Anti Xeno Combat Initiative and Ship Outfit Suggestions for All

GluttonyFang

GluttonyFang
Duderama said:
Ok. So went out with FGS build (see previous posts) and did some test runs solo against Thargoid Cyclops. Never died, so far so good, but my best run ended with only his second heart down to c. 30%. Main challenge is really hitting with AX MC. I think I have a good grip on managing the swarm, taking shields down and avoiding the worst of the lighting / disable field, but I struggle to efficiently hit the hearts. Is it the hardpoint placements? I have both MC in the front class 2 points of the FGS? What is the best distance? Somehow I think getting close doesn't help much as then only one MC hits. Micro-locking of fixed weapons really works only if the thargoid doesn't move, with every evasive action, even If I lead and shoot as per indicator, the % of hits seems to be low. Does it make sense to swap for turreted MCs? How can these be managed to only shoot at hearts and not at the hull? I know that probably my aim is not the best so grateful for any pointers on how to get better specifically with thargoids...
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Put the MC on your tightest two hardpoints. Do not attempt to use turrets, they are terrible.

The optimal range to take down the hearts is 1 km to face blank. When you module target, your fixed weapon will have a very minor gimbal effect if you aim accurately and have good convergence on the hardpoints.

Also, learning the Cyclops' maneuvering pattern and reading them accurately is essential. Such as shooting the hearts from behind is much more difficult, and that they occasionally retreat. Also watch for the direction they drift in, you'll be able to predict where the predictive HUD is going.
 

Lowe1978

L
I've not played for ages - but this is something I could get down to. :) I've got a Courier mothballed somewhere which I'd be willing to chuck into the fire. It's about time I got involved with some multiplayer ED - will see about joining you guys sometime. :)
 

bagofholding

B
Here is the link to the FDS build that I'm using to Solo the Cyclops for anyone interested in a fairly inexpensive ship to use:

https://goo.gl/FypLuK

I enter a NHSS, scan the Thargoid, let it fly away and remove the scanner from a fire group (no sense having to scroll past it when switching groups.)
Then I switch to the multi to aggro the Thargoid by just hitting it with a bullet or 2. Then turn away and boost and ready the flak for the swarm. FA-Off turn to face the swarm and try to take it down to as few as possible. (Thargon missiles can really hurt the ship if your shields are down at the time.)
Then missile and take out the heart as usual. Once the heart is down I boost away from the Thargoid and AFMU repair the damaged MRP and canopy as well if needed. Once it deploys the swarm, target it FA-Off turn around and get ready to flak it. I like the fa-off turns because it tends to keep the swarm flying in a straight line making lining up the shots pretty easy. By the time the swarm is dealt with the shields on the Thargoid tend to be down or just about and you can continue on with the rest of the fight!

Part of getting good is learning the Thargoid flight patterns when solo. You can usually know where it will be going and get an early start in winding up the multis plus since this build doesn't rely on shields you can pretty much just tank the yellow lightning attack and get really good heart damage in during that time.
 

Duderama

D
Thanks for the info. Does it make sense to send the fighter only against the swarms to distract it? Avoids a loop with the flak cannon etc.?
 

GluttonyFang

GluttonyFang
Duderama said:
Thanks for the info. Does it make sense to send the fighter only against the swarms to distract it? Avoids a loop with the flak cannon etc.?
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You should use the fighter to distract the swarm if you are soloing. But with a wing, especially with the AX fighter, you can use it for more aggressive purposes. But the swarm almost always prioritizes fighters.
 

Insane4un

I
Just to be clear. It seems not everyone here know how repair limpets are working. If you fight with Thargoid in a wing, you can use repair limpet for yourself, and they will repair you as long as no one atack you. Which is not that rare in a wing fight. They key thing to know is the fact, that YOU CAN FIGHT WHILE LIMPET REPAIRING YOU. I know on my own experience that it is mostly 40% more hull integrity in terms of full available hull. You can even sometime repair someone else. Use limpet any time you see that thargoons are trying to kill someone fighter. That is a best moment for it. Even 4% that you will repair will worth it in total.
 

Axle Reese

Axle Reese
Insane4un said:
Just to be clear. It seems not everyone here know how repair limpets are working. If you fight with Thargoid in a wing, you can use repair limpet for yourself, and they will repair you as long as no one atack you. Which is not that rare in a wing fight. They key thing to know is the fact, that YOU CAN FIGHT WHILE LIMPET REPAIRING YOU. I know on my own experience that it is mostly 40% more hull integrity in terms of full available hull. You can even sometime repair someone else. Use limpet any time you see that thargoons are trying to kill someone fighter. That is a best moment for it. Even 4% that you will repair will worth it in total.
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Sounds like I need to fit some repair limpets to my AX FGS. How do they work against corrosion?
 

space voyager

space voyager
Come on, it can happen no matter how careful you are. I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice hull reinforcement for repair limpets though. When you're fleeing for your life, reinforcement will save you, limpets will not. Though perhaps when you're equipping the ship for wing...
 

Robbie84

Robbie84
AX Corvette build working good in current encounters. Only drawback is missile placement so count the shots:

Coriolis link

Ofc, all weapons are AX except 2 small turret MC for shield phase:
AX: Huge: 2xMC, Large: 1xFlak Launcher, Medium: 2xML
Small: 2xMC Normal turret for help with shields.

Core internals are all A rated with Overcharged PP, G5 DirtyDrive, G5 ChargeEnhanced Distributor. Life support\sensors untouched.
Shield Reinforced, HRP Heavy Duty and Shield Boosters Heavy Duty.
Xeno Scanner and Neutraliser ofc with 2xHeatSink so you can double SCB without overheating if needed.

This is a lot of weight but some normal build (just good rolls, not godrng) should give you about 340 boost with good recharge so you can do it often. No repair limpets. Corrosion Resistant rack for stuff but you can even replace that if you dont want anything and put more HRP or limpets.
 

Mgirdwood

M
I like the original idea of supporting those Cmdrs who may not be so experienced either with Combat or the Thargoid, having been in Clans for exactly that reason in other games. but looking through the posts there probably aren’t that many newer players around. I did notice in the latest CG that while at the station people really only want to know “how many kills” you have and “why don’t you have a bigger ship” etc.
 

GluttonyFang

GluttonyFang
Mgirdwood said:
I like the original idea of supporting those Cmdrs who may not be so experienced either with Combat or the Thargoid, having been in Clans for exactly that reason in other games. but looking through the posts there probably aren’t that many newer players around. I did notice in the latest CG that while at the station people really only want to know “how many kills” you have and “why don’t you have a bigger ship” etc.
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Well, that's the "pug" effect in modern MMO, people want to get things done quickly so they expect qualifications, nothing wrong with that. Guilds and clans exist to mitigate that in other MMOs, but this one doesn't have that function yet (fleet mechanics).

That being said, I personally helped a Viper pilot to experience the Cyclop hunt recently, and I'm personally saw similar behaviors from other Cmdrs on my Discord. And we are open to PC/PS4/Xbox, all platforms.
 
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