For the first time the boss hacked my (L2) O2!
I did have the option to jump, but stuck it out. My weapons loadout needed time to do its job, and I was on the clock.
I was playing the Crystal B, starting with 2 Crystal dudes, 2 Humans, no weapons. A Crystal created a weapon early, but it was 2 power and only personnel damage, so I sold it along with the Vengeance aug. Picked up a Scythe Beam, as it's only one power, and I thought it'd come in handy for autoships. But it was my only weapon for the longest time, so when autoships had shields, combat was really slow, especially since when I knocked down weapons, power would be diverted to shields, and another bubble would pop up.
Next I acquired a Pegasus Missile. And for a while that and the Scythe were it. I had an Ion Drone Mk I, which I think I acquired before I bought Drone Control, and I held onto it. Of course boarding was the main thing: I rescued a Mantis, which later hatched a son, so the Human moved to weapons. At stores, I didn't feel I had good choices: I passed on an Auto Laser Mk I, because I wanted more shots (and it's 2 power), as well as things like a fire missile drone and some scatter drones - and, of course, anything just antipersonnel.
Late in the game I acquired an Effector Mk I, then finally bought an Auto Laser Mk I, because I was running out of chances to buy. Also had the Rebel spy event - panic!
- but it was my Human weapons officer. /phew And in sector 7, which was Fed/Rebel contested, I picked up another Human. Also a Mapping Computer, which I used in Sector 8 and sold at the store, which unfortunately didn't have any weapons.
I killed off the crew-1 in the first round, taking an artillery strike to piloting, even though I was cloaked. Sent my Engi to fix. Engines were targeted, too, and I had a Zoltan engineer, which I moved out just in case. He was 2*, so maybe that loss of evasion was why I got hit at all. With a 4-person teleporter I could send all my boarders to the boss in the next rounds, though it was the Crystals who were sent to the missile room.
In round three for the first time in the game, I was glad to have the fast-firing Auto Laser, though it still seemed to take a long time to get the Zoltan Shield down - offensive drone was ion, but sooooo slow. And I couldn't do much damage till I got the shields down and my Scythe Beam and Auto Laser could finally go to work. The low O2 warning was going off, and I was down to about 7% when I finally killed the boss; all the rooms of the ship became airless just before the credits rolled. /big sigh of relief
I didn't end up losing any crew. If I had had to, I could've moved the Crystals to weapons and piloting, I guess, as they suffocate more slowly. Finished with 21 HP, max reactor, shields, weapons, cloak and teleporter, L5 engines, L3 drone control, L2 everything else. My defense drone was a Missile Turret Mk II, and remaining augs a scrap recovery arm and shield charge booster.
