12 tips after playing 200 hours in game

[Sorational]

In short: I spent 200 hours in X4. My Net worth is almost 10 billion credits. I have 5.3 billion of cash, 25 trade ships and 25 miners all across the universe. My HQ has 88 production modules, 4 for building ships, 17 storage modules, 7300 workers. My 200 million credits fleet: 16 Odysseuses, 5 Ruttelsnakes, 1 Zeus with 20 S, 3 Dragons, and 1 my favorite Nemesis. I wiped out all Xenon sectors, stations, and ships.

Now my top tips (based on my experience).

Starting the game

• Nividium is your first best profit (and this is the only his purpose). Buy a few trade ships and make them Auto trade. You can have 400k credits per ship per sell. Before this stage try to play missions or loot crystals. I've created a table with the average amount of resources per sector.

• Nemesis Vanguard with 5 Thermal Disintegrators Mk2 (and 2 plasma turrets) is your best friend in M ships segment. Dragon has +1 weapon but a lower shield. And shields in this game are more important.

• Your main enemy is a Xenon. Keep other factions as allies. Even ZYA or SCA (except the plot).

Pro tips

• Your best all-game profit is a Wharf or a Shipyard. Other factions will buy your ships for a fortune.

• Your best friend in L class ships is Odysseus Vanguard. 10 km main battery range is your fatality for Xenon K, I, or even stations.

• You will need at least 10 Odysseuses to wipe out a Xenon sector quickly (25 min per station). Check below how to do this.

• You CAN destroy Xenon K with your Nemesis/Dragon solo. Check below how to do this.

• You don't need to destroy xenon's solar power plant to conquer a sector. You can do it later. Shipyard and Defense platforms are your goal.

• Forget about the Mass Driver or Boson Lance. They are useless. Ion blaster + Pulse or Thermal Disintegrators are the best.

• If you don't have money for a Wharf yet, try to sell ship parts to your allies: weapon components, advanced electronics, engine parts, shield/turret components, drone components are ALWAYS in need.

• Paranid has the best engines. Argon has the best turrets. Teladi has the best shields. Splitt has Thermal Disintegrators:). Combine them to make a better ship.

• Rattlesnakes are super great for destroying ships, even xenon K. But not for stations.

Now in deep.

How to destroy a xenon K solo with Nemesis

See screenshot here https://ibb.co/8BWPxTh

With Thermal Disintegrators Mk2 you will spend twice less time but other weapons also will do. A weak spot of K (and I also) is his top/backside, where he has only 2 bolt turrets + 2 more on the sides.
1. Destroy engines as fast as possible. K will be stuck in the same place for 20-30 min.
2. Now destroy 2 bolt turrets from sides. Then 2 bolt turrets from the back.
3. Now your goals is Graviton turrets, 2 at the bottom, and 4 from the sides. After that 3 bolt turrets at the front side of the ship.
4. After that you need to destroy 2 L shields at the bottom of the ship (here is the main advantage of Thermal Disintegrators came in). And that's it, you can continue destroying it because it's crap now.
Remember to put your ships a bit higher than K (never approach it from the bottom), so you will not be an easy target for Graviton turrets.

Pretty the same tactic work for destroying I, with some "but". He has more turrets and there is less safe space behind the I. I usually destroy the engines and fly away. Then my Odysseuses will disassemble it from a safe distance.
See screenshot https://ibb.co/SnByKF8

I had a battle with 1 I and 5 K at the same time. But moving my ships in a higher position and approaching from the back did the trick.

How to destroy a station or a sector

You will need 10-12 Odysseuses for war with Xenon. Wiping out a sector is a tough job so be prepared and grab some snacks.
The real problem with stations is that your fleet can't stay far away in the safe distance in most cases. They running like idiots to the turrets and dying there.
I've found out that using Fleet with 1 ship as a Commander and the rest of them as Defend commander"will do the magic here. They will stay away from stations and still hold a fire (don't do this for attacking ships).
See screenshot here https://ibb.co/rFvPSS7

• Defense platform – in my opinion the easiest target here, because they have circle shapes. My Odysseus fleet doesn't have a problem in most cases with defense platforms. Just remember to use "Defend commander" order.

• Wharf and Shipyard are the pain in the ass. They have longe shapes and your ship will run into turrets eventually. Just use Defend commander order and keep an eye on them. Or use one Rattlesnake to destroy Graviton turrets by yourself.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading this long text

[Imperial Good]

Before this stage try to play missions or loot crystals.

You can also cheese early game by taking one of the always existing pre-placed claimable ships. Such as the Osprey in Company Regard. Modify most of the equipment off the ship or out right sell it for an instant 3 or so M miners. If you are a bit more brave you can do the same with the Odysseus in Faulty Logic for an instant fleet of M miners.

Nemesis Vanguard with 5 Thermal Disintegrators Mk2 (and 2 plasma turrets) is your best friend in M ships segment. Dragon has +1 weapon but a lower shield. And shields in this game are more important.

Dragon Raider is your best choice for personal M ship as it has 1 more gun and flies a lot faster than the Nemesis. In this game speed and DPS is everything. Flying at >1.3km/s (exceptional grade modifications installed on chassis and engines) without using any boost or travel mode allow you to swoop in and kill distracted enemies before they can even react. Even if your shields go down you are so fast that no enemy ships will be able to keep up with you for long. Of course it is totally immune to missiles as none even approach that speed.

My choice weapon is the Tau Accelerator. It is close range but distance does not matter at such speed anyway. 6 of them with exceptional weapon mods installed on them can melt any M ship in a few seconds max and S ships just out right explode as soon as your weapons connect.

Nemesis is still the best bet for people without Split Vendetta DLC. I used it for over a year before the DLC and even after the DLC it was my go to ship until I discovered how superior the Dragon Raider is.

Your best all-game profit is a Wharf or a Shipyard. Other factions will buy your ships for a fortune.

This is being nerfed a lot in 4.00. They will still buy ships but nowhere near the rate they did before. However mining is kind of being buffed indirectly in 4.00 since it is now slower so AI stations are less likely to be saturated with mined input allowing you to sell mineables at a better price. You will need a larger mining fleet to compensate but that is just setup cost anyway. Logically move up the supply chain until you can supply ship and station components. You could also try to induce ship shortages for some factions to encourage them to buy from you. As always TEL seems to have the highest demand for ships so should be your first blueprints.

Your best friend in L class ships is Odysseus Vanguard. 10 km main battery range is your fatality for Xenon K, I, or even stations.

It is a very reliable ship and certainly the best that people without Split Vendetta can get. However the Rattlesnake beats it a lot in player hands or for defending against Xenon attacks.

You CAN destroy Xenon K with your Nemesis/Dragon solo. Check below how to do this.

Yes you CAN do this. However it is not recommended given how low the DPS of even a Dragon is. Far better to get a Rattlesnake and kill the K head on in under 1 minute without giving a care about its shield generators and even turrets most of the time. Is take longer and you may need to reposition a few times depending on how it moves.

Ion blaster + Pulse or Thermal Disintegrators are the best.

For S guns there is the Blast Mortar which is the best anti capital weapon you can put on a S ships. Even if they fixed the double damage in high attention bug, it will still wreck surface elements and large ships fast.

For M guns there is also the Tau Accelerator which is a very high burst damage weapon. Perfect for a fast ship like the Dragon Raider to hit and run S and M targets. With weapon mods installed even M ships will explode in a few seconds max.

Paranid has the best engines. Argon has the best turrets. Teladi has the best shields. Splitt has Thermal Disintegrators:). Combine them to make a better ship.

Split has the best engines, not even by a small margin either. ZYA/RHK are the only faction that sells a Mk4 combat engine for S and M ships and since it is a split engine it is also a lot faster than any of the other faction engines for normal flight (the only thing that really matters in combat). Using this engine and installing modifications on the ship it is possible to get the Dragon Raider past the 1.3 km/s flight speed mark. Even for L and XL their faster flight speed helps a lot.

For travel speed ARG engines are the best, so you want these on all your traders and miners. For people who do not own Split Vendetta PAR engines are the best combat engines you will have access to.

PAR L turrets are usually the best due to having the longest range, fastest projectile speed and second highest damage. For pure DPS then Split L turrets are the best. ARG L turrets turn the fastest so have the best anti-fighter potential, but for capital fights PAR and SPL are out right better.

ARG M turrets are generally the best. There are no racial variations to damage so the faster rotation speed is pure advantage without any real downside. Exception to this is SPL Flak turrets which are mechanically different and significantly higher DPS than their ARG counter part. Flak turrets suffer from the same double damage in high attention bug as Blast Mortars, meaning they might deal significantly more damage than their on paper DPS.

Gun wise you can get the Tau Accelerator from the Split. The S Blast Mortar is available from HOP.

[jlehtone]

I thought that the Pro Tip is: Don't go for the money.
The sooner you get money, the closer you are to having endless stations and fleets, and the less there is left to do (except restart).

[Sorational]

I thought that the Pro Tip is: Don't go for the money.
The sooner you get money, the closer you are to having endless stations and fleets, and the less there is left to do (except restart).

In this game, money is a small thing actually. You can have billions yet if there are no resources in the station or even in the nearest sectors – you will struggle to build smth. Resources is a king.

[Dj_FRedy]

All of the above is very interesting guys, but.... are you talking about there is currently a bug with the Blast Mortar and Flak turrets in high attention that count double damage?

[Alan Phipps]

That would be this issue. Suspected also for flak turrets but less obvious.

[Dj_FRedy]

Ok, thanks for the link. I will have to experience this and draw my own conclusions. I don't want to derail the topic with this.

[gorgofdoom]

I have just above 1400 hours & I disagree with a lot of what you have said. I'm not here to tell you how to play, though. I'll limit myself to one topic:

Don't discount the value of mass drivers/ boson lances. They provide capacities like no other equipment in the game & these can be used to great effect.

[grapedog]

Similarly, at 1500+ hours, and dragon raiders are fun scout ships but i would never choose to use one if i know im going into heavy combat. If its just two or three enemies, a dragon raider is fine... but ive been in fights with 40+ xenon, including 20 P, and the dragon raider crumples under that pressure... while the nemesis, which is only slightly slower, has WAY better staying power.

If it's a real fight, ill take a nemesis... if im taking old ladies on a guided highway tour, ill take the dragon raider.

[baerdesklopapies]

In short: I spent 200 hours in X4. My Net worth is almost 10 billion credits. I have 5.3 billion of cash, 25 trade ships and 25 miners all across the universe. My HQ has 88 production modules, 4 for building ships, 17 storage modules, 7300 workers. My 200 million credits fleet: 16 Odysseuses, 5 Ruttelsnakes, 1 Zeus with 20 S, 3 Dragons, and 1 my favorite Nemesis. I wiped out all Xenon sectors, stations, and ships.

800h (on my old playthrough, I started over with beta), too much tradeships, HQ has 20 modules (after that it was useless), 2 building ships, around 60000 workers on 4 Stations, my personal Fleet is 4 Raptor, 8 Rattlesnake (2 for each raptor), on every Raptor: 6 Dragons + 6 Chimera/6 Nemesis+ 6 Chimera, 2 Nomad, and alot of Raptor+Rattlesnakes+Nomad for sector patrols. (Most of the capital ships are boarded ^^)

New playthrough: 96h, 8M Tradeships(2 auto trader), 6 L Tradeships, HQ 15modules, Wharf is in build, 1 building ship, 20 workers (:P), 1 Behemoth, 2Phoenx, 2 Rattlesnakes, 1 Raptor + 7 Balaur (idk some boarded FRF ships have them on board), 2 Nomad.
And 1 Dragon and 1 Nemesis.... stored on Raptor for emerency

Here is my Protip:
Go board some Ships from your enemys. If you need money -> sell them.

Now my top tips (based on my experience).

Starting the game
...
Nividium is your first best profit

true, but rare and low regenerating. Go for Silicon (? hope google translate it correct ^^). The 1 Story plot should put you in a good spot and the Teladi have always a Factory that need it. and if you find Nividium... go for it!
If you go for Auto Miner.... use it once per Nividium spot and sell it, then forget it.

...

• Nemesis Vanguard with 5 Thermal Disintegrators Mk2 (and 2 plasma turrets) is your best friend in M ships segment. Dragon has +1 weapon but a lower shield. And shields in this game are more important.

...

Early Start game and buy a M ship?
Go to the Split and buy a Chimera or Balaur, spend them some Neutron Gatlings (MK1 if you have not enough money for MK2) or the weapons of your choice, and Teladi Shields. Both are heavy S fighter and i use it since i got my Chimera (modified engine for faster combat later). My Dragon/Nemesis are stored most of the time.

Pro tips

• You will need at least 10 Odysseuses to wipe out a Xenon sector quickly (25 min per station). Check below how to do this.

I use 1 Raptor full plasma, 30min each Station but wipe a Xenon sector is not that hard.

• Forget about the Mass Driver or Boson Lance. They are useless. Ion blaster + Pulse or Thermal Disintegrators are the best.

Like Imperial Good and gorgofdoom say

• Paranid has the best engines. Argon has the best turrets. Teladi has the best shields. Splitt has Thermal Disintegrators:). Combine them to make a better ship.

its not that simple. I use a lot of Split engines in fighters, ARG engines for long distance, Arg Shields have a better recharge etc. It depends what role the ship should play.
But read imperial Good about this! (second post)

Now in deep.

How to destroy a xenon K solo with Nemesis

siting Duck is the goal for everthing. I board all ships with chimera by siting at the engine . + if your ship is faster then the Turrets you can strafe out a Bolt Turret with cycles ^^

How to destroy a station or a sector
....
The real problem with stations is that your fleet can't stay far away in the safe distance in most cases. They running like idiots to the turrets and dying there.
...

yep, Ai is not good at fighting even with the new coordinated Attacks in 4.0. As i said i use 1 Raptor with full Plasma and quickly charge into the weak Spots, then again i play siting Duck until its destroyed and move on to the next weak spot.

-Problem with defence Platforms?
If youre in weak spot you may can sneak a bit forward and your weapons fire at the Platform without get hit by the Graviton cannons.
or
Locate the turrets and sneak in range for the L Plasma cannons (SPL/PAR), they hava a higher Range than the Gravtion cannons from the Xenon.

-Problems with thousands of defence Drones?
Charge out of Station Range (not to far) and go OOS (teleport or with a fast scout). Bonus: if you have a second cap. ship parked with bolt/pulse or laser you may not need to go OOS.

Dragon Raider is your best choice for personal M ship as it has 1 more gun and flies a lot faster than the Nemesis.

i disagree this too. The Raider version is a good fun ship but the Nemesis do there job way better than the Dragon Raider or its normal Version. But i'm a bit nostalgic and prefer the Dragon