The world map targets are pretty much the same, except for the level 43 / 45 map targets. Strike and Siege campaigns are the same. I'll bet Recon is the same.
World Map Targets:
The level 23, 61, and 65 targets are the same as last month, but the raid point payouts are a bit lower (but they were upped from the very start of this raid). Last time, it seemed like the difficulty was either very easy (23, 25, and 43) or very hard (45 and up).
This time, I would say the difficulty is more like you would expect from the target's level, with 20s being easy, 40s being moderate, and 60s being hard.
The other significant change is that you can choose your approach to these targets depending on your entry point. You may be able to use this to your advantage, but it depends on your fleet and driving strategy. Just make sure you don't enter right on top of your enemies; you always want a little space to get your fleet positioned.
23 Fleet target: 8,526 raid points, 10 sector points
4 drones, 1 scout.
These start out moving.
25 Platform target: 12,989 raid points, 15 sector points
2x3 Drones, 2 Scouts, Platforms with Mortars, Napalm, and Rockets
43 Fleet target: 56,100 raid points, 100 sector points
6 Drones, 4 Scouts.
These ships have infernal core, so be careful about letting them close.
45 Platform target: 115,315 raid points, 150 sector points
4 Drones, 3 Scouts, Platform with Javs, Rockets, 1 Apoc Mortar
61 Platform target: 253,800 raid points, 400 sector points
Shroud Hulk with 2 Hades, 1 Scout, Platforms with long range Napalm, Mortars, Javelins, and Rockets
Just like last time, a 2 hit strategy should work well on these. First hit with an anti-ship fleet like Frost / Mastodons, and bring a instant repair ship to draw out the shrouded ship and its escorts. Then use Crusaders or Hellstrikes to take out the turrets, with a HLNC to improve radioactive resistance.
65 Fleet target: 383,247 raid points, 600 sector points
3 Scout, 3 Hounds, 2 Hulks
These activate in 2 separate groups. Choose your point of entry to try to keep the ships separated when they activate. Using countermeasures against the mortars and UAVs on the Hulks would help out a lot.
1 Hellstar, 3 Platforms with Rockets, Javelins, and Napalm
Read the briefing and remember the shroud rotation pattern. Frosty Crusaders seem to be the thing for these... I've seen quite a few videos of this target already, and they all used that combo.
Here's one: https://youtu.be/KxaiAcOq5rc
For me, the points per damage on any of the world map targets doesn't seem as good as the campaigns, but if you figure out a way to beat one of these targets easily, that might be different for your situation.
For Siege and Strike campaigns, the breakdowns are in last month's article. Points from the Siege campaign seem to have been lowered a bit - from about 500k per run to about 400k per run (not including the 700k bonus). Siege campaign points seem about the same (3.7 Million).
On the Strike Campaign, my Siege Z Mercuries are chewing through it (my build is similar to the one I posted pre-raid). If I drive well, and use my R10 Battlecruisers with the 100% accurate CM ship for the UAV hulks, I can get through the entire campaign with all instant repairs. If I plow straight through without switching fleets and instant repairs, I'll take about 1.5 hours of total damage.
On the Siege campaign, now that I have usable Crusaders, I found that my best strategy is still to use my Frosty / Mastodons for the first three targets, then switch to Frosty / Crusaders for the last two. One more tip on this: on mission #5, if you come at the Shroud ship from the northeast instead of the (more obvious) southwest, you will be out of range of the shrouded turrets. They look like Javelins, but really have range that is more like a Howitzer. My total repairs for running through this campaign are down to 11 coins (without using Grease Monkeys).
For the Elite campaign, the generally accepted best strategy is to charge into the center with Frosty Crusaders and destroy the middle... then deal with the ships afterward. My Frosty Crusader fleet is still too lightly armored and not high enough rank (still in star range) to pull that off. Total points for the Elite, including the bonus, is around 4.3 Million.
Overall I think players are going to feel that this raid is about as difficult as the last one. The sector bar is looking a little more difficult to open up, but that seems more like a function of which sectors I am in.
On the prizes, I'll just repeat myself... The new prizes are good but not awesome must-haves. However, the prizes on other tiers are great options for players that are looking to catch up. The D51-B Strike Missile, D3-E armor, UAV Powercells, and D55-Z Siege Missile should be in every player's arsenal, and they haven't been available for a while. Don't miss them. I've been criticizing Kixeye's prize offerings in lower tiers for a while now, but I think this raid they did a pretty good job. Just about every tier has a mix of weapons, armor, specials, and hulls, and each tier does have some attractive choices (sector store excepted). That's how it should be... keep it up Kixeye!
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