Shadowrun Returns
- The archetypes such as Decker and Mage available at character creation simply assign the majority of your Karma for you. If you want full control over creating your character, it's better not to pick one.
- Etiquettes aren't particularly useful in the Dead Man's Switch base campaign, but Academic will net you a decent chunk of cash early on while Shadowrunner and Corporate will come up the most often.
- Don't ignore skill bonuses given by outfits. For example a Rigger will gain access to the incredibly powerful +2 AP bonus for drones at Drone Combat 9 which can be reduced to 8 by wearing an outfit increasing the skill by 1. Due to the way the skill system works, this single point is worth a whopping 27 Karma.
- Conjured spirits have a chance to go berserk at the end of each turn, so it's best to keep them away from your party and close to the enemy to make sure the spirit goes after them first should you get unlucky.
- Action Points are the most valuable resource in combat, so boosting your AP with things like the Haste spell while reducing the enemies' AP with things like concussion grenades can give a large edge in combat.
- Ranged Combat 3 (or Melee Combat 3) opens up your third weapon slot. This is especially useful for Rigger/Deckers who need three slots for a cyberdeck and two drones.
- While specialization is generally recommended, lightly dipping into other skills is cheap and often effective. A Shaman can expand their options by getting some Mage spells for example.
- Cyberware hugely hinders a character's magical abilities. A physical class equipped with cyberware can consider some light investment in magic in order to gain access to simple buffs or magical healing, but on the opposite end pure spellcasters should avoid cyberware entirely.
- Unlike all other weapons in the game, sniper rifles get less accurate the closer you are to the enemy.
- The highest-end guns in the game all utilize a Smartlink. When choosing cyberware, make sure you have a datajack if you want to take advantage of this.