[X2] How to best outfit an Argon Buster for combat (preferably on the cheap)?

ls612 · Post by **ls612** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 01:30

I'm playing through the pirate-killing plot mission in X2 (the one to gain Paranid rep), and being a relative newbie to the series I'm having issues with killing anything more dangerous than a Mandalay. Even a generic Pirate Ship will be able to kill me most of the time. What equipment do I need to be viable in combat?

Currently my ship has 2 Gamma IREs and a whole bunch of Wasp missiles, as well as 3x1 MW shields (I can't find a station that sells the 5MW ones).

Vim Razz · Post by **Vim Razz** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 05:47

This is actually a pretty good time to take a break from the plot for some trading and/or side missions since the combat will just get heavier from here on out. The Argon Nova is a nice, versatile M3 that can carry you through the rest of the plot. It's well shielded and it's rear turret is a huge asset.

If you want to keep trucking in the Buster a bit longer, though, you might look into some Mass Drivers.

If you're having trouble finding 5MJ shields, there should be factories in the following sectors:

Spoiler

Show

Cardinal's Domain
Elana's Fortune
Nopileos' Memorial
Priest's Pity
Profit Center Alpha
Shareholder's Fortune
The Vault

Some useful X2 resources:
Roguey's X2: http://roguey.co.uk/x2/
The Commander's Space Station: http://www.compurees.org/index.htm

Good luck!

thelastslaith · Post by **thelastslaith** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 11:06

Your main problem will be the sheilds, 1mj sheilds basically do too little to protect you and even fighting m5's will be a huge challenge as you have seen.

Also getting a few silkworm missiles will help you greatly, they a bit more but they could make a real difference.

I would also recommend this as a time to start trading a bit.

ls612 · Post by **ls612** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 16:24

OK, the Nova looks good but is really expensive (it took me a long time trading to save up for the Buster). Would it be at all worth it to purchase an Ore Mine or Solar Plant?

Masochisto · Post by **Masochisto** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 17:31

You'll find your money grows quickly once you get some passive income going.

SPPs in X2 are overpowered if you put them in a good spot. It has been a long time since I played X2.

Here is a great thread on SPPs in X2:
TD'S GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF SOLAR POWER PLANTS

Take some time out of the missions to tinker around in your buster, upgrade it a little, but also invest some. When you can afford that Nova with full kit, that is a good indication that you are ready to move on with the plot.

/sigh I miss my X2 Osprey....

thelastslaith · Post by **thelastslaith** » Fri, 4. Oct 13, 22:09

I wouldn't recommend a station yet. They make money slowly and gradually and cost alot to set up while you have to think where your putting them.

Instead id go for passive income by buying a basic trade ship, manually making it buy and sell till u have cash to upgrade it fully and make it a trader. (total cost would be around 1mil). With one set up its just a matter of time till you have the cash for a 2nd ect

Masochisto · Post by **Masochisto** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 01:40

SPPs in X2 were considerably cheaper than they are in the later games, and made much more money. They cost about 900k, energy at min was 9c and 24c at max, so the ROI was much better.

He should have already received a TS from one of the early plot missions, so I assume he has already been using that to trade.

Vim Razz · Post by **Vim Razz** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 02:29

Stations are a great long-term investment if you're interested in getting involved in that kind of play. Setting them up does take a fair bit of capitol, though, which is something to consider if you're wanting to push forward with the plot.

As has already been mentioned, SPPs in X2 are fantastic in terms of reasonably high profit at a rather low startup cost.

So... if you want to try it right away, then go for it. If not, then don't worry about it.

Another viable alternative for making money if you want a more action-oriented game is by capturing and selling pirate ships. Capping in X2 is a bit easier than it is in later games, and there's a fair amount of information on it in the links I posted earlier.

ls612 · Post by **ls612** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 22:29

Well I went and purchased a SPP and placed it in Kingdom End, and now no matter what I set the prices at (I've checked the other SPP in the sector, I'm selling for less any buying for more) I can't get any traders to come and buy my energy cells (or sell me crystal). Kinda defeats the purpose of having a passive money-maker if you have to babysit it manually. Am I missing something obvious here?

Vim Razz · Post by **Vim Razz** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 22:55

You need ships to actively buy and sell your product in order to get that competitive advantage. Generally, a Boron Dolphin for selling e-cells, and a Split Scorpion for buying up crystals.

Buy Crystals at exactly average (so that your buyer won't ignore trading stations); sell ecells at ~22 or so.

It can take a while get set up, and in the early game where you're still scrounging for money, feeding the station and/or selling the product yourself while working up the resources to buy the necessary trade ships is normal.

It can be a little tedious at the start, but the X2 economy is so generally bad in the early game that it still ends up being more profitable than running around looking for random trades.

The overall economy will improve once you've got some SPPs feeding it energy. NPC stations in X2 are pretty poor at maintaining themselves.

ls612 · Post by **ls612** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 23:01

OK, that isn't as bad as I thought, even if I handle it manually I will make good money (almost as much as silicon runs).

Someone mentioned something about capturing pirate ships, how do I do that? Currently the only way I know how to deal with them is to fire a couple Silkworms and hope a laser barrage can finish them off.

Vim Razz · Post by **Vim Razz** » Sat, 5. Oct 13, 23:26

Some basic capping guides:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=162408
http://www.compurees.org/css/x2capture.htm

Kingdom End is a great location to have put your first SPP, btw (good access to crystal and customers). So while you're exploring and trying things out, you don't have to worry that you've made a sub-optimal investment or anything in that regard.

spudsman · Post by **spudsman** » Sun, 6. Oct 13, 02:10

If you are not able to acquire an M3 (preferably a Nova because of the cargo space, rear turret, and shielding), then I would recommend trading the Buster in for a Boron Mako.

In X2, the Mosquito anti-missile system never worked well enough for my tastes to make up for the Buster's (or Buzzard's, Falcon's, etc.) slow speed. And one thing you'll find the Buster painfully vulnerable to is Silkworm missiles, which in the vanilla game are just fast enough to catch even an upgraded Buster and do 24000 of damage, which easily overwhelms the 15MW of shielding on a fully equipped Buster.

The Mako only has 10MW of shielding max but is fast enough to avoid missiles that could kill it in one shot. It can equip the ion disruptor and with this can quickly negate a larger opponents superior shielding. I remember taking down M6s with the Mako and IonD + GPAC, though I recall it taking a long time. My point is the Mako can actually be a pretty decent fighter if you use its speed to attack and disengage at the right time.

If you are looking for 5MW/MJ shields, there should be a Teladi 5MW Shield Fab in Elena's Fortune.

If you want to fly the Buster (and I liked the Buster in X2), then either GPACs or mass drivers are the way to go. Mass drivers bypass shields entirely but as I recall they did relatively poor hull damage. On the other hand, because they are ammunition based, you could fire continuously until you ran out of ammo.

ls612 · Post by **ls612** » Mon, 7. Oct 13, 17:03

Thanks for all of the help guys, the SPP combined with some BBS trade missions netted me enough credits to purchase a Nova, as the Buster was not enough to reliably kill Kha'ak (although the real challenge now is finding someone who sells 25MW shields, goodness this game can be tedious sometimes).