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Missiles are the biggest DPS, but can be countered with slugs (their flak). You can partially counter flak with swarm missiles into the mix to saturate their effect. Coordinated flak module later counter the counter, if you build around it.
Lasers are meh, at first, but have higher crit, and don't have a weak range. Shields partially counter lasers.
You want a mix of attackers and defender ships, and a hero when possible. I like 3 attackers / 2 defenders ratio, even 2 attacker / 1 defender, depends on the faction you play and your command points vs enemy CP.
If you move into bombers, they do pack a punch but they need swarms support to not be obliterated by flak. Also throw some fighters to absorb flak and deal with other fighters.
A safe bet is having shield, then hull into ships. Hull is better against projectiles, but only if you know enemy is going slugs/missiles.
Personally I start with missiles, and adapt as I see, I like to have some missile ships and some laser ships. But not until swarm missiles. Always at least one slug in the defender ships, for the flak.
Slugs are very powerful on paper (and in practice if they get close) so the AI overcompensates against them and so your energy weapons can punch through all the armour they put on.
Missiles and squadrons can be very powerful but I've found that the AI defaults to using pure slugs on their ships so missiles need extra work to be effective. Squadrons suck until the enemy gets carriers and I think they may only be worth it in combination with missile fleets since you don't really want missiles on carriers anyways.
I've also found, with the buffed shields, that you really only need 1 shield on each ship while the rest can be armour.
For the early ships I find that composition matters less than numbers so while you usually want 1-2 defenders for every 3 attackers, it is more important to just get numbers.
For the hunter and coordinator you generally want 1 coordinator for each lane, then the rest can be hunters.
For carriers, you want at least one with tractor beam (if you have the DLC) and want 1-2 in each fleet depending on CP. It used to be that pure carrier fleets were almost unbeatable and while they are still strong, there are so many great support modules which are locked to coordinators and protectors that I think that mixing coordinators, hunters, and carriers together creates a more versatile and stronger fleet.
1 projectile weapon / projectile defense
2 projectile weapon / energy defense
3 energy weapon / projectile defense
4 energy weapon / energy defense
For each of these types its easy too figure out their match ups. For example for the 1st type projectile weapon / projectile defense. Its mirror match is type 1 vs type 1/4. Its hard counter is type 1 vs type 3. It hard counters type 1 vs type 2.
The way this is applied in game. Attackers send their fleets too systems. Defenders get too retrofit ( change their fleets load out ) too hard counter the incoming fleet. If i see a type 1 fleet approaching a system its hard counter is a type 3 fleet. I may not have type 3 ships on hand, but i can retrofit ships too a design that will hard counter them.
If attackers take over the system, they become defenders and can retrofit their ships too hard counter the enemy fleets approaching them.
Coordinator fleets
A fleet with nothing but coordinators, not meant for direct combat, meant too take over systems or enemy fleets that are lacking manpower.
You fill them up with siege slugs, wait 1 turn then take over systems with 0 defense.
You fill them up with ramparts, just drop 5k troops and take over a system in 1 turn.
You fill them up with boarding pods, take over enemy ships with 0 manpower on board.
Race specific tactics
Vodyani have arks, they can customize their arks too have 20 plus movement and drop 5k plus ground troops on a single turn. They can snipe any system within 20 movement of thier drop ship fleet. They don't need too control a neighboring system too retrofit their ships before invading enemy territory. They just park an ark ship, retrofit fleet, then move ark ship away before you can respond too it.
Vaulters can teleport their ships around the map. Vaulters can teleport fleets too their colony ships location. Vaulters can teleport an obliterator too their colony ship, and then have it rapid fire 6 to 10 shots on all ur systems.
Unfallen have a fleet of 15 seed colonizers, entwine ur system in 1 turn and buy it out using influence thereby taking it over without even declaring war.
- Two opposing flotilla will start on the furthest range between the two cards played, and move closer one range per combat round (three rounds total), until they are the shortest range between the two cards. So if your card says the top flotilla will be at Medium range, and your opponent card says it will be at Long range, they will start at Long, move to Medium, and stay at Medium.
- Once a flotilla has no enemy in their own lane, they will attack other lanes. Those attacks are always long range. So if you outnumber your opponent, long range weapons are something to consider for the in the extra flanks.
So more than just rock/paper/scissors, ranges can be messed with to make certain types advantaged. Even if they're running Beams, your slugs outdps them and your shields absorb a lot more of the damage than their hull plating does. Critical hits ignore both so they're awesome for deleting enemies despite their protections, and also feel necessary for some tanky setups late endgame when shields and armor both self-heal. Ultimately, I find hull to give more consistent results in lethal battles of giant army vs giant army while shields offer more consistent results for prolonged engagements because they replenish every battle. So if you don't lose more than your shields, your HP remains mostly untouched while hull armor HP depletes over time and needs healing to sustain prolonged wars.
My best comp so far was using an Umbral Choir hero to boost evasion for the fleet and stacking it with more evasion boosts along with the above tactic. The result is an unhittable fleet that has natural hero-built-in stealth detection and can specialize on close range combat without much worry about the other ranges.
Instead, you need a verstile combination of ship types that are based upon individual function. For example, tech advancement and limited resources will probably result in building ships in the following order:
1- Gunship: Small attacker, energy damage that is good at all ranges, module that enhances energy damage.
2- Destroyer: Medium attacker, same energy loadout and enhancement as Gunship, but extra shields with module that makes it a target.
3- Stabber: Small attacker, slug damage strong at close range.
4- Medium Carrier: Medium coordinator, fleet shields, fighters for bomber defence.
5- Seige: Small coordinator, EMP launcher, extra crew module, couple seige modules.
6- Droneship: Medium attacker, missiles.
And through the course of play, you research tech to increase your fleet cap, enabling you to have a combination of these ships in a given fleet.
So, basic fleet would be 5*Gunship, 1*Destroyer.
But then you flesh that out with a Medium Carrier.
And really start to shine with 8*Gunship, 2*Destroyer, 2*Medium Carrier, 3*Stabber (plus Hero configured like a Stabber, with fleet acceleration), 5*Seige.
As you reach a fleet cap of around 30, notice that a couple squadrons can resemble the basic fleet, but with Stabbers that close to a short distance, and the third squadron can be whatever you think should be kept at range.
Ahead of the battles, think about the tactics cards that you would like to have available. And when the battle commences, you want to view the battle for evaluation purposes, and click Advanced to move you ships between squadrons. (Just pointing this out for those who don't realize you can do this.)
With carriers, you can go with raw power, but again be thoughtful about keeping your fleet versatile. And given that the carrier is an expensive capital ship, it doesn't hurt to assign it a Medium Carrier as an escort.
At least, that's how you should be thinking in order to keep your fleets organized and effective. Tweak as required.
There's a guide that talks about arranging fleet compositions with ship names that are similar to a US Navy carrier force because it provides you with an easy means of checking what your fleet needs.
- Mixed defences ~50/50, the AI fleets damage types vary a lot so no point trying to hard counter that way.
- Missiles are great... until you come across any fleet with Slugs, which the AI love. So don't bother with Missiles.
- Make sure most of your ships have one Slug weapon, it hard counters the AIs missile spam, and strike fighters, and bombers.
- Use both beams and lasers for consistent hits, with the slug you will be effective at all ranges.
- Use a mix of ships in your fleets. Guardian ships are great for their flotilla shields, as well as the other bonuses they can bring. I aim for one Protector and one Coordinator per flotilla.
- With so many slugs, you can skip strike craft, just put one bomber on your Coordinator, and maybe 2 on your Carrier. Bombers are good sustained flotilla damage, but they aren't good to be relied upon.
- I rarely ever see any reason not to take Turtle as the battle tactic, the +20% hull absorption is just fantastic.
- Only time I pick anything different is against a fleet that is slug dominant, where Power to Shields is great. There it's less about the bonus and more about keeping your distance where the enemy ships just don't really hit you and your lasers and beams can take them apart.
Thanks.
That is what you choose to do, and that is fine. I don't bother because:
1- Their EMP attacks provide an asymmetrical battle advantage to the overall fleet.
2- Their being within the fleet provides them with protection.
3- I reduce my management burden by keeping them with the fleet.
4- Having a versatile fleet means that I can swap them out when there is an urgent need.
I get that it can matter in edge cases, but I don't think it's something anyone new should bother sinking resources into until they have a good grasp of everything else.
From UE/normal from a noob:
I loved my siege fleets in the last game. I could take down a system's defenses in one turn and then move along on the next turn. Every time I tried to do a slow, multi-turn siege/attack a system, the AI would slip a fleet somewhere I didn't want it and mess up my advance.
Eventually, I settled on a high-mobility, Seeker-led attack fleet to clear out the riff-raff so the Siege Engine fleet could do its own thing without needing a secondary Flotilla to babysit it.
Early game vs Human I have too station an explorer at every colony shooting probes down starlanes looking if there is an enemy 7 pt fleet getting ready too snipe my colony. Then there is the random 1 pt ship fleets flying around around killing food shipments, population fleets, or randomly blockading my systems too deny luxury and stategic income from those systems. Then the general rule if their not doing this too me I will do this too them.
Mid game vs AI same as early game nothing has changed
Mid game vs Human I have too station a 12 to 20 pt fleet at my border or my system closest too human player will get invaded. If my explorers shooting probes through enemy territory dont spot enemy fleet then i will invade them. If they spot only 1 fleet I have too a decision out of 4 choices.
1 Do I invade them with double the ships they have stationed
2 Do i build a 2nd fleet and just invade them on the other side of the map
3 Do i start sending out fleets of 3 ( 1 pt ships ) too harass
4 Ignore the situation continue too build infastructure
Late game vs AI still nothing has changed but now im steamrolling them with multiple 30pt fleets, and seige fleets
Late game vs Human
Desync has already occured and were both too frustrated too finish game.
The greediest player who didnt get punished has a better economic base in terms of systems, ship productions, and proceeds too slowly grind away at opponent.
RNG just really hated you and the vodyani craver or horatio player got more neutrals on their side of the map or more meaningful neutrals. Their starting home world was just more benficial too their faction than yours.
A coordinator fleet with a seeker admiral for some reason wasnt spotted despite probes being fired down every star lane and randomly into space, and proceeds too capture 2 to 3 key systems.
Someone gains enough of a lead in science, wonder, or econ. The other player can't finish a peaceful win con first.
Unfallen player entwined enough systems too win and proceeds too turn them all into systems.