Thecla

When I went through the game with Katrina I maxed out both Magic Bullet and Markswomen, but I really don't think they did much for me at all. She mows down regular mobs very easily, and once you get empowered Heartseeking shot it makes any ricochets almost irrelevant. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't put any points in either one.

I don't know about the other characters, but as far as a HC rifle-using Katarina goes, a guide is virtually irrelevant --- except for how to get by a few bosses, like Rajani, Ehregott and Chakti, and there almost everything else also seems irrelevant apart from dodge-dodge-dodge-hit-dodge-dodge, and a few specific strategies, like taking Rajani's fire form up close and dodge-rolling from one place to the other when she teleports.

I don't think the game is too hard --- though maybe combat relies too much on an invulnerable dodge mechanic --- but it is a bit odd how much harder some of the boss fights are than everything else. Playing hardcore with Kat, and only half-way through or so, I basically blast through everything without even thinking until I get to a major Boss, and then I die multiple times until figuring out how to play the encounter without making too many mistakes.