[0rph3u5]

Also in my experience, carriers suck.  The Brace for Impact stance doubles the accuracy of point defense guns, and the extended range on point defense compared to Armada 1 means multiple ships can provide more than enough mutual coverage to nullify almost any bomber attack.  This coupled with limited uses makes actual guns more useful than strikecraft.  Especially since carriers are overcosted as well.

I have the exact opposite experience playing 2v2s .... but I've been playing Aeldari factions which have superior fighters anyway. And in 2v2 everyone is running 2-3 ship builds, except Orkz, Tyranids and Tau (just how many escorts do the Tau get?)

However unlike BFG:A1 you now have to save your fighters and bombers for later, instead of relying on them to take apart you opponents ships. Carriers are a more defensive play now instead of just "haha, I am out of range your guns" (which was a problem with Chaos and Corsairs in the first game); they are more complimentary to other ships now.

EDIT: Also, fighters and bombers that successfully RTB don't deplete a charge (at least not with Aeldari fighters)

[crizza]

Concerning this:

Hot damn that looks nice  , I didn't expect them to add the Vengeful spirit as well.

Only because they mentioned the Vengefull Spirit does not mean they add a chaos version of the Glorianna.

It's in the prologue .... in a cutscene ...

I stand corrected then. But when I wrote my comment, the Prologue was not released yet^^

[rubixcube]

Concerning this:

Hot damn that looks nice  , I didn't expect them to add the Vengeful spirit as well.

Only because they mentioned the Vengefull Spirit does not mean they add a chaos version of the Glorianna.

It's in the prologue .... in a cutscene ...

I stand corrected then. But when I wrote my comment, the Prologue was not released yet^^

Just finished the prologue campaign, maybe a little rough round the edges, but overall It looks promising.

[0rph3u5]

Follow up on Carriers:
Check out the Imperial Navy Exorcist Grand Cruiser... Combo Fighters to take down turrets with Assault Boats to de-crew enemy ships.

[0rph3u5]

Just finished the prologue campaign, maybe a little rough round the edges, but overall It looks promising.

Part of that is probably trying to cram all the events of the Fall of Cadia into it, and making it a tutorial at the same time.

The worst offender is the "Battlegroup Silver Dawn"-segment in the end, which they have done in-engine. There is some good cinematography there, but it is way to busy in its visuals (too much on screen at once).


As for the game itself, from the Beta you can see it is an improvement with regards to mechanics and graphics. Everything from the first game is more refined.

The diversity of play styles across factions and builds is amazing and very, very welcome. (Let's hope they manage to balance it.)

There are remaining issues in PvP however, like the lack of a proper pregame lobby for final adjustments to the kit you go into battle with (just limit it to 1 perk change, for balance). 1v1 also still sucks, despite ability spams having gone the way of the Dodo bird diverse fleets still seem to be a losing proposition no matter what.

There are also still a number of balancing problems* and a few bugs (e.g. the Aeldari Maelstrom ability does affect shielded ships despite the tooltip saying otherwise). Most of those, esspecially the stability issues in during matchmaking, are hopefully sorted out by release.

*Too bad most of those are returning issues, looking at you, Druhkari with Accelerated Batteries - aka "Hit and Run Fleet getting range boni breaking the hit and run-concept" - and perked-up Necron Solar Pulse - aka "lack of a telegraph makes powerful ability a win-button". Used to be the problem with Eldar Pulsars and the Nova Spam repectively in the first game, so why did they make a return???

[General Battuta]

I should probably buy this

[Vidmaster]

It looks to me like the game is more micro-intense than before, was they goal not to REDUCE the mico in order to accomodate larger fleets?

[0rph3u5]

It's like this:

Ships no longer have individual abilities, only your flagship has two; in the previous game every line ship had 1-4 abilities, depending on class. This doesn't include fighters, torpedoes or boarding.
(=micro down)
Most Abilities are limited use now.
(=macro up)

You cannot automate your abilities (including boarding and fighters) anymore.
(=micro up)

There are generally more ships, esspecially since it is encouraged to take Escorts for their detection and silent running capabilities. This makes navigation a bit tricky.
(=micro and macro up)

In turn, orders are now modal (i.e. turn on/off)
(=micro and macro down)

There are now alternative ways for ships to be eliminated from play, drifting hulk (all crew dead as result of boarding) & permanent muntiny (ship morale drops to 0). Previously a ship needed to be destroyed or warped out to be eliminated from play (ps. The incentive for a voluntary warp-out is gone now).
(= macro up)

[HLD_Prophecy]

Someone pre-ordered it for me for Christmas. They knew me too well. Not really a Warhammer fan but I will enjoy this game, I'm sure. Looking forward most to using Necron and Tau Merchant Fleets.

[0rph3u5]

In anticipation of the 2nd Beta for pre-order customers, who would avalible for some "joint fleet exercises" in the run-up to release?

(This has not to do with the fact that my Asuryani will really need a consistent "anvil" to do their best as a "hammer" )

[HLD_Prophecy]

Sounds like fun to me!

I'll see you in the Immaterium...    Try your hammer against the "anvil" of my planned Warsphere/Demiurg combo...

EDIT: did I mention I am prejudiced against space elves? 

[HLD_Prophecy]

Incidentally, once the beta comes out can we make sure that any campaign discussion be kept to spoiler tags?

For everyone in general, but I in particular am waiting on the campaign until the full release. 

[HLD_Prophecy]

Beta not until January 15.    School starts around then, gaming will probably have to wait for the weekend...

[0rph3u5]

EDIT: did I mention I am prejudiced against space elves? 

Children of Iyanden,
look upon the Light of Asuryan and see that our Craftworld once again is a beacon of hope to all Aeldari,
look upon the gathered hosts of your Craftworld and recognize its Heroes both living and dead.

We go and march forth to answer the call of Khaine today.
Not for conquest or vengence, but as our duty to our kin,
such is our noblest of destinies.

My warriors,
In this hour before blades fall and blood is shed, look upon your Iyanden. Hold its image close to your hearts when you walk in Khaine's shadow and remember always:

Care not for the hatred of Mon'keigh, fear not the savagery of the Ork, listen not the nothingness T'au pass as wisdom.
For we stand tested through history, like none other.

Break not at the madness of the Great Enemy, strike at the ethernal hunger of the Great Devourer, thwart the designs of the accursed Necron'Tyr.
For we walk under the signs of prophecy.

Don your Warmasks, warriors!
Victory will be ours by nightfall.

- Autarch Aeris Ebonsword

^{(slightly altered from the RPG section of the last WH40k campaign I played - not mention that victory was not my mine, not even "by nightfall")}

--- How can you be prejudiced against that???


re: spoiler tags:
Agreed.

re: Beta Date:
Was kinda expecting something along the line. The Tales of Vesperia remaster is out the weekend before, going to see how to juggle that.

[HLD_Prophecy]

How could I not be prejudiced when they diss my Tau and Necron bois like that?   

Lol in all seriousness it's mostly the Dark Eldar I have issues with. Mostly.

[HLD_Prophecy]

'ey, can someone explain something to me? I've never understood how Eldar are broken up.

What is the difference between: Eldar, Aeldari, matt ward, Drukhari, Asuryani, Corsairs, Craftworld Eldar, Exodites, Harlequins? This probably sounds incredibly uneducated to someone familiar, but I have only a loose grip on these terms and keep hearing them thrown around in reference to the Eldar.

[Aesaar]

Aeldari is the new, trademarkable name GW invented for the Eldar when 8th edition 40k released in mid-2017.  Drukhari is the same thing for Dark Eldar.

Asuryani refers to Asuryan, the chief deity of the Eldar pantheon.  Barring only a few exceptions, the whole pantheon was consumed by Slaanesh, according to Eldar legend.  It's the name for the Eldar who live on the Craftworlds, which are planetoid-sized cityships.  They follow a very rigid lifestyle designed to focus their minds so they don't fall prey to the behaviors that led to the Fall.  They're what you think when you say Eldar, but they're not representative of pre-Fall Eldar civilization and they're not the majority of living Eldar.

Corsairs are generally the outcasts from the Craftworlds, who either aren't willing or able to follow the Craftworld's code of behavior or committed crimes that merit exile.  When those exiles band together, you get corsair fleets.

Dark Eldar are the real remnant of the old Eldar empire, and they represent the vast majority of living Eldar.  They live in a giant city in the webway (a network of stable subspace tunnels, not the Warp but not realspace) called Commoragh.  They're absolutely ****ed up, but don't really give a **** about what goes on in realspace.  They leave the webway for slaves and not much else.  They don't get along with anyone else, including other Eldar.

Exodites are those Eldar who lived on planets on the very edges of the old Eldar empire, and because of that, those colonies survived the Fall.  Asuryani tend to be very, very, very protective of them.

Harlequins are completely separate from the rest of the Eldar.  Their primary job is the maintenance and protection of the Black Library, a small Craftworld in the Webway that houses all the Eldar knowledge about Chaos.  They're servants of Cegorach, the Laughing God, the only Eldar god to have escaped the birth of Slaanesh (again, according to Eldar legend.  Whether there's any truth to it is ambiguous).

Dark Eldar are the biggest assholes in the galaxy, but all Eldar are assholes to some degree.  To the Eldar, non-Eldar life is worth slightly more than nothing.  They don't care about anyone else except in how they can be used as decoys, shields, or weapons.

[HLD_Prophecy]

Interesting, thanks for the explanation!

So the Harlequins plan to get Cegorach back into the game as a twist/endgame plan, maybe faster/ more effective at taking out Slaanesh than the Craftworlders? Or am I mistaken

[Thaeris]

How often has the lore around the Harlequins changed? What I recall reading about them quite some time back somewhat matched the description you gave to the Exodites, but the new explanation is, well, new to me. More precisely, I recall reading that the Harlequins were independent from the Craftworlds, and were basically somewhat of primitive Eldar settlers on various planets.

[Aesaar]

HLD_Prophecy: Cegorach is in the game as much as he's going to be.  The whole "taking out Slaanesh" thing is more of an Ynnari thing.

Oh yeah, the Ynnari.  They're a very small group of Eldar (composed of members from all the other groups) who believe that by awakening/resurrecting the Eldar god of the dead, Ynnead, they can kill Slaanesh and thereby open up the possibility of establishing a new Eldar empire.  The idea is that if they can combine all the souls housed in each Craftworld's Infinity Circuit, they can create a semi-physical warp power somewhat like what the Emperor's become (a connection the lore doesn't explicitly make, but it's an interesting notion).   They have managed to create an Avatar, so they're getting somewhere.

They're the ones who aided in the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, believing that humanity is a better tool against Chaos if there's an unambiguous inheritor of the Emperor's mantle leading the Imperium.

Thaeris: To my knowledge, this has been Harlequin lore since they were first introduced in 2nd edition.