Neoterra Bolts

I agree with most of what you've written. People also point out the bolts high cost for situationally useful skills or bioimmunity and Vet L1.

I also like the Bolt Hacker for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. I also think the Drop Bear profile is interesting, and fairly unique. The basic Combi-Rifle/LSG is probably the worst, but useful in a link team.

 

@Lieutenant the main purpose of a default Hacking device is enabling REMs and basic Supportware.
WIP or Combat stats don't matter much for that purpose as you do not really want the guy in a Hacking FTF.
The Bolt has a lot of stats, Skills and gear that are nice to have but ultimately make him very expensive for that role or in general.

Bioimmunity is situational, the most common threats on the table like a Shotgun, Chainrifle or HMG to the face will ignore it. On a 1W model you'll still be pretty scared against Mines or Koalas.
Veteran is nice against Isolation and to diminish LOL impact, but as a downside make the Bolt more expensive again.
Community consensus is mostly that Bolts are a bit lacking altogether, although Linked Drop Bears can be force multiplier.

The Bolt's downfall is ultimately the Hexa KHD, which is straight up superior in actual Infowar and regular combat for a similar pricetag and sports TO which is one of the most powerful skills in the game. As a recent addition the Deva AHD is also a lot better in between NWI, WIP15 and the utility of Upgrade Lightning.

 

Infinity is a game where the balance is very robust, and a unit can remain valuable while bearing the disadvantage of a significant number of unoptimised choices.

Bolts, however, simply push too far in that direction.

Between the situational nature and scaling costs of Bioimmunity and Veteran, the combination of short range weapons loadouts on a slow moving chassis, and the outdated (higher) costing of Combi + Light Shotgun and Drop Bears (both of which have lower costs on newer units with updated points values), they simply end up being too expensive for their tabletop value.

Now, this can be/is mitigated by:

1: Reducing the situationality of Bioimmunity and Veteran
2: ITS X deployment advantage
3: Profile selection

In games where you are likely to face Jammers (against Haqq, Nomads or Varuna) or substantial use of EM weaponry (Druze and Starco) then Veteran becomes substantially more valuable. Just as Bioimmunity becomes more valuable against Tohaa or Haqqislam. The same is true of mission selection, there are certainly missions where the package of options Bolts bring to the table are worth more in comparison.

Then there's profile selection. Ignoring all of the Combi + Light Shotgun options is easy, as is leaving the Drop Bears at home, and between these profiles:

BOLT Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)
BOLT MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 26)
BOLT Spitfire / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 24)
BOLT Hacker (Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27)

you've got plenty to build a solid Fireteam from. Don't forget the new Machinist as well:

MACHINIST (NCA) (Bioimmunity, Veteran L1) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16)

which gives you another cheap specialist to pull along.

Now, some people will argue 'till they are blue in the face that Drop Bears are the distinctive option of the unit (but they are available elsewhere on units far better at using them, even in NCA) or that some of the Combi+LSG options are viable (not at that cost). Others will suggest the Missile Launcher, but it is simply too long range focused, while the Sniper actually has fairly flexible range bands (which it pays for, but you can leverage in a Bolt Core).

So, should you run a Bolt Hacker?

Yes!

They make a great option to include in a Bolt Core Fireteam, 'though they aren't fantastic solo pieces.

I say go for it!

I've had a lot of fun using Bolts without feeling like I was playing with one hand behind my back, just by following the advice above. And I am looking forward to putting this on the table, when I rebuild my NCA:

BOLT Spitfire / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 24)
BOLT Hacker (Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27)
BOLT Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)
BOLT MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 26)
MACHINIST (NCA) (Bioimmunity, Veteran L1) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16)
3.5 SWC | 112 Points

Good luck, commander.

 

Bolts are belt huggers. Build them to take a zone and hold it from the opponent and they will do you well.

Boost the rest of your list to handle the range with tr hmgs and to msrs.

But to grab the field and hold the field they are good now they have fd1 to enable them to advance. As to drop bears. Its pricey but it adds an extra and important layer to their area denial/control role.

Dont waste the points trying to kit them out for range they cant compete with NCAs other options doing that

 

Couldn't agree more, the couple of times I have run NCA with Bolts I found I got a lot more done using them to push up rather than sit back

 

Drop bears may cost 1pt each but they're so good. If you get the Bolts into mid-field, they'll hold that zone* like nothing else.
Bolts get a bad rap but I think as more technical weapons like e/marats, e/maulers and e/m mines become more prevalent in various metas, people will be more willing to pay the premium for the +3BTS and L1. Bioimmunity may come back to relevance if the Shashvatii update gives them a tonne of viral.

Also remember that if you get caught out of cover with a Shock weapon, you can use bioimmunity to take the roll on your BTS 6 instead of your ARM3. Situational yes, as is most benefits to the bolts but you'll be glad when the situation eventually arises. Shock weapons used to be relatively common in my meta so it makes me slightly more aggressive and willing to leave cover in later turns if there's an objective at stake.

Still hoping for a cost adjustment in the update when NCA heads towards retirement as Svalheima is released though...

* = Assuming the terrain is not bullshit allowing for easy sniping

 

If only marksmanship did not have the ability to "choose" shock, making it having literally no downside whatsoever.

 

The Bolt BSG profiles are both really good, largely because they don't pay the LSG tax that plagues their other profiles. The only downside to the hacker is, oddly enough, its specialist role. Both the other specialists available to the link team are cheaper and neither carry any SWC tax, so you've got to want the hacker to actually hack rather than just cap objectives. This isn't necessarily a problem, NCA can easily set up a monster repeater network and bringing hackers to make use of that is a perfectly valid tactic (but both the Deva AHD and the Hexa KHD are better offensive hackers, and the Mulebot is a better utility hacker).

The problem being they don't cost 1 point each, they cost 1 point for 3, on the Yadu (Aleph & OSS) and on the Black Friar (PanO, NCA, MO), i.e. Bolts overpay for them (so do Locusts, but they infiltrate to make up for it).
Likewise the CR+LSG is 2 points cheaper than a Spitfire for Bolts but 4 points cheaper for Aragoto (JSA), so once again Bolts overpay.
Taken across a full core, 2 Drop Bear carriers and a Paramedic is 10 points of bloat, the equivalent of another regular order to spend across 3 turns, sure you can absorb that but you're still playing with a handicap.

The best way "to Bolt" at the moment IMO is 3 BSG, a Machinist and a Spitfire. Depending on the mission swap in a Drop Bear carrier if you've got the spare 6 points, but a pair of E/M Grenades to the face is significantly scarier in ARO than having to tank a mine; the ML and MSR are better off on different platforms (Swiss and Hexa) that don't want to engage at the range Bolts prefer.

 

The fix to Bolts is simple:

Remove the non-Drop Bear CR+LSG profile. Give the points cost from that to the Drop Bear CR+LSG profile.

Commence repointing the unit off that metric.

 

Yes but most of these don't require an expensive platform or high WIP.
Any sort of KHD is a deadly threat for the Bolt, BTS6 or not. For forward duty a Marker State is the safest option and KHDs always bring that option in a neat bundle with a lot better defense and offense against other Hackers. KHDs im general are also 5 points cheaper and 0 SWC, which helps a lot to make it a good choice.

Sure the linked Bolt has Sixth Sense and can still be an annoyance to your opponent's hackable targets, but at that point you're buying things to get the cardboard box they get delivered with.

If Bolts were a little more streamlined and optimized, let's say a SMG Hacker with some Upgrade Program, you'd have a good reason to bring one. As is, you'll pretty much be grasping for straws if you're looking for a reason to run one over something else.

 

If the hacker came in at 28 points and 1 SWC but also brought Fireteam: Haris...
Then this:

Neoterran Capitaline Army
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

3
BOLT Hacker (Hacking Device, Fireteam: Haris) Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 28)
BOLT Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun, Drop Bears / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25)
MACHINIST (NCA) (Bioimmunity, Veteran L1) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16)

1 SWC | 69 Points

looks like an attractive CQB unit.

 

Said it before, saying again:

Fireteam: Triad on Bolts.

 

Close Quarters Battle. Eg. fighting close range firefights. That team would do well pushing up the board throwing Drop Bears and pushing buttons as they go. Indeed Bolt Haris would be very nice. Spitfire, specialist and Drop Bears + BSG would make much sense.

To comment on the original post the biggest downfall of Bolt Hacker is that simply other hacker options are better optimized. Humble Fusilier is just as good in turning on Support Ware for 9p less. Deva AHD is far superior hacker (WIP 15) with only one point more. Hexa KHD costs five points more, but no SWC and is very good button pusher and capable gunfighter to boot. Summa summarum, Bolt Hacker (out of fireteam) is not bad, NCA just has other options that do that job better.

 

This is basically the real issue with Bolts. They are just hard to utilize considering they are in a sectorial that has a LOT of capable troop options.

 

I'm not disagreeing with any of this. My point however was that Bolts specifically pay 1pt each for the mines and that's relevant because OP is asking about Bolts and their role in NCA not Yadu in OSS etc. Everything has its own problems in each sectorial. Yadu get cheaper dropbears but as a new OSS player, it seems people don't want to use Yadu at all because they're overcosted in an expensive sectorial. Even with cheaper drop bears.
That's why I don't want to do cross-sectorial comparisons.

Within NCA though, yes, I think if you were going to include a Friar or 1-2 Locust, you could argue for dropping the dropbear Bolt (unintended!) because you've should have mid-field area denial covered. Although I tend not to take black friars in the same list as bolts due to already being point starved due to the high bolt fireteam cost. So area denial needs to be incorporated into the Bolt FT in those instances (at least for me).

I don't want to wishlist bolt upgrades because every Bolt thread devolves into that but I've never even thought about a Bolt having a SMG until @Teslarod brought it up. Maybe cause I'm not used to PanO having the SMG?
But goddamn, can you imagine? Dual SMG Bolt with drop bears would make me so happy in the pants.
Maybe that's why I like the Proxy mk5 Dual SMG so much? Its what I imagined the Bolts would be like to actually use? XD

 

These two points are very well said and really the key to the whole discussion.

Bolts do what they do within the context of NCA, and within the context of NCA they are the only unit that fills there roles. in that regard it doesnt matter if they are a piont or two individually over costed, it only matters that we as players choose whether or not we want that role filled within our list or to work around not having that midfield/belt hugger/area denial presence.

Additionally what Bolt profiles you take and how you use them depends on how you build the rest of the list, as Shoitaan points out, if you are laking a Friar and a couple of locust then you can forgoe the Bolts or the Drop Bear profile specifically because you have other units capable of taking care of similar roles if required. they might not be as ideal for that role as the bolts but they have other niche's they fill which makes up for that, the point is that they cushion the lis's weakness in area denial and therefore that changes how you are effectively able to construct the rest of the list. None of this means however that they are better than bolts or bolts are better than them, it just means theres limited overlap in some units and so you have some choise depending on where you want to really specialise your list into.

 

KHDs kill hackers and are a cheap Specialist for general button-pushing.