Ships Advice on Combat Ship Build for PVP

[Random Player]

Hello

I am currently working on Engineering a Krait MKII and was looking for advice on making the best build for PVP Combat. Right now, my ship is unstoppable against any NPCs I have run into, not even a fight a really, but I would like to get my ship in the best condition for PVP.

Here's a link to my Krait below. If someone that's really good at ship combat builds gets a chance, can you take a quick look and tell me what I could improve? I'm having a hard time balancing Kinetic damage with Thermal damage protection, it seems to be an a pick one but not both. I have messed around with different combos and just can't seem to find the best solution. It seems that what I have is the best solution, although I have yet to replace my HULL, using lightweight alloy. Seems to be working well as, at least, NPCs have yet to penetrate my shields, let alone my hull.

And yes, I know the FDL is, I guess, THE Combat ship, but, I have a Krait MK, plus, I don't like the sitting off center of FDL. That would really mess with my OCD

Anyway... here's the build https://s.orbis.zone/8cnB and would appreciate any expert advice. Thank you!

 

[VeryLittleGravitas]

That... is not a combat dedicated ship. It's a Jack-of-several-trades.

I'd go with this:

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In that empty slot I'd put either another HRP, MRP or a Guardian shield reinforcement.

Also, max lightweight on sensors and life support.

 

[Random Player]

That... is not a combat dedicated ship. It's a Jack-of-several-trades.

I'd go with this:

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In that empty slot I'd put either another HRP, MRP or a Guardian shield reinforcement.

Alslo, max lightweight on sensors and life support.

It's melted any NPC ship I have fought and every NPC ship I have fought. I think it could hold its own in PVP, but would come down to the better pilot but I like what you put together, thanks! One thing though, your Shields are around 1000 and my ship is currently at 1200, but I see you've really tanked it. My main goal is to never let anyone even get to my hull if possible, so really looking to max out the Shield potential. I put together this build, and left in some modules for missions, like Kill Warrant and FSD Interdictor, Fuel Scoop, stuff, but I see what you're saying about a straight up combat only ship. I working on really banking some money, so I can do both. Appreciate your suggestion, totally get it with Ultra Combat Build. Doesn't look like you can have the best Combat build that's really functional for anything but Combat. I am guessing I am gong to need to build the straight fighting build and another build for fighting as part of Combat missions.

 

[Just Paul]

Krait is fine for 1v1, but you need to build it for combat or you will be on the backfoot before the duel starts. Also keep the skinny side facing the enemy. You could change some of the SCBs and the GSRP for your mission gear if not out looking for combat. The PAs could be exchanged for overcharged pacifiers.

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[VeryLittleGravitas]

Depends on your goals. Your setup is an attempt to do everything in one ship, and that could get iffy. Your shield is thermally weak, and NPCs use mostly thermal weaponry. That could get you in trouble fast, especially with the atrocious recovery/recharge of the prismatics. Once that shield goes down you can only run, hoping that your hull holds long enough to jump.

My primary ship for assassination missions is a hybrid-tank FAS:

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While this is my mission runner:

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FAS can survive an encounter with 3 deadly/elite anacondas at once. The shield goes down eventually, but the armour simply shrugs off anything long enough for a shield to get up again.
Python, on the other hand, can handle one of them or run from bigger ships.

Different ships, different uses, different setups.

 

[Zannry]

The PAs could be exchanged for overcharged pacifiers.

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Pacifier frags would be my recommendation too. They chew through NPC's and players like. Here is my PvE Krait. I've been jumped in Shin, Deciat and Wolf 397 in her at least a dozen times by players and haven't lost a fight yet. She'll serve you well for organic PvP.

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@CMDR Red House go with overcharged like Paul Smith the 3rd suggests instead of doubleshot as shown in my build. I'm fortunate have legacy doubleshot pacifier frags with similar or higher DPS to overcharge otherwise I'd have them mounted instead.

In organized PvP you'll need to drop the fighter, packhounds and significantly harden defenses by adding a heavier hull with more HRP's & MRPs.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

Depends on your goals. Your setup is an attempt to do everything in one ship, and that could get iffy. Your shield is thermally weak, and NPCs use mostly thermal weaponry. That could get you in trouble fast, especially with the atrocious recovery/recharge of the prismatics. Once that shield goes down you can only run, hoping that your hull holds long enough to jump.

My primary ship for assassination missions is a hybrid-tank FAS:

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While this is my mission runner:

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FAS can survive an encounter with 3 deadly/elite anacondas at once. The shield goes down eventually, but the armour simply shrugs off anything long enough for a shield to get up again.
Python, on the other hand, can handle one of them or run from bigger ships.

Different ships, different uses, different setups.

The guy asked for PvP builds. All of these builds except for what Paul posted would get absolutely crushed in PvP.

This is my PvP FAS just to give you an idea..

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Other than the shield tank version posted, I've had a lot of success with this Krait II build.

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[Random Player]

The guy asked for PvP builds. All of these builds except for what Paul posted would get absolutely crushed in PvP.

This is my PvP FAS just to give you an idea..

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Other than the shield tank version posted, I've had a lot of success with this Krait II build.

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On your FAS PVP build, it's OK that the Shields are so low, at like 300 Mj? I thought you'd want the MJ rating to be WAY higher, no?

 

[Zannry]

On your FAS PVP build, it's OK that the Shields are so low, at like 300 Mj? I thought you'd want the MJ rating to be WAY higher, no?

He's counting on the high resistance and quick reform rate to offset the low shield strength. He's relying on his hull and double chaff buying time for the shield to come back, 300 MJ that reforms in 45 seconds at 150 strength rinse and repeat adds a lot of effective MJ strength.Throw in the target lock breaker and he can even break target lock of missiles before they have good tone. In most situations he's not wrong about this being effective.

The build though will only take you so far. If you run that build you need to make sure you can hit with fixed weapons reliably and make sure you know what your opponent is packing. The 6 second reload on the single target lock breaker plasma in a long enough window of opportunity to knock out all or most of the hardpoints with a full volley of pack-hounds even stacking as much MRPs as he is. You can mitigate that window of vulnerability with some distance and toggling silent running.

I've fought enough players to know there are a lot of bad pilots. Your rank and file ganker can't fly or shot to save there lives. They run in a group and/or prey on the weak . The PvE build i shared before with see you safe through open and beat over confident would be ship killers. But as @Sir Ganksalot mention, at least in organized PvP with legit combat players you'll need to harden your defenses significantly.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

On your FAS PVP build, it's OK that the Shields are so low, at like 300 Mj? I thought you'd want the MJ rating to be WAY higher, no?

300mjs allows my shields to come back in about 40 seconds. This is how biweave hull tanks work. You want less MJ's to keep the recharge time around 60 seconds. Myself and Pelkitron, one of the best pvpers in the game, use this same build and absolutely clap cheeks with it.

That's also how the Krait II build I posted works as well. It can have a 500 MJ's because the Krait has a 7A distributor, allowing 500mjs to regen in about a minute.

 

[Hooplah]

Fer de Lance is the PvP combat build to play with others in a wing. Going Solo in PvP against a wing there is no ship you could engineer to survive. If you want to go PvP start making friends.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

Fer de Lance is the PvP combat build to play with others in a wing. Going Solo in PvP against a wing there is no ship you could engineer to survive. If you want to go PvP start making friends.

That's not entirely true. I just survived 8 of my friends trying to gank me in my FAS about an hour ago. FDL's are the best but not required. I've clapped many FDL's with my FAS.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

@CMDR Red House also, if you want some PvP lessons, join my discord in my signature

 

[Hooplah]

Your are right. It is not about the ship we fly but the awesome pilot flying it! Note some expert in a Fed de Lance with the right weapons could take out your FAS. Whenever we think we have the game down some other player shows up taking us out. Meanwhile Well done.

 

[Sir Ganksalot]

Your are right. It is not about the ship we fly but the awesome pilot flying it! Note some expert in a Fed de Lance with the right weapons could take out your FAS. Whenever we think we have the game down some other player shows up taking us out. Meanwhile Well done.

Yeah there's plenty of players that can take me out in a 1v1 or in wing fights, no doubt. And I definitely put myself at a disadvantage using a FAS but at the level this guy's at, a FDL isn't gonna save him.

 

[Hooplah]

The cool thing about an FAS is that it is a hull tank. Probably the best tank in the game plus fast and maneuverable. When I flew it I didn't need no stinkin' shields. Sure I had them but the hull was the best defense. It can always put a dent in a CZ or 1v1 in PvP. Probably the best combat ship I ever flew until getting to an engineered Corvette and a PvP designed FDL. After getting to 60 percent Deadly I finally engineered a Krait Mk II to take out Thargoid Scouts to obtain combat Elite. But a good pilot in an FAS is always to be taken seriously! Besides it looks so mean.

 

[VeryLittleGravitas]

This is my PvP FAS just to give you an idea..

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Ooh, nice. Now I have a second FAS to build

 

[Hooplah]

With that build and If you are good at flying the FAS any PvP player taking you on is probably going to have a bad day.

 

[S0rkvild]

My FAS build is pretty close to what Sir Ganksalot presented, besides I traded one small hull pack into guardian shield reinforcement and regen value is acceptable. I recently had a fight in Leesti against a cmdr in Chieftain. He was sporting plasma/frag setup. Me - two adv. plasmas, imp. hammer and a pack hound. I took some strikes to the hull without any module damage, but it was him having his engines turned into a mince by combo of packhound barrage and hammer pounding.
FAS may not be the excellent pvp boat, but nothing can can go wrong here and the FAS has also major advantage over the Chief - better situated and protected modules. Simply those cool engines on the Alliance ships are something you need to disable first at costs and it's easy to do if you carry gimballed weapons or missiles.