FTL Flagship kill with only combat drones, no weapons or hacking!

We did it! *with mind control *on easy difficulty ASTERISK*****, whatever, we killed the Flagship, all three phases with no weapons or hacking to support our offensive drones! Boss setup: 1 Combat mk 2 drone, 2 Combat Mk 1 drones, 4 shields, max cloaking, mind control, lots of dodge. We only took 1 damage in phase 1 and 2 of the boss, and we got the kill with only offensive drones! Apparently, 3 drones can kill the boss on their own if the pilot is mind controlled and/or hanging out in the teleporter room for some reason. GG, cookie time, I don't care I used mind control, we did it! -- Watch live at / rand118

[@Tonatsi]

Rand when he activates all 3 drones: I AM THE SECOND PHASE

[@rand118]

EVERY phase is the second phase!

[@timecubed]

@@rand118 technically you only have 1 phase, because if you die you die, so your only phase is phase 2

[@alexhndr]

Flagship Second Phase: *starts* Rand: *"TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME."*

[@rand118]

We'll see who the TRUE DRONE PHASE is!

[@reverendaero]

Windows should have activated itself due to this godly run

[@TheReaverOfDarkness]

I think it'd be more fun to allow all offensive drones. Can you do a run in which you use everything except weapons? You can use boarding except on the final boss. Mind control and hacking are A-OK. You may use your weapon system to power non-weapons which include the heal burst, repair burst, and crystal lock bomb.

[@Tonatsi]

1:12:00 value point in weapons :)

[@michabaszczyk2599]

Great Video! Love both your youtube content and streams. Yesterday i got around 40 scrap and weapon pre igniter from a random ship and thats insame imo. All best for you c:

[@rand118]

Thanks Eryo, and yeah, any time you get a free Pr-igniter, it's a good day!

[@kamikace8476]

with this ship you can get early crew kills by autofiring oxygen. works with level 1 O2.

[@WanderTheNomad]

Nice value point in weapons.

[@samueljames0908]

That was hard to watch...

[@billrock6386]

It hurt me

[@AbdulPanganting]

Damn, this brings memories... last time I played this game, I found a GAME-BREAKING BUG that essentially allows me to 1.) win a ship fight by eliminating the crew using fire, and 2.) GET THE SAME REWARDS I GOT FROM THAT FIGHT, AGAIN, by allowing said fire to make ship go boom Basically, once I get Firebeam (or other fireweapons that don't rely on ammo) every fight gives me double rewards. This works on VANILLA, and on mods (my fave is that Endless one and Captain's Edition).

[@rodrikforrester6989]

They patched that one. It happens in my games pretty often, and I always have a little chuckle. Scavenged it just in time!

[@rand118]

...this doesn't happen...I think it may have been a LONG time since you played. You don't get double rewards by crew killing a ship then blowing up the ship...

[@AbdulPanganting]

@@rand118 yes it does. IIRC, the exploit requires you to win a fight with crew elimination, enemy ship on fire with enough remaining systems to induce hull damage. You simply save the game after eliminating the crew, exit to main menu, then reload the save, and wait for the ship to go boom. You will get the exact same rewards again. But this was YEARS AGO, so take that with a grain of salt.

[@htamos9081]

Just found your channel, after starting plaing a bit of FTL again. I'm actually a noob who searched for a guide to beat the flagship with a Engi Cruiser, failed it multiple times now. (but i unlocked all 3 types now) I also think it's hard to play the engi ships properly, because they have to much weaknesses. Some tips how to easily beat the flagship with a Engi Cruiser? A suggestion: beat the flagship with only boarding? Edit: GG and a good new year :)

[@rand118]

Thanks, Thomas, welcome to the channel! My suggestion for easily beating the flagship is usually the same: Get hacking, get good weapons (Flak 1's and Halberd beam are probably the 2 strongest weapons), and cloaking if you can. Hack shields or piloting when you fire your weapons, cloak the missiles in phase 1 and the overcharge in phase 2 and 3, and have 3 or 4 shields with 5+ engines. Usually that's enough defense+offense to kill the boss with ANY ship. Good luck!

[@ShadowHunter120]

@@rand118 this or if you're lucky, stacked burst 2s, arguably rarer but all 4 of those has enough conventional firepower to take on anything.

[@rand118]

@@ShadowHunter120 Yeah, 4 BL 2's would probably be my #2 preferred 8 power weapon system (using only 2 power weapons) since, again, you can aim, fire and forget, no micro-managing required.

[@ShadowHunter120]

@@rand118 I loved doing that so much on kestrel with hacking cloak and stealth weapons, death by a thousand cuts.

[@benejeneb]

Nice! GG! Making it look easy as always :D

[@rand118]

Hah, thanks Ben!

[@rhaining]

I don't recall seeing anyone else attempt this challenge -- well done!

[@rand118]

Thanks rhaining! It took a few tries to get this challenge done, but it was pretty satisfying to make it happen!

[@louiehorwood660]

3 boarding drones plus boarding.

[@bigdiccmarty9335]

We can dream, but its not to be

[@lewistaylor00]

With mind control?

[@bigdiccmarty9335]

@@lewistaylor00 Imagine if you hacked a drone control with an Anti Personnel drone it turns to your side instead of exploding, oh man then you could have 8 boarders 1 mind controled enemy, and effectively 3 boarding drones for 12 boarders total

[@lewistaylor00]

@@bigdiccmarty9335 ngl I'm gonna re down load the game now hah I'm gonna try it

[@bigdiccmarty9335]

@@lewistaylor00 it doesn't work the hacking bit, but its fun to think about

[@Zer0cul0]

49:27 No no you're thinking of a Hippogriff. Hypocrisy is that long side of a triangle.

[@femimark5021]

Hypotenuse

[@dj_enby]

gesundheit

[@johnyevo6575]

the stunner drone only costs 1 power so it's harder to get it offline

[@SuperExplosivegames]

Yo have you seen Shortest Trip To Earth recently? It's full released and I've been enjoying it a lot

[@rand118]

I've been hearing a lot about it since it released. I played it in early access, I'll definitely need to re-visit it soon, just gotta find the right time to fit it into my schedule!

[@Tonatsi]

The worst sound known to man: *bee-beep! Bee-beep!*

[@S4LtyTrIcKs]

Science wins again!

[@rand118]

Yay for science!

[@ottoros]

I knew you could do it! Well done :D

[@rand118]

Thanks, Otto, and thanks for requesting me to give it another try! I'm sure I'll get flak for doing it on easy mode, but I'm OK with that, since now we can say, "We did it!"

[@samuelguindon2016]

My first victory actually was with drones only :p (i used 2 ion blasts 2 as weapons)

[@zeventeen1]

Probably won't see but great video

[@rand118]

I do see, and thank you for the kind words!

[@doggo00]

6:20 why can you see where the flert is gonna be so far forward?

[@rand118]

Extended pursuit indicator, subsetgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26289

[@breaker1709]

Almost fall asleep during bossfight. Is it so necessary to pause for 30 sec on every micromove that boss makes?

[@rand118]

You would not enjoy some FTL streamers as they do SUPER extensive pausing micro strats, I'm guessing. I have a feeling this run (which I don't remember from years ago) required very specific responses. Using only combat drones and no weapons is a pretty big handicap since offensive drones can't be aimed.

[@Roberthun]

nice video , grats to the run I'm kinda late tho XD

[@stevenschiro1838]

Wooo nice!

[@AmaroqStarwind]

How well would the Clans from BattleTech translate into a faction in FTL? (Depending on how well you know your BattleTech lore)

[@rand118]

If you're asking me, I have NO idea. Though I'm playing BattleTech, I dunno the lore at all. I can tell you traits of the different races and factions in FTL, but not a thing about Clans from BattleTech!

[@AmaroqStarwind]

rand118 Well, do keep this question in mind when you eventually play more BattleTech games. I highly recommend Mechwarrior 2 and the original MechCommander, which both take place in the BattleTech universe. Unlike the current BattleTech videogame, which is based more heavily on the tabletop game and the novels, MechCommander is real-time. Mechwarrior 2, despite being a vehicular FPS, translates a lot of the tabletop mechanics better than MechCommander though (about as well as the current BattleTech videogame). Just stay away from the MechAssault games. If you want an action game for Xbox, they're alright, but as far as setting goes they're just bad BattleTech fan-fiction with an official license.

[@AmaroqStarwind]

If you want to skip the various games, though, then there is also an entire BattleTech wiki which has thoroughly just about everything BattleTech-related since the tabletop game's release in the early 1980's, both in-universe and out-of-universe.

[@finalexamweekftw1099]

Yes yes. Dead comment is dead (three years late OMG!) The Clans wouldn't translate particularly well. They're pretty much just humans, though you could argue about elementals being Rock esque. There are quite a few Aerospace fighters that you could take inspiration from however. The tech base of FTL is just a little too advanced for Battletech, and Battletech is too 'hard' for a full sci fi world like FTL or most other sco fi settings.

[@Loki94300]

Do u have some kind of plugin to see all future fleet jumps on the map?!

[@Taylor_Moon]

www.subsetgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26289

[@Sirmartinii]

heres me not being able to do it normally.....lmfao

[@summonsays2610]

ive done it like once lol

[@rand118]

Hah, you'll get the wins eventually, just gotta get the strats down and figure out how you like to play!

[@TheDangerousNate]

I've done it 3 times methinks... Once as the Federation Ship A, once as Engi Ship B, and once as Kestrel A. The Fed ship seems the easiest, just charge up the beam system to full and watch it cut through the enemy. But I haven't been able to repeat my success. I'm trying to beat it as the Zoltan ship but I can't find any good weapons, or maybe I just need to pause the game, take my time and really deliberate my moves better...

[@rand118]

@@TheDangerousNate Zoltan A is super strong because of halberd beam. If you're having trouble I would recommend looking for hacking or a flak weapon. Both work SUPER well with halberd beam, while zoltan shield protects you from early damage. Good luck!

[@TheDangerousNate]

@@rand118 Yeah, once I get past the their shields then I'm golden. I always feel stupid when I'm using the Zoltan, I feel like I have a great ship but I don't know how to use it properly. Like plopping me into an airplane or Indy 500 car. I'll hopefully try again soon, thanks for the tip.

[@MaksProger]

Is it possible on normal mode?

[@rand118]

I'm sure it is, maybe even on hard mode, but you'd need really good defense to tank the boss while waiting for your drones to do their work. I forget my setup on this run, but I'm sure I focused defense to allow my offensive drones to get through all the shields.

[@borisvandenbrink756]

i kinda get it, but why are you allowed to use ion's when you say no weapons/only combat drones?

[@borisvandenbrink756]

btw love your content, i used to play a lot of ftl, and after watching lot of vids, you are really getting my love for the game back.

[@sabetwolf]

It was drones only on the Boss ship, not the rest of the game

[@rand118]

Yeah, I used ions to get to the boss, but no weapons used for the boss fight, as Daniel Kramer said.

[@ryanbarham8464]

Impressive!

[@ethernet389]

I have 70 hours in this game and have yet to fucking win LOL

[@rand118]

FTL is a tough game, so you are not alone in that stat! If you need help, I have a "beginner's guide to FTL" video with some general tips for players who are having a hard time getting their first win.

[@reformCopyright]

I don't mind that you used mind control.

[@SvelterEagle]

1:28:23 what game is that? I can't quite understand what he says

[@rand118]

Shortest Trip to Earth is what I said. I do sometimes mumble or speak quickly to keep up with chat, sorry about that!

[@SvelterEagle]

@@rand118 All good, thanks for the response!

[@acat4701]

53:28 Activate windows

[@rand118]

Fixed that finally!

[@1992Xaldin]

$15 dollar keyboard!

[@xenxander]

Nah you're not the only victory of the flagship with just drone attacks. I won with this ship using beam and combat drones. But I had double ion burst 2 guns, and two beam drones. Perhaps using ONLY drones for the flagship you are the first. but your run up to the flagship should have also been only drones.

[@Praisethefab]

wait,wasn't the combat drone 2 3 slots?

[@LordHaarat]

you mean 3 energy? i thought it was that aswell until I saw it

[@Praisethefab]

@@LordHaarat yeah,but the laser mk2 costs 3 energy,it's really strange

[@rand118]

Combat Drone 2 has always used 4 power. That's one reason I don't use combat drones very often, they're pretty power expensive.

[@pepperspray7386]

Playing on easy is boring, it has to hurt if it's to entertain!