How do I proceed from here?

[PM]

I have beaten Iocrym with unenhanced IM90 before 1.2. Tedious, yes, but winnable. IM90 in 1.2+ has 64% of its former DPS. If it can be enhanced to +150%, it should still be powerful enough to win the game with.

[Ihlosi]

I guess I'll try finding an IM90 then. And a good shield.

I think I read that some kind of missile defense (ICX/Longreach) is advisable for fighting the ICS?

[josh19967]

Yes- a PD system can really help with the ICS's disintegrator, though a good shield isn't as important IF you can dodge sentinels, AND you don't get really close to the ICS.

[JohnBWatson]

I guess I'll try finding an IM90 then. And a good shield.

It's quite a bit easier with an APA, MK V, or Fusionfire. Those three are much easier to acquire as well. If you do the mission at the Taikon station in Heretic, you may even manage to loot a Fusionfire for free.

I think I read that some kind of missile defense (ICX/Longreach) is advisable for fighting the ICS?

Yes. Either works, but if it's your first go then use the Longreach.

[Ihlosi]

It's quite a bit easier with an APA, MK V, or Fusionfire.

A mark v howitzer? Aren't those just level 7?

I haven't seen an Ares plasma archcannon yet. I assume I need to loot it from Ares (cap)ships or stations?

Unfortunately, my last game ended a few minutes ago. I managed to get my hands on the IM90, but then I found out the hard way that you cannot use a weapon enhancement ROM and +x% enhancements on the same weapon. Then I got picked apart by a bunch of Ares ships since I mis-typed while trying to hit I-1 ...

I learned a few things during that game, though.

[JohnBWatson]

It's quite a bit easier with an APA, MK V, or Fusionfire.

A mark v howitzer? Aren't those just level 7?

Yes, but they're on par with the Fusionfire and generally affordable. If you enhance them(buy tritium injectors at corporate trading posts) they can do sufficient damage to kill the ICS. Fusionfires and APAs are better, though. Ares Positron Cannons are also good for quickly killing the sentinels, and incredibly easy to find.

I haven't seen an Ares plasma archcannon yet. I assume I need to loot it from Ares (cap)ships or stations?

Yes.

Unfortunately, my last game ended a few minutes ago. I managed to get my hands on the IM90, but then I found out the hard way that you cannot use a weapon enhancement ROM and +x% enhancements on the same weapon. Then I got picked apart by a bunch of Ares ships since I mis-typed while trying to hit I-1 ...

I learned a few things during that game, though.

Nobody makes it on their first try. That's still a very good run.

[Atarlost]

Every non-omni level 8 or higher weapon can handle the ICS unenhanced. That means that a +30% level 7 non-omni ion or thermo weapon should also be able to because each level is supposed to do 30% more damage than the level below.

Handling the lobsters is harder because there's a time limit, often a very short one by the time you get to the station they're attacking. I find the best tool for the job is a very heavily enhanced advanced tritium cannon, but it's a bit touchy and level 9-10 plasma weapons can also do the job.

[JohnBWatson]

Handling the lobsters is harder because there's a time limit, often a very short one by the time you get to the station they're attacking. I find the best tool for the job is a very heavily enhanced advanced tritium cannon, but it's a bit touchy and level 9-10 plasma weapons can also do the job.

In addition, if you manage to get a lucky kill and salvage an IFC, you can safely kill the lobsters in a matter of seconds.

[Atarlost]

Handling the lobsters is harder because there's a time limit, often a very short one by the time you get to the station they're attacking. I find the best tool for the job is a very heavily enhanced advanced tritium cannon, but it's a bit touchy and level 9-10 plasma weapons can also do the job.

In addition, if you manage to get a lucky kill and salvage an IFC, you can safely kill the lobsters in a matter of seconds.

That would be one of those level 9-10 plasma weapons that also do the job.

[catfighter]

I noticed that mining during the early game is significantly less lucrative than it used to be. The asteroids in the early systems only contain one or two tons of ore (though sometimes high-level ore, which wasn't the case in earlier versions). I've started to skip my early-game mining runs.

It's a random chance (simulating a die roll), so it might just be a bad game/asteroid field. In one of my games I got more than 150 tons of plasteel and the asteroid still hadn't run dry (my maneuverability was trashed by the extra weight and a charon frigate got me, so I never did find out exactly how much was in there).

I've actually beaten the ICS with an IM90... just fly around in circles and avoid the sentinels as they pop out...

Flying in circles is the single best strategy I have found so far. On one of my most memorable runs yet, I got the Huari to destroy every single one of their stations and a large portion of their own fleet in their last refuge. The stations were even kind enough to hit each other with their howitzers occasionally. I had a monopole deflector and an omni-turbolaser; not a single shot was fired on my end. Ah, the good old days of mindless destruction and revelry...

[PM]

Mining was changed in 1.5. Usually, you get very little ore in early systems.

[Ihlosi]

It looks like I got lucky in my last game: From the remains of a battle between a Xenophobe fleet and an Ares commune, I was able to salvage an Ares positron cannon and an omni thermo cannon. I had the APC installed on my ship and used it to finish off the last remaining Worldship.

The Xenophobes had also attacked several Ferian colonies, but none of the Ferian defender wrecks had an intact plasma cannon in it.

[catfighter]

The Xenophobes had also attacked several Ferian colonies, but none of the Ferian defender wrecks had an intact plasma cannon in it.

It's like a birthday come early when that happens! One of the fastest get-rich-quick schemes is luring xenophobes around. Pity the adventurer outfitter I got them to torch didn't leave any of its loot behind. If you find another fleet, try to get them to chase you into the middle of other sovereigns. It's extremely lucrative and rather fun dodging practice.

[Ihlosi]

It's like a birthday come early when that happens!

It usually happens in the last two systems before Heretic, and occasionally Gaian processors join the fun, too.

In my last game, I witnessed a running battle between a Worldship and a Ranx dreadnought.

I really liked the omni thermo cannon. Previously, I dismissed it since it was ammo-based, but that's a small price to pay for weapon that has low power requirements, is omni, and is both a skirmish weapon and a base-cracker.

I've also had a chance to try out the tritium cannon. It looks similar to the thermo cannon, just without ammo, but higher power requirements.

[Ihlosi]

Well, I made it to Heretic. I have the Hyperio reactor, a +40% lv9 shield, a +40% IM90. Unfortunately, all of the stations got destroyed by the ... lobsters (note for next time: Bring a bigger gun). I also had problems defending the research ship from the pteravores.

So what do I actually need to do now? If I try to cross the outer nebula, I get teleported around in the system.

I found and destroyed four Iocrym outposts, are there any more that I need to take care of?