The Quests of Infinite Space, Part 3: Ravian Swarm

The Quests of Infinite Space, Part 3: Ravian Swarm

The Ravian Swarm was another quest that was introduced in Weird Worlds, and was retained for Sea of Stars. This quest is different from the two I have described previously in that you must destroy a total of three flotillas in order to complete it. However, since the Ravians are now a regular alien race, complete with a homeworld, this quest can only appear if that planet does not appear in the sector, and even then, the Brood Towers must also be present on some unoccupied star system. You must actually discover them to begin the quest, though.

"I wonder what these are for?"

Discovering the Brood Towers alone will not cause the Ravian flotillas to spawn immediately at the opposite edge of the map from Glory. There will be a lull lasting a few months before that happens. When it does, you will receive this notification:

"Now we know what those vile Ravians are planning - the annihilation of all humankind and its allies!"

As with the Kawangi, the Ravians' current locations will be marked on the map. The best way to stop them is to get to a system they will visit, and then fast-forward the in-game clock until the Ravians reach your flotilla (unless the Ravians have already made a stopover at that system, in which case you can attack them immediately). Unlike the Kawangi, however, the Ravians will not destroy every star system they visit, except for Glory, and even then this grim outcome is only possible if you allow them to reach that system and stay there for two years. At any rate, once you have found the Ravian flotillas, you must destroy them. Here's how.

"This Ravian fleet is going down!"

Generally, you should fight against the Ravians as you normally would when they are a regular race (i.e. one which has a homeworld on the map). However, the stakes are higher here since the whole Glory system is at stake. In addition, the size and strength of the Ravian invasion force depends on the level of enemy strength selected at the start of the game, which is clearly not the case with the Kawangi or Primordius. To complicate matters further, the closest fleet to Glory is often the weakest, while the most distant one is usually the strongest. Thus, on higher difficulties, expect to encounter Hive Lords and Moon Mutants, the largest and strongest Ravian capital ships there are.

"Another Ravian fleet? Seems like they really wanted to destroy us Terrans, huh?"

Combat against the Ravians can be difficult, particularly when you are up against their larger ships, which have wider fields of fire, although their fighters are extremely weak. The Gluon Web carried by all Ravian capital ships is not very damaging (except when massed), and can be deflected by countermeasures, but the Proton Claw mounted on Battle Beetles and larger Ravian ships is much more dangerous due to its high rate of fire, particularly when several of them are fired at once. Your best bet is to pound the Ravian capital ships from beyond their attack range using assorted long-range weapons such as the Multi-Missile Launcher. Again, a cloaking device is highly recommended is you can obtain one, since you can sneak up on Ravian vessels from behind, but be sure to position cloaked ships directly behind them so that they cannot hit you. A strong shield is virtually a must in any case, since you will face a lot of Ravians during this quest, and once you destroy the first of their invasion fleets, you will have to do it again twice more to finish the quest.

"Now it really is curtains for those wretched insectoids!"

Although destroying all three Ravian fleets will not give you 5000 credits, it will make the game easier by giving you more freedom to visit any unexplored systems. I have actually completed this quest on the highest difficulty setting possible, and the last time I managed this feat, I was helped not once but twice: once by a Tchorak Vent Mother, and once by a Klakar Orbital Nest and its complement of fighters. You will also earn the achievement "Exterminator" on your first successful attempt to defeat the Ravian invasions. Follow the advice I've given you, and you should have little trouble kicking those dreaded bugs out of Sector Prime!