Question about shield cell banks

Hen Blaidd · Apr 12, 2022

Hail Commanders,
I have an Allience Chieftain "https://coriolis.io/outfit/alliance_chieftain?code=A0pktkFflndpsif40v0v271824240404040j054am73w2o2b2bm73x.Iw18RQ==.MwBj5AmaYRnkDijMIA==..EweloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK4fiIA=="
I am happy with it but, was wondering about Shield Cell Banks. My multi part question is
1) Are they worth it?
and, if so
2) is a 6A worth the extra credits over a 4A?
Bearing in mind that if the answer to 1) is yes then the codicil to 2) is that the 6A would require removing the Cargo Rack (and, therefore having no cargo capacity at all) whereas the 4A would beg the question whether to replace a Hull Reinforcement or a Module Reinforcement (remembering that the Chieftain is susceptible to module damage).
Tricky..... so, I thought I would ask the more experienced for their views

TIA

Hen

Hen Blaidd · Apr 12, 2022

Just noticed, I have a 0C Kill Warrant Scanner NOT the 0A in the above link - sorry

STRONTIUM DOG · Apr 12, 2022

all I will say is this can come in very handy if deployed at the right time on ships like a combat orientated cobra (setup a keypress for it)
dunno about on a chief build mind you...……..
all very much depends on how & who you fight too I suppose...………………………..

Hen Blaidd · Apr 12, 2022

So, pretty much individuals taste

I thought as much - this game is so deep that most things boil down to that

Thanks

Hen

Koben · Apr 12, 2022

It all depends on what you're planning to do with your ship... after answering that question to yourself, you should chose your ship's weapon loadout in accordance with your skills in the proposed activity... then would come the question on how to supply the ship with the right equipments in order to support you in this role...

Para Handy · Apr 12, 2022

Hen Blaidd said:
.......
I am happy with it but, was wondering about Shield Cell Banks. My multi part question is
1) Are they worth it?
and, if so
2) is a 6A worth the extra credits over a 4A?
.....

First off - if you are looking at a combat build - why have you got a 5A shield instead of a 6A?

If you fit shield cell banks then remember to fit heatsink launchers one heatsink per shield cell - if you don't use a heatsink when you fire a SCB then you could be looking at taking heat damage.

If you do want to retain at least some cargo space then fit a rack instead of the supercruise assist.

Frank · Apr 12, 2022

For PVP, I don't really know. I think it could well be a case of Rock, Paper, Scissors

For PVE then most definitely yes. When yer fighting three ships at the one time it's much harder to swoop round behind yer opponent to avoid their guns

Rock Hunter · Apr 12, 2022

What are you using this build for and is it meant to fend off players and npcs or just npcs? It looks like a very general purpose ship - the 2A fuel scoop suggests multiple hops, with a slow scoop rate. Choosing a C6 cargo rack at the expense of C6 shields and fitting a supercruise assist module doesn’t suggest it’s designed for combat beyond cargo run interdictions.

As a combat ship I’ve always found it works best as a hull tank. 6C Biweave, 5D Module Reinforcement, beef up the shield resistances via the shield boosters and fill it with HRPs. Accept that the shields will down quite quickly but benefit from them coming back online quickly. Cover off module damage by using the largest MRP you can fit. Infact, the Chieftain is the one ship I use where I’ll even throw in a second smaller MRP despite the diminished returns. As a general do-it-all ship I think there are much better options than the Chieftain.
Adding SCBs and the heat sink(s) you’ll likely want just take away space from the shield boosters and module/hull reinforcement.

None of this matters that much if you’re just up against npcs - if that’s the case you can make most things work for you and just enjoy whatever equipment you enjoy using.

Mavsy 81 · Apr 12, 2022

Hen Blaidd said:
I have an Allience Chieftain

Try a 6C Biweave shield instead of a 5A standard shield, add 5D hull reinforcement(Chieftains more of a hull tank) and buy better armour.
Maybe forget the SCB, concentrate on avoiding fire and getting your shields back up.

Para Handy · Apr 12, 2022

Mavsy 81 said:
Try a 6A Biweave shield instead of a 5A standard shield, add 5D hull reinforcement(Chieftains more of a hull tank) and buy better armour.
Maybe forget the SCB, concentrate on avoiding fire and getting your shields back up.

I think you mean a 6C Bi-Weave (they only come in C's).

Mavsy 81 · Apr 12, 2022

Para Handy said:
6C Bi-Weave (they only come in C's).

Yep my mistake

Rebel Yell · Apr 13, 2022

Frank said:
For PVP, I don't really know. I think it could well be a case of Rock, Paper, Scissors

That build in PvP scenario wouldn't last that much... the ship model suffers from drive exposure, but there are some viable builds (unless facing opponents with seekers or p-hounds) all based on fast regenerating bi-weave and hull points (2-3 module reinforcements). For hardpoints it's very subjective... frags, PAs are good on the large/med, rails on the small.

Hen Blaidd · Apr 13, 2022

Thanks all,
Plenty here to think about

Hen

Dragsham · Apr 13, 2022

Theres 2 combat builds fundamentally.
Pvp
Pve

Alot changes.
Pve is simple. You just wack an overcharged pp in there and a couple of cellbanks big as possible.
You only really need 1 sink per 2 charges of the banks. We call it double banking.
Bank sink bank.
Resistances at 50% any higher and the falloff doesn't justify the cap lost.
We call that dimishing returns.
Npcs will never tax your well built ship unless your heavily outnumbered. So build however you like.
Ammo is always an issue so bear that in mind.
Time on target is more important than dps.
Hence some cmdrs loving rails and PAs. Myself included.

Pvp is a totally different ballgame.
Armoured pp and shielded fsds reinforced or shielded life support. So on so forth..
I'm no expert but stacking cap on shields instead of resistances is meta.
Ammo isn't an issue unless it's protracted pvp.
So high max dps and max shields is the way to go.
But pvp is unique to each cmdr.
Yes there are meta builds. But I've found what I'm comfortable with. And it works.!
Practice makes perfect. Warts n all.
GL
o7

Hen Blaidd · Apr 13, 2022

Strictly PvE.
I suppose I want a bit of General Purpose - bit of Missions, bit of Bounty Hunting etc.
I have limited credits (6A Shields are out of my price range atm ) and no access to engineering (yet) so, makes it a bit tricky

d8veh · Apr 17, 2022

SCBs won't work on that build. You need thousands of MJ shields to make them worthwhile. the problem is that your shields will go down so fast that you won't get a chance to use the SCBs. Instead, you should change to 6C bi-eave shields if you want to actually fight anothe ship. Your present build doesn't make any sense. Why have you got weapons on a ship that has a cargo rack as its main optional module?

Also, your PD can't provide enough power for those two beam lasers, so your ship will keep over-heating. I'd change them to pulse lasers.

Try it like this if you want to do some pirate farming:

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

Hen Blaidd · Apr 17, 2022

d8veh said:
SCBs won't work on that build. You need thousands of MJ shields to make them worthwhile. the problem is that your shields will go down so fast that you won't get a chance to use the SCBs. Instead, you should change to 6C bi-eave shields if you want to actually fight anothe ship. Your present build doesn't make any sense. Why have you got weapons on a ship that has a cargo rack as its main optional module?

Also, your PD can't provide enough power for those two beam lasers, so your ship will keep over-heating. I'd change them to pulse lasers.

Try it like this if you want to do some pirate farming:

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

I've changed it around now, amalgamating the suggestions given. The main differences are that I now have Bi-Weave shields and Burst lasers. I had the 6E cargo racks more as a "place holder" (so I could do some trading) whilst I was waiting for exactly these responses

- that's going now.

Again, thanks to everyone

Hen

d8veh · Apr 17, 2022

Hen Blaidd said:
I've changed it around now, amalgamating the suggestions given. The main differences are that I now have Bi-Weave shields and Burst lasers. I had the 6E cargo racks more as a "place holder" (so I could do some trading) whilst I was waiting for exactly these responses - that's going now.

Again, thanks to everyone

Hen

I think that will work a lot better. Unengineered ships are at a massive disadvantage against NPCs, so you need to make a specific combat build as strong as possible. If you compromise it with a big cargo rack, it probably won't be strong enough. The only exception would be when farming materials in a low resource extraction site. You could fit a cargo rack for collector limpets. Something like this:

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

In a low RES, the pirates hardly fight back, so that ship should do fine. Also, you can use it in a high RES, where the police will help you as long as you choose your targets carefully. In the low RES, log on/off until you get a spawn that contains large ships if you want to farm the materials. The materials dropped are the same wherever you farm them, so a low RES gives the best results, though you get less bounty money there.