Power Play 2.0 Merits Progression Feedback
- Thread starter Revelation_jeff
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BTW, nice tips, thanks! Great to hear that you don't get notoriety
Updated, wich made me edit my last post with about method... lastly I might add here, that rail bulids are not quite neccecary (but surely can one shot these SLF's), but its quite "hazardous" area just be around there, so high speed 550+ ship is kinda mandatory... main carrier have really long range lasers (bit weak but better do not underestimate it), and those SLF when combined, they can do deliver some serious dmg. But they dont have chaff, and are also weak vs missiles, since they dont have either way to counter it. So bulids such as quad gimball large beam (effcent tv lasers) with dual high cap seekers (bring emissive+drag combo!) is very viable bulid to use for p2 for example to have very effective SLF hunter... but make sure boost a lot, since not only main carrier, SLF's, but also there is bunch power npcs, well as local system security who will try aid them but best to ingore and evade anything bigger than SLF.
Depending on how fast one can kill these SLF's, without neededing to retreat or dying (again might be tricky to less skilled cmdrs to pull that one off by alone), its very fast way to earn merits, might be well as one of fastest, and it can be done by solo cmdr, but again, its quite hard to do it alone, but in bigger groups or wings it should be viable to anyone who can shoot. Make sure focus only at SLF but as a group, might well as kill anything at that area, in end its all depend on mood of group itself.
I went from 20131 merits by 2 hours to 33277, in single instance, without need to reseting or jumping away, but surely its quite tough to be able to operate here alone without taking hull dmg, even for someone as Myself was more than a few times inches from shield failing (not like my bulid is shield tank but still) but its quite fun activity... really pushes all what I learned in combat so far since 10 years to thier limits, indeed.
Approved and confirmed to be good.
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No they are not. Long range lasers work better because no ammo consumption.
No need to retreat (as in waking out) since you are faster than those NPCs, so you can just boost away to reboot after shield drop anytime (provided you are using some good medium combat build, not some slow big ship, that is).
Unironically, it's easier to do it in Solo, beacuse those Taipans can be extremely laggy in multiplayer instances.
You should be able to kill 1 Taipan every 6 seconds for at least 30 minutes for this method to be comparable to the fastest merit gold mines, but that's not really possible because even though carriers seem to have an infinite supply of Taipans, the spawn frequency is not high enough.
Thanks cmdrs, just built a python mk 2 for this activity, will give it a go!No they are not. Long range lasers work better because no ammo consumption.
No need to retreat (as in waking out) since you are faster than those NPCs, so you can just boost away to reboot after shield drop anytime (provided you are using some good medium combat build, not some slow big ship, that is).
Unironically, it's easier to do it in Solo, beacuse those Taipans can be extremely laggy in multiplayer instances.
You should be able to kill 1 Taipan every 6 seconds for at least 30 minutes for this method to be comparable to the fastest merit gold mines, but that's not really possible because even though carriers seem to have an infinite supply of Taipans, the spawn frequency is not high enough.
I still like kinda one-shooting them with rail salvos. There is no other hitscan weapon that can to that. But each to its own. Long range beams bulids will work here wonders as well, but requires kinda more lil' longer ToT to kill when I am perfectly locked on aim to begin with. And my rail bulids dont have ammo issue, neither I gonna farm SLF for longer than few hours at time, where I dont run of ammo either.... I dont have that much of free time, sadly.
Yep, big slow ships are not gud here. Too slow and will be overwhelm by these SLF's, security and power npcs in no time, and cant really evade main carrier attack.... and prismatics or heavy shielded bulids are in disadvantage here as well, though cheap 50% reboot tactics are also viable, if someone desire to do so.
FDL or P2, its what should be used. Tons of gud taipan gib bulids possible... but in right hands, even meme ships can shine there.
P2 (wich I use atm), FDL, Phantom, FAS, Orca, Mamba and Mandy... rest aint fast enough or dont have enough hardpoint power for my tastes. Again, tons of dank, gud bulids out of those are possible, nothing stops from creating meme bulids, just to add much soon to be needed variety to that "activity" to what it can be used for "farmin taipans" or in other words, Taipan instagib bulids.
I would not go to solo, I heard its loney, empty place where you are alone in big galaxy. It would be boring, dont you agree?Unironically, it's easier to do it in Solo, beacuse those Taipans can be extremely laggy in multiplayer instances.
Open is big place, enough around carriers to find nice cozy one without anyone. Occasional cmdr or two does not hurt either, from time to time
At that point I dont think there is issue with spawn frequency, I am content with 1 SLF per each 10 seconds.You should be able to kill 1 Taipan every 6 seconds for at least 30 minutes for this method to be comparable to the fastest merit gold mines, but that's not really possible because even though carriers seem to have an infinite supply of Taipans, the spawn frequency is not high enough.
By the time I kill last one, and go back to carrier group (since always I kite them away a bit from carrier group), next bunch is already there, and I get repeat, and repeat.... you know the rest. I been close few times to lose my shield, but since my bulid is not a shield tank, but non-SLF npcs carries seekers, so better to not fool around in shieldess bulids or when shield is rechargin, but I suppose you are familiar how it works
For now, I kinda even enjoy it, though its only few hours since I realized this and started farm it, but I am sure its sooner or later become boring, hopefully not sooner than 34 level in kaine's power, wich is all I need from powerplay, so I could go back to my "usual" game, I might add.
Nearly 4th hour of doing that yielded me now enough merits to reach 43564 from 20131 when I started it. I think I might be content with such progress by now, tough anything else I tried before does not even close match in terms of merits gained per hour. And such fun activity indeed.
Told ya its not easy alone, and taipains are surely in alliance space
But good to know that other variants might have chaff or PD, it makes sense to assume that empire and fed based powers, would be having Gu-97 and Condor respectively, wich either of them can have chaff or PD.
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It sure is! Do the slfs chase you indefinitely? I had to get out of there after a few kills as I didn't reverski quick enough and got hull damage quite fast..Told ya its not easy alone, and taipains are surely in alliance space
Yes the gu were in empire space. I'll head to alliance nextTold ya its not easy alone, and taipains are surely in alliance space
But good to know that other variants might have chaff or PD, it makes sense to assume that empire and fed based powers, would be having Gu-97 and Condor respectively, wich either of them can have chaff or PD.
They chase for while, but like up to 15km to 20km away from center of carrier group. Thats what I meant by "kite them" by ealier post. When you get swarmed, just boost away until they turn back. Its certainly one of kind "easier said than done!" thing, but thats how I deal with it. Boosting away when swarmed by taipans in straight line might not be good idea, better use spiral or erratic movments by side thusters, to not get hit a lot by taipans MC's, wich are fixed, but still have travel time, thus can be evaded.
When they reach "border" of thier carrier, they will turn back, and start boost towards fleet, and you can use that moment to snipe away one or two of them, until you get better and kill them while they swarm. Its very similar behavior to what NPC's doing in settlement based CZ's if they fly too far away, once they turn back, and start boosting in straight line, they wont fight back until they back to being closer to fleet.
I use 3xrail+ large seeker+dual large gimball beam biwave hybrid bulid is its kinda all-rounder that works in all distances for that task, so I can kill a lot of them every minute. 10-15 secs per each is average for me.. but sometimes I need get back off a bit to recharge shields due I keep getting shot at. Have yet to lose shields atleast once, but it was close few times. Rails are for long range attacks and for sniping, while beams are used with seeker to deal with them upclose and when they swarm around. Yup, these taipains are no joke.
Try this, boost past SLF group, and make sure you have them on lock on so you could see them on target holo display... once far enough from carrier group, in moment where they turn back towards carrier group, they are vulnerable to long range attacks for like 10 seconds, and boost in straight line towards fleet. Use that moment to snipe many as you can!
Alliance might be well as meta for that activity, due that taipans have not only largest hitboxes of all SLF's - wich makes them easier to hit with fixed weapons from afar or gimballed if close enough, but most imprtantly, they dont have chaff or PD wich makes them easy targets both for gimball weapons and seekers. Taipans have litte more HP both in hull and shield than other fighters, but they can be surely one-shoted with rail bulids! Single seeker takes about 2/5th of thier health so its very good finisher (33%left health taipan - locked on with seeker > fire and forget> move onto next, seeker will finish job, while other is already under attack), and move onto next one.
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Yeah sure, I was merely talking about efficiency. During the same 4 hours yesterday I made at least 4 times more merits while doing some totally easy, risk-free, zero-skill activity. Not because it was fun (ofc it wasn't), it's just that the 250K merit requirement is insanely high. Shooting at NPCs is certainly more fun, only not in this quantity (250000 / 68 = more than 3600 Taipans).
Taipans Nakato Kaine don't have chaff or PDTold ya its not easy alone, and taipains are surely in alliance space
But good to know that other variants might have chaff or PD, it makes sense to assume that empire and fed based powers, would be having Gu-97 and Condor respectively, wich either of them can have chaff or PD.
I'd say its more close 3500, since some gives 72 sometimes.
I swear discord usage should be illegal, where such knowledge is passed around between squardons and pvp'ers.
What did you did to earn 80k in 4 hours?
Mostly kept praying to RNGsus to deliver me from the evil limpet bug.
Thanks a lot sir, this is a very new type of combat for me and as you said earlier, is making me get better after all these years of fighting npcs (never do pvp, and only just started killing interceptors) so it is great to have a new learning curve! I'm happy with my build, and I'm sure I'll get on better with these tips and without them spamming chaff
I'm passing on all this knowledge to my squad tooAnd me I ask what your totally easy risk-free, zero skills activity was ?
Hmm, that does not quite the anwser I was hopin for. I though you might be more open than this, but I guess I overestimated with that assumption.
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Yeah, your welcome, to think about it, mastering this activity should improve both situational awarness and aim and overall combat ability for anyone who cant deal with it yet. Things that can be learned at this, surely will come in handy in future, especially in combat, both in PVE and PVP.Thanks a lot sir, this is a very new type of combat for me and as you said earlier, is making me get better after all these years of fighting npcs (never do pvp, and only just started killing interceptors) so it is great to have a new learning curve! I'm happy with my build, and I'm sure I'll get on better with these tips and without them spamming chaff
Its someone litte secret obviously