Dear fellow Commanders,
I didn't play PowerPlay (PP) for some time because I was bored delivering/shipping those reports/units so I downgraded to rank 1 due to the decay .
But now it is 4 weeks that I am with Arissa and hey ! I want to try the Imperial Hammer so let's go back to rank 3 again ... 750 merits to go ... but after reading a couple of posts I decided to try UNDERMINING for a change...and WHAT a change ... (got my 750 Merits in about 3 hours of fun play)
By preparing or fortifying you get 1 Merit for 1 T of delivery
By undermining you get 30 Merits per 1 kill
Why you should undermine:
- No need to wait 30mn for the reports to generate every time (although my trick was to stay docked at the station while watching a movie then switching to ED for collecting the reports every 30mn, just goes faster)
- You improve your combat ranking
- You collect 30 Merits per kill (compared to the 1 T = 1 Merit with trading)
- It is much more fun
- You will become "wanted" (for 6 days) and will feel the adrenaline which comes with it ... the sweat and the trigger getting slippery and all you know
For those not familiar with undermining (like me 4 hours ago), here is below a step by step summary (below the summary you will find some additional and useful info):
I decided to undermine Edmun from the Alliance as he is getting closer to Arissa and the description was not very clear "Destroy Alliance Bureaucrats, bring confirmation to your control system" . Here we go :
GETTING READY
- Go to your Galaxy Map or Galaxy Power
- Select the power to undermine, with my example I select Edmun HAHAHA
- Choose a Controlled system belonging to Edmun (either the closest to your current position but if you really want to help Arissa, select one of Edmun' s Controlled system which is NOT already successfully undermined - trigger reached)
- Important: Before going in the selected Edmun' s controlled system to undermine, make sure you have a Frame Shift Drive Interdictor outfitted on your ship (the target must be interdicted in SuperCruise mode)
- Also ensure your ship is ready for combat (assign a key to the FSD Interdictor, don't forget to check your insurance --- disclaimer --- Don't want to be blamed in case of a lost fight )
- Now that you are ready for fight, fly to the selected Controlled system in Edmun' s space
FIGHTING/COLLECTING MERITS
- Welcome to the Edmun' s controlled system that you selected...get ready to have some fun...
- Stay in SuperCruise mode and start looking for targets called "Alliance Bureaucrats" (you can check the Contact panel in your navigation)
- When you found a valid target, stay behind it (still in SuperCruise) and when in range click once the button/key linked to your FSD interdictor (one click is enough, no need to keep pressing like the discovery scan)
- Play the Interdiction mini game until your target gets interdicted (I found it more efficient when I was 100% full speed) --- Be careful as sometimes "flight assist off" is activated when you have interdicted your target and are out of Supercruise ---
- As you can see your target is "Clean" so when you will start firing at it you will be fined (about 200 credit I guess)
- Kill your target and get 30 Merits !! and of course a fine of around 7000 Credits (sometimes your target will drop some loot called "Alliance Legislative Records" which have a "stolen" status (those merits cost 10 times cheaper than buying them when you reached your quota...assuming you get scanned/fined)
- Go back to Supercruise and find another target called "Alliance Bureaucrats" (keep in mind that the more targets you kill, you will get more fined and the local security & the bounty hunters will try to get you)
- Repeat the process until your ship is under a certain % or if you have collected many Merits (Don't forget that you must return safely to your controlled system for actually getting the Merits, it would be a pity to loose your ship AND the Merits)
REDEEMING YOUR MERITS
- Go back to one of your controlled system, dock in a station, go to "Contacts" then "Power Contacts" and redeem your Merits et voila !! Was much more funny than the boring delivery stuff !
Some useful additional information which will help you during the process
- Even in a hostile system, with a wanted status and a heavy fine you can still dock in a station in the system you are undermining but don't get scanned by the security !!
- I collected some of the "stolen" loot called "Alliance Legislative Records" from the "Alliance Bureaucrats" and went back to my controlled system. It is actually considered as a normal "corruption report" and you can deliver them to systems that are being prepared for more Merits (the only problem is that you will be fined 1000 credits per Tonne when scanned)
- In case you get interdicted by the local security in the system you are undermining, don't waste your time fighting (as it will increase your fine) and escape: activate Flight Assist, put all pips in your engine, Boost then activate your FSD to go back in SuperCruise
- I noticed that once I was back in my power system, the federal agent/security of the power I was undermining was trying hunting me down more than usual