Scan analysis has revealed that an unknown culprit has been using nanoshearing drills on remote planets. Though it may be possible to directly intercept the ships involved, leaders hope to learn more about their motives through covert use of Shadow-barb devices.



Chapter 2: Dark Pursuit

We've finished compiling the nanosheared scan data. It revealed a great deal about the weapon used and the targets themselves. The number of sites continues to grow, but it revealed patterns that we can act on now.

Cost Per Round: 400 Energy + 1 Shadow-Barb Link
20 Rounds, daily mission, can be completed 10 times.
Reward: 400 experience + 1 NSX Tracking Matrix

Upon Reading, you gain a new ability found under the Planet Ability Tab:

Shadow-Barb Deployment
Releases modulated Shadow-Barbs near the planet - creating a Shadow-Barb Link. Planet must be unoccupied, and not an existing Nanosheared Drilling Site. Requires 50 CTP.
Cool Down, 2 Minutes

Upon using it on a proper planet, you get a Shadow-Barb Link:

A connected link to an existing Shadow-Barb, set to receive any data once it attaches.

Scrap Value: 5000 - 20000 Credits

NSX Tracking Matrix



[Planet Structure - Size:1, Artifact:1, Mining:2, Research:2, Defense:3000]
Deploys an NSX Tracking Matrix on your planet.
Limit 1 per planet.

Scrap value: 5-10 CTP each

Once on a planet, it adds the following ability to the planet:
Upgrades the Matrix. Adds +1 artifact/research and +3000 defense. Can only be used if the planet has 3 NSX Crate effects active on it.
Requires 500 Energy.
Charges Remaining: 2
After use: [Planet Structure - Size:1, Artifact:2, Mining:2, Research:3, Defense:6000]

Followed by:
Upgrades the Matrix. Adds +1 artifact/research and +3000 defense. Can only be used if the planet does NOT have any NSX Crate effects active on it.
Requires 500 Energy.
Charges Remaining: 1
After use: [Planet Structure - Size:1, Artifact:3, Mining:2, Research:4, Defense:9000]

I think you miscounted Hal. It starts with Res:2 and gets boosted by 1 at each new level. So it should end up being Res:4 instead of 3 unless I'm being a complete twit.

Has anyone figured out if there's a long term effect on the planets you use the shadow barbs on?

I used the shadow barb ability and then colonized it soon after. No effect is showing on the planet that I can see.

edited because once I started building things on the planet, it got the flashing exclamation point and said the following:
Shadow-Barb Deployment : Shadow-Barbs +1
(1 day, 15 hours left)

The Shadow barb deployment seems to have no other effect. It doesn't boost or limit production. Nor do defenses, etc. seem to be effected.

Planet effected by Shadow Barb,
might stick the new mod on it for a laugh, never know?

use the Shadow Barb ability on unoccupied planets just before you alert them to the legion. if they have the nanosheared drilling site, you just saved your legion mate 500 ctp !

10k CTP is better spent upgrading our base right now...but that's a nice reward, looking forward to revisiting this mission after it's archived (and I finish the first one.)

I agree that the ctp is expensive but honestly I'm doing the biweekly all the way through more so that I can complete the whole mission chain without having to wait later on. If it didn't have to be completed before being able to do the ultimate mission in the chain, then I'd just do a couple here and there to fill out my mission planets.

NSX Tracking Matrix Ability (after first upgrade):
Upgrades the Matrix. Adds +1 artifact/research and +3000 defense. Can only be used if the planet does NOT have any NSX Crate effects active on it. Requires 500 Energy. Charges Remaining: 1

final structure after 2 upgrades:

size 1, artifact: 3, research: 4, mining: 2, defense: 9000.

i will likely have to wait until july 14th to get my first one finished

Not that I still have 10k CTP anyway, but I would do the chain now...it's a NICE reward. But, I think upgrading to a level 7 base is a better reward and we're w/i 50k CTP of doing so.

Huh? We typed wittily.

Yeah, either I'm missing something or this doesn't make any sense. Even if you could use the Shadow Barb ability on a planet that has a Nanosheared Drilling Site (which you can't), how would this save your legionmates from also having to use the ability and thus expend the CTP to complete the mission?

seems fairly simply to me

use shadow barb ability on unocc planets.... before alerting

if they have nanosheared drilling site(which you will know as the shadow barb ability won't work).... then you save your legionmate 500 CTP... because you don't alert the planet.


I think one of you missed Senator's point entirely, and the other thought it somehow helped complete the current mission.

When what Senator is basically saying is that for the time being, you have an infinite, albeit costly way of knowing which planets have drill sites before you alert them without any care for a legionmate.

not even that costly either seeing as you can only alert 2x a day and need 20 per completion.
not to mention as far as the legion overall goes, saving them from paying the removal cost on one planet pays for shadow barbs on 10.

I'm a tad confused. To upgrade (1st time) it says it needs 3 NSX crate effects on it. How does one get this?

edit...nvm. Obtained from artifact obtained from last mission...nanosheare sensor deal.

you get them from scanning after using the ability from the previous missions module.
if you didnt complete the last biweekly you wont be able to upgrade these yet.

Ah yes, I had forgotten about the CTP cost to remove the drilling site effect and wasn't glomming onto the implicit 'don't alert the planet' aspect. Makes sense now

I'm thinking that Dan's intentions have backfired. I'm sure he intended the process of getting Shadow Barb Links to be a push to keep players playing longer with that 2 min wait. If anything, I'm now playing less.

I leave my GL Tab open to the planet section so I know which planets I last did. I put on some tv and try and come back every 2-5 mins to do the next shadow barb. The end result of the 2 min wait has me ignoring the game a lot more than I did before this biweekly, just so I can meet these requirements.