This week we have one question that does involve build advice. It concerns building for Forsaken mission or raids.
Slacker said:
I have an ask Specs question: Will next month's raid be the same as this months? I ask because I built HW's to do the 30/50/70 reaver armadas then did some refitting to Charon torps and diff armor after last month's raid and now this month I need my twisters back and diff armor again. Should I refit back to twisters and X armor? Or will next month be a different target set again? Or maybe I should build Citadels? Or maybe I should build some base hitters? Or maybe I should build some defense ships? It would be nice if the REDUCTION of ship build time was brought to the table again. I mean BIG TIME reduction, not this measly 4 percent. I won a Harlock Citadel and the build time on that alone is RIDICULOUS. Thanks, Specs.
Dear Slacker,
I cannot answer that question as they have not told us what next month will be. I will inform you that if you read the article and take a look at the Hellwraith build, I am using this raid and try to match that you will be in a right spot. Go with the Twisters and D1-X or D2-X depending on what you have available is what I would do.
While the Citadels are nice for the FM, if you are already getting to T4 or T5 without them, I would not worry just yet and get your raid fleet together. If you are not going with this least T4 in the FM twice a week, then I would get that FM fleet built as those tokens in T4 help non-coiners get their builds done in a timely fashion. I tell everyone to prioritize FM over raids for this reason, so not sure where you are game wise but the FM should be your first concern.
What next month brings, though, will depend on to a great part how this one goes. If the players enjoyed it and participation is up compared to last month. I think we have a good chance to see this similar raid targets next raid with some tweaks.
This week question was from 10 individuals to my email.
This week there was ten questions for me to answer, and they all centered around one thing, and they came in this morning after people saw the prize list and costs for August raid. So, I figured I would discuss the raid that is starting Thursday, August 11, 2016. This raid is called Schism and is the last in the civil war series in the game of Battle Pirates. This raid you will want to use your Apollos if you have them as it is a hull store raid and the prizes have a hefty cost.
As a player of this game, the question that many have is probably on your lips too. 30 million points for the hull that is supposed to be the best in the September Event is a massive hike from the 15 million points for the Apollo this last raid cycle. What is the player supposed to do with such a high amount of points needed for just that one hull? Not to mention the 12 million points for the weapon and 7 million points for the special (which is required to make that gun shine). This large point total means that for the first time in the game of Battle Pirates the top three prizes are 49 million points! That is going to be out of the reach for many in the game. That is 18 sets of A targets, so it is possible for those that followed the right path and built Apollos over the month to achieve that. For those that have not, well there are two things I would recommend.
In case you have not seen the prizes here they are from the Shipyard with build times
HellWraith
With Fire Twister Torpedo
With Sealed Fire Charge
First step for those without the Apollo
The first thing a player that does not have any submarine at this point, they should aim for one of the other submarines in the prize list. They have added all the right ones to the list, and they will help with the September raid. If you have tiger sharks already, then aim for the weapon and special. Do not take the gun if you cannot get the special too. The reason for this is that the twister fire torpedo is a dumb fire weapon, and it acts more like a mortar under the water than a standard torpedo. The special gives it a nice boost to projectile speed to help it get to the target without missing.
If you do not have the tiger, then aim for the best sub that you can get. As well as Charon torpedoes at the minimum. If you follow this advice, you are looking at 6 million to 14 million points for the raid. This many points will help give you something to aid you in the September raid. The Charon will be just as valuable as a good submarine due to the damage it deals. Styx does not have the same punch and relies on specials to boost the DPS of that weapon. So, I would recommend that you take the Charon and then the best sub you can reach.
Second, step for those without Apollo
The second thing that the players can do is to ask for a mercenary to help you with the raid if you pay for the repairs. Often they do this for a set dollar amount. While I prefer to do as much myself, this event the point total to get the top three prizes is going to be out of reach for most players. This type of player can usually get you 10 million to 30 million points for your deposit. It should be viewed as a last resort and only if you are comfortable with doing so. ask around your sector for someone that is trustworthy.
Think of it as renting a fleet and a captain for your raid and that you will get the benefits of an elite fleet to aid in your development. You would only have to do this once to get to the point of being self-sufficient if you follow sound building advice for your fleets.
The preview
I was lucky to get a spot in the preview server for the September raid target and the new hull. You can find the video on the gaming channel. Be kind and forgive me as it is the first time I have used that program or streamed something. Any tips would be welcomed to make that experience better for all involved, me in producing it and yourself as my viewer.
Summary
If you have the Apollo try the elite targets, but worse case my build shared here will help you do the A sets, and you would need about 18 of them. If you cannot get the special and weapon, do not just take the weapon unless you already have the Charon torpedo and submarine like the NH or Tiger. Tiger is the next best choice for the next raid cycle that with the Charon would be 14 million points. Worse case you could hire someone to help you with the raid if you find it out of your range. Many charge a flat rate for so many points and if you are willing to pay for their repairs far more will be ready to help you meet your goal. I would use that as a last resort and only if you want to get somewhere that you otherwise cannot.
Thank you for reading and any questions feel free to ask in the comments below.
Two Questions this week; collective thoughts shared by many due to the recent announcements
This week we have two questions, and that means this will be longer than normal. I normally do not do this but, as there seems to be a lot of changes coming people are anxious, and I am getting more questions than normal about the same two subjects.
First one is from Greybeard
FM is changing, will the punishers still work?
Hey Greybeard, No one can say for certain what the changes will mean. We only have brief insight and that is that the 102 will be easier, and the 109 will be harder. What this means for the Punisher build and more importantly my single Punisher build that could take the 107 I am not sure yet. I will work on solving the 109 for the cheapest and quickest possible build once I see the targets. What we can be sure of, and if you have shipyard time right now, is that mortars will still work. This change in the FM means that garrison type hulls will be good no matter what, and fitting mortars will be the best damage dealer. Keep with the same concept as the CM/Tank I gave out that could do the whole 107 and I think with some Citadels, Berserkers, Nova and even DNX behind it will help you until we can see what we have. I will attempt to use just Citadels when the change happens in the 109; I will have a minor refit that can be taken care of with tokens from this week and the raid. So, I will be ready to go when the change happens. At that time, I will share my build and video of my success or failure. For now, if you have something mortar particular around. I choose the Citadel (being the best option for 109 I think), but you will want to refit your best mortar (Judgment or Firestorm coaxial being the best). Use the best engine, 4 to 5 of the Judgment or Seige mortars rest hail B/Gale 2. Then use either siege bat and CM loader 3, or Frontline CM and Siege Targeting, with something that increases splash. That build should help you mitigate most of the change and put you in line for a minor tweak (once we see the targets) on your best mortar hull you have.
The Next question comes from Wardog
I want to do the September raid, what should I look for this hull raid?
Hey Wardog, We have a hull store coming up, so good idea to think ahead on what to grab to help you in the future. A new sub is available in August raid along with new torpedo and special. So, if you can, I would aim for those three prizes. You could try Proto Hunters if they have them in the prize store, they have great concussive resistance and plenty of weapon slots and hybrid slots to help you build a fleet to take on the Reavers. From what we have seen from the preview videos and the targets we have hit on the live server. You are going to want explosive resistance, concussive resistance and combat speed. You will also want to deal concussive damage. With that in mind, that should help you at least plan for what you need to have based on your technology level in the game. For subs, you will want dive time, speed, and explosive resistance. So that is battery 3 (or similar to increase dive time), Magnus 2 (fastest engine we have with enough cloak to keep you undetected) and Ablative 3. From my experience, those three are a must. Surface fleets I have not tested a lot of, but you will want concussive based weapons, combat speed, high evade, explosive resistance, and concussive resistance. You need a bit more with them due to not being able to hide and not take damage at times. When I get a better idea of the targets and see what we have, I will provide a more substantial build and advice to dealing with them.
Thank you all for the questions and feel free to hit the inbox with more if you need to
