Is 10/10 still possible without superweapons?
I suspect, with the strategic reserve and additional brutal posts (which look much nastier now that I can see their stats), that it is just barely still doable. I would play without a champion, but that unit adds too much fun to the game for me to play without now.
Latice 817722418 Tackle Drone Launchers (mixed reports on these, wanted to try them)
Resistance and Marauders 4, Colony Rebellions 6, Dark Spire 4, Schizophrenic, no plots
Edit: also Fallen Spire 4, but I won't go beyond the refugee outpost.
Experimentalist and Assassin. Complete visibility.
Unlock fighter IIs, warp jammers, and the adorable miniforts. Waves are not a problem after the first few.
I have three nebulae within one hop. First is the Shattered Pillar vs. Dark Spire vs. Neinzul Astids
I take a very passive approach to this one, because a level one frigate doesn't last long against a starbase. I follow each wave of implosion bombers and support them with the projected shields. Victory at 20 min. I am now level 6.
Next is the mourners vs. dimensional prisons. I let the enemies come in single groups, preserving the mourner fleet, then pop the last six controllers all at once. The base was virtually undamaged.
Next is the Gray Spire vs. Gatlings. I quickly dart back out to the waiting cloaked engineers to modify my armament accordingly (read: spam laser modules). I press to near the edge, then conduct a fighting retreat to the small starbase. When that gets overrun, I stop the gatlings at the large base with plenty of base health left.
The next nebula, two hops out, is Epsilon Eridani vs. Sorrow's Fang. I have had, let's say, sufficient practice with this one. I just kill the enemy fleets, and let my allies kill starbases on their own (occasionally supporting a large bomber group with shields.).
Now I have five nebulae at three hops out. Next one is Shattered Pillar vs. Citadel Ascendant. My human destroyer is woefully outclassed. I solo one starbase, then die. The Spire destroyer with plasma modules arrives in time to carry the day, however. Scenario finished with no small bases and the large base at 19%.
Next is the In Memoriam Terra vs. the Ravenous Shadow. Spire cruiser with 5 mkIV siege modules (and two shields, and an even mix of the basic three) kills it. It took a lot of micro+pause, though.
Next, we have the Shattered Pillar, Grey Spire, and Epsilon Eridani sandwiched between the Astids and Sorrows Fang. This is awesome. I assassinate individual small starbases in the rare lulls, and eventually the allies spool up their production enough to start winning. Once the last enemy small starbase fell, it was over quickly. Extra awesome: three facilities.
Next is the IMT+ NM vs. CA+DS. That was hard. I had both friendly large starbases left, but one was heavily damaged. Is this supposed to grant two facilities? It only gave the IMT. (see screenshot 2).
And now the brawl. It is indeed royale. The spire cruiser can swoop in on a small starbase, release a volley of 5 mkIV plasma bolts, then retreat, all without expending shadow charge. Starbases take 4 volleys to die. I do this until all small bases are dead, using shadow shields to speed up the process. I then wait until an allied pulse and use all 1000 charge to kill the first large starbase. Then it gets easy. Allied support ships distract the fire, and it is possible to bombard an enemy large starbase while only in range of two of them. Victory acheived with only 4 small starbases dead, and not so much as a paint scratch on any of the large ones.
After the last enemy large starbase is destroyed, there should be a gatling stream from the center. And then when that is gone, another ravenous shadow should make a cameo.
I will end this session on this high note. My champion+champion minion fleet will be instrumental in attacking the homeworlds.
State of Empire:
