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Top 10 CE Store purchases

Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:14 pm
by 5hortpants
To buy, or not to buy...

Having bought my way through half the CE Store, I thought I would share my list of the top 10 CE Store purchases. These are the best ones, in my humble opinion, and I would buy another one of each of these if the game allowed:

NUMBER ONE: THE KRAKEN BIO-FUEL ENGINE

This one is the easiest choice by a mile! (That's 1.60934 km to our friends across the puddle.) Fuel is life in CE, and you literally cannot have too much of it. Plus, the energy and speed boosts don't hurt. Whether you're a long-time player, or just starting out, this is the one thing you want to buy.


NUMBER TWO: STRUCTURE POINT BOOSTERS (Spectre, Wraith, Rudolph, Donner & Blitzen)

Structure points allow you to set up devices (extractors, malls, factories) that keep your game going even while you're logged off. These boosters multiply the number of structures you can place, bringing in all the resources and/or credits that will make CE even more fun to play when you log back in. Definitely worth the real-world cash. Make sure you grab the Rudolph and Donner & Blitzen upgrades in December, as they disappear from the store the rest of the year.


NUMBER THREE: MINOS HYBRID TRANSPORTER 1

No matter what you're doing in the game, a Minos Transporter will save you fuel, time, and peace of mind. Instead of searching for a planet with a commercial store every time you have a full hold, and then ending up with your resources spread across the galaxy, the Minos Transporter will let you send your collected resources to a store of your choice. The Hybrid Minos have the added benefit of working in the Expanse. I chose the Minos Hybrid 1 because it is the most useful, while keeping the pod point use low.


NUMBER FOUR: POD POINT EXPANDER LICENSE and POD LOAD OUT +5

I'm cheating a little by putting these together, but they work so well together I couldn't resist. Increased pod points allow you to keep more pods equipped, and is essential as your levels grow and you are able to equip more advanced pods (the more advanced pods usually use more pod points.) The extra 5 pod load outs let you keep all your lower-level or zero point pods equipped as well. The possibilities this opens up are amazing! For example, with a Terranor 35 and a full load-out of special Terranor +5% pods equipped, it is possible to get a 105% boost on all of your extractors!


NUMBER FIVE: R.O.R.I SERVICE POD and TERRANOR MONITOR 35

Extractors are one of the best things in CE, but they can also be one of the biggest pains. Let an extractor overflow, or leave it placed after the resource has expired? What a waste! The RORI service pod allows you to recall any of your extractors from anywhere in the galaxy with the press of a button. The resources stay on the planet where they were collected, but at least you don't have a make a trip from Furnace to VP just to keep an extractor from overflowing. Pair that with a Terranor 35, which gives all your extractors a 35% boost, and you are in business!


NUMBER SIX: GLESO PRODUCTIVITY SYSTEM R5

At some point you're going to want to set up some factories, especially if you want to explore the Expanse or do some Planet Exploration. The Gleso special boosts your factory output, and the best part is that you get more output without using any extra resources! Definitely a must-have. If only Coops would add festive Gleso +5% to the game like he did with Terranors! (HINT HINT)


NUMBER SEVEN: GOLDEN EAGLE ACCOUNT UPGRADE & THE TANKER - BIO FUEL STORAGE

If you were smart and got yourself a Kraken engine, you might have a little trouble managing all the fuel your rig produces. You might even want to take a day or two off from playing (WHAT!?) and want to save all the bio-fuel your little engine puts out while you're gone. In that case, make sure you have a fuel tank equipped (the Tanker is the biggest and the best.) You'll also want to have a Golden Eagle Upgrade, so you can move all that yummy fuel into your fuel depot for future use.


NUMBER EIGHT: CORPORATION FUEL REFINERY

What can you do with all your extra fuel? Why, start a Corporation, of course! Almost all of the Corporation Offices can be built in-game, but the Corporation Fuel Refinery can only be purchased in the CE store. All your little corp ships running around the galaxy will start to drain your fuel reserves pretty quick, so a Corporation Fuel Refinery is a good buy.


NUMBER NINE: +5 STAMINA REGEN UPGRADE and 100 STAMINA BOOST

Planet Exploration and Derelict Exploration are great fun. As soon as your stamina runs out, though, the fun is over for a while. These upgrades will double your stamina regeneration, and let you store it up during down times. Definitely a good buy if you enjoy exploration.


NUMBER TEN: MINING BARGE SECTIONS 1, 2, 3 & 4

This last suggestion is the only one that can be built in-game, but I highly recommend purchasing from the CE store if you have the cash. Only £35 for all four sections, and you can have your mining barge up and running in no time. If you're a newer player, make sure you do your research before you buy, though. The License to operate your mining barge can be very steep if you don't have much Faction XP.


RUNNERS UP:
Nebula Service Advanced Management
QTD Account Upgrade
Special Load Out + 5
Corporation - Open University Account Upgrade


Hope my list was helpful (or at least entertaining!) Please post your thoughts, and let me know where I'm wrong!

Re: Top 10 CE Store purchases

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 1:18 am
by MarcSp
I'd quibble (just a bit) about number 10 - mining barge sections. For lower level players, yes, a good choice for a store
purchase. But for anyone mid-level (50+) or higher, these make a interesting but not-terribly difficult crafting project.
I'd go for the QTD upgrade instead, as that will save you a ton of credits and anguish. I use that thing every day!

But *ALL* of them are great choices.

Re: Top 10 CE Store purchases

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 1:21 am
by 5hortpants
Those are great points, MS! I think I'll change the list to reflect that, but I'll wait a little bit to see what comments come in.

Re: Top 10 CE Store purchases

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 9:24 pm
by Entropi
Loved the list - cracking idea :)

Totally with you on selections 1-3, although not upgraded to Kraken yet - hope Santa Claus heard that ;) That hybrid transporter is also such a life saver :)

Ditto for 5, 7 & 10 too. Have to admit I cheated on the mining barge - all those resources to collect - ouch! Gathering resources to craft settlement & corporation builds takes all my effort !!!

Jury is out for me on number 8 - only just got my corporation up and running. Another marathon resource collection effort that one :(

Less keen on pods at 4 (I work round it - managing atm but getting a pain! will probably agree in time), 6 (do not use my factories enough to warrant) and 9 (not somewhere I spend my time).

Four items missing for me:

Firstly, my NEI Thor's Hammer - not for the fuel saving but that is very nice, mainly for getting extra anchor gates to both my settlement & corporation. I know it's a little lazy but saves me so much RL time :)

Secondly, my ORSA Pro Viewer - saves me so much wasted effort - easy route to finding where those last few pesky resources are hiding, especially the ones everyone sits on. Me included. Sorry guys and gals :(

Third, A few selective expanse extractors were really useful early on for survey drone building for expanse exploration, especially when it was difficult for me to get some of the more trickier resources to craft. Much less important as I levelled.

Finally, one that keeps eating at me - the Settlement Bunker - still dreaming of when I finally make it to SL 6 and opening up all those slots. Dreaming again :cry:

A few not to include - QTD (base or additional), reduction matrix, midas devices - mission rewards or craft them if you can. Additional spots for QTD is a luxury - just need to plan ahead.

Look forward to reading other opinions.

Re: Top 10 CE Store purchases

Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:36 pm
by pikolinianita
I'd add Settlement buddy (or CAIC research boosters) - saves few years of waiting for sett lvl 7
Combat loot Maximizer - If you do combat, ofc,
Best reactor for Genesis plot - or half of your plot would be used by lvl 1 reactors :(