Shadowrun: Dragonfall — Director's Cut: starting builds and skills

Shadowrun: Dragonfall — Director's Cut: starting builds and skills For the standalone Director's Cut in the PlayStation trilogy and on PC. This is the Director's Cut progression system, not the older Dragonfall campaign packaged as Returns DLC. Dragonfall's Berlin crew changes the best starting decision. Eiger already shoots, Glory handles close combat and medical support, Dietrich handles Shaman magic, and Blitz can become your Decker after recruitment. That does not mean you cannot pick those roles; it means your protagonist can specialize without leaving a critical job uncovered. Director's Cut lets you choose upgrades for companions as they develop, whereas the original Returns DLC campaign scripted those upgrades. Crew and edition note: https://t.co/Pu0XqmaiZ8. First: how Karma and archetypes work Street Samurai, Mage, Shaman, Decker, Rigger and Physical Adept are starting templates, not locked classes. A custom build can buy the same trees. Karma costs the new rating for each rank, and a child skill cannot exceed its parent attribute or skill. Quickness 5 → Ranged Combat 5 → Rifle 5 is a coherent attack line; Quickness 2 plus four unrelated weapon specializations is not. Skill hierarchy: https://t.co/iFF0ytrU18. Pick a primary way to contribute every combat round. Then add Body and one secondary access or support line. Because Dragonfall has longer conversations and more choices than Seattle, Charisma and Etiquettes can be rewarding, but they still cost Karma that your attack line needs. One community check guide finds Security, Gang and Socialite useful and notes that high Charisma itself can resolve several checks; that is route advice, not a universal optimal build. Check discussion: https://t.co/ZSEa0tdE6E. Three legal human Custom starts, with Karma accounting Director's Cut gives a Custom runner 60 creation points, plus 3 for a human. These examples each use the human 63-point pool and leave a reserve. The ledger counts an attribute from its starting 1 (ranks 2 through its target) and a skill from 0 (ranks 1 through its target); the purchase cost is the new rank. Other metatypes start with different free attribute points, so use the creation screen to recheck totals if you switch race. Custom starting points: https://t.co/h4KpGdqkD9; skill hierarchy: https://t.co/iFF0ytrU18. - Rifle lead, 56/63: Body 4 (9), Quickness 5 (14), Ranged Combat 5 (15), Rifle 4 (10), Charisma 3 (5), Dodge 2 (3). Every child rating is at or below its parent. Keep seven points for a check you actually want. After the opening runs, raise Rifle to 5 for Dead-Eye, then Quickness/Ranged Combat together toward 6, and only then buy the next gun tier. Bring Blitz for difficult Matrix access. - Mage lead, 48/63: Body 3 (5), Willpower 5 (14), Spellcasting 5 (15), Charisma 4 (9), Intelligence 2 (2), Biotech 2 (3). Intelligence 2 is required because Biotech is its child skill. The 15 unspent points let you react to dialogue or survivability. After two jobs, raise Body 4 if enemies are dropping you, then take Willpower/Spellcasting 6 for the next spell slot. Do not spend Essence on a Datajack without calculating your spell loss. - Decker with a gun, 55/63: Body 4 (9), Intelligence 5 (14), Decking 5 (15), ESP Control 3 (6), Quickness 3 (5), Ranged Combat 3 (6). Buy a Datajack and a deck your rating can use; the gun is a backup until you raise Quickness and Ranged Combat further. After the first Matrix-heavy run, decide whether to push Decking/ESP or keep Blitz as primary Decker and spend later Karma on Body and firearm accuracy. These are creation-screen targets, not claims that every campaign's default archetype starts with those exact numbers. A premade archetype spends most of its opening points for you. If your screen shows a different budget after selecting a race, spend the reserve last rather than forcing an illegal child rating. The same racial ceilings remain relevant: humans get extra opening Karma and cap basic attributes at 9; elves favor Quickness and Charisma, dwarves Willpower, orks and trolls Body/Strength. Troll Intelligence and Charisma cap at 6, so a troll Decker or heavily social Shaman reaches its ceiling early. Racial caps: https://t.co/Bqzps2cW9E. Six starts, with concrete next steps Street Samurai: reliable leader in a firefight Invest in Quickness → Ranged Combat → Rifle, then Body and Dodge. Rifle 1 grants Aimed Shot, 2 Burst Fire on suitable guns, 3 Full Auto, 5 Dead-Eye and 7 Headshot. Ranged Combat 4 unlocks Overwatch. A shooter can put an enemy under pressure while Glory moves or Dietrich buffs. Eiger already supplies sniper range, so a shotgun specialist is also viable if you prefer the short end of the map. Quickness milestones: https://t.co/Wrkcb6XxeZ. For shotguns, Kneecap at 1 removes AP, Wide Load at 5 spreads wider, and Shred Armor at 7 can strip three armor. That last ability makes a high skill shotgun a tool against protected foes, not just a crowd gun. For SMGs, Spray & Pray at 1 hits adjacent targets and Flush Target at 5 removes a target's cover bonus for the rest of the turn. For pistols, free reload at 4, Double-Tap at 6 and Chainshot at 7 reward deeper investment. Choose one of those lines; all four at once is a Karma sink. Quickness milestones: https://t.co/Wrkcb6XxeZ. Mage: offensive magic and utility Invest in Willpower → Spellcasting, with enough Body to survive a misposition. Spellcasting 2/4/6 opens spellbook slots, 3 reveals ley lines and 7 reveals them through fog. Dietrich has some spell support, but a protagonist Mage can devote a fuller kit to damage, healing and control. Keep the spellbook equipped for a balance of repeatable actions rather than filling it with several versions of the same role. Willpower milestones: https://t.co/eRofiHGoXL. Cyberware reduces Essence, base spell slots and spell cooldown efficiency. A Mage with a datajack and gun implant hybrid can work, but pay for it knowingly. If you mostly want conversations and a few buffs, a Shaman's Charisma tree may fit better than raising both Spellcasting and a high gun line. Shaman: spirits, Etiquettes, and battlefield support Invest in Charisma → Spirit Summoning and Spirit Control, then Conjuring for spells you intend to equip. Summoning 1 shows environmental points; 3 opens a totem; 5 allows two spirits from a point. Conjuring 2/4/6/8 opens Air, Lightning, Fire and Hellstorm Barriers. You can use Dietrich for Shaman duties, but a protagonist Shaman makes those powers and dialogue options central. Charisma milestones: https://t.co/j3rhy16VoJ. Do not buy a high rank spirit without control; a loose spirit is another problem, not a free squadmate. Charisma grants Etiquettes at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 where the racial cap permits. Bear gives area healing of recent wounds; Eagle boosts team hit chance; Coyote boosts Quickness; Cat Dodge; Raccoon movement. Pick for your party's needs. Totems: https://t.co/gWd1w1n15Y. Decker: technical control with a physical fallback Invest in Intelligence → Decking, an affordable deck and a datajack. Decking 1/3/5/7 opens Sony CTY-360, Renraku Kraftwork-1, Fuchi VirtuaX and Fairlight Excalibur. 2/4/6 opens Mark Target tiers in meatspace; ESP Control improves Expert System Programs inside the Matrix. Intelligence milestones: https://t.co/yzbFmBL3HJ. Blitz can cover required decking if recruited, so make your own Decker when you want the protagonist to take optional data, Matrix and technical routes. Do not let the runner become useless outside a jackpoint: give them Body and one gun line. Blitz's own recruitment and later story are worth following regardless of your build. Rigger: drones as an investment, not a side hobby Invest in Intelligence → Drone Control → Drone Combat. Drone Control 1/3/5/7 gates classes C/B/A/S and 4 allows two drones. Drone Combat builds armor, accuracy, Dodge and damage; at 6 its AP bonus makes a more dramatic difference. Drones need nuyen and a datajack. Intelligence milestones: https://t.co/yzbFmBL3HJ. A Rigger protagonist adds attack angles the main crew does not natively specialize in, but an expensive drone can leave you short of healing or a cyberdeck if you also pursue Decking. Focus on one strong drone and its combat ranks before trying to buy every technical system. Add Body so the person controlling the machines survives. Physical Adept: close control with powers Invest in Strength → Close Combat → Melee Weapons or Unarmed, then Willpower → Chi Casting for the powers you will use. Melee Weapons 3 gives Pommel Strike for AP damage and 5 Cleave. Unarmed 4 gives Roundhouse Kick and 5 Rip Armor, stripping two armor and one AP. Throwing Weapons 5 cuts grenade use to one AP; it is a strong but costly side line if you want a thrower. Strength milestones: https://t.co/2f9tfxlaya. Chi Casting 1 opens Killing Hands, 4 Stride, 5 Counterstrike and Martial Defense I, 6 Chi Onslaught and 8 Mystic Armor. These add options; your close accuracy still needs Strength and Close Combat. Glory already fills melee/medical space, so a second close fighter works best if the pair can flank and strip armor quickly. Buy Body before charging into every room. Willpower milestones: https://t.co/eRofiHGoXL. Every skill branch: what it actually buys - Body: 10 HP per rank and improved physical resistance. It has no child tree in Dragonfall. Every archetype benefits; the closer you stand, the more you need. Body: https://t.co/4lO6QTZVR2. - Quickness: ranged accuracy and avoiding physical attacks. Ranged Combat is the common gun gate and adds Overwatch at 4; Dodge helps against hits. Pistol, SMG, Shotgun, Rifle govern their attack abilities. Shotgun Shred Armor 7 and SMG Flush Target 5 are Dragonfall additions worth checking. Quickness: https://t.co/Wrkcb6XxeZ. - Strength: close and thrown accuracy and grenade distance. Close Combat governs melee/unarmed. Melee Weapons gives Pommel Strike 3 and Cleave 5; Unarmed Roundhouse 4 and Rip Armor 5; Throwing Weapons Aimed Throw 2, Pinning Hit 4, cheaper grenades 5 and Spread Throw 6. Strength: https://t.co/2f9tfxlaya. - Intelligence: Matrix/drone accuracy and Matrix defense. Biotech 2 reveals enemy HP. Decking gates decks and Mark Target; ESP Control improves Matrix helpers. Drone Control gates drone classes; Drone Combat increases their combat effectiveness. Intelligence: https://t.co/yzbFmBL3HJ. - Willpower: magical accuracy and defense. Spellcasting adds spellbook slots and ley line sight; Chi Casting gates Physical Adept powers, including Counterstrike and Mystic Armor. Willpower: https://t.co/eRofiHGoXL. - Charisma: Etiquettes, spirit control and Conjuring hit chance. Spirit Summoning/Control determines access and reliability; Conjuring unlocks barriers. It is a real campaign utility stat, but buying it past what your chosen route uses means fewer points in combat. Charisma: https://t.co/j3rhy16VoJ. Companions change the recommendation Bring Eiger for long lines of fire; use her shotgun when targets close. Glory can patch people up and bleed/strip armor at close range. Dietrich brings Shaman buffs and summoning. Blitz handles Matrix tasks after recruitment. Their Director's Cut upgrade choices are narrower than your protagonist's Karma tree, so choose upgrades that reinforce what each already does. You can recruit or hire alternatives when a run needs a particular tool. Team list and upgrade distinction: https://t.co/Pu0XqmaiZ8. For a first playthrough, a rifle or shotgun Street Samurai is direct. A Mage or Shaman gives the crew a second strong magic angle. A Decker protagonist is best when you want optional Matrix access in your own hands. A Rigger adds a unique tactical body; an Adept is the satisfying high commitment melee route. The core system is the same on PlayStation and standalone PC Director's Cut. The standalone PlayStation trophy set has 40 entries, compared with 39 Steam achievements; the original Dragonfall DLC under Returns is not the edition this guide covers. PlayStation trophies: https://t.co/13SOapyxYR, Steam achievements: https://t.co/c55YYoJqR6.