Efficient Mercenary Rank Grind

[Zombi3]

I decided to rank up to Elite in Mercenary and wanted to do it as efficiently as possible, as general play was taking forever. After some searching I couldn't find any good videos about it, so I made this should it be of use to others.

Source: https://youtu.be/p8bxYS29Vho


I got the idea from a guy on Reddit who used the 2 L-6 method, and it works remarkably well. Only 24% left until Elite...

 

[Bigmaec]

Woah. nice. Guess I need two L-6 now

Also nice camo pattern on the L-6, I have it on the Tormentor and Executioner and plan to get it on every gun sooner or later

 

[Frop]

Efficient is a relative term, I guess it really depends on how long the CZ takes and on how many kills you get (pretty dependent on the settlement layout). The L-6s are nice when they're still huddled up for that 5 seconds after they dropped, but otherwise I don't think using other G5 weapons is that much slower.

Do you recall how much you got in bonds for that CZ? I average about 12-15M in a big settlement where there's way too much footwork in between fights, whereas a smaller Military settlement nets me over 20M in less time.

 

[Ryox]

Yeah the L-6 is probably the most efficient for grinding NPCs, because of its splash DMG.

Also to me it shows that the Executioner might be the better choice for this role if there's an enemy CMDR in the other army. It also allows you to shoot long-distance while "camping" in the middle of the map, but the difference is that you'll not reveal your position.

 

[Frop]

Also to me it shows that the Executioner might be the better choice for this role if there's an enemy CMDR in the other army. It also allows you to shoot long-distance while "camping" in the middle of the map, but the difference is that you'll not reveal your position.

Unless that player is AFK, I'm going to assume it's not that easy to hit someone who is jumping all over the place.

 

[Ryox]

Unless that player is AFK, I'm going to assume it's not that easy to hit someone who is jumping all over the place.

True, but I meant the Exec would be better for the role of mass killing NPCs. That way you stay stealth and don't become an easy target.
Also, stealth means that you can better catch your opponent by surprise with another weapon (I use Intimidator as side-rifle).

Edit : with a G5 Exec you kill 1 NPC with 2 shots, it can be pretty efficient too.
Edit 2 : I assume we're talking about bringing a Dominator Suit with 2 Primary Weapons (L6 + Intimidator VS Exec + Intimidator)

 

[Frop]

True, but I meant the Exec would be better for the role of mass killing NPCs. That way you stay stealth and don't become an easy target.
Also, stealth means that you can better catch your opponent by surprise with another weapon (I use Intimidator as side-rifle).

Edit : with a G5 Exec you kill 1 NPC with 2 shots, it can be pretty efficient too.
Edit 2 : I assume we're talking about bringing a Dominator Suit with 2 Primary Weapons (L6 + Intimidator VS Exec + Intimidator)

Stealth in a CZ? I'm not sure if that applies there, the NPCs are dumb as bricks and will often just ignore you until you start shooting at them. In general, I feel the Executioner is too slow and cumbersome. It takes some practice and skill to reliably hit moving targets and you also have to make your shots count with the limited magazine size, or you're just stuck reloading instead of actually killing stuff. Ironically, it's better up close, but if I'm going that route I'd rather just use a Tormentor or perhaps the Intimidator (even though this one also suffers because of the low magazine size).

And I'm one of those people that uses the Aphelion and the AR-50. Enforcers excluded, I can reliably kill about 4 or more NPCs with one clip of each at long range. I tried the L-6 too, but it's best in a suitable settlement layout and you still got quite some downtime replenishing ammo.

 

[Ingram]

Amazing !
So what mats do I need for this G5 Efficient Mercenary Rank Grind ?
I may also need a monstered experimental effect on it.

 

[Ryox]

Stealth in a CZ? I'm not sure if that applies there, the NPCs are dumb as bricks and will often just ignore you until you start shooting at them. In general, I feel the Executioner is too slow and cumbersome. It takes some practice and skill to reliably hit moving targets and you also have to make your shots count with the limited magazine size, or you're just stuck reloading instead of actually killing stuff. Ironically, it's better up close, but if I'm going that route I'd rather just use a Tormentor or perhaps the Intimidator (even though this one also suffers because of the low magazine size).

And I'm one of those people that uses the Aphelion and the AR-50. Enforcers excluded, I can reliably kill about 4 or more NPCs with one clip of each at long range. I tried the L-6 too, but it's best in a suitable settlement layout and you still got quite some downtime replenishing ammo.

I agree with all of this.

But I probably got misunderstood here, which is my bad since I'm talking about a different scenario than the OP.

The OP and you talk about "one CMDR vs NPCs only". I talk about "one CMDR vs NPCs and another CMDR".

In my scenario (typical CZ during a Community Goal in Open), you need to mass-kill NPCs (with L6 or Exec), but you also need to NOT get killed by the other CMDR. With a L6 you're a very visible target (easy kill), not with the Exec (you're the hunter, not the prey).

 

[Zombi3]

This is certainly only suited for small settlements, and purely for rank grinding rather than fighting other commanders.

As for credits, I’m not too sure as I’ve not been tracker per engagement. I had a 2 hour or so stint last night and had 430m to hand in though.

And yes, unless you have some baseline to measure on, efficient is relative. But from my investigating and experience with this, it’s certainly turned out to be the most efficient for me. I’ve managed to bang out the last 3 ranks in several hours.

It does get a bit dull though, but it’s a means to an end.

I’ve seen the guys with Elite V in Mercenary on Inara - I have no idea how they had the endurance for that. I salute them though.

 

[Ingram]

Stealth in a CZ? I'm not sure if that applies there, the NPCs are dumb as bricks and will often just ignore you until you start shooting at them. In general, I feel the Executioner is too slow and cumbersome. It takes some practice and skill to reliably hit moving targets and you also have to make your shots count with the limited magazine size, or you're just stuck reloading instead of actually killing stuff. Ironically, it's better up close, but if I'm going that route I'd rather just use a Tormentor or perhaps the Intimidator (even though this one also suffers because of the low magazine size).

And I'm one of those people that uses the Aphelion and the AR-50. Enforcers excluded, I can reliably kill about 4 or more NPCs with one clip of each at long range. I tried the L-6 too, but it's best in a suitable settlement layout and you still got quite some downtime replenishing ammo.

Dual executioner is a very interesting camping role in CZ. You can try climb up to the chemney. That is a place high enough protected by pinpoint defense, no rocket rounds will reach you at all. Do not try to kill NPCs in motion, just aim these engaging with your teammates or capturing at flag zone. For every combat situation on the ground you are absolutely correct, executioner can hardly hit any thing moving.

 

[Zombi3]

Amazing !
So what mats do I need for this G5 Efficient Mercenary Rank Grind ?
I may also need a monstered experimental effect on it.

Haha, yes monstered would be super!

But on a serious note the gear I use is in the description. You can use that awesome app someone wrote to list out all the mats you need for upgrades.

It’s called Odyssey Engineering Helper or something or other.

 

[Ingram]

Haha, yes monstered would be super!

But on a serious note the gear I use is in the description. You can use that awesome app someone wrote to list out all the mats you need for upgrades.

It’s called Odyssey Engineering Helper or something or other.

Guess you meant this one. Indeed it's a very handy tool. It can help sorting out non-use items very easily.

But when grinding something I use INARA, feel more target oriented

 

[Frop]

In my scenario (typical CZ during a Community Goal in Open), you need to mass-kill NPCs (with L6 or Exec), but you also need to NOT get killed by the other CMDR. With a L6 you're a very visible target (easy kill), not with the Exec (you're the hunter, not the prey).

I do CZs in Open, never seen another player there though. However, I'd still feel trying to PVP with an Executioner will give you a slight disadvantage against people with lasers and kinetics. Personally, I would only be worried about plasma in CQB. Also, the purple projectiles are quite visible and make some noise too. ^^

 

[Ryox]

I do CZs in Open, never seen another player there though

Haha, that's the whole tragedy of Odyssey, because those CZ with enemy CMDRs are 10x funnier. It's a totally different game than "solo".

against people with lasers and kinetics

After playing a good amount of PvP, I confirm, the laser + kinetics combo is totally legit.

purple projectiles are quite visible and make some noise too

Totally true, not perfect, but much better than a rocket, still

P.S : you can watch my videos, I did meet a good amount of other CMDRs during CGs. Looking forward to team up if you wanna try

 

[Zombi3]

@Frop that was after one run. Although that seems unusually high, I probs got lucky with my kills. I'll do more and see what they come in at.

 

[Disemboweled Ego]

I think bonds/hour is a better measurement; the duration of combat single zones can vary wildly depending on how much control points your team captures. I think as high as 80m/h (or ~5% post-elite merc rank/h) or more is possible without the lag spikes now.

 

[Florenus]

"How was your game?"
"I was super efficient"
"How so?"
"I was able to play less for more gain in imaginary pointless rank"

For some reason it doesn't sound like... I don't know... fun?
I guess i'll never understand people for whom word "efficient" fits well within their entertainment. Not to mention "grind".

 

[Ryox]

"How was your game?"
"I was super efficient"
"How so?"
"I was able to play less for more gain in imaginary pointless rank"

For some reason it doesn't sound like... I don't know... fun?
I guess i'll never understand people for whom word "efficient" fits well within their entertainment. Not to mention "grind".

I tend to feel like you if it ends up playing exclusively against NPCs. Personally I do it as a training for the CG's PvP.

On the other hand, even in PvP CZ, the question of "NPCs grind efficiency" is important. The gameplay works like the outer-space CZ. The sheer number of NPCs reinforcement waves will help the other CMDR if you don't mass-kill them.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

I don't need to be that efficient as I'm not in that much of a rush.

However, I would like to know how you find combat zones with the tougher/higher level opponents. Everywhere I go, it's always low level targets... and I've been stuck at the Gunslinger rank for months now...