I have a question for the devs and pilots out there: what are we expected to do with the Defense Contract Scenario in PvE?
I’ve been challenged by all the other scenarios, but with some thinking and practice I can find a way to survive and succeed.
However, I find it impossible to beat a Cruiser, plus escorts with a single fighter or frigate. Now I don’t know if this was deliberate in an attempt to teach the rest of the herd of cats out there to learn some teamwork, but I find it is an attrition battle you can’t win. I’ve started it so many times, and wound up the last pilot who hadn’t died yet. Once I’m facing the cruiser, I can’t do anything to it before the scenario timer runs out. I can’t even do a kamikaze on it: it’s missle batteries ignore the IR flares, the Chameleon screen, and I can’t get going fast enough to make it past the point defense batteries. I can’t even make a crash mark on it’s hull.
The worst part besides that if I take any ship besides my Tiger, I am forced to lose credits in large quantities to repair and rearm a ship for a mission that doesn’t pay anything while I am left feeling my time has been wasted. Considering I just pulled that mission 3 times in a row, enough is enough for one day. I hate to bail out on a mission, but being a mercenary pilot, why would I commit suicide on such a mission? It’s bad for business.
Now if there was a countdown timer to the arrival of an allied cruiser who could deal with the invader’s cruiser, and we only had to keep the enemy escorts from the allied cruiser’s jump point during that countdown, instead of facing a cruiser alone, then you would have a more worthwhile scenario. Seeing 4 little fighters or frigates try to beat off a cruiser is a great battle you know you can’t lose, if you’re the cruiser’s Captain…
Exactly. I’ve atrempted this mission in at least 6 different builds and with both randoms and coordinated teams. The most that we’ve ever gotten it down to is about 1/2 health before it reached the barricade, even with all engines down upon arrival. And the fact that it gives no rewards at all is just terrible. And now with the new nerfs to implants and damage it will be legitimately impossible.
Exactly. I’ve atrempted this mission in at least 6 different builds and with both randoms and coordinated teams. The most that we’ve ever gotten it down to is about 1/2 health before it reached the barricade, even with all engines down upon arrival. And the fact that it gives no rewards at all is just terrible. And now with the new nerfs to implants and damage it will be legitimately impossible.
Wut, this is the simplest and fastest PvE out there, and you get most credits out of all PvEs on this mission too.
We practically did 3 man couple times, since our fourth wanted to Derp in some useless ship.
I finished it yesterday with only some randoms, 3/4 of the cruisers life was taken down by me(spark) and one random(lrf) the other two guys(tackler & guard) where dead.
It didn’t take long to figure out. Area damage and some dps, most importantly getting into position by kiting that boss thing. Kill all engines, look after demo men and war of attrition on the turrets if you can’t Torp or coil mortar them
It’s not too much harder than trying to 2 man a beacon capture pve but the punishment for not killing hordes in this pve is usually death, so take a coil frigate or something that will blow them up at once.
That’s what I’ve been doing… I always end up with top score and deal about 1/2 damage, but we still can’t manage it bc my team is always too wussy to dupe when they die.
So it seems that at the lower levels the mission cannot be completed without picking the right kind of ship, such as having multiple frigates with mines so the cruiser can wreck on those.
And I’ve never lived long enough to see the back side of the cruiser and that the engines can be damaged, as I’m usually getting chased off by a hoard of escorts who have roughly the same firepower as my little Tiger. Beginning to feel like I need a Hans Solo to swoop in and clear the path for an X-wing.
As for duping when you die, why would you waste a replication when you are flying a low level ship, and everyone else has died in the first couple of minutes of the mission? Most of my ships would be shredded by the enemy’s firepower until I got them maxed out on Synergy and upgrades, and too often you would hear the message that your shields were gone after you blew up.
Part of the problem is that most of the casual players haven’t a clue how to work as a team, and they need some instruction in that respect. Seen way too many who will race ahead and wind up dead before you can type “Wait, don’t charge…*boom* in.”
