A guide to the Shrike type B.
Unlocking
Note: Credit goes to Sarcasmal
Being (in my opinion) one of the best ships in the game, the shrike is pretty difficult to unlock. You firstly need to get 5 ships (including the kestrel) into your hangar (easier said than done), then complete 2 of 3 achievements using The Kruos.
So, what I would say are the 4 easiest ships to unlock are the Engi, Stealth, Federation and Zoltan cruisers. Then a Lanius Cruiser shows up in your hangar because… reasons… Anyway, I would suggest getting the first 2 achievements, as ‘Loss of Cabin Pressure’ is incredibly difficult (sector 8 with most of my ship vented? What?). To get ‘advanced mastery’, just fly through sectors saving up scrap to unlock mind control and the backup battery, then just smash up the next ship that flies your way using your shiny new systems alongside your trusty hacking module. Scrap hoarder is more difficult, but in the late sectors 600 scrap isn’t that much of a dificulty, and is really satisfying to spend.
Now, you have the Shrike. The rebel flagship *should* go down now. Just a few tips first.
Upgrading
The Shrike has a lot of systems, but apparently no sensors. I would reccomend buying sensors on the first oppurtunity. It allows for some funny and powerful tactics later on.
4 shields and near-high engines is a must. Otherwise you’re simply a big red target for the flagship and other ships. And also, get that clone bay levelled up. I don’t care whether any power is put into it, getting it to sustain a few more hits is all it needs. Because your Lanius are going to die. A lot. And as Lanius are very uncommon, you don’t want to lose them. Also, if you took power from your clonebay to use your shields or whatever, the blaring sirens telling you your crew is dying should really snap you to attention.
Crew Placement
There’s always a drawback with boarding ships, and that’s the fact that you have two less people to man engines, weapons, shields etc;
This is made even worse by the fact that the pilots seat is very very far away from the clonebay, so your engi is going to have a hell of a time reaching there. Don’t even ask if there’s a hacked system in the way. So the first chance you get, swap out your engi with a new crewmember or whatever.
Also, I feel this is a given, but put your lanius in the teleporter.
Now, time to have a bit of fun.
Teleporting
The Shrike gives you a fun little tactic you can use: abduction! If you mind control an enemy, you can teleport them back to your ship. So once you have an upgraded doors system, vent your teleporter, move your lanius, then, the second your mind control is about to finish, teleport the enemy to your ship and laugh.
That being said, your Lanius are great at boarding. Just teleport them to that room you want dead, then mind control the first poor soul to come in. There. That system’s down. If you want to use your evil laugh even more, then do this to the oxygen room.
Weapons
The advanced flak cannon is hilariously powerful. One power, and 8 second cooldown time? That’s the dream of most FTL players. You won’t need many upgrades into your weapons system anyway, and the advanced flak is an amazing weapon. Just switch on autofire, aim it at desired system, then boom.
The Rebel Flagship
For once, you look as cool as they do.
First Phase: Abduct them!
Firstly, teleport your lanius into the triple-barreled rocket launcher pod. If you’re playing on hard, then try and hold that weapons room using a combination of asphyxiation and mind control. It’s even better if you can get your mitts on a hacking module. Once the rocket launcher is down, abduct the crew one by one apart from one. If you aren’t playing on hard mode, then let that be the crewmember in the burst laser room. From then, take control of the shields room, and then beam your lanius up and let rip with your advanced flak cannon/whatever diabolical weapon you have found.
Second Phase: Drones
With only one crew left, this should be easy. Take care of the missiles and shields first, then move on to the drone room. Then beam up your lanius, flak cannon, etc;
Third Phase: Laugh
Just shred through that zoltan shield, then beam your lanius into the missile room. If your crew get mind controlled, so what? Just mind control them back to your team. The only thing you have to worry about is the super weapon, which can really pack a punch. But if all goes to plan, the flagship shall fall.
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