INFECTED SPACE - THE CONDUIT
OPTIONALS1. Defeat all Borg patrols
2. Destroy the transformers and the gateway
3. Don´t let the transformers be healed
You have 15 minutes.
Look around, talk to your team, launch your pets, get another cup of coffee, whatever. The stf won´t start until the first shot is fired.
After jumping into the mapThat´s the view we´ll get.
We have
three cubes directly in front of us, accompanied by
a few spheres. In the background you can see a big gate, let´s just call it the
middle gate. Stay away from it until the last stage begins (it´s mean, it causes damage to you. Much damage.).
At the left and right side are smaller gates
(nanite transformers), below each of them are four objects
(nanite generators), above each transformer are a cube and a single sphere as guards. I´ll talk about this later.
Stage 1 - Middle cube and spheres
That´s our starting point. And the real enemies aren´t the cubes. The spheres are. They can suck your shields before you can say "Oops, my shields are gone! Borg, you suck!" So try to take them out first - as fast as possible.
Stage 2 - Left side, nanite transformer and four nanite generators (that´s the tricky part of this stf)
Don´t mind the green "bubbles", they´ll be gone after stage 1.
Take out the cube and the single sphere.
Try NOT to shoot one of the nanite generators too early (just fly high enough, 10.1 km above the nanite generators is perfect. :D).
The transformer can´t be damaged until the four objects (nanite generators) below it are gone. But as soon as the first nanite generator is destroyed, the following will happen:
1. More (a bunch of) spheres will spawn, directly in front of your nose. And they´ll start a) to suck your shields and b) do what Borg usually do. Nasty Borg things.
2.
Nanite spheres (repair spheres) will spawn at the middle gate. And they´ll try to reach your destination, and to heal whatever you´re shooting at.
Above the transformer is the new spheres spawn and at the right side of the Scimitar are the nanite spheres, which are dangerously close to be in healing range
If they succeed (if they can heal the transformer), then the optional is lost.
Stage 3 - Right side, nanite transformer and nanite generatorsIt´s the same procedure as for the left side.
Stage 4 - Middle gate / tac cube
You´ve come far, fellow Captains!
You´re such a big threat to the Borg, that they were forced to call reinforcements. Which means that another tactical cube warped in while you´ve been busy on the right side!
Usually you´ll start to destroy the gate first, then the tac cube (or whatever you´ve arranged with your team). If you´re not in a high DPS group: don´t try to shoot both enemies at the same time. It´ll hurt.
Why the gate first? At this stage the tac cube should be in a position, where it´s too far away to be a threat to you, if you´re positioning yourself under the gate, at the
blind spot.Blind spot: below the gate (appr. 1 km distance), where the gate can´t hit you. That works in KASA as well.
Stage 1 - Stage 4
Destroy every enemy before you proceed to the next stage.
TACTICS
The 10%-rule
Shoot down every nanite generator to 10% health, then destroy all four of them simultaneously. That should buy you enough time to destroy the nanite transformer, before the repair spheres can reach it. Ignore the
new spheres spawn, destroy the remaining nanite generators and then
focus fire on the transformer.
Crowd Control
If a generator is destroyed too early and you don´t have the DPS to shoot down the transformer in time: use crowd control (for example
Gravity Well) or other counter meassure systems (
Tractor Beam Repulsors). GW will slow down the spheres, TBR will push them away from your transformer, and buy you some more time.
Communication
It´s essential, for every stf, not only for ISA. Use TS (makes lifes so much easier) or teamchat. But just talk to the people.
This stf is doable. It just requires a little communication and practice. Practice will come over time. So don´t be shy if someone asks in fleet chat to X up for ISA!
Nobody will kill or insult you if we don´t reach the optional (or Janeway will come after them! Undercaffeinated! :D). Everybody of us started as a stf-newbie at some point, so don´t worry!
And we have cookies!
Andrea :)
