Detailed Multiplayer Guide

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To enter a multiplayer match, click on the multiplayer button and choose either Quickmatch (qm) against a random opponent. Or choose a Private Match (pm) against a friend.

The multiplayer meta and playstyle is different than campaign. Thus many of the rules and guides for campaign cannot be applied against a real player.

Multiplayer
The biggest difference between Multiplayer and Campaign is the end goal.

In campaign, the AI begins with more structures, more resources, and more ships. Your goal is to defend. Most of the time with turrets. Then to counter attack once an equilibrium is reached.

In multiplayer, the goal is not always to sit back. Remember, a real player is unpredictable, and therefore more dangerous.

In order to become better at the game. Players must understand the way one-on-one combat is constructed.

Aggro
The best defence is offence. Units and tech ultilized for quick rushes to end the game, based on minimal economy. Either with high damage, fast moving medium ships (Athena, Scorpion, Tremor) usually in a Naval Yard, or medium carriers (Corvette, Odyssey), or cheap, high DPS capitals (Cataclysm, Trident). This style of play has no follow up, the first rush must kill the opponent. The point of an aggressive playstyle is to convert the given 500 energy into the most powerful units as quickly as possible.

"An example of an aggro layout, with the Athena, and Cataclysm both benefiting from the Missile Doctrine. The Cata has the mods Iridium rounds/Cloak/Shield B"Another aggro loadout, this time using turrets with primers to attack. The down side of this strat is it's severely limited to the shorter mapsThis one incoporates both ships and turrets. Usually, a powerful, lone medium is sent out, followed up by long-ranged turrets like the bombrack, and phalanx-overwhelming autoguns

A common occurence of rushes is the prevelence of Emp/Iridium rounds as a mod on units. This is especially important as the shields are used by many players.

Turtle
This variant of strategy bears the same name and playstyle as its campaign counterpart. The point of turtling is to out-sustain your opponent. It is often used as a counter play to predictable rushes. Fighter rush? Microlasers and repairs. Capitol rush? Phalanx wall and blackholes. The end goal of turtling is stop the onsalught of enemy ships using turrets and phalanx-bearing ships. Then sending out a powerful capitol (Goliath, Beam-Halo) to end the game. Although variants of freeze-turtle has been used in the past. Much of this strat is only viable with high amounts of Primers.

"Using freeze munitions or (cloak/freeze) Spectre to lock ships in place, then killing them with blackhole units (Hades, Void Lance). Preferred freeze turrets are autocannons and/or blasters,"

Eco
The last form of playstyle is a middle ground between all-out assault and all-out defence. Eco, as the name suggests, is a economy-based play style. Therefore you aren't looking to kill the enemy as quick as possible, or to counter all rushes. It's to simply sustain an economy lead over your opponent. But how is this achieved? The technology, Power Core, gives the user 5% increase in energy production per tech used. "Without any energy-boosting tech, 3 reactors gives you +17 Energy per frame"

"With 3 Power Core, however, 3 reactors nets you +20 Energy per frame. Giving you a bonus reactor every 3 reactors placed. This is a huge bonus (nearly 20%) in terms of energy production"But there is another, very similar tech: battery pack. Experienced players may argue for the price of only 2 tech slots. Battery Packs give you an additional reactor right off the bat (500e + 50 + 50 = 600e. Enough for 4 reactors, which equates to +20 energy per frame). Therefore, Battery Packs are better since they use one less slot. However, that is untrue. Battery Pack provide no additional energy surplus beyong that additional reactor, you might get a faster start, but the +3 you get from Power Cores stack up real fast. In essence, battery packs are great only if you want a fast start for rushing, while Power Cores for long term energy production. A great rule of thumb is: There's no reason to use battery packs if you're placing more than 3 reactors, and no reason to use power core if you're placing less than 2.

Digressing, the point of Eco is to always be producing more than your opponent. Quantatity over Quality, and eventually overrun your opponent, who stocked up on primers, and is faced with a -75 energy punishment. The energy surplus can then be used to build more reactors, further strengthening your lead."Here's a common Eco loadout:"To conclude these styles of play, a great strategy shouldn't be forced to adhere to a single style. You can't rush every time, you can't turtle everytime, and you can't be greedy every time. A good strategy should have elements of all 3. You should have adequate aggro options if your opponent has a slow start. You should have well placed turrets and dps machines if you have a slow start. Flexibility is key. Different strategies also excell on different maps. The long travel time between stations on the long maps (PvP Maps) give you time to build up a large economy, but the same economy will get you killed on shorter maps.

Essential Units
Few battles are without these units. In order to become a god of obliteration. One has to possess most, if not all, of these essential units for multiplayer. If you don't have some of these ships or turrets or auxileriesi or tech. They will be listed in order of importance, so focusing on obtaining these units from campaign, or the shop, is your number 1 priority. Long time OE3 Pioneer FateisEscaped outlines the best mods for all meta units: (just scroll till you find it)
 * Miner 
 * Microlaser
 * Phalanx
 * Trident
 * Constructor (Aux)
 * Repair Turret 
 * Void Lance
 * Gladiators
 * Hyper Repiar
 * Fighter Yard (Aux)
 * Exhumer
 * Base Shield (Tech)
 * Cobra
 * Power Core/ Manufacturing/ Primers/ Heatsink/ Munitions/ Battery Packs/ Beam Doctrine

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