Engineering thrusters, shields med size ships

[ElectricFactory]

I'm just now getting around to visiting Elvira, have already FSD G5- graded all of my ships, figured I'd visit Thul and G5 grade thrusters and shields.
How are you engineering 4D and 5D-size thrusters and shields ? Will be upfgradig my AspX, Krait Phantom and Python.

 

[jnTracks]

Shields is always thermal resist. Best effective joules for any size shield, far as I know.
Thrusters is a little more complicated but generally I am annoyed by any ship not having dirty drives. But I did go with clean drive on my DBX. It’s safer, I guess. I think I’d still always pick dirty if I had room in the power plant for it.

 

[Vedmo]

I'm just now getting around to visiting Elvira, have already FSD G5- graded all of my ships, figured I'd visit Thul and G5 grade thrusters and shields.
How are you engineering 4D and 5D-size thrusters and shields ? Will be upfgradig my AspX, Krait Phantom and Python.

The only reason I'd be engineering D thrusters would be for a max jump type of build and I'd do Dirty with either drag or stripped down.

For shields, assuming the only reason you are using D shields is for maximizing jump range while keep a little shield cushion for landings, I'd go enhanced low power/low draw or stripped down (they get pretty lightweight and less power to help keep PP as small as possible).

It's pretty rare I place an extra LY or two over A thrusters or better shields though.

 

[Bigmaec]

Shields is always thermal resist. Best effective joules for any size shield, far as I know.
Thrusters is a little more complicated but generally I am annoyed by any ship not having dirty drives. But I did go with clean drive on my DBX. It’s safer, I guess. I think I’d still always pick dirty if I had room in the power plant for it.

Shields depend on your mode.
If you play in open, I strongly advise to go reinforced, because otherwise some plasma armed ganker will have easy prey.
For PvE thermal is "ok", but you still get better numbers depending on your utility slots if you go reinforced and add a thermal resistant booster.

Fdl example following

first one with reinforced shield + 3 HD Booster 1 Res aug 1 thermal

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

second one with thermal shield + 4 HD Booster + 1 Res aug

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

The reinforced shielded FdL has ~2200 absolute mj, ~6000 mj explosive, ~5000 mj kinetic and ~3300 mj thermal
It beats the thermal shielded FdL by ~400 mj absolute, ~1700 mj explosive, ~1900 mj kinetic and still ~300 mj in thermal

This difference will be less by having less (<4) boosters, and greater by having more (8) boosters.

Another caveat regarding thermal is that in my opinion thermal g4 is better then g5 because it gives a better balance.

 

[Oopsie Daisy]

I think I used Clean Drives back when a stealth ship meant something. But now it is Dirty Drives all the rest of the time.

Shields are always thermal mods; FDev made shields so weak to thermal vs the other resistances that the other mods are effectively of little to no value IMO.

 

[jnTracks]

Shields depend on your mode.
If you play in open, I strongly advise to go reinforced, because otherwise some plasma armed ganker will have easy prey.
For PvE thermal is "ok", but you still get better numbers depending on your utility slots if you go reinforced and add a thermal resistant booster.

Fdl example following

first one with reinforced shield + 3 HD Booster 1 Res aug 1 thermal

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

second one with thermal shield + 4 HD Booster + 1 Res aug

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

The reinforced shielded FdL has ~2200 absolute mj, ~6000 mj explosive, ~5000 mj kinetic and ~3300 mj thermal
It beats the thermal shielded FdL by ~400 mj absolute, ~1700 mj explosive, ~1900 mj kinetic and still ~300 mj in thermal

This difference will be less by having less (<4) boosters, and greater by having more (8) boosters.

Another caveat regarding thermal is that in my opinion thermal g4 is better then g5 because it gives a better balance.

Ah, and I'm no PvPer. I've never put anything other than bi-waves on any combat ship. Maybe that starts to make a difference.
I've used thermal grade 5, then balanced the resistances with boosters. Looks like things can be quite different if you're going for the very high numbers build.

 

[DragonIV]

The D-rated thruster on my Asp is G5 Dirty/Drag and it's a little too fast. Someday I'll get around doing that to my Eagle for giggles.

 

[Northpin]

For me reinforced plus a thermal shield booster is always the better way of engineering shields. That is if you have the utility slot for that.
You get about the same thermal resists as in thermal shields, but better explosive/kinetic resists and way better absolute value.
And the absolute is quite important even in pve - met a lot of pytons/anacondas that had plasmas and also it is good for collisions/ramming

 

[ElectricFactory]

I probably should've mentioned I'm engineering for travel, exploration. The AspX is (still) my long range ship of choice, additional slots not withstanding. I have a dedicated war bird built around a Vulture that serves the purpose, but the thread is with lightweight in mind. Therefore I'm seeking to Engineer 'D' shields should I ever lose an interdiction, stave off rough landings etc. No weapons aboard (except the aforementioned Vulture).
It appears G5 Dirty Drive +Drag for the thrusters, what about the shields ?

 

[Lightspeed]

I went for "enhanced low power" and "stripped down" experimental effect on my Explorer Krait II. That's on a 5A shield.