I would say even more than 75% yesterday, saturday is the worst day, probably lots of players. It's really irritating, and FDev postponed 14.02 patch. I found playing in PG is much better. Of course playing in solo mode is probably the best, but it's not fun to play alone, it's slow and boring. I really enjoy to play together with real people. At least, this content is really good for groups of players.
Thargoid invasion - Next target systems?
- Thread starter Aleks Zuno
- Start date
I've had two occasions where an Interceptor I've been attacking along with other cmdrs has simply vanished, along with several of those cmdrs. Just gone.
Good! That has been my setup on the Chief since the start of the war. 2 small Plasmas to damage the hull / exert the heart, and 2 med Shards to destroy the heart and deal overflow damage.
The main advantage I see with this setup is that Plasmas generate almost no heat, so you can couple the firegroup with a TV beam and keep slamming without expending heat sinks. The Shards then are great to deal burst damage when the hearts are out, that way you can regularly skip the final cycle. When teamed up with other CMDRs you can even skip the last 2 hearts and almost insta-gib them.
I'm also thinking about replacing the flak with a medium Plasma, so the total setup would look like:
1 med + 1 smol Plasma vs hull, 2 med Shard vs hearts, 2 small TV beams
We'll see.
Interesting to hear everybody swap builds. The 2M/2S Mod Shard has been my personal chief meta since the conflict started. Swap out flak for an additional TV beam when fighting over planets: https://edsy.org/s/vrrLQU2
I tried out the plasmas and just didn't like them as much as the shards. Two pumps of the shards to exert a Cyclops; usually can also insta-gib a heart if you aim correctly. That's helpful in mutli-goid situations when you're running from an angry goid wanting to lightning you, and are waiting for the NPC AX pilots to wear down its shield. Less time needed on target = better in my book. You can end up chaining four goids at a time if you're careful, returning to a 0% shield on the first Cyclops in an instance after exerting the fourth.
I also really wanted 2L/1M AXMC and 3 TV beams to work with the new scanner, but still takes too long for a kill, and I also am not able to apply enough DPS after the last heart (20%) to kill a Cyclops before the shield goes back up, occasioning another round of missiles. I think the scanner/MC combo will really shine with the 5F stabilizer on Thursday and large ships like the Corvette/Conda.
Exactly that point formed part of my thought! More fully:
- Full Plasma is low heat but high draw, thus a heat sink interval is not used efficiently (heat egress wasted while at 0%, cannot use full-charge Plasma continuously).
- Full Shard keeps a heat sink busy but has a long reload, which is similarly inefficient with the heat sink interval.
- The very similar shot speed allows a combination Shard strikes during the Plasma charge, followed with the Plasma strike, and is managed well with a heat sink active.
For what it is worth, note that flying in and releasing double charged Plasmas at the same time as double Shards should anger a Cyclops petal somewhat more cheaply. That said, simply preferring the Shard is an overriding reason to stay fully with that, and I admit I quite enjoy having a full Shard pilot flying around. Actually, four Shards with premium ammunition could already destroy a Cyclops directly, and now a five-Shard starship can do the same with normal ammunition.
Indeed! I was doing something much like that at the starport in Dao Tzu yesterday while various Commanders ran evacuations there.
Progress was updated earlier, though nothing changed course (including Pathamon still rising!), and I imagine Dao Tzu will be complete by early evening.
Interesting ... I tried a Chieftain almost round the other way (1 C2 Plasma and Shard and then 2 C1 Plasmas and 1 C1 Shard) but it was disappointing ... sounds like smaller Plasmas are better than smaller Shards?
I'm also wondering about putting the Shards and Plasmas on the same fire button ... fire once and the Shards hits, then wait and release for a Plasma strike ... and repeat ... ?
Also interesting. For what it's worth: I keep all four shards on the same trigger, and don't bother too much with traditional cold orbiting/managing temperature spikes to avoid damage.
Being able to land and repair is a huge game changer, and doesn't seem to necessitate the same fancy flying as jousting thargoids 1v1 in the days of yore.
I wonder if the trade off in plasma's versatility is worth splitting your attention (and your fire groups) between two different weapon types! I'll have to tinker with it.
The reason why I sorted them the way I did - C1 Plasmas and C2 Shards - is the way they interact with interceptor hulls and hearts:
Thargoid Combat
Thargoid Combat is the most difficult content available in Elite Dangerous. It requires a combination of advanced ships, specialized modules, and high-skilled piloting to be successful, but in return it is one of the most lucrative activities in the game, and the central focus of the current...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com
In a nutshell,
- Plasma has high damage vs hull but low damage vs hearts
- Shard has low damage vs hull but high damage vs hearts
- and for comparison, Gauss are moderate / moderate on both counts, so good middle of the road if you can hit with them
So my line of thinking is, I can keep firing Plasmas indefinitely without overheating, the Goid can never hit me so it doesnt really matter if it takes a bit longer to build up the damage [note this is only true for the smaller ceptors, that dont have the regeneration or armour of a 'Dusa or Hydra]. And only when the heart is exerted do I pop a sink to dump my Shard load.
And yes, against the bigger ceptors, nothing beats the solid all-round performance and high piercing of Gauss, but - you know...
--
BTW, what kind of bugs me is having some players in the instance who keep damaging the hull when the heart is exerted -- so the ceptors keep popping panic shield after panic shield. There seems to be absolutely no limit to the amount of panic shields a ceptor can raise. I'm not 100% sure about the mechanics, but from my observations this seems to be the case if the hull gets shot a lot while a heart is exerted.
It isn't all that easy to see the target when you are in its wake and otherwise see nothing but plasma cloud. We each have to deal. Let's not make this another "I'll kill anyone using ship board fighters" thing.The reason why I sorted them the way I did - C1 Plasmas and C2 Shards - is the way they interact with interceptor hulls and hearts:
Thargoid Combat
Thargoid Combat is the most difficult content available in Elite Dangerous. It requires a combination of advanced ships, specialized modules, and high-skilled piloting to be successful, but in return it is one of the most lucrative activities in the game, and the central focus of the current...
In a nutshell,
- Plasma has high damage vs hull but low damage vs hearts
- Shard has low damage vs hull but high damage vs hearts
- and for comparison, Gauss are moderate / moderate on both counts, so good middle of the road if you can hit with them
So my line of thinking is, I can keep firing Plasmas indefinitely without overheating, the Goid can never hit me so it doesnt really matter if it takes a bit longer to build up the damage [note this is only true for the smaller ceptors, that dont have the regeneration or armour of a 'Dusa or Hydra]. And only when the heart is exerted do I pop a sink to dump my Shard load.
And yes, against the bigger ceptors, nothing beats the solid all-round performance and high piercing of Gauss, but - you know...
--
BTW, what kind of bugs me is having some players in the instance who keep damaging the hull when the heart is exerted -- so the ceptors keep popping panic shield after panic shield. There seems to be absolutely no limit to the amount of panic shields a ceptor can raise. I'm not 100% sure about the mechanics, but from my observations this seems to be the case if the hull gets shot a lot while a heart is exerted.
I know! This stupid wake-blur really bugs me, too. Been meaning to ask about that anyway! The weird thing is, in some youtube vids I watched, there didn't seem to be any of that blurring. Wonder if there is some graphic setting that reduces or negates it?
I mean, it wouldn't be the first game where reducing the graphic settings makes the game easier to play.
Apologies, guilt mlud. I've been guilty of firing off the plasma after heart is exerted purely because I have the trigger pulled to charge the pasma, and when the heart gets exerted I switch fire groups to shard and the plasma goes off doing that
havet noticed it causing a panic shield
but now I know thats a thing, i will make sure I vent the plasma elsewhere
@Kayvan the wake annoys me but in a good way - makes it hard to hit but I love it for the immersion
Well, I went back out in my FAS today and had a much better time of it. Two C2 Mod Plasmas slung underneath and two C2 Mod Shards on the chin and roof seem to be pretty darned effective. My “best” result was going in against the last Cyclops at 50% hull and with no heat sinks left … adopted a “zoom and boom” approach and somehow finished the job having only dropped to 36% hull … that might be a new personal record!!The reason why I sorted them the way I did - C1 Plasmas and C2 Shards - is the way they interact with interceptor hulls and hearts:
Thargoid Combat
Thargoid Combat is the most difficult content available in Elite Dangerous. It requires a combination of advanced ships, specialized modules, and high-skilled piloting to be successful, but in return it is one of the most lucrative activities in the game, and the central focus of the current...
In a nutshell,
- Plasma has high damage vs hull but low damage vs hearts
- Shard has low damage vs hull but high damage vs hearts
- and for comparison, Gauss are moderate / moderate on both counts, so good middle of the road if you can hit with them
So my line of thinking is, I can keep firing Plasmas indefinitely without overheating, the Goid can never hit me so it doesnt really matter if it takes a bit longer to build up the damage [note this is only true for the smaller ceptors, that dont have the regeneration or armour of a 'Dusa or Hydra]. And only when the heart is exerted do I pop a sink to dump my Shard load.
And yes, against the bigger ceptors, nothing beats the solid all-round performance and high piercing of Gauss, but - you know...
--
BTW, what kind of bugs me is having some players in the instance who keep damaging the hull when the heart is exerted -- so the ceptors keep popping panic shield after panic shield. There seems to be absolutely no limit to the amount of panic shields a ceptor can raise. I'm not 100% sure about the mechanics, but from my observations this seems to be the case if the hull gets shot a lot while a heart is exerted.
I may try a Chieftain again at some point … need to work up the willpower to go grab one more Weapon Blueprint and then - based on the info you provided - I’d go with 3x C1 Mod Plasmas and 2x C2 Mod Shards. But whilst the convergence would be better, that’s actually less DPS than my FAS … so I’m not sure …
Side note … I really wish we could “trade in” a Modified Guardian Weapon for either the Blueprint back (would be fine if other mats were lost) or to change for another weapon / size (effectively using it like a blueprint but still having to pay the other mats) because I have loads of ‘em just laying about that aren’t the right size for the ships I want to try ‘em on!!
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With all that's been said about builds and weapons, I think our greatest strength is good teamwork - when you have 5 - 6 cmdrs in AX CZ, with different ships, builds and weapons, but with good situational awareness, and some level of synchronisation, then everything is easy and fun - even two hydras. Of course, sometimes it's big mess 
Indeed … I actually think a large amount of damage I take in the CZs is from all the goddamn Scouts so I will sometimes “take a lap” and just squash a load of ‘em before going after the next Interceptor heart and it’s hugely useful when someone with a boat-load of EAX MCs just keeps cleaning house!!With all that's been said about builds and weapons, I think our greatest strength is good teamwork - when you have 5 - 6 cmdrs in AX CZ, with different ships, builds and weapons, but with good situational awareness, and some level of synchronisation, then everything is easy and fun - even two hydras. Of course, sometimes it's big mess
I’m actually considering loading a Type-10 with 6 EAX MC turrets, a Shutdown Field Neutraliser, decontamination/repair limpets and all the Guardian HRPs humanly possible, for when I fancy a change of pace. Never flown one before so would be cool to try a “new” ship.
Victory in Dao Tzu! The next band of Invasion systems is approaching; they are all possible by time, but realistically I expect only around three more this cycle. Pathamon is still on the rise, and Jementi has returned!
If there is room for offering a suggestion, I would consider Jeng before Elboongzi for now, because the latter is in its first week this cycle (no damaged port) and the former will be in its final week next cycle (no attacked port nor Conflict zones).
Top targets at 19:00 30th January 3309:
HIP 20899 Invasion 52% — Indra 23 Ly, 3 ports, 2990 Ls planet attack
Garongxians Invasion 42% — Leigong 28 Ly, 4 ports, 5890 Ls planet + 5991 Ls planet attack, 6148 Ls outpost damage
Elboongzi Invasion 40% — Oya 27 Ly, 3 ports, 907 Ls outpost attack
Jeng Invasion 40% — Oya 23 Ly, 1 port, 1587 Ls outpost attack, 2194 Ls outpost damage
Desurinbin Invasion 34% — Cocijo 25 Ly, 7 ports, 455k Ls planet + 456k Ls planet attack
Col 285 Sector TS-Z b14-3 Control 26% — Hadad 22 Ly, empty
Pathamon Invasion 26% — Leigong 22 Ly, 5 ports, 104 Ls planet + 2695 Ls outpost attack
Aowicha Invasion 22% — Oya 23 Ly, 2 ports, 1765 Ls planet attack, 1760 Ls planet damage
Col 285 Sector PM-B b14-5 Control 22% — Hadad 26 Ly, empty
Such is the case; more specifically, the extra shield occurs if the total hull gets low before all destructible petals are gone. This means it happens much more easily towards the end, where a single four-Plasma volley to anger the final Cyclops petal will also provoke a shield (use two instead!).
It is fine if you can strike the petal; the Plasma breach chance should be a healthy 50–80% at least, so a good petal hit should not deal much hull damage. Otherwise, consider removing a Scout!
If there is room for offering a suggestion, I would consider Jeng before Elboongzi for now, because the latter is in its first week this cycle (no damaged port) and the former will be in its final week next cycle (no attacked port nor Conflict zones).
Top targets at 19:00 30th January 3309:
HIP 20899 Invasion 52% — Indra 23 Ly, 3 ports, 2990 Ls planet attack
Garongxians Invasion 42% — Leigong 28 Ly, 4 ports, 5890 Ls planet + 5991 Ls planet attack, 6148 Ls outpost damage
Elboongzi Invasion 40% — Oya 27 Ly, 3 ports, 907 Ls outpost attack
Jeng Invasion 40% — Oya 23 Ly, 1 port, 1587 Ls outpost attack, 2194 Ls outpost damage
Desurinbin Invasion 34% — Cocijo 25 Ly, 7 ports, 455k Ls planet + 456k Ls planet attack
Col 285 Sector TS-Z b14-3 Control 26% — Hadad 22 Ly, empty
Pathamon Invasion 26% — Leigong 22 Ly, 5 ports, 104 Ls planet + 2695 Ls outpost attack
Aowicha Invasion 22% — Oya 23 Ly, 2 ports, 1765 Ls planet attack, 1760 Ls planet damage
Col 285 Sector PM-B b14-5 Control 22% — Hadad 26 Ly, empty
Such is the case; more specifically, the extra shield occurs if the total hull gets low before all destructible petals are gone. This means it happens much more easily towards the end, where a single four-Plasma volley to anger the final Cyclops petal will also provoke a shield (use two instead!).
It is fine if you can strike the petal; the Plasma breach chance should be a healthy 50–80% at least, so a good petal hit should not deal much hull damage. Otherwise, consider removing a Scout!
Shameless plug for Garongxians B 5 -- Haldeman Terminal.
N.b., it's one of the few planetary ports left this cycle with substantial progress that's NOT beneath an atmosphere, for Horizons-only pilots.
N.b., it's one of the few planetary ports left this cycle with substantial progress that's NOT beneath an atmosphere, for Horizons-only pilots.
I'm glad you mentioned it. I was in HIP 20899 this morning and noticed that while several interceptors were eventually destroyed (mainly by a number of NPC's and even a human) there WERE times where one of them would just vanish off the radar. Figured it must have been destroyed too far for the radar to show (and I didn't have it targeted so I didn't hear "target destroyed"). Landed at the prison base to RRR and went out for another run and saw that happen again after about 15 minutes of pew pew. There was another commander shooting the interceptor and I had it targeted as well with just a beam laser (I go more for the scouts but like to help out with the interceptors when I can) and after a few moments it just vanished instead of exploding.
Maybe a bugged bug?
Yeah no worries, firing off a single plasma volley shouldn't be a problem in most cases.
Hm, I wouldn't know what internal slot to sacrifice for the class 3 stabilizer. Chieftain has no size 3 slots so you'd have to sacrifice a class 4 at least (which in my ship is a cargo rack for limpets). Might go the whole way and use the size 5 slot for 2 extra weapons, but that means dropping the limpet controller. So either way you basically drop most of your repair capacity.
Probably the Challenger would make a better platform to run extra weapons.
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had my 1st meeting with a would be player killer this evening. seems they didn't want to go after ships which could fight back instead attacking ships with weapons which could not hurt them.
I must admit it was educational. the interdiction was strange to the point it felt broken. it was a piece of cake to keep the blue in my sights...... however despite being square in my sights my krait was no match for the fdl and within 10 seconds I lost the interdiction even though I should have been winning it according to my screen at least.
either there is something I don't know .... or it bugged out.
then the player proceeded to open fire. sure I could not hurt them... but equally they could barely hit me and I just flew in circles around them whilst my FSD
reset then jumped out after losing 10% hull in my unshielded ship. I arrived at the thargoid battle and it was bugged out so gave up and played deep rock galactic instead.
I must admit it was educational. the interdiction was strange to the point it felt broken. it was a piece of cake to keep the blue in my sights...... however despite being square in my sights my krait was no match for the fdl and within 10 seconds I lost the interdiction even though I should have been winning it according to my screen at least.
either there is something I don't know .... or it bugged out.
then the player proceeded to open fire. sure I could not hurt them... but equally they could barely hit me and I just flew in circles around them whilst my FSD
reset then jumped out after losing 10% hull in my unshielded ship. I arrived at the thargoid battle and it was bugged out so gave up and played deep rock galactic instead.
Those videos were probably from Horizons days, the wake blur (along with much less ambient lighting which makes night vision almost mandatory) was added with Odyssey.