Returning Player - Several Questions Regarding AX Missions

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

I've only been away a few months - with minor amounts of time playing just the usual settlement missions to hit the ARX cap - and I've must've missed a few things regarding all the changes.

AX Restoration Missions (ones in Thargoid Controlled Systems):

1. Any way to determine what sites will have Banshees and which won't? Some seem to have them, others don't. I can't see a pattern.
2. What is the recommended loadout/method for dealing with Banshees? I saw videos recommending the shotguns (and I know about targeting the underbelly spots). However, missile launchers are still the best way to sneak/snipe Revenants, you have to use a Maverick suit, and that means only one of those weapons can be carried. So far I've been sticking with the rocket launcher and killing them with the plasma pistol (hit and run from inside the reactivated base).
3. Bug or Feature When you die (on foot) in an AX Restoration mission, it now fails that mission and any other completed, but not yet turned-in, AX Restoration missions. Is this intended behavior? A bug? I had this happen to me today (completed first mission, died on second, and both completed missions marked as failed while uncompleted missions were unaffected).

Matrix sites:

1. Have any of these been destroyed? I've seen videos (e.g. Galnet News) indicating some may be inactive now. Just looking for verification.

Titan Rescue: Does rescuing people from the Titans pay a decent amount (e.g. similar credits/time for AX Restoration missions, or even standard combat missions)? I watched a guide showing how to do this and it looks like fun. However, if it's going to be all risk/no reward (other than pushing back Thargoid progression) I'll pass.

Thanks in advance for any information!

 

[Kira Goto]

Is this intended behavior? A bug? I had this happen to me today (completed first mission, died on second, and both completed missions marked as failed while uncompleted missions were unaffected).

Bug. The intended fix said something along the lines of, or at least made it seem like, it would fail your currently ongoing mission, not just any and all that are already completed.

There is a bug report up on the issue tracker currently, but with the somewhat expected low vote count, as I doubt this mission type has a hugely popular (though dedicated) following.

Have any of these been destroyed?

Destroyed is a strong word, but definitely empty of Thargoids in cleared systems, and shut down. Come the server tick tomorrow morning(or whenever it may be in your part of the world), Taranis will have lost all its systems though, which might or might not prompt a further development. And I suspect we’ve not yet seen the full development of these spires.

Titan Rescue: Does rescuing people from the Titans pay a decent amount (e.g. similar credits/time for AX Restoration missions, or even standard combat missions)? I watched a guide showing how to do this and it looks like fun. However, if it's going to be all risk/no reward (other than pushing back Thargoid progression) I'll pass.

Very high risk activity, and currently, provides only credits(somewhere around 156k per pod iirc, you get around about 10 mil for 60 or so of them)… war progression, it should or used to for all ten furthest systems of a Titan (following U17, in 16 it was all counterstrikes). A relatively recent test showed it having no effect at Leigong, but there might be more findings to conclusively determine if it still does or doesn’t have an effect*.

*I’m not sure I like the possible lore implications if the action no longer has an effect.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

Bug. The intended fix said something along the lines of, or at least made it seem like, it would fail your currently ongoing mission, not just any and all that are already completed.

There is a bug report up on the issue tracker currently, but with the somewhat expected low vote count, as I doubt this mission type has a hugely popular (though dedicated) following.

Destroyed is a strong word, but definitely empty of Thargoids in cleared systems, and shut down. Come the server tick tomorrow morning(or whenever it may be in your part of the world), Taranis will have lost all its systems though, which might or might not prompt a further development. And I suspect we’ve not yet seen the full development of these spires.


Very high risk activity, and currently, provides only credits(somewhere around 156k per pod iirc, you get around about 10 mil for 60 or so of them)… war progression, it should or used to for all ten furthest systems of a Titan (following U17, in 16 it was all counterstrikes). A relatively recent test showed it having no effect at Leigong, but there might be more findings to conclusively determine if it still does or doesn’t have an effect*.

*I’m not sure I like the possible lore implications if the action no longer has an effect.

Oh, forgot to ask: Did they fix the bug with Scorpion SRVs aggroing scouts (where Scarabs would be totally ignored)? I'd really like to switch out to Scorpions.

 

[Kira Goto]

Oh, forgot to ask: Did they fix the bug with Scorpion SRVs aggroing scouts (where Scarabs would be totally ignored)? I'd really like to switch out to Scorpions.

Can’t say for sure, but I don’t remember any Scouts aggroing to the Scorpion in those few I’ve run in U17 to get a feel for how they handle with Banshees around if you’re not going to kill it(hint : it’s painful). Not even the one coming by to drop Revenants because I didn’t approach the settlement to the spawn distance quickly enough due to the Banshee, and the game thought it needed to put a reinforcement wave down(rolls eyes). That one definitely passed within detection range of my Scorpion but kinda just buggered off.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

Can’t say for sure, but I don’t remember any Scouts aggroing to the Scorpion in those few I’ve run in U17 to get a feel for how they handle with Banshees around if you’re not going to kill it(hint : it’s painful). Not even the one coming by to drop Revenants because I didn’t approach the settlement to the spawn distance quickly enough due to the Banshee, and the game thought it needed to put a reinforcement wave down(rolls eyes). That one definitely passed within detection range of my Scorpion but kinda just buggered off.

Yeah, I've noticed the reinforcement scout coming down right away. I figured that might be related to my ship's approach aggravating the Banshee. Even at 3 km out, it detects your ship and tries to hit it with that shutdown flak ball.

I was hoping they fixed it since they have made other changes. For one, the horrendous sound scouts make when dropping off revenants. For another, the scouts used to curve and go nearly straight back up. Now they seem to fly off at a low angle and then slow gain altitude before rocketing off... which looks cooler.

I'll have to wait for the next server to tick to try... and also hope that there is an alert system with military settlements nearby (I was shocked to find one today).

 

[Kira Goto]

Yeah, I've noticed the reinforcement scout coming down right away. I figured that might be related to my ship's approach aggravating the Banshee. Even at 3 km out, it detects your ship and tries to hit it with that shutdown flak ball.

I was hoping they fixed it since they have made other changes. For one, the horrendous sound scouts make when dropping off revenants. For another, the scouts used to curve and go nearly straight back up. Now they seem to fly off at a low angle and then slow gain altitude before rocketing off... which looks cooler.

I'll have to wait for the next server to tick to try... and also hope that there is an alert system with military settlements nearby (I was shocked to find one today).

You should get some around Indra. The other Titans are hit or miss. No populated alerts around Oya and I’m not sure if those in Raijin will be within range. Cocijo… I don’t even recall if it has military settlements left to go to.

And I think the Scout reinforcement drop of Revs is due to the game making it drop by too quickly before you close in to spawn the initial batch(range is about 500m, but some care is due thanks to the Banshee at some… have not tested if this same behavior will occur where no Banshee spawns). And that one then spawns on top of the ones dropped by the Scout, so you (potentially) can have a 9 to 11 Revenant party in a tiny settlement.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

AX Restoration Missions (ones in Thargoid Controlled Systems):

1. Any way to determine what sites will have Banshees and which won't? Some seem to have them, others don't. I can't see a pattern.

Seems to be determined by layout type which you usually can't tell ahead of time unless you've been there before. So if you find a site that does/doesn't have a banshee, that will always be the case for that particular location.

1. What is the recommended loadout/method for dealing with Banshees? I saw videos recommending the shotguns (and I know about targeting the underbelly spots). However, missile launchers are still the best way to sneak/snipe Revenants, you have to use a Maverick suit, and that means only one of those weapons can be carried. So far I've been sticking with the rocket launcher and killing them with the plasma pistol (hit and run from inside the reactivated base).

Rockets are no good because of the Banshee's (super-fast so that it's practically invisible) point-defence. You can actually be killed by firing a rocket when there's a banshee present and having it instantly blow up in your face.
The Executioner can one-shot revenants once it's upgraded and does even more damage than the shotgun when hitting the weak spot on Banshees. It's really just down to preference though, any of the plasma weapons can get the job done.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Seems to be determined by layout type which you usually can't tell ahead of time unless you've been there before. So if you find a site that does/doesn't have a banshee, that will always be the case for that particular location.

I seem to recall a third-party site giving layouts for each settlement, though it may have been EDDB so we might be out of luck.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

Rockets are no good because of the Banshee's (super-fast so that it's practically invisible) point-defence. You can actually be killed by firing a rocket when there's a banshee present and having it instantly blow up in your face.
The Executioner can one-shot revenants once it's upgraded and does even more damage than the shotgun when hitting the weak spot on Banshees. It's really just down to preference though, any of the plasma weapons can get the job done.

The Banshee's PDS is weird. Sometimes it will blow up rockets I'm firing at neaby Revenants and other times it won't. I wasn't planning on using the missile launcher on them. My issue was (based on what I had read before) missile launcher is best for Revenants (and useless on Banshee) and Shotgun is best on Banshee. I also thought that even a G5 Executioner wouldn't one shot a Revenant.

If the Executioner will work on Revenants (one shot) and Banshees, that maybe my solution. I have one or two G5 Executioners collecting dust... time to put them back into use.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

I seem to recall a third-party site giving layouts for each settlement, though it may have been EDDB so we might be out of luck.

I remember that too! I thought it was a feature in Inara, but I don't see it now.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I remember that too! I thought it was a feature in Inara, but I don't see it now.

It was one guy who never completed all layouts iirc. The link wandered around somewhere 1 or 2 months ago.

 

[djadjok]

I remember that too! I thought it was a feature in Inara, but I don't see it now.

hmmm... I think that for Odyssey settlements it's here - https://www.quizengine.co.uk/omg/
but it doesn't have info on skimmers/goliaths

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Titan Rescue: Does rescuing people from the Titans pay a decent amount (e.g. similar credits/time for AX Restoration missions, or even standard combat missions)? I watched a guide showing how to do this and it looks like fun. However, if it's going to be all risk/no reward (other than pushing back Thargoid progression) I'll pass.

I made recently a video of the rescue delivery in which it is exactly 149001 credits per capsule, which places it perhaps a bit behind Low Temperature Diamonds. It ought indeed to be given missions though, so that we can gain at least some Engineering materials while doing it!

As an aside, the purpose of said video was to demonstrate the disproportionate Trade rank it gives! After receiving an unexpected Elite 1 in Trade, I found that around 600 rescued capsules would move the rank by the width of an entire letter on the display on the way to Elite 2, where notably my rescue Cutter returns reliably with 512 capsules. I have a rescue video with 320 capacity, where the difference lies in using now dedicated Collector limpets rather than a Universal limpet, sacrificing the ability to repair.

 

[Darrack]

Titan Rescue

From my perspective as someone who has kept up with the module farm in order to try everything, Titan farming is by far the hardest thing ive done so far in game.
Hats off to those doing this for the war effort, its not worth the credits when you compare it to laser mining, BUT my advice is to try it once (or a few times) as its incredibly fun and not knowing whether your going to have a smooth run or get attacked straight away just adds to it.
Its been a challenge, changing ships, changing loadouts and experimenting.

If you do want to give it a shot just be prepared for re-buys, lots!

O7

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

I can verify the that a G5 Executioner works very well for killing Revenants (one shot kills) and works very well on the Banshee as well. This makes me really happy as the rocket launcher was kind of irritating - felt like a U-boat captain firing torpedoes at Revenants. That the Executioner also has more ammo in reserve - bonus!

I can also verify that the Scorpion SRV is safe to use now. It doesn't seem to attract any more attention from scouts than the Scarab does. So happy about that.

Banshees are a really nice addition to the game - both scary and cool.

Haven't done any Titan rescue missions yet. If anyone has build guides for ships, let me know; Commander Mechan has a very good guide to the whole process, along with an Anaconda build, on Youtube. However, I'm curious if anyone has better builds using a Cutter, Corvette, etc.

Only sour note in all this: I didn't read the fine print and didn't realize the Pulse neutralizer is one of those "purchasable" unlocks - meaning you have to turn in the mats for each one you want. So I only have one now. I'd like to have three or four more. I have all the mats save for one - the shock wave data. So that means I'll have to go back into the maelstrom and deal with the corrosion and shockewave another 15-20 times. Ugh! And why, oh why, doesn't that data type drop in a 3 increment like everything else?! One per shockwave? Argh.

Again, thanks for all the responses. I'm heading back out for more AX Restoration runs.

 

[Kira Goto]

So that means I'll have to go back into the maelstrom and deal with the corrosion and shockewave another 15-20 times

Actually, just visit a spire site that doesn’t have many - if any - players near it(or do it in solo) and put your ship down on a flat surface somewhere, then wait for the Banshee disruption missiles to hit. You’ll have more of those energy surge analytics than you’ll know what to do with in no time.

 

[Daniel Cloudsifter]

Actually, just visit a spire site that doesn’t have many - if any - players near it(or do it in solo) and put your ship down on a flat surface somewhere, then wait for the Banshee disruption missiles to hit. You’ll have more of those energy surge analytics than you’ll know what to do with in no time.

Thanks! I thought the only way to get that data was in the maelstrom. This will be much easier.

 

[Kira Goto]

Thanks! I thought the only way to get that data was in the maelstrom. This will be much easier.

It’s not obvious, but when I suddenly had 91 energy surge analytics in my data storage after one or two spire visits and noticing it as a popup during a chain of the shutdowns… well, it was pretty clear then.

I assume you still get them now. Don’t see why you wouldn’t, but definitely much more convenient. (And make sure the site is active, of course.)

 

[MartinG]

AX Restoration Missions (ones in Thargoid Controlled Systems):

1. Any way to determine what sites will have Banshees and which won't? Some seem to have them, others don't. I can't see a pattern.

Seems to be determined by layout type which you usually can't tell ahead of time unless you've been there before. So if you find a site that does/doesn't have a banshee, that will always be the case for that particular location.

I also believe it is determined by the layout, based on my (somewhat limited) experience.

Using the naming scheme of the above mentioned Odyssey Map Guide, it appears that layouts Military-1, Military-2, and Military-3 do have a Banshee, while Military-5 does not. I do not recall doing an AX mission in Military-4 yet.
By the way, Military-1 shows in the nav panel as tiny (i.e. no plus signs), -3 and -5 are small (+) and -2 is medium (++). I assume -4 is tiny as well.

• What is the recommended loadout/method for dealing with Banshees?

In addition to what others said in this thread, I have tried these two methods with success:

• AX missiles from a ship: Tedious, but quite doable from a ship with strong shields and two size 2 AX missile racks (Sirius pre-engineered recommended). Install the missile racks close to each other, preferably close to ship’s centreline (for iCutter, the medium hardpoints on the bottom side work well). Dispose of the Revenants first using the missiles, then pump missiles at the Banshee while hovering at a low altitude. At a close range, the Banshee will not use its shutdown missile and its bombs are fairly easy to avoid (and the ship’s shields should easily soak those few that do hit & stick). Bonus: even if you don’t destroy the Banshee this way (as you’re likely to have to cut it short if more than one Interceptor arrives), you will soften it up, making easier to kill on-foot or from an SRV. Banshees, thankfully, do not regenerate.
• Scorpion SRV: This can be tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it is relatively safe (if a bit tedious, too), provided the terrain offers good cover for retreats. I’ve described it in more detail elsewhere (be sure to read the follow-up comments as well). By the way, Banshee’s point defence appears to be ineffective against Scorpion’s missiles, although they don’t damage it that much (about 4% hull per hit).

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Haven't done any Titan rescue missions yet. If anyone has build guides for ships, let me know; Commander Mechan has a very good guide to the whole process, along with an Anaconda build, on Youtube. However, I'm curious if anyone has better builds using a Cutter, Corvette, etc.

The Cutter build in that rescue video earlier was this one but with extra Hull in place of one of the class 6 cargo. Since then, I have now 512 cargo and using B-rated Collector limpets for range over longevity, minding that losing the Universal limpet means also no repairing. Use that once more comfortable with when and where the patrolling Thargoids will attack or not!