Xeno Hunter
Ever since the alien race called the Thargoid became prosperous again in 3303, human civilization has been in desperate need of commanders to help repel it. The stakes of this type of battle are high, requiring special weapons and knowledge of special tactics to fight them. Despite the benefits, the battle with the Thargoids was an exciting experience for the surviving pilots.
This career is a part of them, involves finding Thargoids, cold orbitting and more.
Thargoid Variants
Thargoids come in 5 known classes: Titans, Interceptors, Hunters, Scouts, and ground variants.
Thargoid Scouts
- Main article: Thargoid Scout
Thargoid Scouts are a smaller variant of the Thargoid interceptor. They come in four variants: Berserker, Inciter, Marauder, and Regenerator. Each with different special abilities. Scouts are immediately hostile and in groups can deal significant damage to an unprepared pilot. Scouts, unlike interceptors, have 77% resistance to human weapons, rather than 99%. This reduced damage resistance makes it possible to kill Scouts with human weapon systems, however specialized AX weapon systems are still far more effective and efficient than their human counterparts.
Thargoid Interceptor
- Main article: Thargoid Interceptor
Thargoid Interceptors come in five variants: Orthrus, Cyclops, Basilisk, Medusa and Hydra, in ascending level of difficulty. Each next variant has more hearts and is tougher than the last, requiring more damage destroy them. The Orthrus is a special class of interceptor without hearts. Interceptors use very high damage output weapons, crowd-control style special abilities, and deploy Thargon drone swarms to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
Thargoid Hunter
- Main article: Thargoid Hunter
Thargoid Hunters are the newest class spotted, and come in two variants: Glaives and Scythes. Hunters have very high mobility, fire FSD disruptor and caustic missiles, and deploy an anti-guardian field similar to the Orthrus.
Thargoid Titan
- Main article: Thargoid Titan
Thargoid Titans are large capital class Thargoid vessels, and can be found at the center of Maelstroms. Thargoid planetary structures surface sites, and barnacle matrix sites also bear many similarities to the Titans found in space.
Where to find Thargoids
Thargoids can be found at systems located within the Coalsack, Pleiades, Witch Head Nebula. Through it has been reported by the community that the Pleiades and Witch Head Nebulas seem to have the most Thargoid activity. There are a few ways to find them while within these Nebulas.
Non-Human Signal Sources
- Main article: Non-Human Signal Source
Found in areas with Thargoid activity, these signal sources can usually guarantee an extraterrestrial encounter of some kind given the name. These signal sources can be found in supercruise, and scanning a Nav Beacon when entering a system will reveal all of the Non-Human Signal Sources.
When found, the signal sources will have a threat level attached to them. Many different combinations of Thargoids can be found in groups or solo based on the attached threat level. It should go without saying that the higher the threat level, the more difficult, and the lower the threat level, the least difficult.
Hyperdiction
- Main article: Hyperdiction
In a twist of fate, Hyperdictions are not a way for the player to find Thargoids but instead to find the player. A Hyperdiction is the act of pulling a player directly out of Witch Space while in the middle of traveling to a different system. It is a very cinematic and unique experience that every player should have the opportunity to experience for themselves.
When a player is Hyperdicted, they will drop out of Hyperspace somewhere between the star systems they were jumping from. Upon dropping out, the Thargoid will emit an EMP attack shutting the ship’s system down.
Suggested Ships
There are three recommended ships for Xeno Hunting.
Alliance Chieftain
The shieldless Alliance Chieftain is the undisputed AX meta, just like the Fer-de-Lance in PVP. Providing good hull, cargo space, agility, and firepower, the Chieftain is able to effortlessly cold orbit while maintaining devastating gauss fire. Its ample hardpoints also allow for four gauss cannons in addition to a flak launcher and thermal vent beam laser. Its sister ship, the Alliance Challenger, provides more damage and hull at the cost of speed.
Alliance Challenger
The Alliance Challenger, sister ship of the more popular Alliance Chieftain, is a slower alternative with higher damage output against an interceptor’s shields. Depending on preference, it can also have more raw hull than a standard Chieftain build. Its three medium hardpoints with good convergence make it a better platform for running modified Shard Cannons or Plasma Chargers.
Krait Mk II
The Krait Mk II is a tried and true favorite of maelstrom divers, as it offers substantial firepower and optional internals, while still maintaining good maneuverability.