I plan to try each of these and see how the feel with enjoyment, speed, and completion. Let's all come back here after release and discuss our thoughts on the new content!
Patrol: "Out of Control"
It's a pretty standard "defeat 5 groups of enemies" patrol, with the added wrinkle of the timed AoE attacks from the Borg. I actually enjoy this mechanic, especially when I'm in a slow-as-shit cruiser like I was when I ran the patrol today.
The story is nothing to write home about, as is usually the case with patrols. Alt-universe Iconians need our protection, blah blah blah.
For a brief moment, I thought maybe the other shoe was going to drop re: the Aetherians, but it was not to be (it also would have been very strange for that to happen in a patrol).
This one was a variation on "Ninth Rule". Same system too. Like the other patrol, this one took about 3 minutes in a DPS ship while learning the mechanics of the patrol. It feels "slower" than the other patrol, probably because there's more hopping around the map (just like Ninth Rule). The waves at the end are super easy compared to even a Normal Ninth Rule.
Hmmm... Good for speed-running like "Wanted"?
I'm no DPS chaser, and the character I used is weirdly weak against Borg for reasons I've never bothered trying to uncover, but I think you could probably complete it more quickly than "Wanted." I'm sure the XP rewards are far smaller, though.
I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.
I wouldn't consider myself a DPS chaser either, since I haven't even parsed my ship builds in at least a year or two. However, I definitely follow the meta and know I have (or at least) had some high DPS when I did parse.
TLDR: Maybe not a DPSer, more like a fast-damage hobbyist.
Patrol: "Unwanted Guests"
This one is less interesting than "Out of Control" - close a couple portals, fight a few Borgs. Not much to say, really.
Moving forward, I'll probably stick with the TFO - it's not too complicated, and lets us knock out both daily points at once.
This one took about 3 minutes in a DPS ship while taking a tiny bit of time to learn the mechanics. Pretty easy and quick. This will likely be what I do to run the daily and just do it twice. I can probably shave it down to about 2 minutes once I know the map better.
How does this one feel, compared to other patrols? Sounds similar to the "Rescue and Search" patrol.
That's probably a good comparison. I don't know whether the final battle is time-gated like those Klingon patrols are, but if they are, it's a much shorter time limit.
I have played the new TFO "Royal Flush" a couple times and found it to be reasonably quick for completion. It felt similar to the TFO with the multiple shipyards and genocidal Klingon lady.
I found it best to take on the TFO with a fast ship, preferably with good DPS. My Legendary Defiant made quick work of the various enemies at the waypoints. The final boss is basically just a repeat of the same eight kills you just made.
So, overall, decent TFO and I might see if I can Solo this TFO this weekend. I'll come back here to relay my take on the new Patrols in the next couple days.
It felt similar to the TFO with the multiple shipyards and genocidal Klingon lady.
I've only run it once, but agreed. I did find the geography of the map a little confusing, but I'm sure I'll learn the lay of the land after some more runs through it.
I'm getting used to it too. Trying to figure out the best "route" to take when I'm speeding from Cube/Octa and Emitter to next Cube/Octa and Emitter.
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