Core Cruisin'

[Coppermantis]

No Gravity drills, and I don't think that 8 riots could paralyze 2000 Mk. V ships in time. Mostly I'll just have to treat the fleet like the monsters from Amnesia and hide if they show up.

[KDR_11k]

Attacking their patrol path won't free them so you can engine kill as many as you want without repercussions.

[Coppermantis]

Quick update: Ran a Champion into a Nebula and encountered the Gray Spire. Is the point of this scenario just to destroy as many Gatlings as you can?

EDIT: Well, the Grey Spire got destroyed. How on earth are you supposed to stop those gatlings?

[keith.lamothe]

Quick update: Ran a Champion into a Nebula and encountered the Gray Spire. Is the point of this scenario just to destroy as many Gatlings as you can?

Yup, and keep your allies alive; the goals go pretty well together.

EDIT: Well, the Grey Spire got destroyed. How on earth are you supposed to stop those gatlings?

It's actually one of the easier scenarios (currently), though it may take a few runs depending on how strong your champion is and how used you are to the champion-specific tactics:

1) You want to keep the allied combat ships alive.  Projected shields are good at this.  Once you have a critical mass of allied ships you can take down the dysons pretty quick.

2) In this particular scenario, try not to "push" the dysons back to the grav-well line (where they spawn); if your allies are fighting them there then that's all you can do, but try not to cause the gatlings to stop there just to shoot at you, draw them back towards your allies.  That way they don't start shooting right as they spawn.

3) The number of dysons "in the air" at once will increase over the 8 minutes of spawning, so it's probably inevitable that they will break through the allied line and go after the bases.  When that happens, remember you can use projected shields to protect the bases.

4) Iirc the dysons are heavy-hull, so outfit your champion with stuff that does well against them.  I hear drones are good at distracting them (gatlings being single-shot and all), but there are more direct ways to simply blow them up (plasma siege cannons and lasers may work well here).

[Coppermantis]

I only had a level 16 human frigate so I didn't have much. I deployed as many shields as I could and then later went to re-equip with lasers since, as you said, theu get bonuses vs. Heavy but while I was doing so the gatlings pushed through and won.  I think I was just plain outgunned.


On a more global note: Forgot to Gate-Raid Tarsonis and ended up with a wave at Konsartini. Bulletproof fighters, not too bad, but I was too busy microing my Champion in the Citadel Descendant Scenario that I found on Kuu. That one's crazy. Anyway, I lost the Konsartini CC and the Factory IV (NOOOOOOOO) but at least I got my cap of IV Bombers out of it. Hopefully I don't lose them anytime soon like when I ran into that Black Widow.

Also: GATLINGS ARE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE THINGS. They keep sniping my command centers while I'm occupied in the nebulas, aaargh. All my valuable, irreplacable stuff is going down. Lost a Z-Gen as well, meanwhile the Black Widow and an AI Fleet destroyed Konsartini again. So annoying.

[keith.lamothe]

I only had a level 16 human frigate so I didn't have much. I deployed as many shields as I could and then later went to re-equip with lasers since, as you said, theu get bonuses vs. Heavy but while I was doing so the gatlings pushed through and won.  I think I was just plain outgunned.

Hmm, I test each one with a lvl 1 human frigate and did ok, but there've been changes to balance since then.  Having to leave really hurts in that one.

[Coppermantis]

Yeah, maybe I just failed. I dunno. I beat the Citadel Ascendant one pretty handily though and got some awesome Zenith Fortresses and Destroyer level Champion hulls. So that's a positive note at least.

Reconstructing my infrastructure will be a bit of a pain, but manageable.

[Mánagarmr]

I must chime in and say that the Gray Spire is probably the easiest scenario I know of. Proper shielding management and "tanking" makes it rather easy. Just try not to lose your own shields as you'll need them to "tank" when you run out of shadow energy.

[Coppermantis]

I dunno how I lost then, I never lost my own shields and placed Shields down on the ally ships and bases. I guess it was just the time I took refitting my Champion.

Anyway, rebuilt my infrastructure. Lost a Z-Gen and Adv. Factory (ouch) but my CCs and other stuff is back.

[orzelek]

For me the worst scenario is the colony ships one.
First visit in it was so-so. Total chaos, shield almost useless and attack from 4 sides at once. Trying to protect a bit and help allies with killing starbases was a tiny bit helpful.
On replay it was much worse. Can't protect bases, allies die like flies so no attack on starbases at all. And colony ships in such amounts that stopping somewhere could end in death.

[Coppermantis]

3-pronged attack by Neinzul Enclaves. Easy to mop up, no real damage. There was also a Core wave on my northern defensive line but it went down like nothing. Superfortress+2 ModForts+Radar Jammer+Planetary Armor Booster=YOU SHALL NOT PASS.

I killed a Warp Counterattack post and triggered a 200-core ship wave to my homeworld. Oops. I'll have to bring my fleet back to take it out.

Meanwhile, the assault on Tarsonis hits a little snag. The wormhole is right next to a Fortress+Ion III under a Spire Shield Post, so I take heavy initial casualties. A Full Cap of Bombers I-IV kills everything in two or three salvos, so that doesn't do too much damage. The Barracks dropped 250 Core ships though, but my Tackle Drones keep them at bay. The ARS will soon be mine.
 
I get armor ships from the ARS. Not the greatest (I wish I could have gotten the Laser Gatlings, but I didn't know that the AI CC had to still be there for the hack to work.

Oh, I'm also unlocking and building regular fortresses. Bringing the total (across both systems) to 4 Modular Fortresses, 1 Superfortress (I lost one while it was building, still waiting for the trader), One Radar Jammer II, One Planetary Armor Booster, and six Mk. I Fortresses (I am saving one for the the more exposed of my homeworlds and 1 more to bolster my offensive front.) Oh, and a cap of I-III Heavy Beam Cannons and assorted turrets.




Hell yeah. Come and get me, you AI maggots!

[Winge]

Oh, I'm also unlocking and building regular fortresses. Bringing the total (across both systems) to 4 Modular Fortresses, 1 Superfortress (I lost one while it was building, still waiting for the trader), One Radar Jammer II, One Planetary Armor Booster, and six Mk. I Fortresses (I am saving one for the the more exposed of my homeworlds and 1 more to bolster my offensive front.) Oh, and a cap of I-III Heavy Beam Cannons and assorted turrets.

I am not worthy. 

[Coppermantis]

The problem is when I get Beachheads. Those hurt, as everything gets shut down except the one superfortress. Once I get the second one up it'll be better though.

[Winge]

The problem is when I get Beachheads. Those hurt, as everything gets shut down except the one superfortress. Once I get the second one up it'll be better though.

Does that include Gravity Turrets?  I know that Gravity Turrets work during EMP, so I was wondering what else they might work through...

[Coppermantis]

They require supply though, and beachheads remove supply from the planet. So they don't work.