Argentavis
Overview
The Argentavis is a pirate carrier that appears in the manner of a cargo ship. It is a formidable opponent, having the capability to spawn multiple distinct types of drones, but carries a substantial quantity of components should one successfully disarm and board it.
Contents
Drones
The Argentavis has been observed to spawn the following drones:
- The Barb, a medium-sized, lightly-armed drone. These appear to be spawned by the "Raid in Progress" antenna.
- The Dyad, a slightly larger, more heavily-armed drone. These are spawned by the "Heavy Drone Manufacturing Started" antenna.
- The Weapons Platform Gatling, a drone comparable to the Barb but rather smaller.
- Additionally, the Weapons Platform Missile is theorized to exist, but has not yet been observed.
Be aware that the drones will not fire through one another or the Argentavis to hit the player.
Strategy
Entering
Disabling or destroying the antenna on the Argentavis' belly labelled "Heavy Drone Manufacturing Started" will prevent it from creating new Dyads; the antenna marked "Raid in Progress" underneath its cockpit controls the spawning of Barbs. Once these antennas are disabled and all existing drones have been destroyed, an engineer can approach the Argentavis from directly behind, and (being careful to stay close to the hull) gain entry safely through either side airlock, located beneath the left and right large thrusters. After gaining access to the interior, one will see a ramp that leads up to a catwalk and a floor. Walking up this ramp and onto the solid floor would allow one to disable the ship's reactor without provoking its interior turrets. Once this is accomplished, the ship's armaments can easily be disabled to allow it to be piloted to a base for refitting or destruction, or it can be refitted or dismantled on the spot if the engineer is equipped to perform these tasks.
Exiting
If both antennas are not disabled, a situation may arise in which a drone spawns while an engineer is inside the Argentavis. If this happens, a number of steps must be taken to increase the odds of survival. Firstly, be aware that drones, while they will not fire at the Argentavis to hit you, they will do so to destroy blocks that have been repossessed; this will cause a bit of damage to the ship, and will eventually result in holes through the hull through which drones may be able to take an occasional surprise shot at the engineer. Therefore, it is advisable to grind down any repossessed blocks to prevent this from happening. After doing this:
- Cut the power to disable the Argentavis' weapons and its spawning capabilities. This seems to require destroying the reactor and not merely disabling it.
- Ensure that you have a clear path to the outside, such as the point through which you entered. If you closed your entry point, make another hole, but be careful not to exit yet. Additionally, be sure that you make your hole away from any drones, so that they do not shoot you as soon as you finish. Finally, be careful that the ship, if pressurized, will vent, and it is vital not to be blown out.
- Walk as far from your exit point, inside the ship, as you can. You should see the drones moving around the Argentavis towards you. Wait for them to get as close to you as they are going to. The farther you can get them from your exit point, the better.
- Get to your exit point, as fast as you can, and exit, keeping the Argentavis between you and the drones if at all possible.
- Get out of weapons range (800m) of the drones as fast as you can. Voila! Safety!
- You should probably declare a GPS point here if you plan on going somewhere to pick up reinforcements. It'd be a real shame to go to all that trouble and then lose the ship.
Loot
The large cargo container holds the following items:
| Loot | |
|---|---|
| Count | Item |
| 20000 |  Steel Plate
|
| 2000 |  Construction Component
|
| 1500 |  Small Steel Tube
|
| 1000 |  Interior Plate
|
| 1000 |  Motor
|
| 800 |  Reactor Components
|
| 700 |  Large Steel Tube
|
| 650 |  Thruster Components
|
| 600 |  Metal Grid
|
| 500* |  25x184mm NATO Ammo Container
|
| 500 |  Bulletproof Glass
|
| 500 |  Computer
|
| 400 |  Power Cell
|
| 300* |  200mm Missile Container
|
| 300 |  Explosives
|
| 200 |  Radio-Communication Components
|
| 100 |  5.56x45mm NATO Magazine
|
| 100 |  Display
|
| 100 |  Medical Components
|
| 60* |  Uranium Ingot
|
| 50 |  Detector Components
|
| 50 |  Gravity Generator Components
|
| 1 |  Hand Drill
|
| 1 |  Grinder
|
| 1 |  Welder
|
Additionally, 10K* Ice and 6 Oxygen Bottles are available from the two Oxygen Generators, and a total of 4,200* 5.56x45mm NATO Magazines are found in the five Interior Turrets.
* Depending on your engagement of the Argentavis, its stock of these items may be depleted somewhat.
