Anyone using un-Engineered Guardian Shards at Jameson?

[Scoob]

Hey all,

I'm currently using EAX MCs on both my "Jameson Defender" ships. They're good for Scouts of course and not bad at sniping hearts and taking out the weaker Interceptors. I've even managed a few Solo. Go me lol. However, I'd like something a bit heavier hitting. I understand the Guardian Shard Cannon was once considered a good weapon, however, I wonder how it will fair without the anti-guardian field effect. Will it last just seconds, or longer? I have a Python Mk II build that's fast but delicate and has no self-repair ability. I also have an Anaconda that's significantly tougher and can self-repair. Of course, it gets hit a lot as it cannot outrun anything lol.

Just wonder if it's worth unlocking these weapons, baring in mind that I cannot Engineer them to protect against an anti-guardian field - I simply don't have the required materials. I hesitant to just try it for myself, as I did that with the (once upon a time) highly-recommended Guardian Plasma Charger. Those things simply did not work for me however. Whether it was a bug or something else, a fully-charged shot from six of those (fired from an Anaconda that had the power to support that) did ZERO damage to every target I tried it on. Orthrus (Spire site) zero damage, other Interceptors, zero damage, even getting six charged plasma shots on a Scout - tricky to manage that - did no damage. I went back to EAX MC's and AX Missiles after that.

So, how are these weapons? I did see one commander using Guardian shards on a Python Mk II and he was dealing some solid damage, able to reliably out-dps a basic Interceptors healing with active hearts. I don't know if his weapons were protected against the anti-guardian field however.

 

[Northpin]

I still use my CondaGib at jamesons. It packs 6 modified guardian shards
But i do play in solo, nailing cyclops, basilisks and the occasional medusa (takes several repairs tho).

However, when hunters appear, i just dock and relog to restart the instance
They dont come everytime, more than once i reached hydra phase without seeing one.

 

[Scoob]

I still use my CondaGib at jamesons. It packs 6 modified guardian shards
But i do play in solo, nailing cyclops, basilisks and the occasional medusa (takes several repairs tho).

However, when hunters appear, i just dock and relog to restart the instance
They dont come everytime, more than once i reached hydra phase without seeing one.

The modified one are the ones you unlock one-by-one with materials right? They then cannot be further engineered to resist the anti-guardian field, right?

It's funny, since posting this, the CG appears to have come to an end... early and before Tier 4 was reached. Is this a mistake I wonder, will it go live again? I was just at Jameson and there was no mission when I arrived, there was however a Hydra being actively engaged by several commanders as well as AI AX pilots quite some distance from the station. I had to bug out to pay a fine as the rubber-banding Interceptor was throwing everyone's aim off. I got hit a few times by friendly fire - I have crimes off, so no penalty to them - but the person I did hit evidently did not. Then then got killed by the Thargoid moments later, turning the fine into a bounty. Silly C&P.

 

[Northpin]

They then cannot be further engineered to resist the anti-guardian field, right?

correct, as far as i know

 

[Blaggerdy]

I've found 2 large unmodified with anti Guardian field applied, plus 1 medium and 1 small modified on a Chieftain pretty interesting, although I tend to be far too close for comfort (theirs and mine). No shield or limpets, and a AFMU. Not great at avoiding fire while targeting but slowly improving with much practice

Trailing sights, 2 small thermal vent beams on secondary
Exert with the unmodified. Keeping cool
Heart with the modified for focused targeting
Or clip of one, followed by clip of the other, meaning I can more or less fire constantly. Occasional gibbing of cyclops

The modified ones are OK against scouts, but susceptible to Glaive damage. I haven't really found this a problem with repairs nearby but would be a pain in an AX combat zone

 

[r09u3]

Yes, I had them unlocked so I put three large on my krait yesterday and tried them out. I'm new at thargoid combat and mostly been killing scouts, but they work fine on the lower interceptors. I could pick off hearts ok.

 

[CMDR Saigon]

I use a Python MK2 with 4 large un-engineered shards with AGF and extremely good at Titan bombing, however, against scouts and interceptors the spread is just too wide to be useful against hearts.

 

[r09u3]

Yes you have to be real close but if you don't have the better ones... Oh and no I didn't agf them. There were not any glaves in the instance so they were fine.

 

[CMDR X]

I've been out to Jameson in Open (unplayable lag) and Solo and haven't encountered the Anti Guardian Field yet.
I'm flying a cheap build PythonMKII with six 2B Guardian Shards with LR/Foc+Pen experimental. The thing melts
Cyclops. If a Glaive does show up, you have plenty of time to land and repair, or wait until someone kills it.

 

[tolm]

I tried my old 2x Mod Plasma / 2x Mod Shard approach at Jameson on both a FAS and Krait Mk II. It’s still an effective build but they got nobbled a couple of times by Glaives and their AGF nonsense.

My latest build is the Krait with 1x C3 Long Range Thermal Vent Beam, 2x C3 EAX MC and 2x Mod Plasma. This seems pretty successful: Scouts die quick to the MCs (when they’re not rubber banding …) and against Interceptors it’s Plasmas to exert hearts and multi cannons (with a scan) for main heart damage + plasmas for additional burst damage. The large beam does a great job of keeping the heat down which offsets the loss of a second heatsink from carrying a Xeno scanner.

If Glaives turn up I can occasionally get a couple of shots in with the Plasmas but you can always engage them with the MCs and then you just need to dock to repair once they’re down, which isn’t too much of a pain. Much less frustrating than having no weapons that survive the AGF!

 

[Scoob]

I was considering unlocking the Class 3 Shard, I haven't the materials for any of the special ones. Ideally I'd like to engineer for anti-guardian field resistance, but don't have the materials. I have many full bins of Thargoid materials, but not the ones I actually need it seems. They're from LIVE Titans only, right? I can't even remember how that process works... if I ever knew in the first place lol.

 

[r09u3]

I collected them a few weeks ago. The tactical chips were not real bad to get. Just go to active spire site with ax MC and at least one ax missile. Kill scouts and then just missile anything on the ground and let collector limpets pick up chips. The crystals are a pain. I found a few at defeated titan site but it took a long time. I believe you can shoot caustic generators at active titans to get them but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[Jack Brolin]

Shards rule at Spires and Titans, but for AXCZs you want modshards really, the extra range makes you safer from lightning attacks. They get crazy hot so you need to spam heat sinks.

 

[Surprize960]

4 Class 2 Modshard, 1 Class 3 Shard, all with premium ammo, + 1 Class 3 eAXMC Turret on my Goidaconda worked for „instakilling“ lots of Cyclops („instakill“ after first heart destroyed).

Shards on different firegroups for continuous firing. Premium Ammo lasts for at least 8 of them. Several repair dockings necessary, of course.