GALNET - Thargoid War Bulletin: Two Active Titans Remain - 20 AUG 3310

[Aleks Zuno]

GALNET

Thargoid War Bulletin: Two Active Titans Remain​

20 AUG 3310

Titan Thor in the Col 285 Sector IG-O c6-5 system has been reported as destroyed, leaving only two of the eight Thargoid motherships still active.

Aegis has begun a scientific analysis programme to investigate the hulks of all inactive Titans. A spokesperson told the media:

“Xenologists from the Alliance, Empire and Federation are eagerly cooperating to study the Titans’ remains. Military teams are accompanying our research specialists as they seek to improve our understanding of Thargoid biotechnology.”

“We are aware that some independent ships are already scavenging the debris, hoping to locate something of value. Aegis advises extreme caution to all pilots when approaching inactive Titans. The immediate area has been reported to be highly corrosive , and individual Thargoids may have survived deep within their motherships. We cannot discount defence mechanisms still being active, or even attacks from smaller Thargoid vessels.”

 

[Aleks Zuno]

To add a few extra notes of my own:

• The space around freshly-destroyed Titans begins very caustic, then becomes lightly caustic, then eventually non-caustic.
  • Non-caustic destroyed Titans also attract pirates attempting to steal from salvage vessels, however.
• Even long after Titan destruction, the occasional Scythes will appear around destroyed Titans and perform their large spherical scan, looking for any salvaged Bio-storage capsules.
• This article could be foreshadowing an imminent Community Goal to gather some of the special items only available from destroyed Titans, mostly corrosive and not used for anything else at present.
  • My guess is that it would include Bone fragments, Cyst pearls and Organ samples.

 

[jojon]

"Inactive"... That's one way of putting it.

 

[Arr0u]

I hope Aegis can reverse-engineer the Thargoid tractor beam so that humans can use it...

 

[HRDiagram]

Just using this opportunity to be the first to file the token complaint about the cosmetic rewards not being already available.

In order to make it more dramatic, I'll point out that we've been waiting for almost 1300 minutes, now!

 

[Rubbernuke]

Just using this opportunity to be the first to file the token complaint about the cosmetic rewards not being already available.

In order to make it more dramatic, I'll point out that we've been waiting for almost 1300 minutes, now!

 

[HRDiagram]

View attachment 399838

The next time somebody asks me to define the word "appropriate", I'll show them this picture.

 

[Kira Goto]

To add a few extra notes of my own:

• The space around freshly-destroyed Titans begins verycaustic, then becomes lightly caustic, then eventually non-caustic.
  • Non-caustic destroyed Titans also attract pirates attempting to steal from salvage vessels, however.
• Even long after Titan destruction, the occasional Scythes will appear around destroyed Titans and perform their large spherical scan, looking for any salvaged Bio-storage capsules.
• This article could be foreshadowing an imminent Community Goal to gather some of the special items only available from destroyed Titans, mostly corrosive and not used for anything else at present.
  • My guess is that it would include Bone fragments, Cyst pearls and Organ samples.

To that I would add that unless I have just been lucky, there are no defense turrets left intact or at the very least active on the Titan wreckage, which I am sure Aegis could have found out by consulting reports of pilots who have extensively explored the environment already.

It is also about time they started looking at those wrecks proper. I do hope they are not planning to send any research expeditions to the newly destroyed Thor, though.

(And there probably will be some kind of community goal to collect those unique Titan salvage items, the drive components aside.)

 

[Mr Lindsay]

This article could be foreshadowing an imminent Community Goal to gather some of the special items only available from destroyed Titans, mostly corrosive and not used for anything else at present.

That was my immediate reading of it too.
I haven't been to a Titan Graveyard since the material farming patch, so will be interested to see if mats are more plentiful amongst the cargo.

 

[Codename]

That was my immediate reading of it too.
I haven't been to a Titan Graveyard since the material farming patch, so will be interested to see if mats are more plentiful amongst the cargo.

They arnt. Mats at gravesites are very very scarse still. I just came from one myself.

 

[Kira Goto]

individual Thargoids may have survived deep within their motherships.

I may be reading into this too much but it feels like Aegis are trying to ward off foolhardy individuals that would dare to try enter the intact pieces of Titan remnants on foot.

Too bad we can’t actually do that in the game. I would also like to not be concerned with vacuum hoppers crawling over the hull and trying to get inside.

 

[St0rmFury]

This article could be foreshadowing an imminent Community Goal to gather some of the special items only available from destroyed Titans, mostly corrosive and not used for anything else at present.

• My guess is that it would include Bone fragments, Cyst pearls and Organ samples.

Have about 400t of them on standby in my FC ever since Taranis went boom.

 

[Shurimal]

I may be reading into this too much but it feels like Aegis are trying to ward off foolhardy individuals that would dare to try enter the intact pieces of Titan remnants on foot.

Too bad we can’t actually do that in the game. I would also like to not be concerned with vacuum hoppers crawling over the hull and trying to get inside.

I have theorycrafted a few space suit loadouts for just such occasions (and theoretical monster hunting on theoretical planets with theoretical animal life). Artemis with improved jetpack for the best zero-g maneuverability, damage resistance, ammo capacity because there ain't going to be ammo crates just lying about, plus it has huge battery capacity from the factory with 3 charge packs for impressive endurance. Haven't decided whether to have night vision or improved shield for the fourth mod—on one hand, Titan wreckage interiors are undoubtedly going to be dark, but on the other hand, shield is the first line of defence for not only combat, but it also protects from falls and other violent impacts and, curiously, from the caustic "aura" of Thargoid artifacts. Silenced Tormentor for sidearm, Intimidator or C-44 for main weapon (depending on what resistances the theoretical on-foot thargs have).

On the other hand, one may think that Maverick may be necessary to cut stuff open inside the wreckage, but judging from spire sites zapping certain biomechanical structures with the energy tool will be all that is needed. And I'm sure prof. Palin can come up with a way to weaponize the genetic sampler somehow

What is certain is that the Dominator suit lacks any tools, jetpack and endurance to be considered for such incursions. Which makes the whole ordeal truly crazy—you're diving head-first into the most hostile environment for humans potentially containing the most dangerous adversaries in the known galaxy, and you need to pick a spacesuit that is the least suited for combat

On a side note, Artemis also has the best olive drab cosmetics. Spectre Gray base suit with Quest Green bits and bobs looks straight out of Forever War

 

[Sevenperry]

The dead hulks seem mostly intact…..any chance of reactivation of these zombie farms?

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Haven't decided whether to have night vision or improved shield for the fourth mod—on one hand, Titan wreckage interiors are undoubtedly going to be dark, but on the other hand, shield is the first line of defence for not only combat, but it also protects from falls and other violent impacts and, curiously, from the caustic "aura" of Thargoid artifacts.

Suits aren't affected by caustic effects, tested extensively dribbling semi-refined spire minerals to where my SRV can pick them up.

 

[Shurimal]

Suits aren't affected by caustic effects, tested extensively dribbling semi-refined spire minerals to where my SRV can pick them up.

Suits aren't affected by Orthrus "snail trails" or after-explosion caustic clouds or corrosive cargo, but Thargoid sensors (I haven't tested probes or links) have this aura around them that does damage your suit if you get too close. Shield protects against this.

 

[Kira Goto]

Suits aren't affected by Orthrus "snail trails" or after-explosion caustic clouds or corrosive cargo, but Thargoid sensors (I haven't tested probes or links) have this aura around them that does damage your suit if you get too close. Shield protects against this.

Perhaps it is supposed to be a reflection of their self-repair mechanism damaging nearby electronic stuff. Meanwhile immunity to caustic seems more like… game mechanic because you cannot really avoid it on foot.

 

[Shurimal]

Perhaps it is supposed to be a reflection of their self-repair mechanism damaging nearby electronic stuff.

Perchance. Which gives me an idea—test if the sensors also affect unshielded SRV-s, and test probes and links also. I should have a few dozen laying around somewhere in the cargo holds of my carrier...

Meanwhile immunity to caustic seems more like… game mechanic because you cannot really avoid it on foot.

That sounds likely. Space suits only have 30 hitpoints, caustic from snail trails and explosions would instagib you on foot otherwise. IIRC, I still got the damage detection HUD element showing up when I went basejumping in a spire site and flew through explosion clouds while a bunch of other people were blowing up Orthruses left, right and center. Seems that the caustic resistance of suits is set to something silly like 1000000%

 

[Kira Goto]

The dead hulks seem mostly intact…..any chance of reactivation of these zombie farms?

“Mostly intact” might be overstating it. The entire core portion of the Titan is just gone and out of the original eight ‘arms’ only three remain sort of identifiable, with one of them separated from the largest intact portion.

I suppose the Thargoids could stick them together to make a Voltron of Titans(or two) of sorts, but they’d still have to make a new center portion for it.

Seems that the caustic resistance of suits is set to something silly like 1000000%

That’s one way of doing it. SRVs probably have a similar treatment but instead probably just cannot get caustic applied on them (I assume, given that I have never visited an actively assaulted spire in Open or a private group).

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Or it could be like the SRV resistance to white dwarf jet cones - they're immune because no-one thought they could possibly be in a situation where they'd be getting damaged by it anyway.