Need help - Spear of Patriarch

[Core]

In hopes of finding a story with this DLC, I reinstalled X4 after giving it a long break. Adjusted joystick, did tutorials and hopped into Spear of Patriarch.
It started with a dialog saying
A:"Surrender and join us"
B:"Nobody left to negotiate"
A:"Ok, good, not wasting time"
Then A flew into an argon station, got killed. I flew back with 50% hull

Now I have
1.A mission "Defeat argon federation and capture or help capture 5 sectors"
2.3k money, 4.2k repair cost
3.A very easy mission with 160k reward, requiring me to deploy 12 laser towers, each costing 12k

What am I missing here? I just want combat. Ok I can taxi a bit do silly chores but I do not want to get into MFG/truck simulating. Totally lost, any suggestions?

[Set-115689]

Capture/make bail enemy ships and sell them or collect their loot drops and sell them to station vendors.

Get a pilot (to automate ware collection) and go to a combat zone and collect drops from npc ships fighting.

[Core]

Originally posted by Set-115689:

Capture/make bail enemy ships and sell them or collect their loot drops and sell them to station vendors.

Get a pilot (to automate ware collection) and go to a combat zone and collect drops from npc ships fighting.

Thanks! Trying that now.

[Core]

So wait... I can not make money by combat, missions shooting ships as a mercenary, pilot whatever I am in this context?
I do not want to be a scavenger, loot, sell things or employ more scavengers like me to do on my behalf. I want to fight: be a pilot or captain.

[Drunio]

You can get a police license for around 150k and then killing enemies of a faction in their territory will get you a good amount of $. Essentially, yes, you can make money only by fighting. Before getting the license you'll make a lot less, but still get money from kills.

You can get war missions from the ZYA against the Argon, but these are usually a lot more challenging and don't always just involve fighting.

Getting a really cheap ship to loot behind you is a great way to make a lot of extra $, but its not required. If you ONLY want to fight - you can, but you'll miss out on a lot of easy money from looted items.

The only starter plot mission for both Split starts is not an early game one. Its a long term goal.

[Core]

Originally posted by Rivon:

You can get a police license for around 150k and then killing enemies of a faction in their territory will get you a good amount of $. Essentially, yes, you can make money only by fighting. Before getting the license you'll make a lot less, but still get money from kills.

You can get war missions from the ZYA against the Argon, but these are usually a lot more challenging and don't always just involve fighting.

Getting a really cheap ship to loot behind you is a great way to make a lot of extra $, but its not required. If you ONLY want to fight - you can, but you'll miss out on a lot of easy money from looted items.

The only starter plot mission for both Split starts is not an early game one. Its a long term goal.

I am assuming you are referring to the 500 credit reward destruction of criminal and enemy vehicles... Well at least now I know it is hopeless instead of starting over an 11th time thinking I missed something again despite intrinsically knowing that this was it.

Thank you for this information really, I wouldn't have known that it was impossible to upgrade my ship or find any missions for a mercenary and would keep flailing around for some more time until I was outraged.

Edit: My only option seems to find a mod or something to make this a bit more playable, to try to salvage what I paid.

[MrUp]

There are 'game starts' that are easier than others. Some are difficult and it sounds like that may be what you've selected. There are guides (see menu at top of this page). Look for getting started and do the 'Story' - it will walk you through getting your own headquarters too.

[Core]

Originally posted by MrUp:

There are 'game starts' that are easier than others. Some are difficult and it sounds like that may be what you've selected. There are guides (see menu at top of this page). Look for getting started and do the 'Story' - it will walk you through getting your own headquarters too.

Yes, I did that long ago, MrUp, thanks for the info. But it's not a story, rather "excuse for giving player a base". It also ended in a matter of minutes, if you do not count traveling through empty space to find a few means. The universe was the same before and after you started and nobody could care less.
You know stories, books, how c-beams glittered in the rain, even like X:R, X:3... Where the greek tragedy have long ago defined the rules of background, problem with causes downplayed and effects stressed, motivation, climax, fall and an ending. I was waiting for something, anything beyond building sand castles.
So that's why I turned to split expansion stories. But if you have anything else in mind, I'm all in for it!

[Wraith]

I mean if you want to start the Split and/or Paranid Plot line which do have some major consequences to the universe and is also a long term goal with some good fights.
here a mini guide
1. Finish Player HQ quest.
2. Do and finish Hatikvah free league quest. In mission offering tab of the map in Argon space you should see it in the important mission tab.
3. Don't have any research active and wait until the Boron contact you.

[Core]

... Sounds interesting and like a goal... Never tried that before. Thanks a bunch, @Wraith.

[Core]

So this worked, well something along its like and I went in like... "I AM THE CAPTAIN YOUR GLORIOUS LEADER" It's my 30th load due to deaths in the last 18 hours.... Man this game is so difficult if you do not have a faction to back you up, 10 destroyers to overwhelm every enemy destroyer, like argon gov't. But have instead one you have to babysit like the patriarchy, who doesn't notice Xenon nomming across their stations and space.
But in the end they were like "Look that idiot is fighting xenon, let's promote him and make him think he is important with confidante rank so he fights more" And I got my rank!
That being said, not exactly the progression in a game in my mind but... It works with xenon and Khaak kill rewards mod.

[Core]

Originally posted by Wraith:

I mean if you want to start the Split and/or Paranid Plot line which do have some major consequences to the universe and is also a long term goal with some good fights.
here a mini guide
1. Finish Player HQ quest.
2. Do and finish Hatikvah free league quest. In mission offering tab of the map in Argon space you should see it in the important mission tab.
3. Don't have any research active and wait until the Boron contact you.

Checked again carefully, Wraith, thank you very much! I'd never have guessed that there'd be something like this in X4.
That also means that I have to change my review to positive.