Xenon are not very aggressive.

[Invictus]

I need a mod that boosts Xenon, I mean, they are suppose to be a massive threat. The only MOD i found that does that but for me, makes it way too buff is "Xenon Hell."

Any other mods that make them more of a threat? Do they get stronger in sectors once some fall or something?

[Geist]

Cant help you with mods but

Originally posted by Invictus:

I Do they get stronger in sectors once some fall or something?

This is correct. After some time some factions (usualy TEL, ANT and HOP) will destroy the Xenon Clusters on the lower end of the map and the Xenon will then concentrate their forces more in the middle of the map so that they become more dangerous for the HAT trade route (if the Defence Station goes down) and the ZYA sectors.

[Invictus]

Originally posted by Geist:

Cant help you with mods but

Originally posted by Invictus:

I Do they get stronger in sectors once some fall or something?

This is correct. After some time some factions (usualy TEL, ANT and HOP) will destroy the Xenon Clusters on the lower end of the map and the Xenon will then concentrate their forces more in the middle of the map so that they become more dangerous for the HAT trade route (if the Defence Station goes down) and the ZYA sectors.

Thanks, I may build up a bit of defensive platforms, then reload with the Hell Mod.

[Doom]

I saw several people recommend xenon re-emergence. It is dependent on VRO and I have not played it.

[Krastifari]

not a threat? I had to make 2 destroyer bomber fleets quick time last night because of their terror!

Yea! It wasn't quick time and we lost a plasma station, however destroyed many of their destroyers and fleets with only a few restock/repairs but it took hours.

Through all of this.... our destroyers by themselves do practically 0 damage. It's really not fair! Fret not though for i guess we have other vessels capable of such feats. Today we striked back and pushed into Tharkas Cascade (new sector for me). Its really a scary place! set up some reconnaissance however and striked down a few fighters before heading back to restock, repair and take up a victorious defensive stance in Hativah.
10 minutes later I'm already staring at 4 destroyers taking up defensive positions in Tharkas.

many destroyers destroyed later i managed to get a defensive platform up for Argon defences too for future aid... That's progression! few sectors discovered in last few days, very happy! Time to contemplate my next move.

[FuryoftheStars]

Depending on how much of a buff you want:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3264117883
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2972057764
Deadair's scripts: https://github.com/DeadAirRT/deadair_scripts
Completely modular (settings to enable/disable everything, and everything starts disabled), but the "Fill" portion of Deadair's scripts can make sure that the Xenon economy doesn't completely starve.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3392664581
Xenon Buff: https://www.nexusmods.com/x4foundations/mods/978

About this mod
Add new challenges to the end game.
Xenon revive and reinforce protocols will spawn several destroyers to xenon home sectors to patrol them and defend gates, also spawn miners and traders to aid rebuild.
An invasion fleet (Xenon, Mercenaries or Khaak) to target a random shipyard and attack everything on its path.
Option menu to adjus[t]

[Maffin]

I can highly recommand "After the Fall" with VRO.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306781107&searchtext=

You need to start a new game, though.

The galaxy now feels hostile and the Xenons are a real threat. Without the players help AI factions are on a timer, even though they have like crapton of defence stations at their gates.

[hurepoix]

I made some mods to up xenon, but they became obsolete. Egosoft have the bad habit to disable mods when a new major version is released. It is sometime for trivial reason. You had in a version large turret mining and large turret. The synthax at the next version is large turret mining and large turret combat. Result mods no more works.

Anyway the real issue with xenons mods is balance. Where to put the trigger ? for exemple double the xenon s strengh will will too much for some, and not enough for others.

[Krastifari]

They already destroyed the defence tower i built for Arg LOL. Been looking at Elite Dangerous... looks pretty tempting! I need a break from X4 after the last 24 hours of it LOL

[Erei]

Xenons AI is dicated by several factors. Mostly how confident they are in winning a fight.
Due to how x4 works, it's easy to snowball one way or another. If xenons start weak, they'll be defensive. And AI will pound them hard, making them weaker, and then more defensive, until they have little left and die.
On the other hand, as seen often in Family Kritt, if they get a breakthrough and rampage around, they murder civilians. Trader, miners and builders, which ruin the AI economy and clog the shipyard full of ship they can't build because no shipment arrive.

I saw the difference in my "recent" saves. My previous save had "regular" xenons. More or less status quo, with some pushes from them. Taking over the 2 family and cutting ZYA in half, taking frontier edge and pounding on Antigone in The Void.
My new save, they lost several pockets less than a few hours in. They barely pushed elsewhere. They were losing Atiya, after losing faulty logic, which is probably their biggest pocket at the start. They had the fleet (saw the K and I), but were too scared to send them in battle.
At which point i restarted, because why bother ?

If anyone is interested, here's the seed for "status quo" save. Do note seed only make starting conditions, not AI or anything. Start only can do so much, after a while it can greatly differ. In this new-new game, Antigone pushed Frontier's edge instead of the Xenon (and hold it), although Xenons did similarly push into ZYA and I've stopped a I and K rampagning after 2/3 of ZYA defense station fell.

925318669


I think you need a custom start to use it.

[chronobomb]

Xenon do gain strength as you take sectors from them. They are limited to a specific number of capital ships as they were murdering people‘s games within a few months.

There are two ways to make them stronger in vanilla. As you take their sectors, it concentrates their capital ships into the other sectors. Eventually, this will make it so that the invasion fleets are 12 K’s and 3 I’s, which the AI cannot deal with.

Once you reach 500 billion and assets, you can complete the research that unlocks the xenon. This allows them to build as many ships as they can with all the resources they’ve been collecting the entire game. It can be a real struggle.

[eMYNOCK]

Originally posted by Erei:

925318669


I think you need a custom start to use it.

correct, either custom budget or creative.

[tullaian]

I don't know how aggressive you want them. I just got the game and in my first play through now that Xenon were extremely aggressive into Haktivah's Choice I from the outset. They destroyed the Argon Defence platform and a number of stations there and had a massive swarm of ships in the sector with multiple destroyers.

They tried to build multiple times a Xenon Defence platform at the gates and there has been constant fighting over that site since the game started. It has cut off that trade route regularly and the Argon seem starved of resources especially Weapon Components and Advanced Electronics and are struggling to put ships into the field.

This is pretty much the example above where they almost snowballed out of the gate. The front has stabilised now and they never got their defence platform built. Both sides Argon and Xenon have build sites for a defence station in place and nobody can make much progress. Argon wins for awhile with fighters and then Xenon send in destroyers which Argon don't seem to have any of and the pendulum swings the other way.

For a first time play through its been pretty engaging trying to master the game mechanics while also since I had the HAT start being right in the middle of a war zone.

That being said having now mapped most of the map , I can't see them seemingly active anywhere else only coming from Tharka's Cascade.

[hurepoix]

Originally posted by tullaian:

It has cut off that trade route regularly and the Argon seem starved of resources especially Weapon Components and Advanced Electronics and are struggling to put ships into the field.

Everybody does, whathever they are at peace or war, or trade routes are open/safe or cutted. These components are always in high demand, and station that produce it are usually on very low stock or complete shortage.

For yourself best you have to do is to blacklist hatikvah. However it is a divided sector. Unless it had been fixed, IIRC, you have to blacklist the 2 hatikvah sectors for it works.

[Erei]

Xenons will nearly always push Hatikvah. The devs added (purposefully) flaws to the AI logistic and map. A xenon gate right next to the big highway, leading to the xenon biggest pocket is no coincidence.
And the AI will always have shortages. That's also on purpose. Their stations are not self sufficient or anything, whenever they fill a gap they open another. This was made so the player could actively participate in trading, without having big walled market you can't get in.
It also push the player toward building their own shipyard to stop being reliant on NPC for ships.
The game also purposefully have a defense station in front of the gate in hatikvah. So the xenons takes some time to break through. To provide a challenge to the player when they can deal with it, but not too early when they can't.


Don't be afraid because there are red in hatikvah. Only when they really camp the gate and/or have a bunch of capital there is an actual threat. L ship usually have turret to handle the little crap. M/S ship can use the highway nearby to run away. If they come from the highway, their speed will make them impossible to intercept.
More often than not, eventually Argon, Antigone, Terran (DLC), or Paranid will send a fleet (expeditionary or otherwise) to deal with it. The real risk is having such a big Xenons force that fleet lose. Usually a I and a bunch of K. In which case it's smart to help. A fighter can disable the engines/gravitons of the xenons for the allies to eat them for breakfeast.


As for Hatikvah long term solution. It would be wise to start preparing to help defend Hatikvah.
SCA will freely provide their support through the gift of destroyers. You just have to send a bunch of friendly marines to take over. Early on, you can't beat those destroyers price, even if they are not the best. You can always sell them to buy bombers, but if you pick your fight and be careful, you won't lose them. While you'll lose bombers. So early on it's more costly.
To get the SCA destroyers there are guide. First find them, you can set up an alert. Then, make sure to scan them so their are flagged as "scale plate" and not whatever ID they spoof. Finally, shoot the engine and guns. A fighter is enough as both destroyer they fly have big blind spot behind. Then board it. You need enough marines, you can use several ships. If you have the avarice DLC, then the VIG marines are the best, since they can sometimes spawn at lvl 2 instead of 1. If you have hyperion DLC, then hyperion is a monster boarder for free 5minute into the game.
Some you may sell for cash, the rest can be repurposed. Personally, I sell the teladi ones and keep the argons. Not a fan of the mushroom. Plasma for large slot turret (paranid if possible) and flak for medium (argon). Plasma target capitals, flak target fighters.
A single behemoth in the hand of the player can handle a K no problem.

If you have the DLC, the terran questline provide a syn a the end. Which can handle nearly everything the gate throw at you. Fly it yourself and target graviton/engines (engines first if you can). Even a I is useless without engines and guns.

As time passes, you'll sell those early destroyers and swap them for the real deal. Whatever you fancy.

[tullaian]

For me since it is my first time playing and I am playing without any DLC it has been pretty entertaining. I just assumed that was the level of activity expected in the universe. Given I am brand new I am just puttering around I am sure I am progressing very slowly and have wasted hours trying to work out how to make the AI captains do what I am expecting. :)

I've been doing the Argon/Xenon war quests so have been 'behind enemy lines' to see what is in the Xenon sectors and my contribution was 200 laser turrets in Haktivah and flying around personally shooting down Xenon in an Eclipse which has been pretty fun to be honest.

I am certainly very aware of the Xenon and they are a threat in this area for sure but, again in this game if I had started in TEL/HOP/PAR etc then I might not have seen a Xenon as there dont seem to have been any incursions in those areas at all.

I also saw a comment somewhere that not having all the DLC and therefore all the map causes the Xenon AI some problems as they seem to spend a lot of time trying to get SE ships out through Haktivah to go somewhere else to mine but, I know that Tharka's Cascade is extremely mineral rich.

On a side note , if i follow a Xenon SE ship through a gate out of Haktivah in the next sector it isn't there it just vanishes. I wanted to follow them to find where they were trying to mine but, it seems once they change sector they stop being simulated again ?