Toward the end of S2, and all through S3, human enemies have been dropping ammo fairly often when they die. It doesn't come in huge quantities – certainly not enough that I could rely solely on my kills to stay fully loaded – but it's a nice bonus alongside the usual food, drink and craft materials that make up the rest of the loot.
Right now I carry three rifles and two pistols, but after thinking about it the other day I've decided to respec out of pistols and just focus on rifles. My pistols haven't had a lot of use in S3, especially since I crafted an assault rifle that remains so good for its level I'm not entirely sure it's not better than intended.
Respec injectors are sold in game in Fallen Earth, allowing a few points to be redistributed for each injector used. How many I can afford remains to be seen, though I'd better do it before I hit level 40 and the price goes up again.
I've also lightened my crafting/storage load by dropping cooking. I've been relying on looted food for buffs since entering S3 (candy covered ant – yummy) and I need the vault space.
After leaving Papermill I was still thinking about heading up to Chemtown to enlist with the Techs, but before I did so I went back to Trader's Flat to see if any more missions had opened up there, and was pleasantly surprised that not only was there a new mission available, but it was sending me up to Buxton, the zombie overrun town in the far north of S3 that I'd been wondering about.
It's a terrific location – a small settlement at the very end of the road which looks great and feels all the more isolated for being right on the edge of S3. The rotters are a lot more dangerous in these close confines, but at the same time it's more open than say the Terrance bunker or the mine at Rest Stop, and I enjoyed working out my routes through the ruins, ducking in and out of the buildings and always alert to nearby enemies.
I only died once, which is a bit surprising seeing as it's a group mission, but I expect it'd be a hell of a lot harder with a melee character.
At the other end of the map – literally, they're as far apart as two locations in S3 can be without one being in the next sector – there's the White Crow Fortress, which I'm still working on.
These fortresses – there's one in S1 and another in S2 as well – were added to the game post-launch and they make for the best gun battles in the game. Most of the time Fallen Earth is an adequate shooter, but the controls are clunky and the enemy AI is minimal. It's no S.T.A.L.K.E.R. that's for sure.
Whether it's the interesting layout or improved (or simply more alert) AI or both the fortresses deliver the kind of gunplay that the rest of the game only aspires to. I'm not done with the fortress yet (there's a bloody awkward Master level mob that's giving me a lot of grief and is hopefully avoidable because he's probably unkillable) but I'm relishing my forays into it.
Comments
Post a Comment