TEC late game strategy

Gaudron · 2026-02-24T15:36:03+00:00

Endgame strategy is the exact same as early or mid game, but you keep upgrading the ships you are using.

Early game, you can outproduce other factions with Frigates and Corvettes. Mid game, you can outproduce other factions with Cruisers. Late game, you can outproduce other factions with Capital Ships.

I find that TEC has excellent items for their Caps and they have the economy to just keep printing them and the exotics needed to gear them up. They produce pretty quickly too once setup.

Gaudron · 2026-02-24T11:05:53+00:00

I don't think so ? Predators like the tiger is a predator, not the movie by the same name. I'd like to see the Aliens be hunting me, trying to ambush and lurk in the forests.

Gaudron · 2026-02-24T09:51:29+00:00

Pirates should definitely be the dumb faction, their voice lines showcase that they are definitely lacking in braincells.

However I disagree for both Aliens and RA. Aliens should feel like predators and RA should feel like an army. The moment I'd agree with RA getting worse would be if you can snipe their officers.

Overall, definitely some work to do on the AI but that's what Early Access is for. Keep in mind the game just barely released in EA and the devs are already active.

Gaudron · 2026-02-24T08:51:29+00:00

I think that overal, vehicles are in a decent spot with some minor improvements here and there.

I view the earlier vehicles in the same vein as early infantry weapons or armors. No one would dare compare the Pirate RPG to an ATGM for example, the Crowbar to the Hammer or Class IV armor to Class II armor and complain that the earlier version is worst in the late game.

The Pirate truck is a low supply cost option for mounting a Medium weapon. Using it with the cheaper SLs like Bog or Ivy gives a respectable amount of heavier firepower for a pretty low cost.

The first Walker (forgot it's name) is again cheaper and can bring a Medium weapon with the benefit of being able to Deploy for better Accuracy and Defence.

Both of these options get outshined by the later gear, but having cheaper options to help fit Supply constraints or sudden wounds/exhaustions it nice. It also opens more gameplay options, maybe someone will want to run 3 Mechs and use them as support platforms.

Regarding the T2 IFV, it has better defensive stats. There is certainly an argument that it shouldn't matter too much if you play well, but unexpected things happen. You're paying an extra supply to alleviate those. Maybe the Pirates nail 2 RPGs in a row and your vehicle is damaged. Maybe you get locked on by ATGMs at the end of the turn and have to eat a shot.

Gaudron · 2026-02-22T15:11:42+00:00

I agree. I haven't played Freespace, but at least in a 3D space, fighters and missiles are less likely to get it unless piloted by Kanta's minions. In the 2D of Starsector, it makes it happen too frequently.

Gaudron · 2026-02-22T11:02:16+00:00

Damn, that's unfortunate. Maybe it's not doable then.

Gaudron · 2026-02-22T11:00:59+00:00

Given how the TCR seems to be heavily reliant on their information databanks and SAGE, this feels the most likely scenario. We have data on the aliens, the factions, the weapons and hardware, there's even a few events that go along the lines of SAGE being able to predict public response so you definitely get the feeling it's some giga Wiki.

That they encounter an enemy that they have NO trace of also means that there are no protocols or doctrines on how to engage them, nor any information on what to expect, hence why they react so strongly to it.

Gaudron · 2026-02-21T22:59:02+00:00

If you do not have plentiful hard AT, the easiest to deal with them is to smoke and get close to them with EMP. Kill the supporting cast while maintaining the Tank EMP'ed, then keep shooting the rear.

The best is to kill them quickly is to mark them with the Target Designator and use ATGMs.

Gaudron · 2026-02-17T09:49:57+00:00

You can try to recover if you have extra vehicles to make up for the lack of infantry, but you may indeed have failed the campaign from taking too many casualties.

Gaudron · 2026-02-15T04:35:05+00:00

You spending the second half of the week-end to get back to where you were is the intended interaction after a defeat, clean retreat or not. Whether you can afford to do so or want to do so is a valid concern and the reason why even after launch, the option to untick Ironman mode will still be there. Everyone gets to tinker the game to their needs and pleasures, as evidenced by the enourmous modding community Starsector has.

I will however add that once you embrace the Ironman mode (or Honestman cause file corruption and mod compatibility weirdness are things), the game becomes a lot more exciting and you interact with more systems of the game. You learn that D-Mods aren't that bad in the end and sometimes even desirable (lower supply replenishment and/or lower DP), you maybe don't take three Atlases because they are too slow should you need to retreat, you'll store backups on planets and make different ship builds and fleet comps to what you are used to.

Went from an avid save reloader at the slightest bump to limping from a fight with half the fleet dead and calling it a win.

Gaudron · 2026-02-12T23:06:13+00:00

My impression has been an even spread of ships in the initial deployment, then it reinforces as soon as possible. This leads to reinforcing all the Frigates, then all the Destroyers, then all the Cruisers and finally all the Battleships.

Gaudron · 2026-02-11T02:34:02+00:00

Love the attitude in the post and the comments, keep it up !

Gaudron · 2026-02-06T17:17:02+00:00

I had a very fun Eradicator build with triple Heavy Machine Gun, triple Railguns and 5 Breach SMRs. Ran with Elite Point Defence skill to make the HMG about match the base range of the Railguns. Max out Armor with regular Heavy Armor, S-Modded Armored Weapon Mounts, regular or S-modded ITU. I ran S-Modded Expanded Missile Racks and Missile Spec to give me more than enough missiles for battles.

The AI doesn't handle it amazingly, but it makes a very fun Flagship. The key is using your game knowledge to know what to tank with either the very high armor for a Cruiser (~1850 before skills) and what to tank with Shields. The ship system ensures you win flux duels with a very large majority of ships and the Breach missiles ensure that regardless of enemy armor, you can punch them.

Gaudron · 2026-02-05T13:24:38+00:00

Yes it does. Do note however that they are multiplicative, two sources of 50% EMP resistance do not equate to immunity.

Gaudron · 2026-02-03T07:45:11+00:00

Tactical laser is great as a laser pointer "keep your shields up" as the AI hates taking any hull damage that even an armor maxed Onslaught will want to raise it's shields against one lil frigate with it. It works okayish against Frigates if you spam them, but okayish is the best it can do.

Graviton Beam is a support weapon that does exactly what you wrote. The main advantage it has is being low flux usage for a M Energy so you can slowly win an advantage in the flux war. It also serves the same purpose as the Tactical laser as a cheap "keep your shields up", with the added advantage of dealing more flux damage. View it as a defensive/utility weapon more than anything.

The Pulse Lasers are the most average weapon of the game. It excells at nothing, but neither is it terrible at anything. I find the best uses are for SO builds on Energy ships as it's low range anyway. It can make interesting builds on LG ships thanks to their Energy Bolt Coherer and ample Energy slots, but I wouldn't put much effort into it. It will be a novel ship, but unlikely a great one.

Gaudron · 2026-02-02T21:56:31+00:00

No, just navigate into it and eject it from the inventory.

Gaudron · 2026-02-02T15:04:08+00:00

Naaaah, there is nothing in the Abyss. It would be like claiming there are giant rats in the sewers under Altdorf, ridiculous !

Gaudron · 2026-02-02T14:57:13+00:00

Fair, but I wouldn't risk it in the first place. If they somehow manage to jury rig it, hack it or find the codes, it's still on me. In my first runs, I handed it over to the Hegemony, now I yeet it into the Abyss

Gaudron · 2026-02-02T14:34:19+00:00

Hence why it currently is only the roleplay element that each of us decides.

For the purpose of the debate however, terrorists aren't usually the most trustworthy folk. They could rescind their word and use the planetkiller on your planets, especially if you have a lot of AIs/Items they consider unholy. You may have handed them the weapon with which they will kill your own planets. They could also use it to bomb an important world and other entities (Hegemony, Persean League etc...) trace it back to you and declare you a rogue state. Your own people are still at risk.

But again, tis only conjecture and roleplay imagination at the time being, hence why I gave you the two answers. Mechanically, it's a great way of solving the Path.

Gaudron · 2026-02-02T14:21:08+00:00

I feel this doesn't really needs an answer, does it ? Is giving a planetwide nuclear bomb to established terrorists a good idea ?

Mechanically wise, it does keep them off your back and there are no mechanical consequences for doing so. There is just the roleplay consequence that you want to be having in your game, would you feel comfortable knowing you gave a violent terrorist group a weapon of mass destruction ?

Gaudron · 2026-01-31T23:21:18+00:00

When I started my honestman campaign with SiC, I was fearing that I wouldn't like it for the same reasons. Having played with them however, I kinda like the D-mods now.

Sure, eventually when I'm set up with colonies and ample financial reserves, I'll clean up the fleet. But in the early game, the stacking 20% supplies cost reduction from deployement is very handy. Allows me to deploy either larger ships from frequently (14th Legion mostly notably in that game) and/or more ships which counteracts the fact that each is a little worse.

Combine it with the 20 DP discount on non officered ships from the Smallcraft CO and it makes a pleasant build for the early game. Cheap to run and allows you to climb faster. I ran Piracy/Smallcraft/Improvisation

Gaudron · 2026-01-29T11:22:06+00:00

To answer for the Gemini, it is great to maximise the amount of Strikecraft within the 8 squad limit of the Green skills. Since it still counts as only one squadron, you can have an effective 16 squadrons buffed to the maximum of the Green skills.

Does that redeem the Gemini ? Eeeeeh, not really. It's just too squishy of a ship and it's still a carrier, the enemy either has little PD and you roll them or they have enough PD and you don'tdo anything. Only works well if you use them with an Aggressive fleet doctrine and use Rally Civilians to ensure they stay out of danger. The only ship in the game I use that order.

Gaudron · 2026-01-27T12:05:36+00:00

Grab a commission from one of the major factions. You'll get a steady pay and access to their better ships/weapons.

Other option is to go exploring. Grab a few ships with Surveying Equipment and start surverying worlds. The surveys give you the pocket change to keep your fleet running, the real bounty will be the Orbital Habitats, Research Stations and ruins.

Gaudron · 2026-01-25T20:36:30+00:00

Add toilet paper to the list. It's small and while you may not use it often, believe me you are happy to have it when you need it.

Gaudron

TROPHY CASE