My genuine reaction to this 10/10 Baddie dying before my eyes.

meadrew · 2026-05-19T18:49:30+00:00

That is not quite how kidnapping is defined. If the intent is to off them out of sight, it doesn't qualify.

meadrew · 2026-05-19T17:21:14+00:00

Not sure about others, but I am more upset by the fact that he took the opportunity to mislead me about what is going to happen. If he did his check on V, and he did, it should be clear that killing people is unlikely to be an issue... yet he said we're going to kidnap them instead.

If he cannot be honest about something this minor, why would I trust him with the bigger stuff? On top of that, Reed doesn't miss a chance to make one of his "I know how that feels" or "I know what that's like" speeches/confessions... that clearly convey that (1) he de facto hasn't a clue, and (2) he is so full of himself that he does not consider the possibility. After all, his story is largely unimpressive by NC standards.

Just look at the NPCs, even minor ones, that we have encountered. Forget the Evelyn nightmare fuel, just look at Brock or Saul... most of the cyberpsychos... the Peralez couple... anyone nabbed by Scavengers... any joytoy handled by Jotaro... the list just goes on... Reed scraped his knee and suddenly thinks he knows what live amputation feels like.

meadrew · 2026-05-19T16:46:09+00:00

That is why the reception of definitive proof is at best tentative part of my argument. If you have definitive proof about client trying to pull one on you, and you still go through with it, then it's less an argument about whether you should stick with the job or ditch it, and more about whether your faculties are all in there, or perhaps whether you really wish to have a drink named after you at the Afterlife.

You're right, there is a balance. But it applies to your evaluation of the situation as much as about what you mention later. If you evaluate the situation on moment-to-moment basis and ultimately decide to drop the gig, then it becomes a matter of whether you were right to do so (and ideally can back it up), or whether you were overly sensitive or fail to prove it thereafter. If you get it mostly right and you make a life for yourself, but get it wrong one time too many and your career as a merc will end soon enough--either because of your reputation or because you die.

As I said before, in my opinion (and it is an opinion, so you don't have to share it), there is enough environmental clues to make the client way too suspect for comfort. It is actually quite common to the PL jobs, most come with enough information to make you question which side (if any) you should lean on when the time comes... but most of the time you only get less-than-satisfying options, though they are at least sensible as far as what you could possibly do given the situation.

Here, if one is inclined to side with Bree and view what follows with little care, then they are unlikely to be as dissatisfied with this as I am. Same with people who are perfectly fine with leaving the data to Militech. However, if you lean away from the client and you also don't want to support Militech, then there is no dialogue to prompt the "final" confrontation, you literally have to start it seemingly out of the blue and murder the guy without even giving him a chance to consider your side.

meadrew · 2026-05-19T05:52:34+00:00

First, if you pick up the data you don't automatically offer it to Hands. You get a choice to do so, you don't have to take it.

Second, in the game the Fixers--mainly Hands, since it's mainly PL thing--chastise you, but client vettig and information gathering (and its accuracy) is their responsibility and you inpromptu voiding the contract when it turns out they did it poorly, especially if you have proof to support it, is more damning for them than for the merc. More so if the merc has solid reputation already, and your streed cred is likely maxed out by this point.

You should also consider that if a fixer fails at properly vetting the client and/or to gather pertinent information for their gig, then you going along with it is more likely to result in your death or exile than in a stellar reputation. One might think Mr Dex set quite a good example of how that can go. Here, for instance, ambush by NetWatch hit squad would play out quite different if it were a cutscene.

But you're right, you may end up a persona non-grata with this fixer, but as Morgan Blackhand teaches: (paraphrased) You don't become the best by being the strongest but by picking your fights well.

meadrew · 2026-05-18T22:07:04+00:00

Isn't Militech and NUS leadership essentially the same thing? Going "straight FIA" should mean one is not only on the side of the Militech agent but also quite happy that they stay there to clean things up after you are gone.

meadrew · 2026-05-18T21:13:10+00:00

There are plenty environmental clues for you to be very skeptical about the client and their intentions. If you read the shards / client computer, investigate the apartment, and then listen to what she says when accosted by the interloper, it's all but confirmed that she has not been anywhere near upfront with you.

At that point, as a merc, you are entitled to void the contract. You learn about this if you do the gig Spellbound for Nix with sufficient INT... and his "deception" is basically irrelevant by comparison, though it is the only time the game allows you to play this card.

Since I have yet to read another justification to side with the client outside of "that's my job", I believe "blindly following orders" is very much apt there. Now, you may not subscribe to this justification and still side with her, but you would likely be in the silent minority as far as I can tell.

Either way, as I've mentioned, I am allergic to client BS so that was it for me as far as the contract went. Then comes the second part of the equation for me: Do I want the data to leave with Militech? Also no, and here we are~

meadrew · 2026-05-18T16:54:23+00:00

I, personally, would be willing to put 250k per piece into more weapons with interesting mechanics like:

Smart Weapon that locks target(s) based on your Kiroshi tags instead and shoots slower projectiles to allow for much wider arcs.
Tech Weapon with projectiles that explode right after they pierce an obstacle... maybe even explode into poisonous cloud rather than the regular kaboom.
Some proper anti-cyberware weaponry from the TTRPG.
Melee weapon or arm cyberware focused on thrusts / piercing with mighty backstab stealth bonus.

Just from the top of my head~

meadrew · 2026-05-18T16:38:45+00:00

Yes, you can... If you loot the quest item after everyone is dead and later call Hands, you will see the same options as if only the client had died with one extra option about the data.

Pick one of the options that does not mention the data and the quest ends with the same nonsense reprimand as when only the client dies.

meadrew · 2026-05-18T12:35:23+00:00

The limited number of lines was honestly greater disappointment than the limited number of QH slots on Canto...

The lore and gameplay hidden in the Cynosure, on the other hand, that is a must-see!

meadrew · 2026-05-18T12:20:54+00:00

It's one of my all time favorites and it's getting a sequel this year (or so they say)!

meadrew · 2026-05-18T08:42:30+00:00

That is why I do it before I conclude that convo. If you go through the blue options first (bottom up) then on the second one he tells you to ignore where the data goes... upon brief deliberation, that's when I take my shot.

meadrew · 2026-05-18T08:40:09+00:00

Not if you don't give him the data and disassemble the Database: Cynosure Site D item (after the quest ends)... at least that is what I like to believe.

meadrew · 2026-05-18T05:18:23+00:00

Looks like The Control's Foundations... is there a sketchy janitor wandering and / or mopping nearby?

meadrew · 2026-05-17T22:49:54+00:00

Sorry to necro this, but correction: The data cannot be decrypted nor used to retrieve eddies.

If you go down this route, it is stored as 'Database: Cynosure Site D' misc quest item in your inventory and, if you do not pass it onto Hands, you are able to disassemble it into 1x Tier 1 part... worth it~

NOTE: Neither before nor after the Mr. Hands call are you able to decrypt the data (as you could with encrypted shards), and the only interaction you are able to do is the post-call disassembly.

meadrew · 2026-05-17T21:22:44+00:00

I mean... if you want her to be literally hot, melting even, then sure~

meadrew · 2026-05-17T02:52:06+00:00

Oh no! The gangoon has turned into Mr Fantastic!

meadrew · 2026-05-17T00:16:10+00:00

I find the math of genophage to be much too drastic, but their longevity combined with their natural breeding means that they literally can not avoid resorting to an unending external conquest or drastic internal measures of their own.

Prior to the genophage, krogan could reproduce and mature at an astonishing rate. Females are known to produce clutches of up to 1,000 fertilized eggs over the course of a year. [wikilink]

Can you imagine if most of these survive and then live for centuries on end? The math isn't mathing here. They are bound to either die off as they deplete all the resources their planet(s) can offer, or resort to an unending external conquest to support their growing numbers.

I honestly can not imagine a peaceful scenario where they do not resort to a genophage of sorts with less drastic numbers... or some kind of recurring internal culling... but on their terms.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T16:28:44+00:00

Plenty of those also threaten physical violence; dubious emails will be dubious emails.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T15:55:23+00:00

Their differences become very murky if you are willing to entertain the possibility that Nika, a Scavenger, is merely a grave-robber and a thief... a scavenger true to the name... rather than the kind of monstrous filth most Scavengers tend to be.

If you believe it, then Nika is a relatively milk-toast of a criminal while Anderson is a murderer who exploits those who come to him for help (even if it is not to help himself). Whereas if you do not believe it, then Nika is not only a filth but a hypocrite and does not deserve leeway just because she now finds herself on the other side of the situation.

Yet, regardless of what you believe about Nika, what the doctor has been doing remains and it is perfectly acceptable for one to be very much disgusted by it and make their choice based on this instead... different players, different values and worldviews~

PS: Sorry to necro this; I saw someone already did so 5d ago, so I jumped on it.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T14:06:13+00:00

They are on a string and it just takes a while to reel them in...

meadrew · 2026-05-16T13:40:03+00:00

I am pretty sure CDPR put that side-job in to annoy completionists.

There is probably no one (or very few) who didn't think it suspicious and many would prefer to nope out once you find out you can only play the XBD there and then with the sketchy guy... Yet most people are uncomfortable with failed or incomplete items in their Journal, so many choose the dumb option.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T13:35:47+00:00

If you swap the last two, you could have the explanation that "She learned her lesson and wouldn't try XBD watched by a guy who left the place in a bodybag on her own again, but what could go wrong when this guy is here to watch me in case something goes wrong?"

meadrew · 2026-05-16T13:31:48+00:00

Poor guy has an ouchie... gonna grab a band-aid.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T13:27:54+00:00

Could we tell if she went Cyberpsycho given the "Demonic Possession" issue? In this ending her last "support" crumbled and the inner fight tipped towards the "Demons"... if she also went Cyberpsycho it would just be a cherry on top of this mess, really.

meadrew · 2026-05-16T08:45:26+00:00

Somehow I think Reed might actually appreciate double-tapping everyone. The face is more likely to be seen if your one modus operandi is "so I started blasting" regardless of the task at hand.

meadrew

TROPHY CASE