News New 'Thargoid Incursion' State

[Orciencor]

Soo... any chance we could get this CZs to spawn *right on* the stations/megaships to be damaged, so we can at least feel like we're actively defending the place under attack, instead of seeing it after the fact? It'd be funny to watch the station shoot down scouts too, if not interceptors for lack of having useful ammo for whatever reason they still have useless ammo.

And are the capitals able to show up in these CZs as well? Not that they're supposedly useful for the same lack of proper ammo. (or guns.. but seriously.. it's the ammo that does the damage, not the tube it's launched from). But even useless, they'd be amusing to see trying.

 

[Ian Skippy]

In the same way as I've no interest in Mining (after getting my 50 tons of painite for Selene Jene) and wouldn't want to be FORCED to do it repeatedly...I don't see why players should be FORCED to fight Thargoids if they don't want to...
I can find plenty of Thargoids...and the bigger interceptors are still plenty of a threat to me...so I'm happy with that...
It won't make it more enjoyable for me...if Players with non AX builds are sent straight to rebuy repeatedly because they didn't prepare & practice...swhat would it benefit me if the game made spoiling their day MANDATORY?
(Yes, I am AWARE their is a small subset of Players whose goal in life is to ruin the game for others - by attacking trade builds in PvP meta ships or repeatedly calling for the other modes (Solo/PG) to have content removed)
I'm just happy we're going to be getting some exciting, immersive new Thargoid content...

Noone is forced to enter Thargoid Incursion systems. But when you do, thargoids should be able to actively attack you. RUnning supplies to a damaged station in an incursion state should be very dangerous. Not a walk in the park with some USS sprinkled around as it currently is.

 

[Winterwalker]

The Incursion state lasts (currently) indefinitely until players remove it.

Winter isn't just coming, it's here!!

Not just a BGS incursion state, it's a progressive, system by system invasion!

OptionA; Flee! Flee for your liiiiives.
OptionB; Kill 'em all!

 

[BDelacroix]

OOOh as well.

 

[BDelacroix]

At last Thargoids will be in the game and everyone will have to face them.

Actually the Opt-out system is just a non-sense.

You can still opt out but in a more logical way now it seems. Just avoid the systems announced as under siege.

If the River of Stars is landing in your favourite starport, you might want to take a vacation and be sure your house insurance is up to date. Then again, I might just be resupplying on the way to the next system.

 

[CMDR M. Lehman]

It's only a matter of time before someone will claim that it's okay to combat log if a Thargoid forces their playstyle on you.

 

[Mangal Oemie]

When a system enters Incursion, the following happens:

• One starport present in the system (that can be damaged) will be damaged.

• Each week that passes whilst Incursion is active, a new starport (that can be damaged) will be damaged.
• If a starport has been fixed after being damaged but the system is still in Incursion, it can be damaged again the week after.

• All megaships in the system at the point of the state enters Incursion, will appear damaged and unable to continue on their journey.
• Thargoid Scouts and Interceptors that were found in the initial attack will continue to have a presence, but stronger Thargoid Interceptors will now also make an appearance.
• Thargoid Conflict Zones will also be found in the system, which pits players against Thargoids in waves of combat.
• The Incursion state lasts (currently) indefinitely until players remove it.
• To overcome the Incursion state, Commanders must kill Thargoid Scouts and Interceptors.
• The amount of kills needed to remove the Incursion state varies from system to system.

We'll be exploring the new Thargoid Combat Zones in a livestream on 22 November, but if you can't wait, you'll be able to try them for yourselves in the beta next week!

I hope that this means also a major revision of both the number of scouts killed to avoid/clear the incursion state, as well as dramatically reduce the amount of commodities required for repairs. The current situation in Zavijah requiring absolutely ridiculous amounts of commodities (100K+ of one, 80K+ of a couple of others, and so on down the long list) is not sustainable if you're just going to damage the next station in a week, and another the week after.

Or soon whole swathes of the bubble will be shut down. Perhaps that's your intention. But in combination of the other new BGS mechanics, this is simply going to be too much too handle for the player base.

 

[EWanderer]

Soo... any chance we could get this CZs to spawn *right on* the stations/megaships to be damaged, so we can at least feel like we're actively defending the place under attack, instead of seeing it after the fact? It'd be funny to watch the station shoot down scouts too, if not interceptors for lack of having useful ammo for whatever reason they still have useless ammo.

And are the capitals able to show up in these CZs as well? Not that they're supposedly useful for the same lack of proper ammo. (or guns.. but seriously.. it's the ammo that does the damage, not the tube it's launched from). But even useless, they'd be amusing to see trying.

+1 to that, I want to figth around more than just random space, having a starport or a megaship in the background would be great. Same goes for Surface Locations. And while we are on it, expand the state to have a lot of people requesting evacuation of threatened starports. Plus of course the adding of Kill Space Bugs Missions to the local board.

Oh final actual question:
In a thargoid incursion with a damaged starport, what happens to the rescue ship? Will it also become under attack/appear messed up? So far excited to see the bubble finally start to burn maybe.

 

[Eldragon]

Or soon whole swathes of the bubble will be shut down. Perhaps that's your intention. But in combination of the other new BGS mechanics, this is simply going to be too much too handle for the player base.

That is the intention.

Remember there is no player agency in Elite. We, the players are not expected to have any impact on how this story plays out. We are expected to be passive spectators.

 

[Camisade]

Now can we get some Guardian weapons suitable for heart sniping in a variant other than fixed, for crying out loud? ...especially since the non-fixed AX weapons have been so horribly nerfed? I suspect there are a system-load of old(er) HOTAS pilots who'd jump into the Thargoid content with all hardpoints blazing if it wasn't so tuned for the KBM users.*

* The premise, of course, is that fixed weapon effectiveness is much more attainable (especially with FAoff) for (younger) KBM fliers than it is for people with most HOTAS setups (especially the lower-end sticks/throttles). If you disagree AND fly HOTAS/HOSAS, your demonstrated medium-hull, Guardian weapon, Interceptor solo kills certainly give you that right!

 

[Shir]

I wonder if the invasion starts in the pleiades ! .. most of my 30 something ships are parked there..

 

[SubitusNex]

That is the intention.

Remember there is no player agency in Elite. We, the players are not expected to have any impact on how this story plays out. We are expected to be passive spectators.

Which is just wholesome annoying... the ultimate sandbox with a bully that only let's you build castles so he can step on them heh. That'd be quite a troll move.

 

[DNA-Decay]

“Number of kills required will vary from system to system”

Would very much like to know what this will be dependent upon.


Population?
”Happyness”
Government type.
Star Type?
Presence of Ammonia Life in System?
Security?
Economy type?
CMDR Traffic?
Sales of UA/TPs?
Presence of Guardian Tech Broker?

 

[GluttonyFang]

It's only a matter of time before someone will claim that it's okay to combat log if a Thargoid forces their playstyle on you.

Give this man a cookie, please...

*Chuckles in the background*

 

[CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE]

To overcome the Incursion state, Commanders must kill Thargoid Scouts and Interceptors.

Whilst these changes will add more richness to the BGS and Thargoid interactions, I would like there to be a greater incentive for commanders to contribute to starport repair and evacuation (not just credits). As it stands it seems to be all about the killing again.

Thargoid Conflict Zones will also be found in the system, which pits players against Thargoids in waves of combat.

3D Space Invaders here we come!

 

[GluttonyFang]

As long as players are blocked off participating until they have specific gimmick loadouts (which require some grind to attain, and the willingless to submit to those pidgeonholed ship setups over their customized, preferred loadouts), the content needs to remain optional. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You're kidding, right... right?

 

[Kyokushin]

Thargoids should start to interdict commanders in supercruise, same as other NPC's.

 

[GluttonyFang]

Are there any plans to revise Thargoid (combat) content to allow participation beyond the currently required loadouts (full hull tanks, AX and guardian weapons)? It's not like I'd not want to participate, but I've got 3 fully engineered ships yet the loadouts that I prefer simply cannot realisitically do it (bi-weave shields, armed lasers and plasma accelerators, no SCB spam).

Um, you can do with your loadout just fine, you can solo a Cyclops with what you just described ._. (AX weapons [not Guardian] don't require grinding)

 

[CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE]

In a thargoid incursion with a damaged starport, what happens to the rescue ship? Will it also become under attack/appear messed up? So far excited to see the bubble finally start to burn maybe.

That is a good question. I would imagine one that you're not supposed to ask as I suspect the rescue ship will be magically impervious to damage.

 

[Jellicoe]

You're kidding, right... right?

No, no I fear he isn't