Tips or tricks to scanning a Xenon ship with Energy Cells?

[ZeroAffex]

I decided to take up an ARG vs. XEN mission to get myself a new paint job and the first bit was relatively easy, aside from suicidal lol.. Had to go into Xenon controlled--Frontier Edge and scan one of their energy stations. I did that but now it wants me to scan a Xenon ship with energy cells. I thought, well I'll just sit close to the energy station and wait for a miner/transport to come or go but I was constantly being attacked by M's/P's and drones. So that's not an option.

Tried sitting at the gate in the Void to scan ships entering it but so far, I've scanned a dozen and none of them had energy cells. Came up with a really dumb idea to fly my Behemoth in and aggressively scan some Xenon at the Energy Station.. horrible idea and barely got out alive with my ship in taters LOL.. Which brings me here.

Any suggestions or tricks to completing this leg of the mission? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance and hope you had a great weekend.

[LameFox]

Could wait by a xenon build storage and scan the S's bringing it supplies I guess?

[ZeroAffex]

Could wait by a xenon build storage and scan the S's bringing it supplies I guess?

Well this particular station doesn't have one I don't think. And when I sat outside of range (just close enough to see ships coming/leaving) I was constantly being swarmed by Xenon ships and had to leave back to the Void.

PS: I'm assuming S ships are best for this too right? Also, are there any chances I'll be able to find Energy Cells on ships not close to the Energy station, like sitting at the Void jumpgate? If I have to remain in Frontier Edge, I'll probably abandon this quest LOL.. it's too intense with the many K's, hundreds of M's/P's and gazzilion defense drones whenever I get near the station. Just scanning that station in my Moreya was near suicide. I barely escaped and had to use the full might of my flying experience gained after 500+ hours of playing to escape with 20% helth left. Sitting in there is not really an option which is why I thought to try my L ship but they sent K's after me and swarms of fighters. Kind of at a loss.

[LameFox]

If the mission doesn't specify otherwise it probably means any Xenon ship that contains energy cells. So an S going to some unfinished defence platform's build storage in a system they're trying to take might work and be fairly low-pressure.

Other than an S I am not sure Xenon carry any cargo at all.

[Imperial Good]

There should be a lot of Xenon S ships constantly transporting Energy Cells to their shipyards and wharfs for ship construction. If it is at all practical to scan these ships in such a location is another matter...

In my experience both Mining and Logistic S ships can transport Energy Cells or Ores. Their name seems unrelated to their actual use, at least in 5.10.

[ZeroAffex]

Thanks for the tips LameFox and Imperial Good! Awesome stuff! I'll try again here soon and see if I can hunt down some build stations/shipyards/wharfs in Frontier's Edge to find some Xenon S's to scan. Means a lot to have some help on this matter and am feeling a lot better on what I should try to do now. Take care!

[Alan Phipps]

If you are having Xenon expansion or intervention issues in-game then this approach could be of double benefit. Hunt the Xenon S supply ships, scan them to get mission success, and then kill as many of them as you can to slow Xenon ship building and/or expansion.

[ZeroAffex]

Thanks for the advice Alan Phipps! I'll keep this in mind for the future for sure

Also, just to give an update on this (incase anyone is curious down the road) I was able to complete that leg of the mission. I went even deeper into Xenon territory, travelling into Atiya's Misfortune. I was able to track down a shipyard nestled between 2 Solar Power Plants where I'd setup watch. For some reason, the activity there was a lot less than in Frontiers Edge and I was able to camp out on the fringes of one of the power plants easy enough without issue. After about 5 eerie minutes, a Xenon Power Distribution Unit S appeared and began heading out. Without hesitation I accelerated after it wildly and was able to catch it just before it engaged its travel drive, pelting its stern with my lasers to ensure it didn't run away. I scanned it and sure enough, it had energy cells on board, and I was able to complete that task! I love this game omg lol <3 Up until this point, I don't think I've seen Power Distribution Units before, even after hundreds and hundreds of hours. Pretty neat! Nothing like discovering new things and new ways to play after all these years.

I guess if anyone is reading this in the future seeking a solution for where/how to scan Xenon's for energy cells. My advice is just seek a quiet Xenon sector that doesn't have a lot of activity in it with power plants and wait somewhere safe nearby for a Power Distribution Unit S to appear. Don't forget to get into scan mode (shift + 2) then about 1-2 ships distance to it and scan the ship (shift + f). So long as it's just leaving a Power Plant, should have energy cells on board.

Anyways, that's it for me. Time to find some new trouble to get into now Thanks again for all the useful help and advice everyone. Really meant a lot! Take care.

[24m0]

Check the name of the XEN S you are targeting, or open the map view and look at their names.

Based on my experience, “Mining” S’s usually have no cargo at all, occasionally they have a little ore/silicon if you’re lucky. “Power Distribution Unit” S’s often contain Energy cells.

Distribution units almost always have energy cells inside when they’re leaving solar plants or moving towards wharves/shipyards/defense platforms. The easiest way is to shoot them out of travel mode somewhere far away from XEN hotspots and do the scan.

There are exceptions though, since XEN S ships are similar to Yaki ships, they can transport all types of cargo except condensates.