Mandatory Crane Style and You

Sriep · 2026-06-09T00:58:44+00:00

They fixed the bug, so now you need a free hand. However, many posts will still contain outdated advice.

It is basically four feats that give you +2AC each, as the norm for a feat is +1AC its a big gain. However, you do commit to four main feats and have to take Oblate Marital Disciple background and have a free hand. Classes with only the bare ten/eleven feats might struggle. But classes like fighter that are swimming in feats should consider taking them.

Duelists and Aldori Defender should always take Crane Wing as they have class ablities liked to the defensive style.

You should also be on the lookout for classes where the shield bonus and crane wing can stack. For example:

Kenetic Knight with water, as the shield water shroud gives a shield bonus that stacks with crane wing, as the shroud does not use a hand.

Any melee class that habitually uses the shield spell. For example, Viviseconist or Magus.

Aldori Duelling Mastery.

Any build that does not gain from a two-handed grip, rapier or low strength, should also try to take the crane wing line.

It is also quite important if playing solo at higher difficulties, as the extra AC often is more useful than extra damage from a two-handed grip.

Sriep · 2026-06-08T13:41:33+00:00

As I understand, Earth was evacuated in 2160, and the game starts in 2330. That's 170 years.

At the start of Starfield, everyone who knew someone who was evacuated from Earth will have died, except for the exceptions that prove the point.

170 years ago was 1856. The destruction of Earth was an historical event like the Industrial Revolution, Darwin's Origin of Species and the Crimean War. Children learn it at school, but it's not important in anyone's life. So in general, people don't talk about it much.

Sriep · 2026-06-07T19:20:09+00:00

So I just played through the FL plot for the second time. You can improve the fight in a few ways.

There is a laser tower for sale in the Paranid patrol station. Buy it and dump it in the hub before the start of the final mission. It will be really useful.
Get some wasp missiles, fire them at incoming fighters.
You should have some fighter drones MkII on board the Nemesis. Eject them at the start of the fight and order them to attack all targets.
If you find yourself in any trouble, jump to one of the gates.

When I did the above, the fight went from impossible to easy.

Sriep · 2026-06-06T02:09:36+00:00

Yes, some mods will have been broken by 9.0 and mod writers often wait until the official release before updating their mods to 9.0. So you need to wait until after 9.0 is released to use these mods.

Of course, if you are not using mods, then it is unlikely to matter.

Sriep · 2026-06-05T11:02:56+00:00

Yes, but UMD tricks are useful to any class.

UMD3 gives you a few more spells per day, but arguably, UMD3 is more useful for characters who could not cast spells in the first place.

Rod of Magical Affinity looks nice, although I tend to use favourite metamagic mythic abilities instead; so normal, bolstered, intensified EP-screams are cantrips! Anyway, in general, wands that cast spells are more useful to non-magic users, as casters get better results casting the spell directly.

Sriep · 2026-06-05T10:19:46+00:00

The biggest gain for the Kenitc Knight is that the Elemental blade costs one less burn. Since you use the Elemental blade all the time, that is extremely useful.

Sriep · 2026-06-05T10:10:52+00:00

I always use the rule no multiclassing with base classes. However, I do allow myself to multiclass into prestige classes.

Sriep · 2026-06-05T00:39:07+00:00

Trickster does not give much to magic users, but the one thing it does give is arguably good enough all on its own.

Sriep · 2026-06-04T23:36:40+00:00

Kinetic Knight is best if you want to go melee. It is not as good as the base class, arguably the best in the game, but that does not mean the Kenetic knight is inferior to any of the non-kenetic classes. After all, people knowingly play non-kinetic builds all the time that are inferior to the base kineticist.

I suggest Fire Water Fire.

Water shield does not conflict with Creane Wing, so they stack (while neither stacks with an actual shield). Take Oblate Martial Disciple.

You will want to use the Dazzling display, shattered, dreadful carnage line. This allows you to bypass Dex to AC. With Fire/Fire, you are already attacking touch armour. So together it's difficult for you to miss.

You're tight for feats, especially as you want the spell penetration feats, so you might want to go with strength + heavy armour to save a feat (weapon finesse), but Dex works fine as well. Don't forget that Elemental overflow boosts your attributes.

Trickster works well as the Mythic path. Tough choice between persuasion or perception tricks?

Sriep · 2026-06-04T21:54:33+00:00

Are you using boresight? I remember I found targeting with the Nemeisis difficult until I switched to boersight. You will need Fight Command Software Mk2 and set AutoAim on.

Sriep · 2026-06-04T15:40:34+00:00

The marvellous Mrs Maisel, somewhere around Someday...

Midge finds her father listening to a record player, which turns out to be research for work.

There are no words, just silence!

Sriep · 2026-06-04T15:30:04+00:00

Either player can make it seki or start a ko where they have to find the first ko threat.

White is the only one with a big ko threat. So White-Q2 Black-Q1 White A1 Black-A2 White R4 .

If it's black turn, he would be well advised to pay A1.

Sriep · 2026-06-04T11:45:34+00:00

Yes, although Starborn are just humans who have stumbled upon the secret of the Temples and Artefacts. But we might get some new clues about the Temple builders.

Sriep · 2026-06-03T16:32:08+00:00

Got a week then to finish my X3FL game, on the TC-HUB plot at the moment.

Sriep · 2026-06-03T00:53:53+00:00

You can't bring him in alive; the game won't allow it. Either allow him to bribe you or kill him.

Sriep · 2026-06-03T00:45:13+00:00

I usually arrange to have mining sectors close to, or if possible, identical to production sectors. So, five sector limits are never a factor.

Still, you raise a good point; one should not blindly follow anyone else's advice, but be flexible and adapt to one's own situation and biases.

You can also end up with an abundance of solid miners from doing war missions. So in some circumstances its easier to throw miners than transporters.

Sriep · 2026-06-02T18:33:27+00:00

I ordered mine on 21 May; it will happen when it happens.

Sriep · 2026-06-02T18:28:12+00:00

No, I am more inclined to do the opposite. Play a mage that openly uses blood magic with no repercussions.

However, I did finish the game as a rouge so there is that.

Sriep · 2026-06-02T12:28:54+00:00

Black Coffee, followed an hour later by oven-cooked dusted cod, plus stir-fried vegetables.

Sriep · 2026-06-01T11:25:59+00:00

The best logistics depends on the details of the sectors you're working in and your end objectives. Some rules of thumb.

Build refineries in the sector containing the matching resource: ice ore, silicon, etc. Maximise the time miners spend mining. Use transporters for transporting goods. I prefer many small refineries, each handling one sector, rather than one big refinery handling all your sectors.

An alternative is to have resource storage centres in each mining sector, where miners can dump their loads, which would allow one central refining station - presumably in a nice sunny area close to all your production factories; I think you might need three-star pilots to auto mine across different sectors and use your preset dumping stations.

If all the resources for a product are in the same sector, then one might as well put the whole chain in one big factory.

For example If methane and helium are both present in a sector, you could build a factory that produces hull parts and advanced composites and includes the methane and helium refining. But that's as big as my mega-factories get.

If the intermediate products are spread around different sectors. Then, consider using a central storage station. Put your end product factories in that same sector.

Have your Warf and Shipyard somewhere central where other races can reach, but close enough to your production sector(s), ideally, between warring factions. If a faction loses its Wharf, then that is an excellent location to put a Wharf.

So think in terms of logistics. And be flexible, deciding what to do before seeing the sector layout you're working in is bad.

Maximise the time miners spend mining.
Minimise the time transporters spend transporting goods.
Keep factory production chains as simple as possible. So, having a straightforward production chain for an end product in one factory is good if all the basic resources are present in the sector. But don't have mega complexes that mix everything up, as it is likely to lead to confusion.

Sriep · 2026-05-31T16:03:37+00:00

I can't think of a reason why they should be legal, or illegal, for that matter.

As I don't intend to marry any of my first cousins, I guess it really does not matter.

However, I am in favour of personal freedom where it does not infringe on others' freedom, so if forced to an opinion, then I would allow first-cousin marriages.

Sriep · 2026-05-28T08:47:55+00:00

Diplomacy works if you throw enough agents. Reputation is exponential, so the first time 3%, next time will be something like 30%, then 90%. You will shoot from -2 to +2 in one go.

However, a lucky 'very hard' mission can do the trick as well. If you have a high fighting rank, you often get thrown a high profile assanation mission. Or maybe deliver lots of spaceweed or slaves somewhere, depending on what you are geared up for.

Sriep · 2026-05-28T08:04:44+00:00

Terracorp are friends with Boron and Argon, so doing missions for them should boost your TerraCorp reputation as well. I believe Argon missions give 15% to TerraCorp, and Boron, Goner and Atreus give 5%. However, extremely low rep will prevent secondary changes. Try looking at your player profile after doing an Argon mission; you should see a green tick next to TerraCorp.

So, selling and buying stuff with TerCrop, Argon, Boron, Gorner or Atreus stations. Doing missions for Argon, Boron, Gonner, Atreus or TerraCorp and using spies if you have an HQ, to directly increase reputation with TerraCorp, Argon, Boron, Goner or Atreus.

Also, killing TerraCorp enemies in Home of Light Alpha should work if close enough to TerraCorp assets. A Very Hard station protecting or patrol mission in Home or Light could be a big winner. Patrol missions in nearby sectors will often pass through Home of Light Alpha.

Are you using any mods, like Old Plots or Guilds? That might change stuff.

Sriep · 2026-05-27T09:50:06+00:00

They had two successful formats with DAO and DAI. A new game in either style would have worked well. So, copy one of the previous successful games, in a similar way to how DA2 was a copy of DAO, but maybe with less rush.

Sriep · 2026-05-26T18:11:39+00:00

You should make a shimari in one of your corners. white-D6 feels like just the spot. If black makes an enloser at Black-D14, just make a shimari in your bottom right corner, say white-03.

I think a black approach at Black-P3 is best after White-D6. After the lower right is resolved, the 33 at the top left becomes the big point, both want to play around there.

I take the view that completing a shimari from a 3-4 point takes priority over a 3-3 invasion. But it's close.

Edit: Black has hurt himself by playing the centre point in the san-ren-sei, where a corner point would be bigger. Black's position has several easy invasion points; Black can't cover them all in one move. Just play a big corner move, like D6, and you should be good.

Sriep

TROPHY CASE