest solution to that is Damage Reduction.


The Basic 21
21 Karma will be invested to be the foundation for the Solo, as the solution to taking damage.

1 Karma is to be used for Spellcasting 1 to cast Armor. Strip Armor is a bonus. That is the most effective Karma Point ever. To make it even better both are rather independent of cooldowns and go well with an almost-Cyberzombie casting them.

You will never get any less than 3 Body either, 2+3=5 Karma. That's a bare minimum of course.

Next you will always get Charisma 3 and Summoning 3, just to take the Dragonslayer Totem. Charisma 3, an Etiquette and Wild Spirits are very nice boni. That's 2+3+1+2+3=11 Karma. Totem Abilities are unaffected by Cyberware and don't need a Spell Slot.

Also you'll raise Willpower and Spellcasting to 2, that's 2+2=4 Karma for Heal.
Damage Reduction is strong against repetitive low damage attacks but weak against single high damage attacks. Heal is a protection against exactly these high damage attacks thus covering the only weakness of Damage Reduction. Aim is a bonus. It also unlocks a Spell Slot. Although Heal suffers from a lower Essence it remains more effective even than Body 4, be it for a Street Sam.

That's 1+5+11+4=21 Karma that demark the peak of Karma Efficiency.

With both Armor I and Dragon Slayer you have 2+3=5 Damage Reduction while naked. Before you solo your first regular run you'll have the 5 Armor Ballistic Cloth Suit most likely for a total of 10 Damage Reduction. Plus Heal, Aim or Strip Armor, Wild Spirits, Body 3 and Charisma 3(+2). The Ballistic Cloth Suit is only available on the Trial Run for Luca Duerr and should usually be bought as it is the best early Armor. Do the Trial Run immediately after the Kesselhaus and bring 1,500 Nuyen. If you use cover to block crits conventional weapons got nothing on you with that setup. This is the foundation for the Solo.


What next?
After the Basic 21 you could go many routes yet you'd also want to have Intelligence 3 and Decking 3 unless you insist on not using Cyberware (that's primarily the Combat Mage). These 2+3+1+2+3=11 Karma allow you to use the Kraftwerk. You can do the Aztech run with that, among other things. Mind you do not need Decking initially - combat stats are more important. That said early gets a discount: Intelligence 3 can get you 1 Karma @Kesselhaus, Decking 1 gets you a Datajack from the start. It is pretty much "free" eventually, unlocking an extra 16+ Karma and 25,000+ Nuyen later on (only in a solo!).

There is no reason to not get more Body. It is basically only about when to get it, no matter what you are. Body 4 barely allows unskilled usage of the Medkit III as it uses the 30 HP heal fully when below 11 HP. Almost every character should get Body 5+ eventually.

Spirit Control 1 allows to control a 4 AP Spirit for a turn or three, which can be quite useful and is a very good use of 1 Karma.

With only 21 Karma (42 with Decking, Spirit Control 1 and Body 5) you'll have 150+ (130+) Karma left to invest into anything you want. That's even if you skip on Karma here & there. You'll end up with 170 - 200 Karma. All you need to make sure from here is that you bring some offense. All invested Karma is most effective so far yet mostly defensive. Offense Skills tend to peak on much higher values, often include several Skills and thus need loads of Karma to develop. The Basic 21 allow for you to focus on literally anything for offense: magic, guns, swords, drones or even shuriken. Cyberware is fine as well.
The guide is modular in its structure. The B21 are the basic module followed by a Primary Class, which defines your main offense, and possibly one or multiple Secondary Classes. Each Class lists upgrades to add. This allows for a wide variety of characters to be build.
The bad news are: you'll play a drug addict. Get your Cram & Jazz wherever you find it.

12.6.19: News!
I've played different solo approaches so often by now (got to test the limits...) I'll no longer assume you'd always take the B21 for Karma considerations below. Nonetheless I still consider the B21 the most reliable way to get through a solo's tough beginnings (Dragonslayer) as well as the most efficient 21 Karma (Armor, Heal and Body 3). Besides that it also is a way towards one of the strongest late games (if using the Creator totem as a true Summoner instead of the Dragonslayer, see Secondary Classes below). There is however a class that is ideally solo'd without it: the Sword Adept.


Banshee wins - the Basic 21

This is a modular system that allows you to combine the modules to create a wide variety of characters. One Primary Class should be chosen, Secondary Classes can be added (see below).
Starting with your main offense Skill on 5+ is recommended.
All but the deadliest runners will need Quicksaves to deliver the extreme damage a solo demands in the final fight. For the rest of the game you'll be fine with just B21 + Primary Class.


Basic Marksman (62 Karma)
Quickness 7 and Ranged Combat 7 and Rifles 3 should get the job done. Shotguns and Pistols also work with a few extra investments. This is certainly not the end of the line. The best weapons usually need the +1 Ranged Combat via Outfit to meet their requirement of 8. The cheap Basics can be upgraded in many ways and make the Marksman the most versatile Primary Class.
62 Karma, 83 with the B21.
QUI 6 + RC 6 is viable, but it falls short as a primary class on its own. It makes for a secondary class (Sidearm) and works for Riggers or Mages or certain Jack of all Trades builds.

Upgrades:
Quickness is only raised to allow for the others to be raised. Ranged Combat is raised if you wish for a higher accuracy. The Weapon Skill should be raised according to the unlocked abilities. The Weapon Skill also improves the crit chance. After the initial 3 one may invest a further 9 Karma to get the Weapon Skill to 5, standard for SMG, or 22 Karma for Weapon Skill 7. Seven is the standard for Pistols and Shotguns. SMG's are possible to play yet not recommended as it is more of a supportive weapon and a bit weak for a main offense.
Body 5 is highly recommended, 9 Karma.
Body 4/5/6 (10/15/21), Weapon 5/7 (9/22), Ranged Combat 8 (16), Dodge 3/4/6 (6/10/21) and/or various secondary classes can be added.

Basic Combat Mage (B21 + 71 Karma)
The Mage synergizes well with B21 and could be seen as a natural conclusion wasn't it for the costs of not being a Decker. Since Spellcasting is a single Skill, as opposed to Ranged/Close Combat + Weapon Skill, it is especially cheap on the high end, despite Cha & Int 4 (+14) being required. The Mage is strong throughout the game and doesn't need too many extras. That said he ought to commit to his route and usually doesn't pick Secondary Classes - apart from the Summoner perhaps.
Because the Mage is not a Decker and can't do Aztech he's always broke. He needs 10k extra to pay Alice. Make sure you complete everything besides Aztech, stick to the Lodge and don't waste cash.
In a Solo that is. In a party you can just hire a Decker and get the cash of course, thus a Combat Mage becomes a superpower without kryptonite. That's apart from a tough final: His cooldowns render the Combat Mage a mediocre drug user, so his maximum damage is a bit low for the last fight.
Intelligence 3, Willpower 8, Spellcasting 8 needs the Lodge's Prototype Combat Suit to fullfill the Charisma and Intelligence requirements. 92 Karma with the B21.

Upgrades:
NO Essence loss so Decking is not recommended. Remaining Karma can for instance be invested into Intelligence 4 & Charisma 4 (8), Spellcasting 9 (18) and/or Body 5/9 (15/45), Summoner (18+), Biotech 2 (3), Dodge 1 (1).


Basic Samurai (60 Karma)
A minimum Melee package includes Strength 9 and Close Combat 5 for 60 Karma.
Treasured by many for his destructive potential the Samurai suffers from his need to expose himself when charging the enemy. This is rather troublesome when facing multiple enemies. Clever movements (and/or Cleave) are necessary to split the enemies... one way or another.
We'll play a Troll for this. Samurai should either develop Melee Weapons (cheaper) or become Qi Adepts (stronger). That's why they tend to need a lot of Karma. Samurai do not develop smoothly but aim for the high end, whereby the Samurai tends to have a hard time early on. To max out a Qi Adept may require skipping on the B21, which makes it even harder early on. Thus he isn't recommended for a 1st solo - despite the highest damage potential.

Upgrades:
Choose Qi Casting 6 (42) for a Sword Adept OR Unarmed 5 & Qi Casting 1 (16) for a Fist Adept OR simply Melee Weapons 5 (15). Melee gets damage from Strength. Raising Strength can be good in itself, so any leftover Karma is always welcome. Close Combat 8 is needed for the best weapons. It can be achieved with a Camo full Suit but the Lodge's Suit is better. Body 6 is recommended. Melee Weapons 5 unlocks Cleave, which is especially good when outnumbered and thus well suited for a solo. The Sword Adept is most expensive and has the highest damage.
Qi Casting 6 (42), Melee Weapons 5 (15), Unarmed 5 & Qi 1 (16), Close Combat 8 (+21), Strength 12 (+33), Body 5/6 (15/21), Dodge 1 (1). Throwing 5/6 (21) and secondary classes are an option for a mundane Samurai, Qi Adepts can hardly afford it.


Basic Combat Rigger (111 Karma)
A Combat Rigger ought to have Drone Combat 6, Decking 3 and Ranged Combat 6. He needs the Victory Industrious Coverall ("VIC"). He can become a Decker for 6 Karma and should always do so, hence it is included.
A Combat Rigger needs two Drones eventually and also wants a Cyberdeck. The 3rd Weapon Slot, vital to a Rigger, needs Close/Ranged Combat 3. Had he only Drones he'd not be able to use all his AP, let alone the power of Jazz. Thus not having a weapon wastes a lot of his potential. A Cyberdeck and two Drones already fill his Weapon Slots and all that remains is the Deck's Ghost Slot (see Equipment). Thus a Rigger has Ranged Combat.
The Combat Rigger can start the game with Ranged Combat 5 to circumvent a weak early game. From there he becomes a Rigger.

Upgrades
A Combat Rigger can either focus on Drones or Ranged Combat. Drone Combat 8 unlocks 4 AP Drones with the VIC and costs 45 Karma. Ranged Combat 8 allows using the best weapons and costs 30 Karma. Rifles are recommended as they only need one Weapon Slot, only Rifles 3 and flush enemies from cover to support the Drones. The downside is the 2 AP cost of a Full Auto, which highlights a Jazz dependence. A Shotgun may also work, due to the Enfield needing only Ranged 6. The Ranged 8 route leaves room for some other stuff, e.g. using an SMG with the SMG Skill on 5 for +14 Karma. Although it is recommended to choose a Drone or Combat focus it may remain possible to skip on both. The Combat Rigger is very expensive and requires you to invest your Karma very conservatively.
Drone Combat 8 (45) or Ranged Combat 8 (30), Weapon 3/5 (6/15), Body 4/5 (10/15), Biotech 2 (3), Dodge 1 (1)


Basic Ninja (65 Karma)
Strength 9 and Thrown Weapons 6 are the minimum. Thrown weapons deal damage depending on your Strength. With Strength 9+ and Cyberarms (+2) as well as the Lodge's Prototype Suit (+1) Shuriken deal 9+2+1+6= 18 damage. Their special attacks allow to pin a target and do AoE damage. That would not be enough if it wasn't for Thrown Weapon hits flushing the enemy and allowing to move and attack with 1 AP, like melee weapons. Due to this high amount of utility they make for a viable main offense. Strength 9 and Thrown Weapons 6 costs 65 Karma, 86 with the B21. Troll is the recommended race.

Upgrades
With Thrown Weapons 6 the accuracy is somewhat low and could do with buffs. That's Cybereyes, Strength and/or Aim. The Ninja ought to have Cyberarms for Strength, suffering Essence loss.
Body 5/6 (9/15), Strength 12 (+33)

Secondary Classes are used as an addition to a Primary Class, to flesh out your Character. Not all combinations make sense so there's no guarantee on any specific combinations - unless it's recommended. Most of these lack offense since that is what Primary Classes are for.


Sidearm (42 Karma)
A downgrade on the Marksman. For a mere 42 Karma one gets Quickness 6 + Ranged Combat 6. Combined with a primary class it offers an extra punch, in certain variations it may even work as a Jack of all Trades - w/o primary class. Specifically if combined with a Summoner and/or Utility Mage it is a very strong option.
RC 6 allows wielding the Enfield Shotgun - its burst does not require the Shotgun skill and offers high crit. Else one could add Rifles 3 and use the tier II rifle, which is almost as good as the tier III rifle. Ranged Combat 6 has a modest toHit chance, so buffs are highly welcome!

Upgrades
Rifles 3 (6), Marksman (+20)


Decker (B21 + 11 Karma)
...is recommended: costs 11 Karma, has Decking 3. He may also add a Golden Boy Outfit for the occasional Decking 4 run (e.g. Ezkibel's Lab, MKIV). Mind a Deck opens a Ghost Slot (see Equipment Slots), which is best filled early in the game (only if you are skilled with ranged weapons).

Upgrades:
Decking 4 (+8) can be useful to combine with a Golden Boy Outfit (+1 Decking). That allows using the VirtuaX Cyberdeck and unlocks many dialogue options. The better Deck & Skill render decking a breeze. No gain in meat space power yet a lot of comfort for 8 Karma. Any more is pretty much wasted. Rigger (6) is described below. Biotech 2 (3) goes well with a Decker due to the Intelligence synergy. Bio 2 gives +5 HP per Medkit and shows enemy HP.


Utility Rigger (Decker + 6 Karma)
This is a Decker extension. Rigging 3 is a bargain due to the Decking synergy. It allows using the RoboDoc. The RD brings 2x Flashbang (-2 AP) and 2x Advanced Medkit (+25 HP). Its Mortar is decent initially and likely develops into uselessness. The Game Mechanics allow to activate a Drone (1 AP), use its AP and deactivate in the same turn (0 AP). Thus you are able to flexibly use a Drone on a turn-by-turn basis. The Drone requires to be moved in combat. If it remains close to you the enemies throw grenades. If you commit to that the RD allows you to let it throw a Flashbang for its 2 AP, which costs you 1 AP. 50 HP worth of healing is the main benefit. It trades a Weapon Slot for four decently effective consumable slots. Last but not least destroyed Drones are kept after the run, which allows to sacrifice them for distraction. This is a nice little utility gadget to have as a 6 Karma addition to a Decker. It would be a definite recommendation wasn't it for the Weapon Slot and the fact that no Spirits can be summoned while having a drone. Even so it is a good option for many a character. It renders the Sewers (8 Karma quest) easy, among other things.

Upgrades
Basic Marksman (62) with Rifles recommended: Rifles only need one Weapon Slot.



Utility Mage (B21 + 14 Karma)
The Spells used in the B21 are the foundation of most among these builds. Extending them doesn't hurt. Aim I and Strip Armor I are somewhat weak and share one Spell Slot - Spellcasting 4 fixes that. Doubling your Armor bonus helps a lot. Mind Wipe can be a good Spell at times. Willpower also serves to resist spells and gives 1 Karma early on so it has its uses. These spells are beneficial for any character yet Cyberware reduces Spell Slots. 14 Karma.

Upgrades
Spellcasting 6 improves our spells. Armor, Aim and Strip Armor are superb on this level. The Spell Slot is great and a major reason to take Spellcasting 6. Cyberware won't easily shut down max Spell Slots so this is actually an option. Spellcasting 6 costs 22 Karma extra. Best used for Marksmen.


Gun Adept (30 Karma)
Willpower 5 + Qi Casting 5 allows using counterattack. Activating it (AP as if attacking) ends your turn but attacks up to three opponents that attack you. With any weapon and attack mode you chose... Ideally that's a 2 AP ranged attack - like Full Auto. It allows returning fire three times, even if the 1st shot depletes ammo. Besides that Qi 5 unlocks Martial Defense and Stride. More cooldown-reliant than Spellcasting (so chrome hurts), competes with Spellcasting for spell slots. It's not better, but very stylish ;)


Conjurer (6 Karma)
Haste truly is a magnificent buff without doubt although not compatible with Cyberware. Conjuring 2 costs 6 Karma for Haste I. Haste is cooldown reliant and not usually a Street Sam's buff. It synergizes with the B21 on the Charisma side, but it is not good with Spellcasting. It gets outclassed if your Spellcasting exceeds your Conjuring (Spell Slot conflicts). Rather skip on Spellcasting 2 (Heal). Willpower 1, Spellcasting 1 (Armor) still works. Goes well with a totem, so with Body 3, Cha 3 and Summoning 3 it makes for a 20 Karma alternative to the B21.

Upgrades:
Haste effectively gets +1 AP per level. Conjuring 4 gets you Haste II, Lightning Barrier and Blur I. Also a Spell Slot and an Etiquette. 14 Karma extra, synergizes well with a totem.
Haste 6 gets you Haste III, Blur II and Shadow as well as the final Spell Slot. Haste remains the best spell of course. It is nice yet you invested so much for a buff that I start wondering: what is it that you buff? The Conjurer is purely utility oriented and lacks damage so he in himself isn't worth buffing. These Karma costs weigh on themselves if they keep you from developing your offense. Conjuring 6 may be a decent option for a Summoner or as a last investment, after finishing a cheap core build. 36 Karma extra.


Summoner (30 Karma OR B21 + 18)
A Summoner will have Charisma 5 and Summoning 5 for 30 Karma. Spirit Control is a 2nd Skill to level up for Summoning which renders it expensive. Too expensive for the fleeting Spirits to be worth it. The Solution is the Creator Totem, which allows to skip on Spirit Control altogether. That means we can't use the Dragonslayer Totem, a key ingredient for the Basic 21 concept. Thus the Summoner is an Advanced Class. Also raising Charisma should be done with a Ballistic Cloth Suit, not with Karma - the benefits are few. The Summoner's Spirits are extremely powerful yet he does not always have one. With a Spirit the Summoner is stronger than the Dragonslayer (...and everything else really). Whenever he has none he's very weak. In those unfortunate fights he not only lacks the Dragonslayer Totem but also "wasted" 30 Karma on something he didn't bring.
The Cyber Summoner relies on physical weapons and does not need to save his Essence at all. He can do Aztech and has sufficient cash for Fetishes to compensate his weak spots (which requires careful management). A Summoning Mage on the other hand can probably compensate his occasional spiritlessness yet oscillates between struggling and overpowered, not able to afford Fetishes.
A Summoner is very strong if you plan carefully, from buying Fetishes to moving through a level. Even so he'll be needed to do well without a Spirit at times. While the Summoner is possibly the most powerful of all when having a Spirit the Dragonslayer is much more consistent and self-explanatory. Thus the Summoner is not recommended for a first Solo. He is however a party animal if you skip on Dietrich.

Upgrades:
Summoning 6 (+12) is recommended, Spirit Control 3/4 (6/10) for a Summoner w/o the Creator Totem

Why exactly should we always take these Basic 21 Karma Points? Let's debate that. I am sure there are good reasons to skip on some of them in specific cases.

There is exactly one perfectly sound reason to skip on the 1 Karma for the Armor Spell. You skip on it if you want a harder solo. Welcome to Advanced Classes.

The Basic 21 are the most effective Karma Points, thus skipping on those means weakening your character. Two parts can be exchanged without suffering dearly for it: the Heal (4 Karma) and the Totem choice. In party games you can even skip on Armor unpunished. Especially if you have someone casting it for you.


Heal
Absolutely every character should fill his Spell Slots. The 4 Karma Heal can be debated. It is the overall second best Spell after Armor in Karma efficiency, Haste I being the 3rd best. Haste synergizes with taking a Totem and costs 3 Karma - one less than Heal. It is a good alternative if successfully used to not be shot at - which isn't easy.
This leads to the question of how many Spell Slots you have. It depends on Cyberware and Magic Skill level. Every two levels in your main Magic Skill you get a Slot, every two points of Essence you start losing to Cyberware you lose one. Three Slots are the start.
A Cyber Chi Adept, possibly limited to two Spell Slots, may want a Chi Spell rather than Heal. Unarmed Chi Adepts do rely on Killing Hands. Other Adepts may want Stride and Martial Defense.

Totem
While spending the very 21 Karma Points that make the Basis we can still alter the Totem. Taking a Totem unlocks an Ability that does not need a Spell Slot, with a cooldown that isn't affected by Cyberware. Totem buffs affect Spirits and even Drones (no Heal for Drones though). Plus good Spirits. Read: these are extremely powerful, not least for fully cybered characters.
Very highly specialized characters with a very expensive and thought through build could need those 11 Karma to finalize their build. That's basically Adepts and possibly Riggers. Mind a Rigger can't summon due to the drones but those drones receive the Totem buff (while usual buffs don't work on them). Qi Adepts can't max out their damage with a totem, but it renders their weak early game easier.
Even Combat Riggers and Qi Adepts aren't necessarily "better off" without a Totem. One may of course discard the Totem for roleplay purposes. Totems do however translate Charisma into power, which furthers roleplay within power gaming. There is little reason to ever skip on a Totem yet it remains possible.

The Dragonslayer Totem draws it's strength from the Armor Spell yet surpasses it. Adding up those two makes for early nigh invulnerability and does a lot not least for the rough beginnings of a Solo. It is a consistently good ability in a straight forward fashion. It is the default for a reason and skipping on it may give you a hard time getting started. Dragonslayer is good for every Class. It is however useless if you are not shot at. Like a blunt axe the Dragonslayer is not elegant but a more splendid all-purposes tool than the finest sword.

The Creator is a Summoner's Totem only and extremely powerful eventually. It creates problems too. Without Summoning Spots or Fetishes the Creator is absolutely useless after all. Some early runs can be very hard due to that. Initially a Dragonslayer's stable power is superior. Given the means to buy powerful Fetishes however the Summoner overpowers pretty much everything.

The Wild Huntsman offers sheer damage. The bonus damage can't crit yet it's awesome anyway. It lasts 3 turns and can be combined with an Aim Spell, two advantages it has over the Eagle. It is especially good for high frequency low damage characters. The -10% toHit are not applied (or at least not displayed). While it is a very good Totem from the start it needs to be used way more actively than the Dragonslayer. The extra damage is supposed to make it easier to finalize kills, thus preventing the enemy from shooting back. When facing a lot of opponents the Dragonslayer is better. Clever movement may however enable you to hunt down one after the other. It is on you to make it work.

These three Totems are recommended. Other Totems can certainly work, too. The Bear would be top if it wasn't for the easy accessability of the Heal Spell. Might be nice if you took Haste over Heal. The Eagle might be the best choice in a few selected cases. The Raccoon is intriguing since Move Speed can be the key to not being shot at.


General Note
This guide is meant to inspire builds - not strangle them. There are more and less efficient builds yet there is room to explore new stuff even in a Solo. There surely are many valid builds out there that do not strictly follow the Primary & Secondary Classes of this guide. Nothing is true and everything's permitted ;)

Strategy & Tactics
Strategy is about using battles to decide the war, tactics are about using units to win a battle {Carl von Clausewitz}.
Strategy first: does it have to be a battle? The objective should be clear. If the objective isn't killing the opponents (but "to escape" for instance) it is rather inefficient to spent one's whole ressources on a killing spree.
The usual approach to a fight should be to first render yourself invincible {Sunzi}. Not to fight would be best yet that's not always possible. The next best means is mobility. By moving around you can divide the enemy into those that see you and those that don't. You never want to fight more opponents than you can instantly take down. You may be able to fight while retreating if you outmaneuver the enemy or have more AP (Jazz). Cram can decide fights not least by getting away from danger. These means may allow you to not be attacked.
If you cannot find a solution like that you need to deal with being attacked. That we meet with Damage Reduction and cover. As it is not sufficient to render us invincible we'll need to either get away or kill the key opponents (the mages!) to end their attacks.
He who arrives first is at full strength while the other, arriving late, enters a fight exhausted already {Sunzi}. Ambushes are very powerful so let the enemy follow you and prepare, instead of engaging them while they are prepared.
AP damage is very effective yet the means to that end are few. AP damage prevents enemies from attacking you. It also flushes enemies from cover if they get stunned (0 AP). It is a major advantage of a Samurai that he causes AP damage (and/or may have Pommel Strike), enabling him to straight out attack the AP with a regular attack. A Marksman almost always wants a Taser. It is a generic ranged weapon w/o any weapon skill applying.


Armor
Armor is simply subtrated from the damage taken.
Penetration reduces armor by its value for this attacker, while stripped armor remains reduced for every attacker.
Damage reduction can't be penetrated or stripped yet otherwise works like extra armor.
Magic damage is just damage and works against armor exactly like physical damage does.

In many games armor gives a % dmg reduction, but SR:DF has a flat reduction.
For one thing it means armor can reduce (low) damage to 0.
One could say armor gets more valuable per point the higher it goes.
Armor is very good at preventing low damage and not so good at blocking high damage attacks.

Consequently armor is fallible to critical strikes.
When 20 damage hit 4 armor it'll cost 16 hp, that's 20-4=16. If the same weapon's crit hits 4 armor it is 20x2-4=36. In other words: The extra damage of criticals is not reduced by armor, because the armor is "used up" already. That's different compared to a % dmg reduction and renders crits very powerful.
It follows, that high armor does not allow moving out of cover (opening oneself up to being critted). On the contrary: Those two defensive measures synergize too well to waste one's armor in the open.
For the same reason crits (high weapon skill + flanking) are very important for Pistols and SMGs due to their low base damage.

Enemy armor increases over the game, so penetration / armor stripping / crits become more important the later it goes. Moreover, the final is on a timer. We can't just stick to slow defensive tactics in the final, although that works great for the rest of the game.
Enemy damage also goes up, in fact mostly outscaling your armor. Therefor Armor is strongest early, when opponents don't have the means to tackle it yet.


The Opponents
The lot of our enemies are Small Fries. SMGs and Pistols are mostly absorbed by our Damage Reduction. Their only chance is to crit. As long as you've got cover and the B21 you can ignore them. This is the main effect of the Basic 21 and allows focusing down the few remaining major threats. If you don't have cover these guys will still crit you and deal damage.

There fly a lot of Grenades around in SR:DF. The opponents only use them if you group up, so they could hit 2+ occupied squares. That should never be an issue in a Solo. Either they never throw or you have a companion around - easy enough. Renders Grenadiers small fries really.

Riggers mostly bring weak Drones and small weapons. They are "multiplied small fries", with the opportunity to kill them all at once (kill the Rigger - down go the Drones). Not a priority. Never attack Drones but either ignore them or kill the Rigger.

Shotgun guys can be a threat. Their crits are fearsome. Even w/o crits they can deal damage. They are however not able to reliably deal high damage to you if you are in cover. Expect to have all hands full so we'll often skip on focussing a "potential threat" in favor of a more immediate danger. Only once the Shotgun guy is close enough to flank you in daredevil fashion he'll be just such an immediate danger: a flank can outright kill you.

Riflemen are a major threat should they use Full Auto. That's rare yet very dangerous. A Full Auto will always flush you from cover, thus turning every other enemy into a threat. They'll all hit and potentially crit you. These can be defused by -1 AP loss, e.g. a Shotgun's Kneecap or running around a corner (so they use 1+ AP to follow). The only Rifle guy that always fires Full Autos is the one in the last fight of the Humanis run. Even without the Full Auto Rifles hit well at any distance and may deal reliable low damage through cover. Thus these guys need to go rather sooner than later.

Conjurers you outplay. Flee the Spirit if necessary and see it turn on its creator. You can also stun the Conjurer after he summoned to banish the Spirit. That said they often make for one explosive turn with an Elemental hitting you for major damage before you banish it. That is to be accounted for as it is not always possible to prevent. Focussing them down at the start is not a priority but an option. On opportunity kill him before he summons (prevents their one turn of glory). They often charge in right before summoning a Spirit. That's usually the opportunity to take them down, should you decide not to run. Their normal attacks are effective against armor, thus they pose a medium threat even after their Spirit is gone.

Spirits are helpful eventually. Only a true Summoner, a Creator, can control his spirits. Everybody else's spirits go wild quickly. Wild Spirits attack the target easiest to hit (often the closest) when starting their move. Play around that and wild spirits are your friends! There are however free spirits later on that need to be taken down - those are among the most dangerous opponents.
Spirits are very strong and can land massive hits even through Damage Reduction. Melee Spirits like the Earth Elemental are especially brutal because they also deal massive AP damage. Best don't fight Spirits.

Melees may deal AP damage and bypass your cover, allowing criticals. Criticals deal more AP damage as well and may easily KO you, which is the second worst state to be in after dead. They flush you, empowering ranged attackers. Singular Melees are usually priority to take down or else run away from. Melees without AP damage however are either grouped or suicidal. Groups of Melees always offer a chance to not get attacked by all of them, to have them block each others. Getting surrounded spells death. Some opponents may opt for ranged combat if they are capable of both - which is usually preferrable. Since Melees have to get close you may want to use a Taser or the Pommel Strike to keep them stunned while wearing them down.

Mages... Geek the Mage! 1st priority. They bring Strip Armor to lower your Armor against everybody else, for 1 AP. That's on top of high damage spells brute forcing their way through our defenses. A being like that can't exist: kill the abomination.

On every run we'll take note of any consumables we find. Finding a consumable allows you to refill. If you did not use consumables before you basically wasted the option. Now if you really didn't need anything that's good of course. We want to save consumables for the climax of a run and throw the bulk of our temporary power at that. We save up to 5 consumables for that, depending on how difficult it is. At least one "flex slot" is needed for the consumables found en route. If a mission is really hard you want to map out your consumable usage on that mission. Yep: this guide does not attempt to protect you against the need of starting a mission from scratch multiple times, adjusting your strategy. Consumables and their use, the route you choose: starting over can simplify things. It is not a grind - it is finding solutions.

Jazz is an AP stim that lasts for 5 turns. Even if it is only 1 AP per turn it often is the decisive 1 AP more than the opponent. It allows outmaneuvering and outdamaging them. It also compensates buff casting times. It is an effective gain of 4 AP and thus the best choice for this. It is a lot better than Haste even (which stacks) and also a bargain for 100 Nuyen. Easily the best Consumable. Buy two after every run, so you can burn 3 or even 4 on tough runs.

Medkits heal a fixed amount of HP. Damage Reduction renders usual hits mostly uneffective yet we'll still meet repetitive low damage, which sums up. Heals counter high damage hits but can't help against constant 2 HP hits. That's what Medkits do. These are very good and cost little.

Cram is an instant boost for an effective + 2 AP and 2 Movement immediately. It can instantly end fights, be it by running away or by using it for instant takedowns. It offers less overall AP than Jazz and shouldn't be used to replace the generic fight stim that is Jazz. It is to be used as a solution to a problem, for speed, as an explosive powerspike or as a last resort for survival.

Grenades' 2 AP cost renders them too costly to use in battle. That changes if you have Throwing Weapons 5. They still need to be used well to compete with Jazz or Medkits for Consumable Slots. TW 5's 1 AP grenades allow for multiple grenades in one turn, instantly taking down groups of enemies. Quite some grenades are found, which allows to simply use more consumables overall.

Fetishes are effective only in a Summoner's hand. The Summoner, bringing the Creator instead of the Dragonslayer, can use these to tank and deal damage and use their utility. Spirits in a Summoner's control have 4 AP per turn - each turn. They are a force to be reckoned with, thus Fetishes are the most powerful consumables though not at all cost efficient. The Summoner is generally very weak and needs to use these to compensate his weakness. That said he ought to use level 3+ Fetishes for 600 to 1200 Nuyen. These are a deal with the devil: a lot of immediate power for a price you may regret later on, should you dip into this pool too much. Earth Elementals are recommended.

Bliss can be useful occasionally. The Auto Injector only reduces damage by 3 (as opposed to a usual 4) but needs no AP to activate. Thing is: minor damage is already blocked by the B21 concept and major damage will still penetrate. While upgrading your Spellcasting for better armor is a good option Bliss' need for a consumable slot and its 1 AP activation render it way inferior. Despite its occasional usefulness it's not a drug to buy for a Dragonslayer - the odd find is more than enough. The Auto Injector however can be a good investment not least for Advanced Classes that go without the Dragonslayer.

Other drugs are rarely useful, although making use of any and all consumables you find along the way tends to be a good idea (provided you have a free slot).

Trauma Kits don't work in a solo. You may need one in the Drug Pit in case the turret kills you upon opening the door (and that will work since the beginning is not solo'd). After that those are just goods to sell.


In general we default to 3 x Jazz, 2 x Medkit and 1 x Cram whenever in doubt. Humanis, assuming it is your first solo run, can do with 4 x Jazz while the final run favors more Cram for the final fight.

Weapon Slots - the Ghost Slot
Weapons are anything in a Weapon Slot. The 3rd Weapon Slot is only unlocked by Ranged or Close Combat 3 - despite Drones, Cyberdecks and Weapon Spells also using Weapon Slots.
While a Cyberdeck uses a Weapon Slot it also opens a Ghost Slot. The extra Slot can be filled only if three Slots are already used and an additional weapon is picked up on a mission. The Slot will be invisible on the Inventory - a Ghost Slot. Cyberdecks seem to always remain visible. It is not necessarily the found weapon that fills the Ghost Slot. Reequipping the visible Slots will sort things anew, the former invisible weapon thus being available for swapping out. That way you can equip four Slots as long as you have a Deck. All found weapons are ranged weapons, requiring Ranged Combat 4+ @Kesselhaus & Humanis, Ranged Combat 3+ @MKVI, RC 2+ @Final, RC 1+ @APEX.



Ranged Weapons
Rifles
There are two kinds of Rifles: Assault- and Sniper Rifles. Sniper Rifles hit far away targets easily yet can't get a good shot at nearby opponents. As it is difficult to fight every fight from afar this is a serious problem and pretty much renders them a secondary weapon, to be used on top of an Assault Rifle. The assault's Full Auto deals good damage, flushes targets from cover and has no CD. Against armored targets Bursts may do better than Full Autos due to 90% crit chance, so that's a thing especially in late game (thanks Clockwork!).
Assault Rifles can use Bursts and Full Autos with Rifles 3 and don't need anything but that. The special attacks on higher Skill levels are meant for the Sniper Rifle primarily. Besides that the weapon skill increases the crit chance. Full Autos do never crit and bursts have 90% anyway, so there is no need to level the skill beyond 3.
Rifles are cheap and very good, if a little clunky with the 2 AP Full Autos. Best kind of gun overall.

Shotguns
Shotguns have a wide array of special attacks, all of which are useful yet have a CD. To maximize special attacks later on a 2nd Shotgun is recommended (cooldowns count per weapon). There are two "best Shotguns": One has the highest damage, one has burst fire (the Enfield). Shotgun 7 is recommended, yet lower levels may work. The Enfield's burst does not require the Shotgun skill and only requires Ranged Combat 6, so it is a good choice for a minimal approach.

Pistols
Pistols are good due to their special attacks and depend on those way more than a Shotgun does. Their mediocre damage builds upon crits to really shine. Thus a Pistol user should definitely get Pistols 7 or even 9. Also a Pistol user can use up to three "best Pistols" to max out special attacks: One has burst fire, one has the highest damage and the Roomsweeper has AoE damage.

SMGs
SMGs shoot at a high frequency with a good crit chance without needing cooldowns. They can flush from cover. Since cooldowns are secondary you don't need multiple weapon slots for SMGs. With all that SMGs offer a lot of utility and do not require much besides SMGs 5. That said their base damage is worst among all weapons. This weapon is probably meant to be used like Blitz does: to allow a mediocre shooter to be useful for his team, without wasting Slots he needs for Drones and a Cyberdeck. To make the SMG Marksman work one ought to bring Strip Armor to make its base damage count, in which case the SMGs frequency renders it a good weapon. The Wild Huntsman's extra damage also makes good use of its high frequency (see Advanced Classes).

Utility Weapons
These are the weapons that use Ranged Combat yet no specialized Weapon Skill. To keep it brief: the taser is almost a must have, the grenade launchers are rarely useful gimmicks.


Spells / Programs
It is important to note that the same kind of Spell or Program can be used twice if the two are of different levels. It can be an advantage to use Blaster II & III or Flamethrower III & IV. Identical Spells / Programs are pointless however as they share the same cooldown.
Since the programs are selected right when the Decker jacks in they should be selected specificly for the System in question. By default the Programs should be Killer, Blaster, Heal and Sniffer. In some cases it may be worthwhile to use Shield, Heal and double Blasters. Sniffer can be neglected while Apex is helping out (it has Sniffer anyway).
Spells to choose from only differ for the Combat Mage, Chi Adept or Conjurer. All others will simply use Armor and Heal, possibly Strip Armor and/or Aim if the Slots are available. Double Flamethrower is recommended for the Combat Mage as it has the lowest cooldown and delivers the highest average damage per turn. A cybered mage ruins that route, because the Flamethrower's advantage is its cooldown. Such a mage could use AoE spells and should bring a gun.
Cyberware costs Spell Slots so you want to consider that. You'll have half your Magic (rounded down) as spell slots, plus up to three extra slots for magic skills (+1 per 2 points in your highest magic skill).