September brick wall advice

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DjAci
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:07 am

September brick wall advice

Post by DjAci »

Hi guys,

I would love some advice for late game. I have been doing Legend runs trying to get myself to Ironman level good. After trying several times and failing I ahve finally been able to do a reliable I/L run simulation. With a focus on science (thox for the great post on this forum) I can now reliably get to september with coil weapons ready, most people in predator and just starting Blacksite mission. The mission weren't that hard, i had a good roster, good timing all.

Then September hits and a massive increase in difficulty. I thought I had it this time due to adequate tech, but by october I just cant run 5 man GOPs. I feel against a brick wall again.

Do any of you guys have some tips ad tricks for late game play. Should I go for tactical infiltrations and take 7 soldiers on very light GOPs? Any other useful tips?
stefan3iii
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:49 am

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by stefan3iii »

In Oct I'd expect to be using Shredstorm Cannons, they're unlocked at Advanced Coils, with a proving ground project. They do however require 7 eng, 7 scientists, and EXO suits to equip them on. I find they make the end game rather easy, in fact they're probably going to get nerfed :) But if you take a couple of them on a 5 man GOP it'll make it far simpler. If you take 5 of them on a GOP, you can likely just faceroll through it.
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WanWhiteWolf
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 10:09 pm

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by WanWhiteWolf »

As far as late game goes (October+), the following applies to me:

GOps STR 1-5(6):
5 Man Ex Light (10-15%)
6 Man V Light (70%)
7 Man Light (10-15%)

I actually prefer 6 man V Light over Ex Light due to flexibility when encountering a strong enemy (e.g. Andromedon). Also, Ex Light is pretty hard to find late game as almost no region sits below STR 3.

As long as you are a bit careful not to pull the whole map, Light in 7 squad is pretty safe as well. Even 2 pods at a time is not particularly risky if your soldiers have proper gear + SGT level.

What you need to be equipped with after October is either a hard disable (stasis) or a good Kubikiri versus strong enemies ( Sectopod, M3 Mech , Gatekeeper, arguably Andromedon). If you have neither it goes with wounds or casualties on really bad RNGs.

Both infiltration perks (officer Major skill + GTS squad infiltration skill ) should be your priority now if you didn't do them already.

If you are on coil + Predator, you should be more concerned about keeping the Avatar timer in check rather than anything else. I usually go mass research datapads after advanced coils.
stefan3iii
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:49 am

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by stefan3iii »

WanWhiteWolf wrote: What you need to be equipped with after October is either a hard disable (stasis) or a good Kubikiri versus strong enemies ( Sectopod, M3 Mech , Gatekeeper, arguably Andromedon). If you have neither it goes with wounds or casualties on really bad RNGs.
I didn't use stasis or Kubikiri. I did however use red screen + full override to control m3s, and even sectopods. Gatekeepers though were indeed a problem, I only ever saw one on a GOP, and as soon as I heard the sound effect (was a smash and grab), I just evacced and didn't even bother fighting.

Andromedons, M3s, Sectopods are also all vulnerable to sting grenades. Sectopods less so, because it only removes 2 of their 3 actions.
Skyro
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 4:13 pm

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by Skyro »

I would just add that GOps become far less important around that point in the game anyway. You should basically be beelining straight through the golden path missions, researching data pads, shadow chamber stuff, etc. You won't be able to afford the gear to have multiple squads doing simultaneous GOps anymore. In late game it's really more about prioritizing the few GOps you can squeeze in here and there than anything else.
Dwarfling
Posts: 524
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 12:16 pm

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by Dwarfling »

Well, not only you need up-to-date tech, you need your "hard carry" soldiers to be at least GSGT. By hard carry I mean the serious damage dealers: Crit Rangers, DFA Sharpshooters, Shotgun Assaults and multi-shot Gunners. Because at M3 and beyond nothing will die to a single shot (except with crits), even with plasma.

So a mistake that can end even the most save-scummy of Legendary runs is not doing enough missions early and mid game. Not only because you need to gather a ton of intel, but because you also need a lot of leveled soldiers. Also goes for retaliations: you should be looking for them (as long as you are ready), instead of avoiding them. Yeah, you lose rebels, but you also gain instant levels.
stefan3iii
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:49 am

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by stefan3iii »

Dwarfling wrote:Well, not only you need up-to-date tech, you need your "hard carry" soldiers to be at least GSGT. By hard carry I mean the serious damage dealers: Crit Rangers, DFA Sharpshooters, Shotgun Assaults and multi-shot Gunners. Because at M3 and beyond nothing will die to a single shot (except with crits), even with plasma.
This is good advice, most classes hit a power spike, a rank where they suddenly get much stronger. The more of these you have the better:
Ranger: GSGT (Rapid Fire)
SS: TSGT (Dead-Eye), MSGT (any perk)
Assault: TSGT (Any perk, I prefer Close Encounters)
Gunner: GSGT (Rapid Fire), MSGT (Traverse)
Technical: Arguably isn't super strong end game. Could say Quickburn is a nice bump in strength.
Specialist: GSGT (Full Override)
Shinobi: TSGT (Reaper)
Grenadier: TSGT (Sting)

Assaults in particular are pretty amazing at TSGT, and I'd argue are probably the strongest damage class at that specific rank.
DjAci
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:07 am

Re: September brick wall advice

Post by DjAci »

Thx for the info guys
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