AI Hunter/Killer

[keith.lamothe]

The mkV HK is classified as a Heavy Mauler (Battleship -> Dreadnought -> Mauler -> Planetoid), the Mothership is classified as a Light Planetoid.

Where does the Devourer sit on that scale? "Planet with engines"?

The devourer isn't on the scale; only things eligible for exos are   Throwing a hostile and focused devourer into an exo would be a bit... unkind of me

[TechSY730]

the game doesn't restrict what can be a lead ship or a follower, that just happens naturally by virtue of the cost tiers and the way it spends part of the budget on the single largest ship it can get, and then divides the rest into much smaller pieces.

Wait, does that mean if the AI didn't have many "exo-points" to spend on an exo-wave, it could theoretically choose something like a Mk. IV bomber as a leader?

[keith.lamothe]

the game doesn't restrict what can be a lead ship or a follower, that just happens naturally by virtue of the cost tiers and the way it spends part of the budget on the single largest ship it can get, and then divides the rest into much smaller pieces.

Wait, does that mean if the AI didn't have many "exo-points" to spend on an exo-wave, it could theoretically choose something like a Mk. IV bomber as a leader?

Yep.  But the minimum-thresholds before it launches one keep it from getting that extreme.  Though in some cases the points are highly diluted by being spread across a bunch of different targets, so it can get down into the range of, say, a guardian.

[Philo]

Trust me, you don't want to know.

Let's just say that even hunter-killers, golems, and even the late game spire stuff fears the mothership...

Sounds crazy. Where is there a chance to come in contact of a mothership? Spire quests, exowaves? Where does it come into play.

[x4000]

Both, I think, but I could be mistaken.  I think those are basically the pinnacle unit of the exo wave if you've got a wave that is that huge.

[keith.lamothe]

Both, I think, but I could be mistaken.  I think those are basically the pinnacle unit of the exo wave if you've got a wave that is that huge.

In theory, yes, but in practice it's probably physically impossible to get a mothership to spawn except in an AI-homeworld-defense exo that gets spawned in Fallen Spire if you attack an AI homeworld with a serious force.  That spawn's budget is the sum of a percentage of all the offensive strikeforces provoked by spire cities up to that point, and it also focuses it all into a single battlegroup, AND it heavily weights its budget towards the lead ship, which is basically the only way to get _that_ many points funneled into a single ship choice.

If it could occur normally you'd basically be up a creek; when engaging from maximum range it can take out a full spire capital fleet.