Has anyone won Apocalypse under v1.2 yet?

from GalCiv2 Forums
The winning strategy against the Dread Lords used to be killing them with first strike (I got enough logistics and used five cargo hulls with Plasma Weapons). Now that the defender can fire back, you lose one ship every time you combat a Dread Lord. They can surround you with 30 ships, so it's not easy to win.

I haven't managed it yet. What I'm thinking is the only way to do it is to completely ignore all the Dread Lord ships. Build a bunch of ten or 13-speed hulls, including transports and constructors and some empty hulls. Make your way to the Dread Lord planets without getting kilt, researching logistics and soldiering. Build a starbase with your constructor right next to the planet so you can upgrade all your ships in one week. Take off the range modules and engines and put on weapons. Take out the defenders and steal the win!

I haven't tried it yet because it's just so much work if it fails and it's my third time through. Has anyone else beat Apocalypse in v1.2?
22,365 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm just finishing up this scenario under v1.2. My tactic was to churn out as many expendable ships as possible (tiny hulls & low cost), pack them with as much mass-driver weaponry as possible (the Dread Lords don't seem to have/use protection against this) and group them into fleets. I'm taking plenty of casualties, but I can handle the losses better than they can.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ah! I was stuck in my old mode of "why pay for hit points?" and didn't realize that the rule had changed to, "why pay for hulls?" Yeah, I could probably churn out the little guys as fast as the Dread Lords do, and I wouldn't need as much Logistics either. Thanks!
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Glad to be of help. Good luck!

BTW, do you know if Apocalypse is the final scenario in the campaign?
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There are at least three more that I can think of.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I played the campaign in one of the earliest versions,
it looked like this:

1: An unexpected visitor
2: Ixith ------------------alternative--> The xenon project|
|
3: Darkness rising <--------------------------------------|

4: Siege ------------------alternative--> Hearts & minds

5: Achilles' heel ---------alternative--> Arms race --> The thalan|
|
6: Apocalypse <-------------------------------------------------|

7: Exploitation
8: Deception
9: Salvation
10: Escape
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Tiny ships are the key.
I mean, it does not matter if you lose one tiny fighter if that means destroying one of DL ships.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
For those of you who have finished the campaign ...

Do you enjoy playing the sandbox mode more than the campaign?

I started out with the campaign and am anxious to try out the standard game, but feel compelled to complete the campaign before switching. I hear great things about the standard game that I want to see... plus, I'm getting tired of dealing with the uber-powerful Dread Lords. The scenarios feel relatively scripted: build up, amass fleets of lots of tiny ships, then wear them down by attrition.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I thought the campaign was a good learning tool. The hulking power of the dread lords forced me to expand my strategies and learn how to cope with an overpowering enemy while I build my forces to counter them.

As for which I like more, sandbox or campaign: Both have their perks. I love the fact that each mission in the campaign has some history and reason behind it, but on the other hand, the control you get of the game in sandbox is great too.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To be honest i've found the campaign a lot easier under 1.2 than under previous versions. Thats probably because I play more defensively against the dread lords...barricading my planets on the front line with 5+ fighters and an orbital fleet manager...the ships get an attack/defence bonus due to being in orbit and due to the changes to the combat system the dread lords can't use their first strike advantage to take out loads of my ships before i can respond. Just sit tight and wait for them to come to you...they break on my walls like water on rock...

Then it's only a matter of time before an invasion fleet can be mustered...

Patience is the key to beating the dread lords and only striking when absolutely ready...
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Is the AI smarter in sandbox mode? The reason I ask is because during the campaign, mostly playing on "tough" difficulty, the AI would frequently make some bone-headed plays... such as sending in troop transports unescorted or moving next to one of my unarmed ships and not blasting it. Is it because the AI is constrained in the campaign or because the AI is more tame on "tough" difficulty?
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
its constrained when versing the DL if they were better than dumb they would be invincible