Preparations for EMP Guardians

[TechSY730]

OK, the best thing to do with EMP Guardians is to take them out as soon as you find them. But inevitibly, one is going to slip through.

So how do you prepare for it? The standard techniques of turrets, forcefields, and standing ships won't do, as they all get EMPed. Well, I found two good counters for it.

1. Starships (or greater). Starships ARE immune to EMP attacks. So are golems, spirecraft. Keeping one or more of them around on an important planet (like your home) to take out the most dangerous threats and stall for time is a VERY good idea.
2. Fortresses. Fortresses are also immune to EMPs, and are great at defending against everything but bombers. If bombers start rushing something important, you'll need to have something else stationed on that planet that can stall them.

Keep in mind, you will probably be unable to take out all threats during the EMP period. As such, your goals are twofold.

1. Kill the EMP Guardian with these counters before it can move to another planet and make the problem worse
2. Use the counters (who are immune to EMP) to stall for time until the power comes back on.

I had to put in some serious thought about all this after an EMP guardian and a Spire starship nearly destroyed my home. Only a very fortunate last second EMP duration expiration saved me.

[Hearteater]

I believe warhead interceptors absorb EMP and are capturable.  Not really something you can control, but it could be useful.

[TechSY730]

I believe warhead interceptors absorb EMP and are capturable.  Not really something you can control, but it could be useful.

Warhead interceptors are great for countering EMP warheads. Not so much for EMP Guardians though.

[Hearteater]

From their tooltip, it sounds like they should work for both.  I don't have one right now, but I'm pretty sure it says, "Absorbs EMP" which should work for anything, not just warheads.

[TechSY730]

From their tooltip, it sounds like they should work for both.  I don't have one right now, but I'm pretty sure it says, "Absorbs EMP" which should work for anything, not just warheads.

Yes, it absorbs EMP, which means not only does it not take damage from EMP, but also EMP heals it. However, IIRC, this does not mean the EMP is nulled for anything else.

[laughingman]

That's some good advice, Techsy. I didn't realize fortresses were immune to EMP. That's going to make them much more valuable to me in my current game, where the AI seems to have an EMP guardian every third planet and likes to send them to visit me.

[TechSY730]

I just remembered something. Spirecraft are immune to EMP right? Spirecraft Shield Bearers are Spirecraft, but also forcefields. Thus, this is a way to get forcefields that are immune to EMP. Sure, you can't repair them after they take damage, but rather that than lose your home. Hey what do you know, this might be the only think besides maneuverability that Spirecraft forcefields can better than regular forcefields. I might have to station a Spirecraft Shield Bearer over my home now, just in case.

[dotjd]

Another way is to figure out how the EMP guardian is going to approach your systems.  Keep your fleet just outside one of the systems on its path, then have your fleet ambush it by jumping through a wormhole to a system it just entered.

[Ranakastrasz]

I just remembered something. Spirecraft are immune to EMP right? Spirecraft Shield Bearers are Spirecraft, but also forcefields. Thus, this is a way to get forcefields that are immune to EMP. Sure, you can't repair them after they take damage, but rather that than lose your home. Hey what do you know, this might be the only think besides maneuverability that Spirecraft forcefields can better than regular forcefields. I might have to station a Spirecraft Shield Bearer over my home now, just in case.

I already did that, but I didn't realize they were immune to EMPS, which is extremely useful.

[superking]

or just keep the mobile elements of your defence on an adjacent planet, and send them through after the EMP has gone off