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Post by CdrPlatypus on Dec 8, 2015 3:02:36 GMT -5
jknut I salute you sir. That's a hell of a blitzkrieg.
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Post by Brutus Aurelius on Dec 8, 2015 6:19:39 GMT -5
Goddamn. That is one ballsy move. I prefer to send a small group to attack towers while the others hold their ground at the TP, and prepare to heal/cool the assault group.
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Post by pendell on Jan 1, 2016 19:47:32 GMT -5
Well, this was on normal difficulty , but here's how it went down.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Brianna, CAPTAIN (melee build, captain blade + war shield)
Myra , PALADIN (mandatory part of team)
Dalen Ortho, SOLDIER (double-barreled plasma rifle)
Huron, SOLDIER (the same)
Lucretia, SCOUT (hellscope rifle)
Sapphon, ENGINEER
And
Butt-ugly Monstrosity, LICH (boo! Hiss!)
Brianna: Hey, what's that? That is one UGLY Xeno.
Shiggaruth: Oh mighty lord please MY LEGS WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY LEGS OH THE HUMANITY!...
Brianna: Well, that's one less problem.
Myra: Watch out, it's got a powerful melee attack that...
*SHIK-CHICK* *BLAM BLAM BLAM* Yes, thank you Lucretia. That works very well.
Lucretia: Silly people. Since when are we supposed to be afraid of a MELEE attack? So we're done now, right?
Myra: Not quite. There are three power regulator towers and it will keep coming back until all three are destroyed -- there it is, it's at the far eastern tower now.
*Collective rolling of eyes* Overtime pay fer sure.
Myra: Who said that?
Brianna :.... Okay, new plan. Myra, you can heal, so I'd like you to go north and smash the tower there. Dalen, you go with her and use overwatch to keep her out of trouble. Sapphon, you just get that tac point going and start cranking out medikits.
Sapphon: And set up some sentry turrets in my copious spare time, right ?
Brianna: Are you sure? You're always playing with those ..
Sapphon: OH COME ON! Besides, the more attention Buffy and Willow draw from the squad is less hate directed your way , right?
Brianna: You named them...
Sapphon: NOT THE POINT!
Brianna: Okay, okay. If I agree to let you set up sentry turrets, will you stop talking about them?
Sapphon: I'll take that as a yes. Two sentry turrets coming up!
Brianna: .... We need to check and make sure nobody's been slipping xeno bits into his meals.
Lucretia: So the rest of us will just defend this tac point, right?
Brianna: Got it in one. An ultra-long-range scout with a sniper rifle sounds like just the thing for a hellish monstrosity with an all-devouring melee attack. Juron, just set up overwatch. I , of course, will back you up.
SEVERAL TURNS LATER...
Lucretia: Contact, 50 meters to the east. It's our lich with a whole bunch of friends.
Brianna: Myra, what's your status?
Myra: GRUNT. Smashing.. *CRUNCH* .. the northern tower *CRASH* now! Just ... *CRACK* give me ... *SMASH* a little more time!
Lucretia: I'm killing that monster now!
*Brianna slaps her rifle into the air* NOT YET!
Lucretia: Wha...?
Brianna: Not while our buddies to the north are busy breaking that tower! What if it appears right in front of them while they're busy? Just ... can you sort of cripple it? [what some would call "crippling shot"]
Lucretia: I suppose. I can do non-lethal... if I try hard.
Brianna: Attatemplar. After that ... ever play the child's game "Ring around the rosy"?
Huron: You don't mean?
Brianna: That's exactly what I mean, templar. We're going to lead it a merry chase around the tac point until that northern tower is done. THEN we'll have us a lich-killin', I promise.
Huron:...
Brianna: Why do you think I laid in all those medi-kits?
Huron:....
A SHORT WHILE LATER
Huron: Ring around the rosey, pockets full of posey....
MONSTROSITY: AAGHHHWAHHHH!
Myra: CRUNCH. STOMP. CRUNCH.
Sapphon: Ahhhh!
Brinna: *Looks, sees sapphon stumbling backward as a goliath in the west goes toe-to-toe with the sentry turret Willow. It doesn't go well, and soon the Goliath is jumping madly up and down on top of a pile of metal*
Sapphon:She... she was my favorite! YOU LITTLE...
Brianna: *Sighs* It's going to be a busy day.
Myra: We're done! North tower is finished!
Brianna: Great! *Leaps forward and smacks the lich with her sword. It vanishes in smoke*
Now come back and do it again! This time, west tower!
EVEN LATER.
Buffy, to the southwest, is busy shooting up xenos while Sapphon backs her up with his pistol.
Myra and Ortho go running west to the tower...
... and then come running back just as quickly.
Ortho: LICH! LICH!
Lucretia: *SHIK-CHICK* *BLAM BLAM* Okay, problem solved.
Myra: *Pants* Thanks. *Pants again*
Lucretia: No problem. Shall I go with you to sort out any further lich-killing problems you have?
Myra: *Pants* That... would be great.
*The three of them head west*
Brianna: LUCRETIA! Here it comes from the east again!
*Lucretia sighs, checks her sight quickly, then hurries back east*
*Huron is busy blasting away at xenos on overwatch, humming a jaunty little tune as he does so*
Ninety-nine xenos dead on the floor *BLAM * one hundred xenos down *BLAM * you shoot one down, pass it around , 101 xenos dead on the floor.. hey boss, you do realize that when there's only one tower left, it's just going to keep reappearing right there, right?
Brianna: I had realized that, yes.
Huron: So... what's the plan?
Brianna: The plan is: Outflank. If the Highest is smiling on us, there will be some open space around the tower. We'll attack from multiple angles. The Lich can only defend one at a time. Whoever gets attacked will fall back while the other person runs forward and smashes the tower. Then we all get together and finish the beast off for good!
Huron: Sounds like a *BLAM* Plan *BLAM*. Best pray. We might *BLAM* need some *BLAM* help.
Brianna: Help... and medkits. *DING!* Good, there's another one.
Myra: *CRUNCH* That's it! All done in the west!
Brianna: Great! Huron, Lucretia, with me! Let's get this done!
Myra: Wait! I'm not there to heal you yet ... *Runs hurriedly east , after them.*
A SHORT TIME later...
Brianna: So there's the tower, and there's ugly. All by himself.
UGLY: ARRGHWAA!
Brianna: Okay, Lucretia, I need you to cripple it but NOT kill it. It'll just come back at full strength and speed if you do. Can you..
*BLAM* Yes, yes, that works well. Okay, Huron, you from the west and me from the north. HEY, BUTT-UGLY!
.. By the way, Lucretia, if you WANT something to shoot at, hit that stupid tower, willya?
Lucretia: You got it, boss. Head shot!
Brianna: But it doesn't have a...
Lucretia: *BLAM BLAM* not the point!
*Brianna swings to the north while Huron comes from the east. The lich comes after Brianna*
Brianna: OW! *Uses medikit* Thank God for paladin-in-a-can! All the healing, none of the mouth! NOW, Huron!
*Huron leaps forward and sprays the tower with his plasma rifle, while Lucretia chips in with shots*
*The lich turns around and hits Huron, who also uses a medikit*. Last one, boss. Be careful. It wants me, so I'm going to step back!
*Huron moves back ward and sets up overwatch while Brianna dashes towards the tower.*
*The lich turns and hits Brianna*
Brianna: URGH! *Warning lights flash across the inner display* [2 hp left] This is a risk... but I think I can get that tower! Lucretia, help!
Lucretia: Got it! *BLAM BLAM*
Brianna: *Runs down, next to the lich* *SMACK SMACK* Tower down! NOW, Huron!
*Huron leaps forward and sprays the lich with plasma*
*The monster screams horribly, then falls over and dies*
PLOD PLOD PLOD PLOD
*Myra thunders up at last*
Brianna: About time. Is it ... dead?
Myra: *Looks* Yup, we're done here. Well done, troops.
*Brianna begins to slowly relax*
Myra: Too bad we missed the turn goal by about twenty turns, but we all lived through it and the lich didn't. That's good enough for me.
Huron: Wait, we had a turn goal?
***FIN***
Tongue-in-cheek,
Brian P.
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Post by fallen on Jan 1, 2016 19:57:48 GMT -5
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Post by contributor on Jan 4, 2016 10:15:42 GMT -5
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Post by En1gma on Feb 7, 2016 20:59:17 GMT -5
Just finished this one on Brutal, first time through: 18 out of 24 rounds, 76 kills. This was an exceptionally tough level, not the hardest, but top three. I only lost one Templar, my longest running sniper, by the name of Zena. Honestly I'm claiming foul on terrain that looks impassable but is regular terrain... That's for a wish-list post, not this one tho. This level would not have been doable, I think, without my second Paladin. This entire quest has been possible thanks to that second Paladin. She ran due East, by herself, and took on a half dozen Xeno BY HERSELF, as well as a Lich spawn. She was fine until the Lich spawned, but I had a Scout nearby and the two took it down not once, but twice. My Captain and the story Paladin marched due East, the Pally got held up avenging my fallen Scout's grisly death at the hand of a trio of Hunters. Because the Pally had to wait two turns to clear them out, my Cap'n got waaaaay overextended. He had to fight the Lich and a Hunter by himself until the Pally could catch up and heal him. The important thing for me on this one was putting BOTH Sentry Turrets to the near south of the TP, to catch the mobs coming in from the South West. Without them, this level would have taken far longer, as I would have needed to dedicate a soldier to the position. I'm finding as I push farther into this game, that Sentry Turrets are, for me, always best placed defending a TP. They are too easy to leave exposed, and get surrounded quite easily. Remembering what Cory Trese said about the Heap Map, I think there is much to be said about the aggro the Turrets generate, and when used in concert with the rest of your squad's positions, can divert entire swarms to themselves, only to cut them down with fully automatic hellfire. Until the East and West were secured, the Engineer and my Soldier held both fronts to the North, and were responsible for at least three Lich kills as they held the line. Honestly, on Brutal, I'm finding I don't even need my Hydra or my Neptune, both of which are falling behind in EXP because I just don't need their help. All I need are 2 Paladins, 2 Soldiers, My Captain (Sword/Pistol setup, only points into Warrior), and a Sniper or Engineer. |
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Post by Cory Trese on Feb 8, 2016 23:18:10 GMT -5
Nice!
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Post by beverage on Feb 26, 2016 22:35:02 GMT -5
Finally did this bad boy on Brutal. Wooohooo
22 Turns with No casualties and 3.7/per turn Kills.
Captain and Nyra, Engineer (no turrets just Both armor buffs) 2 Soldiers (armor buff, +MP buff and calling shots) and Neptune (killing lots of stuff with heat reduction and stabilize platform).
Buff up and PROLONGED DEPLOYEMENT (this ordnance is so awesome)
Basically Captain and Nyra rush to the right hand and drop the Node whilst the rest hold the tact point.
After Captain and Nyra return and a couple of turns of heat management everyone Buff Up again (Prolong Deploy that S$%T) Captain and Nyra rush North Whilst the rest of the Squad heads East abandoning the Tact point with a +10hp upgrade.
Dropped both remaining nodes on the Same turn with the last turn dedicated to killing the Litch.
After so many tries and varying strategies and builds I was pleasently surprised by the ease and coming in under turn limit.
Key lesson I learnt was that Prolonged Deployement is a beautiful thing and without it this way would not work. As it was we all regrouped just as the first series of Buffs expired. Just in time to reapply.
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Post by fallen on Feb 26, 2016 22:45:14 GMT -5
beverage - great call on the Prolonged Deployment. Gives you a chance to get out and back again. Using Ordnance well is a key factor in harder difficulties! +1
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Post by Chaotic Entropy on Aug 22, 2016 16:42:52 GMT -5
Huh... reading this I definitely need to respec all of my troops and work on a far less turtle like strategy. I am just getting maimed on normal difficulty because I am being too timid and letting myself be attritioned whilst I skulk around with all the wrong gear. >.>'
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Post by fallen on Aug 22, 2016 16:52:12 GMT -5
Huh... reading this I definitely need to respec all of my troops and work on a far less turtle like strategy. I am just getting maimed on normal difficulty because I am being too timid and letting myself be attritioned whilst I skulk around with all the wrong gear. >.>' Welcome to the forum and glad the tips here have helped you out already. You're an elite strike team, and you'll find your strategies working better if you play toward that idea! |
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Post by Chaotic Entropy on Aug 22, 2016 16:59:21 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum and glad the tips here have helped you out already. You're an elite strike team, and you'll find your strategies working better if you play toward that idea! Thanks and yeah... I'm feeling rather noobish in the game so far and I am definitely making all manner of mistakes, but it's all a learning process. For me at least, not the doomed wretches I call troops. Seems like quite a difficulty ramp, considering I was moments ago bursting humans like water balloons and strolling through the goop. |
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Post by ntsheep on Aug 22, 2016 17:08:23 GMT -5
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Post by Chaotic Entropy on Aug 22, 2016 17:12:45 GMT -5
Thanks, yeah I've gave that guide and the official one a skim, additional game experience is what I need at this stage most likely. May gawd 'ave mercy on 'em. |
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Post by En1gma on Aug 22, 2016 18:15:27 GMT -5
Yeah, I just smashed my Brutal squad against this one a few times... Not a pretty picture.
I need to go about it completely differently than I had planned and just try to make it through. I have tried it so many different ways, even going so far as to keep the entire group together from post to post. Complete slaughterfest. I can't even take down ONE of the damned power nodes, let alone work on more than one at a time.
Going to revisit my winning group (2 Pallys, Pistol capt, 2 Soldiers, and a Scout, just to slow down that Lich) to see if it can win again. To not have any extra healing is murderously dangerous... I can't even imagine this on Nightmare Ironman. Just no.
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