Undermining (Offensive)

Primer

Undermining is the cheap and fast option for earning Merits. It's also the most accessible activity for improving your personal Powerplay Rating. The process is simple; travel to an Opposing Power's Control Systems and halt the activities of ships operating under Opposing Powers. Most importantly, bring your friends.

First you need to choose a system. From the Powerplay menu, view the Control tab of an Opposing Power of your choice. Ignore Cancelled systems. They are fully Undermined and fully Fortified. Seek out systems which are Under Threat and still Fortifying. Check if the system has a high profit or high upkeep cost. That is where the real damage is done. Undermining a low profit system is rarely helpful because the Power may be trying to get rid of that system, and we would rather they keep it. There are some regularly updated lists of ideal Undermining targets; the Winters Subreddit usually contains a stickied post, and the Federal Liberal Command site provides fine grain detail. You can meet lots of Commanders who will want to go too.

Every kill is worth 30 points. However, if you get killed you lose these points. You need to travel back to one of your control systems and turn them in for merits toward your weekly Rating. Once turned in, they remain safe for the week. All Undermining points are added against the Control of a system. Once a system is 100% Undermined it is no longer necessary to Undermine that system. If the opposing power does not Fortify the system, it will cost them severely in Command Capital.

Undermining Targets

Don't attack any Federation ships. It counts as treason and you instantly lose merits. It's also a bad idea to attack Reform Ships. They carry stolen/rescued slaves heading to a new life of freedom, and this is something we can jibe with. Civilian ships (with silly names) can be scanned from Supercruise to ensure they are a target (aligned with a power). However, you will only see aligned Civilians when the Control System is in Turmoil. Of course, you may want to focus your efforts to a particular group of these ships for your own personal reasons.

Security	Transport	Representing
Aisling's Guardian	Campaign Ship	Aisling Duval
Shield of Justice	Imperial Supply	A. Lavigny-Duval
Patreus Sentinel	Imperial Support	Denton Patreus
Torval's Shield	Private Security	Zemina Torval
Alliance Enforcer	Alliance Diplomat	Edmund Mahon
Sorius Security	Sirius Transport	Li Yong Rui
Utopian Overseer	Reform Ships	Pranav Antal
Kumo Crew Watch	Kumo Crew Transport	Archon Delaine

Enemy Commanders are worth 1 point.

Strategy

• Keep an eye out for wings of two or more. Shoot every target to get on the kill. All wing members gain full point value per kill.
• Each kill is worth 30 points regardless of ship class.
• Local security might be called to intercept, so kill fast and get out.
• You can either interdict enemy ships or allow them to interdict you and submit (throttle off).
• Wing mates can instantly follow your low-wake (drop from Supercruise) using Nav-Lock.
• Disengage Nav-Lock when re-entering Supercruise.
• Bind these functions for coordinating targets and maneuvers:
  • Defaults: 7,8,9 are wingmates 1 to 3, 0 is target target's target, - is toggle Nav-Lock.
• You can Nav-Lock your wing mates from the Social Panel (Up Panel) even if they are untargetable. e.g. Dropped out of Supercruise already.

Wing-mate icon.

Targeted. <Chevrons> You may now use your Nav-Lock hotkey. (Default is -)

Nav-Locked. [Brackets] you will auto follow them in and out of Supercruise and Hyperdrive.

No longer targeted, but Nav-Lock remains.

Fitting Tips

• A Viper or Cobra are perfectly acceptable Underminers early on. Here are two fits around 2 million credits.
• Remember to play it safe, retreat often, and keep those shields intact.
• Lasers are preferred so you don't have to re-arm, but consider potential for PVP.
• At least one Frame Shift Drive Interdictor in the wing is highly recommended.
• Once you have a good amount of stick time, consider going fixed weapons for practice.

Fortifying (Defensive)

Merits can be earned based on the tonnage of Liberal Federal Packages sourced from Rhea and delivered to Control Systems. Since these items are only allotted in limited quantity every 30 minutes, it is a slow process. You may optionally fast-track the allotment of packages at the cost of credits. This is not a profitable action, but may be worthwhile in some circumstances to achieve the Merit count you need. Powerplay wages are worth at least some fast-tracking. Excessive fast-tracking is not recommended until you have a solid source of income elsewhere.

Remember: This Fortifying resource is only available from the Capital System, Rhea. When docked in Rhea, have a look at the Station Services panel under the Contacts section. Find Powerplay Contacts and fill your cargo with Liberal Federal Packages. Now find a Control System in need.

Find a Control System to Fortify from the Powerplay menu. Ignore systems marked as "Cancelled" and fortify those listed as "Under Threat" or "Fortifying". Preferably any system with a Command Capital return above 70. Drop off your resources at that system in any station. The delivery yields merits instantly. No need to turn them in, you are already at a Control System.

Shields Up

Fortification keeps our Command Capital stable by counteracting incoming Undermining.

Trigger Status	Situation
No Fortification	Lazy or don't care
Fortification > Undermining	Fortifying
Fortfication Trigger Reached	Fortified
Both Triggers Reached	Cancelled
Undermining Trigger Reached	Undermined
Undermining > Fortification	Under Threat
No Undermining	Suspicious As

Fortifying Tips

You will get interdicted while delivering your cargo, so do not compromise all your defenses in favour of jump range and cargo capacity. Multirole ships like the Cobra, Asp, Orca, Python, and Anaconda can more easily defend themselves than the dedicated freighters. Even though it reduces your jump distance, consider installing Military Grade Composites to increase your defense.

• Fortify systems with high Command Capital (more than 70) first.
• We may need to fortify systems with a low Command Capital when receiving high levels of Undermining just to Cancel the effect of losing control over another system.
• You cannot switch ships containing cargo, so putting your freighter away for 30 minutes until the next supply is available is not an option.

Cost	Hull	Cargo	Jump	Range
500000	Cobra (S)	50	15	200
2000000	Cobra (S)	50	20	200+
3000000	Type-6 (M)	100	19	180
12000000	Asp (M)	100	22	200
24000000	Type-7 (M)	200	17	130
60000000	Python (M)	240	14	140
90000000	Type-9 (L)	500	12	180
140000000	Anaconda (L)	450	16	160

Preparation

Spreading Propaganda

All Powers have the ability to vie for control of an uncontrolled and unexploited star system. Preparation is a generally peaceful and non-profitable activity. At best, it can be used to close the gap toward 10000 merits if necessary by Fast-Tracking supply. However, if you are in no rush and would like to take advantage of the free allotment of packages, preparation can be used to supplement other activity on the edge of the Permafrost. So long as your ship is fit to accommodate the full allotment, run missions or trade in the area, and deliver your Federal Liberal Propaganda every 30 minutes.

Each cycle, every commander is granted nomination vouchers (based on their Powerplay Rating) to pledge toward a system of choice for future expansion.

Additionally, Federal Liberal Packages are automatically alotted to supporting Commanders every 30 minutes to ferry to the Preparing system.

The conditions for successfully Preparing a system are as follows:

• A vying Power must have enough extra Command Capital to accomodate the cost of Preparing.
• All Preparing systems must be the highest on the Preparation List at the last moment of the Powerplay Cycle.
• The Preparation trigger must be met.
• Your Power's Preparation Total must be higher than all other vying Powers.

Strategy

Preparation is one of the more critical aspect of Powerplay. It leads to Expansion, which is the last step before it becomes a Control System, and not all star systems are desirable. It is best to discuss and deliberate with peers on these decision. Factors to consider include:

• Are gains high enough?
  • Is it too close to other Control systems which could overlap exploited systems and reduce profit? (15LY radius)
  • Do any overlapping systems interfere with enemy profits?
  • Can it pay for itself or for other systems with bad CC? (Greater than a 70 CC profit is desired.)
  • Can it be intentionally lost in the future if the expense becomes too high?
• Is it reasonably close to a Control systems for steady Preparation and Expansion?
• Will any neighbouring territories oppose it?
• Are there enough people within it's sphere of influence who are willing to side with us? (Corporate governments or player minor factions.)
• Can it be used strategically as only a Preparation target, and nothing more? (To bump inferior system off the list.)

Expansion

Providing Aid

Once the Preparation phase has been won, a system can now be supplied for Expansion. As with Fortification and Preparation, Expansion is a peaceful and non-profitable activity. In fact, Expansion can be very expensive. Every 30 minutes all supporting Commanders are allotted a resource used for Expansion called Liberal Federal Aid. Again, most Commanders choose to Fast-Track this resource to fill their cargo bay.

The conditions for successfully Expanding into a system are as follows:

• The Expansion Trigger must be met.
• Your Power's Expansion level must be higher than all Expansion Opposition levels.
• Your Power must not enter Turmoil at the end of the Cycle.

Kill with Kindness

Expansion with Winters is a show of brute kindness. Our fleet delivers aid to those struggling under the existing regime. To successfully match and exceed any Opposition it might be necessary to employ some alternative strategy:

• Save up lots of credits beforehand.
• Fly in wings of convoys when delivering Liberal Federal Aid safety.
• Provide as much distraction as possible in other activities.
• Consider cutting supply lines to other activities to save credits. (Such as Preparation)
• Keep close eye on what other activities opposition may be doing. (Undermining)
• Turmoil or no Turmoil.

Expanding can be detrimental. It thins out Winters' small support network and can weaken the stability of the Power's Influence. The more Control systems, the more Fortification may be required. However, our succeptibility to Sniping does not necessarily change. However, it may be suitable to intentionally fall into Turmoil to prevent an Expansion if the system is not worth controlling. This occurs regularly, so don't be discouraged.

Turmoil

The state of Turmoil means that the local government of one or more Control Systems has lost confidence in the Liberal Federal Party and is in the process of annulling the policies Felicia Winters helped to legislate in the area. This can happen if a system has been Undermined completely by opposition without ample Fortification from our side to match the offense. However, even fully Fortified systems can enter Turmoil if the Command Capital is low enough or drops into the negative. Command Capital is an abstracted resource which represents government influence. If stretched too thin, the weakest systems go into Turmoil.

A system in Turmoil:

• No longer enforces the policies of the Controling Power.
• Is not yet available for Preparation by another Power.
• Must be heavily Fortified to keep from losing Control.
• Will contain NPC Civilians assisting the Powerplay effort. (Identifiable through scanning.)

Liberal Federal Party

Felicia Winters is the Shadow President -- the leader of the opposition, the Liberal Federal Party, and her focus is on equality. Her campaign efforts affect Corporate Governments the most. When there is a majority of Corporate Governments controlling nearby Exploited Star Systems, supporters have an easier time Preparing, Expanding into, or Fortifying systems thanks to Felicia's talents. The total amount of supply required to secure a system is reduced.

There is more to profit than Credits. Supporters fight poverty by promoting Federal aid to improve health and wellbeing of all citizens. We ban enslavement absolutely. As our influence spreads, we attract new commanders willing to fight for what is balanced and good, and for what aligns with the natural will of life.

Influence

Everything a Commander does in Elite:Dangerous has a long lasting effect on nearby markets and politics. However, the actions of Winters supporters are especially disruptive. We are the brave first-followers whom inspire positive change throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. The unique benefit of Pledging to Felicia Winters is that your actions outside of Powerplay efforts can have a greatly boosted influence on controlled and exploited star systems. Depending on your Powerplay Rating, your personal political influence is increased; 10% at Rating 3 and 100% at Rating 5. Furthermore, if Felicia Winters is in the top 3 Powerplay Ranks that week, influence is increased by an additional 5% for third, 10% for second, and 15% for first.

Sadly, billions of peaceful citizens within Federation space are being uprooted by outsider forces with the intention of transferring control to immoral government. Fortunately, Commanders thrive under pressure and adversity! Find a system with a Corporate Government aligned with the Federation which is facing a troublemaker and find ways to support freedom. This applies to choosing missions and contributing to war efforts in conflict zones: System Panel, Functions, Choose Faction. It helps to team up with other Commanders for these types of events. You can ask on our Teamspeak for backup. Remember, more firepower means more fun.

When taking on Missions, check to see if the Minor Faction is a Federally aligned Corporate Government: Systems Panel (on the right), Select a minor faction to toggle detailed view. You will see other types of governments such as "Venturist", "Political", et cetera. Many of these are okay -- the Federation welcomes variety -- but some are rather controversial and unlikely to be aligned with the Federation. You might want to avoid "Dictator", "Communist", and "Co-operative" among some others. We are concerned with freedom.

Compromise

Sometimes there is no Corporate Government, or no Federal alignment available for assistance. This is okay. Generally we favour Corporate Government even if aligned to another Major Faction. This is because of Felicia's strengths and the reduced burden on Fortifying. The two together are ideal, but we endure so much Undermining, it's best to make it cheaper for us. e.g.

• Corporate Government majority reduces the Fortification trigger. (Easier to fortify against Undermining.)
• Federal alignment increases the Undermining trigger. (Harder for opposing forces to Undermine.)

It might feel taboo to game the system in this way, but it's an interim solution to a very complex problem. We don't want an enormous refugee situation on our hands just yet. Once we are ready, we can support nearby Minor Factions to expand into the target system and provide precisely the type of governance that we desire.

Statistics

As of Cycle 38, Winters space controls 68 systems and exploits 761 systems.

Blatrimpe is our highest population system at 27,637,283,802.

Sanctioned Activity

While not directly related to Powerplay, the following activities are immensely valuable to the strength of the Liberal Federal Party.

Exploration Data

Sell your exploration data in Winters space. A key system is L 190-21 which has been a popular hub system for mining missions and exploration data.

Bounty Hunting

Fun fact: Winters space contains one of the most controversial systems in all Federation space; Sirsir. Why are there so many pirates here? Why do they continue to come back in spite of the relentless slaughter? Why is the rum gone?

You might also have some fun in hazardous zones in Carnoeck. It also happens to be an excellent source of ship tech.

Trade

Trading is highly beneficial to the controlling minor factions. However, Winters space does not provide significant perks for trade. Food and medicine are the Federally subsidized industries, and since food tends to be cheap, you might find trading Beryllium and other resources used in medical tech or medical supplies as options. Decent trade routes are mostly unknown. You are better off running humanitarian aid missions around the edges of Winters space. While EDDB will be of some use, it is not well seeded with market data. We are in dire need of Commanders willing to travel to seldom visited stations and use EDDB Market Connector to track the data.

• Possible Lucrative Trading here:
• LTT 12360
• NLTT 19808
• Slatus
• LU Velorum
• L 190-21
• Charunder

Mine

The Delkar system is a known hotspot for mining, however it is somewhat busy and it would help to have more on record here.

Resources

Image

• Mascot is Chibi Winters by GEN8.
• Station icon is a recreation by Spytec13

Typeface

• Header type is EUROCAPS by Tom Oetken.
• Main type is Sintony by Eduardo Rodriguez Tunni.
• Dialogue type is Tex Gyre Adventor by members of GUST e-foundry.

Sound

• Mouseover sound is a shortened pop_click, original by Fran.

Design

• Site design by CMDR velusip.

Special Thanks

• Special thanks to the Federal Liberal Command.