Hey everyone! I'm a rookie Endless Space player trying his first real game as the United Empire. This particular problem just came up and I'm at a loss on how to deal with it.



Currently, the biggest power in the galaxy is the Automatons, who must be owning a large percentage of the galaxy from what I've seen of their current score. While they've been surprisingly very friendly to me, they're more than likely going to win if I don't expand my territory significantly. I've just recently obliterated the nearby Pilgrims' fleets and I'm expanding into their territory now, however my fleet was cut off after the Cravers took a system of the pilgrims that cut my owned system from the rest of my invasion fleet (slightly moot, I do have warp drives).



I know that no one can make friends with the Cravers, due to their Eternal War condition, so I figure I'd be doing the galaxy a favor by removing the Cravers from existence, giving me more territory to compete with the Automatons. However, the Cravers possess a fleet that I currently have no possible way to destroy. This particular fleet has 19 Command Points, and a military rating of well over 10,000, complete with a hero. While I've researched all the way up to dreadnoughts, and upgraded to higher tier lasers and missiles, but for all I have I can't compete with that amount of raw firepower the Cravers have amassed. I currently can build I believe up to 15 command points.



So the questions I have for those veterans here is: what am i dealing with a military rating that high, and what can I do to counteract it? I do have an hero at least level 10 in one of my other systems I can command a fleet with, but I still don't know if it'll be enough.



Also, a bonus question: I was in the process of invading a Pilgrim system when all of a sudden the system ceded control to the Cravers (hence why my fleet and my territory are cut off), what exactly happened?

When faced with similar opposition, I have had to throw several fleets at it in succession. With each encounter you will whittle down the opposing fleet until you can manage and destroy it.

Also in such a situation dont build the fleet to succeed but to destroy. Dont expect your ships to survive contact, usually when a hero is involved chances are you ll be obliterated regardless how many defensive modules you pack in. With that in mind go ahead for some glass-cannon designs. Forget defensive, your fleet will be wiped out anyway and focus on damage output only. Your priority should be raising your chance to destroy single or several ships in his fleet per encounter. Once you destroy his elite fleet his hero will be off the radar for a couple turns. Make sure to adjust your firing pattern for these battles. Rather destroy 1 or 2 ships instead of whittling them all down by some small amount.

Also, a bonus question: I was in the process of invading a Pilgrim system when all of a sudden the system ceded control to the Cravers (hence why my fleet and my territory are cut off), what exactly happened?

The pilgrims made a "cease fire" offer to the Cravers with the system in question added to sweeten the deal....the Cravers accepted.



Another advice for such situations is to get "open borders" and raise some battle fleets.....send em into the AIs empire and look out for valuable systems...blocking strategic resources would be highly advised. Check his diplomatic standing but if he has the highest score chances are good hes at war with one or more AIs, that makes a perfect opportunity for a backstabbing. Position your fleets and declare war. Try to avoid alliance treaties as breaking them will force you into peace for another 20 turns or so.



He probably will have back-up fleets sprinkled around his empire but the core of his fleets will be bound in encounters with the other AIs making it possible to "cripple" him with a few selected surgical strikes. If you can identify his main resource for ship building and manage to blockade those systems you will either prevent future ship building or force the AI to go to lower-tech modules decreasing his efficiency in battles. Alltogether it should be a debilitating strike.

MTB-Fritz wrote:
Rather destroy 1 or 2 ships instead of whittling them all down by some small amount.

That is what I meant by whittling. Not to do some damage to all the ships in a fleet, but rather take out 1 or 2 during each encounter until your fleet better matches or exceeds theirs and theirs can finally be defeated.

An enemy fleet with a higher ower: rating than yours doesn't always mean guaranteed defeat. I've beaten 4000ower: fleets with 1000ower: because my ships had better setups. I would suggest sending a suicide scout and study the fleet's weaponry and defenses, then design ships that will exploit the enemy's weak points. As United Empire, you may take advantage of their +40% HP bonus by adding armor module.