Topic: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

As a new player skilling up for pvp, i like the combat missions.  I have read a guide ( http://foom.electric-mayhem.org/wiki/missions ) that strongly discourages them for new players but i am finding that I am making some decent money with them.  This may be because the cost of ammo seems to be dropping lately probably due to market competition.  Also if you go about it the right way the loot drops can be quite profitable.  For instance I am currently running level 1 missions to go scan 5 of some type of robot (sorry im still new and if its not serpentis rats i couldnt tell you what they are) for a 21000 NIC reward.  If you just do that, well then you are not really making the cash you need to advance in the game.  Blow up those 5 robots, collect the loots.  Even after I finish the mission I stay at the spawn and continue to pop the piñatas and collecting the prizes. I will continue to do this until my hold is full, then run back to the base.  At this time I turn in the plasma and usually net well over 100k NIC and the best part is that I had FUN shooting stuff up.   

Through doing this over and over I have learned to use the terrain to help protect me, learned the capabilities of my tank and dps and movement while shooting, locking multiple targets etc is becoming second nature.

Tips for noobs: 

  • install the extension that allows you to lock additional targets so you can be shooting your primary and locking the next

  • fit a sensor booster and repper

  • collect plasma over damaged weapon drops

  • stay in the field until your cargo hold is full

  • dont be afraid to run away to heal up

  • learn to use the terrain for shielding and tactical advantage

  • keep upgrading your navigation extension. speed = survival when things start going bad

Courier and resource missions can make good coin, but then you need to divert EP to non combat related extensions.  Through combat missions you can gain rep, NIC, appropriate combat extensions and get to know your bots before you head out into pvp.

As the subject says, discuss! cool

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Have some etiquette farming mission spots. If there are others, allow others to complete their missions as well. If there is nobody, farm to your heart's content.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Combat missions are bad because farming the NPCs is better, as you have found out. Drop a field can for loot and empty with a sequer, is better than walking back to terminal when full.

The rep that missions give is useful to an industrial character, but not to a fighter.

speed = survival, if you are Blue or Green, but Yellow can just sit still at the top of a hill and tank/shoot.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Mouse Tiger wrote:

Combat missions are bad because farming the NPCs is better, as you have found out. Drop a field can for loot and empty with a sequer, is better than walking back to terminal when full.

The rep that missions give is useful to an industrial character, but not to a fighter.

on your first point I would agree, however you would then need a second account with a hauler spec'd character.  If you are running a single account then this is not really a viable option, unless you spend EP on hauling skills to be able to pick up the large can of loot.  If you have 2 accounts, go for it. smile

on your second point where you state that rep is not useful to a fighter;

Improving your relationship towards a corporation is a key factor of gaining a higher facility ratio on terminals

- taken from http://www.perpetuum-online.com/Help:Missions

ok, if you are playing for pure pvp, then maybe, but what about repping up so you can run higher level assignments with your pvp friends during slow pvp times.

good points m8, just saying that there are good reasons to run missions in any game.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

actuall, the reputation is not that "useless" for a pure combat char.

you can unlock higher combat missions which will pay more, and mission reward ammo is a nice additon to your combat effectivity.

last but not least - higher standing = cheaper repair of damage modules = higher profit selling them

*Disclaimer: This post can contain strong sarcasm or cynical remarks. keep that in mind!
Whining - It's amazing how fast your trivial concerns will disappear

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

High rep improves refining/repair/manufacturing, but unless you have good  refining/repair/manufacturing skills then you should get someone else to do it for you.

If you have a single account and no friends then rep helps.

If you have a single account I think you will need a sequer on it to haul.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Pierre Dumonte wrote:
Mouse Tiger wrote:

Combat missions are bad because farming the NPCs is better, as you have found out. Drop a field can for loot and empty with a sequer, is better than walking back to terminal when full.

The rep that missions give is useful to an industrial character, but not to a fighter.

on your first point I would agree, however you would then need a second account with a hauler spec'd character.  If you are running a single account then this is not really a viable option, unless you spend EP on hauling skills to be able to pick up the large can of loot.  If you have 2 accounts, go for it. smile

How is this not a viable option? It takes what 4 days of EP to get a Sequer? Both my 2 accounts have a pve and a sequer alt to pick up the loot from the container.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

- once you have a assault mech put a energy drainer on it and drain the rats as you kill them.. this allows you to keep your repper running almost indefinately.

- fit a hardener of the appropriate type in the other low slow (ie a thermal hardener for blue guys) or a universal hardener if you're fighting a mixed crowd.

- fit as many damage enhancers as possible in your head slots

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Its not like Eve where you can just do combat missions and eventually max your faction standings I'm afraid.

You can only get so far by doing one type of mission.  so eventually its quicker and easier to do other mission types.

Some arnt so good for actual money rewards, granted, but missions are more of a raising relations mechanic at the moment, as it is for making money.

Grinding mobs and using a can for loot (and recycling the loot) is probably more efficient if your only concern is money.

But this is moot really, pve changes are coming and really, any good corp can provide you with stuff you need making money.. kinda irrelevant.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

What's quite handy is, if you've gotten rep for all three factions up to a decent level (e.g. via transport missions), then you can get L1 and L2 missions from all 3 Alpha terminals and associated Outposts. 

Now, normally (though not always) it seems that the Bounty Hunting missions for a given faction are against the faction type robots against whom you are weak (e.g. Truhold-Markson Alpha Terminal gives a L1 Bounty Hunting mission against Nuimqol robots).  That's presumably why the Bounty Hunting missions give the greatest NIC rewards out of all the missions - because they're a bit more challenging.

But if you are able to get Bounty Hunting missions from the other factions, that means you can go to one of the other Alpha Terminals (or outposts if you've got enough faction for L2) and do missions against the faction type against whom you are strong (e.g. with my Pelistal robot, I can go to ICS Alpha Terminal and get a Bounty Hunting mission against Thelodica, who are strong to Nuimqol but weak to me, or I can go to Asintec Alpha Terminal and do Search & Destroy missions against Thelodica robots).

What this means is that you can farm Bounty Hunting missions (and associated plasmas and kernels) that take much less time (because you can plow through the mobs relatively quicker).

It makes quite a difference to be fighting against mobs whom you are strong against - you melt through them much more satisfyingly smile

Of course this also works for just exploring - if you're Pelistal, explore Asintec lands (where there are more Thelodica), if your Nuimqol explore Truhold-Markson areas (where there are more Pelistal) and if you're Thelodica explore ICS areas (where there are more Nuimqol).

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Incidentally,

I've been running the level 2 combat missions out of radholme this weekend on my mission runner alt (which has very little combat skills)

There are 3 missions, each against a different colour bot and each with slightly different objectives and each it quite different terrains.

I did all 3 of them many many times over to try and figure out which was faster,  Since I'm blue I expected the green mission to be easier, but it wasnt!  14 packages required instead of 10 and with heavy energy drain / nuet got me sweating a bit.

I really enjoyed these missions and will happily grind them more.

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Parson Grimes wrote:

What's quite handy is, if you've gotten rep for all three factions up to a decent level (e.g. via transport missions), then you can get L1 and L2 missions from all 3 Alpha terminals and associated Outposts. 

Now, normally (though not always) it seems that the Bounty Hunting missions for a given faction are against the faction type robots against whom you are weak (e.g. Truhold-Markson Alpha Terminal gives a L1 Bounty Hunting mission against Nuimqol robots).  That's presumably why the Bounty Hunting missions give the greatest NIC rewards out of all the missions - because they're a bit more challenging.

But if you are able to get Bounty Hunting missions from the other factions, that means you can go to one of the other Alpha Terminals (or outposts if you've got enough faction for L2) and do missions against the faction type against whom you are strong (e.g. with my Pelistal robot, I can go to ICS Alpha Terminal and get a Bounty Hunting mission against Thelodica, who are strong to Nuimqol but weak to me, or I can go to Asintec Alpha Terminal and do Search & Destroy missions against Thelodica robots).

What this means is that you can farm Bounty Hunting missions (and associated plasmas and kernels) that take much less time (because you can plow through the mobs relatively quicker).

It makes quite a difference to be fighting against mobs whom you are strong against - you melt through them much more satisfyingly smile

Of course this also works for just exploring - if you're Pelistal, explore Asintec lands (where there are more Thelodica), if your Nuimqol explore Truhold-Markson areas (where there are more Pelistal) and if you're Thelodica explore ICS areas (where there are more Nuimqol).

Awesome tips for a new player, thanks a lot smile

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Parson Grimes wrote:

What's quite handy is, if you've gotten rep for all three factions up to a decent level (e.g. via transport missions), then you can get L1 and L2 missions from all 3 Alpha terminals and associated Outposts.

the three corps that give transport missions don't give shooting missions.

i have lvl 2 transport missions availible to me because i've been around the triangle more than a hundred times, but none of the factions are letting me do lvl 1 combat or lvl 1 industry missions, only logistics.

i don't really mind, the nic/hour is awesome with that trangle. i hope i get the chance to go round a few hundred more laps before the nerf guns come out.

/witty sig

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

mostly old information but me being new, still useful

Re: Combat missions for noobs - discussion

Info here is before the randomised mission system so can also be misleading (note thread starts at 2011)