Thargoid Attacks: Where, When and What you can do about it
- Thread starter Factabulous
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Mentor was protected against the Thargoids - only 32 c Piscium and Kunuvii have been threatened this week via Eagle Eye intercepted transmissions. It is your decision between taking the Aegis CR or protecting threatened systems.
After making some adjustments to the loadout on my AX-rigged Gunship, I've made my way to 32 c Piscium to help with the defence. So far I have seen threat 4 and 6 NHSS but I'm only entering threat 4, for now. I'll need to test the ship out against a Cyclops at some point, so maybe tomorrow. Good luck CMDRs o7
It's probably* the case that NHSS5 and 6 are only scouts at the moment (6 will be 'quite a few'). If you do find one with an interceptor feel free to run away
* probably
Yea, if I can do random Thargoid kills without a mission, and they'll help protect, super. I'll be moving my FGS out to one of the two threatened systems on my next session.
I was this morning at 32 C Piscium. Found several NHSS 4, one NHSS 7 and one 8. All near the Amonia World. Killed about two dozens scouts. Even tried the NHSS 8. An interceptor showed up after a minute or two fighting 4 scouts. I boosted a bit to get away, the interceptor got bored and left and i finished the remaining scouts. Too bad the local factions have no missions related, they go about their business and dont care about Thargoids until their Starport goes burning.
I was just returning to Eyharts Enterprise in 32 c Piscium when I noticed a Transmitter on my contacts panel, about 1000 km away from the station. I tried to reach it via supercruise but there was no sign of it in supercruise to lock on to and I was not able to relocate it when I returned to the station, although I might have checked the wrong approach angle. Perhaps the presence of a Transmitter might be a better clue to whether a Thargoid attack is imminent than the presence of the Scouts - a navigational beacon for the Thargoid Interceptors to lock on to, perhaps? I wonder if they can be destroyed...
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On a separate note, I encountered a Cyclops and some Scouts in a Threat 6 NHSS. I tried to time my shutdown neutraliser to hit the 'blue wave' as it passed over me but although I felt I got the timing right, it didn't work. I've never been able to get these things to do their job - how are they supposed to work? A passive device would make much more sense - and if the range really goes up to 3km like the display tells me, then there's no reason a Capital Ship could not protect itself...
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On a separate note, I encountered a Cyclops and some Scouts in a Threat 6 NHSS. I tried to time my shutdown neutraliser to hit the 'blue wave' as it passed over me but although I felt I got the timing right, it didn't work. I've never been able to get these things to do their job - how are they supposed to work? A passive device would make much more sense - and if the range really goes up to 3km like the display tells me, then there's no reason a Capital Ship could not protect itself...
Part of Eagle Eye operations each week is to find the transmitter next to attack targets, as this confirms which station will be attacked (especially in systems with multiple starports). They are always found next to targets. Thargoid Links from Thargoid Structures point to the transmitters, which are 'somewhat bugged' and difficult to catch. Well done on spotting it, they are difficult to see.
Hit the trigger before you are neutralised and it works fine. Depends of your power distributor how long the neutraliser will last - 3 seconds or so. Play with it away from Thargoids to see what is happening (it charges, then stays active until your distributor drains).
My session in 32 C Piscium found NHSS of Threat 3, 4, 6, and 7. I dropped into a Threat 6, and found about 8 Scouts. My FGS sheilds were down by nearly a full ring before I could jump out, being alone and the focus of their fire. I did not try a Threat 7.
Dropping into Threat 3 I found 2 Scouts, and in Threat 4 there were 4 Scouts, all easy kills for my FGS, shields took a beating but held. Killed about 10 Scouts, no signs of any Cyclops.
Dropping into Threat 3 I found 2 Scouts, and in Threat 4 there were 4 Scouts, all easy kills for my FGS, shields took a beating but held. Killed about 10 Scouts, no signs of any Cyclops.
Indeed! Maybe if they'd offered missions when the Thargoids starting showing up more pilots would have gone there
The longer this goes on, the harder I find it to make excuses as to why that isn't happening.
I was thinking about this while dropping into random NHSS yesterday. Frontier really needs to build some "human" feel to the responses in the systems under threat. Offer at least SOME kind of missions on the board 1) create a sense of panic and urgency in the system, 2) to let CMDRs know that something is actually happening and 3) as with nearly every part of Elite, make participation pay credits.
Simple ways to do this in systems under threat, but where the station has not yet been attacked:
1) Special Station Announcer for systems with NHSS activity (where the station is not yet attacked):
"Arriving and departing CMDRs are urged to use extreme caution near this station, Thargoid activities have been reported and response teams are working to secure the system. Check the Station Services menu for breaking news and for information on how interested CMDRs can help."
2) Missions focused on system-wide preparation for a possible Thargoid attack (Deliver/Source Evacuation Shelters and Survival Equipment), Illegal missions (Deliver/Source weapons), Rescue Missions (collect Occupied Escape Pods and such, maybe with rare chance of Thargoid encounter), And of course Thargoid Combat Missions, just like those offered AFTER the station is attacked. Include refugee Passenger missions, too.
3) Special USS variants of Distress Call and Combat Aftermath. Lots of scoopable goods left by a Thargoid attack on NPC traders, and maybe some occasional Thargoid materials, to build a bit of further interest.
All the above also could apply at all un-attacked stations in systems, after a station there is attacked and undergoing evacuation. These people would still be worried and even panic, that their location might be next.
Anyway... My FGS was at the main station in 32 C last night, so I suppose I've been evacuated.
Simple ways to do this in systems under threat, but where the station has not yet been attacked:
1) Special Station Announcer for systems with NHSS activity (where the station is not yet attacked):
"Arriving and departing CMDRs are urged to use extreme caution near this station, Thargoid activities have been reported and response teams are working to secure the system. Check the Station Services menu for breaking news and for information on how interested CMDRs can help."
2) Missions focused on system-wide preparation for a possible Thargoid attack (Deliver/Source Evacuation Shelters and Survival Equipment), Illegal missions (Deliver/Source weapons), Rescue Missions (collect Occupied Escape Pods and such, maybe with rare chance of Thargoid encounter), And of course Thargoid Combat Missions, just like those offered AFTER the station is attacked. Include refugee Passenger missions, too.
3) Special USS variants of Distress Call and Combat Aftermath. Lots of scoopable goods left by a Thargoid attack on NPC traders, and maybe some occasional Thargoid materials, to build a bit of further interest.
All the above also could apply at all un-attacked stations in systems, after a station there is attacked and undergoing evacuation. These people would still be worried and even panic, that their location might be next.
Anyway... My FGS was at the main station in 32 C last night, so I suppose I've been evacuated.
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Indeed! Maybe if they'd offered missions when the Thargoids starting showing up more pilots would have gone there
Precisely that! Role playing is great and all, but without incentive most players will not join. Also it makes no sense, Thargoid presence in the system increases and local factions dont care?!? AEGIS builds the Eagle Eye stuff, independet pilots use it, but they also dont care and their Megaships stay in the same place?!? Come on FD, you need to tweak these things a bit!
I got all excited yesterday as a starport had a news item about a state of emergency - but it was about a disease outbreak. Yeah, you would think FD could have added a state into the BGS for this, but it is a bit orthoganal. Maybe when we have the full invasion that was in the trailer.
Anyway - in case ppl haven't seen. This week the NHSS are mainly in Deriv-Dar and LP 581-36 (getting close to Sol - pincer movement).
If you want massacre missions the Aegis ships are yet again in dumb systems - Acropolis in Jemetani, Vanguard in Esuvit.
Aegis - never knowingly on-the-ball.
o7
Anyway - in case ppl haven't seen. This week the NHSS are mainly in Deriv-Dar and LP 581-36 (getting close to Sol - pincer movement).
If you want massacre missions the Aegis ships are yet again in dumb systems - Acropolis in Jemetani, Vanguard in Esuvit.
Aegis - never knowingly on-the-ball.
o7
Anticipating the Path of the Thargoid Advance
Now that there are more stations damaged and threatened, I feel that it should be possible to determine some future targets without being dependent upon Eagle Eye. Successfully anticipating targets in advance has the potential to allow us to be pro-active, rather than reactive, and maybe even to intercept whatever ship lays down the Transmitters marking stations out for future assault, or locate a Thargoid 'hive' ship (if these even exist).
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TL; DR: There are two branches of Thargoid activity, one heading broadly towards Alioth, Alliance space and the Old Worlds, whereas the other is passing round one side of the bubble. I have searched for high-population systems with Ammonia Worlds that are in the path of the latter and found that Byeru Bese (pop: 473 million) and Lusonda (pop: 3.2 million) are in prime position to become targets after the current group of at-risk systems has been attacked. The following week, Oitbi (pop: 3.2 billion) is in the line of fire.
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details of how I figured this out in the spoiler
So what to do about it? I have been to Byeru Bese and so far there are no NHSS and the signal source environment seems normal for a Boom system. I have not been able to find a Transmitter around the innermost station. I can check again, as they are hard to spot, and perhaps also venture some distance, maybe 250 Kls or so, into deep space in supercruise in the direction of LP 581-36 to see if there is anything out there on the edge of the system. If these searches are not fruitful, then I can stay close to the Ammonia World and see if there are any NHSS. Ultimately, the goal of all this is to intercept and block off future Thargoid attacks by preventing them from setting up Transmitters for Interceptors to home in on, or even to drive off a hive ship. Any thoughts on how else to proceed, if we can anticipate the route far enough in advance?
Now that there are more stations damaged and threatened, I feel that it should be possible to determine some future targets without being dependent upon Eagle Eye. Successfully anticipating targets in advance has the potential to allow us to be pro-active, rather than reactive, and maybe even to intercept whatever ship lays down the Transmitters marking stations out for future assault, or locate a Thargoid 'hive' ship (if these even exist).
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TL; DR: There are two branches of Thargoid activity, one heading broadly towards Alioth, Alliance space and the Old Worlds, whereas the other is passing round one side of the bubble. I have searched for high-population systems with Ammonia Worlds that are in the path of the latter and found that Byeru Bese (pop: 473 million) and Lusonda (pop: 3.2 million) are in prime position to become targets after the current group of at-risk systems has been attacked. The following week, Oitbi (pop: 3.2 billion) is in the line of fire.
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details of how I figured this out in the spoiler
The pattern the Thargoids appear to be following is to hit Aegis in the Pleiades and then to strike at systems with Ammonia Worlds along two paths through inhabited space. These two paths follow zig-zag lines that can be traced back to a potential common origin close to the edge of the 'UA Shell', around about 42 n Persei, or perhaps slightly farther away from the Pleiades. The first path, climbs up and heads broadly in the direction of Alliance space - Alioth and the Old Worlds - with Deriv-dar among the systems currently facing an imminent attack. The second path does not change its altitude very much, hitting most recently 32 c Piscium and LP 581-36 is now at risk. Both paths zig-zag, as if hitting Ammonia Worlds within a certain radius (roughly 40LY it seems) of a central line. These two paths doubtless do not include all Ammonia Worlds in the Bubble and there are Ammonia Worlds not in inhabited systems but, in order to anticipate the route, I confined myself to searching for high-population systems with Ammonia Worlds. As I was near 32 c Piscium, I decided to search along the lower anticipated path, seeing how the systems being attacked followed a zig-zag and trying to find Ammonia Worlds that might present future targets.
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I found that two systems are in prime position to be next in line to be attacked after the current batch declared by Eagle Eye. One is Byeru Bese, where planet 3 is an Ammonia World and which has a population of 473 million. The other is Lusonda, where planet 2 is an Ammonia World and which has a population of about 3.2 million. Following the zig-zag pattern further Oitbi, where planet A 5 is an Ammonia World and the system's population is 3.2 billion, is then in line to be attacked the week after those two.
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I found that two systems are in prime position to be next in line to be attacked after the current batch declared by Eagle Eye. One is Byeru Bese, where planet 3 is an Ammonia World and which has a population of 473 million. The other is Lusonda, where planet 2 is an Ammonia World and which has a population of about 3.2 million. Following the zig-zag pattern further Oitbi, where planet A 5 is an Ammonia World and the system's population is 3.2 billion, is then in line to be attacked the week after those two.
I know Canonn are also working on this same issue.
I really don't feel confident with Eagle Eye being the only way to tell where is going to be attacked. I mean this week because of (some sort) of failure there we lost 2 stations.
Ah, that answers my question about forewarning of Piscium
.Wanta test out my newly tanked up Python
Well I know this might be a stupid suggestion but perhaps we can try to cut their supply lines?
They seem to have a limited jump range in that they are only progressively moving forward but so far have maintained a supply line.
In cooperation with operation Ida by repairing the stations and perhaps break the chain/path they have made. Isolate the advanced units and destroy them and then concentrate on driving them back?
Those guys at Operation Ida are pretty tired so there would have to be some sort of alcolic encouragement involved
Might be worth a try?
They seem to have a limited jump range in that they are only progressively moving forward but so far have maintained a supply line.
In cooperation with operation Ida by repairing the stations and perhaps break the chain/path they have made. Isolate the advanced units and destroy them and then concentrate on driving them back?
Those guys at Operation Ida are pretty tired so there would have to be some sort of alcolic encouragement involved
Might be worth a try?
Well I know this might be a stupid suggestion but perhaps we can try to cut their supply lines?
They seem to have a limited jump range in that they are only progressively moving forward but so far have maintained a supply line.
In cooperation with operation Ida by repairing the stations and perhaps break the chain/path they have made. Isolate the advanced units and destroy them and then concentrate on driving them back?
Those guys at Operation Ida are pretty tired so there would have to be some sort of alcolic encouragement involved
Might be worth a try?
In theory it sounds great, unfortunately we have no real evidence of supply lines that we can hit. Essentially we only get to attack them at a time and place of their choosing. There is one possibility though, the barnacles seem to be important to them and some people claim that they are proliferating. Perhaps if we 'harvest' the barnacle forests it might have some effect.