The Fixer Guide

[Littlerock]

Disclaimer: This is how I see Fixers played. If you see it somewhat different that's fine and if you have different priorities with the fixer you can probably ignore some stuff I did. Also this guide was made during 15.4 things may change both to better and worse after this. The main reason why I wrote this guide is that there was to much nagging about how nerfed the Fixer was with Shadowlands and all. I’ve grabbed Fiix’s pre-14.5 guide and twinked it to what I think is a decent up-to-date guide. Hope you like it!

Chapter One: What is a Fixer? - A brief description as to what we are.
Chapter Two: Breeds - What breed suits your play style?
Chapter Three: Abilities and Skills. -Where should I spend my IPs?
Chapter Four: Blitzing - What it is and how to do it.

Chapter One: What is a Fixer? - A brief description as to what we are.
What is a fixer? Some people think of us as useless for anything but our run-, NCU- and hot buffs. Others think of us as a nice bunch they can ask to fetch items for. Yet others just don’t know what fixers are, can and will do. So, what can we do? Well, we do run pretty fast, and we seem to be able to find almost everything on Rubi-Ka. And people do like to have someone with them that can

Chapter Two: Breeds - What breed suits your play style?

Atrox: Is the breed with the most HP. The difference is that Opifex and Solitus get 3hp per body dev while Atrox gets 4hp for each body dev. point. So this means when fixer breed caps at 666 (I think this is the right number) Atrox will have 666 more hp they others and twice as much compared to Nanomage. The skill that Atrox lacks is intelligence which will have to be compensated with some heavier implanting or by putting up a few towers. Also they will have a lower nano pull that means about 1000 or more nano less then others.

Nanomage: This breed has a lot of nanopool but lacks in hp greatly. That on the other hand does not make them gimps. Nanomages have great intelligence and that translates in more points in nano skills and lesser implantations so you can concentrate on weapons or other skills to implant. Also with a big nano pool you can root and snare more times then the others.

Solitus: Has a 300 HP advantage over Opifex breed at level 200, easier choice of armor and no dark blue Stamina. A good all-round breed, that doesn’t stand out in the crowd. Might have a bit harder time to equip some of the high-end armor, items and guns, but nothing that cant be fixed with implants.

Opifex: Agility and Sense are green and the cap is over 500, which translate, in additional points in the weapon skills like SMG and Burst, which at the end adds additions attack rating. Also some specific fixer items may require agility or stamina to wear so if you don't wont to implant every time you want wear it.

[Littlerock]

Chapter Three: Abilities and Skills. -Where should I spend my IPs?

Abilities:
Basically you will have to raise all abilities almost constantly. Now you don't have to max them all out, but you should focus on Agility and Sense, as those are the main fixer abilities. Intelligence is another good thing to max, or at least keep as high as possible, as the tickledown in this ability raises all your nano-skills and your complit. Stamina should be high on the list too as it helps your Body dev raise, and thus gives you more hit points. Body dev is one of the skills you always should max, as you need your hit points. Raise your Nano Pool as you see fit. Make sure you have enough to cast the best nanos you can get.

Skills
There are an assortment of skills that you should max at all times. SMG and Burst, to be able to equip the best gun possible, runspeed, dodge ranged and evade close combat, to be able to get to and survive a mission. At level 112 I had 1150 run speed, and I kept on maxing it. Why? It’s getting you there, and it’s great when blitzing. (You will learn more on Blitzing in chapter four.) Ranged initiative is the next skill to max, as it will help you when you have got to fight. Nano resistance is useful, but you don’t need to max it. Fixer with grid armor might have a great advantage since the GA also adds NR we can be the best in it, which means resist roots and snares. Complit is green to fixer and its easy to rise. Try to get it to 801 points, so you can use the Nano Formula Recompiler that adds 400 to nano initiative, and it takes 800 comp lit to hack a ql 200 surgery clinic. You will have to raise treatment from day one of you character in order to be able to use the best implants you can get. First aid is also a decent skill, but thanks to our HoTs (Healings over Time) we don’ need to max this skill. Raised it enough to be able to use the ql 125 first aid kits from the store because that is the highest ql you can buy.

Breaking and entering is a very useful skill for hacking and opening chests. When you can reach around 420 B&E buffed at lower level stop till you can afford the IP to raise it further to 800+. At 420 you can open any chest in ql 200 mission, after that only use is to hack items, but you can leave that to other fixers so you save IP. You should try to raise Map navigation to 130 fast, so you can use the map upgrades. If you’re lucky, or well connected, you will be able to buy one of the lowest ql Yalmahas so you should try to raise or implant vehicle air to around 100. The best way to do this is to buy the Yalm first, and then spend the IP

Nano skills
Before we start talking about nano skills be sure to note that you will need to make a NCU Hacker Interface. This is a tool that helps fixers with the nano skills, and it’s levelling along with you.
As a fixer you will notice that all the nano skills are dark blue, and therefore cost a lot to rise. Let me break the skills down for you: MM is used for HoTs, Damage Buffs, Grid Nanos, NCU buffs and Grid Armor, so this is one of the most important skills. Raise it as fast as you can. BM is used for HoTs only, but since we love HoTs, we try to keep this skill high as well. MC is used only for Grid Armor and the Summon line. If you don’t plan to use the GA, you really should leave this skill alone. If you want to use the GA, you should use implants to raise it as far as you can before you start putting IP into it. TS is used for Run buffs, Roots, Snares, HoTs, NCU buffs and Grid Armor, and is also one of the skills that should receive a lot of attention from you. PM is used for Roots, Grid nanos, SMG buffs and B&E buffs. Again, raise it fast and high. SI is used for Run buffs, Snares, Damage buffs, Grid nanos, NCU, SMG buffs and B&E buffs and should be given a lot of IP love. In essence, all the nano skills need love, except the MC that you don’t need if you don’t want to use the GA. If you need to prioritize, you should try to keep TS about 2/3 of your SI and BM skill is at because it's required less. The next two skills you have to look out for is PM and MM. Usually if a line needs both they are required in the same amount so keep them equal if you can, or if you think SMG buffs are more important to you raise PM In any case at high level they will end up about the same around 787.

[Littlerock]

Chapter Four: Blitzing - What it is and how to do it.

Blitzing in a nutshell: Get the highest run buff you can. Cast both the long lasting and the short lasting HoT. Pull your agg/def bar to full def and run as fast as you can through the mission looking for your objective... When you find it, do what you’re supposed to do (repair, find person, find item etc) and then wait for the mission complete message. If you’re still alive, hit your evac and presto, you’re in the grid with your reward.
As you can see, blitzing is a easy to learn, hard to master skill. Unfortunately there are no implants for it, and nowhere to put your precious IP, so you’ll have to do this the way all the fixers have done it before you.

(This section is taken from a post at the Official Fixer forum, and it’s written by D-day)

Old-school blitzers knew how to succeed because other than speed, they knew where the "find item" was most likely to be found. It used to be near the "back" rooms of a mission in the corner sections. However, with subsequent patches, FC has put items in harder to find locations (which sometimes equates to right out in the open).
The best way to become good at blitzing is simply, practice. Eventually you will start developing a sense to where an item will be found. Those of us that have been doing this since the beginning will concur, its a sixth sense of knowing when to stop and look around and when to keep running.
Remember the item location in the "fireplace & stool room" when the item was located between the two hanging flaps leading towards the hidden back room? Remember the item hiding behind the false room around behind the pool of water in the "L" shaped rooms?
It takes practice and lots of it. Even though the placement of items is more random now than it ever was, those that blitz a lot will still develop an intuition as to where the item is.
The only hard and fast rules we can give you is, get as much speed as possible, as much HoT as possible and as much evade as possible and then keep a simple pattern of running as possible (make every right turn or make every left turn, etc). Only with practice will you get good.

And here is what Seraphael wrote in the same thread:
• Clicksaver is your most valued tool, use it.
• Finding mission/item: Repair or find person type missions are the easiest as the objectives are larger and easier to discover (find person can often also be seen on map if you have sufficient map upgrade). In most cases the objectives are located in either far end corner in the mission area. Accept a good amount of blitz missions and some will be in the same zone. Fixer grid is a must.
• Mission setting: I prefer max money (you will never get xp for pure blitzes). Max open (for less locked doors/traps). If animas is your thing, pick up missions are a very easy and fast way to get the mission (you loose out on mission completion creds though, because the anima is most often the item you'll have to pick up and not the actual reward). Order is good for more ranged mobs, these can't run while hitting you as melee mobs do. Generally order mission areas are larger but more easily navigated. Experiment to find what setting gives most of the particular type of missions you want (this changes as you accept more missions though).
• Blitzing for creds: All ql200 battle suits except the desert and probably enhanced one sell for a fair amount of cash. Anima of the Abomination (ql239) is the second best direct cred blitz items and the ql212 anima is also a good bet. Save the items in a bag and get a highlevel trader to sell them for you at the trader shop for much better yield.
• Blitzing items for sale: Just ask youself what is attractive to others (this will change with every few patches and more attractive items are implemented). Some evergreens are NCUs ql130-200, ql200 recompilers, blitzable top profession weapons.

Blitz preparation:
• Buffs: Get the best run and Hot you can (generally your own should do though). Essence and reflect could help you untill you get more comfortable blitzing.
• Get your bearings: Remember what direction the exit is (if you can't find the mission objective, running out and loosing pursuit is often the best course of action).
• Double check: Turn off mob auto attack. Cast short Hot just before you run, Go full def.

Inside:
• Extra loot: Check for loot if you still haven't been aggroed, sometimes you can find some random goodies. If you run fast enough away you can often loose aggro.
• Have key, stims on the ready. If you run in the wrong direction dont hesitate to use area snare on the pursuing horde. Evac only as a last resort.
• Mission completed: Wait for the mission completion sound before evacing, otherwise the reward item will be lost. Do not evac at all if you have more missions in the same zone.

Grid Armor is a good asset, but if you know your stuff then it really isn't needed. I have blitzed ql250 missions without much difficulty naked. Which reminds me; if you do use GA then check if its still on before running

Saerra added this little note:

If you're having trouble with the "find item" missions - start by blitzing "find person" missions first. Some people (including me!) find those a bit easier because:
- "people" (or mobs) are easier to see than little boxes (bigger target)
- people/mobs show up on your mini-map (assuming you have map upgrades, if you don't - get them ) - so you can watch your map and fairly easily see whether or not a room *might* have the target (i.e. empty rooms don't )
- Also, easier to see because, in general, most rooms have 1 or 2 mobs in them, if you see a room with *three* you know *one* of them must be your target
- AND, as if that weren't enough - sometimes you get lucky and the "person" to be found will actually be a monster, in a mission full of people (or vice versa) - in which case, you see them as the only red dot in a sea of white dots (or vice versa) on your map, and can run straight for them
So, you don't get as much money/loot, but it's a good way to get some practice and get the feel of running around like crazy.
[In a similar vein, some people consider "repair" missions easier than find item missions as well, again, because your "target" is larger, thus harder to miss, than the little boxes ]
Another tip, if you find yourself with a huge train of mobs that you aren't losing - get them into one place, preferably a little side room that you won't have to go through again, and throw an area snare or two. You can then either run out, or grid out, and re-enter the mission. Just make sure you keep enough nano to grid out at the end
And for goodness' sake, if you do solo missions, pay attention to where you find the mission item! It will help develop your sense of where to go when you do blitz. When you're doing a solo mission, take a look at the map when you get inside, and see if you can guess where the reward will be.
And, yes, runspeed is your friend. Being able to outrun mobs when blitzing is very very nice lol.

And Kaghelion told us that:
- If your machine can handle the load, blitz in 3rd person mode to get a better view. Make sure you don't get any freeze-ups or stalls when you go through doors, that will kill you.
- Runspeed is THE most important thing. Evades, GA, SWS only helps you if you can outrun the mobs.
- Remove any reflect or damage shields! They will only make sure that you aggro 100% of the mobs.
- Any room with stairs and ledges are good spots to "park" mobs chasing you. Using area snares also helps.
- Prepare your quickbar's so you have one just for blitzing. You might also prepare a special quickbar to use when you've been drained, doubles as a Pvp-backup-quickbar too.
- Mission Objects are most often NOT the first (series of) rooms left and right. More often the MOs can be found at the other end of the mission. The location of MOs can of course be changed without any warning in the next patch so don't be surprised if some old rule suddenly doesn't apply.

So, there is the basics. Now all you have to do is Practice! Go out there and pull easy missions, even missions with all grey mobs, and start running. And remember, as Gene13 stated: You can have all the runspeed in the world, but if you don't know where the MOB is you're just some dude running around in a cave, waiting to get lucky.

[Kiisu]

Fight the power!

And sticky this thread.

[Littlerock]

Soon to come:

Fixers in Team

Got input? Mail me at Agna_Fixer@yahoo.com

[Littlerock]

Soon to come:

Fixers in Shadowlands.

Got input? Mail me at Agna_Fixer@yahoo.com

[Littlerock]

Soon to come:

Very useful equipment.

Got input? Mail me at Agna_Fixer@yahoo.com

Fixer Nanos at Auno.org placed here for now

Topspeeder's list of fixer-related items you need to camp

[Fresh]

bump

[Gene13]

When you're done, link to Fiixs old guide and PM Cz about replacing the old guide.

/G13

[Takalon]

sticky

[________________DMRX]

Stick this one.
Good thread.

[Littlerock]

bump

-still need input-

[Vega2x]

i think u may add implant setups and weapon choices. as well armor choices/breed.
all of these was covered in some good old threads, but is bit outdated. especially implants - cause of jobs and armor - cause carbs and CAS became so available. weapons - lots of changes since 14.4 and up to now 15.4

[Compute]

Nice guide. Just to let you know though, GA isn't the only fixer nano that requires MC. We also have summon armor/weapons/ammo nanos that use it. ;D

[Seraphael]

Originally posted by Agna
Chapter One: What is a Fixer? - A brief description as to what we are.
What is a fixer? Some people think of us as useless for anything but our run-, NCU- and hot buffs. Others think of us as a nice bunch they can ask to fetch items for. Yet others just don’t know what fixers are, can and will do. So, what can we do? Well, we do run pretty fast, and we seem to be able to find almost everything on Rubi-Ka. And people do like to have someone with them that can

Good thread, sticky this. Chapter one seems to be incomplete though. Perhaps mention something of our hacker template, inclination towards gadgets and our gun-fu fighting style?

Perhaps add a db link on NCUHI and give a short description on how to make one.

[Seraphael]

Another thing; mention the fixer grid quests and place a link on how to solve these.

[Takalon]

That's easy, link anarchyarcanum if it's allowed.

EDIT: For the part of fixer grid quests that is

[Spirit]

Very nice

when we'll have professionals - make it sticky


and I beg new professional whoever they will be remove sticky tags from all our ticky threads except lyric, they're really really outdated + ga thread, which might confuse new fixers.

[Vega2x]

GA thread should be left stickied. not that would stop GA questions.

[Sjonkel]

Bump!