FTL Engi Type B Guide

FTL Engi Type B Guide by Bacon called

Intro

There is a widespread misconception that this ship is straight out terrible. This is not true. It is, however, very (very) difficult to fly this ship well. This guide will show you what you’ve overlooked about this curious little ship.

Bear in mind that this ship isn’t ideal for beating the game with. This guide is mostly just to show you how to pilot it in the event of a race or a similar event.

The Three Tenets of the Engi B

1) Always have at least one System repair drone online.
2) You don’t need sensors. Get a level 2 medbay instead.
3) Whatever it is, let the drones do it for you. They do it better.

Facts

System repair drones are amazing.

Having a teeny tiny medbay is actually a good thing. if there are 3 or 4 intruders on your ship, the lack of oxygen will get rid or one or two as they sit outside, unloved.

An anti personnel drone will take down a stray mantis or 2. It will negate an enemy boarding drone. It won’t do anything to 4 rocks, a boarding drone and a piece of bacon. Know its limits.

Mantis boarders very early on may eat you.

Cloaking is fun.

Defense 1 drones are funner than anti personnel drones.

Tactics

Don’t pick fights. The ships is adequately equipped to handle them, but why should you? Once you do get 90 scrap together though, buy level 2 shields and fighting will be markedly easier.

Make sure to always have the ship empty of air except for the cockpit, except while being boarded (then give the medbay oxygen). That way, getting blitzed with fires doesn’t matter, and if you get boarded the intruders will take significant damage fumbling around your ship.

The Torus can only support having the cockpit and shields manned. This is because to give oxygen to the shields will only oxygenate that one room and the redundant room between the cockpit and shields, giving oxygen to the weapons or engines will flood much of the ship with oxygen, losing the advantage gained by having so little oxygen. For this reason, buying crew is a bad idea. Instead, get another system repair drone. Don’t cast crew gained through events out into space though. Just store them in the little redundant room and the medbay.

If or when you do end up with 2 crew, make sure the one in the shields room is an Engi. That way, if both the drone system and the doors (or oxygen) are down, repairs on the drone system can begin ASAP, reducing the amount of time spent with none of your precious drones online. Another way of dealing with this is buying redundant power in the drone system to take a hefty missile hit. That way it will almost never go completely offline.

What to buy with your Hard-Earned Scrap

1) Long ranged scanners. Best value for money on anything in the shop.
2) Level two shields.
3) One (but only one) more crew member. This crew member would, ideally, be slug mantis or rock (slug is best), but, amusingly, anything except engi is acceptable, because your drones are the ones doing all the repairing.
4) Cloaking (if affordable). Dodging a big missile here and there is nice.
5) Level 2 medbay. Great while being boarded.
6) Sensors (finally)

More shields can be bought at any point past about 4.

Conclusion

If I changed your mind about this ship, then great! If I didn’t, then please don’t hate too much (a little is fine). If you are an expert on flying apparently derpy ships very well, and no, Shadow isn’t, and you believe I’ve missed something, or made a mistake, leave a comment (unless you’re Shadow).

Thank you for reading.