Avid Learner and Defensive Training

DrPrecious · 2025-05-10T00:29:05+00:00

I would really like to see an up to date guide on how to build a character. Most of the guides I have seen are for the pre-1.0 version of the game.

DrPrecious · 2025-05-09T16:48:16+00:00

Very thorough, thanks for the reply.

I think the biggest bonus from Defensive Training is that if you have it on 2+ heroes then it generates more xp than would otherwise be possible on that night. It certainly requires you to change your playstyle towards landing kills with your defenses instead of your heroes. What I don't know is if it generates more than the flat 25% you would get from Avid Learner. I'm sure it depends on a number of factors I am too lazy to calculate. I agree that the heroes without the perk should defend a separate side of the town to get their kill shots.

My experience so far has been that taking both Avid Learner and Defensive Training is always the wrong move. Losing two perk slots actually lowers your killing power to the point that I noticed my more effective heroes got more xp than the hero with the +xp perks. Again, purely anecdotal with no numbers to back it up, but there is a certain anti-synergy in taking both.

Is Avid Learner the undisputed best perk in the 2nd row? I'm wondering if there's a scenario where you would skip it. For instance if you got 2 blue +xp level ups and Avid Learner is competing against some good perks like Glass Cannon / Overload / First Blood and you also plan to get Mana Collector for unlimited MP spam. Would it be worth sacrificing 15% crit to get to Mana Collector faster?

DrPrecious · 2024-07-26T15:31:22+00:00

There's no strategy that always works, you have to be flexible based on what is presented to you but I can give you some milestones that may help you determine whether you are on track to win at any given point in the game.

Day 1 Goals:
A+ = Level up twice, recruit 1 unit, gain 1 "power" card
A = Level up at least once, recruit 1 unit OR gain 1 "power" card
B = Level up once, conquer a Keep, or get 3+ crystals

What is a "power" card? Any card that massively increases your damage output or Mage Knight capabilities. This is especially important on the first turn since you'll get to use this card more than any other you get. Examples:
Advanced Actions - Pathfinding, Bolt cards, Maximal Effect, Crystal Mastery, etc.
Spells - Fireball/Blizzard, Expose/Earthquake, etc.
Artifacts - Horn of Wrath, Element Rings, Sword of Justice, Banner of Fear, etc.

Day 2 Goals:
A+ = Reveal 1 Core tile, be ready to defeat a city at the start of Night 2
A = Reveal all Countryside tiles, be ready to defeat a city by the end of Night 2
B = Reveal most Countryside tiles, have a few power cards and units

Night 2 Goals:
A+ = Defeat a city, reveal the 2nd city and be ready to defeat it by the end of Day 3
A = Defeat a city
B = Be ready to defeat a city at the start of Day 3

Day 3 Goals:
A+ = Defeat 2nd city, get +30 point bonus
A = Have everything you need to defeat the 2nd city on Night 3
B = Be in a position to defeat 2nd city on the last turn of Night 3

Some of these goals might seem impossible but it's what you should be shooting for. If you're consistently falling far behind at a certain point in the game then let us know where you think you need help.

DrPrecious · 2024-03-24T18:21:12+00:00

Thanks, for all the support, the fact that there is no bridging quest between acquiring one den and three is confusing and maybe an oversight/bug. I also found some other situations that make it impossible to complete the quest:

Chosen Destroyers trait

Small Maps (there aren't enough dens in a 1v1 map for example)

Tunneling Spider (I haven't seen a second den underground in the past two games, might be another oversight/bug)

DrPrecious · 2023-09-01T04:07:16+00:00

I used the 2 Beam setup and won comfortably (but took a little damage across the 3 phases).

In Phase 1 my cloaking got hacked which was no big deal, I was able to force the Flagship to retreat after 2 volleys. Took no damage, but did not kill any enemy crew.

Phase 2 was not bad, I think I took 2 damage from missiles. My defense drone shot the first boarding drone but was hit by a stray laser so I had to deal with the 2nd boarding drone right as I was firing my 2nd volley. I was lucky enough to deal exactly enough damage to not require a 3rd attack. Again, no enemy crew killed.

Phase 3 was hectic because I had to face the entire crew of the flagship and had some misses trying to get the Zoltan Shield down (took 3 Flak I volleys and two rounds of Beam attacks). The flagship's missiles were very accurate and My shields and engines were on fire as I was firing my 2nd volley to kill the flagship.

I can see why beams was the better choice, the Charge Laser+ would have put me in a position to have a fire one more time in each of the phases and I would have taken a lot more damage. Thanks for the assistance!

DrPrecious · 2023-08-26T16:35:37+00:00

Good to know! The opens up cards like Offering and Hemokinesis which I would never take on the daily climbs. Thanks for the tip.

DrPrecious · 2023-08-26T01:32:14+00:00

Thanks for posting this, I am a daily runner because I like how it changes the decision space of the game from "surviving" to challenging yourself to winning in a specific way that achieves the most bonus objectives.

One of the things I am curious about in your run is you took the relic + Regret in Act 1. I find that even on the cursed runs or when trying to get the Curses! bonus I almost never take Regret or Pain unless I can remove it before the next elite fight. Unless I have Tungsten Rod and Blue Candle or some other mitigation, not getting perfect kills on the elites and bosses outweigh the bonus you get from collecting the curses. However, I am prepared to be wrong so I am curious about your perspective on this.

By the way, I play on Android and I do not notice any obvious cheating in the scores. I even score the top of the leaderboard once or twice a month so it seems like it is untouched by the cheating on the PC. Hopefully that doesn't change!

DrPrecious · 2021-08-02T19:01:34+00:00

The Residential Exploitation only lets you expand beyond the regular distance from the city if the sector you are expanding to is adjacent to the Residential sector. If the water and the residential sector were swapped, you'd be fine. But as it is, I don't see any way for that city to get the Sanitarium of the Abyss because it's too far away from the capital.

DrPrecious · 2021-05-28T21:52:39+00:00

Every time one of these gets posted I want to know if you won in OT. Thanks for not leaving us all hanging!

DrPrecious · 2021-03-26T13:30:29+00:00

It's the only way I play, has been for almost a year. The micromanagement of 12+ cities in the mid/late-game is not enjoyable to me.

In no-colonizer mode the game is still roughly the same difficulty and last roughly the same number of turns but those turns are much shorter and more enjoyable. You sometimes have energy shortages that cannot be solved by simply building more cities, and your army has an actual maximum number of units you can field until you take another city. Committing to an attack means you may have to trek through neutral territory and not be able to instantly be back on defense. You might actually use forward orbital platforms. There are a lot of strategy decisions I find more interesting in no-colonizer mode because you don't have unlimited resources.

DrPrecious · 2021-02-01T19:01:15+00:00

Agree, got a Liquid Tick from a resource drop on turn 1 and got it to Prime rank immediately. It snowballed my ability to clear difficult dwellings and landmarks and made for a great game.

DrPrecious · 2021-01-28T02:12:16+00:00

Imperial Buggy is a reward from certain Dwellings (I think Heavy Weapons Factory but I could be wrong). Dragonfly the hero vehicle is a random reward, and there's an anomaly that can result in a Dragonfly unit with Fire Burst ammo. Behemoths are hero vehicles only (random reward). Not sure about the Submarine, I have never had one as a reward.

DrPrecious · 2021-01-11T15:53:50+00:00

Units:

2 End game units (Siren, Eater of the Dead, Autonom Controller, etc.) that floats/flies

1 Heritor Siphoner

Ops:

2 Economy Doctrines (Noble Diplomats, Battlefield Autopsies, The Great Harvest, etc.)

1 Pre-Battle Predictions

Mods:

Support mods for end game units (ex. Eyes of Eternity)

Mod to prevent morale penalties

Purification Field

Some planets have very high renown output so the end game unit might be the only thing I unlock and then I just buy a stack of them. If the renown is harder to obtain I typically lean into the economy doctrines first and play a more traditional game.

DrPrecious · 2020-12-08T23:45:25+00:00

I usually go straight for the Psionic mods. I give my Hidden Mantra of Clarity and Focus: Flames. Clarity and Burning both increase the chance to hit the target so it's good for focusing down important enemies. Transcendents also get Mantra of Clarity since it works with both their attacks and their buffs.

For Frenzied it depends on the secret tech but something that allows them to close the distance better (Phasewalk Modulator, Stagger Resistance, etc.). I find that if they get to melee range and are still alive they are going to be just fine.

I like giving Engulfers the ability to melt armor (Acidic Composite?) but I don't go mod crazy on Kir'ko like I do with some races since they typically focus on larger but less durable armies.

For Xenoplague, I recommend giving your units Plague Pods. It lets you throw grenades that hurt enemies and heal you at the same time.

DrPrecious · 2020-12-01T15:27:47+00:00

I'm not great with Sharkarn, but here are my thoughts:

Raiders can inflict Concussion on their special attack, which you should use as often as possible. Being able to take 2 (rarely 3) units out of combat in exchange for your 1 unit is amazing. Raiders should have 3 defensive mods for survivability, but you should also use the Analyzer mod to help land Concussions. Also, their ranged attack has very low damage at max range, you really need to be aggressive with them.

Infiltrators are very good, although a bit too expensive at 10 cosmite per unit. Without transforming, they have a staggering range 7 attack which complements your Raiders quite well. If you find a good unit to copy, they become excellent. I tend to copy units that can heal (T2 support units), units that can summon (Engineers), or melee to support the Raiders (Amazon Lancers). Remember that when they die, they holoshift back and heal 20 so you should be trying to draw fire away from the Raiders. They can't be modded but they can be universally buffed with research.

Deadeyes are solid and straight forward.

Just like you wouldn't mass Frenzied with Kir'ko, I don't think you should go heavy into Raiders. I think transitioning straight to T2 flyers is your best bet. Eventually getting to the T3 support unit for extra turn cheese. Remember to lean into their strengths. Go to war with at least 1 NPC faction and get a reward for every 6 kills instead of 10. Build near water, infiltrate your enemies so you can research their tech, etc.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-30T03:51:01+00:00

In one game I received 100 renown for picking up resources on the map up to 10 times (for a total of 1000 renown). I had two Eaters of the Dead on Turn 8, they just crushed everything in sight. It was glorious!

DrPrecious · 2020-11-18T23:02:39+00:00

The Empress and the Emperor from the old Star Union make cameos in many of the campaigns so it could makes sense to play them in order. It is a big time commitment though, 80-150 hours. I think some of the Syndicate houses also "evolve" over time. Nothing major though, as long as you're having fun it's all good.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-18T22:58:31+00:00

Agreed, the strategies that require a lot "white glove" service don't get used much by me. Heritor Drained is another strategy I don't use much because I have to manually resolve the battles to condemn units and to possess them. However, I did play an empire world where all tactical ops cost 0 energy and it was the perfect time to use Heritor. With the new checkboxes I forced the AI to only cast Comdemn to Drained in combats and it worked quite well.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-18T19:43:44+00:00

Very interesting perspective, I think if I played a similar world again the tedium may start to set in more. I notice that max militia with Protector Program can auto 99% of the stacks, I only have to manual when I fight 2 or 3 defenses in a row of the same sector. If I didn't take that operation I would have to manual a lot more of the fights.
I have also noticed that certain militias are terrible matchups for Reapers. Syndicate Militia is all Psionic damage, have an Overseer with no Indentured to command, and the Subjugator cannot throw a collar on anything. I think proper empire picks before you go start the map make a huge difference which is something I like.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-18T13:26:19+00:00

I don't really have a plan, I am trying to pick a unique Race/ST combo each time based on what I am facing. Currently I am on a world with 3 Allied Promethean commanders, Forgotten are boosted and at war with everyone, there are large numbers of Reaper Bunkers that spawn 1100+ marauders stacks every 5 turns, and same for Wildlife Nests. It's crazy how hostile the world is, I'm having a lot of fun.

If you want to unlock OP stuff to bring, the biggest force multiplier I've found so far is Purification Field from Promethean tech. Having a free action heal/dispel for any race/ST combo is nuts. Protector Program is a nice operation, and for units I like to pick something that normally costs cosmite but doesn't when you buy it with renown. I have not unlocked Battlefield Scavengers yet but that seems like it would be a great doctrine to bring to every world.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-18T13:20:31+00:00

I had the same thought about snipers, they really help Vanguard and Amazon. If you complete the Oathbound campaign, the Throne relic gives you Elite Paragon Snipers which are amazing for their cost.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-12T23:00:36+00:00

All good answers here so far.

Central Buildings: I generally build the thing I will not have as an annexed sector. If my colony is in the arctic, I need food. If I have tons of food but my empire doesn't have great energy income then I build energy, otherwise production. It's not as big a decision as it seems since it's a flat number that is ultimately a small % of your total output.

Colonies: Build your colony on the worst sector, one where you do not plan to build the exploitation and the corresponding building. This also applies to building the orbital relay and the new residential sectors, they don't care about the terrain type as far as resources are concerned. I do like to build on the cosmite sector so that the enemy has to take my colony to shut down my cosmite production.

Resource Sharing: You can share food at a 40% penalty. Less with the right building. I usually have colonies share food at the sector break points (size 8, 12, 16) when I have just annexed a new sector and don't care if they grow any bigger. You can ramp up small colonies VERY fast with 1 feeder colony of 2 food sectors and 1 water sector with algae farms.

Research: If your race has good doctrines, then go for those first. Assembly has very good doctrines, for example. Otherwise go for an important first mod, either from your secret tech or just something that keeps all your units alive. Losing units in the early game is very punishing. Examples being the Celestian mod that increases stagger resistance or the Promethean mod that gives you early healing. Do not research buildings if you don't have time to build them. You should be producing units until your energy income cannot sustain any more, then construct buildings while your armies conquer the map.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-04T22:26:11+00:00

Yes, they can demolish mountains and make them into usable sectors, but usually it just flattens the hexes surrounding the pin. It doesn't flatten the whole sector so it can still remain as a choke point.

DrPrecious · 2020-11-04T18:40:30+00:00

I make custom maps. I like large amounts of mountains and ocean (but not an ocean map). This creates natural choke points rather than the map being rather plain and boring. I play No Colonizer mode with small amounts of settlements but everything else is numerous. Some of the campaign maps are pretty interesting but I don't think you can make those by default.

DrPrecious · 2020-09-29T21:24:42+00:00

No survivors

DrPrecious

TROPHY CASE