I'm sitting just shy of where I typically end up when trying for 1500. And I'm at 1100 and slipping. Apparently an existing flashback Janeway still brings all the boys to the yard.
I'm sitting just shy of where I typically end up when trying for 1500. And I'm at 1100 and slipping. Apparently an existing flashback Janeway still brings all the boys to the yard.
I'm still pretty new to events, as some of you may know. My level & crew dictate that I run through skirmishes at normal difficulty, and I've worked hard leveling a bridge crew that seems to do the trick. What I find strange, however, is the role that these event ships play. After gaining a new ship, upgrading it, and assigning a time-tested crew...performance can be described as lackluster at best. Believe it or not, I still have more consistent success by falling back on my standard-issue Constellation. Which is odd.
"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one-hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life." ~ H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama
"The eyes...are the groin...of the face." ~ Dwight K. Schrute III
Skirmish targets have been getting higher every time since I started. Stats don't seem to matter. Even when everyone seems to be saying a card isn't worth it because the mega event card's stats are too similar, the rank board is still washed out. Stats are irrelevant, only the boarder matters.
BUT. That wasn't the point, the point was pointing out that Old Janeway was still something people wanted. All you had to say was "darn right" to complete the song reference. She could be from 2016 on the bottom tier and still wouldn't be able to rank for her.
I'm still pretty new to events, as some of you may know. My level & crew dictate that I run through skirmishes at normal difficulty, and I've worked hard leveling a bridge crew that seems to do the trick. What I find strange, however, is the role that these event ships play. After gaining a new ship, upgrading it, and assigning a time-tested crew...performance can be described as lackluster at best. Believe it or not, I still have more consistent success by falling back on my standard-issue Constellation. Which is odd.
Event ship just gets a hull bonus. Most players who are at a point to have the bonus ship at a high enough level to make a difference have crew that kick tush so quickly that the hull bonus doesn't matter.
For new players, my recommendation is always to use the Bounty with 1 crew to increase the attack damage (such as Duras Sisters), 1 to increase attack speed, 1 to increase accuracy, and 1 for power punch. Ideally, one of those is a bonus crew. Use the Bounty. Don't use any crew until after the cloak is finished, then fire them.all. I suggest the Bounty because it give the extra time from the cloak to charge crew. That way, you can use crew who charge more slowly.
After you have better crew, experiment with other ships and styles. I finally have the crew to use the Frengi ship and the quick sledgehammer approach.
I can't speak for all of us, but TP had me at Janeway.
Also, for people not concerned with going fast, I tested out a surefire Krayton setup that works everytime, just a second or two slower, but much easier mentally since you push all the buttons one after the other at once.
Use the Krayton and then use the following crew:
Sest 1: Killy/RPC/Garth/other instant damage
Seat 2: Captain Scott
Seat 3: Killy/RPC/Garth/other instant damage
Seat 4: Event crew
At 4 seconds, pop Captain Scott, then the cooldown reducer, then all 3 of the instant damage (including the ship's built in one). Then, just wait 1-2 seconds and move on to the next. It is kinda slow, but very easy and will allow you to skirmish easily while doing other things.
Second pull at the event pack hoping for Rios' 4th star:
Third star for Hugh.
Congrats on the third star for ED Hugh! Will you use the 4* citation from the current campaign for Cristóbal? I pulled 3 Burnhams & gave up, but I’m still curious. 🖖
"In the short run, the game defines the players. But in the long run, it's us players who define the game." — Nicky Case, The Evolution of Trust
Normally I use Disco for Skirmishes, as I can blast anything in under 7 seconds with the right crew.
I got bored and tried a few different ships for a change. I have to say 10/10 Scimitar is pretty fun for a change, and truly brutal in this stage of Skirmishes. I may have to give that a try in the Arena.
BTW, I got 'Freighter' for Voyage trait this morning as well. Bah!
So for a new player like myself, you guys are recommending that I take a stab at the elite/epic difficulties? While I understand that this would allow me to field ships with more versatile battle actions (such as the Bounty's cloak), wouldn't the challenge factor of the NPC ships also be commensurately higher...? I've never actually tried out the harder settings, but I had gathered that the experience would be brutal at my level. Unlike Phase 1 (which had no boarding), Phase 2 now requires me to start repairing my hull after the third battle, playing at normal difficulty. This ensures my success in clearing the gauntlet when using the Constellation, whereas my Maquis Raider & Jem'Hadar Battleship both fail miserably...
Would I really stand a chance attempting elite/epic, just because I'd have more than my current, three-ship selection?
"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one-hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life." ~ H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama
"The eyes...are the groin...of the face." ~ Dwight K. Schrute III
So for a new player like myself, you guys are recommending that I take a stab at the elite/epic difficulties? While I understand that this would allow me to field ships with more versatile battle actions (such as the Bounty's cloak), wouldn't the challenge factor of the NPC ships also be commensurately higher...? I've never actually tried out the harder settings, but I had gathered that the experience would be brutal at my level. Unlike Phase 1 (which had no boarding), Phase 2 now requires me to start repairing my hull after the third battle, playing at normal difficulty. This ensures my success in clearing the gauntlet when using the Constellation, whereas my Maquis Raider & Jem'Hadar Battleship both fail miserably...
Would I really stand a chance attempting elite/epic, just because I'd have more than my current, three-ship selection?
It comes down to two things: do you have a level 9 or level 10 5* ship and what crew do you have. A level 10 5* ship of any kind will be light years better than any maxed 4* ship, with additional hull, shields, and offensive capabilities. Level 9 and even level 8 can work on Epic with the right crew but might be easier on Elite.
And you don’t necessarily need a ton of immortal legendary crew either. If you have even a 1* Garth from December plus a couple of solid 4* crew you can be quite successful.
So for a new player like myself, you guys are recommending that I take a stab at the elite/epic difficulties? While I understand that this would allow me to field ships with more versatile battle actions (such as the Bounty's cloak), wouldn't the challenge factor of the NPC ships also be commensurately higher...? I've never actually tried out the harder settings, but I had gathered that the experience would be brutal at my level. Unlike Phase 1 (which had no boarding), Phase 2 now requires me to start repairing my hull after the third battle, playing at normal difficulty. This ensures my success in clearing the gauntlet when using the Constellation, whereas my Maquis Raider & Jem'Hadar Battleship both fail miserably...
Would I really stand a chance attempting elite/epic, just because I'd have more than my current, three-ship selection?
Indeed. We are telling you to make a few attempts. It is a low cost to make the attempts and you have very little to lose. The potential gains are much higher.
@Septani Ainalrami, here is what I tell everyone that asks about this, skirmishes are ALL about the bonus boxes, you should run the highest difficulty you can survive that lets you claim all the bonus boxes. When I was still pretty new I managed to score over 1,000,000 points in the middle division; back then I'd get absolutely PWNED in the top division but I had a really good setup for the middle division and I just went for it, and collected a LOT of boxes!
I'm really happy with how TP released so many of the primary cast as threshold rewards (and recurring megas) to help ensure most folks can get them. And this even with me getting most of the ranked legendaries this mega. (Sorry Elnor, I'm happy to have Romulans and Vulans in my fleet, but I draw the line at Elves.)
Six degrees in Inter-species Veterinary Medicine. Treating all manner of critters, from Tribbles to Humans.
I'm really happy with how TP released so many of the primary cast as threshold rewards (and recurring megas) to help ensure most folks can get them. And this even with me getting most of the ranked legendaries this mega. (Sorry Elnor, I'm happy to have Romulans and Vulans in my fleet, but I draw the line at Elves.)
Fool of a Took that I am, I must agree with this post. Thank you for elucidating my thoughts in a clearer manner, @Hasedoki
"In the short run, the game defines the players. But in the long run, it's us players who define the game." — Nicky Case, The Evolution of Trust
Second pull at the event pack hoping for Rios' 4th star:
Third star for Hugh.
Congrats on the third star for ED Hugh! Will you use the 4* citation from the current campaign for Cristóbal? I pulled 3 Burnhams & gave up, but I’m still curious. 🖖
Thanks. I may have enough dil to make a third attempt before the packs are gone. Although I may just hold off and save my dilithium. If so I'll probably leave Rios at 3/4th until he's worthwhile event crew again and cite him or wait until he's in the portal and I can get him that way.
So for a new player like myself, you guys are recommending that I take a stab at the elite/epic difficulties? While I understand that this would allow me to field ships with more versatile battle actions (such as the Bounty's cloak), wouldn't the challenge factor of the NPC ships also be commensurately higher...? I've never actually tried out the harder settings, but I had gathered that the experience would be brutal at my level. Unlike Phase 1 (which had no boarding), Phase 2 now requires me to start repairing my hull after the third battle, playing at normal difficulty. This ensures my success in clearing the gauntlet when using the Constellation, whereas my Maquis Raider & Jem'Hadar Battleship both fail miserably...
Would I really stand a chance attempting elite/epic, just because I'd have more than my current, three-ship selection?
Ok so as a relatively low level player compared to most on here, I have a few things to add.
The Skirmish before this I could finish the hardest level using my lvl 8 Bounty. This time neither that nor my lvl 9 Cube could get past even the first ship.
Consequently I played the middle difficulty with a lvl 3 D’iridex. However the massive difference between the difficulties meant that, not only could I win without having to fix the hull and so got plenty of extras I could also use a full slot of bonus crew meaning I doubled my VP per round- meaning I was earning more than if I was playing and struggling with a harder level.
(Hope this is useful, I’m probably just repeating others)
TL;DR- play the one that maxes your ability to get VP, not the hardest.
The Skirmish before this I could finish the hardest level using my lvl 8 Bounty. This time neither that nor my lvl 9 Cube could get past even the first ship.
Consequently I played the middle difficulty with a lvl 3 D’iridex. However the massive difference between the difficulties meant that, not only could I win without having to fix the hull and so got plenty of extras I could also use a full slot of bonus crew meaning I doubled my VP per round- meaning I was earning more than if I was playing and struggling with a harder level.
(Hope this is useful, I’m probably just repeating others)
TL;DR- play the one that maxes your ability to get VP, not the hardest.
We got lucky with the last skirmish that the Reliant wasn’t included, this event the Reliant was and it was first.
What is it about the Reliant that makes it so consistently difficult? I can't seem to figure out the correct timing. I've worked out when blitzing immediately works on some ships and when it's best to hesitate a moment on others, but the Reliant seems to behave unpredictably. Or am I just inattentive and bad at this?
Having blasted the Reliant about 100,000 times now, I can honestly report that I don’t know what makes it so hard on occasion. Sure, every ship gets missed now and then, but when I miss the Reliant, she pounds the, um, stuffing out of me most times. I always beat her, but there have been some very close calls. I’m convinced she has a supercharged passive stat that makes her this tough. Just a paranoid theory of course - no evidence.
What is it about the Reliant that makes it so consistently difficult? I can't seem to figure out the correct timing. I've worked out when blitzing immediately works on some ships and when it's best to hesitate a moment on others, but the Reliant seems to behave unpredictably. Or am I just inattentive and bad at this?
It starts reflecting damage around the 8s mark so if you're not done before or you're using slower nuke crew get your damage back in the face.
What is it about the Reliant that makes it so consistently difficult? I can't seem to figure out the correct timing. I've worked out when blitzing immediately works on some ships and when it's best to hesitate a moment on others, but the Reliant seems to behave unpredictably. Or am I just inattentive and bad at this?
It starts reflecting damage around the 8s mark so if you're not done before or you're using slower nuke crew get your damage back in the face.
I get why it can inflict damage after the 8s mark. I don't get why it sometimes seems impervious to receiving damage before then. As I said, though, I may just be a lousy gamer with a skewed perception of things. I just know that the U.S.S. Reliant is the skirmish counterpart to Surak in the gauntlet. I hate facing either one of them. (Surak more.)
I didn't check the ship abilities the Reliant in this event had. However, the reason the Reliant is such a pain is because it's a fast sledgehammer. It hits you for 300% at 8 seconds with an Att boost ability. I believe it's the only sledgehammer from an Att buff or during an Att buff, they use for skirmishes which is why it's a Reliant specific issue in the event. The majority of ships and abilities that boost evasion do not kick in before the Reliant swings. If they do, they are small boosts. At 10 it boosts it's own Evasion making it harder to hit, plus it heals shields for 20%. A lot of other ships have low evasion buffs that kick in early and run out fast, the Reliant's is later and higher. It may have an Att handicap for it's Eva buff, but it compensates with a damage bonus from it's Acc buff, and by still having an Att buff for 3 more sec. No very many skirmish ships have all three buffed at the same time
The Reliant swings hard and fast. And just when most people are in the middle of their swing it buffs evasion and suddenly repairs it's shields.
To beat the Reliant easily you have to swing your hammers before 8s. If you can't, to swing without wasting effort you have to hold until 11s so it's 20% repair is wasted, but that means either taking the 300% hammer or having a high shield buff that you fire off at 6-7s. You also have to swing your hammers through and Eva buff.
If your strategy involves shield disruption you can mitigate the 20% shield repair but you still have to deal with the shield buff.
The cleanest way to deal with the Reliant is to throw everything before 10s mark, before 8s if you can. Unless you have the cards and a ship with an initiative boost to rip through both the Reliant's shields and hull, I would recommend using shield disruption. You may end up taking swing from the Reliant but it's a lot easier punching through the hull before your shields fall when it has no shields of it's own to repair.
I didn't check the ship abilities the Reliant in this event had. However, the reason the Reliant is such a pain is because it's a fast sledgehammer. It hits you for 300% at 8 seconds with an Att boost ability. I believe it's the only sledgehammer from an Att buff or during an Att buff, they use for skirmishes which is why it's a Reliant specific issue in the event. The majority of ships and abilities that boost evasion do not kick in before the Reliant swings. If they do, they are small boosts. At 10 it boosts it's own Evasion making it harder to hit, plus it heals shields for 20%. A lot of other ships have low evasion buffs that kick in early and run out fast, the Reliant's is later and higher. It may have an Att handicap for it's Eva buff, but it compensates with a damage bonus from it's Acc buff, and by still having an Att buff for 3 more sec. No very many skirmish ships have all three buffed at the same time
The Reliant swings hard and fast. And just when most people are in the middle of their swing it buffs evasion and suddenly repairs it's shields.
To beat the Reliant easily you have to swing your hammers before 8s. If you can't, to swing without wasting effort you have to hold until 11s so it's 20% repair is wasted, but that means either taking the 300% hammer or having a high shield buff that you fire off at 6-7s. You also have to swing your hammers through and Eva buff.
If your strategy involves shield disruption you can mitigate the 20% shield repair but you still have to deal with the shield buff.
The cleanest way to deal with the Reliant is to throw everything before 10s mark, before 8s if you can. Unless you have the cards and a ship with an initiative boost to rip through both the Reliant's shields and hull, I would recommend using shield disruption. You may end up taking swing from the Reliant but it's a lot easier punching through the hull before your shields fall when it has no shields of it's own to repair.
Fantastic breakdown, @Exanimus! Glad to see it's not just bad luck or an unfounded perception of mine. Gonna try to remember to plan for this next time.
Comments
If you take a look at her stats, you know why.
"The eyes...are the groin...of the face." ~ Dwight K. Schrute III
BUT. That wasn't the point, the point was pointing out that Old Janeway was still something people wanted. All you had to say was "darn right" to complete the song reference. She could be from 2016 on the bottom tier and still wouldn't be able to rank for her.
Event ship just gets a hull bonus. Most players who are at a point to have the bonus ship at a high enough level to make a difference have crew that kick tush so quickly that the hull bonus doesn't matter.
For new players, my recommendation is always to use the Bounty with 1 crew to increase the attack damage (such as Duras Sisters), 1 to increase attack speed, 1 to increase accuracy, and 1 for power punch. Ideally, one of those is a bonus crew. Use the Bounty. Don't use any crew until after the cloak is finished, then fire them.all. I suggest the Bounty because it give the extra time from the cloak to charge crew. That way, you can use crew who charge more slowly.
After you have better crew, experiment with other ships and styles. I finally have the crew to use the Frengi ship and the quick sledgehammer approach.
Also, for people not concerned with going fast, I tested out a surefire Krayton setup that works everytime, just a second or two slower, but much easier mentally since you push all the buttons one after the other at once.
Use the Krayton and then use the following crew:
Sest 1: Killy/RPC/Garth/other instant damage
Seat 2: Captain Scott
Seat 3: Killy/RPC/Garth/other instant damage
Seat 4: Event crew
At 4 seconds, pop Captain Scott, then the cooldown reducer, then all 3 of the instant damage (including the ship's built in one). Then, just wait 1-2 seconds and move on to the next. It is kinda slow, but very easy and will allow you to skirmish easily while doing other things.
Third star for Hugh.
Congrats on the third star for ED Hugh! Will you use the 4* citation from the current campaign for Cristóbal? I pulled 3 Burnhams & gave up, but I’m still curious. 🖖
I got bored and tried a few different ships for a change. I have to say 10/10 Scimitar is pretty fun for a change, and truly brutal in this stage of Skirmishes. I may have to give that a try in the Arena.
BTW, I got 'Freighter' for Voyage trait this morning as well. Bah!
With the extended ranks, I ended up comfortably within the group to nab Janeway, so I suspect I'll put the extra effort in to stay there.
Starport
Would I really stand a chance attempting elite/epic, just because I'd have more than my current, three-ship selection?
"The eyes...are the groin...of the face." ~ Dwight K. Schrute III
It comes down to two things: do you have a level 9 or level 10 5* ship and what crew do you have. A level 10 5* ship of any kind will be light years better than any maxed 4* ship, with additional hull, shields, and offensive capabilities. Level 9 and even level 8 can work on Epic with the right crew but might be easier on Elite.
And you don’t necessarily need a ton of immortal legendary crew either. If you have even a 1* Garth from December plus a couple of solid 4* crew you can be quite successful.
Indeed. We are telling you to make a few attempts. It is a low cost to make the attempts and you have very little to lose. The potential gains are much higher.
I'm really happy with how TP released so many of the primary cast as threshold rewards (and recurring megas) to help ensure most folks can get them. And this even with me getting most of the ranked legendaries this mega. (Sorry Elnor, I'm happy to have Romulans and Vulans in my fleet, but I draw the line at Elves.)
Starport
Fool of a Took that I am, I must agree with this post. Thank you for elucidating my thoughts in a clearer manner, @Hasedoki
Sounds like me, when i had my first date ever. 😆🙈
Thanks. I may have enough dil to make a third attempt before the packs are gone. Although I may just hold off and save my dilithium. If so I'll probably leave Rios at 3/4th until he's worthwhile event crew again and cite him or wait until he's in the portal and I can get him that way.
Ok so as a relatively low level player compared to most on here, I have a few things to add.
The Skirmish before this I could finish the hardest level using my lvl 8 Bounty. This time neither that nor my lvl 9 Cube could get past even the first ship.
Consequently I played the middle difficulty with a lvl 3 D’iridex. However the massive difference between the difficulties meant that, not only could I win without having to fix the hull and so got plenty of extras I could also use a full slot of bonus crew meaning I doubled my VP per round- meaning I was earning more than if I was playing and struggling with a harder level.
(Hope this is useful, I’m probably just repeating others)
TL;DR- play the one that maxes your ability to get VP, not the hardest.
We got lucky with the last skirmish that the Reliant wasn’t included, this event the Reliant was and it was first.
It starts reflecting damage around the 8s mark so if you're not done before or you're using slower nuke crew get your damage back in the face.
I get why it can inflict damage after the 8s mark. I don't get why it sometimes seems impervious to receiving damage before then. As I said, though, I may just be a lousy gamer with a skewed perception of things. I just know that the U.S.S. Reliant is the skirmish counterpart to Surak in the gauntlet. I hate facing either one of them. (Surak more.)
The Reliant swings hard and fast. And just when most people are in the middle of their swing it buffs evasion and suddenly repairs it's shields.
To beat the Reliant easily you have to swing your hammers before 8s. If you can't, to swing without wasting effort you have to hold until 11s so it's 20% repair is wasted, but that means either taking the 300% hammer or having a high shield buff that you fire off at 6-7s. You also have to swing your hammers through and Eva buff.
If your strategy involves shield disruption you can mitigate the 20% shield repair but you still have to deal with the shield buff.
The cleanest way to deal with the Reliant is to throw everything before 10s mark, before 8s if you can. Unless you have the cards and a ship with an initiative boost to rip through both the Reliant's shields and hull, I would recommend using shield disruption. You may end up taking swing from the Reliant but it's a lot easier punching through the hull before your shields fall when it has no shields of it's own to repair.
Fantastic breakdown, @Exanimus! Glad to see it's not just bad luck or an unfounded perception of mine. Gonna try to remember to plan for this next time.