I only used Merits on Gauntlet twice, and both times I changed a wall against another wall. Does this really pay off? Was I just unlucky or is this normal and you have to do it several times each time?
Wir, die Mirror Tribbles [MiT] haben freie Plätze zu vergeben. Kein Zwang und kein Stress, dafür aber Spaß, Discord und eine nette, hilfsbereite Gemeinschaft, incl. voll ausgebauter Starbase und täglich 700 ISM.
I only used Merits on Gauntlet twice, and both times I changed a wall against another wall. Does this really pay off? Was I just unlucky or is this normal and you have to do it several times each time?
rng like anything else. I use 3-4 merit rerolls sometimes.
I only used Merits on Gauntlet twice, and both times I changed a wall against another wall. Does this really pay off? Was I just unlucky or is this normal and you have to do it several times each time?
I have 2 modes for Gauntlet, merit farming and position chasing. When merits get low I just go for every easy 10 point battle, and try to hit some long streaks. When merit resources are back up to a decent level, I aim to finish top 3, and happily refresh as many times as it takes to get a decent matchup.
For me personally, I've received more Gauntlet exclusives from end reward boxes than streaks, but I ensure I give myself a chance to earn from both.
Chasing for the top is pretty annoying in Europe. When I go to bed I often am in the top 10 (sometimes 5) but that is hours before the Gauntlet's end. In the morning I usually find myself somewhere in the top 20 or 30. So streaks are more realistic for me.
Wir, die Mirror Tribbles [MiT] haben freie Plätze zu vergeben. Kein Zwang und kein Stress, dafür aber Spaß, Discord und eine nette, hilfsbereite Gemeinschaft, incl. voll ausgebauter Starbase und täglich 700 ISM.
If you treat the gauntlet as nothing but a merit farm, the trainers are merely an annoyance and special crew are a nice surprise.
Since everyone is sharing:
3/5* Locutus (1 from achievement)
2/5* Guinan
5/5* Caretaker (1 from citation)
5/5* + unleveled 2/5* Armus
I used to remember exactly how I got each star...my first Locutus and Guinan each came from nine-win streaks, my first Caretaker was from the streak reached on my third battle after he was introduced, and at least one each of Armus, Guinan, and The Caretaker came from end-of-gauntlet rewards (going as low as 49th place, if memory serves). The rest? I can’t really remember but I feel somewhat sure that my second Caretaker was off another three-win streak.
For the record, I have only once ever won a gauntlet. There is a smattering of top-ten finishes over the years but I usually end up anywhere from 11 to 50, depending on how the traits match my crew and my own activity level. I’ve taken my foot off the gas somewhat after reaching the 20,000 round achievement, as I don’t have much confidence that the achievement will be extended to drop other special crew now that the drop chances have been reworked; if only one gauntleteer is still available and I don’t think I will win, I just stop and do something else.
Chasing for the top is pretty annoying in Europe. When I go to bed I often am in the top 10 (sometimes 5) but that is hours before the Gauntlet's end. In the morning I usually find myself somewhere in the top 20 or 30. So streaks are more realistic for me.
Yeah, I feel for the folks on a normal sleep schedule in Europe. During a trip to London I confronted the realities of playing while on that time zone.
Before the the drop rate increase every one of my gauntlet exclusive crew was from 3 win streaks. Since DB changed it they have all been from boxes at the end, and I have noticed a particular trend of the 3rd match in evert streak being very close or having a loss worthy of the Gauntlet thread. Anyway:
6 Armus
3 Caretaker
3 Locutus
3 Guinan.
At like 11.5K rounds and have never cited or dyc'd any of them.
All are from drops, mostly streak boxes, a few from 1st or 2nd (I cant quite remember). I have had 3 extra Guinans, 2 Armus's and 1 Caretaker since the Gauntlet change).
I am at 19k rounds (very near to an additional Locutus). The time zone really hampers me (1am finish) and it is much more difficult to get a chain of rounds (I remember in the early days I could get 50 unbeaten rounds easily).
I just use it as a merit farm these days, they are much tougher than it used to be even with a Solid gauntlet crew - most people have the same crew so its just a case of refreshing and hoping that RNG throws me a bone.
Chasing for the top is pretty annoying in Europe. When I go to bed I often am in the top 10 (sometimes 5) but that is hours before the Gauntlet's end. In the morning I usually find myself somewhere in the top 20 or 30. So streaks are more realistic for me.
Yeah, I feel for the folks on a normal sleep schedule in Europe. During a trip to London I confronted the realities of playing while on that time zone.
Being in Europe is good for events, though. I'm in California and don't have much time after I get up to make any headway with whatever I lost overnight.
Oh, for people who find Gauntlet stressful, try covering your eyes during the six pewpewpews. I've found it far more relaxing that way.
I play with sound off but probably your are right.
Ha, I hadn't even thought about the sound! I haven't had the sound on for a couple of years. It's just the stress of each number displaying one after the other, sometimes making you think you're going to lose, sometimes showing an obvious win until the opponent grabs a sneaky critical on six and takes it by four points. Usually the latter, of course. Best to cover your eyes!
Edit: forgot to share!
Guinan x 6
Locutus x 8 (one from 20K)
Caretaker x 10
Armus x 13
And oodles of other legendaries from the Gauntlet portal prizes too, naturally, like First Officer Burnham, Leonardo, Commander Dax, etc.
Again, thanks for the ideas. I have switched my efforts to strings to see what happens. And tonight, I finished 77 with 5 boxes. The fist one opened and there was Armus!!! So, I now have one. I am feeling a little better with the RNG!
RNG is a fickle wench. With Armus, I have been lucky to get 2. A guy in my fleet is currently on number 12 (without ever doing the DYC offer).
Further, I can’t remember his in-game handle (he was in one of the Line Chats I was in), but he didn’t get a single legendary reward until 20k rounds and Locutus. It’s rare, but it happens.
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Started playing in Feb, hit 2k rounds yesterday and (maybe coincidentally) Armus dropped in the end rewards (15th). A fleet mate said that he's on 13 Armus' and advised going for FE (other priorities right now, but will get there eventually).
Previously he (or another fleet member) has said that streaks of 12 are the optimum and to spend the early part just for +10 wins. Something that hasn't particularly worked well for me, I just go for the match-ups I think I can win, refresh a few times when there's nothing appealing there, play suicide some times and generally give up after a loss for a few hours.
Once I had streak of 129, without any crew reward. I had one crew from 15 streak. All other gauntlet crew I have are from gauntlet vaults. So it’s probably better to aim for top 10 in the end
Been playing since year 1, and pretty much every day too. Apart from the odd monthly card and campaign more recently, my time in the game has mostly been ftp. I currently stand at just under 14k gauntlet rounds and am at L74.
In that time I have amassed:
0 Locutus
2 Guinan (the second copy of which only dropped last week)
4 Caretaker (all gained on 3 or 6 streaks)
2 Armus.
Not too shabby but not great by any means. For me, gautlet is the merit farm.
I refuse to stay up until 1am (uk time) to ensure I finish top 10 / 5 when I have to up for work at 6am but can finish in the top 20 often enough if i have a good run before 11pm
Been playing since year 1, and pretty much every day too. Apart from the odd monthly card and campaign more recently, my time in the game has mostly been ftp. I currently stand at just under 14k gauntlet rounds and am at L74.
In that time I have amassed:
0 Locutus
2 Guinan (the second copy of which only dropped last week)
4 Caretaker (all gained on 3 or 6 streaks)
2 Armus.
Not too shabby but not great by any means. For me, gautlet is the merit farm.
I refuse to stay up until 1am (uk time) to ensure I finish top 10 / 5 when I have to up for work at 6am but can finish in the top 20 often enough if i have a good run before 11pm
Locutus does not drop for me either in gauntlet even though the others have. I am wondering if people are pulling Locutus from the gauntlet in the ast few months.
Been playing since year 1, and pretty much every day too. Apart from the odd monthly card and campaign more recently, my time in the game has mostly been ftp. I currently stand at just under 14k gauntlet rounds and am at L74.
In that time I have amassed:
0 Locutus
2 Guinan (the second copy of which only dropped last week)
4 Caretaker (all gained on 3 or 6 streaks)
2 Armus.
Not too shabby but not great by any means. For me, gautlet is the merit farm.
I refuse to stay up until 1am (uk time) to ensure I finish top 10 / 5 when I have to up for work at 6am but can finish in the top 20 often enough if i have a good run before 11pm
Locutus does not drop for me either in gauntlet even though the others have. I am wondering if people are pulling Locutus from the gauntlet in the ast few months.
Yeah, he's dropped for me six times. Once I got one from a first place, and 48 hours later got two from a first place. They tend to cluster for me - or do they..?
All of the others have dropped for me multiple times. Once, I got The Caretaker AND Armus from back-to-back 3 streak wins.
But I have resolved in myself that this is the only way I'm getting Locutus:
I said the same thing a few weeks back, and then got Locutus the very next day. I'm only at 11k on that Gauntlet achievement, and I think it's probably how I'm getting that 2nd Locutus.
I still don't have The Caretaker, but I've gotten more than a couple extra Guinans.
I had six months with nothing, and then I got two this week. Crazy.
Here is a strange question / theory:
What if your win/loss ratio in the gauntlet affects your rewards? I used to frequently red-shirt all my crew when they were too fatigued to go on. I did that to build up my total rounds number, but only after getting a streak wasn't possible. Recently, I've been leaving them to refresh instead of using them up for numbers. I assume it makes no difference and it is just RNG. But could there be something to this?
I had six months with nothing, and then I got two this week. Crazy.
Here is a strange question / theory:
What if your win/loss ratio in the gauntlet affects your rewards? I used to frequently red-shirt all my crew when they were too fatigued to go on. I did that to build up my total rounds number, but only after getting a streak wasn't possible. Recently, I've been leaving them to refresh instead of using them up for numbers. I assume it makes no difference and it is just RNG. But could there be something to this?
As far as my observations go, there’s no correlation between win/loss ratio and the rewards. But there could be correlation between the number of opened crates/vaults(not chests and boxes) and the rewards
Edit: after a second thought, number of opened crates/vaults kinda correlates with win/loss ratio, so you may be right
I had six months with nothing, and then I got two this week. Crazy.
Here is a strange question / theory:
What if your win/loss ratio in the gauntlet affects your rewards? I used to frequently red-shirt all my crew when they were too fatigued to go on. I did that to build up my total rounds number, but only after getting a streak wasn't possible. Recently, I've been leaving them to refresh instead of using them up for numbers. I assume it makes no difference and it is just RNG. But could there be something to this?
I redshirt all the time, even after getting the last achievement for 20k rounds. If you’re down to your last crew, on a streak one win away from the next reward milestone, then yes, just wait for a revive. If you have multiple crew who could conceivably still win battles, however, stopping until the crew needed for whatever skill combo you have been presented with is ready to go again could rob you of additional wins toward a streak or your final rank.
I still think the goal is to maximize the number of reward boxes you open, with less focus on what kind of boxes those are. Since the reward changes a while back, the “penalty” for ranking 2-10 versus 1 or 11-15 is a little less pronounced given the extra chance for pulling crew; other than that, however, I would say that going for 3- and 6-win streaks is still better than reviving (with dil or by waiting) and/or refreshing to chase streaks of 12 wins or more.
We could know for sure if the crew drop rate from the rewards boxes were published, which won’t happen as long as there is no direct way to insert money and receive crew.
So, it has been about two years from my original post. First, thank you to all that replied and helped. I refined my strategy and made a lot of improvements in my plan. Since then, I had collected all the Gauntlet characters except the Caretaker. My best finish was a 3rd place one time.
However, here we are and Gauntlet still does not work. With the addition of Balok, there is yet even a smaller chance of randomly getting Caretaker. In short, newer players are at a wild disadvantage. The rich continue to get richer.
There needs to be a mechanism to level to the playing field a little. I am a level 98 player but did not start in year one and am still disadvantaged. Imagine how a level 30 player feels. Help TP/WRG please!
There needs to be a mechanism to level to the playing field a little. I am a level 98 player but did not start in year one and am still disadvantaged. Imagine how a level 30 player feels. Help TP/WRG please!
There is, Crew Retrieval. I started Timelines 4-5 months ago, and just got my Gauntlet first place finish achievement about a week ago. My only Gauntlet crew in 4500 rounds is Balok. Everything else to get me there was selective CR to cover skills and get high proficiencies.
Not everyone can get a high ranking in every Gauntlet, you need to pick your deep run on one that meets your roster's strengths, select your timing carefully at all points, and it takes a bit of figuring as well.
I'm no expert, but I do well enough on average gauntlets to place where I wish to maximize reward crates. I'm certain the rest of the Gauntlet crew will come in time to make things easier, but they're by no means impossible right now. I don't make it every time, and RNG is RNG, but I make sure the odds are on my side.
I hate Gauntlet. I play this game multiple times a day. It's not a log-in issue. It's a kidnapping issue.
Doing those Gauntlet rounds **tsk tsk**.
That said, merits can help, and they're certainly tempting. But your chances of getting an exclusive are still random. Use merits to get your #1 achievement. Then just let fate guide you, if you have the patience.
That said, streaks are probably a better bet than score.
And again, I'm a poor advisor. I hate Gauntlet.
The thing that I currently like the most about the gauntlet is that thanks to power creep and Balok's stats, the gauntlet exclusives are not a must have anymore. The only one who is a good voyager is the Red Angel, if I remember well. And for those who aim at consistent times for their voyages, she's not even that great of a choice given her high proficiency.
So I just stopped entering the gauntlet. And to anyone who hates it as much as I have for the past 5 years I can only recommend doing the same. Unless you want one of the gauntlet exclusives for personal reasons. Then there's no way around it
Comments
rng like anything else. I use 3-4 merit rerolls sometimes.
Not a one of them.
I have 2 modes for Gauntlet, merit farming and position chasing. When merits get low I just go for every easy 10 point battle, and try to hit some long streaks. When merit resources are back up to a decent level, I aim to finish top 3, and happily refresh as many times as it takes to get a decent matchup.
For me personally, I've received more Gauntlet exclusives from end reward boxes than streaks, but I ensure I give myself a chance to earn from both.
Since everyone is sharing:
3/5* Locutus (1 from achievement)
2/5* Guinan
5/5* Caretaker (1 from citation)
5/5* + unleveled 2/5* Armus
I used to remember exactly how I got each star...my first Locutus and Guinan each came from nine-win streaks, my first Caretaker was from the streak reached on my third battle after he was introduced, and at least one each of Armus, Guinan, and The Caretaker came from end-of-gauntlet rewards (going as low as 49th place, if memory serves). The rest? I can’t really remember but I feel somewhat sure that my second Caretaker was off another three-win streak.
For the record, I have only once ever won a gauntlet. There is a smattering of top-ten finishes over the years but I usually end up anywhere from 11 to 50, depending on how the traits match my crew and my own activity level. I’ve taken my foot off the gas somewhat after reaching the 20,000 round achievement, as I don’t have much confidence that the achievement will be extended to drop other special crew now that the drop chances have been reworked; if only one gauntleteer is still available and I don’t think I will win, I just stop and do something else.
Yeah, I feel for the folks on a normal sleep schedule in Europe. During a trip to London I confronted the realities of playing while on that time zone.
Captain Level: 95
VIP Level: 12
Unique Crew Immortalized: 525
Collections Completed: Vulcan, Ferengi, Borg, Romulan, Cardassian, Uncommon, Rare, Veteran, Common, Engineered, Physician, Innovator, Inspiring, Diplomat, Jury Rigger, Gauntlet Legends
6 Armus
3 Caretaker
3 Locutus
3 Guinan.
At like 11.5K rounds and have never cited or dyc'd any of them.
1 Locutus,
2 Caretaker's,
3 Armus's and
9 (yes 9!!) Guinans
All are from drops, mostly streak boxes, a few from 1st or 2nd (I cant quite remember). I have had 3 extra Guinans, 2 Armus's and 1 Caretaker since the Gauntlet change).
I am at 19k rounds (very near to an additional Locutus). The time zone really hampers me (1am finish) and it is much more difficult to get a chain of rounds (I remember in the early days I could get 50 unbeaten rounds easily).
I just use it as a merit farm these days, they are much tougher than it used to be even with a Solid gauntlet crew - most people have the same crew so its just a case of refreshing and hoping that RNG throws me a bone.
Being in Europe is good for events, though. I'm in California and don't have much time after I get up to make any headway with whatever I lost overnight.
Ha, I hadn't even thought about the sound! I haven't had the sound on for a couple of years. It's just the stress of each number displaying one after the other, sometimes making you think you're going to lose, sometimes showing an obvious win until the opponent grabs a sneaky critical on six and takes it by four points. Usually the latter, of course. Best to cover your eyes!
Edit: forgot to share!
Guinan x 6
Locutus x 8 (one from 20K)
Caretaker x 10
Armus x 13
And oodles of other legendaries from the Gauntlet portal prizes too, naturally, like First Officer Burnham, Leonardo, Commander Dax, etc.
Further, I can’t remember his in-game handle (he was in one of the Line Chats I was in), but he didn’t get a single legendary reward until 20k rounds and Locutus. It’s rare, but it happens.
Previously he (or another fleet member) has said that streaks of 12 are the optimum and to spend the early part just for +10 wins. Something that hasn't particularly worked well for me, I just go for the match-ups I think I can win, refresh a few times when there's nothing appealing there, play suicide some times and generally give up after a loss for a few hours.
In that time I have amassed:
0 Locutus
2 Guinan (the second copy of which only dropped last week)
4 Caretaker (all gained on 3 or 6 streaks)
2 Armus.
Not too shabby but not great by any means. For me, gautlet is the merit farm.
I refuse to stay up until 1am (uk time) to ensure I finish top 10 / 5 when I have to up for work at 6am but can finish in the top 20 often enough if i have a good run before 11pm
Locutus does not drop for me either in gauntlet even though the others have. I am wondering if people are pulling Locutus from the gauntlet in the ast few months.
Yeah, he's dropped for me six times. Once I got one from a first place, and 48 hours later got two from a first place. They tend to cluster for me - or do they..?
But I have resolved in myself that this is the only way I'm getting Locutus:
I said the same thing a few weeks back, and then got Locutus the very next day. I'm only at 11k on that Gauntlet achievement, and I think it's probably how I'm getting that 2nd Locutus.
I still don't have The Caretaker, but I've gotten more than a couple extra Guinans.
Here is a strange question / theory:
What if your win/loss ratio in the gauntlet affects your rewards? I used to frequently red-shirt all my crew when they were too fatigued to go on. I did that to build up my total rounds number, but only after getting a streak wasn't possible. Recently, I've been leaving them to refresh instead of using them up for numbers. I assume it makes no difference and it is just RNG. But could there be something to this?
As far as my observations go, there’s no correlation between win/loss ratio and the rewards. But there could be correlation between the number of opened crates/vaults(not chests and boxes) and the rewards
Edit: after a second thought, number of opened crates/vaults kinda correlates with win/loss ratio, so you may be right
I redshirt all the time, even after getting the last achievement for 20k rounds. If you’re down to your last crew, on a streak one win away from the next reward milestone, then yes, just wait for a revive. If you have multiple crew who could conceivably still win battles, however, stopping until the crew needed for whatever skill combo you have been presented with is ready to go again could rob you of additional wins toward a streak or your final rank.
I still think the goal is to maximize the number of reward boxes you open, with less focus on what kind of boxes those are. Since the reward changes a while back, the “penalty” for ranking 2-10 versus 1 or 11-15 is a little less pronounced given the extra chance for pulling crew; other than that, however, I would say that going for 3- and 6-win streaks is still better than reviving (with dil or by waiting) and/or refreshing to chase streaks of 12 wins or more.
We could know for sure if the crew drop rate from the rewards boxes were published, which won’t happen as long as there is no direct way to insert money and receive crew.
However, here we are and Gauntlet still does not work. With the addition of Balok, there is yet even a smaller chance of randomly getting Caretaker. In short, newer players are at a wild disadvantage. The rich continue to get richer.
There needs to be a mechanism to level to the playing field a little. I am a level 98 player but did not start in year one and am still disadvantaged. Imagine how a level 30 player feels. Help TP/WRG please!
There is, Crew Retrieval. I started Timelines 4-5 months ago, and just got my Gauntlet first place finish achievement about a week ago. My only Gauntlet crew in 4500 rounds is Balok. Everything else to get me there was selective CR to cover skills and get high proficiencies.
Not everyone can get a high ranking in every Gauntlet, you need to pick your deep run on one that meets your roster's strengths, select your timing carefully at all points, and it takes a bit of figuring as well.
I'm no expert, but I do well enough on average gauntlets to place where I wish to maximize reward crates. I'm certain the rest of the Gauntlet crew will come in time to make things easier, but they're by no means impossible right now. I don't make it every time, and RNG is RNG, but I make sure the odds are on my side.
Doing those Gauntlet rounds **tsk tsk**.
That said, merits can help, and they're certainly tempting. But your chances of getting an exclusive are still random. Use merits to get your #1 achievement. Then just let fate guide you, if you have the patience.
That said, streaks are probably a better bet than score.
And again, I'm a poor advisor. I hate Gauntlet.
So I just stopped entering the gauntlet. And to anyone who hates it as much as I have for the past 5 years I can only recommend doing the same. Unless you want one of the gauntlet exclusives for personal reasons. Then there's no way around it