Powerplay Current fastest way to grind merits

[Defance658]

Hi,

Im looking for the fastest way to grind ADL merits so i can get to Rank 5. I play for about 2 hrs a night and have an A rated Vulture and a hybrid combat/trade clipper.

At the moment, i am Rank 4 and maintain this in what i would call a roundabout way. i spend about 2 hrs in a high res site to get a few million credits and then fasttrack supplies so i can send a few 200t load to wherever is listed on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Yxw_fvIJ1jp2NTsh0PScMVLmM/edit#gid=1424555232.

i have tried undermining for 30 merits per kill as i hear this is the fastest way, but it seems forever to find a target after i jump back into SC after a kill. ( its 330 kills required if rank 1!)

The crime sweeps seem a bit MEH to me so i plan on avoiding them where i can

#Edit# Sometimes canisters of federal garrison supplies drop from killed ememies, but have about 10% hp and i cant get them in time. Am i missing much from them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Crimson Kaim]

join a wing. It is by far easier to gridn merits if a player hosts an instance and spawns NPCs plus you kill the NPCs faster. a wing of 2 is enough, 3 is the best, 4 is a little bit too much in my opinion.
Oh, and hunt these enemy players. Show them that your power is the strongest!

 

[hoppingdeth]

undermining at 30 a kill is still the fastest way to make merits. can also be the most boring way to do it too. i should know. I've just ensured another 10k merits this week already.

my tips, always hangout by the star, or if you have lots of station destinations, hangout above or below the system so you can see the incoming ships no matter what station they go for. don't be afraid to wait a while, and the wings of 3 will appear. go for those multiwings and you could make upwards of 800-1000 in an hour if you're lucky. sentinel wings are a good earner too. those can get quite tough so make sure you scan all members and know what you're up against before committing.

 

[SpacialKatana]

Hands down undermining a system is the way to go. Ignore cannister drops, worthless to you. Also destroy any other PP faction ships (other than those of your major faction), not just the ships of the control system faction as you'll get 30 merits for them too. Having a huge bounty on your head is fun. I'm spanking Edmond atm, and he is currently offering well over 1Million Cr for my corpse. Good luck with that Edmond

 

[NeilF]

Hi,

Im looking for the fastest way to grind ADL merits so i can get to Rank 5.

Thank you...

You've demostrated the problem(s) with Powerplay in just a single sentence better than I ever have!

 

[Lucifer Hate]

Hi,

Im looking for the fastest way to grind ADL merits so i can get to Rank 5. I play for about 2 hrs a night and have an A rated Vulture and a hybrid combat/trade clipper.

At the moment, i am Rank 4 and maintain this in what i would call a roundabout way. i spend about 2 hrs in a high res site to get a few million credits and then fasttrack supplies so i can send a few 200t load to wherever is listed on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Yxw_fvIJ1jp2NTsh0PScMVLmM/edit#gid=1424555232.

i have tried undermining for 30 merits per kill as i hear this is the fastest way, but it seems forever to find a target after i jump back into SC after a kill. ( its 330 kills required if rank 1!)

The crime sweeps seem a bit MEH to me so i plan on avoiding them where i can

#Edit# Sometimes canisters of federal garrison supplies drop from killed ememies, but have about 10% hp and i cant get them in time. Am i missing much from them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

join a wing. It is by far easier to gridn merits if a player hosts an instance and spawns NPCs plus you kill the NPCs faster. a wing of 2 is enough, 3 is the best, 4 is a little bit too much in my opinion.
Oh, and hunt these enemy players. Show them that your power is the strongest!

undermining at 30 a kill is still the fastest way to make merits. can also be the most boring way to do it too. i should know. I've just ensured another 10k merits this week already.

my tips, always hangout by the star, or if you have lots of station destinations, hangout above or below the system so you can see the incoming ships no matter what station they go for. don't be afraid to wait a while, and the wings of 3 will appear. go for those multiwings and you could make upwards of 800-1000 in an hour if you're lucky. sentinel wings are a good earner too. those can get quite tough so make sure you scan all members and know what you're up against before committing.

Hands down undermining a system is the way to go. Ignore cannister drops, worthless to you. Also destroy any other PP faction ships (other than those of your major faction), not just the ships of the control system faction as you'll get 30 merits for them too. Having a huge bounty on your head is fun. I'm spanking Edmond atm, and he is currently offering well over 1Million Cr for my corpse. Good luck with that Edmond

All of the replies quoted have it right though I found 2 to be what I thought was best in a win.. It takes 334 undermining kills to get to rank 5 and as a wing of 2 you can get there fairly easy.. I did in a a few days though it took some time each day.. I went from 766 merits to 10K in the time I said. If you get in a wing as long as both of you hit the target you both get 30 merits (not split like bounties or combat bonds)

 

[Apos]

Thank you...

You've demostrated the problem(s) with Powerplay in just a single sentence better than I ever have!

To be accurate, he demonstrated the problem(s) with years of conditioning for min-maxing destroying RP in the MMO industry.

 

[NeilF]

To be accurate, he demonstrated the problem(s) with years of conditioning for min-maxing destroying RP in the MMO industry.

Not so sure... He's perfectly demonstrated the poor design and mechanics of PP, which offers little to most players, hence results in them simply farming what little they can get out of it. ie: modules and CRs. And how even these actions in themselves exacerbate the problem because this mindless merit farming simply causes an avalanche of merits being earned with no regards at all to the meta-board game, thus possibly causing a headache to the poor folks actually trying to make the most of the questionable mechanics with their efforts being drowned in a torrent of mindless farmed merits (eg: 600% undermining).

Anyhoo.. I'm sure it'll all be fixed... :S

 

[mossfoot]

To be accurate, he demonstrated the problem(s) with years of conditioning for min-maxing destroying RP in the MMO industry.

Not so sure... He's perfectly demonstrated the poor design and mechanics of PP, which offers little to most players, hence results in them simply farming what little they can get out of it. ie: modules and CRs. And how even these actions in themselves exacerbate the problem because this mindless merit farming simply causes an avalanche of merits being earned with no regards at all to the meta-board game, thus possibly causing a headache to the poor folks actually trying to make the most of the questionable mechanics with their efforts being drowned in a torrent of mindless farmed merits (eg: 600% undermining).

Anyhoo.. I'm sure it'll all be fixed... :S

No I think Apos is more correct... Even if there was more to Powerplay you'll always ALWAYS have those just interested in the min max element to get the best whatever. It's not even limited to RPG MMOs

 

[NeilF]

No I think Apos is more correct... Even if there was more to Powerplay you'll always ALWAYS have those just interested in the min max element to get the best whatever. It's not even limited to RPG MMOs

Maybe so, but I'd suggest the design flaws in PP means for most players, there's little/no impoteous to think along any other lines. ie: The "grind mechanics" are not exactly opening up rewarding gameplay, and ultimately, the biggest issue is, who cares if Dirka Dirka belongs to Power X, Y or Z next cycle...

The only appealing feature in PP for most CMDRs I would say is to use it for modules and/or credits... So is it surprising then that most CMDRS are only using it for that.

It could have been fitted in along side Factions and the bulletin boards far more seemlessly, offering more integrated gameplay, and thus meant more players would have taken part in it more organically.


Anyway, I'm responsible for taking this thread off topic some what, so soz!

 

[Zeta Legion]

No I think Apos is more correct... Even if there was more to Powerplay you'll always ALWAYS have those just interested in the min max element to get the best whatever. It's not even limited to RPG MMOs

As far as min/maxing goes, yea you're always gonna get players who will pursue PP for their own goals rather than to actually participate in the weekly board game. That said, the vast majority of these players pledge to ALD because she offers far and away the best bonus: obscenely OP quantities of credits in the shortest period of time. This not only upsets the balance of PP and it's impact on the story but it obviously wrecks player progression. It would make sense to nerf ALD's bonus and completely overhaul the other faction rank bonuses and modules so each faction has something to offer different playstyles. At least this way the min/max players might be spread throughout the factions to capitalize on bonuses to their preferred mode of play instead of just all lumped into one faction, which gives a huge advantage.

Semi-on-topic, can somebody tell me why territories get fortified 1000%? Doesn't effective fortification stop at 100%? If people are moving fort materials to fast rank, what is the point when your only real reward is credits and you basically have to spend everything you earn to buy enough mats to keep your rank?

 

[NeilF]

Semi-on-topic, can somebody tell me why territories get fortified 1000%? Doesn't effective fortification stop at 100%? If people are moving fort materials to fast rank, what is the point when your only real reward is credits and you basically have to spend everything you earn to buy enough mats to keep your rank?

Because many (most?) players (in PP) are not really playing it. They are simply going to the nearest system, to do the easiest and most effective grind to get their merits for CRs etc... Ultimately (as I suggested above) Powerplay is broken, quite simply because most players do not care about the core mechanics PP is balanced on; Players caring if systems they know little/nothing about are controlled by their Power or another next cycle. And Players having some sort of "vote"/control over Power decisions...

 

[Apos]

Semi-on-topic, can somebody tell me why territories get fortified 1000%? Doesn't effective fortification stop at 100%? If people are moving fort materials to fast rank, what is the point when your only real reward is credits and you basically have to spend everything you earn to buy enough mats to keep your rank?

A combination of profitable trade routes from the HQ to a 1-2 jump control system and opportunity merit min-maxin (i.e. i'll be leaving that way, might as well grab my 50 merits quota for free).

Most other powers fortify outwards, which means they get their quotas from the HQ to the control system.

 

[mossfoot]

Full disclosure on my own approach on PP, because I'm neither a min-maxer or a by-the-book type. Yes I switched sides a couple times because of goodies, but to be fair from the start I've roleplayed a free agent. Starting out I'd have said "If I had to choose a side I'd go with the Alliance." Which is what I did when Powerplay started. Did that for a month, then switched to Aisling Duval. Why? Prismatic Shields? Why, yes, that was a nice bonus. But it also happens that I am genuinely anti-slavery in game, so our ethos were in alignment.

While I worked for Duval, I did a fair bit of undermining, but I also ran propaganda media and, the most difficult but fun part, was rescuing prisoners from Torval's security ships. That's not an easy thing to do, but it was the job that felt the most connected and mission-like.

I eventually left Duval for Arrissa. For the Hammer? Why, yes, that was a nice bonus But, again, our ethos were in line--at least when it came to piracy. So for her I would fight against corrupt cops and whatnot, and enjoy the bonuses to my credit rating (and combat rating) by fighting in local CZs. But when it came to delivering reports and whatnot, I always checked the list to see what systems needed it most - who was being undermined and needed to be countered?

In short, yes, I went to those two for goodies as an end run, but while there I behaved honorably and worked in their best interests. I would never sign on with Patreus or Hudson, because I see them both as war-mongers and/or morally dubious, even though their weapons are supposed to be pretty decent. I would consider the idea of singing up with them to work against them from within, however. I don't actually see a problem with fifth columning (but see below).

I went back to Mahon after that, because ultimately even though his bonuses kinda suck, the Alliance is where my heart is.

(Side note, this merc attitude goes beyond PP, because while I'm Alliance at heart, I did work for the Empire long enough to get myself a Clipper--which you can take away from my cold dead hands--but, again, never breaking my own ethos in doing so. Never dealing in Imperial Slaves or taking on any missions that I didn't agree with)


Now that I've said all that, I DO think PowerPlay needs work. Not necessarily in terms of the mechanics, but definitely in terms of the experience you get within the mechanics. As I said, my favorite job was rescuing prisoners from Torval for Aisling Duval. But it would be nice if it somehow felt like more of an accomplishment than just cargo. Maybe after some time you get an NPC message from one rescued prisoner thanking you for saving them. Kind of like how in Mass Effect you'd get letters from people long after certain missions were finished, which let you get a sense of what was going on with those people, a small touch, but very welcomed.

All the PP activities need to have some sense of satisfaction behind them beyond ranking up somehow, or at least other consequences. Perhaps tie in a chained mission, for example. If you've delivered 100+ of whatever for your power to a single station, maybe they offer you a side mission that would offer bonus merits.

Or, if you were fifth columning, there should be some way for your actions to be figured out by the , and if you do it for too long, you're kicked out of the faction (with the same effect as defection, as in you'll be hunted for 5 days), thus forcing players to think more strategically about how to work against a faction from within, or be ready to do as much damage as possible and bolt

Things like that, to me, would enhance the PP experience without significantly changing how PP is played.

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

No I think Apos is more correct... Even if there was more to Powerplay you'll always ALWAYS have those just interested in the min max element to get the best whatever. It's not even limited to RPG MMOs

Not necessarily, There could be designs giving a player choices between similary fast different tasks, where a player just choose the playstyle he likes. But more and more games start to offer you the ways of:

painful long boring grind
painful a little less long boring grind
painful pointless longer broing grind.

And within those chocies people want the fastest. If one enjoys very much what he does he won't really care if it takes 20% longer or not.

To be accurate, he demonstrated the problem(s) with years of conditioning for min-maxing destroying RP in the MMO industry.

very much this, too many tasks are Grind tasks, loyality is not existent in agmes today, it's just a matter of grind. Just hope you don't have a RL or anything not accessign you to the grindability.

The min maxing simply comes from the fact that many things in games are now hidden behind a grindwall every palyer has to go through individually. One can nto sell a clipper to his friend, so either grind this as well, or, you won't have it. So friend would have to run off grinding not if he wants one.

 

[Defance658]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

i spent a few hours undermining last night and am upto 3k merits now. so i will see what our undermine targets are and keep killing.

 

[Zeta Legion]

I would love to help my faction in ways other than undermining, but alas as a dedicated combat pilot I have very little choice. I'm all for emergent gameplay but there's not enough carrot and too much stick involved in anything PP related besides Undermining for me to bother with any of it. Diversifying the way you can fortify, expand, and undermine while cutting away at the weekly grind factor would be a good place to start. I know PP is supposed to be a group effort but it's bloody hard to feel like you are making a difference (and making personal progress) moving stacks of 50 goods at a time every 30 mins for a paltry 1000 credits and one merit per unit. It feels like everything involved in PP is designed to appeal to extraordinarily rich traders who have nothing better to do but to taxi worthless goods all day.

 

[Joey2o15]

Not so sure... He's perfectly demonstrated the poor design and mechanics of PP, which offers little to most players, hence results in them simply farming what little they can get out of it. ie: modules and CRs. And how even these actions in themselves exacerbate the problem because this mindless merit farming simply causes an avalanche of merits being earned with no regards at all to the meta-board game, thus possibly causing a headache to the poor folks actually trying to make the most of the questionable mechanics with their efforts being drowned in a torrent of mindless farmed merits (eg: 600% undermining).

Anyhoo.. I'm sure it'll all be fixed... :S

Think that pretty much sums up the problem with PP.....

 

[Arry]

I am about to start an attempt at undermining. I have been with the plastic princess since the start and never really made a go of it. I want the shield and it is time I took the task seriously. I have tried to do the parcel delivery stuff, and just don't have the time or funds to make this work. So any tips about undermining. I am in Zacks space, had to come here as it is the closest to my home that is not Empire. I understand that I cannot undermine a fellow Empire power, correct?

Do I have to go all the way back to one of my own powers control systems, to cash in merits?
Are unclaimed merits lost upon death, like bounties?
Do I have to pull 'enemy target' ships out of super cruise? I have never tried this before, so can they be found elsewhere?
When it comes to repairs etc, will I be able to dock in the same system as I am working in?
Do I have to do this in a Control system, or can I undermine in any of Zacks systems space?

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[NeilF]

Do I have to go all the way back to one of my own powers control systems, to cash in merits?
Are unclaimed merits lost upon death, like bounties?
Do I have to pull 'enemy target' ships out of super cruise? I have never tried this before, so can they be found elsewhere?
When it comes to repairs etc, will I be able to dock in the same system as I am working in?
Do I have to do this in a Control system, or can I undermine in any of Zacks systems space?

Thanks in advance guys.

Yes - Back to your control system
Yes - Think so
Yes - Yes, spot their agents or what ever they are called and interdict (your Powerplay page for that system will tell you what to do)
Yes - They seem to ignore the bounty on your head!
Yes - A control system.