I really really like to play Vasari with the DLC. Getting high population on planets doesn't take ages with them. So my experience is that the DLC is best for Vasari.

But I've mainly played Vasari with it so take it for what it's worth.

You make a good point. Perhaps you are indeed correct and it's the Vasari that gains the most - with their biological augmentations they can build up a densely populated world in record time! However, I think for the very early game, at least, where it's coin and not rate of build or growth that restricts you, it's the Advent that stands to gain the most from the DLC's new ruleset.

True.

The Vasari doesn't really shine until you have a decent economy running so you can start upgrading your worlds. But when you do your income will get a very nice boom .

This is not booster pack, why??, because all faction owner have the same research. Social and industrial

So, you have a asteroid and next jump enemy asteriod, if you put industrial specialization and enemy put social IS YOUR PROBLEM, because an strategy game seeks to have to think about the game in the moment.

If you have a asteroid and next jump are a terran, terran have more nicely social bonus, so TRIED TO GET THIS PLANET AND DONT CRY ABOUT "advent buff".... really, i no see any ONLY FOR ADVENT PLANET BUFF.

I see a nice strategy possibilitys

I no see the problem.

Tec have nice trade port, and it have research to have a fast frigate construction... so... industrial is OP for TEC?,

You will choose planet specialization depending the faction (advent, tech, vasari). so, with the advent bags easier the culture center, with the TEC have trade port easy, and vasari growth rate easy (tier 2)

Really i no see the problem, i play with all factions

You get a volcanic planet and put 4 trade port with industrial specialization?, and when is in the trade port line?.

i cant say so much, because i play on galaxy of >6 players.

It will not be able to stop cultere on a close galaxy maybe. I no see dificult with the culture when i play.

Vash, we aren't complaining about this possibly boosting the Advent, we are happy that it might be boosting the Advent.

Is this most recent patch really boosting the Advent though? The last time I checked the Vasari still get a ridiculous trade income and so do the TEC...so doesn't it follow that the Vasari and TEC would be able to "exploit" the social specialization on their planets to the same extent the advent do? I noticed that the advent get pretty massive bonuses for Barren colonization, and the Barren type is free to colonize right off the bat, so I guess that is a small buff to Advent, but only if they happen to roll a Barren world on their borders.

I am a huge Advent fanboy and I've been experimenting since the last patch. Advent culture still seems to be pretty terrible at pushing back enemy culture, unless they don't build more than 1 comm center. I suppose you can force your opponent to tech to comm centers, but again, your inferior economy as the Advent just means that you are putting yourself behind the 8 ball by  buying infrastructure instead of buffing your fleet.

Has anyone noticed any significant change with the advent in this newest patch? Is the battle ball strategy still viable?

If anyone has some input on Advent Battle-Balling, I'd appreciate it. I don't know if I'm doing it right or not. I feel like I'm missing something, because the battle ball seems to consist of a Mothership, a handful of Guardian Shield Frigates, and as many corvettes/disciples/drone hosts you can possibly build. The "battle ball" seems to revolve around Mothership shield regen, malice in-between shield regens, and Guardian shield use. Is this it? The advent battle ball is about just these three abilities until you get more cap ships? Illuminators boost your DPS and defense vessels offer...well...defense, but as far as "battle balling" around the map it seems to just be about keeping your discs, guardians, and mothership together. Am I missing something? Are advent loyalists even remotely competitive in MP? The deliverance engine still seems somewhat bugged because when I fire it even at a non-homeworld system, it only projects my culture into a couple of phase lanes. I can't even tell if I"m getting my "fury" buff or not, because the system rarely switches completely over to my culture, even after multiple hits.