Is it just me or does empire mode complexity scale way to quickly?
- Thread starter Dizzy Bat
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Personally I prefer using Kirko for rushes.
But I can see how the ability to summon Plasmoids and/or Trenchers anywhere on the map really could help with Rushing.
Also Dvar got like +20% Plasma Weapons, even on their Walker. Not sure if they also got it on the Plasmoid.
They do not - there is no Plasma Mastery for Plasmoids since there is no Dvar Plasmoid.
It's also probably worth noting that Dvar Purifiers lost Plasma Mastery, although they do get Entrench.
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Ah, yes, the Empire complexity. To be honest, I rarely had problems (though I do admit that I own all DLCs which makes quite a difference).
There are some really easy traits, for example the one where NPCs are invisibile. Why is it easy you ask? Because it comes with the secondary objective of picking up stuff on the ground. Which grants renown. Which can be used to purchase big stuff.
Or, as someone else mentioned it .... get a high faction and look for swarm rush / the voidtech thingy. Rush your enemy down. That alone gives ton of experience.
Generally, look out for secondary objectives. Seeing a Marked for Reassambly means that picking Assembly may not be the best course of action, but getting a lot of players in is. Have like 4-5 NPCs, scout agressively and ally with them as soon as possible. Sit back as your alliance faces down the Assembly while you build up in peace your doomstack and mega cities, then send in your army to crush their throne cities and lords.
Sure, I mostly play relaxed, but that is an option for anyone. If you are having trouble with the complexity, it may be time to not play on Hardcore Wildlife and Extreme AI
On that matter, there ARE some traits that I would try not to get as much as possible. For example Voidbringer Thrallworld is a literal nightmare. You can't really expand (easy AI can't either, though), because the marauders are easily capable of dispatching something that has merely basic fortification. Your start army is pitiful against their spawners, making it hard to gain renown that way. Hell, you are even ill equipped to take down the random marauders (last time I played, I lost nearly my whole starting army in under 10 turns). Voidbingerr are basically a tier higher than shown, seeing that there is a Tier 2 unit that has a 9 range, repeatable attack that deals pretty high damage (your defective workerbugs are just a pale shadow compared to that). Its like you are facing Tier 3 Psi-fish with eyes of eternity (I quite like my Medusa artillery), but early on.
So, generally, look at planet traits before dismissing the planet. Secondaries that are easy to achieve or even give you a lot, like +Doctrine slots or Pickup, can help a lot. Secondary objective that allows you to win more easily, like getting all Settlements, conquering 4 promethean vaults or finding the grail, is generally far easier than to annihilate all opponents.
There are some really easy traits, for example the one where NPCs are invisibile. Why is it easy you ask? Because it comes with the secondary objective of picking up stuff on the ground. Which grants renown. Which can be used to purchase big stuff.
Or, as someone else mentioned it .... get a high faction and look for swarm rush / the voidtech thingy. Rush your enemy down. That alone gives ton of experience.
Generally, look out for secondary objectives. Seeing a Marked for Reassambly means that picking Assembly may not be the best course of action, but getting a lot of players in is. Have like 4-5 NPCs, scout agressively and ally with them as soon as possible. Sit back as your alliance faces down the Assembly while you build up in peace your doomstack and mega cities, then send in your army to crush their throne cities and lords.
Sure, I mostly play relaxed, but that is an option for anyone. If you are having trouble with the complexity, it may be time to not play on Hardcore Wildlife and Extreme AI
On that matter, there ARE some traits that I would try not to get as much as possible. For example Voidbringer Thrallworld is a literal nightmare. You can't really expand (easy AI can't either, though), because the marauders are easily capable of dispatching something that has merely basic fortification. Your start army is pitiful against their spawners, making it hard to gain renown that way. Hell, you are even ill equipped to take down the random marauders (last time I played, I lost nearly my whole starting army in under 10 turns). Voidbingerr are basically a tier higher than shown, seeing that there is a Tier 2 unit that has a 9 range, repeatable attack that deals pretty high damage (your defective workerbugs are just a pale shadow compared to that). Its like you are facing Tier 3 Psi-fish with eyes of eternity (I quite like my Medusa artillery), but early on.
So, generally, look at planet traits before dismissing the planet. Secondaries that are easy to achieve or even give you a lot, like +Doctrine slots or Pickup, can help a lot. Secondary objective that allows you to win more easily, like getting all Settlements, conquering 4 promethean vaults or finding the grail, is generally far easier than to annihilate all opponents.
Well, I play the mode for the challenge, not just to get some meaningless levels or relics. Voidbringer thrawlworld was my last planet, it was quite fun, especially combined with ELOP. And yes, I had 2 colonies on turn 20, it was very unusual.
I'm really REALLY bad with Kir'ko is the thing, and Promethean Dvar has soooo many ways to utterly trivialize early fights.
Playing Kirko is easy:
Bee line for the TL3, Tier 1 Regeneration mod.
Getting range is really important, both to fight air and force the enemy to advance.
Use the buddy system to trigger swarmshield, but avoid any clumps bigger then 2.
Playing Kir'ko once I have cities and tech is easy sure, but Promethean Dvar takes two techs and wins every fight handily after that, and that's with just your starting stack. For the 20 turn rushes I don't have the TIME to get past Frenzied being my army but Trenchers are awesome!
I mean, you have Hidden. You start with two emergents that can morph into more hidden. What more do you need?
Regeneration is a incredibly easy tech to get. It is 400 Science in. And it is Regeneration, wich is universally good!
You also start with hidden and transcendent unlocked, plus the whole ability to summon and evolve emergents into more of them and the flier.
In a Twenty Turn rush I can't reliably get the kill in less than 16 turns, needing to hunt down the enemy leader sometimes takes forever. If I can't START the rush for ten turns while I carefully keep Emergents alive to Prime Rank while building a bunch of stuff I'd basically never pull it off.
And the Dvar only need two T1 techs, it's much MUCH faster than Regeneration.
EDIT: my problems with playing Kir'ko is pretty much entirely their starting stack even with the Military Detachment.
To be fair, you generally stat with it being researched if your planets are on nightmarish, due to your high empire level to begin with. Chances are high that you unlocked the first tier, and if not that, got something else. Add in a high level hero (which is very useful, I agree), and you have a powerful starting position.
You can also equip stuff on the fly. Sure, they are disabled for 2 turns, kinda, but since they previously had no mods, it is merely a decrease in damage. If youonly fight weak stacks on your way, that doesn't matter that much, either.
Getting Emergents to Prime rank really isn't as hard as you make it out to be, since they get double exp after winning a battle. While it was rather rare, I did have evolved Emergents in a lot of cases. I also kinda replace the flier with an ermgent, because I found them stronger personally. The scout tends to die super fast, while the Emergents can stay out of the fight to suddenly burrow towards the enemy and flank it for comparatively massive damage.
If you take the throne (or rather, all) city, then you only need to wait a few turns until the Lord 'starves' (I think it was three?), so you don't need to absolutely hunt down the Lord (often he even comes back to get the city under his control again). The AI tends to clear stacks outside, so you can surprise steamroll the city, possibly getting your Emergents evolved, and having enough research (and cosmite) for that regeneration tech.
Well, as I mentioned prior, I mainly play these missions on easy ... its not worth it to get slightly more exp. And your objective is to level your empire to begin with, right?
You can also equip stuff on the fly. Sure, they are disabled for 2 turns, kinda, but since they previously had no mods, it is merely a decrease in damage. If youonly fight weak stacks on your way, that doesn't matter that much, either.
Getting Emergents to Prime rank really isn't as hard as you make it out to be, since they get double exp after winning a battle. While it was rather rare, I did have evolved Emergents in a lot of cases. I also kinda replace the flier with an ermgent, because I found them stronger personally. The scout tends to die super fast, while the Emergents can stay out of the fight to suddenly burrow towards the enemy and flank it for comparatively massive damage.
If you take the throne (or rather, all) city, then you only need to wait a few turns until the Lord 'starves' (I think it was three?), so you don't need to absolutely hunt down the Lord (often he even comes back to get the city under his control again). The AI tends to clear stacks outside, so you can surprise steamroll the city, possibly getting your Emergents evolved, and having enough research (and cosmite) for that regeneration tech.
Well, as I mentioned prior, I mainly play these missions on easy ... its not worth it to get slightly more exp. And your objective is to level your empire to begin with, right?
Yes, he does sometimes come back to fight back, but that stack clearing thing means he sometimes doesn't because he thinks he's too far out. As far as the starving thing, I once took out all the cities on Turn 10 and hunted down the Leader on turn 16 sooooo.
30 HP on both, they both die really fast IME.
This is also me playing on Easy, I am VERY bad with Kir'ko.
Like, this is entirely me being bad with Kir'ko, it's not a problem with the Kir'ko.
To be fair, Emergents are literally being kept back until the last moment to kill off units, because they are squishy.
But it has a huge upside over the flier: It can move a LOT due to the burrow leaving you with a single action point and their high range. You keep them in the back, then burrow them into a flank and shoot a pile of deadly goo.
The flier needs to be pretty close, in comparison, to be able to shoot trice. It also tends to be focused by enemy ranged units, so I keep loosing it whenever I have it in my starting stack.
What is your Kir'ko leader? While I did rushes with level 1-5 heroes, a level 12 hero makes all the difference (and also, what secret faction? Mine were a Voidtech Sniper and a Psynumbra melee.)
To be fair, I feel the same as you about .... the amazons. I can't get them to work. I dread the lack of snipers, I hate playing with air units because they get focused the hell out of it, etc. It .... just doesn't click for me.
Haven't played a single Dvar game so far, though. Yes, my Heroes are a bit loopsided
But it has a huge upside over the flier: It can move a LOT due to the burrow leaving you with a single action point and their high range. You keep them in the back, then burrow them into a flank and shoot a pile of deadly goo.
The flier needs to be pretty close, in comparison, to be able to shoot trice. It also tends to be focused by enemy ranged units, so I keep loosing it whenever I have it in my starting stack.
What is your Kir'ko leader? While I did rushes with level 1-5 heroes, a level 12 hero makes all the difference (and also, what secret faction? Mine were a Voidtech Sniper and a Psynumbra melee.)
To be fair, I feel the same as you about .... the amazons. I can't get them to work. I dread the lack of snipers, I hate playing with air units because they get focused the hell out of it, etc. It .... just doesn't click for me.
Haven't played a single Dvar game so far, though. Yes, my Heroes are a bit loopsided
lvl 1 Psynumbra Sniper(I like Sniper Kir'ko). Also have a Xenoplague Melee, but I kind of hate Kir'ko heroes in other factions(why are so many of their racial skills Swarm Shield buffs?), so I haven't leveled them much at all.
Amazons are pretty much Lancers early, and then Tyranodons, the fliers and plants and things are THERE, and helpful in a support role, but the big thing is the fast mounted melee. IMO anyway. Huntresses and Biomancers are both cool but neither are like Troopers or Trenchers where you can just spam them both.
Sniper Kir'Ko is great! Sadly, only a few Kir'Ko abilities are really useful for it (the teleport is great, the Swarm Shields are okay. Guiding Hand .... is not useful in a rush situation because you don't have that many ranged units and your hero is the main damage dealer, but it can still be used to 'prepare' for the next turn. Only having a single turn of effect is a bit iffy, though).
Ironically, if you want a Sniper, I would actually advise you to Voidtech. Psynumbra, too, has a melee focus (the mind break is more useful on a repeating attack, IMO, devour hope is not as important as a sniper and the choir is basically useless in that case, too). Sure, Voidtech does barely synergize with Kir'Ko (or rather, it basically does not synergize at all), but the hero skill of ignoring 50% of cover and unit penalty is pretty good early on. So, its less a leader and more of a hero to recruit.
Generally, you can decide which hero are avaible in your pool. You could then level a select few heroes each time, until they are usable - without having played that faction even a single time. A high leveled hero really makes all the difference in my opinionm. The Lord effects are amazing, the Sniper gives a huge accuracy and damage boost. The Juggernaut makes your units far more sturdy and giving resurgence (!). Soldier I haven't played with yet, but the 'gain action point on kill' seems pretty good for stuff like Initiates (or Emergents. ) who have 1 action point ranged attacks. Pilot seems the most underwhelming, shield being generally worse than armor and regeneration being generally worse than resurgence IMO.
Ironically, if you want a Sniper, I would actually advise you to Voidtech. Psynumbra, too, has a melee focus (the mind break is more useful on a repeating attack, IMO, devour hope is not as important as a sniper and the choir is basically useless in that case, too). Sure, Voidtech does barely synergize with Kir'Ko (or rather, it basically does not synergize at all), but the hero skill of ignoring 50% of cover and unit penalty is pretty good early on. So, its less a leader and more of a hero to recruit.
Generally, you can decide which hero are avaible in your pool. You could then level a select few heroes each time, until they are usable - without having played that faction even a single time. A high leveled hero really makes all the difference in my opinionm. The Lord effects are amazing, the Sniper gives a huge accuracy and damage boost. The Juggernaut makes your units far more sturdy and giving resurgence (!). Soldier I haven't played with yet, but the 'gain action point on kill' seems pretty good for stuff like Initiates (or Emergents.
) who have 1 action point ranged attacks. Pilot seems the most underwhelming, shield being generally worse than armor and regeneration being generally worse than resurgence IMO.
Who said anything about delaying for 10 turns???
You just go. You add the mod in as you get it. Same way you do it with the Dvar Purifiers and mods...
To make these in anything resembling reasonable numbers it's waiting ten turns.
The Trasncvendent is a floater, so it can catch up trivially. Not that you need more then 1-2 anyway.
1 Hidden over 2 stacks is still enough to force the enemy to attack.
And a mass of Emergents is still a lot of damage output.
One thing I like to do, if there is an easy way to get renown, is to either include something to heal (nanite for example) or tenets of Tranquility. The healing one can be easily replaced with the regeneration mod for Kir'Ko, so I rather use the Tenents in these situations. I generally like to include them, they are a cheap tier 1 mod, give stagger resistent which is extremly useful, especially early on, as well as negating negative morale and giving morale. It is such a powerful mod, and you only need one objective to unlock it...