Powerplay Finding a pve combat zone for merits

NoobyMcNoobFace

N
I've just started with power play.

To be entirely honest, I'm trying it out to see if I like it, but for the first four weeks my main objective is to unlock the prismatic shield. To that end, I've joined up to Aisling Duval.

This first week I've been shuttling propaganda at 10 units a time. It's dull, slow, and I think I could achieve more via combat.

To this end, how can I find a power play combat zone that allows me to accrue merits for Aisling. And I mean, +specifically+ how? I've gone through 20 or so guides that looked likely, but they're all out of date or just simplistically vague." Go to expansion area is a typical response", but whose, where, which systems? Why?

I'm specifically after combat zones. Which one would be best today, 26th June, and why? Once I've done a few I'll be able to work it out but right now I'm just lost!

It's frustratingly difficult to get straight answers!

(PS no thanks to downloading chat software just yet)
 

SteveWithaD

SteveWithaD
My first suggestion would be to join the Aisling Discord or Slack or whatever service they use these days as you can get up to date info on where and when to do things. You will need to be in touch with the leaders of your chosen power and that will be the best way to do it.
 

NoobyMcNoobFace

N
Ref: dipping toe in water, not wanting to download guff software, etc ��

You might be right, but I'm playing mostly solo, I don't want to invest energy in signing up to a system run via chat channels or self appointed leaders. That's not me being derogatory of them, I just don't want that level of involvement yet.

I simply want to try PP out while unlocking the shields. That should be relatively simple to do but it isn't. Hence my plea for (forum based) help.
 

SteveWithaD

SteveWithaD
if you don't want to participate in what is a group activity in a group, I guess you'll be flying blind then. Best wishes.
 

NoobyMcNoobFace

N
What group activity? I'll be flying to a system to shoot computer controlled ships...on my own! I'm politely asking for directions, not voting in the whole "pp should be open only" debate. IMO these should be obvious in game but that's not really the way for Elite ...
 

Moonlord

M
Check powerplay map from your galaxy chart. Choose someone who is enemy of the power that you're supporting. Check what systems are control systems, fly there and start killing enemys powerplay ships. Easy and fast way to get merits. I think you can freely kill those without getting hindered by systems police forces, but I haven't tested that. To be sure I have also looked what of the those control systems are anarchies. For example Wadir in Yuri Groms area and Bunda (I forgot which power) are systems I've used for that.
 

aspiringexpatriate

aspiringexpatriate
Combat Zones for 10 merits per kill only happen in Expansion Systems for specific Powers. Hudson, ALD, Patreus, Antal, Delaine, and Grom are the only Powers with Combat Zones in Expansions. You don't have to be pledged to one of those Powers to participate in the combat zone, as you can Oppose them. This cycle, the only expansion spawning combat zones is for Denton Patreus, which you, as an Aisling pledge, cannot oppose by destroying targets. Imperial pledges lose merits if they destroy other Imperial Power vessels.

Most of those Powers are consolidating. One current issue in Power Play is that profitable spheres don't really exist anymore, so no one is expanding, and there are no combat zones, unless the Power is being sabotaged by a fifth column abusing poorly derive mechanics, as is currently the case with Delaine.
 
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A Sleeping Bear

A Sleeping Bear
NoobyMcNoobFace said:
What group activity? I'll be flying to a system to shoot computer controlled ships...on my own! I'm politely asking for directions, not voting in the whole "pp should be open only" debate. IMO these should be obvious in game but that's not really the way for Elite ...
Click to expand...

Powerplay is inherently a group activity. In pledging, you are joining a group and would benefit most by being in contact with that group while also saving them potentially huge headaches because people are working counter to what is good for the power without realising because they don't contact anyone to check... That is one major weakness, there is no in-game, power wide comm system to stop people doing stuff that hurts everyone.

Let's say you pick Yuri Grom to go and attack. Grom is friendly to Aisling, they are part of the same Powerplay group, ZYADA. Should a Yuri Grom CMDR see you undermining them, it could cause a serious headache as mentioned before, kind of a diplomatic incident. Undermining, however, is generally the safest way to avoid self destructive activity.

Looking at Fortiying there are systems that really should never be fortified... There is no way of signposting this in game though, which means these awful systems are often high on the Fortification chart, this only hurts the power.

The same goes for Prepping. Systems that could completely bankrupt a power and cause a cascade collapse of losing systems can be prepped and, if that goes through, an expansion attempt will happen.

In summary, communication is KEY to Powerplay and I'm sure people would appreciate you helping their efforts.

EDIT: Here is a webpage for Asling Duval, their Trello. You don't need to download, install or really put any effort into it. Just have a look and make sure you're not being a thorn in someone's side. :D https://trello.com/b/HBY3rRZR/aisling-duval
 
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bigity

bigity
ITT an argument is made for open only PP, so at least you have a chance of catching people doing PP with no interesting in doing it in a useful way.
 

Curvemn17

Curvemn17
I have to second what sleeping bear suggested. No one is saying you really need to take the deep dive in the group activities and be that level of commitment. Your solo argument is invalid as well, I mean we all know Grom hides in a PG, at the moment no one cares as far as the topic at hand is concerned. However, you can hurt your power in a limited way. It’s best to at least find their form of communicating so when you do your PowerPlay activities; however little they may be, you contribute to your powers overall objective. That is the point and how it works.
 
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