Starting Shaltari

[NiciusMax]

I'm trying to resist the Resistance fleet for a little longer by taking my mind of with Shaltari.
I've managed to get a hold of some leftover sprues from a kickstarter ( 2x cruiser sprue and frigate sprue) so this gets me started at least on the hobby side.

On the list side, I'm really having trouble deciding what to take and in which quantities. But this is my first attempt:

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Shalt - 1474pts
Shaltari - 4 launch assets

SR16 Flag battlegroup (330pts)
1 x Diamond - 290pts - S
   + Starchief (20pts, 4AV)
1 x Opal - 40pts - L

SR13 Line battlegroup (245pts)
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR11 Line battlegroup (240pts)
2 x Granite - 200pts - M
1 x Opal - 40pts - L

SR8 Line battlegroup (190pts)
1 x Basalt - 145pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR11 Pathfinder battlegroup (190pts)
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR8 Pathfinder battlegroup (259pts)
2 x Amethyst - 96pts - L
1 x Amethyst - 48pts - L
1 x Turquoise - 115pts - M
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[NiciusMax]

Alright, so I found out that I need two opals the boost the diamond, so I either need to and one more or move the of from the Granites to the Diamond

[NiciusMax]

Did some tinkering with the list, also to make the investment a bit cheaper by removing a cruiser.

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Shalt - 1470pts
Shaltari - 4 launch assets

SR17 Flag battlegroup (370pts)
1 x Diamond - 290pts - S
   + Starchief (20pts, 4AV)
2 x Opal - 80pts - L

SR13 Line battlegroup (245pts)
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR10 Line battlegroup (200pts)
2 x Granite - 200pts - M

SR8 Line battlegroup (190pts)
1 x Basalt - 145pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR11 Pathfinder battlegroup (190pts)
1 x Emerald - 100pts - M
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L
3 x Voidgate - 45pts - L

SR6 Pathfinder battlegroup (255pts)
2 x Amethyst - 96pts - L
1 x Amethyst - 48pts - L
3 x Topaz - 111pts - L
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[Thunderboy]

Very interesting!

[NiciusMax]

For now am looking at the best use of the 2 cruiser hulls which aren't fixed. I'll want at least 3 Emeralds and a Basalt to have some defence vs bombers.

Looking at the following combinations:

2 Granites - really nasty vs PHR, but also pretty pointy and unwieldy due to the need for Weapins Free and F(N) arcs

Obsidian and Turquoise - allmost the same firepower in particle lances as the 2 Granites, and a utility cruiser which can bombard as well

Jet and Amber - wide arcs and utility. But this leaves only the Diamond as the particle platform

2 Ambers - Ambers are pretty nasty cruisers to be honest, but I think I'd rather have a Jet and an Amber since I can also build Topaz frigates

[Orchaldor]

Difficult choices!

For me, it depends what you want to achieve:
1. 2x Granite: cheapest points, but having too many ships which need to line up F(N) arcs ready for Weapons Free could be tricky to manage.
2. Obsidian and Turquoise: only one ship to manoeuvre for WF (with a big payoff if you can set it up with a juicy target), and nice utility from the Turquoise.
3. Jet and Amber: As a pair they are the most flexible - they can push forward with lots of firepower if you WF the Amber, they can stay wide of a target but still pack a respectable punch. I love that the Jet can fire everything it has on Standard orders.
4. 2x Amber: good all-rounders on a budget, but as you say, probably better to use the hulls you have to bring something heavier and add Topaz frigates to cover any firepower gaps.


Overall, I would say that if you want more Particle goodness in your fleet, go for Option 2. If you want more flexibility in approach and targeting, go for Option 3. The other choices are ok, but unless you are trying to keep fleet points down I wouldn’t bother. It’s a shame the Shaltari cruisers aren’t as easy to magnetise - I remember someone did post a video of doing just that, but it looked really tricky to do, with such thin parts.

[NiciusMax]

Yeah. Right now I'm going for a compromise. I think an Obsidian is the best choice as a heavy and maybe a better easier to handle then two Granites.
For the other cruiser I'm thinking about getting an Amber instead of a Turquoise.
Combined with a couple of Topaz that would give me a pretty decent gun battlegroup.