Soloing a Xenon K in an M class fighter.

[Kernel Panic]

First you you need an M class fighter with no missile launchers, only energy weapons. Next you need a Xenon K somewhere in the universe. Once you have both fly toward the K in travel mode. You want to be at full speed in case one of it's guns gets bead on you. Try to approach from the top if you can since these giant destroyers don't have any guns up there. Once you are within a few meters and on top of it's hull kill your engines and point your turrets and main guns at it hull. I like to hide in the seam of the hull about half way back because it gives a little cover in case the K isn't alone. Now just start shooting until it blows up. You will ride along where ever it goes as it slowly spins circles trying to aim at you. Killing a K while in the territory of faction you have zero low rep with is a huge boost. I got my HAT rep to 10 in one kill, ARG and PAR to 10 in 2 kills.

[Buzz2005]

meh no fun, target turrets first and take them out 1 by 1 while you dodge bullets strafing

much better

[foxxbl]

Soloing Xenon K is easy, especially in the Nemesis.
Soloing Xenon I is a different beast, the similar tactics but slowly.. .. It reminds me to X:Rebirth and peeking slowly behind its back and disabling the Jet turrets on the Fulmekron before capturing it.
For the Xenon I missile launchers are necessary as large number of grouped L turrets can mince you in a couple of seconds.
My favorite setup for this task is modded Nemesis with 3 Bolt Repeaters in the middle and sided with Tracking and Torpedo launchers..
Do anyone knows how much you get for pacifying Xenon I? I forgot to check.. For K it is nice 600k credits

[Olfrygt]

I is 600k too both are XL sized ships.

[radcapricorn]

There's a difference between difficulty and hardship. Dismantling a K in an M-size is just busywork. It's mundane. No fun at all

[Olfrygt]

There's a difference between difficulty and hardship. Dismantling a K in an M-size is just busywork. It's mundane. No fun at all

The easiest way is to camp in SETA at safespot and let the turrets doing the work.

[Imperial Good]

Does not work when there is more than 1 K or I. The others will cover the blind spots of each other resulting in you dying very fast. A Xenon attack fleet usually consists of 5+ K and 1+ I.

[Olfrygt]

Does not work when there is more than 1 K or I. The others will cover the blind spots of each other resulting in you dying very fast. A Xenon attack fleet usually consists of 5+ K and 1+ I.

Not in my universe, i saw 2 I's in ~250h played, and both roamed alone.

[Imperial Good]

Not in my universe, i saw 2 I's in ~250h played, and both roamed alone.

They are meant to be separated into groups of 1 I and 5 Ks per cluster (4 Is and 20 Ks in total). However currently it appears that they do not distinguish which shipyard to build the Is and Ks at to keep them operating within a cluster. So for example my Scale Plate Green is now being bulldozed by 2 Is and 7+ Ks while both the matrix clusters are completely devoid of I and K capital ships. They are not meant to make such doom fleets, but they occasionally will it seems.

[photomankc]

Yeah it'd be more of a fight if they had some fighters on reserve or that it could launch if you dig in on it. Anything that makes you move out of that handy butt-notch is no-bueno for your M ship if the L turrets on the space-rolly-polly get a bead. I had both open up on me after a P dislodged me and I was shredded before I could do jack squat about it. I kinda like the 'gravity well' thing or even just assume the ships computer can latch on and 'hover' if you like but making that a bit more fragile would add more challenge to it. If the K is alone and I can knock out those lower L turrets its like the wasp that plants larva on the caterpillar. It may squirm and thrash around a bit but its dead already.

[Kernel Panic]

I started a new game last week and RNGesus has given me a universe where the Xenon are coming in higher numbers than I have seen before. It is rare that I see a lone K without any fighter escorts and after a few game days the K's are starting to be paired with an I as well as the fighters.

If you don't want to take on an I in an M class fighter then you will need to divide and conquer. You should start this run with the I between your ship and the K and out of range of the I's guns. If the I decides to move towards you early it will take it a while to stop and turn once you are past it. This is a good thing. Set you turrets to "Hold Fire" and point your ship towards the K. Activate your travel drive and steer your ship towards the top of the K and start shooting your main guns at about 8km from the K. The goal is to hit it as you fly past and get it to chase your ship. Once you are about 15km past the K cut your engines and turn to face it then add enough reverse thrust to equal 85m/s (about 50% of the K's cruising speed ~177m/s). This will give you time to adjust your turret targeting settings and anything else you need to do while the K chases you down. By now the I should have chosen a new target and be moving towards it. If this is the case you just need to wait until the K starts to shoot at you and then hit you thrusters and travel drive to get into position above the K and kill it.

[Fenris321]

It really would be nice to see the K (and I) have a small fighter bay. They are just so vulnerable they're more like loot pinatas (if you get the 600K payout). Or at least give them defense drones and enough bays to launch them at least somewhat effectively. Anti-fighter/missile turrets would be nice also, like the old cluster flak or flak artillery arrays. Even the I is disappointing, I'd love to see a version of the J brought back.

[Kernel Panic]

It really would be nice to see the K (and I) have a small fighter bay. They are just so vulnerable they're more like loot pinatas (if you get the 600K payout). Or at least give them defense drones and enough bays to launch them at least somewhat effectively. Anti-fighter/missile turrets would be nice also, like the old cluster flak or flak artillery arrays. Even the I is disappointing, I'd love to see a version of the J brought back.

I think the Xenon fighters are a bit "meh" once you get into a Nemesis. I usually fly into a cluster of them spraying fire to get their attention and once they are chasing me I cut my engines and pick them off as they close range. If you don't shoot them they will fly right at your cockpit and try to get behind you. If you fire 3 phased repeaters at them as they do this you can kill them before they get within 1000m of your ship. Things get a bit trickier if you happen to find yourself surrounded by more than three of them but it's not the M's and N's that I worry about so much as it is the P's. Three P's can strip your shields very fast and even if you kill them it leaves you open to the M's and N's.

I think what the Xenon really need is better fire coordination between ships. None of their ships should have an individual combat AI unless it is the last ship in the sector. They should form up with existing wings as soon as they enter a sector and the ships in each wing should all attack the same target or defend the same objective.