I’m curious - why is the difficulty between the first rank PVE mission and 2nd rank blackwood so huge? Obviously lvl1-3 is easy mode, no real chance of wipe unless someone does something stupid (like a group of 3 inty) but 4-6, specifically the end boss, is absurd. Even if you try and hide, the wave spawned of assisting ships seems to far overwhelm anything other than a 4 frig drop.
The dev’s idea was to make it easier for average players. They looked at their statistics and saw that a lot of T1 people were failing. I think most of the time on round 2 because they’d never go after the nav stations. Playing T1 blackwood is the most boring PvE in the game. In T2 is gets harder like it should, but still half the team doesn’t know what they’re doing. In T3+ it’s typically just a grind to farm for credits and loot. You’re mostly guaranteed to get a group that knows what to do.
The only good thing about T1 blackwood is that it teaches people to focus on the objectives instead of farming bots.
Can’t seem to get a decent team - everyone always wipes on the t2 blackwood boss.
I do better on the other 4-6 pve content but even that is hit or miss. I really need to find some better folks to drop with 
Get only fighters, guards, and engineers for round three. For that matter, just take an engineer yourself so you can trust your heals are working. When you spawn, just head down a little and to your left. When you get inside, stay in that area. You’ll get a stray pulsar hit but it won’t kill you. You should do well enough starting that way and then learning the rest as you go. The pulsar requires line of sight.
Also, no interceptors!
Also, no interceptors!
This.
Unless you’re really good, or you’re playing Pirate Base at the proper tier/rank (and even then you have to be really good), remove interceptor from premises. You will be caught [by pulsar.]
The new T3 should work with interceptors based on my limited fighter experience.
Its easier to hide from pulsar and evade enemy fire in an interceptor. And you can deal more damage with a covert-ops than a non-gunship figter given you know how to use your interceptor
You’re mostly guaranteed to get a group that knows what to do.
That’s an overstatement. I often find myself among tier rushers with t4/t5 ships who still don’t know how to use their modules and either die during a phase or camp and stretch it longer than necessary.
It’s the only reason i stopped doing PVE without a 3 or 4 man squad
Can’t seem to get a decent team - everyone always wipes on the t2 blackwood boss.
I do better on the other 4-6 pve content but even that is hit or miss. I really need to find some better folks to drop with
You can bring T3 ships to T2 PvE, so you can ask T3 players to help out.
Best team you can get assuming everyone knows what to do :
1 Command
1 Engineer
1 / 2 guards
1 / 2 gunships
Nuff said…
Also, about the pulsar, always watch where the boss is and stay near cover just in case of.
If you’re engi / command, better fire from long range while just showing your head over the cover to retreat rapidly.
For Guards / commands - Thermal resist + phase shield / disrupt shield can let you tank one full pulsar
I use multiphase shield ability + thermal phase shield and I’ve a thermal shield resist increase on my Guard frig.
Last time the full pulsar removed not more than 9K shield
You can bring T3 ships to T2 PvE, so you can ask T3 players to help out.
I saw one guy bring a T5 engi frig into my 4-6 rank PVE match …
Matchmaking FTW !!! :crazy:
I saw one guy bring a T5 engi frig into my 4-6 rank PVE match …
Matchmaking FTW !!! :crazy:
I brought a T4 Engi to a T1 PvE once, just because I was helping rookies and decided to give them easy credits.
I saw one guy bring a T5 engi frig into my 4-6 rank PVE match …
Matchmaking FTW !!! :crazy:
Is not about the MM, is about putting a T1 in your lineup (so you don’t qualify for higher rank PvE) or going in a squad with people with T1. I started going with my T4 engy to help my friends that started a few days ago. Only to heal them and let them learn the controls without worries.
If you’re engi / command, better fire from long range while just showing your head over the cover to retreat rapidly.
No, if you’re a fighter use singularity. It can go straight through the beacons so you can constantly attack if the match lends itself to that. It won’t go through structures but it will go through beacons.
If you’re engi / command, better fire from long range while just showing your head over the cover to retreat rapidly.
I brought a T4 Engi to a T1 PvE once, just because I was helping rookies and decided to give them easy credits.
I did that, but it was for the Sensei title. Today for my 2x grind I took an R13 and at least one teammate was R7. At least I got to wave 3 of round 2. Two players died on wave one, and the third on wave 2. I lasted a hell of a lot longer than I expected considering it was a 16v1 and our beacons were already almost captured. I swear MM screws with me on the day’s first PvE.
empire engies can also facetank the punisher at times, i know mine can, with its pvp build at that!
empire engies can also facetank the punisher at times, i know mine can, with its pvp build at that!
Don’t always take that risk, though. You never know when the Punisher (or to a lesser extent, the Destroyer and the Pirate Baron) starts wrecking your hull plating.
If you’re running engy, don’t forget to take shield/repair stations. Those things provide the bulk of the team’s healing, and are much more effective than Mass Shield and Nanodrone Cloud. They enable you and your team mates to resume action faster.
It’s not so much the boats or the loadouts - rather the difficulty ramp. They’ve got 4-6 tuned *WAY* higher than natural progression should allow. The point of PVE is not only to run a mission with coordination, but also provide some linear progression.
1-3 should be (and is) getting your feet wet. Nothing too difficult, as most new players are going to bring anything/everything in here.
4-6 should be a bit harder, but not so much that you have to run a specific hull or all blue/purple loadout just to complete it. Hard enough to make it a challenge but still teaching fundamentals of movement and coordination
7-9 begin to level off on the midrange and normal difficulty. expected to have good fits and good flight skills
10-13 harder end of the spectrum for sure
14-15 end game level/raid content
Don’t always take that risk, though. You never know when the Punisher (or to a lesser extent, the Destroyer and the Pirate Baron) starts wrecking your hull plating.
If you’re running engy, don’t forget to take shield/repair stations. Those things provide the bulk of the team’s healing, and are much more effective than Mass Shield and Nanodrone Cloud. They enable you and your team mates to resume action faster.
i said it could, not that it should