Thargoid invasion - Next target systems?

[Ian Doncaster]

If actions in the actual spire site count then that means only odyssey players can contribute, not sure how much that will cull the playerbase.

There's a non-Odyssey alternative in the Titan rescues, and a small amount of Odyssey-only options for Alert/Recovery systems already, so probably nothing significant.

if there's a CG to collect these materials for research in the future then it would be the first odyssey only CG.

Yes - quite impressive if so, since the first Horizons-only CG was about two weeks after the Horizons 2.0 release.

 

[Kira Goto]

Looking around the spire sites in the cleared systems around Taranis - not much has changed so far. Still active with Orthrus, scouts and ground presence. Further judgement reserved until the next cycle begins.

Other minor things of note - ECM does appear to work against the disruption missiles. The spire site in a system I hadn’t been to prior to U17 also showed up on the nav panel immediately, no surface scan required.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Okay—even with some finished systems at M. Taranis it seems that those ten farthest are still protecting Trianguli Sector EQ-Y b0, possibly causing excess progress, but either way not moving any new systems within its definition of Peripheral. It has all week to show differently, but for the moment I think one can suppose this the case:

Despite losing all reinforcements, Trianguli Sector EQ-Y b0 still refuses to move, perhaps until next week.

I think that means M. Taranis is mostly finished for this week as far as Matrix system activity is concerned; it will be helping only HIP 25679, Hyades Sector GB-N b7-5 and Hyades Sector HW-M b7-3, and only up to 85%. Looking at the lists for next suggestions, M. Indra seems to have a decent start, followed by M. Raijin.

After INIV is done with Col 285 Sector RH-B b14-3 at M. Hadad, I think the farthest-ten-systems idea sets our main plan for this week: attack Control systems at M. Leigong so that Hyades Sector KN-K b8-3 will be vulnerable next week, then ask everyone very nicely if they would be ever so kind and strike it mercilessly. As a pleasing observation, that ought also make Arietis Sector NX-U c2-19 a Peripheral system if we will be clearing it as Control, which should give it some nice extra progress. With apologies for adjusting the schedule I mentioned earlier, next week we will complete HIP 29226 at M. Hadad first to allow some of that progress to accrue, then return to M. Leigong afterwards.

 

[BDelacroix]

Wait, so people have already found a way to eliminate spire sites?

 

[yttrbio]

Sort of. If a spire site is in the 10 outermost systems around a titan, then titan-wide progress will affect them (and even past 85%, which is the cap for non-spire systems). You can cause titan-wide progress by doing titan pod rescues (the experiments we did gave the 655-662 range per percent of progress), but the rate of progress at Taranis suggests that there is also some kind of activity in the spire sites that gives this progress as well, though we haven't isolated what it is or how much of it is needed.

It's worth noting that technically, all we've accomplished is reaching completion in spire systems. It's not 100% guaranteed that this means it will revert to non-controlled next week, or that FDev won't un-win those systems like they did last time.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Indeed; activity at such a site draws Thargoid forces away from the farthest ten systems instead, but when there are few enough systems that the sites themselves are among that farthest ten, they are then themselves vulnerable that way. For example, attempting to attack HIP 30439 next to M. Hadad will give it nothing at all this week nor many weeks to follow, although those actions will progress Col 285 Sector VS-Z b14-3.

It remains to be seen what actually happens if they are cleared; I understand if the hope was that the newly-available thing does not become unavailable too quickly, but unfortunately their nature as impervious attackers has not been a welcome one with me ever since update 16. To be sure, I mind not that the system remains occupied by Thargoids, as long as it cannot attack other systems.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

At any rate, there is no shortage of spire systems - the rate seen at Taranis would probably allow 2-3 periphery attacks a week if it remained somewhat coordinated, which is, since Alerts also get in the way, perhaps 20 Controls cleared (including any perimeter spires). A few recaptures of the easy (and already isolated) ones doesn't make much difference to their general availability.

With the usual "it gets harder as you head inwards", and the potential for the Thargoids to retake spires because of the difficulty of clearing the systems around them, even if this is exactly how it's supposed to work there's at least another half-year of fighting involved in getting rid of them, which is plenty of time for further developments.

either way not moving any new systems within its definition of Peripheral.

Also consistent with last week, where the apparent peripheries varied in size considerably while we weren't counting the already-done Alerts.

 

[Kira Goto]

even if this is exactly how it's supposed to work there's at least another half-year of fighting involved in getting rid of them, which is plenty of time for further developments.

I’m still not sure if it makes sense that trying to clear one spire system(whichever one is/was responsible for the three seeing uniform progress around Taranis - unless that was all pods, which I really doubt) results in the Thargoids losing 2-3 others in an attempt to preserve the one getting assaulted.

I mean, I’m no strategic genius, but isn’t there some maths going wrong somewhere?

(It also doesn’t even look like they are ‘defending’ them that much when almost all, if not just all, spawns around the spires are lots and lots of Orthrus, with occasional Scout drops.)

 

[BDelacroix]

Well that content didn't last long. Shorter even than the invasion systems.

 

[Danieros]

Well that content didn't last long. Shorter even than the invasion systems.

Spire systems? DCOH lists 45 of them, so there are 42 left.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Victories in Hyades Sectors EG-N b7-1, HW-M b7-4 and HW-M b7-1, Arietis Sectors JM-W d1-56 and FG-Y d66, Col 285 Sectors EA-Q c5-7, BA-P c6-16, JG-O c6-5 and RH-B b14-3, and Pegasi Sectors OI-S b4-4 and LC-U b3-2! Njorog is moving quite nicely and has around one evening remaining, meanwhile M. Hadad loses another strong attacker and the empty Alerts receive a storm of completion.

With a Matrix system at M. Taranis now reporting 150%, its outer ten are now well beyond anything further to be done via Spire sites or Titan rescues, where 5 Mu Leporis and those three empty Control systems below now require individual completion. Unless one wants to target something specifically, I suggest that Spire and Titan activity moves just a few space-miles over to M. Indra, which has by far the next-highest Peripheral decade (36%).

Invasions at 08:20 21st October 3309:
Njorog Invasion 70% *70.1% — Taranis 15 Ly, 5 ports, 107 Ls planet + 371 Ls outpost attack

Alerts:
HIP 25679 Alert 86% *86.2% — Taranis 17 Ly, 108 Ls outpost, 1960 Ls planet
HIP 20485 Alert 56% — Indra 21 Ly, 27 Ls starport, 678 Ls outpost, 27 Ls planet

Eviction:
5 Mu Leporis Control 84% *85% — Taranis 19 Ly, 974 strength

Clean-up:
Pegasi Sector JH-U b3-9 Alert 96% — Raijin 20 Ly, empty
Hyades Sector GB-N b7-5 Alert 86% — Taranis 17 Ly, empty
Hyades Sector BV-O b6-3 Control 84% *85% — Taranis 17 Ly, empty, 329 strength
Hyades Sector DQ-O b6-3 Control 84% *85% — Taranis 18 Ly, empty, 276 strength
Hyades Sector HW-M b7-3 Control 84% — Taranis 17 Ly, empty, 385 strength
Cephei Sector DQ-Y b1 Alert 74% — Oya 18 Ly, empty
Ten Peripheral systems with 36% — Indra 26–27 Ly, empty, 251–280 strength

Well that content didn't last long. Shorter even than the invasion systems.

If you have a plan for evicting HIP 30439 any time soon, do let us know!

 

[Kryxix]

Looking around the spire sites in the cleared systems around Taranis - not much has changed so far. Still active with Orthrus, scouts and ground presence. Further judgement reserved until the next cycle begins.

Other minor things of note - ECM does appear to work against the disruption missiles. The spire site in a system I hadn’t been to prior to U17 also showed up on the nav panel immediately, no surface scan required.

I have no success of using the ECM. Probably Im doing something wrong.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

I have no success of using the ECM. Probably Im doing something wrong.

Take a look over here; both the initial post and the full discussion contain a lot of ECM-related information which should help quite a lot!

Generally you need to hold the ECM button to expand its range, but the trick is that you may need to release it earlier if an incoming missile would strike you sooner. Without worrying too much about timing, you can just watch the radar display; anything which cannot be disrupted by ECM will disappear, and anything which will be disrupted when you release the ECM will turn blue.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

At least four of the Maelstroms have good candidates (10-15 LY to Titan, previously inhabited, not isolated) for getting Invasions back - just needs someone to organise the recaptures. Plus there's still 30% to go on Njorog this week.

 

[Kira Goto]

The disruption missiles launched by a Banshee don’t appear to show on the radar, to be fair. Nor are they targetable, but I’ve definitely seen them veer off course after a pulse.

It is worth noting that, as with any ECM use, the missile getting deviated to a random flight path might just make them head straight for your ship. An alternative to avoiding these projectiles from a Banshee is to travel at sufficient speed to escape its effect radius(~300 m/s forward, or somewhere around 50 m/s backward, preferably higher).

And regarding the spire sites, well, Taranis might be an exception with how quickly they were cleared, looking at progress for other Titans. Not too surprising, given that it is the most popular simply by being the first… but I’d still like to understand exactly how the whole thing works for pushing one to completion in the first place. Is it actions in one, or just at another spire site further in?

 

[Aleks Zuno]

The disruption missiles launched by a Banshee don’t appear to show on the radar, to be fair. Nor are they targetable, but I’ve definitely seen them veer off course after a pulse.

Do they appear when they get really close? That would be quite interesting if they are similar to loose materials on the ground, being simply too small for the starship sensors to establish whether they are distinct items until approached.

I’d still like to understand exactly how the whole thing works for pushing one to completion in the first place. Is it actions in one, or just at another spire site further in?

It appears that any Spire site and Titan rescue actions, where the former can be in any Matrix system, will cause Thargoids to withdraw from the outermost ten systems. This can be seen at M. Indra; those ten Peripheral systems are all normal Control systems all have 36% progress, meanwhile not a single one of its Matrix systems has any movement at all, and it would be most improbable for all of that 36% to be Titan rescues exclusively!

 

[Kira Goto]

This can be seen at M. Indra; those ten Peripheral systems are all normal Control systems all have 36% progress, meanwhile not a single one of its Matrix systems has any movement at all, and it would be most improbable for all of that 36% to be Titan rescues exclusively

So, if I’m getting it right, strictly speaking the (former) matrix systems still cannot actually be moved by conventional means, and need to be part of that outer radius for any action in them to actually be affected?

(It would be great to have one without peripheral support to see if they do actually have a progress bar of their own, that moves when no support can be drawn from elsewhere. Unless that fact has also been established.)

Do they appear when they get really close?

Not from what I can tell, I’ve had them blow up right in front of the ship(or as I boosted toward them to avoid system disruption), but never once saw any sensor contact. They also appear to function similarly to airburst munitions/rounds, wherein they explode within a certain distance to your ship, rather than requiring a direct impact to take effect.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

So, if I’m getting it right, strictly speaking the (former) matrix systems still cannot actually be moved by conventional means, and need to be part of that outer radius for any action in them to actually be affected?

Looks like it.

(It would be great to have one without peripheral support to see if they do actually have a progress bar of their own, that moves when no support can be drawn from elsewhere. Unless that fact has also been established.)

Taranis has either cleared or hit the 85% cap on its outer ten systems and none of the inner ones are moving further, so it seems that way

 

[Kryxix]

Which three spire systems are "cleared" ? (related to the 42/45 posted above)

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Which three spire systems are "cleared" ? (related to the 42/45 posted above)

I have them listed at the top of the thread and in Week 47; they are Hyades Sectors EG-N b7-1, HW-M b7-4 and HW-M b7-1, labelled provisionally because we are not yet sure what becomes of them!