The Factions of Infinite Space, Part 3

The Factions of Infinite Space, Part 3: Zorg and Urluquai

This is my first post in over a month - I have admittedly been getting too involved in the rest of my Steam library - but I have decided to return to the topic of faction matchups and rivalries in Sea of Stars. Having discussed the Terrans and Garthans in the previous post about this topic, I will now move on to a race of tiny spiritually advanced humanoids and huge glowing evil jellyfish.

Ever since the very first game, the psionically capable humanoid alien race, the Zorg, have had a sworn arch-nemesis in the form of the malevolently evil jellyfish-like Urluquai. These two factions were the first ones in the series to have ships with unique properties. Specifically, Zorg fighters can teleport a short distance across the map, while Urluquai Deep Hunters carry a cloaking device to avoid detection when not attacking. But we'll get to that shortly after I describe the rest of their lineups.

The Zorg have been present since Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, but in that game you could only encounter them as mercenaries; then as now, the only way to hire them is to transfer an item from your inventory to their cargo hold. The Urluquai were also introduced in that game, but unlike the Zorg, they were among the biggest villains of Sector Prime along with the Garthans and are unambiguously evil - in fact, unlike the Zorg, you can't negotiate with them in Sea of Stars due to the removal of the Mantle of Babulon. Bringing a Zorg vessel with you to a Zorg flotilla, on the other hand, will cause them to become your allies permanently. Now let's take a look at how these fleets stack up against each other.

Top: The Zorg field only four ships, but their equipment and crews are generally top-notch. Bottom: The Urluquai field six distinct ship types, and each one carries targeting systems as accurate as their crews.

The Zorg have a less diverse lineup compared to the Urluquai, but they make up for it by starting the game with technology more advanced than what the Terrans initially have; their fighters carry a Plasma Blaster by default, while their capital ships always carry at least one Gauss Cannon, an Antichronon Pulse Blaster, or both. Eventually, they will retrofit their ships with potent rapid-fire Proton Blasters and, except for their fighters, robust Meson Lattice Shields. This combination is the toughest one you can theoretically face in a regular game outside of a boss battle. What really makes them an effective fighting force, however, is their fighters' ability to teleport a short distance across the map while retaining the same orientation as before. Since these vessels also carry shields by default, they can be an utter nightmare when fighting against them, and a most helpful ally when you engage in combat alongside them. In addition, the central turret on Zorg Frigates faces backwards, making it nearly impossible to launch a surprise attack against without a cloaking device. Speaking of which...

The Urluquai generally carry short-range weapons (except for their Fusion Rocket Launchers), but make up for it by utilizing advanced targeting computers such as the Sardion Optimizer. This device provides a massive improvement in accuracy and fire rate, and they tend to use ambush tactics involving several waves of ships to boost their damage output. Two ships in particular stand out for their lethality, particularly to inexperienced and/or careless players. The Deep Hunter is a corvette modified for stealthy close-range combat, and to this end is equipped with two Strange Quark Projectors and a Plasma Coil Cloaker; although the latter allows it to remain undetected until it attacks, it is not entirely foolproof since a blind-fired projectile can still hit the ship, causing damage in the process. The much larger Urluquai Carrier, on the other hand, lacks the cloaking device, is slow-moving by comparison, and relies mainly on its fighters (which are sent out six at a time) for self-defense, although it also has a backwards-facing hardpoint and, being a large ship, is heavily armored.

Top: Urluquai only deploy reinforcements if their first wave of ships has received enough damage from enemy fire. Bottom: The Zorg flotilla is forced to split up to deal with the reinforcements and the Deep Hunter, but wins the battle anyway.

While an Urluquai ambush is potentially devastating against a small force without rear-facing weapons, this tactic is much less effective against a flotilla equipped with these defensive measures. Failing that, you can always order your ships to attack the reinforcements head-on. Cloaked vessels are also vulnerable to spheres launched by a Particle Vortex Cannon, which always discharges a lightning bolt at any nearby enemy ship, regardless if it is cloaked or not.

Top to bottom: These screenshots show the superiority of eight fully upgraded Zorg Fighters against one maxed-out Urluquai Carrier. The ability to teleport away from danger can make the difference between life and death when their pilots are faced with what seems initially to be an unstoppable foe.

Having a Zorg fighter as an ally, especially if it fights as part of your flotilla, is always useful in combat since its ability to teleport away from its target makes it less vulnerable to enemy fire. This unique property, combined with the fact that Zorg fighters are shielded by default, also makes it useful for distracting hostile forces so that your other ships can wreak havoc on a particular target. However, it is not entirely foolproof; if the ship being attacked carries sufficiently strong shields, is equipped with a targeting computer, and is also armed with rapid-fire beam or projectile weapons, the Zorg fighter(s) will receive substantial hull damage or even be destroyed altogether.

In short, the Urluquai, which mainly rely on accuracy, cunning tactics, and stealth, are terrifying foes to deal with in combat, but in fact the Zorg, with their more advanced weapons and shields, are an equally formidable fighting force in most cases. However, I still fear the Zorg more than the Urluquai, since the big-eyed psionic humanoids' teleporting fighters are incredibly difficult to catch. At least you can negotiate with them, but diplomacy is never an option with the Urluquai. The next few posts will delve deeper into the many alien races of Sector Prime. I can assure you, fireworks will be guaranteed...