Hard run tricks and tips

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NEmergix
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:32 am

Hard run tricks and tips

Postby NEmergix » Wed Nov 15, 2017 3:37 pm

Hello there and here is my list of tips to survive in hard difficulty and maybe have a successful run.
Personally, I have completed the game in HARD mode about 4 time (only 1 time with a teleport/maylay build)

MAIN STRATEGY
First, and this is a MASSIVE requirement, be PATIENT. Seriously. A successful run is a run out of 30 fails, due to RNG issue.
Second, the only way to beat the game is a super aggressive technique. No ion/drones, no teleport, no RGN technique (like missiles)
Third, you must already be a game veteran, and know all the mechanics and all events and how to react for the best. The wiki will be your best friend
SHIP STRATEGY
The best ships in hard are:
-The osprey (3 runs in this ship): start with good crew (no need to buy additional crew) , artillery that will save your life : if a fight is too long , it’s that you are losing , but the artillery will most likely charged up badly damaging enemy ship , and it’s also deadly versus the end boss.
Weapon tactics with this ship: having burst lasers will rip shields pretty fast and you can queue it up with beams like either glaive (pretty rare) or a pike beam (having 2 of them if you are lucky is better) will pretty much one-shot every “classic” enemy or badly damage a “larger” enemy
Never really used flack myself, but if that’s your thing … (too much RNG based)
-The other great ship is the crystal B (1 run, was pretty epic, got kazaak early) , being every one favorite (not mine though) no need to explain it.
Additional tips:
Focus door system over others secondary systems; you can easily de-pressurize the entire ship and all the crew (except the driver) can retreat in the medbay.
Both medbay and oxygen are unimportant if you are doing a osprey run , as you can easily repair a damage oxygen station from your medbay if a intruder is on the ship and damages the medbay.
Also if you do a teleport ship replace the medbay with clone bay , like that you can send your crew to suicide itself.
The only augmentation you want to have is of course the Weapon Pre-Igniter , 2 out of my 3 osprey run had one
Got any questions? Ask me !
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Arfy
Posts: 206
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:14 am

Re: Hard run tricks and tips

Postby Arfy » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:51 pm

Second, the only way to beat the game is a super aggressive technique. No ion/drones, no teleport, no RNG technique (like missiles)


Not necessarily, ion and drones can be extremely important for defense against missiles, attack drones for weak weapon setups. Teleporter is useful when done correctly. (Medbay hack w/ strong boarding crew) Missiles can also be important/useful, i.e ion bombs and breach bombs for taking out systems.

The only augmentation you want to have is of course the Weapon Pre-Igniter

Long-range scanners and Scrap Rec. Arm are also very useful.

Focus door system over others secondary systems; you can easily de-pressurize the entire ship and all the crew (except the driver) can retreat in the medbay.

It's a 50/50 tactic, can sometimes spell your doom when they break oxygen and doors.
Never really used flak myself, but if that’s your thing … (too much RNG based)

Flak (I and II) are extremely great weapons for taking down shields and such. Not really RNG Based.
Also if you do a teleport ship replace the medbay with clone bay , like that you can send your crew to suicide itself.

Also 50/50, not having the ability to heal your crewmembers on the spot can be disastrous.
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There are no "good" ships for hard mode, it's just that some are better than others. No need to glue yourself to one specific ship.
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The phrase "RNG" is used a lot when describing missiles and flaks -- however finding let alone and glaive beam and/or pike beam is also RNG based (And also having enough scrap to afford them).
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(Osprey) artillery that will save your life.

Not really, artillery beam is based on luck whether or not it hits one room and cuts into space.
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[Third, you must already be a game veteran, and know all the mechanics and all events and how to react for the best.] The wiki will be your best friend

You really don't need the wiki if you're a game veteran. :P
Also needing to check up on the wiki every. single. time. for every event can be cumbersome. (Wiki also doesn't help for CE or Arsenal+ hard mode runs.)

Cloaking, hacking, and mind control (in some cases) are also pretty great systems to pick up.
Discord: ATLAS#9226
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stylesrj
Posts: 3644
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:54 am

Re: Hard run tricks and tips

Postby stylesrj » Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:11 pm

Second, the only way to beat the game is a super aggressive technique. No ion/drones, no teleport, no RGN technique (like missiles)


Not necessarily. The Shrike works just fine in beating the game on Hard, with a few minor setbacks if the Lanius die and the Clone Bay explodes but being super-aggro is not a requirement. You can use a teleporter and I highly recommend one for the Flagship.

Third, you must already be a game veteran, and know all the mechanics and all events and how to react for the best. The wiki will be your best friend


The Wiki is not your best friend, it's more like a driving instructor. It'll teach you a few things but once you start to get the hang of things and remember what you should and shouldn't be doing, you don't need it any more. That's not something you do to your best friend.

Also, if you're playing outside of the Vanilla game, commonsense will be very useful. Don't send crew into a quarantine zone without a blue option... don't try and sell the horses, avoid abandoned space stations because if you have a medbay, it'll be full of cannibals and if you have a Clone Bay, it'll be full of diseases that'll turn your crew against you.

Also if you do a teleport ship replace the medbay with clone bay , like that you can send your crew to suicide itself.


I think you forgot to put a "Reconstructive" before teleport. Because if you have one of those, you don't need the medbay as Microcloning will handle the minor damages from enemy weapons fire while your boarding party will be fine to get back into the fray.
You could send your damaged crew through the teleport for heals as well but that's too much micro for my tastes.

The only augmentation you want to have is of course the Weapon Pre-Igniter , 2 out of my 3 osprey run had one


A Reconstructive Teleporter and a Zoltan Shield Bypass are my ideal augments. Preigniter is hit-or-miss to be honest. You can't go wrong with 3 Weapon Reloaders either.
Kitchinut
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:54 am

Re: Hard run tricks and tips

Postby Kitchinut » Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:19 am

I'm very thankful for Trick and all the tips that come with it. I play this game a lot easier.