Overview
A mapseed and step by step to get started in impossible as a mission runner.Can be used on easier difficulties for an even easier time.Do all your unlocks with this map.Here’s the mapseed.st-v01-12-2-129035452Remember to play as Thulun.
Starting your captain
I like combat captains but you can totally make a noncombat one. Commander + Diplomat and whatever with emphasis on Command stats and mission reward augments.
But if you are to choose a combat captain, I personally like Commander, Swordsman, and either Assassin or Swordsdancer. If you can’t do commander, then be a pirate…or be whatever you want.
A very easy combat captain to use is Zealot, Swordsman, and Swordsdancer.
Need an example template? Let’s make a Zealot Swordsman Swordsdancer
Skills A. 10 blades 10 evasion 3 command
(You will never get more skills so this is almost always priority. Command is to help you add defense dice to ship battles because you will be flying around in space alot.)
Attributes B 30 Fortitude 30 Quickness 20 Strength rest whatever.
If playing non hard, then you don’t really need to care about fortitude. But in harder difficulties fortitude is the most important stat for EVERY combat character (in my opinion). MOST SWORDS typically use strength but your blades skill can match help out your accuracy.
Some people rather go Fort Quick and Wisdom. This will make you have more init to do more attacks often. But I like Str for more health and a little bit easier time hitting with swords.
Ship C. Longboat. If you can’t do Longboat… maybe Juror. You won’t be in this ship for long.
D Contacts. If you can get FDF commander that would help you stock up on Military Commanders pretty early. Otherwise… I don’t know whatever. Go unlock FDF commander. 2nd contact I usually pick anything that let’s you recruit spies.
E Experience. You want this at level 1. Because the game forces you to be level 2+ and maybe you simply dont want to be a level 2 Zealot. Some people do want to though. Doesn’t matter, leveling is pretty fast in the tutorial missions.
IMPORTANT MAP SEED
Go to map. There should be an option somewhere let’s you paste map seeds.
Paste this one:
st-v01-12-2-129035452
Select Thulun. We are going for the Leo Battlecruiser as our ending ship.
This map is great. Everything is within a couple of jumps away.
Your main storyline baddie is De Valtos to which they also happen to have a few systems within your home system. Great for some safer missions.
Missions
If you started with the Commander start, set your talent to the one that let’s you scout better stats on new recruits.
Do your intro missions but prioritize most of them with the FDF commander and Prince Faen.
Start buying ranks as you do missions. Get up to 5.
When the intro missions are gone (The interface changes into three columns) Then only do the Faen prince missions as they will only upset your primary enemy (De Valtos).
When you have level 5 rank, buy a military officer. They should be level 6. Get the level 5 talent that lets you scout for better stats. Then repeat this until you are filled up with military officers. Note that you can also take a second talent. I usually take about 3 salutes for easy enemy military escapes. One should have the talent that let’s you get extra rep during missions. And a couple should have deserving rank so you can make more money as you grind out missions.
If you want, leave one slot open to hire that spy from your second contact. Make sure he ends up with the skill that removes cards or replaces cards in orbital spying.
Finally, you should replace your quartermaster and engineer with Level 11 soldier recruits from Faen prince. If you play on impossible, I recommend making them officers and turning them into Swordsman + Wing Commandos. Soldier would be wasted since they don’t use blades but you are doing this for the shortcut in levels. If you play on lower difficulties, go ahead and make them into shotgunners or snipers. But if you are learning, really…just experiment with whatever combat build you can think of.
Your Doctor… can be kept or can be replaced. Whatever happens, if he/she dies, promote one of your Military Officers. Go for a 8 Combat Medic, 1-2 Military Officer, and rest in Doctor. Stick them in the backline.
When replacing a doctor, look for someone with some bonus doctor skill and good Fortitude. If that’s your crew dog, then promote the crew dog and go hire another crew dog.
Leo Battlecruiser
Personally, the only modifications I make to my starter ship are extra passenger cabins and MAYBE a prisoner cabin depending on the missions.
Make sure you group up accepted missions based on where you are going. If you see three Farfallen Rim missions, do those together.
On any difficulty, you should be able to save up for a Leo Battlecruiser prior to the storyline duel of Assassins. Queue up a couple Nav 4 (the -jump cost) modifications. Replace one of the hangers with a double officer suite. The other hanger, just buy some low end whatever as we will eventually replace that with the Javat specific fuel water mod. You can find a Javat world with this mod in the De Valtos system next door. The launch bay should be replaced with the mod that gives +20 to 29% in shields. To replace the launch bay, you need to get rid of the hangers first.
When you are ready to board your Leo Battlecruiser, hire as many E-techs as you can. Add a couple of pilots and some Navigators. Make sure you hire when you have recruitment talents available.
From here on out, you can make a dedicated boarder with strictly defensive mods or you can add a couple of range 4 torpedos and go heavy on damage + crit rate mods.
Respecs
By now you should also have a high level navigator:
Respec them for the level 11 talent: Skip off the void. You can evade the Xeno ships as you are probably not able to fight those until you are properly modded. Remember to repair your ship if you do skip off the void.
If you are using gunners for missile attacks:
Respec them for the final talent. The one that has a red circle thing. That ability does awesome damage. Also the scattershot looking ability is a great starter to ship battle that allows for debuffs.
I know I haven’t properly referenced ability names and what not but just jump in the water and then go look up the wiki if you need further guidance.
Conscripting
In non hard, you don’t have to care about this. You can continue to recruit the normal way and with recruiting talents.
But in harder difficulties, conscripting helps you keep your ship’s dice pools on par with the enemy.
You’ll never get good attribute crew with conscripting but the point of conscripting is to get high level crew quick. You mainly keep them around for skills like electronics and command.
When conscripting, either have a quartermaster or diplomat with the relevant skill that removes negatives traits off conscripts.
Learn how to cripple ships without destroying them by employing weapons that do Void damage. I personally like lances and am not a fan of torpedoes.
The max level is 45 and you can run into that some where in the late game depending on your difficulty.
However, again, if you don’t want to bother with this because you are playing on easy then just tack on missile bays and just blow them to smithereens.
Anyways, if you do want to play around with this, conscripting is how you can really make space for your ship. You don’t want to remove your nurtured combat crew for conscripts though as conscript combat crew is bad (unless they are in the back line).