Uprising Prize Overview

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

* You need to redeem the ZVen in order to be able to claim the Cannoneer.

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. We don't have the Flagship info as yet, but historically, the newest is the one you want. Well, the Flagship effects are out. I think this is a good looking hull but I am going to reserve my opinion after seeing how it actually behaves in targets and if I can use this elsewhere. I would MUCH rather have had another HCit. Trying to use this in Base Defense seems like it could end quickly with a few rockets unless you load up on armor. All the PvP hulls are 7.5 million and if you are getting into this arena you have a few options. The go-to hull to choose is still the Vendetta sitting behind a spotter. While this may change soon with the new OP 9 options, it is the current 'general' set-up mostly used, particularly if you are just getting to this level. If you are hitting top tier currently... you're likely already set and are shooting for the ZVen.

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.