Is it possible to recover reputation after being loathed?

[Mindel]

I've only done two campaign missions, Axylus and Weldry, and I'm already finding it impossible to find any half-skull contracts at all. This is a problem because I'm loathed by the pirates, and the only way to recover reputation is to take half-skull missions. Which basically makes it impossible if no such missions exist.

 

[frozx]

It can be really hard to find these low skull missions later into the game. One option is to edit the SimGameConstants file to reduce the minimum skull value. There should be a guide how to alter these files in general, but this information (that i copied from a guide) might suffice for you already:


You find the SimGameConstants.json file usually under

...\Steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data\simGameConstants


In this file you can alter some variables:

"ContractDifficultyVariance" //Note that 1 skull = 2 steps, I set mine to 10 so that even half skull contracts still appear late game.

"MaxContractsPerSystem" //number of contracts in a system, I set mine to 50

"ContractRenewalPerWeek" //how many contracts are added and/or replaced per refresh, I set mine to 50 contracts per refresh

"DefaultContractRefreshRate" //how fast the contracts refresh, I set mine to 3 days


I hope that helps.

 

[Panzer-Killer]

I've only done two campaign missions, Axylus and Weldry, and I'm already finding it impossible to find any half-skull contracts at all. This is a problem because I'm loathed by the pirates, and the only way to recover reputation is to take half-skull missions. Which basically makes it impossible if no such missions exist.

if your current Outfit is able to engage and withstand "hard" OpFor (i.e. if your Drop Weight is at least 0,5 skulls higher than contract's estimated difficulty), you should be ale to recover from Loathed by Pirates acting as follows (that is, this procedure has always worked for me, so far) :

1. While in game, click onto BATTLETECH’s right hand high corner Menu icon

2. Select “SETTINGS”

3. Select “DIFFICULTY”

4. Select “OPFOR STRENGTH” scroll-down menu and toggle it down to “EASY”

5. Save and back out to “NAVIGATION MAP”

6. Set route to Bellerophon, Detroit or Úr Cruinne and check of any 1-skull Pirates’ contract; then:

a. If you find none, then negotiate any number of available on-site only local government’s contracts against pirates (you’re already loathed by them, so there will be no love lost there), then set course to one of the other star systems I’ve mentioned above.

b. If you find any 0.5-skull Pirates’ contract available, negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.

c. If you find any 1.0-skull Pirates’ contract available, go to SETTINGS/DIFFICULTY/OPFOR STRENGTH and toggle it up to “NORMAL”, save settings, back out to the CONTRACTS screen and negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.

d. If you find any 1.5-skull Pirates’ contract available, go to SETTINGS/DIFFICULTY/OPFOR STRENGTH and toggle it up to “HARD”, save settings, back out to the CONTRACTS screen and negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.​

7. Rinse and repeat points 1 to 6 until your Pirate Reputation rises above -40, at which point you may start negotiating Pirates contracts as “Business as usual” (i.e. with either Cash or Priority Salvages’ reward).

 

[LongRange]

Is this tactic specific to Pirates? I have a campaign save where I’m really loathed by the Taureans and was wondering if I could recover.

I think in a faction’s case you often gain rep by losing rep with another faction. I guess you could up your pirate rep, then go take Taurean contracts against pirates until you need to go re-fill your Pirate rep again.

 

[unclecid]

@Edmon made a little mod that helps ya recover rep.

also there is the save editor which is not a mod that allows one to adjust rep values amongst other things

 

[Jade_Rook]

Is this tactic specific to Pirates? I have a campaign save where I’m really loathed by the Taureans and was wondering if I could recover.

I think in a faction’s case you often gain rep by losing rep with another faction. I guess you could up your pirate rep, then go take Taurean contracts against pirates until you need to go re-fill your Pirate rep again.

The adjustments mentioned here will work for any faction.

Another option that will work for some factions is to use flashpoints to boost rep. Most flashpoints well spawn regardless of reputation. There are five alliance specific flashpoints, one for each Great House, plus at least one Kuritan flashpoint that requires a decent rep to spawn.

The Raven flashpoint in particular can give a big boost to one faction if you give them the prototype.

Personally, there gets to a point where I accept that a faction hates me and don't take jobs with them. It becomes part of the story of that playthrough.

 

[Mindel]

if your current Outfit is able to engage and withstand "hard" OpFor (i.e. if your Drop Weight is at least 0,5 skulls higher than contract's estimated difficulty), you should be ale to recover from Loathed by Pirates acting as follows (that is, this procedure has always worked for me, so far) :

1. While in game, click onto BATTLETECH’s right hand high corner Menu icon

2. Select “SETTINGS”

3. Select “DIFFICULTY”

4. Select “OPFOR STRENGTH” scroll-down menu and toggle it down to “EASY”

5. Save and back out to “NAVIGATION MAP”

6. Set route to Bellerophon, Detroit or Úr Cruinne and check of any 1-skull Pirates’ contract; then:

a. If you find none, then negotiate any number of available on-site only local government’s contracts against pirates (you’re already loathed by them, so there will be no love lost there), then set course to one of the other star systems I’ve mentioned above.

b. If you find any 0.5-skull Pirates’ contract available, negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.

c. If you find any 1.0-skull Pirates’ contract available, go to SETTINGS/DIFFICULTY/OPFOR STRENGTH and toggle it up to “NORMAL”, save settings, back out to the CONTRACTS screen and negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.

d. If you find any 1.5-skull Pirates’ contract available, go to SETTINGS/DIFFICULTY/OPFOR STRENGTH and toggle it up to “HARD”, save settings, back out to the CONTRACTS screen and negotiate all of them for good faith only (i.e. all reputation only reward) and complete them right away.​

7. Rinse and repeat points 1 to 6 until your Pirate Reputation rises above -40, at which point you may start negotiating Pirates contracts as “Business as usual” (i.e. with either Cash or Priority Salvages’ reward).

This is interesting. Is OpForce difficulty setting effectively just a switch that adjusts the skull level of generated contracts half a skull up or down?

 

[Axterix13]

Also, travel missions accessed via the navigation panel bypass the faction check. So that's a bug that can be abused to get a mission you can't ordinarily get as well.

 

[Panzer-Killer]

This is interesting. Is OpForce difficulty setting effectively just a switch that adjusts the skull level of generated contracts half a skull up or down?

Yes, it is.

 

[Mindel]

Yes, it is.

Does it adjust the amount of XP accordingly as well?

 

[Panzer-Killer]

I do not know for sure, but I'd say so.

 

[NewtSoup]

ahh first Pirate mIssion.. +10 rep with slider adjustment. 2 skulls with "hard" on it making it a 3.5 skull mission and i can drop 5 skulls onto the battlfield.

I take -8 against magistry of canopus but that's ok. I can get that back easy enough.

 

[Harmon Ward]

I would say that is the way to go. I started the campaign knowing volumes about Battletech Table Top and the Inner Sphere. I did no research before or during the campaign. I learned everything I knew about gameplay by playing the game. The results were a lot of fun. However, I kind of painted myself into a corner. I am Allies with half the factions, which means I can't go over "0" with the other Factions and Liao is completely off limits. I have had a lot of success, but I can only take contracts against Liao. That is one way to go, but if you stay unaligned and balance your missions to keep everyone happy, you will be more free to take the Contracts you want at any given time.

 

[Sigil]

If you negoiate for maximum reputation, completing a Faction Flashpoint can gain you 30+ reputation with that faction. If you want to complete all 5 Alliance Flashpoints, plan out the order and save the corresponding Flashpoints until your ready to ally with that Faction. A pair of Faction Flashpoints can take you from Loathed to Indifferent if you don't need the money or salvage.

 

[Aotrs Commander]

I would say that is the way to go. I started the campaign knowing volumes about Battletech Table Top and the Inner Sphere. I did no research before or during the campaign. I learned everything I knew about gameplay by playing the game. The results were a lot of fun. However, I kind of painted myself into a corner. I am Allies with half the factions, which means I can't go over "0" with the other Factions and Liao is completely off limits. I have had a lot of success, but I can only take contracts against Liao. That is one way to go, but if you stay unaligned and balance your missions to keep everyone happy, you will be more free to take the Contracts you want at any given time.

The problem I have found it is increasingly difficult to manage to keep everyone happy - especially the pirates (of whom, because of the black market are probably one of the most useful ones to keep above loathed) - and still manage to break up into higher-skull missions. I'm over half-way through my career run and I'm still only really able to take on above 3-skull missions with one or two factions. Myabe I'm doing something inherently wrong, but I'm really strugglling to do that, especially with the RNG on the mission assignment always being solidly against me.

 

[Sigil]

The problem I have found it is increasingly difficult to manage to keep everyone happy - especially the pirates (of whom, because of the black market are probably one of the most useful ones to keep above loathed) - and still manage to break up into higher-skull missions. I'm over half-way through my career run and I'm still only really able to take on above 3-skull missions with one or two factions. Myabe I'm doing something inherently wrong, but I'm really strugglling to do that, especially with the RNG on the mission assignment always being solidly against me.

I have *never* been able to keep everyone happy. It seems inevitable to me that you will be in favor with some Factions and out of favor with others. Paying particular attention to the OpFor will at least allow you to help manage it.

 

[Kharille]

I'm alright with everyone except the Taurians. Can't find any 2 skull missions even in the original 4 early planets to help reverse that. Tried a 3rd playthrough where I try not to seriously piss anyone off but its slow. My best game I'm maxed out with everyone else, and I got too much hardware to want to go back to an early game.

 

[Harmon Ward]

There is a point of now return. It seems you have reached it with the Taurians. I am the same way with Liao. I am Allied or Honored or Indifferent everyone except Liao and Kurita. I have no idea how I dropped so low against Kutia. I must have taken a contract or two against them without noticing it when I was grinding them out. I have one world in Davion space where I might pick up a Pro-Kurita contract, but it is a year or so between circuits around the Periphery and I haven't repaired the damage. I occasionally run an anti-Pirate contract, for example, but I immediately follow that up with a pro-Pirate contract to keep from tipping the boat to far.

 

[Kharille]

Just to illustrate, my 2nd playthrough. Happy with it but I regret not gettting along with the Taurians. 1300 hours (Days! I mean days!) and seems I only got the bullshark flashpoint to finish on this playthrough. I'm also doing a 3rd playthrough but trying to avoid taurian missions. I'm really irritated that I can't buy anything or do any Taurian missions in their space.

Great thing about the pirates is that you can build your reputation with them, and then trade that off with better relations with other factions.

3rd playthrough coming up. When you're used to fielding 8 Gauss rifles in a lance, going back to autocannon suck.

Oh and having all 24 Mechwarriors with optimized stats means I have to make a few million every month to pay for their salaries. Not happening on 3rd playthrough.

 

[Aotrs Commander]

Just to illustrate, my 2nd playthrough.

I'm sort of guessing you passed the 1200 day score mark (assuming this wasn't a campaign playthrough).