Finally! (thanks to 3.0) I have a Corvette...(now with vid in post 110)

[Speedcuffs]

I might give the beams a try, focused with thermal vent sounds interesting. We have similar philosophies, I wanted to like the PAs (and have kept them), but I preferred the Multicannons in the end.

Totally with you on this, I like the alpha strike on the PAs, but the multis seem versatile.Want to try the beams myself, let us know how it goes.[yesnod]

 

[Pendergast]

As another thought, I hear some horror stories involving turrets, often drawing in targets with fire that you otherwise wouldn't have wanted joining the fight. Have you considered compromising there and using gimbaled weapons?

Turrets work great on target only, and stop firing when a friendly passes in front them. I use huge gimballed overcharged multicannons, medium turret efficient beams, small turret long range pulse, and a fixed large efficient beam on the middle hard point.

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

I might give the beams a try, focused with thermal vent sounds interesting. We have similar philosophies, I wanted to like the PAs (and have kept them), but I preferred the Multicannons in the end.

Seeing Morbad's firing time really pushed me into the efficient mod for my Corvette's beams.
Funny, because I tend to avoid the efficient mods like something contagious.

Two focused or LR just draw too much of the PD to keep both beams lit for long.
So even at some range it seems two beams at lower dps that you can keep lit for longer, wins out over having to be more disciplined but having more dps etc.
Small ships melt by the time they get close, and FGS etc can eat some corrosive on the way in too.


Having the low draw also means my rails are ready to fire as soon as they pop an SCB.
Just sticking row, after row of strafing cascade rail shots from behind/above another large PVE ship is a piece of cake.
You can almost spam that combo to your hearts content with the new thermal reduction.
Similar to the efficient mod, I get more damage output with the feedback over superpen due to the loading time, despite the dps penalty.
Also with 8 shots per trigger pull, hitting multiple modules is sort of a given!

Have fun!
I love mine.

 

[Stealthie]

Which hardpoints best suit turrets (have greatest field of fire)? (I will be running two huge PAs for sure, so those slots are taken)
What Shield Cell Bank configuration is optimal and how many heatsinks will I need for it?
Boosters configuration?
Anyone running low mj biweave? Or is it a no brainer to go pure MJ, boosters and cells, over a fast biweave and lots of hull?

The only turrets I run on my Vette(s) are the two pectoral C2 hardpoints.
I fit them with either FCs or burst lasers, depending on how I feel.
Those hardpoints seem to have almost 180° vertical field-of-fire so, between them, they cover the entire ship.
The FCs are good for if you're playing in Open and some smartass tries to get close to avoid fire.
The bursts are good for keeping NPCs defensive if I'm farming a RES/CNB.

I use a 7A SCB with a single G5 modded heat-sink launcher.
That gives me 4 recharges and 3 heat-sinks. The last one causes a bit of damage but I figure that if I ever have to use it, it's probably time I was leaving anyway.

As for shields, I figure that any half-decent shield on a 'vette takes too long to recharge on it's own (after trying bi-weaves, regular and prismatic) so I just rely on the SCB.
In the end, I went for thermal-resistant prismatics.
They hardly ever lose a ring in regular combat and I can use the SCB to pump 'em back up.
And, again, if I'm ever at the point where I'm losing my shields and can't recharge them, it's probably time to leave.

One final tip: Fit the biggest possible fuel scoop.
You will probably be able to fit a 6A scoop, depending on your loadout.
The 'vette has a lousy jump-range and mediocre thermal properties and a big scoop helps avoid overheating and (most importantly IMO) takes a lot of the tedium out of travelling in tiny jumps.

 

[w3bbo]

Buy a DBS and use that as a scout for your corvette to transfer it to far away systems. Saves the tedium of jumping with <20ly FSD.

 

[XW_Ziggy]

It looks great without the ship kit. I have mine in black, too, and fully engineered now. It's the business.

There's not a single piece from the 16 piece Corvette ship kit that actually improves the Corvette, and none of the other paintjobs I've bought are as good as Black Friday.

 

[GG7]

Totally with you on this, I like the alpha strike on the PAs, but the multis seem versatile.Want to try the beams myself, let us know how it goes.[yesnod]

If you haven't already... You guys really need to try the Dual 4A Gimbaled Beam Lasers on top and a Plasma in the Belly Mount position! Its a load out totally unique to the Corvette and an opportunity that should not be wasted! If you have an Advanced Plasma for the Class 3 underside HP so much the better!

I run a G5 Overcharged Advanced Plasma with Rapid Fire and Plasma Slug mods! The Vette is an incredibly stable platform for fixed weapons, so don't waste that advantage either!

Between the Dual 4A Beams and a Rapid Fire Plasma, the ship is devastating, even if you turn all your other hard points OFF!

P.S. The 4As need to be G5 "Efficient Weapons", otherwise the Vette will only be able to run them for 1-2 seconds before even the max A class PD is totally drained! -- Run whatever Exp on these you prefer... The firepower of the Beams alone can drop an NPC Python in under 30 seconds of sustained fire.

 

[GG7]

There's not a single piece from the 16 piece Corvette ship kit that actually improves the Corvette, and none of the other paintjobs I've bought are as good as Black Friday.

The Spikes are worth a look! I added them to mine and they look badass with the Chromed paint job! Since the Vette is a jousting KING, and Strategic Ramming a viable Corvette-Centric skill, the spikes fit in well with the whole Meme.

I totally agree with you regarding the original Corvette Ship Kit though! It ruins the look of the ship completely!