Server update 47.1 - the Tide comes in tiers: twelve of them, and a real fight for every fleet

The game server restarted at 18:55 UTC with a new Tide. There is nothing to download: your game client is unchanged and Alpha build 47 is still the current version. Nothing was wiped.

Why

In the first hours of Alpha build 47, commanders attacked the Tide 60 times and won 51 of those battles without losing a single ship. A full fleet was winning in about five seconds. That is not a fight.

The Tide comes in tiers

• Every Tide fleet now has a tier from 1 to 12, and it is in the fleet's name on the map: Chitin Patrol (Tier 6). The higher the tier, the harder the fight.
• There are fifteen Tide fleets in the sector instead of eight. Tier 1 is a single Fighter, Tier 5 is six Fighters, Tier 8 six Corvettes, Tier 10 six Destroyers, and Tier 12, the Hive Nest, six Battlecruisers.
• Each tier is tuned against an even fleet: the same number of ships of the same class, with a weapon, a plate and a shield in every slot. An even fleet usually wins, and comes home damaged.
• Start at Tier 1 and climb. A lost battle costs you repairs, not ships, so the quickest way to find your tier is to try the next one up.

Good to know

• The old fleets are gone. There is no Lone Harvester any more, and the Hive Nest is now the strongest fleet in the sector, not a starter target.
• Your faction matters. Each faction's weapons and plating suit some enemies better than others, so the same tier can be easier for one commander than for another.
• Battles still pay no XP and no loot, and you still cannot watch or steer one. Both are planned.

The full list of tiers is in the Player's Guide, and Alpha Round 10 on the playtest page has been reworded for the new fleets. Tell us the highest tier you can beat, and with what fleet.