Core Computing Challenge 9 assistance

[Kord]

Hi! Got all the challenges, except Core Computing 9 (which the game tells me i'm available to complete). Have tried different setups but i'm stuck in 20/21. Can you win this with only T3 weapons or should i farm T4 for a really long time?

[Dragon]

From the USI doc for pre-sector 69 stuff

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfV0R-Kiqqp8YUhaGH95IhW0cgH360bQu1OdZ0nv-g0/edit#heading=h.ps1t6119vlw7


Challenges
Core computing:
1x beam laser + rest laser cannons. Laser cannons on supportive routing + boosts + shield bonus, beam laser on mass focuser and damage.
This is now outdated– compute tiers give more salvage, and kinetic cannons with supportive routing are incredibly strong for compute challenge. Needs more info
Patch increased salvage gain, start stays the same?
(Remember to spend salvage/equip compute shard + battle shard/turn on reactor)
Core 1: immediately
Core 2-3: Cruiser with lvl 95 beam laser (filling 1.1 cap+), 2x lvl 80 laser cannon support
Core 4: Heavy cruiser with lvl 110 beam laser (same as above, just wait more), 3x laser cannon support. (5 is possible with improved tracking farm)
Core 5-6: Destroyer with lvl 110 beam laser, 5x laser cannon support
Core 7-8: Destroyer with lvl 110 beam laser v2 (filling 1.1 cap+ cap+), 5x laser cannon support, 2x deflector shields.
Core 9: Requires “Salvage Redirection” on Cyber Specialist crew, for 1E27 salvage/sec. Farm improved tracking and salvage for 75-90 minutes in sector 4. 4.26E30 salvage is required for beam laser v3 lvl 70, 5x laser cannon v2, 2x deflectors.

Synth challenge:
Max gatlings, one beam laser (if necessary), continuous generators.
Max damage/shield modules as far as reasonable, then materials. High level (infinite) sensors, alloys, processors are most bang for buck, in general. (Materials from best to worst available here: USI Synth and Compute Challenges - Google Sheets by Solanaceae)
Synth damage/shield upgrades bought with synth points work inside the challenge!
(Remember to put on synth + flex shard, turn on reactor)
Synth 1: T2 infinite
Synth 2: T3 infinite
Synth 3: fourth synth slot
Synth 4: 2E10 synth speed (without synth util)
Synth 5: ~E20 synth speed, T7 infinite. Go sector 33B, make some combat enhancer module levels. Free halfway through T8/after mastery 2s

Power Hungry:
Remember you can spend salvage! Reactor utility in particular gives 10x max VP. Lvl 1 or 2 Gatlings -> Disruption. A max gatling setup is about 10x max VP in damage, compare damage to sector enemies. Utilize void energy boost to sustain through boss damage.
(Remember to equip modules, power + flex shards, reactor util)
Power 1: reactor utility unlocked
Power 2: warp VP max MK2 maxed, aim for e12 max VP
Power 3: warp VP max MK3 maxed, aim for e16-17 max VP
Power 4: warp VP max MK4 maxed, aim for e22 max VP
Power 5: aim for e37 max VP (free after first crew masteries)

Base challenge:
Check wiki: Base Carry | USI Wiki | Fandom
Max gatlings (one beam laser for base carry 3), later disruption charges. Continuous generators.

Reactor
Reactor scales logarithmically. (exponential cost for linear increase in benefit)
A reactor challenge completion is roughly a 1.5x multiplicative modifier on reactor benefits.
A quick way to buy upgrades is to enter the power hungry challenge and die over and over. (Usually right after completing one)
Another way is to spam prestiges, since each prestige starts with a full reactor.

[Vahkn]

Tier 3 weapons worked for me. I used 2*tier 3 beam lasers, 4*tier 1 laser canons on support, 2 deflectors, 1*tier 3 bulk generator.

I needed to grind the two beam lasers up to level 122, but that only took a few minutes. You probably want to drop the settings on the deflectors to ~5% as they can do most of the tanking for you, which saves leveling the bulk generator.

I'm not sure how out of date that guide posted above is, but my crew were all under rank 20 or so. No where close to getting salvage redirection, and it wasn't needed.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Vahkn:

Tier 3 weapons worked for me. I used 2*tier 3 beam lasers, 4*tier 1 laser canons on support, 2 deflectors, 1*tier 3 bulk generator.

I needed to grind the two beam lasers up to level 122, but that only took a few minutes. You probably want to drop the settings on the deflectors to ~5% as they can do most of the tanking for you, which saves leveling the bulk generator.

I'm not sure how out of date that guide posted above is, but my crew were all under rank 20 or so. No where close to getting salvage redirection, and it wasn't needed.

This was mostly pre patch but it still gives the guidelines to ensure a pass. i did hear it was easier (especially if your on a reinforce) . the recommendations don't change there is just more room for mistakes now with the added stuff in the patch.

I never needed more then a single beam T3 and all support cannons as they give a significant boost in this challenge. but i can't compare because i was at sector 69 before the patch came out when this was relevant. (i think one of the patches made it easier specifically)

[Vahkn]

Originally posted by Dragon:

I never needed more then a single beam T3 and all support cannons as they give a significant boost in this challenge. but i can't compare because i was at sector 69 before the patch came out when this was relevant. (i think one of the patches made it easier specifically)

It sounds like it got significantly easier with that patch then. I was somewhere around s50-s55 when I did it.

It's been a while, but as I recall the challenge 9 boss could kill me in 7 hits, so I needed it dead within 6 and that needed 2 beams at 122. I did compute challenges 7, 8 and 9 in the same run though, so that will affect the math a little - lower compute values etc.

[frognik]

I just finished this.
Used 6 beam lasers with laser boost power +75% on all of them and set 4 of them to have laser boost cooldown -10. This gave an laser boost ability with no cooldown and a very fast ramp time.
That took care of everything except the last boss since it was armour based so I retrofit to 6x kinetic right when "imminent threat" appeared and shredded it.

[A Friend]

Getting to Sector 20/21 shouldn't be too difficult with whatever you used to beat Computer 8, beating Sector 21 should be easy once you're there if you retrofit into Kinetic Cannon 3.0 x6. All core upgrades are the top ones except for "Fire Support". With all of them on Fire Support they should do plenty of damage, enough to nearly one-shot the boss.

If you're struggling to reach Sector 20, or with maxing your T3 weapons/shield, your Cyber Specialist will be key. Particularly Salvage Redirection will help increase your max salvage gen from compute levels.