A Look at the Prizes and Your Options
This afternoon Kixeye released the prize list giving us a chance to digest the list and its implications.
First things first- I want everyone to remember to go into the Raid with a plan. Wait to spend your points until the last day. You never know what is going to happen, or if help becomes available and being able to sit back and take a grander view generally helps make for better decisions.
Let's break down the list and take it a section at a time.
(PRICES AND LIST SUBJECT TO CHANGE):
HULLS:
Zoe's Vendetta | 50,000,000 | |
Cannoneer | 40,000,000* | |
Zelos | 15,000,000 | |
Hellwraith | 12,500,000 | |
Apollo | 12,500,000 | |
Citadel | 7,500,000 | |
Revenge | 7,500,000 | |
Vendetta | 7,500,000 | |
Fury | 7,500,000 | |
Vanquisher | 7,500,000 | |
Tideseeker | 5,000,000 | |
Punisher | 3,000,000 | |
Centurion | 1,750,000 | |
Berserker | 1,750,000 | |
Crusader | 750,000 | |
Novastorm | 750,000 | |
Juggernaut X | 500,000 | |
Vindicator | 250,000 | |
Dreadnought X | 250,000 | |
Dreadnought | 150,000 | |
Strike Cruiser | 150,000 |
Priorities First - FM:
Honestly not a bad list. I'm not thrilled at the overall cost of the Cannoneer (90 Million due to the required purchase of the ZVen), but overall a pretty good list. I will say this first about the Cannoneer: I really have no problem with this so long as players aren't locked out from relevance in the next Raid Series. Given the way Kixeye is talking, it sounds like they have taken this into consideration so, we'll see. I'm hoping for the best.
Given the course of the last year, as compared to the year previous, it seems as though Kixeye has done a pretty damn good job in most aspects with this issue so they should get at least a reprieve until we see how this plays out. That said, we also do NOT know how much an S set pays out so please, wait until all the info is out before freaking out.
As I've stated often, I believe the Forsaken Mission is a priority in the game so I'll start there. (See this article):
If you do not have your FM Fleet sorted yet, there is opportunity here to shore that up exceptionally well. Two of the best tanks for the FM are offered above in the Tideseeker and Punisher. In addition, the Vendetta and Citadel are also up for grabs. New rumors have that the Vendetta may not be blocked in the FM, so either of these can round out your FM Fleet. I'd still go with the Citadel as it may be the to the next Garrison Raid what the Centurion is to the next Siege Raid.
The Tideseeker is an exceptional hull to look at. In fact, I think it is the stand-out hull in the list for mid-level players (and any low-level players that get help). It can be used as a Tank in the FM, it can be used to DO the FM, it can be used for the new upcoming Uranium Map Targets and it can be used in your Base Defense. It is a great hull to go for if you are looking to up your game in several aspects at once.
If you are a lower level the Novastorm is at a very reasonable price and with the way the 109's are currently set up, you could conceivably build a decent little fleet to snipe out the end islands propelling your FM ability into higher tiers. This is crucial to advancing in this game. Yes, I am advocating gutting the 109's for those players who can not do whole 109's. Other players... don't be surprised if your fleets are sniped for doing this if you are running a better fleet.
Edit: I admit to calling the Zelos useless in it's original incarnation. It got much love since then and honestly, might have gotten enough to make that a gem now. It now needs further review from me, so play with it a little when you get a chance in the ship-builders.
Raid/Chore:
Next we go to Raid/Chore Fleets. These are grouped together because of the nature of the planned transitions that Kixeye uses for our Raid Fleets. Our Raid Fleets should transition into our Chore Fleets which in turn gives us longevity for the fleets we invest time and/or coin into.
The first choice of course is the Cannoneer. Given the need to rack up 90 million points however, puts this hull out of the reach of most players. If you are lucky enough to be able to get this, obviously, grab it. Looking at some of the stats, I have a feeling that Stun Resistance is going to play a key role in the next Raid Series.
The next best thing for getting ready for the January Siege Raid is going to be the Centurion. At 1.75 million it is pretty damn reasonable for cost and will allow you to participate in the next Raid Series- though you may be grinding more than if you had the Cannoneer. In order to prepare for that raid, perhaps we may need to look to the Cannoneer's stats to see how we should be planning out your Centurions for that raid. For now, you could crank out some blanks for VXP weekend, build with some basics and leave a few open slots and special slots and wait and see if we get a Preview Server to finalize anything on the hull and round out the fleet for use in January.
To be fair, I have to bring this up. The only thing I am leery of is that it seems as though you are relegated to building two fleets for one Raid Series. If you can't get the Cannoneer, it seems as though you will be building a Centurion fleet and then either a Cannoneer or Ironclad fleet next month. This does worry me a bit but this issue should resolve itself as we finish the first full cycle of the Meta-types that Kixeye has introduced.
Base Defense/Baser:
Last on the list is focus on Base Defense or Baser Fleet. The options we have here are ok. We really only have the Vanquisher offered for Base Defense. I wish we had more, unfortunately, this is all we have. Certainly still worth the points if you need it to buff up your Base Defense and use that thermal ability.
Basers: Clearly we have the Zoe's Vendetta up at the top.
WEAPONS:
Squall Launcher | 9,000,000 | |
Fire Twister Torpedo | 9,000,000 | |
Judgment Mortar | 6,500,000 | |
Cyclone Launcher | 5,000,000 | |
Earthshaker Cannon | 4,500,000 | |
Conflagration Scattergun | 3,500,000 | |
Concussive Gatling Gun | 3,500,000 | |
Coaxial Firestorm | 3,500,000 | |
Railgun D-110 | 1,000,000 | |
Pandemonium Mortar | 1,000,000 | |
Particle Accelerator Cannon | 900,000 | |
Arbalest | 500,000 | |
Searing Barrage Mortar | 400,000 |
I have to say, I like almost all of this list. The only one that really bothers me a little bit is the Earthshaker price-tag. I think it should be significantly lower. Another oddity is the double cost of the D-110 over the Arbalest.
That said, the new launcher seems very interesting. Until we get some more info though, I can't really decide about where this launcher sits with the Antipode and Cyclone. Once we get some more info about stacks etc. we will have a better view of how good this launcher is.
The two mortars available complements any FM mortar based fleet you may want to build. Again, going with a Citadel may give you a small leg up in the next Garrison Raid. While I love the Judgement, the Coaxial Firestorm at 3.5 million is a great deal.
And rolling into the deals, I think there are some steals in this group. One is the Pandemonium Mortar for 1 million points. The PAC would be a very close second at only 900k points and the Arbalest is another steal for 500k.
The Pandemonium is a decent mortar but it also boosts Radioactive Resistances up that are likely to be needed in the next Raid Series. A good tool to have available when designing a fleet.
The PAC is a great weapon to compliment other cannons. The PROC (Random Procedure or Programmed Random Occurrence - take your pick) is a fantastic nice little damage dealer, though I would recommend against loading up with just this as a weapon.
The Arbalest... I have a special place in my heart for the Arbalest. I have had better results with this than the D-110, and I'm stubborn so I am biased towards this weapon. All told, a fantastic set of choices.
SPECIALS:
Flechette Feeder | 6,000,000 | |
Sealed Fire Charge | 6,000,000 | |
Alloy Armor CL-3 | 6,000,000 | |
Radiation Reflective Coating III | 6,000,000 | |
Incendiary Shells | 5,000,000 | |
Armor Piercing Shells | 4,000,000 | |
Emission Generator | 3,000,000 | |
Alloy Armor CL-2 | 2,500,000 | |
Radiation Reflective Coating II | 2,500,000 | |
Hydroxide Injector | 2,000,000 | |
Alloy Armor CL-1 | 500,000 | |
Radiation Reflective Coating I | 500,000 |
This list looks heavily tilted towards what may be needed for the next Raid Series. Again we have an oddity in pricing in the Incendiary Shells. I'm not too sure why that is sitting at 5 million points. Perhaps we are overlooking something.
Obviously the Flechette feeder is for the new launcher, though it may have some great utility with the reload increase. The attention draw however is, again, the several options for ballistic offense and radioactive defense. The CL-3 offering in particular, giving Ballistic and Radioactive defense, is one to take particular note of because it is the traditional damages in Siege targets.
ARMOR & LIMITED PRIZES:
Zynthonite Armor D5-C | 2,000,000 | |
Zynthonite Armor D5-E | 2,000,000 | |
Zynthonite Armor D2-C | 150,000 | |
Zynthonite Armor D2-E | 150,000 | |
Hydraulic Resistors | 1,500,000 | |
Cobra Scattergun | 1,500,000 | |
Zynthonite Armor D5-ST | 1,000,000 | |
Agility System IV | 1,000,000 | |
Gale Defense System III | 1,000,000 | |
Gale Defense System II | 750,000 | |
Gale Defense System I | 400,000 |
Only four armors that are limited to Evade and Ballistic which makes sense for the next Raid Series. Fantastic revisiting of Limited Prizes. Both these are rather self explanatory. If you have the points, stock up on as many limiteds as you can as we have no idea when they will make another appearance.
TURRETS:
Coldsnap Rocket Turret | 6,000,000 | |
Glacial Launcher Turret | 6,000,000 | |
Draconian Coaxial Turret | 6,000,000 | |
Dead-Eye Ballista | 6,000,000 | |
Dead Eye Executioner | 6,000,000 | |
Wendigo Turret | 6,000,000 | |
Draconian Scattergun Turret | 6,000,000 | |
Coaxial Turret | 3,000,000 | |
Frostbite Rocket Turret | 3,000,000 | |
Basilisk Turret | 3,000,000 | |
Executioner | 3,000,000 |
The turrets priced at 3 million are not limited and you can build as many as you want. Those priced at 6 million are limited prizes and some will have their maximum claims increased and some will not have their maximums increased. Personally I think the Coldsnap and Glacial are the top two turrets in the list if you have neither. If I get time I may write another article that goes more in depth for the last few sections as I concentrated mostly on the Hulls and Weapons.
Greatly appreciate what you and others do at TFC for us! The work and research helps greatly!Thank you and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeletefor the raid you say the centurion is the next best thing after the Cannoneer. What about the pun? where does it sit?
ReplyDeleteI would say slightly below, but imho if you have Punishers ready and ranked, slight refits will be a better advice than new Centurions.
DeleteI say the above (for raid series only) mainly due to the splash defence field.
I would have Punisher over Centurion every day if given that choice due to the versatility.
Nice summary of raid prizes. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThoughts on the Fury? Thanks
ReplyDelete"I have a feeling that Stun Resistance is going to play a key role in the next Raid Series"
ReplyDeleteI've been getting that feeling too. I noticed the return of D5-ST and the Agility System 4 as well.