FTL: Faster than light

[Aenir_bEPU]

I have unlocked ALL the things!

7237? Geez, that's bloody high. My highest scores are all in the 4000s.

Also, I have a new quest: to get a crew consisting of 8 Crystalmans. So far my highest is 4.

[Wildwill002]

Basically, beat all these stats. And yes, it was the luckiest freaking run I've ever had.

[Aenir_bEPU]

So after not playing FTL for a while since I had unlocked every ship/layout, I decided to try and get all the achievements on Normal difficulty. Along the way I ended up deciding to push a particular soldier to do his very best.

The_Perfect_Soldier.PNG

[Invunarble]

So, I just got this game from MKindy a while ago.

HOW DA HEL DO U SURIEV DIS?!?!/1?1o1one?1?1/!?1eleven.

I've done about 20 retries so far on EASY with the goddamn KESTREL... and I still can't get past the sixth or so sector.

pls halp.

[Wildwill002]

First actual victory I got was in the engi ship. You've just got to be lucky really

[Aenir_bEPU]

So, I just got this game from MKindy a while ago.

HOW DA HEL DO U SURIEV DIS?!?!/1?1o1one?1?1/!?1eleven.

I've done about 20 retries so far on EASY with the goddamn KESTREL... and I still can't get past the sixth or so sector.

pls halp.

We can probably provide more helpful advice if you ask more specific questions, or at least describe what you're doing.

[Invunarble]

So, I just got this game from MKindy a while ago.

HOW DA HEL DO U SURIEV DIS?!?!/1?1o1one?1?1/!?1eleven.

I've done about 20 retries so far on EASY with the goddamn KESTREL... and I still can't get past the sixth or so sector.

pls halp.

We can probably provide more helpful advice if you ask more specific questions, or at least describe what you're doing.

Would "What is the best way to not have you ship obliterated into tiny chunks?" be a more appropriate question?

[Wildwill002]

Don't be too tempted by shops, save that scrap and buy more shields and engines

[Jake55778]

Try watching Totalbiscuit's full normal mode playthrough on his livestream: http://www.twitch.tv/totalbiscuit/b/335371091
He get's kinda lucky (pretty much a requirement for this game) but he also shows some good fundamentals and a few tricks you could learn from.

[haxxorzd00d]

A couple of survival tips:

- If you can, pick up preferably a missile, or perhaps a bomb, to break through those nasty multi-layer shields later in the game. Lasers may be decent enough and don't cost ammo, but against a tough shield they're not so great. If you're lucky enough to find a Pegasus missile (fires two for one ammo) then you're set.

- Don't use autofire; synchronise your attacks. If you have multiple lasers going up against a stubborn shield, fire them all at once and you'll have more chance of breaking through. Always watch for openings and time your strikes carefully.

- Never underestimate the enemy piloting system. Late-game enemies will have greater and greater evasion; taking out the piloting will ensure you always hit your mark and prevent a lot of needless frustration.

- When you're up against the boss, you'll see it has 4 separate weapons. The third one along is a triple missile launcher; if you don't take it out right away, this one will be a royal pain in the ass. The other weapons should bounce harmlessly off your shield if its decent enough, but those missiles pack a punch. Take 'em out!

[Aenir_bEPU]

Screenshots~
Fully Upgraded Federation Cruiser on Normal
New High Score!
Stats Screen

[Aenir_bEPU]

I found the giant alien spiders.

[Jake55778]

The most offensive power I've ever had in an FTL run.

Got me thinking, assuming you were lucky enough to acquire anything and everything you wanted, which weapon/augmentation/ship combination is the most powerful?

[Invunarble]

That's a pretty hardcore loadout there. How do you manage to have extra power available that isn't being directed to those weapons?

[Jake55778]

Zoltan crew. I also saved a lot of power by cutting engine upgrades, since the zoltan shield makes dodging less important.

[Jake55778]

Three halberd beams by sector 2. FTL can be such a troll.

[Wildwill002]

Zoltans are pretty damn helpful

[Invunarble]

Is the Zoltan ship like, super OP or something?

I just unlocked it last time I played FTL, didn't really bother to try it out.

[Jake55778]

It's definitely my favorite, and the most powerful I have unlocked.

[Wildwill002]

You get a free uber shield that NOTHING gets past til its broken. Not even teleports. Crystal ship is the best though just because you get crystal weapons and crew straight away IMO

[Jake55778]

I've not unlocked the crystal ship yet, but I have had a crystal crew member a few times. They're great on boarding parties. You can use them to stop enemies from running to the medbay, and block reinforcements so you don't get outnumbered.

*edit*
Sigh, if only we weren't limited to 8 energy bars worth of weaponry.

[Aenir_bEPU]

The most offensive power I've ever had in an FTL run.

Got me thinking, assuming you were lucky enough to acquire anything and everything you wanted, which weapon/augmentation/ship combination is the most powerful?

4 Burst Laser Mk 2s, weapon pre-igniter, 2 automated re-loaders, on Federation Cruiser with max lvl Artillery Beam, with fully trained crew on Weapons.

[Jake55778]

Against an unshielded ship double glaive beams with preigniter will obliterate just about anything. Depending on the enemy ship design you can deal up to 30 points of damage instantly. Of course you'd be screwed against anything with 3+ bars of shields.

x4 hull missiles might be pretty potent. 16 damage per salvo if you target systemless rooms, and it ignores shields. You'd burn through ammo like crazy though.

For defense, if you got 4 bars of shields, full engine upgrades, a zoltan shield, rock plating, and a reverse ion field, plus x2 defense drone Mk.IIs you'd be pretty untouchable. Oh and stealth systems wouldn't hurt.
Good luck having enough energy left to mount an attack with.

[Wildwill002]

Sooo... A quick look at the ftl modding scene was quite awsome

http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewforum. ... cc80ab4ebd

[Invunarble]

I mostly find ships with 2+ missle launchers in active use at once to be the biggest pain in the ass to take down, so personally using the Federation cruiser or the Kestrel, I find it's best to level up the engines/cockpit as fast as possible. On max level, I believe it's a 75% dodge chance in most situations, so enemy missiles are essentially out of the picture.

Another VERY handy thing I've been using is the hull repair drone. If you can find one during the game, don't pass the opportunity to buy it. Sure, it burns through drone parts fast, but if you only use the hull repair drone, you should accumulate a large amount of unused drone parts. It can really make a difference in tight situations when a ship knocks down your hull to 25% or lower and you are on the edge of having your ship obliterated.

[Jake55778]

75% evade? I've never managed to get higher than 55% (unless you count stealth). Am I missing something?

Zoltan shields pretty much negate missiles for the game. The only time they should be able to break through faster than you can disable their weapons is against the flagship. Stealth gives you some extra insurance against missiles, and is practically a must if you want to make it through the boss' second stage without taking damage.

Hull repair can help out in a jam, but I don't normally bother with it. It takes up one of only two drone slots on the Zoltan ship, and the cost of replacing the drone parts it consumes is equal to the amount it would cost to just repair the ship at a store. There is a trick you can use, if you have a drone recovery arm, where you jump just before the drone finishes healing you and it reimburses the drone part. However that feels too much like cheating for my tastes.

[Aenir_bEPU]

The most offensive power I've ever had in an FTL run.

Got me thinking, assuming you were lucky enough to acquire anything and everything you wanted, which weapon/augmentation/ship combination is the most powerful?

4 Burst Laser Mk 2s, weapon pre-igniter, 2 automated re-loaders, on Federation Cruiser with max lvl Artillery Beam, with fully trained crew on Weapons.

I have an addendum:
also two Anti-Ship Drone Mk 2s. Maximum damage output.

[Invunarble]

Hull repair can help out in a jam, but I don't normally bother with it. It takes up one of only two drone slots on the Zoltan ship, and the cost of replacing the drone parts it consumes is equal to the amount it would cost to just repair the ship at a store. There is a trick you can use, if you have a drone recovery arm, where you jump just before the drone finishes healing you and it reimburses the drone part. However that feels too much like cheating for my tastes.

During my campaign playthroughs, I haven't really had much of a use for drone parts (Minus on engi ships), and I often found my main reason for failure during unsuccessful campaign playthroughs was due to a lack of proper defence for my ship, eventually causing my hull meter to drop entirely down to 0% after a few short seconds. On ships that don't have a large emphasis for using drones, I found the hull repair drone is extremely handy in scenarios where I'm presented with a ship that is threatening to rip me apart, and I would only need a few more seconds to get past it's shields and destroy the weaponry.

Essentially, if I have the ability to avoid having my ship be obliterated for an extra minute so I can win a battle, I would rather have that ability then not have it and end up having my ship destroyed.

[Aenir_bEPU]

I really only use hull repair drones in-between boss fights. Otherwise it sits in the cargo hold.

[Aenir_bEPU]

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www.ftlgame.com