LW2 Strategic Layer: Managing Strength and Vigilance

[Tuhalu]

There are a few strategies you can try.

If you're feeling strong, you can just go full Intel and try and fight any Intel raids that come along while picking off Supply Raids and Troop Columns.

If you think you can't handle mini-retaliations in the region (the higher the strength the harder they are to beat), but you still want to get some use out of the region, then it's probably viable to go with something like 5 Intel, 5 Supply. This lets you spot useful missions (stop DEs, troop, supply) while generating some cash, but mostly avoid retaliations. You could put the last 3 guys on recruit to build up spare haven guys (and find more Rookies) or you could just leave them on hiding.

If you're late enough in the game that you really don't care anymore and you want to just push through the golden path missions without having to deal with a lot of rubbish, then you can just drop down to 4 Intel or 4 Supply and the rest on hiding to give yourself a good chance to avoid any kind of retaliations.

[Icarus]

Sounds good, thanks. Avoiding retaliations that way kinda depends on me routing out the Faceless beforehand, doesn't it? IIRC, a Faceless counts twice, bringing the 5 intel/supply guys up to 6 guys, qualifying for mini retals. So depending on how sure I am that there are no Faceless in the haven, I should probably go 4 guys.

[chrisb]

Say, once I do have a strength 7+ region (Old Age in OP), what do I do with it? The Op says it doesn't matter much, but I do have 13+ rebels in there and would really like to know what to have them do. I need a little intel to find troop columns, but what else do I do with the rebels?

Basically just hide them.

[DonCrabio]

In regions with 6+ I leave 4 rebels on Intel and hide others. This produce nice 7-8 days Troop Columns and, in my case, do not produce any retaliations at all. I play on Veteran, if it matters.

[hewhoispale]

In regions with 6+ I leave 4 rebels on Intel and hide others. This produce nice 7-8 days Troop Columns and, in my case, do not produce any retaliations at all. I play on Veteran, if it matters.

As long as none of them are Faceless.
You need 5 rebels working any job to spawn a "full" retaliation, and I believe the chance to occur increases with more rebels. The targeted "mini" retaliations start at 6 rebels on a specific job. However, each Faceless counts double. So if you get a retaliation with only 4 rebels working, expect at least some Faceless during the retaliation.

It appears that difficultly effects mission detection chance & infiltration time a bit, but not retaliation mechanics.

But yeah, 4 intel rebels with a solider adviser to fish for troop columns in higher strength ADVENT regions is a pretty safe strategy in my experience.

[Kwic]

I run my high advent strength regions (Veteran/Ironman - your mileage on Legend will vary)
- with 11+ rebels: 4 intel, all others on supply
- with 8-10 rebels: 4 recruit, 4 intel, 0-2 supply
- with 0-7 rebels: 4 recruit, the rest in hiding

The rationale:
1) I don't care about supply retaliations, as they are very easy (basically free xp). I care very much about intel/recruit retals.,

Hi, how can you be sure that you will have a supply retaliation, and not a full retaliation if you put 4 rebels on intel and others on supply?

The ufopaedia page is not tthat clear for me. The board says :

Full Retaliation :
Alert level 4
min rebels on duty 5
Advisor Solddier



Supply Raid :
Alert level 4
min rebels on duty 6
Advisor Solddier

So, how can 5 rebels on duty lead to full retaliation and 6 to supply retaliation ?

Does it mean that you NEED 6 rebels on supply to ensure a supply raid ?


Can someone explain it to me as if I was 4 years old

Thank you

[LordYanaek]

I run my high advent strength regions (Veteran/Ironman - your mileage on Legend will vary)
- with 11+ rebels: 4 intel, all others on supply
- with 8-10 rebels: 4 recruit, 4 intel, 0-2 supply
- with 0-7 rebels: 4 recruit, the rest in hiding

The rationale:
1) I don't care about supply retaliations, as they are very easy (basically free xp). I care very much about intel/recruit retals.,

Hi, how can you be sure that you will have a supply retaliation, and not a full retaliation if you put 4 rebels on intel and others on supply?

He can't, he can only be sure to avoid Intel and Recruit raids but as you said he can get both Supply raid (easy) and full retaliation (50/50 to have an easy or brutal mission).

The ufopaedia page is not tthat clear for me. The board says :

Full Retaliation :
Alert level 4
min rebels on duty 5

Supply Raid :
Alert level 4
min rebels on duty 6

So, how can 5 rebels on duty lead to full retaliation and 6 to supply retaliation ?

Does it mean that you NEED 6 rebels on supply to ensure a supply raid ?


Can someone explain it to me as if I was 4 years old

Thank you

That will change a lot with 1.3 anyway but currently you need 6 rebels on a specific job to trigger the raid for that job, but 5 rebels on any job is enough to trigger a full retaliation. Full retaliations are less common and can be avoided if you detect the Destroy the Relay mission that comes before so i guess that's why the active rebels threshold is lower.

BTW Raids and Retaliations are totally unrelated activities so i don't think it's either one or the other. As far as i know you can get both of them approximately at the same time.

[Flapdrol]

I run my high advent strength regions (Veteran/Ironman - your mileage on Legend will vary)
- with 11+ rebels: 4 intel, all others on supply
- with 8-10 rebels: 4 recruit, 4 intel, 0-2 supply
- with 0-7 rebels: 4 recruit, the rest in hiding

The rationale:
1) I don't care about supply retaliations, as they are very easy (basically free xp). I care very much about intel/recruit retals.,

Hi, how can you be sure that you will have a supply retaliation, and not a full retaliation if you put 4 rebels on intel and others on supply?

As said by the previous poster, this guarantees that I can only have supply or full retaliations.

Supply retaliations are free xp, full retaliations are 50% free xp, 50% lots of dead rebels

It is not nice to have lots of dead rebels, but there is no point in letting them live if all they do is hide. So they might as well provide supply until the full retaliation comes.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants
-- Thomas Jefferson

[Zyxpsilon]

For anyone having some (understandably important) interest in monitoring the actual (Strength + Force Levels + Vigilance) values on-a-per Regions basis straight into their Haven banners -- there is this new splendid Mini-Mod by notgreat (( http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =925598042 ))!

It perfectly does what it's supposed to.

[Icarus]

What do you guys think, in which way does 1.3 influence this approach?

What I can think of:
1. Troop columns being more difficult to detect and do lowers the value of high-strength non-liberated regions.
2. Retals being more reinforced puts additional pressure on those regions.
3. Liberated regions slowing down retals makes them mkre valuable.

In light of these changes, how much do you think this approach still holds up, especially the later phases?