Advice on a Couple Contract Types

Phileosophos · Post by **Phileosophos** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:33 am

Thanks to the help folks have provided, I'm starting to survive at combat as long as I stick with the most basic encounters and be careful. I've run into a couple types of contracts that I'm not sure how to pull off, though, so I thought I'd solicit some feedback.

First, the spying contract is interesting: you have to stay within a certain range of a capital ship for 60 seconds and it's typically protected by 4 fighters or so (at my level anyway). I managed to complete such a contract by drawing off all the fighters, blowing them up using a bunch of Exodus missiles, then flying underneath the capital ship to about 1,000m away, matching speed, and cranking my energy to shields.

It kept launching missile after missile, but my beefed up shields could take the impact, so I could sit there under its belly and complete the scan. That seemed like a pretty goofy way to complete the job, though, and I'm wondering: is there a better way? I didn't find any firing arc the capital ship couldn't cover (I even tried approaching it from the rear into its engine wash), so it was the only way I could complete the contract.

Second, I tried taking a couple of contracts to destroy a capital ship because it had only a couple of fighters as an escort. I could kill the couple of fighters well enough, but nothing, and I mean nothing I did could damage the capital ship at all. I dumped my whole complement of 8 exodus missiles into it, and I don't think it noticed. I drove up under its belly and sat there blasting it with a class 5 laser and pretty powerful cannon (220 yield), and I think I managed to tickle it. I always fail the contract because I basically can't do it any damage. Can anyone give me some advice?

Oh, and please don't tell me to hire a big fleet; I've tried hiring dozens of ships and none of them will join me. I seem to be some kind of intergalactic leper for whom nobody will work, so that option is right out.

Third and finally, I keep coming across these contracts where you have to defend a disabled ship for a while until it jumps away. The description of one I tried tonight said I should expect 4 fighters, but that's nothing like what actually happened. I killed the four fighters quickly enough, thanks to a full complement of exodus missiles, but then another two fighters appeared. And another two. And another two. And another two. And another two. And...

Seriously, I killed at least a dozen enemies before I died, but I couldn't complete the contract. Is that a bug? Or are they supposed to spawn infinitely like that? And if the latter, what sense does the contract description make, suggesting that I'll have to face four fighters?! Thanks in advance.

DarK Rogue · Post by **DarK Rogue** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:41 am

Destroying a capital ship, you must have a fleet, or excaliburs, exodus doesn't do enough damage. In warzones, it's pretty easy, blast the side your capital ship blasts, then your capital ship will blow it up. I've never done a spy contract, so I can't help you there. I haven't succeeded in hiring a fleet myself, but I can tell you that you do need one. I have never successfully completed the escort contracts yet, I finished them in Legends. I'll inform you of my progress later.

gietek · Post by **gietek** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:25 am

I seem to be some kind of intergalactic leper for whom nobody will work, so that option is right out.

LOL No you don't. You need to ask GREEN ships that are friendly to you. Yellow ones are only neutral and very unlikely they will join your fleet.

Third and finally, I keep coming across these contracts where you have to defend a disabled ship for a while until it jumps away. The description of one I tried tonight said I should expect 4 fighters, but that's nothing like what actually happened. I killed the four fighters quickly enough, thanks to a full complement of exodus missiles, but then another two fighters appeared. And another two. And another two. And another two. And another two. And...

Seriously, I killed at least a dozen enemies before I died, but I couldn't complete the contract. Is that a bug? Or are they supposed to spawn infinitely like that? And if the latter, what sense does the contract description make, suggesting that I'll have to face four fighters?! Thanks in advance.

Bad luck I should say. I had this mission many times and apart from 4 fighters there are always some other ships that will come after you. Hiring 4-6 ships helps greatly.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:32 am

When I "Spy" on ships I just park my "Brick" under the ship and build a shield array. I just sit there with my beer
and enjoy the view untill mission is acomplished.

:P:P

BraveHart · Post by **BraveHart** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:45 am

Spy Mission: "the way you did the mission is one way....Using a shield array is the simple way....another way is to use a stealth generator or stealth missile while flying below the ship...use the stealth device before you are spotted by the larger ship"

Destroy Hostile Capital ship: "There are a few different ways to take out a Capital ship....Fulcrum torpedoes are the easiest but very expensive....What I do is not use my missiles until last, if at all....first target the engine by pressing the "U" key then set your course so you can strafe the engines as you pass by...I usually just use my max speed for what ever engine I have and then turn off IDS so I cruise by the ship around 700 away....I then strafe using my lasers (Which work on taking down the shields) and my cannon (Which pounds on the Hull) once I pass I turn IDS back on and start another pass going back the other way, turn IDS off again and strafe away....when the Capital ship fires missiles at me I either shoot them down or use my cm's...Once the shields are down you can use your missiles when you pass close to the engines"

Escort contract/mission: "Save your missile's for the Hostiles that are real close to the ship you are escorting and dog fight the others...But remember to concentrate on the fighters close to the escort ship...These mission's are so much easier to do in MP where you have more then one friendly ship helping you....Escort mission's are one of my favorite mission's to do and they are a Hoot to do in the Vonari war zones and yes you can expect more then 4 hostiles...in the war zones there are 7 to start with then more show up....always remember to fly back to your escort ship and protect it"

"I hope this Helps you Phileosophos....If you see me in MP just ask and I will help fly with you during these contracts"

Dengar · Post by **Dengar** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 11:07 am

Agree with all that the mighty BraveHart has said.

Take the advise Phileosophos, Brave is very very experienced in these matters.

Phileosophos · Post by **Phileosophos** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:23 pm

Interesting. A stealth generator? I haven't found one of those yet. How does it work? Do you have to turn it on/off? It seems to me like most ship equipment you buy (cargo scanner, shield boost, etc.) is all passive in the sense that I, as a player, don't have to do anything to make it work for me. I take it the stealth generator is different?

Scavenger4711 · Post by **Scavenger4711** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:41 pm

UrsprÃ¼nglich verfasst von Phileosophos
Interesting. A stealth generator? I haven't found one of those yet. How does it work? Do you have to turn it on/off? It seems to me like most ship equipment you buy (cargo scanner, shield boost, etc.) is all passive in the sense that I, as a player, don't have to do anything to make it work for me. I take it the stealth generator is different?

First of all stealth devices are active devices. So you have to activate them.

There are two types of stealth generators: ones who only can be used one time and reusable ones. The stealth device can be used one time. It is mounted on your ship as a secondary weapon and can be activated the same way as you fire your missiles. Just select it from your secondary wepaons and hit the fire-your-secondary-weapon-key.

It has some advantages in comparison to the reusable stealth generator, but except that it doesn't comsume either energy or shield capacity (I don't know which of them) I don't know really which advantages it has.

The stealth generator is more expensive but it is, as I said, reusable. It is an equipment that, if you activate it, it lowers down your shields to zero and starts comsuming energy. To activate it, you need to have full shield capacity. It deactivates itself when hitting the afterbruner or when your energy has been depleted. You can activate this part of equipment with a special key (look at your keyboard settings, I don't know the standard key for activating/deactivating it

)

Hope I could help you

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:44 pm

Originally posted by BraveHart

Escort contract/mission: ...These mission's are so much easier to do in MP where you have more then one friendly ship helping you....Escort mission's are one of my favorite mission's to do and they are a Hoot to do....

Mine too. More than any other contract, these require coordinated attacks where audio chat comes in very handy. 'Cause, you don't want every defending pilot going after the same inbound red ... else you usually leave the capital ship 5k or more behind you. And, if the next inbound threat comes from the opposite direction .....

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 2:52 am

To destroy a Capital ship like BraveHart says target one particular system with the U key...preferable the engine. Blast a way all you got at the one sytem preferable 8 Exodus followed by a full emptying of Cannons and lasers with energy set to five on your inertial fly by. Then do a nother fly by with full cannons and lasers emtying your energy.....then dock at a station in the same sector reload another 8 exodus missiles but you have to make sure before you take this mission that there are at least 2 rounds of 8 exodus missiles available at the station where you launched from. And then do another run targeting the same system again full cannons lasers and at closest point fire all excaliburs and that should finish of the capital ship if you would like to do this on your own....LOL....remmember you can dock for repairs and reloading for mission involving combat in the same sector.....The only mission you can not dock for in the middle of the contract is the retrieve missions without the retrieved cargo......

:P:P:P:P

Aures · Post by **Aures** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:28 am

I used to do spy missions using the stealth generator in Legends. Since starting Mercenary I have found it is much more fun to get into a military frame and just orbit the ship with afterburners and using CMs. Most of the missles fired at you (even ones from the cap ship) ending up hitting the cap ship rather than you. It is funny but does mean sometimes the cap ship dies before you can complete the mission. I guess you could also use this as a method to destroy a cap ship without wasting your own missles, I will have to try that out.

The trick is to orbit the short axis of the ship rather than the long one. Your distance to the ship is determined from the centre of the ship. If you orbit the long axis it is still possible to stay in range but much harder. The other thing it is to have shields set to +5, weapons to -5. If the cap ship is fighting a navy cap ship you will end up flying through their crossfire fairly regularly. Nothing class 10 shields can't handle, but as you don't need weapons there is no reason to give them energy.