In this Biomutant Build Guide, I’m going to be showing you my Psi-Freak Build, which uses a deadly combination of Psi-Powers, Biogenetics, and Perks to outlast enemies until they are dead. This Build is not overly complicated, but it can take awhile to put together since you need to collect Psi and Bio Points in order to unlock Abilities. If you intend to play as a Psi-Freak, and you want to know how to play one as effectively as possible, then this guide is for you.
Biomutant Build Guide: Psi-Freak (Mage)
Playing a Psi-Freak in Biomutant is a bit unique, because it’s the only Class the gains direct benefits to Psi-Power damage via their Perks: Nocturnal, Mind Melt, and Psi Spikes (note at the time of this Guide that Mind Melt is bugged and does not increase Critical Chance).
Playing as a Psi-Freak in Biomutant can be challenging, particularly early on because of a lack of access to Psi-Powers and Biogenetics, but also because there is no equipment that increases Psi-Power damage, nor can Psi-Powers Critically Hit in the current build of the game. This means they rely far less on equipment than other Builds, and lean on Intellect and their Perks to boost their damage. If Psi-Powers could Critically Hit then Psi-Freaks would become instantly one of the most power Classes in Biomutant, and I will update this guide if and when that happens.
The strategy is to use Spark Ball to take out enemies in the first half of the game, combining it with Rad Wisps to deal even more damage, while you use Blaze to avoid enemy attacks while still maintaining Rad Wisps. Rad Wisps will end if you attack, dodge or get hit, but you can use Blaze to avoid attacks without stopping Rad Wisps. Once you gain Ki Spark, you can use this to obliterate groups of enemies with almost no fear since you heal any damage you take back in seconds.
Breed (Race) Selection – Psi-Freak Build
Choosing your Breed in Biomutant may seem like an important affair, and it is true that it has some impact on your character, but you can play this Build with any Breed and be just fine. That said, there is only one Breed that really improves this Build and that is Fip.
Fip Breeds have increased Power, Ki Energy, and Energy Regeneration making them the ideal Breed for this Build. As I mentioned, Power is hard to come by, so boosting it as high as you can during Character Creation puts you in a much better position to succeed than it might with some other Builds.
Attribute Selection – Psi-Freak Build
Next up you have Attributes. During Character Creation you will only be able to increase your Strength, Agility, Charisma, Intellect, or Vitality. Because Psi-Freaks really only increase their damage via their Perks and Intellect it is imperative that you increase Intellect as high as you can during Character Creation. This provides you with the best possible start you can get, and helps you get over the “hump” of combat much faster.
This will obviously make you much squishier than some Builds, so you’ll have to take care not to get hit much until you gain the Brain Drain Perk at Level 15, at which point you’ll become nearly invincible.
Class Selection – Psi-Freak Build
When it comes to Class selection Psi-Freak is the Class of choice for a couple of reasons. First, it has access to Spark Ball, which gives you a high damaging Psi-Power right away. And second, it has the only Perks in the game that will make you more effective as a “mage”. If you want to play as a Mage then you will need to select this Class.
There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not you can play a hybrid Psi-Power user, and a melee/ranged damage dealer, and while you will use melee and ranged somewhat with this Build, I don’t think you’ll ever be able to create a Build in Biomutant that would deal damage in some sort of 50/50 split between Psi-Powers and either of these combat types. The reason for this is because the lack of Critical Hits when it comes to Psi-Powers. If this ever changes then this is far more likely to be the case, since you could simply pump Luck which benefits all 3 play styles.
Perks – Psi-Freak Build
In this section I’m going to run you through the Perks you should look into taking for the Psi-Freak Build, and it will include the ones I just mentioned as well. This should give you some idea of what to select, and it’s not so important what order you take these in.
- Megamind – This Perk increases your Energy Regen by 20%. You need to Regen Energy quickly in order to cast Psi-Powers often, so this is important.
- Perfect Reload – Reloading manually just before you run out of ammo allows you to instantly Reload and boost the damage of your next Magazine. While you won’t fire as much as you’ll cast, this is really helpful in increasing your damage while waiting for your Ki Energy to regenerate.
- Nocturnal – Boosts your Intellect at night, which further increases your damage, Ki and Regen. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing.
- Psi Spikes – Increases your damage with Psi-Powers by 10%, and every little bit helps.
- Luck Out – Further boosts your Loot Chance by 10%, allowing you to find better gear more easily. It’s not the greatest for this Build, but it’s cheap and helps you find better Armor.
- Adrenaline – Increases your Health Regeneration while in combat. Staying alive in combat is hard with low Vitality, so this can help you a bit.
- Brain Drain – This Perk heals you for 20% of your Psi-Power damage, making you the tankiest Class in Biomutant. Get it as soon as you reach level 15, it’s a game changer.
- Gunsmith – Increases the damage you deal with Ranged Weapons. You will use these from time to time, so this does help your overall damage, even if not from Psi-Powers directly.
- Trigger Tech – Even though the goal is to hit that Perfect Reload each and every time, sometimes you F it up. This Perk makes it so you reload much faster, allowing you to fire again sooner if this should happen.
The concept here is to take things that boost your Psi-Power damage when you can, and add bonuses to Ranged Combat when you can’t. You will shoot your gun when waiting for Ki Energy to regenerate, so you want to hit as hard as you can when you do.
Weapons – Psi-Freak Build
Weapons do not play a huge role in a Psi-Freak Build because the goal is to use them as little as possible. That said, you do want to have a strong Ranged Weapon so that you can deal respectable damage while your Ki Regenerates. Ideally it would be one with longer range in order to stay away from enemies, so that you don’t need to dodge. Dodging stops Ki Regeneration momentarily, and you don’t want to do this if you can help it. This means you’ll look for a Rifle
What Melee Weapon you use is not overly important either, since you will try to melee as little as possible. I recommend a two-handed of some kind, but you can use whatever you like.
Armor – Psi-Freak Build
Armor is far more important to the Psi-Freak Build than Weapons, and you’ll want to be on the look out for Armor that increases Ki Energy and Energy Regen. This will increase the size of your Ki Energy pool, allowing you to cast more spells before needing to regenerate. Prioritize these two Stats above all else including Slots, but finding Armor with some Health does not hurt, and Critical Chance will boost your Ranged Weapon damage, so it’s not a total waste.
Psi-Powers & Biogenetics – Psi-Freak Build
A big part of playing a Psi-Freak is figuring out just what Psi-Powers and Biogenetics to use, because there are a total of 16 (8 each), and not all of them are viable. In this section I’ll show you how you should set yourself up for maximum success.
Psi-Powers
Spark Ball – This is your default Psi-Power that comes with the Psi-Freak Class, and you’ll use this all through out the game. It’s probably your highest single target damaging attack if you’re not including Ki Spark which can hit multiple targets, but you can also hold the button you map it to in order to get a stronger charge that does more damage and hits in a small AoE. It has poor tracking sometimes, and it can be difficult to hit the exact enemy you want now and then, but you need to spam the hell out of this ability early on in the game to defeat enemies.
Blaze – This Psi-Power does terrible damage, but it is very good for dodging and getting you out of dangerous situations as its roll ends much further than a dodge would. Additionally, it doesn’t stop Rad Wisps from continuing to fire when you use it, unlike just regular dodging, so it allows you a way to dodge while still shelling these out to the enemies around you.
Ki Spark – This Psi-Power you likely won’t get until a bit further into the game, but it does the highest DPS of any Psi-Power you will obtain. The caveat is that you need to be somewhat close to your enemies to use it effectively, and this makes you more likely to get hit, and getting hit ends the channel of this Psi-Power. This means you’ll usually need to recast this over and over, which is tedious, but easy. Once you gain the Brain Drain Perk this Psi-Power makes you nearly unstoppable. Note that you can also cast other Psi-Powers or Biogenetics when using it, much like Rad Wisps.
Skyspark – This Psi-Power does the most damage in one strike of any of the Psi-Powers, and it does so in a massive AoE that knocks down enemies. However, it has about a 5 second cooldown in between casts, which keeps it’s DPS a bit lower than Ki Spark overall. If this Psi-Power could Crit, it would be god tier, but sadly at the moment it cannot. Use this while channeling Ki Spark for best results!
Those are the 4 Psi-Powers you should consider getting. Freeze does too little damage for too much Energy. Levitate drains your Energy over time, making it more useful to a Ranged character who doesn’t cast spells than a Psi-Freak. Blink costs far too much Energy compared to Blaze, even though it does a bit of damage. And Telekinesis is very unreliable, making it situational at best, completely trash at worst.
Biogenetics
Mothmouth – Mothmouth is a good early game Biogenetic you can use to even the odds in combat. It infects nearby enemies dealing a small amount of damage, but also turning them against each other, which helps to protect you. You’ll replace this later on, but it’s not bad to get early.
Rad Wisps – This Biogenetic is a channel that shoots out continuous streams of Radiation that seek out and hit all enemies nearby. If you attack, dodge or get hit then it will be interrupted, so it’s important not to do these things while you are using it. You can, however, continue to use Spark Ball and Blaze while it’s active, so use them as much as you need to deal more damage and to “dodge” if you need to.
All other Biogenetics either deal far too little damage, deal no damage, or are just not useful for this style of play.
Final Tips
As I mentioned earlier, though Psi-Powers and Biogenetics currently cannot Crit, your Ranged Weapon still can, making it somewhat valuable to you as you will shoot with your Rifle during combat. Try to find gear that has Ki, Energy Regen AND Critical Chance for best results.
You will find most Psi Points from doing the quest Captives, as each one you rescue will provide you with another Psi Point. Additionally, you can gain Dark and Light points when doing this, helping to unlock later game Psi Powers. You can also find Psi Points from shrines around the map, so be on the look out for these, and grab them when you can.
The best way to get Bio Points is by exploring Biohazard zones, which have the greenish pollution tint to them. Defeating Morks inside them will grant you 1 Bio Point per, which will help you unlock Biogenetics much faster. Just be sure to have decent Biohazard Resistance, and it’s a good idea to pump this one first during Character Creation.
Lastly, don’t forget to upgrade your Ranged Weapon every chance you get. You will have tons of materials because you don’t really need to upgrade your melee weapon, so don’t be stingy with them. You don’t have to use a Ranged Weapon, but it will speed up combat…
Stay tuned for more Biomutant Build Guides, and be sure to check out the Biomutant Wiki if you have further questions about the game. What Build would you like to see next? How can I improve this Build? Let us know in the comments below!
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