TenTonHammer.com - Taking Tabula Rasa Gamers to the Next Level!

The Dead Shall Rise to Fight Again

by: Taea

Do you enjoy the smell of dead bodies in the morning? Perhaps you’re a recycling fiend who would like to reuse the Bane enemy that you kill, and still be a healing asset to your squad? Then look no further than the Exobiologist, Tabula Rasa’s answer to the Necromancer.

How to become an Exobiologist: An Exobiologist begins like all players as a recruit in bootcamp. At the end of level 4 you will train as a Specialist in Alia Das, and continue working on your levels. Just before level 15, you will be directed to your local trainers again, probably at the Twin Pillars base in Wilderness. Choose to become a Biotechnician, and work your way through to level 30. The final tier trainers are found all over, but you’ll first see them inside Foreas Base in Divide. After training as an Exobiologist, you will receive the following abilities:

-Signature Abillity: Reanimation Wave Popping this ability will bring to life all nearby enemy bodies within 25 meters (biological only, no ‘bots), and make them your friends. The trick is to kill as many different kinds of Bane as you can quickly, in one area, before the bodies decompose. If you can avoid looting the bodies, they will last a lot longer. You won’t have any real control over them, but they do seem to exhibit an interest in keeping you alive. Caretakers will heal you, Technicians will repair your armor, and they’ll all throw random shots at whatever is attacking you. These zombies will last for 2 minutes, after which they poof into green smoke. Reanimation Wave requires 100% adrenaline, and the following Logos: Life from Divide, Negative from Divide, Spirit from Torden Mires and Vortex From Valverde Plateau. Note: Vortex requires Eloh, Empower, Only, The and Strong.

-Hortimonculus: Here you can target a dead enemy body to grow a new plant that gives off a healing aura within 20 meters, and a random resistance buff. You and your squadmates can also use/click the plant to receive a direct heal. Each click of the plant will reduce its life, so use it wisely. We didn’t get much use out of this ability, but in high pressure situations, every bit of healing power can help. At pump 1 the ability requires 1 Medical Grade Micromech and 50 power, has a base level of health available and 10% resist buff. It scales up to 5 micromech, 150 power, larger health pool, 50% resistance buff at pump 5. Hortimonculus requires the Logos Summon in Divide, Life from Divide, Control from Pravus Instance off Wilderness and Friend in Divide.

-Cadaver Immolation: Not content to merely shoot the bad guy dead, you want to use the body as an exploding bomb. Target an enemy body and cast, wait 5 seconds, and see that Thrax Soldier erupt. The resulting violent explosion will burn nearby enemies, and is a lot of fun to watch. At pump 1 you will spend 1 Medical Grade Micromech and 25 power, and get extreme damage in a 12 meter range. At pump 5 you spend 5 micromech and 125 power for a 20 meter range. Cadaver Immolation requires the Logos Damage in Wilderness, Area in Wilderness, Around in Crater Lake Instance off Wilderness and Death in Incline.

-Reanimation: In contrast to Reanimation Wave, this ability works on single targets only. Raise the dead for a new 2 minute long new best friend. They are about as useful as the previously mentioned pets, in that you have no real control over what they do. Your level of skill determines the level of the creature you bring to life. At pump 1 you spend 1 Medical Grade Micromech and 50 power to create a new ally 4 levels lower than yourself. The ability scales up to pump 5 with still only 1 micromech, but 150 power, and a combatant equal to your level. Reanimation requires the Logos Summon in Divide, Life in Divide, Negative in Divide and Spirit in Torden Mires.

-Create Clone: No one will call you vain for making a replica of yourself. After all, who better can you trust? The clone will use only the weapon you are holding at the time you create her, and also has the ability to use a basic skill like Lightning. Casting with one weapon in hand, then switching yourself to a different damage type will give you a good mix of damage against the mobs.
*Pump 1 gives you a Doppelganger that lasts 1 minute, is 5 levels lower and costs 100 power and 2 Medical Grade Micromech.
*Pump 2 is Caricature for 90 seconds, 4 level difference, at 2 micromech and 125 power cost.
*Body Double is pump 3, 3 level difference, 2 minute duration at 2 micromech and 150 power.
*Stand-In is pump 4, 2 levels lower, 2.5 minute duration at 175 power and 2 micromech.
*Finally there is Dead Ringer at pump 5, 1 level lower, 3 minute duration at 200 power and 2 micromech. Create Clone requires the Logos Self in Wilderness, Friend in Divide, Summon in Divide and Here in Wilderness.

Older skills you still use: Everyone plays differently, but these abilites from your Specialist and Biotechnician days will help you as an Exobiologist.

Injection Guns: This weapon skill, gained as a Biotechnician, represents the primary offensive weapon you will use. Injectors give you a nice range of 50 meters, and do an impressive amount of targeted damage. Take this one to at least Pump 3, where you first start to get some armor penetration bonus.

Bio and Hazmat Armors: These armors, gained at Biotechnician and Specialist tiers respectively, will both be used throughout your life as an Exobiologist. Hazmat is good for the higher body armor and damage type resistance, and Bio has a fast regen bonus and squad-wide regen buff. You may want to wear a mixture of both types to get some of all of the benefits. Pump both of these up to at least 2 or 3 to make them more effective.

Bio Augmentation: Great for soloing, and helpful in squads, this ability gives a 4 minute buff. The pump level determines which stats are increased: Health, Power, Body, Mind then Spirit. In your early days, this should be raised to at least level 2 to give your power-hungry class and extra bit of fuel.

Cure: Thou shalt pump this Biotechnician skill to 3, that thou mayest raise thy dead squadmates. Boy, will they thank you when they don’t have to run back through the whole instance.

Tools: Again, pumping to 3 will allow you to use a direct healing disc to raise the dead, keep armor repaired, and help you use those cipher tools on the sneaky locked crates. A direct repair tool should stay on your weapon tray at all times, and will be your most used item, behind your weapons.

Have we missed anything, or do you want to give us some feedback? Please send us a note, then stop by our forums to join our Tabula Rasa discussions.