How to get rid of a Frigate?

[Symont]

I'm playing the terran plot and i have to capture a caiman ts in a split sector to get information about the Terraformers....

Should be easy, but there's 3 xenon ships (2 m3 and 1 m7). This sector does not have many patrols or serious firepower to get rid of these ships and i can't do it either (i have 1 m3, 2 m4 and 2 m5). Is there a way to make them go away? Like luring them to another sector or calling/hiring help to do the job for me?

I'm still kind of new to the X series (TC is my first) so maybe the answer is obvious....

Thanks

[Black_hole_suN]

What ship are you flying?

The Xenon Q has a HUGE blindspot directly above and below it.. You can literally park another m7 there and the Q's weapons will not even see you (dont be intimidated by the turrets in these region - it doesnt work).. another blindspot is between the engine blocks, between the Q's body and "wings", or on the right side of the Q's tail (only left turrets work there)

you fire missiles such as Hornets and Specters from these blindspots. If you dont have money for missiles you can use energy efficient weaps like Plasma Burst Generators (pirate flamethrower) or Electromagnetic Plasma Cannon (Terran-made). You can also use amunition based Energy Bolt Chainguns (Teladi-made)

[DrBullwinkle]

1) If your M3 is the Cutlass from the Terran Defender plot, then you can just kill the Xenon Q M7. Use Spectre missiles if you do not feel up to a little gun fighting.

2) You do not need for the Q to leave the sector. All you need is for it to be far enough away to ignore you -- or far enough away that it cannot catch you before you force the TS to bail. You can achieve that by luring the Q to follow you away from the TS, then jump to a gate that is closer to the Caiman.

3) If the Caiman is sufficiently far from the Q when you enter the sector, then consider trying to coax the Caiman away from the Q while you attempt to capture it.

4) After you capture the TS, it will be a sitting duck for the Xenons, so you want to get it out of the sector quickly. Transfer your jump drive and jump it to safety.

Oh, wait... maybe you do not *have* a jump drive yet? In that case, see method 1. Or do Method 2 in a Rapier, which is fast enough to lure the Q very far away from the Caiman before you double-back to capture it.

[Symont]

I'm flying a Nova Raider and i have about 3,5 millions in my account. Not enough to buy a m7. As for the blind spot, i didn't know... but the two xenon m3 won't let me stay there for long.
You say it's easy to kill with a m7, but can i do it with a m3? Let's say i lure the two m3 away and take them down, will my Nova be enough to exploit the blind spot?

[DrBullwinkle]

Sure, a Nova Raider is fine. EBCG's are a particularly good weapon for that ship. They have long range and do not use laser energy so you can fire them indefinitely. Or energy-efficient PAC's if EBCG's are unavailable.

The Nova Raider is fast enough to get away from the Q when your shields are low. A Turbo Booster (Bonus Pack) makes that even more true.

To avoid taking excessive fire, learn to Barrel Roll. It is the single best defensive move in most filight-oriented games (including X). With practice, you will be able to fire on your target while evading some of its fire.

An "X3 Barrel Roll" is: Hold two strafe keys and Roll while moving your stick (or mouse) in small circles. It makes your ship very difficult to target.

Thunderbolts are excellent missiles for Commonwealth M3's. They have good firepower and speed, and are widely available.

[ancienthighway]

Yet another option if you aren't comfortable trying to kill the Q in an M3 is an M8. You basically park your bomber at the edge of the triplex range, let loose a volley of missiles and wait for the boom. After firing the missiles you can jump into your M3 and send the bomber to park someplace safe.

[Hellfire29]

When Black_hole_suN said you could put an M7 there, he meant that it was such a large blindspot, that an M7 could fit, you don't need an M7 to kill it.

Assuming the L's or LX's are faster than the M7, try running away so they all chase you, then after a while turning back and killing the M3's before the Q gets in range. Should be able to get the Q then by positioning in the blind spot.

[Symont]

Thanks for the input, but the problem solved itself

I docked at a station and waited for the Xenon to move to the next sector... they came back before i finished planting the bug in the TL, but they were too far away to be dangerous.

[hisazul]

Tho it was solved I just want to point out one little detail everyone walked past... hes terran... so... he can use >terran< missiles.
*cough*wraith*cough*

And if you have nova grab yourself a plasma burst generator fly up so close turrets can't shoot and then enjoy the "overpowered" weapon that can BBQ anything as long as you can get close.

[ancienthighway]

Actually, he's playing the Terran Plot. He didn't say he's Terran.

[Symont]

Actually, he's playing the Terran Plot. He didn't say he's Terran.

I'm playing the Terran plot as a Terran

Can i use the Wraith with my nova? i just got the cutlass from terran plot. Can it use the wraith?

[DrBullwinkle]

No, that was a "curve ball" (not really relevant to your situation, which is why we mentioned Spectres but not Wraiths). Wraiths are the Terran heavy swarm torpedo. It is very powerful and the swarm feature makes it difficult to defend against. But you will need a larger ship to fire Wraiths.

The Cutlass *can* fire Spectres, which are a powerful medium-class missile. They are very nice (and quite versatile; having the speed to hit M3's and the power to take on larger enemies).