PvE - assassination mission mechanics is a huge nonsense

SENA-

SENA-
So, guys, I take some assassination missions, and one of them was to kill a "venerable general", you know the type. Not a very hard target, NOT a wing target, the usual 1,5-2 millions one. The dude was in a Python, true, engineered to teeth for combat, but still JUST a Python.
I was in my fully engineered Vette, 5k shields, so I get in with no time to waste.

The target, designated an only "threat 2" by the game mechanics. In fact, he was in a wing of 4, guarded by 2 Viper and a Cobra.
Near, another wing, of 5 ships from the system authority. A mix of hard hitters : Viper, a pair of Drop Ships, and other pair of Assault....
They were all green, and I was allied with the power in the system - so I was convinced they will stay away, or even better, will join the fight - in my side. Federal system, and the assassination target was a federal general... that should ring a bell on my head, but in the heat of the fight, didn't...

So, guys, I engage the target, the Python, convinced it will be over in 1 minute at max.
To my surprise, I was engaged immediately by the system authority vessels, and sure enough, by the target wing. So, in less than 15-20 sec I was under fire from 9 ships... I have a muscled Vette, but the infernal rain of rails, missiles, plasma, and occasional ramming from one or other authority vessels who simply get on my front cutting me from target, was all to much.
I manage to avoid shooting at authority vessels, but the ramming counted as crimes, so I got bounty after bounty, my shields melted like butter, faster than my cells could recharge, and before I could run, I was presented with the (in)famous rebuy screen... and sure, with a bill of almost 50 millions.

I was returned to a prison ship 3 jumps away, lost my other missions items with the ship ( several sets of black boxes recovered for another 3 missions, resulting in the missions' failure...) , and I try again... and again.... and again ! No chances, guys, the "best" run I did was to bring him to 60% hull before my shields come near to breaking point.

Cuz now I learned my lesson, and at 2/3 of shield out, I was ready to run, so at least I do not lost the ship again. The Vette... After 4-5 useless runs, I get back on my home system, and take my FdL , in a build with a Huge MC and 4 rails.

To add insult to the injury, I get smashed even faster, losing the FdL 2 times in a row, until I start to apply the hit & run tactics, so the last runs I was able to escape with live, but with severe damages.
So, I was remembering a vid from Tube with a guy who chasséd and killed a Fuel Rat killer, and he did that in a FdL all MC build.

I took my FdL back at base, demoted the rails, loaded fixed MC in all Hard Points, then I pay a visit to our friend in Wolf 397, Tod the Molester, and I rise all my MC at level 5, all with autoloader and overcharge, and one with corrosive.

Then I get back, meet the target again ( he was always 100% HP, the damage I inflicted never stick to him... ) and the first run I manage to bring him to 6% before my shields crashed. I did manage to escape before to get killed, I repaired in a system 2 jumps away ( I was wanted in a small bubble of 4-6 systems with the target system in center....) and the last run, after more than 2 hours of sweat, I managed to kill him in some 40-50 sec, just ignoring other ships, not running and keeping the same position - in his tail, at 1-1,5 km, with the guns barking non-stop.

I was happy I pulled the challenge ( 1 vs 9 !) and I run back to the system who give me the mission - Delkar, Invergary, at 3 jumps away (some 30 yl !) and to my surprise, I was also "wanted" in the very system who give me the fraking mission ! The guys who are allied with me ( I am allied with all factions on system!)

Thinking "is a Legal Facility there, on Invengary, so no problems" , I docked, and started the run to pass the envelope, when all the hell broke loose ! A Sys. Authority vessels almost pushed me inside, shooting at me, making me to ram the walls, but I manage to enter, and they stopped the shooting.

But once inside, the docking permission was revoked AND the 120 sec to get away start counting ! I turn my tail, put 4 pips on shields and 3 on engines, and I sprinted away, with more fines in my head for hitting the station walls ! And the "green ships" of the allied faction who give me the fraking mission - all of them in my tail, practicing target shooting !

I did manage to escape, jump away, search for another legal facility some other 15 yl away, and I paid the fraking "bounty" OF 15 000 PEE-PEE CREDITS, and some hundreds of millions in rebuy and repairs...

So, what the hell mechanism is here, guys ? The faction who give you the mission is waiting to kill you when you return with the mission accomplished ?! What the hell ? I DO NOT hit/kill ANY of the authority vessels in my adventure, I was rammed by them a couple of times, but my (very educated !) finger never ever open fire, with or without intention, on a authority vessel

I only kill ONE and JUST ONE ship, the designated target.

The mission description was fake - threat 2, but in fact was a wing of 4), AND 5 authority vessels ready to fight on the target side ! ; Also, the mission never mentioned the assassination was "illegal in most systems", since I read carefully the details of this kind of missions, and many times I turned down missions when this "detail" was present.

But my biggest displeasure was something going against common sense - the faction who give you the mission AND after you do the mission ask you to return and get the reward, the same fracking faction is the one who open fire on you first, and to make things worse, that occurs in a station with LEGAL Facility, where peoples show up especially for that reason - they are wanted AND THEY WANT TO PAY THE FINE.

Worth to mention I never gained any notoriety, in fact I was forced to pay 200 credits for damaging the station AND 15 000 credits bounty for killing the target. But I spent hundreds of millions in the process, with the re-buy and repairs....

I feel something is broken here... I am wrong, guys ?....
 

Riverside

Riverside
I've had the non-wing 'general in a Python', it's unusually balanced & requires some tough shields as well as the usual high DPS 'gank' loadout. I use a Python (mission runner) with frags on top, and a C3 long range beam under the nose to take out the FSD on targets that try to run.

Knowing when to run based on the rate at which your defences are being depleted is a handy skill to learn & missions like this are good practice :)
 

SENA-

SENA-
kalniel said:
Sounds like you're having the fun, varied, experience so many are asking for!
Click to expand...
yup, was something new, I confess, THE hardest fight since I started the game, 4 moths ago... hardest BY FAR... but also the heaviest in my pocket...
 

Screemonster

Screemonster
Things like the trouble you had on returning to Delkar is why it's always handy to have an IF bookmarked.

One that isn't controlled by a big multi-system faction like the Federal Reclamation Co - seriously, they control 26 systems, they're not small fry.

Preferably, you also want an independent IF so you don't fall foul of superpower bounties as well.

Ideally, an anarchy IF. There's absolutely zero chance of being wanted by them.
 

SENA-

SENA-
Riverside said:
I've had the non-wing 'general in a Python', it's unusually balanced & requires some tough shields as well as the usual high DPS 'gank' loadout. I use a Python (mission runner) with frags on top, and a C3 long range beam under the nose to take out the FSD on targets that try to run.

Knowing when to run based on the rate at which your defences are being depleted is a handy skill to learn & missions like this are good practice :)
Click to expand...

But did you fought 9 of them at once, like I did ? Cuz I did have, several times, the sensation is a no-win situation... ( I tried so many builds, in order to achieve the faster way to kill him, rails, Pack-Hound, even fraking torpedo... only the MC worked, melted him in less than 15 sec....)
 

Bottom Hat

Bottom Hat
Maybe he was a clean general, hence the assassination attempt. I would normally make a joke about a RL example but it's inappropriate at the moment.

You gotta be careful reading the mission brief dude, you have to ALWAYS expect the unexpected in the game. Sorry you had a rough experience, but you'll be better informed next time.
 

SENA-

SENA-
Screemonster said:
Things like the trouble you had on returning to Delkar is why it's always handy to have an IF bookmarked.

One that isn't controlled by a big multi-system faction like the Federal Reclamation Co - seriously, they control 26 systems, they're not small fry.

Preferably, you also want an independent IF so you don't fall foul of superpower bounties as well.

Ideally, an anarchy IF. There's absolutely zero chance of being wanted by them.
Click to expand...

Sure, great idea, but when you are in a 12-15 yl jump ship, that translate in 3-5 additional jumps.... or more...
 

Riverside

Riverside
SENA- said:
But did you fought 9 of them at once, like I did ? Cuz I did have, several times, the sensation is a no-win situation... ( I tried so many builds, in order to achieve the faster way to kill him, rails, Pack-Hound, even fraking torpedo... only the MC worked, melted him in less than 15 sec....)
Click to expand...
Yes it's the same basic template, one of a few possible with those missions.

I'll get in close (above or below) and use a high alpha damage attack with 402 on the distributor. If the target isn't dead by the time my wep cap drains I know I'm not going to succeed, but with practice it's okay.

But it is harder than a kill politician, mostly because the NPC python is pretty tanky.
 

Screemonster

Screemonster
Riverside said:
Yes it's the same basic template, one of a few possible with those missions.

I'll get in close (above or below) and use a high alpha damage attack with 402 on the distributor. If the target isn't dead by the time my wep cap drains I know I'm not going to succeed, but with practice it's okay.

But it is harder than a kill politician, mostly because the NPC python is pretty tanky.
Click to expand...
I really love the good ol' frag mamba for these jobs. It's not just for ganking!

seriously, I've never actually ganked with it
 

SENA-

SENA-
Riverside said:
Yes it's the same basic template, one of a few possible with those missions.

I'll get in close (above or below) and use a high alpha damage attack with 402 on the distributor. If the target isn't dead by the time my wep cap drains I know I'm not going to succeed, but with practice it's okay.

But it is harder than a kill politician, mostly because the NPC python is pretty tanky.
Click to expand...

Not just tanky, but more agile than expected... My luck was to use MC, they draw so little juice I could keep 4 pips on shields all the time and that kept me alive enough time to finish him... I just love the FdL in this build, I will keep her just for hard kills missions, is a great ship....
 

Kekkonshiki

Kekkonshiki
SENA- said:
So, guys, I take some assassination missions, and one of them was to kill a "venerable general", you know the type. Not a very hard target, NOT a wing target, the usual 1,5-2 millions one. The dude was in a Python, true, engineered to teeth for combat, but still JUST a Python.
I was in my fully engineered Vette, 5k shields, so I get in with no time to waste.

The target, designated an only "threat 2" by the game mechanics. In fact, he was in a wing of 4, guarded by 2 Viper and a Cobra.
Near, another wing, of 5 ships from the system authority. A mix of hard hitters : Viper, a pair of Drop Ships, and other pair of Assault....
They were all green, and I was allied with the power in the system - so I was convinced they will stay away, or even better, will join the fight - in my side. Federal system, and the assassination target was a federal general... that should ring a bell on my head, but in the heat of the fight, didn't...

So, guys, I engage the target, the Python, convinced it will be over in 1 minute at max.
To my surprise, I was engaged immediately by the system authority vessels, and sure enough, by the target wing. So, in less than 15-20 sec I was under fire from 9 ships... I have a muscled Vette, but the infernal rain of rails, missiles, plasma, and occasional ramming from one or other authority vessels who simply get on my front cutting me from target, was all to much.
I manage to avoid shooting at authority vessels, but the ramming counted as crimes, so I got bounty after bounty, my shields melted like butter, faster than my cells could recharge, and before I could run, I was presented with the (in)famous rebuy screen... and sure, with a bill of almost 50 millions.

I was returned to a prison ship 3 jumps away, lost my other missions items with the ship ( several sets of black boxes recovered for another 3 missions, resulting in the missions' failure...) , and I try again... and again.... and again ! No chances, guys, the "best" run I did was to bring him to 60% hull before my shields come near to breaking point.

Cuz now I learned my lesson, and at 2/3 of shield out, I was ready to run, so at least I do not lost the ship again. The Vette... After 4-5 useless runs, I get back on my home system, and take my FdL , in a build with a Huge MC and 4 rails.

To add insult to the injury, I get smashed even faster, losing the FdL 2 times in a row, until I start to apply the hit & run tactics, so the last runs I was able to escape with live, but with severe damages.
So, I was remembering a vid from Tube with a guy who chasséd and killed a Fuel Rat killer, and he did that in a FdL all MC build.

I took my FdL back at base, demoted the rails, loaded fixed MC in all Hard Points, then I pay a visit to our friend in Wolf 397, Tod the Molester, and I rise all my MC at level 5, all with autoloader and overcharge, and one with corrosive.

Then I get back, meet the target again ( he was always 100% HP, the damage I inflicted never stick to him... ) and the first run I manage to bring him to 6% before my shields crashed. I did manage to escape before to get killed, I repaired in a system 2 jumps away ( I was wanted in a small bubble of 4-6 systems with the target system in center....) and the last run, after more than 2 hours of sweat, I managed to kill him in some 40-50 sec, just ignoring other ships, not running and keeping the same position - in his tail, at 1-1,5 km, with the guns barking non-stop.

I was happy I pulled the challenge ( 1 vs 9 !) and I run back to the system who give me the mission - Delkar, Invergary, at 3 jumps away (some 30 yl !) and to my surprise, I was also "wanted" in the very system who give me the fraking mission ! The guys who are allied with me ( I am allied with all factions on system!)

Thinking "is a Legal Facility there, on Invengary, so no problems" , I docked, and started the run to pass the envelope, when all the hell broke loose ! A Sys. Authority vessels almost pushed me inside, shooting at me, making me to ram the walls, but I manage to enter, and they stopped the shooting.

But once inside, the docking permission was revoked AND the 120 sec to get away start counting ! I turn my tail, put 4 pips on shields and 3 on engines, and I sprinted away, with more fines in my head for hitting the station walls ! And the "green ships" of the allied faction who give me the fraking mission - all of them in my tail, practicing target shooting !

I did manage to escape, jump away, search for another legal facility some other 15 yl away, and I paid the fraking "bounty" OF 15 000 PEE-PEE CREDITS, and some hundreds of millions in rebuy and repairs...

So, what the hell mechanism is here, guys ? The faction who give you the mission is waiting to kill you when you return with the mission accomplished ?! What the hell ? I DO NOT hit/kill ANY of the authority vessels in my adventure, I was rammed by them a couple of times, but my (very educated !) finger never ever open fire, with or without intention, on a authority vessel

I only kill ONE and JUST ONE ship, the designated target.

The mission description was fake - threat 2, but in fact was a wing of 4), AND 5 authority vessels ready to fight on the target side ! ; Also, the mission never mentioned the assassination was "illegal in most systems", since I read carefully the details of this kind of missions, and many times I turned down missions when this "detail" was present.

But my biggest displeasure was something going against common sense - the faction who give you the mission AND after you do the mission ask you to return and get the reward, the same fracking faction is the one who open fire on you first, and to make things worse, that occurs in a station with LEGAL Facility, where peoples show up especially for that reason - they are wanted AND THEY WANT TO PAY THE FINE.

Worth to mention I never gained any notoriety, in fact I was forced to pay 200 credits for damaging the station AND 15 000 credits bounty for killing the target. But I spent hundreds of millions in the process, with the re-buy and repairs....

I feel something is broken here... I am wrong, guys ?....
Click to expand...
I've had the same missions many times. It's never been a problem for me.

Just kit your Vette out like this and you won't have any worries.
 

Rock Hunter

Rock Hunter
Assassination missions targeting venerable Generals and the high ranking politicians take a lot more planning than the Pirate Lord assassination missions in my experience.

Like you I’ll usually roll up in a Corvette, for the Pirates at least, so I can fill up with collector limpets and stack missions to fill up on Mats and save some time - one system with lots of missions can make several jump in at once but the Corvette can handle it. However the missions that have clean targets can get messy very quickly if you haven’t planned and focussed your attack.

As Screemonster said, finding an IF that will be open for business once you arrive with all your fines and bounties is essential as is taking a ship that can take out the mission target quickly. I tend to take an all Frag Chieftain with Rapid Fire and Screening shell on all hardpoints and go in with an almighty head butt on the target before opening up whilst still stuck to them. Ignoring everyone else who’s now firing on me. With a ‘next system on route’ system targeted for a quick high wake I‘m out before I’m in any real trouble.

I actually like these missions as they’re actually a little tricky and require some preparation compared to most combat missions. Also, whilst they can be done in a beefy ‘Vette it’s certainly not necessarily the obvious choice that it is for “easy mode” in many combat missions.

My first political assassination was a rude awakening. When I jumped in I grinned looking at all those tasty targets and the various goodies their burning hulls would contain. It turned out the only mats floating in space that night came from my burning hull. Lessons learned and all that :)
 

DemiserofD

D
You've got to remember that it's an assassination, not a brawl. Your objective is to kill a single Target as quickly and efficiently as possible, then get out.
With this in mind, it's possible to make some simple modifications to your build to complete them quickly. For example, putting a torpedo launcher on each of your class two slots, outfitted with Reverb Cascade. Open the fight with four torpedoes, launched with a boost such that they will all reach the target at approximately the same time. At that point, you have a shieldless Target. Ideally, at this point, you will have several cannons aimed at his power plant, which will blow it up in short order. Done properly, the assassination can be over in 30 seconds or less.
 

goemon

goemon
DemiserofD said:
You've got to remember that it's an assassination, not a brawl. Your objective is to kill a single Target as quickly and efficiently as possible, then get out.
With this in mind, it's possible to make some simple modifications to your build to complete them quickly. For example, putting a torpedo launcher on each of your class two slots, outfitted with Reverb Cascade. Open the fight with four torpedoes, launched with a boost such that they will all reach the target at approximately the same time. At that point, you have a shieldless Target. Ideally, at this point, you will have several cannons aimed at his power plant, which will blow it up in short order. Done properly, the assassination can be over in 30 seconds or less.
Click to expand...
this is golden.

any high DPS weapon would help, i tend not to use torps (as their deployment is difficult, but great to master them!), but frags, a lot of frags...
 

Jmanis

Jmanis
kalniel said:
Sounds like you're having the fun, varied, experience so many are asking for!
Click to expand...
Yup. I want more experiences like the Op.

Wetwork missions are a similar deal, with a dozen ships taking issue with you blatting the target. But as @DemiserofD points out, it's an assassination, not a brawl, and it's def not in your interests to take out support ships as they makes you notorious (for wetwork missions)

Speaking of though, i thought venerable general was the wetwork equivalent in war (normal assassination is "assassinate deserter)? So yeah, these are anything but straightforward. And if it's high security, cops are on you in seconds.

Some of the best experiences have been stacking assassination missions, and having three corvettes get the drop on me at once.

Should be the norm for elite rank missions, and paid as such (oh but that's wing missions.... lol)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom