by: Taea

There’s something a little scary about a person that eats biological warfare for breakfast. Biotechnician is a Specialist class line that studies the biological sciences for power over life and death. The Biotech giveth to her friends, and taketh away from her enemies. They are great soloers for repair and healing abilities, and valued squad mates for the group regen and buff benefits. With an injection gun in hand, and repair tool at the hip, Biotechnicians are prepared for any battle.

How to become a Biotechnician: Biotechnicians begin as a basic recruit in boot camp. At the end of level 4 you need to train as a Specialist in Alia Das, and continue building up your levels. Just before level 15, you will be directed to your local trainers again, either at the Twin Pillars base or Daghda's Urn in Wilderness, or Foreas Base in Divide.

Abilities

Cure:

Cure is the ability to remove negative effects, such as damage over time and stuns, from your comrades. This ability can be cast on the run.

• Pump 1 Cleansing offers a basic cure to a single target within 60 meters.
• Pump 2 Group Cleansing is the same ability, spread to your squad mates that are within a 20 meter radius.
• Pump 3 Resuscitate raises a dead target from 60 meters away, with no rez trauma. This is a step up from the Tools based Rez that only gives 50% health to your comrades.
• Pump 4 Protection cures your single target of harmful effects and leaves them with a 25 second resistance buff.
• Pump 5 Group Resuscitation. Within a 20 meter radius, all dead allies will be brought back to life, and debuffed squad mates will be cured. The short radius range makes pumping this tough to justify, since squads rarely die in tight formation.

Cure is one skill a Biotechnician can probably live without. Tools based rez is usually good enough for most groups, and negative effects do not usually last long enough to be worth curing. Those who take Cure want it for the 100% rez ability. Cure requires the Logos: Enhance, Heal and Control.

Reconstruction:

This is one of the strongest skills a Biotech has at their disposal. Reconstruction is a group heal that also damages any nearby enemies. For the small amount of power, the ability to heal this well for this many people makes Reconstruction a better alternative to using a Healing tool. This ability can be cast while on the run.

• Pump 1, Very High heal and Medium enemy damage.
• Pump 2, Moderate heal over time and Slight enemy damage over time.
• Pump 3, Very High heal and 30% Spirit buff, Medium enemy damage and 30% Spirit debuff
• Pump 4, Moderate Heal over time and Slight Adrenaline boost, Medium enemy damage over time and Adrenaline drain.
• Pump 5, 30% maximum health increase for allies, 30% decrease in maximum health for enemies for 1 minute

Pumps 2 and 3 are marginally useful, unless you have some Spirit hungry members of your squad. the Adrenaline boost in Pump 4 can come in very handy, while the health debuff in Pump 5 is spectacular. Reconstruction requires Logos: Area, Give and Heal.

Bio Augmentation:

Bio Augmentation is the basic buff skill for the Biotechnicians. At each pump level, this skill gives a 15 minute buff that increases different attributes at a cost of 150 Power and 10 Medical Grade Micromech, which can be purchased from any vendor. This ability can be cast while on the run.

• Pump 1 is a 30% Health increase.
• Pump 2 is a 30% increase in Power
• Pump 3 is 30% more Body.
• Pump 4 is 30% increased Mind.
• Pump 5 gives 30% more Spirit.

The 5 types of Bio Augmentation do not stack with each other, meaning you must choose which one attribute you want buffed. For most classes a basic Pump 1 will suffice, or up to Pump 3 for the Body addition. Use of this ability is purely based on playstyle. Bio Augmentation requires Logos: Enhance, Friend and Power.

Skills

Bio Body Armor:

Bio armor is high on body armor, with medium armor regen. Additionally, the Bio armor spreads a Health regen to nearby squad mates. Each piece of bio armor worn increases the regeneration bonus and the regen bonus radius. Pump 1 starts at +2% regen and 5 meter bonus radius, up to +10% per armor piece health regen and 25 meter bonus radius at Pump 5, giving the possiblity of having a 50% Health regen bonus for your squad.

While these benefits are great, you may want to save your skill points for other abilities at your next tier. Bio Body Armor will be the primary armor worn well into your final levels.

Injection Gun:

Here is the reason why we love our Biotechs, and why we giggle when we fight. Injection guns are very powerful on single targets, and can work fast enough to take on groups of enemies with ease. It’s important to remember that the damage from injection guns “tics” over a few seconds, so you don’t want to continuously fire on a target, or you’re just going to waste ammo. Crouch, fire your shot, and watch the damage tic down. Fire again to keep the damage tic’ing on the target until they’re dead. In groups of enemies, you can fire on one target, move to another and fire, then switch back to the first to keep the damage moving efficiently.

There are 4 types of Injection Guns: Incendiary, Electric, Cryogenic and Virulent. Incendiary is usually the most powerful, provided your target isn’t immune; robots are especially vulnerable to fire. Electric works great on Kael, but won’t touch Technicians, Hunters and most robots. Cryogenic works well against Atta and other creatures. Try Virulent against Technicians, and watch their confusion when their constant armor repairing does not help them at all.

Injectors have a range of 50 meters, so you may still use rifles from time to time for longer shots. Keep your shotguns handy for the times when you get a few too many up close and personal. In general, though, you’ll find your injection guns replacing most other guns on your weapons tray.

Pump 1 of Injection Gun training enables the Biotech to wield the gun. Pump 2 offers a 10% damage bonus. Pump 3 is where you’ll first get an armor penetration bonus, in addition to a 20% damage bonus. At a minimum you’ll want to take your training to Pump 3 for the armor penetration. Pumps 4 and 5 increase the damage and armor penetration, and will be incredibly useful as you earn extra training points.

Older skills you still use: Everyone plays differently, but these abilities from your Specialist days will stay with you as a Biotechnician.

Tools: Pump to at least 3 to 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.

Hazmat Armor: Until resistances become more important, Hazmat Armor isn't terribly useful. We suggest not bothering with it, and sticking with the Bio Body Armor.