Is this even possible to beat an Awakened Empire?

[Cannes]

200 years in you should have a much larger fleet cap than 723 and 50k fleet. And I mean many times larger.

 

[krios41]

Clearly "10 seconds" is not "somewhat off". It's bullshit. If it's anywhere near correct, it's purely coincidental. There's clearly no evidence or data behind the assertions being made with regards to that quite specific scenario. It would probably be an order of magnitude off, or more, in travel times alone.

I'd have filmed it for you if it hand't happen so quick, but i just killed a defense fortress within 1 second. it had 2K power in case you wanted to know. my fleet jumped right ontop of it and didn't even need to 'disperse' like they normaly do in a fight. Want to test what i'm saying? fine!
Make a fleet of 110 BB's 60 Cruisers 60 destroyers 60 corvettes, make sure it's pwoer rating is around 230K and have it jump ontop of a Fortress and see for yourself.

 

[AethGorr]

Don't wanna to clone threads, so ask here.
I'm Signatoria sort of vassal. FE-overlord dont let me to declare wars, so i decided to break free from his rule. I created a fleet of 210k (He has for about 450k). I asked another signatorias to join this war against our common overlord. All joined. But the war started i what i see? In the warscore-screen is all ok - 7 attackers (me+other vassals) vs 1 defender (our overlord), but on diplomacy layer map other vassals showed as my enemies and enemies of overlord. When other vasslas fleets came to my system with "follow" my fleet task (not attacking fleet or blockading planets) my fleet KOSed them. They was attackable and my fleet automatically attacked them. Surely that didn't add any warscore. Moreover, being able to fight each other, i can't occupy their planets (RMB with army tells me, that i need to declare war on them).
Of course when i get such "help" from these broken allies, overlord easily steamrolled my 210k fleet. I had 105 corvettes, 105 destroyers, 89 cruisers, 90 battleships and 1 domesticated ether dragon. Battle was lasted for few minutes, but all a did is destroyed barely 30 of his ships. Most damage was spreaded evenly on other ships i think.
Is this bug or what?

 

[Rotkohl]

Asymmetric Warfare. Do not engage their fleet. Bait their fleet to one system while you conquer a planet in the other. A trap system filled with many tiny defense platforms will keep them busy for a long time on the cheap, giving you a chance to make some gains. The goal is not to kill their fleet, just keep them busy, so build your defense platforms as cheap as you can, with the cheapest fighter bays possible but maximum shields to keep them swatting flies for as long as you can manage. This should buy you some time to take some wargoals and hopefully be able to end the war with a planet or two in your pocket. After 10 years do it again. Each time you'll be a bit stronger and they'll be a bit weaker until one day you can take them off the board entirely.

Try to win their capital during your first war with them. IMO, you should end the first war as soon as you have enough wargoals to claim that system. It's a huge blow to their income and a boost to yours.

What this man says, sound advice. However, in your situation it's not your goal to actually win this war - it is to keep them busy until they tire fighting you. I usually don't use my own fleet at all during an early war with an awakened Empire, I keep it safely parked away.

Just wait for them to occupy one of your worlds and jump away. They will never keep troops on the world, so you can liberate it easily without bombarding. By this time, the AE probably has conquered another world and will now go back to the first, or jump to the first. Now liberate the second world. Rinse and repeat until they offer a white peace.
Do not ever try to engage their fleet at that stage. Endure during the war, conquer others (especially non-awakened FEs). build up your strength - and after some time, you will be able to face them in open battle. Until then, as Dementor said: Asymmetric Warfare.

Have fun!

@ AethGor: Sounds like a bug... Xenophile AEs are the worst Overlords. One should never bow to them, it makes the game significantly harder.

 

[AethGorr]

@ AethGor: Sounds like a bug... Xenophile AEs are the worst Overlords. One should never bow to them, it makes the game significantly harder.

I already 10 times deeply regretted that took his side in War of Heaven. Cuz possibly had bugs both in WiH and Prethoryn Swarm. Posted about it on steam. Placed it under spoiler.

Spoiler: War in Heaven and Prethoryn Boredom

25 years ago tyranids came in few systems. Immidiately after that i came in one their system and have destroyed one of their fleet with colonization ships. Then i fell back to lick wounds and let them be. They stayed in 3-4 systems of AI empire. 25 years have passed - tyranids still orbiting 2 planets in 2 AI empire systems, bombing them and just idling in third system. They don't infest worlds. Very interesting event.

Okay, 10 years later after tyranids comings a War in Heaven started. This event was presented very epic like galactic-scale war to the death, where all must chose a side or neutrals will be punished by both sides. I joined one of the FE, that was far enough from me, but gave me Signatoria status. Other FE (enemy) is just bordering me. And another side of my empire League of Non-Aligned empires bordering me. So i had 2 fronts. Okay, i started fighting against Non-aligned empires. Get like 47% warscore after few years (mostly for occupying) and what? Leader of this non-aligns make truce with my FE-overlord on silly terms like he will be humiliated and freed a planet. That's all. Immidiately after that he vassalize newly freed planet and make truce with another FE. Very interesting consequences for "galactic war to the death".

Now war is going for 15 years. All is enemy FE (my bordering neighbor) do is lazy roflstomping my territory with his 470k fleet. I have only 84k. He did not even pay attention to the other empires. Just lazy navigate around my systems with his blob. My Overlord doing same, just on nearest enemy to him. And now war is as follows: blob came into one of my systems, destroying stations, occupies planet, stay a little on the orbit, then lazy fly to another my system to occupy. In this time i came to this newly occupied system and free it. Then construct all stations and wait while he occupy my next system, which i will free soon after enemy leave it.




Then i tried another tactic.

War in Heaven is over. But truce is ultimately frustrating. I expected lot of rewards about which i have read. I get nothing. Literally.
After those boredom with lazy roflstomping i splitted my army-fleets and boosted my occupying speed. After i occupied a bunch of systems and left them for slow freeing by enemy, i fled to my overlords territory and helped him a bit with 1-2 systems. Then he suddenly decided to warp to one of my systems which was occupied at those moment. I fought for another system and after few minutes decided to follow him expecting epic march to enemy fortress like it was described in many guides.

We had 28% warscore. Suddenly a message about truce with no losses or gains popping up. My stupid FE Overlord decided that this is enough and got a white peace. I didn't get any planets or vassals. And remained as his Signatoria. Two FE just have reconciled. Nice... Just nice. Adding broken Prethoryn event i described above and i get boched, completely ruined game. If there will not be any other late game crisis. i will need to start a new game. Sad. This party was for about 3 days.

 

[Zayne Carrick]

Like people already said, 200k of awakened FE fleet can be easily beaten with 100k of your own fleet with minimal losses. AFE are not as scary as they look.

 

[Rotkohl]

I already 10 times deeply regretted that took his side in War of Heaven. Cuz possibly had bugs both in WiH and Prethoryn Swarm. Posted about it on steam. Placed it under spoiler.

Spoiler: War in Heaven and Prethoryn Boredom

what you said.

I hear you. Once, me and my Overlord absolutely obliterated the enemy AE's fleet. It was an epic battle, with both sides suffering terrible losses - but in the end, we had won. Now we could easily occupy all his worlds and his reign of terror would be ov... white peace.

 

[Gwynblade]

It would be extremely difficult to beat their fleet with with what you have, completely impossible if it's one big doomstack, so avoid their fleet at all costs. What I've done in my playthrough is I got their doomstack to chase after my transport ships (the AI seems to take priority in eliminating them). I would have their fleet warp after me, go orbit the star, then move away and leave their fleet in the middle of the solar system and warp away, forcing them to go to the edge of the system again and giving me time before their jump drives can catch up. They have tier 4 thrusters, you should have them as well otherwise this won't work.

In the meantime, fight their allies, they can be beaten far more easily and occupying their planets will provide you with a lot of warscore. If you feel confident enough, you can even capture the planets of the AE itself, as long as their fleet is distracted you can attack their planets facing little resistance. Don't go after their capital, it is heavily fortified by fortresses and if you take too long to destoy them the AE fleet will have the time to engage and anihilate you.

Keep you fleets near their doomstack, but not in the same system unless you absolutely have to (other than the bait-transport fleet). If they send reinforcements (a small fleet roughly 10k) or transport ships you can destroy them and research the wreck to get jump drives yourself, that will help with outmaneuvering them.

I've won against them with this method on multiple occasions, but you might need to reload your saved game a copule of times, Timing is absolutely key in making sure their doomstack never fights yours. Last tip, if you click on them it will often say they are following Fleet-xxx . You can split that fleet and leave only one ship in it, they will continue to chase after that one ship and the rest can get away.

That's really helpful, because I forgot that they are in a federation. So, I just can set their capital planets in wargoals, then bait them with my small fleet and meanwhile occupy their federation friends planets lol.

 

[AethGorr]

I hear you. Once, me and my Overlord absolutely obliterated the enemy AE's fleet. It was an epic battle, with both sides suffering terrible losses - but in the end, we had won. Now we could easily occupy all his worlds and his reign of terror would be ov... white peace.

I finally managed to escape Xenophile AE Overlord grip. Time was on my side - ticking warscore plus i used bait tactic with cheapest corvettes luring enemy blob, described in this thread. I won despite on allies that was able to attack me and my infrastructure.

 

[Rotkohl]

Well, congratulations, then! Now build up your forces and smite them once you have the chance