Circuit Breaker Build: Bloodied / Full Life Pistols (Energy & Ballistic)
The Circuit Breaker is a new variant of the 10mm Pistol that you can earn on the scoreboard in Season 15. The Circuit Breaker is an energy weapon and uses fusion cells as ammunition. Furthermore, it is a single-shot pistol, has no silencer, no prime receiver and cannot be rolled legendary. It has 3 fixed legendary effects. What is particularly special is the 2nd legendary perk, which causes a stunning explosion on the area around the target hit on the last shot. The animations for critical hits and the death animations of enemies are also special.
I play this build as bloodied because it allows me to maximize damage, have more AP for VATS/sprinting etc, get more XP, have more luck for critical hits, and can carry more. It is also possible to play this build as a full life build by changing 3 perks and a mutation.
Gameplay
Circuit Breaker vs Supermutant Behemoth
Circuit Breaker vs Huntersville
Legendary Perks of the Circuit Breaker
- Anti Armor: +50% Armor Penetration
- Successful Final Round shot will create an energy blast that deals damage and stuns enemies within 50ft.
Stunned enemies will be immune to being stunned again for 10 seconds. - +15% Reload Speed
These are initially perks that you can work with. However, the anti-armor effect and the perk cards will have the most effect on the damage. The burst of energy on the last shot counts as an explosion, but it does little damage and is mostly paralyzing. However, the visual effects of the circuit breaker are very nice and worth a build.
The supressor problem
A big problem, however, is the lack of a silent supressor. Even though Energy Muzzle looks like a silencer, it still fires shots without suppression. Of course, this means that you will be discovered relatively quickly. However, if the enemies are some distance away, it is possible to get a covert bonus. In this build I rely on being hidden as often as possible, despite the loud weapon. Whether that works or not always depends on the situation. I don't think the alternative version without a hidden bonus makes sense for this weapon.
Weapons
This build primarily plays circuit breaker. And therefore mainly requires fusion cells as ammunition. Alternatively, he also plays an Enclave Plasma Pistol and a Crusader Pistol with ballistic ammunition. If you only play energy ammunition, you can leave out the Bandolier Perk in the skillset (further down) and use the points differently.
Armor
The character's armor is Unyielding Brotherhood Recon Armor. Unfortunately, the perks are not optimal, as no Unyielding piece with AP acceleration has dropped on the char yet. However, it still has a part with “Hard to detect when sneaking”, which benefits the build. The AP acceleration is compensated for with buffs here.
You should consider the following for your armor:
- 3 pieces with AP acceleration are optimal (beyond that it makes no sense)
- 1 part with HTD (harder to detect when sneaking)
More than 1 is not need, since it doesn't stack. Mine has 2, since there was no optimal roll. - Reducing weight on weapons never hurts either.
- Poison resistance is also helpful
- The first mod should be "Supported" on all parts
- The 2nd mod for the body parts “ultralight”
- You can also use "sentinel" on 3rd perk now, because it was fixed and also works while sneaking now.
- For the torso, I like to use the Jetpack as the second mod, but for daily operations with exploding enemies you can also use "Condensed" and for Earle (against the falling rocks) the "Asbestos-Fed" mod.
The Brotherhood Scout Armor is available for gold from Minerva or as a reward in Daily Operations. The mods are available from regs in Vault 79, as they are for the Secret Service armor.
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Underarmor & Backpack
As underarmor I use the Secret Service underarmor with shielded mod. This gives the following bonuses +4 STR, +2 PER, +4 END. It is also easily available for gold from Regs in Vault 79 or from Minerva.
Alternatively, you can also e.g. Use the Raider Underarmor with Shielded Mod, as the SPECIAL bonuses bring even slightly higher advantages: +3 PER, +3 AGI, +1 LCK. However, the plan for the shielded variant is rare and therefore not easily available.
In addition, the build uses a backpack with a grocery mod (available from the settlers for gold), which replaces the perk card "Thru Hiker" to 3* and reduces the weight of food.
Skillset
Strength to 8:
Traveling Pharmacy 3, Bandolier 2, Bear Arms 3
(Bear arms reduces the weight of loot, can also be exchanged with other perks. Bandolier can also be changed if you only play energy ammunition.)
Perception at 3 (+5 legendary PER):
Concentrated Fire 3*, Tank Killer 3, Grenadier 2
(Grenadier increases the radius of the energy blast on the final shot at the circuit breaker)
Endurance at 4:
Radicool, Fireproof 3
Charisma at 7:
Use Strange by Numbers, Inspirational 3 for more XP, Meat Tenderizer 3
Intelligence at 9 (+5 legendary INT):
Nerd Rage 3, Portable Power 2, Batteries Included 3, Scientist 2, Scientist Expert 2, Scientist Master 2
(Nerd Rage uses the optimal effects of low HP, Batteries Included reduces the weight of your energy ammo, Portable Power reduces the weight of loot, Scientist Perks increase the damage of energy weapons: Circuit Breaker)
(Nerd Rage can be replaced on a full life build)
Agility to 15:
Covert Operative 3, Peng-Fu 1, Master Gunslinger 3, Expert Gunslinger 3, Gunslinger 3, Modern Renegade 2
(High agility ensures better sneaking ability, so you are less likely to be discovered. Covert operatiive is necessary for the build, Gunslinger Perks increase the damage of the circuit breaker, Modern Renegade allows you to cripple enemies)
Luck / Luck at 10 (+5 legendary LUCK):
Starched Genes 2, Class Freak 3, Serendipity 3, Critival Savvy 3, Better Criticals 3, Good with Salt 1
(High luck is essential to land critical hits more often.)
(Serendipity can be replaced on a full life build)
Legendary Perks
- Follow Through **** (Ranged damage from sneak attacks increases damage taken by the target by 40% for 10 seconds)
- Taking one for the Team **** (Enemies take 40% more damage when they attack you and you are in a team.) (Experience has shown that this legendary perk also stacks when you are hidden but the other team members are attacked, for example in events. )
- Funky Duds **** (+150 Poison Resistance)
- Legendary Perception**** (+5 PER and +5 PER skill points. Skill points are capped at 15)
- Legendary Intelligence**** (+5 INT and +5 INT skill points. Skill points are capped at 15)
- Legendary Luck**** (+5 LCK and +5 LCK skill points. Skill points are capped at 15)
By using legendary SPECIALs we can use more points in the skillset than was previously possible. The legendary SPECIALs supplement the points defined for the skillset in the loadout up to a maximum of 15 in the skillset. In addition, the points are applied but cannot be used for perks. For example, if you choose 12 PER in the skillset and have legendary PER at 4*, you still only get 15 points for perk cards, but you have 17 PER in the Pipboy with the active SPECIALs.
Mutations
The mutations are decisive for the way of playing, the damage with critical hits, the intelligence, AP acceleration and much more. The right combination is therefore important.
- Eagle Eyes (-1 STR, +5 PER, +75% Critical Damage )
- Adrenalreaction (+More weapon damage at low TP., -12 MAX HP)
(Can be left out on a full life build) - Marsupial (-1 INT, carry capacity, +jump height)
- Egghead (-1 END, -1 STR, +8 INT)
- Empathy (+8% damage taken, -33% team damage) (Means you take -25% damage since you are a team member yourself)
- Herd Mentality (-2 SPECIAL alone, +3 SPECIAL when in a team) (so always play in a team)
- Herbivore (Eat vegetables with no disease with 2X benefit ) (Negates the effects of meat food)
- Speed Freak (+50% hunger/thirst while moving, movement speed +25, +reload)
- Bird Bones (decrease falling speed, -1 STR, +5 AGI)
Additionally I use:
- electrically charged
- unstable isotope
Buffs: AP Acceleration & critical Hits
In order to deal maximum damage on critical hits, this build can use buffs in appropriate situations. It makes sense to buff the damage from critical hits as well as the action points acceleration / and max AP in order to be able to act better in VATS.
AP acceleration:
Company Tea does not stack with other AP regenerating foods, but offers the best AP acceleration and is now available as a reward in Season 15.
For situations where you need more AP for a maximum of 25 seconds, you can also eat several canned coffee and get more AP in this time (no acceleration). Especially for Enclave Plasma use.
See also: AP Acceleration Calculator
Increased critical hit damage:
Blight soup (lasts 30 minutes) or sweet mutaberry tea (lasts 60 minutes) +187% critical damage in combination with the Strange by Numbers (+ mutated team members) and the magazine Life and Love 3. The magazine Life and Love 3 not only improves the effect for critical hits but also for everything else plant-based e.g. Company Tea for AP acceleration.
As an alternative to Live and Love 3, you can buff the critical hits with the Guns and Bullets 3 magazine with +100% more damage on ballistic critical hits to a total of +225% (Blight Soup +125% & Pistols+Bullets 3 +100% = 225% ).
There are also chems to improve the damage: Overdrive also increases the damage on critical hits by +30% (does not stack).
See also: Build How-To: Bloodied Max Crit Commando Sniper
Conclusion
The circuit breaker is definitely fun and a good gun. The optical effects are unique and I like them. The damage is basically good too. And the precision is also good. At a distance there are no problems being hidden and receiving the covert operations bonus. In principle similar to the Enclave plasma pistols. However, the damage of the Enclave Plasma Pistols is significantly higher.
Unfortunately, the loudness of the circuit breaker often gets you discovered. Especially when opponents are very close. In most situations you can still fend off opponents easily with your weapon.
In my opinion, however, the energy muzzle of the circuit breaker should be changed and also function as a silencer. Not only does it look the part, but it would make sense for this weapon to also be silenced. The Crusader pistol also has a silencer, and this can also be played as an energy weapon with fusion cells. The circuit breaker's energy blast isn't an overpowered effect either, but rather a nice gimmick, which doesn't justify why it can't have a hidden bonus.
To Bethesda: Please expand the enery muzzle of the circuit breaker to include the function/volume of a suppressor. Thanks!
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