Combat Badges

Revision as of 02:34, 27 August 2013

Combat Badges are special items gained at the end of battle encounters. Badges can be exchanged for the artifacts, modules, and structures found only in the Battle Market. The View Battle Market button is found under the Battle tab.

Getting Badges

Red Badges are awarded for disabling enemy player ships. A badge is NOT awarded for disabling ships of much lower rank (less than 40% of your rank), or disabling the same ship again within 12 hours of the previous kill.

Blue Badges are awarded for successfully hacking enemy player ships. A badge is NOT awarded for hacking ships of much lower rank (less than 40% of your rank), or hacking the same ship again within 12 hours of the previous successful hack.

Yellow Badges are awarded for raiding enemy player ships. A badge is NOT awarded for raiding ships of much lower rank (less than 40% of your rank), or raiding the same ship again within 12 hours of the previous raid.

Green Badges are awarded for invading enemy planets. Planets are immune to attack for new players until they hit rank 20, or 2 weeks of play. New players are also unable to invade enemy planets until those conditions are met. There are no other rank restrictions, but badges are NOT awarded for taking a planet from the same player within 7 days. Each successful invasion will award a green badge.

Silver Badges are awarded for participating in battles against enemy legion bases. Badges are awarded based on the top damagers during each base battle encounter. Badges are awarded after the base is disabled and no badges are awarded if the base is not disabled.

Dark Badges are awarded for disabling certain non-player enemy ships. Stryll Assassin, RSL Siege Cannon*

Notes

• Unlike other special materials, Combat Badges cannot be given or traded to other players.
• Many players follow a badging etiquette, but this is by no means compulsory.
• *RSL Siege Cannon don't always drop a Dark Badge, but sometimes do.

Badge Rewards

See the table on the Battle Market Artifacts page for artifacts that you can acquire with your combat badges.

Badging and Badging Etiquette

Combat Badges are used as special currency and are the only way to get items from the Battle Market. Badging or making "Badge Hits" is the act of obtaining badges by attacking others. Since collecting badges is so common in the game, many players advocate Badging Etiquette guidelines for attacks on other players to get them. This etiquette is by general consensus and by no means obligatory.

The Concept

The general concept is that a single attack (ie. single Disable + single Hack + single Raid) on a player chosen from the battle tab should be assumed to be a hit to get badges and nothing more. Hence it is a "badge hit" and since collecting badges is a significant part of the game the conflict should not be taken as personal and not escalated.

However, there is nothing to stop someone from "badging back". Most players accept this part of badging etiquette as well. You hit me for a badge, I hit you back for a badge, we're even. Some players go so far as to openly allow response badge hits and will not use traps, artifacts or repairs to prevent them.

Many players leave a short message on a ship comm to flag the attack as a badge hit. Some players consider leaving such a "thank you" or "badge hit" message as part of proper badging etiquette as well.

What is against Badging Etiquette is to alert your attacker to your legion for retaliation. Alerting after a single badge hit is often seen as unwarranted, immature game play and is best avoided. Even worse is alerting a player to your legion who attacks you back with a badge hit after you badge hit them first.

Caveats

It should be noted that there is no requirement in the game to allow badge hunters free reign either.

If you prey on weaker and lower ranked players or on the same player repeatedly over a period of days you may get alerted to their legion since the player generally has no better recourse. Most legions have higher rank players protecting their lower ranks and if your badge hits are on players who are ranked so far below you that they stand no hope of hitting you back for a badge you will likely not get much sympathy.

Since the same player may appear in your battle tab again the next day, badging from them again may be taken as farming and legion alerted. It is another good reason to leave comm messages that the attack is just a badge hit if you actively mine your battle tab for badges.

The battle purist will argue that you should only be hitting opponents of similar or higher rank for badges. Even if attacking the lowest rank players on your battle tab is easiest, there is no honor in preying on the weakest. On the other hand, many serious PVP players will attack any player on their battle tab regardless of level or reputation.

When is a badge hit a badge hit?

An attack is a badge hit if it is a single attack on a random person to get badges. This can include any combination of a single disable, single raid and single hack in one go.

It is possible to get badge hits from multiple players who find you on the battle tab at the same time. One may disable and raid you and the next raid or hack your already disabled ship. Don't assume you were legion alerted unless you confirm multiple attackers from the same legion.

If one player disables you and several others from the same legion raid or hack you for badges then it is not a badge hit. It is "farming". An ethical "badge hit" never involves a legion alert.

What about green badges?

Green badges are awarded after capturing a planet. Taking a planet is always open to retaliation since you undoubtedly don't plan to give it back after you get the badge.

Badging Ranges

A badge is NOT awarded for disabling/raiding/hacking ships of much lower rank (less than 40% of your rank), or disabling/raiding/hacking the same ship again within 12 hours of the previous kill.

Planets are immune to attack for new players until they hit rank 20, or 2 weeks of play. New players are also unable to invade enemy planets until those conditions are met.

See also

• Battle Market Artifacts
• Combat
• Dark Badges