The Vortex[tips]

[sjk1000]

Tips: Shields up, engine up in first sector, upgrade weapons in second sector. Get defense drones asap. If you havent got the firepower by sector 6 pray for hacking. Cross all fingers throughout all 8 sectors

[stylesrj]

1) Hit ESC or Options
2) Select Hangar
3) Choose a different ship.
4) Don't choose the Cerenkov

The moment you fly the Vortex, you'll get nothing but boarders or ships that take a long time to kill (Zoltan pirates) and have Missile Launchers.
Usually both at the same time.

[Arthur Dent]

You need to be lucky to get 1-2 additional crewmembers and a usable weapon early. If you find a Burst Laser II or Flak I early into the game (can use it instantly instead of the worthless Heavy Ion), and win an extra crew member, your ship will suddenly look very good by the standards of sector 1 or 2. Even if you play in hard mode.

[Dirka]

4) Don't choose the Cerenkov

Oh come on, the old Zolt C is a hoot.

At the very least you're bursting with power in the late game. If you make it there. Plus you get the Zolt Shield.

The Vortex on the other hand offers nothing at all starting out. As mentioned above, you're pretty much selling your entire kit for scrap.

[stylesrj]

Ion + Beam Drone for a starting loadout doesn't work very well when you need to squeeze as much power as possible. You're going to take a lot of damage and boarders will rip you apart and you'll then have to divert power from the systems to clone your Zoltan back...

At least the Vortex can target specific systems and can repair damaged systems and try and fend off boarders until you get a better kit.

[Arthur Dent]

But only until your opponent takes out the drone system, which is usually the first thing to happen.

For the most part, the Cerenkov is played like Engi A, ie it can go very smooth if you aren't too unlucky. Even in hard mode. Only having one single crewmember AND a ridiculous weapon combo (anything with more than 1 shield = impossible to beat, despite 3 energy bars; Heavy Ion = worthless unless/until you have another ion weapon) is much worse. (But still manageable much of the time, again even in hard mode.)

[stylesrj]

But only until your opponent takes out the drone system, which is usually the first thing to happen.

And this doesn't happen on the Cerenkov? They target Weapons first so your drone becomes as useless as the Beam Master?

For the most part, the Cerenkov is played like Engi A, ie it can go very smooth if you aren't too unlucky. Even in hard mode. Only having one single crewmember AND a ridiculous weapon combo (anything with more than 1 shield = impossible to beat, despite 3 energy bars; Heavy Ion = worthless unless/until you have another ion weapon) is much worse. (But still manageable much of the time, again even in hard mode.)

A Shield Depleter + Big Gun works quite well for the first two sectors... first sector if Captain's Edition. But like most ships, you need another damage-dealer.
The important thing about the big gun or at least your ship's weapons system is that it can target the system that needs to die.
A Beam Drone is a crapshoot.
A Combat Drone can get lucky and deliver two shots in rapid succession on the enemy ship, hence why it's better than a Beam Drone which would require even more luck for it to zap more than one room.

A Vortex losing Drone Control isn't as game-ending as a Cerenkov losing the Weapons or the Drones in the first volley.

Still, don't fly the Vortex or the Cerenkov. They and the Bulwark have a special circle in Space Hell.

Question for Dark Souls players:
Is the Vortex harder than fighting Ornstein and Smough? If not, are there any ships that are?

[Arthur Dent]

But only until your opponent takes out the drone system, which is usually the first thing to happen.

And this doesn't happen on the Cerenkov? They target Weapons first so your drone becomes as useless as the Beam Master?

Repairing is much easier if your crew consists of 4 Zoltan than with a single Engi. At least you can do it without leaving the pilot unmanned.

For the most part, the Cerenkov is played like Engi A, ie it can go very smooth if you aren't too unlucky. Even in hard mode. Only having one single crewmember AND a ridiculous weapon combo (anything with more than 1 shield = impossible to beat, despite 3 energy bars; Heavy Ion = worthless unless/until you have another ion weapon) is much worse. (But still manageable much of the time, again even in hard mode.)

A Shield Depleter + Big Gun works quite well for the first two sectors... first sector if Captain's Edition. But like most ships, you need another damage-dealer.
The important thing about the big gun or at least your ship's weapons system is that it can target the system that needs to die.
A Beam Drone is a crapshoot.

But you have a fast shooting ion weapon. Aim for the weapons system, so the first shot will take down shields and the second at least one enemy weapons. Works quite well as long as your opponent only has 1 shield.

A Combat Drone can get lucky and deliver two shots in rapid succession on the enemy ship, hence why it's better than a Beam Drone which would require even more luck for it to zap more than one room.

On the other hand, a beam drone cannot miss.

A Vortex losing Drone Control isn't as game-ending as a Cerenkov losing the Weapons or the Drones in the first volley.

At least in the first sector, this isn't usually game-ending either. It may cause lots of damage, but unless you get very unlucky (like enemy with shield hacking while you only have one shield + large beam drone), it should work out.

The trick is to keep surviving until you get hold of a proper weapon. Flak 1, BL2, or a Heavy I to add to your ion weapon, something like this. A second Ion weapon will do wonders, too, it can even help you take out enemy systems.

The Cerenkov is a bit difficult to play, that's true. But my winning percentage with the Cerenkov is definitely greater than with the Vortex.

Still, don't fly the Vortex or the Cerenkov. They and the Bulwark have a special circle in Space Hell.

Well, when I start a new profile, I always play to win at least once with every playable ship, in as few playthroughs overall as possible. So I'm not going to avoid any of these three.

BTW, at least in the last 3-4 campaigns (all exclusively in hard mode), I don't think it ever took me more than 3 attempts to win with any ship. Bulwark was still one of the biggest challgenges. On one occasion, I had to play it 5 times. I did beat the boss on the 1st attempt, but and also twice in the next 4 runs, but it somehow took me forever to unlock the shivan. (It's easy in Easy and Normal mode, if you have a firebomb and a teleporter, but in hard mode, the layout of the boss is different and you cannot always get a teleporter or may sometimes be forced to sell your firebomb to surivive)

[stylesrj]

Repairing is much easier if your crew consists of 4 Zoltan than with a single Engi. At least you can do it without leaving the pilot unmanned.

But you need those Zoltan where they are right now to power everything you need. If you move them out, you'll get a power shortage.
Also, an Engi is like having two people repairing a system.

At least in the first sector, this isn't usually game-ending either. It may cause lots of damage, but unless you get very unlucky (like enemy with shield hacking while you only have one shield + large beam drone), it should work out.

The trick is to keep surviving until you get hold of a proper weapon. Flak 1, BL2, or a Heavy I to add to your ion weapon, something like this. A second Ion weapon will do wonders, too, it can even help you take out enemy systems.

The Cerenkov is a bit difficult to play, that's true. But my winning percentage with the Cerenkov is definitely greater than with the Vortex.

I just tend not to fly with either one; they're too dependant on the RNG being in your favour in the early stages of the game. The moment something goes wrong or you face the wrong ship, it's just better to restart and try again. Skipping battles in Sector 1 to me is bad. You take on damage and get nothing in return. At least an empty beacon just gives you nothing.

And there are some ships which do too much of that I just go "Screw it, fly something else..."

[Arthur Dent]

Repairing is much easier if your crew consists of 4 Zoltan than with a single Engi. At least you can do it without leaving the pilot unmanned.

But you need those Zoltan where they are right now to power everything you need. If you move them out, you'll get a power shortage.

It's much less of a problem once you have that extra crewmember (so you can put the Zoltan pilot to where it can generate power) and improved the reactor by 1-2 units. Once you're there, the battery is good enough to compensate for all of this.

Also, an Engi is like having two people repairing a system.

True. Once you have a second crewmember to do the piloting, the problems in the Vortex are gone.

Until then, however, you are guaranteed to get a severe beating once somebody takes out your drone system. And level 1 engines aren't exactly helping prevent damage, either. (It's less of a problem if you play easy or normal - simply improve the engines to level 2 first thing, it's only 10 scrap. But you don't start with any scrap in hard mode, of course.)

At least in the first sector, this isn't usually game-ending either. It may cause lots of damage, but unless you get very unlucky (like enemy with shield hacking while you only have one shield + large beam drone), it should work out.

I just tend not to fly with either one; they're too dependant on the RNG being in your favour in the early stages of the game. The moment something goes wrong or you face the wrong ship, it's just better to restart and try again. Skipping battles in Sector 1 to me is bad. You take on damage and get nothing in return. At least an empty beacon just gives you nothing.

My approach is to play to win every ship, and to no longer play any ship with which I've already won, unless it's a layout A and I haven't yet unlocked layout b. I never give up until I'm dead, no matter how hopeless it looks. (Once I've beaten the game with every ship. I will delete my profile).

It is surprising how often you still end up winning despite a frustrtating start. However, it's also true that a bad start usually carries through until the end. You can always win after poor sectors 1-2, but you won't get a highscore. Still, I actually find the low scoring wins to be most satisfying. Ever beat the boss despite collecting a total of less than 1000 scrap, giving you a final score well below 4000? It's insane, but it's possible, and to be honest, I find it much more impressive than a win with 6000 or 7000 points. Most of the time, such a score merely indicates that the playthrough has been a cakewalk for most of the run.