lots of troubles in mission 4...lots of questions!

Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:01 am by il_partigiano

Hi,
This is my first time posting here.
I have read through this forum first and since i haven't found many general strategies i have to ask a few questions.
My current stats are as fallows:
--lvl 5
--Mission 4: just fought off the 3 rhinelanders with Juni and landed on Cal. Minor to meet this captain.
--Ship: Startracker with: -3 guns: (forget the names) 1 rapid-fire laser based, 1 that has 180+ shiled damage and another one that does hull damage at over 100 ( think its well balanced ?????)
-No Missiles (i'm very bad at firing them)
-best shield for my class (i think its called Cuisse)
-4 nanobots and 5 shield batteries (no money for more!!!)

Do i have the right equipment to get past mission 4???
First off, i have never done missions off the job board that were over lvl2.
In any missions lvl3 and over I seem to get pounded into a pulp veeeeeery quickly either because my shields are weak or the pirates are using very strong weapons.
I barely escaped the fight at the 4th buoy while escorting the artifacts because the opponent (a measly one ship on my tail) drains my shields with 4 hits and i have to recharge....batteries get waisted quickly.
So I ask you what should i do?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I can't pass the next part where i go to WIllard station and join the dogfight.
It seems as though 3-4 ships hit on me and destroy me in matter of 10secs...why? I'm not the only ship there and usually I'm not the best equipped or biggest of all so why me???
I get pounded so hard i can't even push the batterie button in time to repair shields before the hull ruptures.

What to do???

No better ships in Liberty space (both rhino and patriot suck in hull strength)

For me in this current situation, my best bet would be the 22thousand credit Hawk but its a civillian ship in Kusari space!!!
Which brings me to my next question: how do i get out of liberty space. No exits in the Texas, Colorado and New York systems, and 2 exits i can see in California system including magellan and cortez right????
But i can't enter the conduits to get me to those systems because it says access denied very time i try!!!

Why is this?

Am i not high enough lvl???

Do i have to buy access from someone???

Am i missing something...something in general considering my status and the way i've played so far???

Thanks for any tips you can provide!!!

Edited by - il_partigiano on 13-03-2003 01:06:52

Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:42 am by Sabin

I see some problems.
Ship -- Ugh. Get a Defender. Go to any battleship (Althoooough, it HELPS if you did this before M4.) and buy one for aorund 14k. Load yourself up with LavaBlade IIIs.
Shields -- Looks good. Note that there are different shield classes.
Nanos and Shield Batts -- Also looks good.

On your L3+ mission problem: They could have had weapons that were your shield's weakness.

Mission problem: This is because you're using a /LIGHT/ Fighter. There's a heavy one at any Battleship (Yukon, Missouri, etc.)

What to do -- Get a beefier ship with beefier weapons.
There happens to be better ships, like I said.
You must run from Liberty space in M4, as you suddenly get on the top 10 most wanted list.
Access Denied problem: You're not far enough yet, you're not supposed to be there.
Level has nothing to do with it.
No.
Not really, you just need a better ship.
You're welcome.

Edit: Another note, the missions that you'll have to run once you get out of Liberty into Magellan are around level 10-15 missions or so.

Edited by - Sabin on 13-03-2003 01:45:52

Thu Mar 13, 2003 2:13 am by il_partigiano

thanks for being to the point ...and of course for being so quick to help

When you said for lvl3 jobs that i simply get hit with weapons that are weakness to my shields, how do i work that problem out??? Should i carry 2 shields and mount the one that is best suited depending on how i do the mission first time around. That way if i die i know what the problem is and i can install different shield beforehand.
Is there by any chance difference in weaknesses and strengths of the 2 shield systems (graviton and positron) or is it simply that one is weak against one weapon system and other against other weapon system and that's it???

As for the ship, i had no idea the battleships had shipsales onboard.
So now i will go back to just before mission 4 and buy the ship and more lavablade guns (so far i have 1 lavablade II).
Also can anyone tell me what missile launcher is best to use. I tried the seeker ones (stalker) and they never worked for me. I try to watch the opponent pass me and then i get his cross in my circle and shoot from behind but never hit him. Am i missing an important point when firing missiles??? I do need to learn quickly because i doubt i can get far without knowing how to use missiles.
Also does anyone know if my shields are down, is it possible that a fire into my hull will make some of the cargo fall out. I do believe i had 20 seeker missiles once and i fired maybe 4 and then returned to a base to find out i had 0. Where are they disappearing???

Thanks to Sabin for tips so far and anyone else who might help me a bit more or suggest some other tips regarding fighting, shield selection, use of proper guns, missiles and mines and just how effective are conutermeasure droppers???

Thu Mar 13, 2003 2:29 am by Sabin

I said you COULD have. It may have been that your Light Fighter wasn't adequate for fighting.
Shields: There are more types than that (Molecular shields). If you read the description it says that A is weak aganst Z and C, etc.
On the ship, buy Lavablade IIIs, and either demount or sell off the II.
On missiles: I just fire them like any other weapon. Line the pointer up with the targetting crosshair and fire. Range can also play a part in it.
Missiles, nanos, etc. aren't stored into the cargo (As in, what you stuff Caradmine and such into) so, no. At least, I don't THINK so...I've never really taken that many hits after shields down with missile launchers.
I personally don't really use missiles except for EMP missiles (Mainly for the Bounty Hunters, pesky little buggers.)
Countermeasures can save you big time. They work best if you get them (the missiles) in at a 90 degree angle, preferably the back. Drop a countermeasure, and hit your afterburners. Or, if you're in cruise, just keep on going.
Note: If you hear a missile coming and you're in Cruise, it's probabaly a cruise disruptor.

Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:41 am by il_partigiano

Once again, thank you!!!
You've been great help.
I'll be sure to practice some of those things in a fight. I guess i'll use the javeline missiles and maybe the stalkers as well...never know when i might finally learn how to use them

Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:12 am by neoninja

somemore tips here, if u r going for javvelin missiles (whici takes more damage from enemies but not as aggressive as stalker) u will always miss. that's my experience though, my chance of hits are only 20% or less i think. stalkers also kenot guarantee u gonna hit it too. here's how to make it a 90% hit: fire ur missiles HEAD-ON, that is, he is flying towards u and u r facing him (the enemy). if u know that he is going after u, and u r facing him, give him like 3 javelins and some lasers plasmas then he is wasted instantly. hehe.

so now i never use stalker-class missiles. they suck. LOL.

Important Message

You are browsing the archived Lancers Reactor forums. You cannot register or login.
The content may be outdated and links may not be functional.

To get the latest in Freelancer news, mods, modding and downloads, go to
The-Starport