The Technomancer Lightning on a dying Mars

Combat runs on three stances: a staff for sweeping through crowds, a knife and pistol for staying quick and mobile, a shield and mace for soaking up punishment. On top of that sit the Technomancer's electrical powers, which hit hard and hit wide. You level across four skill trees, so a build can lean on blade work, on storm-calling, or mix both. Players who stick with the combat say it turns challenging at higher difficulty: you learn to parry and dodge rather than mashing attack, and winning feels earned. Loot, buy and craft better weapons and armour for yourself and your teammates, and crafting changes how your gear looks as well as its stats.

The plot is the reason to be here. You play a Technomancer crossing a terraformed but broken Mars, torn between cities, corporations and factions, with mutant creatures infesting the wastes between. Quests can be solved through diplomacy, combat or trickery, and the world reacts to what you decide. The story builds chapter by chapter, and companion quests are more than filler: each companion has their own motives and secrets, and relationships with them open new pathways and quests, including romances. The soundtrack deserves a mention too, running from grim city ambience to driving electronic tracks when fights break out.