How do I generate more Intel?

[Lampros]

Other than RNG, is there an unknown Jedi trick? ;) Since I splurge on buying PCS, weapon attachments, and Chosen Information, I never have enough - and ultimately this means that I am generally behind on contacting regions.

[Fringehunter7719]

Choice of guerilla ops for rewards, resistance orders and skullmining are about as far as it goes. Oh, almost forgot - making sure you don't destroy loot (and use vulture if you can) and then you can research any data pads and caches you acquire.

Always worth checking any security posts you can hack on the way past as well, occasionally you get a few points that way.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Fringehunter7719:

Choice of guerilla ops for rewards, resistance orders and skullmining are about as far as it goes. Oh, almost forgot - making sure you don't destroy loot (and use vulture if you can) and then you can research any data pads and caches you acquire.

Always worth checking any security posts you can hack on the way past as well, occasionally you get a few points that way.

Hmm, so no magic secrets - those things I already know :(

Then how do you guys manage to get all the PCS, weapon attachments, Chosen Information, and region contacts? Or better yet, how do you prioritize Intel use?

[Fringehunter7719]

Well, optimising those things does make a lot of a difference. But by and large I expand slowly for the first 5-6 months (legend speed) and probably won't have more than 3 regions, so I can use intel on other things. Getting the second region early is very important though.

Weapon attachments are very low priority to buy. PCS are zero priority except advanced perception which is a medium priority and superior which is high.

Chosen intel is high priority, but best combined with the second and third stage hunt the chosen actions for maximum benefit, as they take longer so the 50% reduction is more effective.

Early game I focus on buying engineers/scientists as a high priority, and making sure I have the next doom meter reduction available is a midgame priority - so contacting one blacksite or facility region, or having enough intel in reserve to do so, if I don't have the skulljack option available.

Overall I won't be able to get everything that would help though and almost all PCS/weapon mods go unpurchased along with a number of mid and late game scientists and engineers and all early and mid game soldiers. I never buy a research boost (25% reduction for obscene prices on legend is a no no).

Some intel will go towards purchasing elerium (which may or may not get sold depending on exact resource balance in a particular campaign), and occasionally alloys if there's something really important to get ASAP like plated armor.

[red255]

Lampros. if you need more intel, the obvious solution is to spend covert ops or research actions on datapads.

I normally have a whole pile of datapads I don't research except in emergencies when I need intel to cover more of the map.

early game the black market does not have superior pieces, so theres not alot to buy, maybe an engineer or scientist?

but the datapads give a whole lot of intel provided you can take the time off research to manage to get it.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Fringehunter7719:

Well, optimising those things does make a lot of a difference. But by and large I expand slowly for the first 5-6 months (legend speed) and probably won't have more than 3 regions, so I can use intel on other things. Getting the second region early is very important though.

I play Legend, too, but having just 3 regions the first 5-6 months make me feel too poor and unable to buy anything.

How soon do you kill the Chosen?

Originally posted by Fringehunter7719:

Weapon attachments are very low priority to buy. PCS are zero priority except advanced perception which is a medium priority and superior which is high.

I am a sucker for every Advanced/Superior Speed or Perception PCS. Damn, I have the rich man's wife's disease: I buy everything shiny that catches my fancy! ;)

Originally posted by Fringehunter7719:

Overall I won't be able to get everything that would help though and almost all PCS/weapon mods go unpurchased along with a number of mid and late game scientists and engineers and all early and mid game soldiers. I never buy a research boost (25% reduction for obscene prices on legend is a no no).

I think that's the only thing I can change in terms of being more economical. I tend to buy research boosts a lot, too, and they probably do not offer sufficient investment/return ratio.

Originally posted by red255:

Lampros. if you need more intel, the obvious solution is to spend covert ops or research actions on datapads.

I normally have a whole pile of datapads I don't research except in emergencies when I need intel to cover more of the map.

Huh? Can you explain?

In fact, I do not even know what datapads do. I think I sell them ASAP when I get them?

[Fringehunter7719]

Originally posted by Lampros:

I play Legend, too, but having just 3 regions the first 5-6 months make me feel too poor and unable to buy anything.

How soon do you kill the Chosen?

It varies. The first one usually around the time it finds the avenger, but I'm undecided about whether it's actually easier just to let it assault and splatter it later with powered armor and beam weapons.

The others just as and when after that.

Originally posted by Lampros:

I am a sucker for every Advanced/Superior Speed or Perception PCS. Damn, I have the rich man's wife's disease: I buy everything shiny that catches my fancy! ;)

Yeah, I definitely don't do that. You will really struggle for intel doing that.

Originally posted by Lampros:

I think that's the only thing I can change in terms of being more economical. I tend to buy research boosts a lot, too, and they probably do not offer sufficient investment/return ratio.

Wow, yeah. Those things are like 100 - 200 intel a pop for what usually amounts to a few days or a week's worth of research boost in the long run.

Originally posted by Lampros:

In fact, I do not even know what datapads do. I think I sell them ASAP when I get them?

I mentioned them in the OP as well, they are loot items that aliens drop which enable a research project that takes say 3 days for a pad and 5 days for a cache. That project provides intel as a reward. The project is repeatable once for each pad or cache you find.

The intel reward scales, but in mid to late game can be well over 100 intel (caches give more than pads). As you repeat the projects they take longer each time, but that gets offset by having more and more scientists.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Fringehunter7719:

I mentioned them in the OP as well, they are loot items that aliens drop which enable a research project that takes say 3 days for a pad and 5 days for a cache. That project provides intel as a reward. The project is repeatable once for each pad or cache you find.

The intel reward scales, but in mid to late game can be well over 100 intel (caches give more than pads). As you repeat the projects they take longer each time, but that gets offset by having more and more scientists.

Got it; thanks. But it makes me stop my normal research?

Edit: I have always been selling them! That at least partly explains how others are not having the same Intel deficit as I am! ;)

[Fringehunter7719]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Got it; thanks. But it makes me stop my normal research?

Yep, it's just a standard research project that appears on the list and you can only do one of those at a time.

[red255]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Edit: I have always been selling them! That at least partly explains how others are not having the same Intel deficit as I am! ;)

Lol.

I'm tempted to sell them too sometimes. but only when I have enough intel. there are times when emergency intel is important.

the research times start small, and get progressively larger with each additional datapad.
Datapads can also roll inspired and they can trigger breakthrus. inspired datapad status lasts the entire supply period I think, so if one pad is inspired, the next one, generally is still inspired.

But before I research my datapads I'm Intel starved. afterwards I've got plenty of INTEL.

Ideally we get INTEL from other sources, but it is a source. and its not the worst source of INTEL.

[SBlack]

You will find plenty of weapon attachments as loot. What you can buy is "nice to have", but not essential. If you make heavy use of the black market to buy things use the resistance order that reduces costs by 33%

You can also get more intel from resource drops and scanning at a resistance HQ. But the latter is something you won't do until late game.

[grapplehoeker]

I wouldn't waste any intel on the black market until I have used it to unlock all of the resistance contact regions.
Once that is done, you can spend your intel as you wish and there will be tons of it. In fact, in the end game I have more intel that I can use. I rarely buy anything from the black market in any case as there are plenty of loot to be had from drops and as mission rewards, plus all of the resistance ring mission rewards if you have WotC.
It seems the world trend is more like you though and the black market is used more than I do...
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=719715970

[Lampros]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

I wouldn't waste any intel on the black market until I have used it to unlock all of the resistance contact regions.
Once that is done, you can spend your intel as you wish and there will be tons of it. In fact, in the end game I have more intel that I can use. I rarely buy anything from the black market in any case as there are plenty of loot to be had from drops and as mission rewards, plus all of the resistance ring mission rewards if you have WotC.
It seems the world trend is more like you though and the black market is used more than I do...
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=719715970

I don't think it's useful to compare to the "world" chart, because it seems like console commands are used liberally by many players, and they skew the numbers.

Having said that, yes, I do use the Black Market non-stop, and I think unlocking literally "all" resistance contact regions before using it would be unbearable for me and frankly inefficient.

[JaegerBane]

Originally posted by red255:

early game the black market does not have superior pieces, so theres not alot to buy, maybe an engineer or scientist?

To be fair, these can be hard to pass up in the early stages when lack of engineers is holding up almost everything.

[Abrakadabra]

Early game the resistance order card that lets advent and co drop more loot with each loot drop is invaluable. I got advent or alien data pad so often, that it in part actually financed a considerable part of the main intel I needed to proceed. Early to midgame the only things I spent intel on are:

- new contacts if necessary or better enough intel and supplies to build my path towards alien facilities. Always have enough on your account to do just that if necessary so you dont die.

- Secondary priority is any kind of perception or scopes. If I have any intel left thats what I use it for.

- If I have enough intel left after those two priorities I use some for stocks. Reliable dmg, even a little, is invaluable in eraly to midgame.

Thats pretty much it. Later on, once I have secured at least 2 strong, high aim squads and im not as pressured by doom clock after midgame and more in late game, I buy everything haha. Specially high ranking soldiers.

[red255]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Having said that, yes, I do use the Black Market non-stop, and I think unlocking literally "all" resistance contact regions before using it would be unbearable for me and frankly inefficient.

If you have the 'new regions are contacted instantly' it just takes as long as it takes to throw down towers to get 13 regions contacted, which will get you a hefty amount of supply and continent bonuses. every expense should be budgeted.