Strategy:Badass

0.9.9.4

Badass was a 1 level trait. Leveling up in this trait stopped health degradation from happening if one's HP was above 100%. Also cut knockback by half.

0.9.9.5

Same as 0.9.9.4

0.9.9.6

See below

0.9.9.7

Badass

Badass is a 2 level trait, the first level up cutting health degradation by half and cutting knockback by 1 tile. The second level up eliminates health degradation and furthers knockback reduction.

Badass is a basic trait for Marines and an advanced trait for the Scout and Technician. Several melee master builds require at least one level in Badass to be completed.

This trait is again, situational. While a complete elimination of health degradation and 2 tiles less of knockback may sound great, they may not be so. Health degradation should NOT affect one's playing too greatly. If it does, it is a definite sign to change your tactics as you are relying too heavily on healing globes and you probably have a "run and gun" style play. Knockback can actually be your friend. While it is annoying to be pushed back by shotgun blasts and such, one should use the extra space gained to his advantage. One can then move away further and duck behind some cover or blind and have some recovery time.

Badass is a trait that was created in such a way that it would benefit the melee builds the most. Reduced knockback with a melee build will make it infinitely easier to approach sergeants and rocket-wielding enemies.

Bottom line? Badass should be leveled up if one wants to, or if they are aiming for a melee build.

GinDiamond (talk) 21:51, 14 October 2013 (CEST)

GinDiamond touched on how taking knockback can actually help you, but this is exemplified most with rocket jumping. Rocket jumping is so valuable alone that it's often worth carrying around a Rocket launcher and a stack of rockets for even if one has no intention to actually use it for combat, as it's by far the fastest way to move through a map and the only way to travel more than one tile in a single action, something important for maximizing your powerups whose durations are based on actions. Did a level start you surrounded by enemies or did you find yourself in some other nasty spot? Rocket jump out of there! Did an Invulnerability or Berserk Pack spawn far away from the stairs and you want to try taking their effects with you to the next level? Rocket jumping will drastically reduce the amount of actions it'll take to get to the stairs, letting you get ample actions in the next level with those powerups without having to burn a Homing phase. Has an area of the level been sealed off by a big pool of lava and you have no Envirosuit around? Rocket jump through it to get to the other side with minimal damage. Rocket jumping can really be a run saver, and by investing in Badass, you'll just permanently nerf your rocket jumps, for little benefit elsewhere. Even melee builds can take advantage of rocket jumping to quickly close gaps against enemies, doing a better job at that than Badass does. And if you really want some form of knockback reduction, you can simply apply a technical mod to your armor or boots, or assemble a pair of Grappling boots; at least then you'll be able to take the knockback reduction off when you need to rocket jump.

With that stated, you really shouldn't invest in Badass if it's not a prerequisite for your mastery, when the knockback reduction makes the trait arguably do more harm than good, while other traits give you far more unquestionable benefits. Also with all the masteries that do require it, none require a second level of it, so you absolutely should never take the second level unless maybe you're using Vampyre, which allows you to boost your health above 100% without the aid of powerups (while doing so very frequently) and primarily relies on being ridiculously tanky, thus it can get far more use of not having that boosted health degrade than other builds (though Vampyres would still probably be better off fully investing in most other traits before taking the second level of Badass). Omega Tyrant (talk) 05:03, 4 July 2023 (UTC)