Just Something Cool

[Internal Auditor]

So, I beat the boss on easy for the first time just a few minutes ago with the Engi cruiser, and I really, really wasn't expecting to.

Here's why:

1. I had 3 Anti-ship drones, so no missile defense for me.

2. I did not have a teleporter, and my crew consisted of the default of 2 Engies and 1 Human.

3. I had 3 layers of shielding, 25% evade, and lvl. 2 Cloak.

4. I had the default Ion Blast II, a Heavy Ion, and an Ion bomb; no direct damage for me either.

Almost everybody I've seen/asked has told me that you need a teleporter or you need a defense drone etc. to win, but I did this without all that and survived with barely over 50% hull damage. Is there any reason why this worked as well as it did? Am I just following some well-known strategy that I'm too much of a noob to know about?

This is more of a question than a story, but what the heck; I'm happy I finally beat that flagship (With a combination of drones and auto firing Ion weapons no less)!

[UltraMantis]

FTL does not allow players to pick and choose their equipment in stores, only starting shis and weapons. New toys must be found or bought but there's no guearantee that ideal ones will be available. The player allways has to make the best of what is available, and you did just that.

Congratulations on achieving victory. Especially in a ship that wasn't fully upgraded.

Do you need a teleporter? - No, but it helps take out individual boss weapons, esp. the Tri-Missile launcher.
Do you need a defense drone? - Pretty much yes, without it Boarding Drones can wreck your ship and make it much harder to survive. Imagine a weak crew fending off such a drone if it happens to breach your life support...
Maxxed out engines boost evasion and reduce the damage you take. Not just the hull, but also your various systems that you'd rather not have damaged.

With all out ion weapons and 3 attack drones, you really showed the boss what it's like to suffer a drone power surge. Nice one.

[Ranarius Webfoot]

You don't need a teleporter or a defense drone; they just help.
I use cloak to dodge the triple-rocket attack, and I keep my Mantis on the ship to fight off defense drones. Generally works pretty well.