Ok for the hard mode here is my build.

 

Veteran

Operative

 

Concentration toward a stealth gamplay to avoid overwhelming gunfire

 

Stealth 5 (ASAP!)

ASAP! at 5 you unlock awareness master plus you have basic evasion just in case

 

Pistol 15 (level 5 ASAP!)

The best weapon line of all IMHO. Get to level 5 ASAP for cover targeting. I also found chain shot to be highly efficient on boss fights once you can fire three times or more with Steel Core Rounds

 

SMG 3

Basic veteran ability. very litle use for it beside cover fire and at level 3 you already have a basic bullet storm option so no need for further investment.

 

Shotgun 3 (maybe 4)

Basic veteran ability. I do not use shotguns at all. If I was to use it maybe one more point might become usefull for the +3 damage, but otherwise no need really.

 

Assault Rifles 3 (or 10 maybe???)

This is the ONE skill where I could use help. So far I have been using mainly pistol and martial arts. On hard mode there might be an increase need for long range options. Probably worth investing extra points in if only for the quiet long range kills with subsonic bullets.

 

Sabotage 7

ASAP! from immunity to your gadget, to breaking and entering, basic binary invisibility and of course the life saving spy luck! this is IMHO essential to level almost immediately. Anything past 7 is probably overkill but up to there, the entire line is awesome and cheap!

 

Technical Aptitude 10 or 15

The entire line is incredible! at higher levels you can pack almost every gadget out there and your heals become insane. Not the highest priority, but defenetly worth leveling when points allow. Bring to ten if you want to specialize in martial arts instead.

 

Toughness 15 (level 10 ASAP)

On hard, toughness is a requisite. At least to level 10 for the Hard to kill ability. I personaly bump that one all the way to 15.

 

Martial Arts 10 (or 15 maybe???)

Ok. personaly I love that line. I would recommend bringing it up to 10. I have noticed that a lot of boss fights end up in close quarters so martial arts seems to be IMHO more valuable than any other weapon line with the exeption of pistol. The problem is that if you do not invest in that line, you will be completely ineffective. I left it at blank in my first playthrough and even a low level goon would mop the floor with me in direct melee. I leveled it to 10 the second time and I was feeling like Chuck Norris, cleaning up entire waves of NPCs in mere seconds.

 

Here it is.

I hope it proves valuable to some.

Feel free to give me feedback with suggestions.

Edited June 7, 201015 yr by Scorpion27

You realise you can disperse the starting AP as you see fit, right? If you don't use shotguns or smgs, put the points somewhere else. You can begin the game with five ranks in Stealth.

 

If you're playing with a Veteran, you're not really playing "hard".

 

I would argue the point that toughness is necessary for hard mode, too. If you're focusing on high levels of stealth and pistols, you'll never really need it... because you're not shot at nearly enough. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE that line for my guns-blazing soldier, but I think the points are best spent elsewhere if you're doing a stealth build. Most of the time you'll be cleaning out rooms with shadow operative.

 

Mmm.... Shadow Operative. Overpowered, perhaps, yet glorious all the same.

Edited June 7, 201015 yr by Ulicus

ok its a cheap shot I know! hehehe! But I did go through the trouble of playing as a damn recruit!

 

The build is more way to take care of the "uber-boss" frustration and help me (and other) get the achievment/trophy with minimum frustration.

 

Thanks for the input on point redistribution!!!

 

EPIC!!!

 

I had not thought of that one!

Chain Shot = Dead boss. Really don't need more.

 

Sometimes (due to the cutscenes) you need 2, but that's the max (well, with 5 crits at a time that is, maybe 3 with basic).

Hard/Veteran is actually harder than Normal/Recruit, especially on the boss fights. I died 12 times tops on the whole game on normal/recruit. About 6 of them on the final mission. I think I am already over 12 now in my 3rd hub on hard/veteran. Of course I was playing normal/recruit with pistol/stealth/AR and hard/veteran with stealth/shotgun/nades primarily. I haven't tried a character with no stealth yet but I can't imagine having no stealth in a spy game.

Edited June 7, 201015 yr by Spydude

I feel conforted by the fact that most players seem to agree on chain shot.

 

For boss fights and end game scenarios I would still recommend maxing toughness even as a stealth player.

 

Now pushing the stealth line a few more point especially in light of the "veteran points redistribution at start" trick mentionned earlier (I tested it. It works!) might be worth a try.

I don't like using cheat (chain) shot since it is so easy. I dumped the SMG for a pistol with the basic chain shot just in case though. shotgun/smg stinks on hard.

@ Spydude:

Try hard/recruit (as I did). Ouch.

Not having Chain Shot nor Stealth might have something to do with that, but still, enemies HURT.

For boss fights and end game scenarios I would still recommend maxing toughness even as a stealth player.

It probably comes in handy, but it's perfectly doable without. My first playthrough was Recruit/Hard and I didn't go near toughness (I only had so many points, after all!). Of course, I barely knew how to play, so I didn't have anything approaching a good build until towards the end of the game... in other words, I accidentally made everything much harder for myself.

 

Ironically, I found myself relying on the AR (in the early game) all the time for snipes... even though I didn't have a single AP invested.

Depends on what you want to do, but if you feel boss fights are too hard/frustrating, definitely go for pistols. High level chain shots can be used to 'cheese' past bosses very easily.

 

I'd recommend Sabotage for anyone who plays on Hard - the minigame difficulty seems to increase as well, and if you're interested in picking every lock and such, you'll see quite a few of the hardest minigames (11/12-node alarms, 5 lockpicks in 10 seconds, 4/5-node hacking games with quick resets). I thought minigames were too easy in Normal, but I got caught out by a few of them, so invested in Sabotage and EMPs.

Depends on what you want to do, but if you feel boss fights are too hard/frustrating, definitely go for pistols. High level chain shots can be used to 'cheese' past bosses very easily.

 

I'd recommend Sabotage for anyone who plays on Hard - the minigame difficulty seems to increase as well, and if you're interested in picking every lock and such, you'll see quite a few of the hardest minigames (11/12-node alarms, 5 lockpicks in 10 seconds, 4/5-node hacking games with quick resets). I thought minigames were too easy in Normal, but I got caught out by a few of them, so invested in Sabotage and EMPs.

 

I was thinking of playing on hard, but now i won't bother, there is really no point in it, you don't get anything as a bonus for doing it, do you?

Yes, sabotage to the max if you are into hacking and else. Also, since the monies are tight and the equipment is more expensive, sabotage will help.

 

If you are into pistols, I recommend to max it, since tranq headshot are not that silent, you can hit but the bloke screams or fire his gun... as well as a better pistol, a top one with high accuracy and damage.

 

Toughness is useful for taking damage since the enemies can take you down with 2 shots!

I was thinking of playing on hard, but now i won't bother, there is really no point in it, you don't get anything as a bonus for doing it, do you?

 

It's more challenging. If you find that fun, sure. If you don't, nope.

 

Using Hard/Recruit SMG specialist now with ini tweaks to make enemies hear you easier & deal more damage, you do have to play quite differently.

I was thinking of playing on hard, but now i won't bother, there is really no point in it, you don't get anything as a bonus for doing it, do you?

Well, if you're a trophy whore like me (or achievement if you play 360), then playing on Hard is necessary for the Platinum. If you play on PC, I guess it isn't really worth it.

 

Question, how much does Breaking and Entering (Master) in the Sabotage tree help with the mini-games in hard mode? I'm almost done with my Recruit/Judge, Jury and Executioner playthrough, and I'm about to start my Hard/Veteran/Ask Questions First, Shoot Later/Thorton, Inc. playthrough. I want to know what to expect. Will Breaking and Entering help, or will I have to resort to EMP charges anyway?