Enemy Ship General Info
Enemy ships become more powerful with each new sector, but each type of ship is limited in the systems, weapons, drones, and crew it can have. For example, an Engi ship will never have offensive drones. In later sectors, it's possible for some ships to have up to 10 power in shields or weapons, which is more than the player can obtain. Nevertheless, five-shield enemies are rare.
Pirate ships can have a few differences from their counterparts. In addition to the paint job, some have different layouts and new Systems installed. Pirate crews are randomly chosen from the races that can be encountered in that sector; for example, a pirate Rock ship might be crewed by Mantis and Zoltan.
Enemy ships usually have about 10 Missiles and 4 Drones stocked, but this can vary.
Crystal Ships
Crystal ships only use crystal weapons, which pierce one shield layer, and the lockdown bomb. They come in two sizes, Scouts and Bombers, with Advanced Edition adding two additional loadouts, Outriders and Instigators. Be wary of boarding; the enemy Crystal crew will use their Lockdown power on your crew.
Crystal Bomber
blueprint: CRYSTAL_BOMBER
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-5 Crystal
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Crystal Instigator
blueprint: CRYSTAL_BOMBER_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-5 Crystal
Systems
- Shields (2-10)
- Engines (1-5)
- Oxygen (1-3)
- Weapons (2-10)
- Piloting (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
- Cloaking (1-2)
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
- Clone Bay (1-3)
Crystal Scout
blueprint: CRYSTAL_SCOUT
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Crystal
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
Crystal Outrider
blueprint: CRYSTAL_SCOUT_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Crystal
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
Weapons
These Crystal Ships can have any of the following weapons:
Engi Ships
Engi ships always have a drone system, but their drones are purely defensive. They also have the Med-bot Dispersal augment, but it only functions when they have medbay.
Engi Scout
blueprint: CIRCLE_SCOUT
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-5 Engi
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Augmentations
Engi Outrider
blueprint: CIRCLE_SCOUT_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-5 Engi
Systems
Optional
Augmentations
Engi Bomber
blueprint: CIRCLE_BOMBER
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-6 Engi
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Augmentations
Interesting trivia about this ship: if you take out its rooms, it looks like The Torus (Engi Cruiser type A)
Engi Hacker
blueprint: CIRCLE_BOMBER_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-6 Engi
Systems
- Shields (2-10)
- Engines (1-5)
- Oxygen (1-3)
- Weapons (2-8)
- Drone Control (2-8)
- Piloting (1-3)
- Hacking (1-3)
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
- Clone Bay (1-3)
Augmentations
Weapons
These Engi Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Glaive Beam
- Pike Beam
- Fire Beam
- Ion Blast
- Ion Blast Mark II
- Heavy Ion
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Drones
Engi Ships can have any of the following drones:
Federation Ships
Federation Ships can only be fought in the Federation Deserters random event. Otherwise, these ships are either in need (so you cannot engage them in combat) or are Pirated.
Federation Scout / Pirate Scout
blueprint: FED_SCOUT, FED_SCOUT_P
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Human (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
Federation Outrider / Pirate Outrider
blueprint: FED_SCOUT_DLC, FED_SCOUT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Human (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Hacking (1)
Federation Bomber / Pirate Bomber
blueprint: FED_BOMBER, FED_BOMBER_P
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-6 Human (Pirate crew is 2-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Federation Hacker / Pirate Hacker
blueprint: FED_BOMBER_DLC, FED_BOMBER_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-6 Human (Pirate crew is 2-6 random)
Systems
Optional
Weapons
These Federation Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Breach Missiles
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Small Bomb
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Lanius Ships
Lanius ships are difficult to board since they have no Oxygen. They have the Emergency Respirators augment, but it does nothing. Their compact layouts make them more vulnerable to flak and beam weapons.
Late-game Abandoned sectors can be extremely dangerous. Lanius Bombers appear as early as sector 3, and can have cloaking, teleporter, and mind control. Upgrading oxygen can help defend against Lanius boarders.
Lanius Bomber
blueprint: ANAEROBIC_BOMBER
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-5 Lanius
Systems
- Shields (2-8)
- Engines (1-5)
- Weapons (2-8)
- Piloting (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-3)
Optional systems
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Cloaking (1-3)
- Mind Control (1-2)
Augmentations
Lanius Scout
blueprint: ANAEROBIC_SCOUT
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Lanius
Systems
Optional systems
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Hacking (1-3)
Augmentations
Weapons
These Lanius Ships can have any of the following weapons:
Mantis Ships
Mantis ships often have weaker weapons and defences than other ships, and (perhaps surprisingly) they can be easy targets for killing enemy crew. They never get cloaking, hacking, mind control, or drones.
Mantis Scout / Pirate Scout
blueprint: MANTIS_SCOUT, MANTIS_SCOUT_P
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 3-5 TOTAL, 3-5 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 3-5 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3) [Mantis Scout only]
- Crew Teleporter (1-3)
Mantis Interceptor / Pirate Interceptor
blueprint: MANTIS_SCOUT_DLC, MANTIS_SCOUT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-4 TOTAL, 2-4 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 2-4 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-2) [Mantis Interceptor only]
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
Mantis Fighter / Pirate Fighter
blueprint: MANTIS_FIGHTER, MANTIS_FIGHTER_P
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-5 TOTAL, 3-5 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 3-5 random)
Systems
- Shields (2-8)
- Engines (1-5)
- Oxygen (1-3)
- Weapons (1-8)
- Medbay (1-3)
- Piloting (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-3)
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
Mantis Assault / Pirate Assault
blueprint: MANTIS_FIGHTER_DLC, MANTIS_FIGHTER_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-5 TOTAL, 2-5 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 2-5 random)
Systems
- Shields (2-7)
- Engines (1-5)
- Oxygen (1-3)
- Weapons (1-7)
- Piloting (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
- Clone Bay (1-3)
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
Mantis Bomber / Pirate Bomber
blueprint: MANTIS_BOMBER, MANTIS_BOMBER_P
Hull Strength: 10-18
Crew: 4-6 TOTAL, 4-6 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 4-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Mantis Aggressor / Pirate Aggressor
blueprint: MANTIS_BOMBER_DLC, MANTIS_BOMBER_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 10-18
Crew: 3-6 TOTAL, 3-6 Mantis, 0-2 Engi (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Door Control (1-3)
- Clone Bay (1)
Weapons
These Mantis Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Breach Missiles
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Small Bomb
- Fire Bomb
- Ion Bomb
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Rebel Ships
Ordinary rebel ships are only crewed by humans. This is not true for pirated ships, which can have other races. Rebel ships will often start the battle with their FTL charging, or attempt to run away after taking damage. If they escape before you jump, they will double the fleet pursuit for one jump.
You will encounter Elite Fighters if the rebel fleet overtakes you; these battles only ever reward 1 fuel, and are best avoided unless you are well prepared to run (typically with high-level engines or cloaking). You can also fight these Rebel Elites in sector 8. Rebel Elites can have 10 in weapon levels.
Rebel Fighter / Pirate Fighter
blueprint: REBEL_SKINNY, REBEL_SKINNY_P
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 3-6 Human (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-2) [Pirate Fighter only]
- Crew Teleporter (1)
Rebel Invader / Pirate Invader
blueprint: REBEL_SKINNY_DLC, REBEL_SKINNY_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 3-6 Human (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-2) [Pirate Invader only]
- Crew Teleporter (1)
Rebel Rigger / Pirate Rigger
blueprint: REBEL_FAT, Rebel_FAT_P
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-5 Human (Pirate crew is 3-5 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Rebel Disruptor / Pirate Disruptor
blueprint: REBEL_FAT_DLC, Rebel_FAT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 3-5 Human (Pirate crew is 3-5 random)
Systems
Optional
Elite Fighter
blueprint: REBEL_SKINNY_ELITE
Hull Strength: 13-20
Crew: 3-8 Human
Systems
Optional
- Crew Teleporter (1-3)
Elite Assault
blueprint: REBEL_SKINNY_ELITE_DLC
Hull Strength: 13-20
Crew: 3-8 Human
Systems
Optional
- Crew Teleporter (1-3)
Weapons
These Rebel Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Breach Missiles
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Small Bomb
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Drones
Rebel Ships equipped with a Drone Control can have any of the following drones:
- Combat Drone Mark I
- Combat Drone Mark II
- Anti-Ship Beam Drone I
- Defense Drone Mark I
- Defense Drone Mark II
- System Repair Drone
- Anti-Personnel Drone
- Boarding Drone
Additional drones with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
AI-Controlled Rebel Ships
Automated ships are unmanned ships. They have no oxygen, and they automatically repair systems over time (at 1/3 the speed of a human). They cannot repair hull breaches, and as a consequence can never repair a breached system. Fire also resets their repair progress (unlike other ships, where fire only blocks repair). Despite having no crew, automated ships get manning bonuses for all their systems. These are removed if the system is damaged, breached, or on fire. Unlike crewed ships, the manning bonus is not removed by hacking. Because automated ships belong to the Rebels, they will double the fleet pursuit if they escape before you jump.
Be careful boarding automated ships, since you need at least a level 2 teleporter to be able to teleport 100-health crew members back before they suffocate. Rock and Crystal crew can survive even with level 1 teleporter. With a level 3 teleporter you can board even with Zoltan members. Lanius can board these ships without a problem because they don't need oxygen. The Emergency Respirators augment will also let you board and retrieve any crew before they die, even a Zoltan with a level 1 teleporter.
Auto-Scout
blueprint: AUTO_BASIC
Hull Strength: 5-13
Systems
Optional
Auto-Surveyor
blueprint: AUTO_BASIC_DLC
Hull Strength: 5-13
Systems
Optional
- Shields (2-8)
- Mind Control (1-2)
Auto-Assault
blueprint: AUTO_ASSAULT
Hull Strength: 7-15
Systems
- Shields (2-9)
- Engines (1-5)
- Weapons (0-6)
- Drone Control (2-6)
- Piloting (1-3)
Auto-Hacker
blueprint: AUTO_ASSAULT_DLC
Hull Strength: 7-15
Systems
Weapons
These Automated Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Small Bomb
- Fire Bomb
- Ion Bomb
- Ion Blast
- Heavy Ion
- Ion Blast Mark II
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Drones
Automated Ships equipped with a Drone Control can have any of the following drones:
Additional drones with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Rock Ships
Rock ships are somewhat more likely to have missile weapons, as 25% of their possible weapons are missiles. They always have the Rock Plating augmentation. Rock ships have compact layouts, making them more vulnerable to flak and beam weapons. Rock crew are immune to fire, and have a hidden 67% bonus to fire-fighting.
Rock Scout / Pirate Scout
blueprint: ROCK_SCOUT, ROCK_SCOUT_P
Hull Strength: 7-15
Crew: 2-5 Rock (Pirate crew is 2-5 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3) [Rock Scout only]
- Door Control (1-3) [Rock Scout only]
- Crew Teleporter (1-2) [Pirate Scout only]
Augmentations
Rock Investigator / Pirate Investigator
blueprint: ROCK_SCOUT_DLC, ROCK_SCOUT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 7-15
Crew: 2-4 Rock (Pirate crew is 2-4 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2) [Rock Investigator only]
Augmentations
Rock Fighter / Pirate Fighter
blueprint: ROCK_FIGHT, ROCK_FIGHT_P
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 3-5 Rock (Pirate crew is 3-5 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Cloaking (1-3) [Pirate Fighter only]
Augmentations
Rock Interceptor / Pirate Interceptor
blueprint: ROCK_FIGHT_DLC, ROCK_FIGHT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 2-5 Rock (Pirate crew is 2-5 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
- Cloaking (1)
Augmentations
Rock Assault
blueprint: ROCK_ASSAULT
Hull Strength: 11-19
Crew: 3-6 Rock
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
- Cloaking (1)
Augmentations
Rock Aggressor
blueprint: ROCK_ASSAULT_DLC
Hull Strength: 11-19
Crew: 2-6 Rock
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
- Cloaking (1-2)
Augmentations
Rock Assault (Elite)
Unique ship for the Rock war vessel encounter random event.
blueprint: ROCK_ASSAULT_ELITE
Hull Strength: 11-19
Crew: 4-5 Rock
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-2)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Crew Teleporter (1-2)
Augmentations
Weapons
These Rock Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Breach Missiles
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Small Bomb
- Heavy Ion
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Slug Ships
Slug ships tend to have higher-than-average defences, and Slug crew are immune to mind control. All Slug ships automatically repair hull breaches, because they have the Slug Repair Gel augment. The larger ships can be difficult to board, since they often have a large number of crew and blast doors. In Slug-controlled sectors, there are several events where a Slug enemy will disrupt one of your systems. The smallest Slug ships are popularly known as flying coffins, due to their isolated oxygen room. Destroying their oxygen will (eventually) result in a crew kill.
Some Slug Assault ships can have level ten weapons or shields; possibly both. Captain Nights' cruiser, the Black Raven, is always a Slug Assault/Instigator class.
Although late-game Slug ships can be tough, earlier sectors (before sector 5) can be easy and profitable, with lots of flying coffins.
Slug Interceptor / Pirate Interceptor
blueprint: JELLY_BUTTON, JELLY_BUTTON_P
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-3 Slug (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Door Control (1-3) [Pirate Interceptor only]
Augmentations
Slug Scout / Pirate Scout
blueprint: JELLY_BUTTON_DLC, JELLY_BUTTON_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 8-16
Crew: 2-3 Slug (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Mind Control (1-2) [Pirate Scout only]
Augmentations
Slug Light-Cruiser / Pirate Light-Cruiser
blueprint: JELLY_CROISSANT, JELLY_CROISSANT_P
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 3-6 Slug (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Cloaking (1-2) [Pirate Light-Cruiser only]
Augmentations
Slug Light-Surveyor / Pirate Light-Surveyor
blueprint: JELLY_CROISSANT_DLC, JELLY_CROISSANT_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 9-17
Crew: 3-7 Slug (Pirate crew is 3-7 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Mind Control (1-2)
Augmentations
Slug Assault / Pirate Assault
blueprint: JELLY_TRUFFLE, JELLY_TRUFFLE_P
Hull Strength: 10-18
Crew: 4-7 Slug (Pirate crew is 4-7 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Cloaking (1)
Augmentations
Slug Instigator / Pirate Instigator
blueprint: JELLY_TRUFFLE_DLC, JELLY_TRUFFLE_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 10-18
Crew: 4-8 Slug (Pirate crew is 4-8 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-2) [Pirate Instigator only]
- Cloaking (1) [Slug Instigator only]
- Mind Control (1-2)
Augmentations
Weapons
These Slug Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Artemis Missiles
- Breach Missiles
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Glaive Beam
- Pike Beam
- Fire Beam
- Fire Bomb
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Zoltan Ships
All Zoltan ships (except in sector 1 on easy mode) have a Zoltan Shield, which absorbs 5 points of damage and prevents boarding, hacking, and mind control. This makes them particularly dangerous in the early game. Ion and beam weapons do double damage against the Zoltan Shield, as does the Beam Drone 2.
Energy Fighter / Pirate Fighter
blueprint: ZOLTAN_FIGHTER, ZOLTAN_FIGHTER_P
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Zoltan (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Augmentations
Energy Instigator / Pirate Instigator
blueprint: ZOLTAN_FIGHTER_DLC, ZOLTAN_FIGHTER_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Zoltan (Pirate crew is 2-3 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Mind Control (1)
Augmentations
Energy Fighter (Peace)
Unique ship for the Unarmed Zoltan Transport random event. Has no Shields, Weapons, or Zoltan Shield.
blueprint: ZOLTAN_PEACE
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 2-3 Zoltan
Systems
Optional
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Energy Bomber / Pirate Bomber
blueprint: ZOLTAN_BOMBER, ZOLTAN_BOMBER_P
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 3-6 Zoltan (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Drone Control (2-4)
- Medbay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
Augmentations
Energy Hacker / Pirate Hacker
blueprint: ZOLTAN_BOMBER_DLC, ZOLTAN_BOMBER_P_DLC
Hull Strength: 6-14
Crew: 3-6 Zoltan (Pirate crew is 3-6 random)
Systems
Optional
- Clone Bay (1-3)
- Door Control (1-3)
- Hacking (1-2)
Augmentations
Weapons
These Zoltan Ships can have any of the following weapons:
- Basic Laser
- Burst Laser Mark I
- Burst Laser Mark II
- Burst Laser Mark III
- Heavy Laser Mark I
- Heavy Laser Mark II
- Leto Missiles
- Artemis Missiles
- Hermes Missile
- Mini Beam
- Halberd Beam
- Glaive Beam
- Pike Beam
- Fire Beam
- Ion Blast
- Heavy Ion
- Small Bomb
- Ion Bomb
- Hull Beam
Additional weapons with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
Drones
Zoltan Ships equipped with a Drone Control can have any of the following drones:
Additional drones with Advanced Edition Content enabled:
The Rebel Flagship
- Main article: The Rebel Flagship
The Rebel Flagship is the final ship you can encounter in a play through of Faster Than Light. This ship is also most likely the hardest ship you will encounter in Faster Than Light. It has three forms, each one meant to be harder than the last. It has 3 layers of shields ()4 layers of shields on AE), high dodge rate, and an individual room for each type of weapon (ion, missile, burst laser and beam) which is separate from the other rooms and can be destroyed. However, there is a crew member in each of these and thus they will be repaired. In its first form, it can cloak itself (loses for 2nd stage), in the second form it has drones (loses these for 3rd stage), and finally in its third form it has a Zoltan shield, it uses its teleporter and shoots between 5 and 10 lasers from apparently nowhere. Upon winning a section from it, a bit of it will be broken off from the ship, starting from the left, then the right and finally the ship is destroyed and you win the game. If you kill all its crew, you will get a message that a powerful AI controls it now. That's bad news: it will now automatically repair systems (rooms with breaches will be not repaired when the AI takes control, so if you use breach bombs in this encounter, the AI taking control may be good news).
In easy and normal difficulties (in standard FTL), the heavy laser and missile turrets will be separated from the main body of the flagship; in hard difficulty in Advanced Edition, they will be joined. This makes destroying the systems much more difficult as additional crew can enter to repair them. Also, on easy, though the stations are manned the weapon charge time does not decrease accordingly.
It helps greatly to have at least the following:
- Cloaking
- Teleporter
- Lvl. 6+ Weapons with at least 6 or 7 laser bolts or a Mk. 2 Ion blast, Pegasus Missiles could help a lot
- Defense Drone Mk. 1 (practically better than Mk. 2)
- 3 or 4 layers of shields
- Lvl. 6+ engine
You should first kill the human in the missile weapon (the second weapons room from the right) and destroy it with your teleporter. Next, you can do the same for the pointless and weak beam, the laser, or the ion, however it is not required. Do this in all stages, as 1. it is the easiest way to destroy it and 2. the five missiles can easily get past even a Mk. 2 defense drone. Next, just destroy its shields (Mk. 2 Ion blast can remove all layers if set to autofire, assuming it doesn't miss, and it does not cloak before you can permanently disable it's shields) and cloaking, and try to kill some crew while you're at it. Often, they will all go to fix the shields so just wait until there are 2-4 people and launch a barrage at them.
Stage 1
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: The rebel flagship has quite a long lasting cloak. This can make the fight difficult, because it allows it to repair, heal, recharge. It has quite a big crew too, so this can cause some problems getting through.
Strategy: It helps if you view this battle not just as a battle you must win at all cost; but as a preparation step for the next two battles. Although all systems will be repaired between fights, dead crew will remain dead. Killing all of the crew results in the ship's advanced AI taking over and all systems begin to auto-repair. Be aware that it loses the turret and cloak on the left after the first fight and the turret on the right and drone control after the second fight. This is the only phase where it has each of the triple-turrets. You need 3 shield, at least 30% evasion (estimation) to not die quickly. Defense drones and cloak can help negate damage too.
Another useful strategy if you have a teleporter is to send crew members, either two humans or one rock or one mantis generally works, in each of the offensive turrets, killing the crew and destroying the weapon. If you keep all your defensive abilities fully powered during this time, you can avoid most of the incoming damage, and once they are destroyed, it will have no way of damaging your ship (for the first stage), which means you can destroy it without having to worry about its weapons.
Alternatively, you should destroy all the weapons except for the laser and then kill all the crew in the rest of the ship. Fire bombs are very helpful here. This will make the other stages much easier because the laser crew cannot get to the rest of the ship, meaning you can easily board it and destroy everything. However, you have to leave at least one crew alive for this strategy or else the AI will take over.
Stage 2
If you emerged victorious from your first battle, the section furthest to the left breaks off, taking away its ability to cloak, its ion weapon, the door system, and up to three crew members.
Special Attack: The special attack of the second stage consist of a large squadron of anti-ship drones (around 5-10, mostly beam drones). This special attack can be very destructive if they get through your shields.
Special Defense: The boss has a defense drone deployed during this stage, rendering missiles practically useless (except Pegasus missiles that fires 2 projectiles, or if you have multiple missile systems and you sync up their shots)
Strategy: Despite the weaker special attack, this is not an easy stage, however. The defense drone and boarding drone can make life quite hard. Especially since killing the boarding drone, just makes him fire a new one almost immediately (probably causing a new breach too). There are three ways of dealing with the boarding drone:
- Shooting it down with a defense drone
- Having improved blast doors and ignore it until it enters an important room
- Damage the drone facility enough so that it stops moving
The power surge with all the drones can be devastating if you aren't careful. The Anti-ship drones will all fire at once, and can fairly easily get through your shields if you don't evade enough of the shots. If your shields drop to zero even for a fraction of a second, you may get hit by a lot of beam drones all at once. This can be catastrophic. One easy way to protect yourself from this is to activate your cloak with only one power bar. The cloak will wear off shortly before the drones go away (likely not leaving them enough time to hurt you) and will cool down just in time for you to cloak again for the next power surge. If you use 2 or 3 power bars on the cloak, it will not finish its cool down in time. This does not work with the laser burst power surge in the third stage, as the surges come too often to cloak for all of them.
Stage 3
Special Attack: The special attack of the third stage consists of a burst of laser-like attacks, about 8-9 shots that arrive almost simultaneously, they look like heavy laser blasts but do only 1 damage if get beyond your shields and hit, a well timed use of cloaking is the best way to minimize damage, or highly powered engines, shields, and 1-2 defense drone mark II (this latter is quite intensive on power requirement, but if you are in a bind this way can negate most of the damage if not all).
Special Defense: A Zoltan shield that takes 12 damage. Sometimes if its Zoltan shield is down, after a power surge it does not use its special attack but recharges it's Zoltan shields to full. Restoring its Zoltan shields will destroy all boarding drones (unpowered boarding drones may be unaffected), however boarding parties are unaffected, aside from the fact of you not being able teleport them out.
Strategy: The third stage, the attacks of the rebel ship are the strongest. Where the previous rounds a defensive strategy may have worked, the best way to deal with this stage is to deal as much damage as quickly as possible. The AI usually uses its teleporter to board you straight away, so be prepared to deal with that before you start the third stage fight (they are human boarders, and arrive only 2 at a time, so if you have trained boarders you should either wait with them on your own ship to catch the enemy boarders, or board their ship before they can do yours, and take out their teleporter, or sometimes they don't even board you if you've already boarded them).
If you have taken out all crew in the second stage of the flagship fight, then the ship will not board you. However, the AI that takes over can make the rest of the third phase more dangerous. It is best to leave only several crew alive following the second encounter (preferably you should kill most of them off in the first phase and let the rest die as the flagship loses hull pieces). If the crew are in sealed-off rooms or a critical system (i.e. engines or shields) goes down, boarding will still be disabled. To execute the latter strategy a weapon pre-igniter is absolutely required; damaging either of the aforementioned systems will cause crew to divert for repair.