FAS - PvE Weapon Load Question

[khaos526]

So, wanting to transfer a combat ship (PvE) only to Colonia and was thinking of using my Vulture or FDL, but then decided I would like to maybe have a different ship like the FAS there instead.

Background
- I'll be max engineering out my ship (have all engineers unlocked)
- I use a mouse/keyboard so not the greatest at fixed weapons (I use gimbled on my other combat ships)
- It's only for PvE


With that, I'm trying to find a good weapon loadout for my play style above. Normally I'd spend time testing things out, but I'm kind of wanting to get back to Colonia very soon.

I know many use PA's and Railguns and such, but not sure I'll do well using non-gimbled weapons.

Thanks

 

[StiTch]

Rule for PvE: Anything works.

No, really. Just pick what sounds exciting and mod it. You cannot fail.

 

[XanderVekk]

It’s such a maneuverable ship that I went with fixed weapons, because it does a LOT of extra damage for free. Nearly as much as an overcharge mod.

You can’t go wrong with three multicannons or beams on the bottom, and PA or a frag cannon up top. With a little practice (git gud) you don’t miss with the top weapon.

 

[Conch]

Unwritten rule of the FAS bottom hardpoints... go fixed or go home

 

[Aashenfox]

You any good at pip management? If not, FAS probably isn't the best for pve. It really likes to run shieldless (which isn't ideal against multiple enemies, but is useful in 1v1), the initial shield values are tragic. As such if you really want to run a shield, go for short duration fast recharge and be good witht eh pips, it suits a biweave with a good thermal resist. NPCs shoot missiles when shields are down, and you won't be able to keep it up for long periods, you have to just think of it as a regular heal, and rely on hull tanking in between, so it's to have PD. Chaff combined with good pip management and staying out of the fire, will keep you in the fight a surprisingly long time, but it will run out if you use it a lot, if you carry it, save it for the 'oh crap' moments. Fill it with Heavy duty HRPs and at least one module reinforcement, use reactive armor with a thermal resist, this should give you balanced hull resistances to all damage types.

For weapons, personally, given the fact that I'd b expecting to be ducking in and out of the fight to repair anyway, I'd probably go with 2 large efficient beams (no special) and seekers or packhounds on the medium points. You can just use the lasers on small ships (get good efficient rolls and hope for a weapons bonus on your increased charge rate capacitor), and save your missiles for when you want to do huge damage and for runners. They are very effective. Apart from that, learn to FA off.

You'll be very busy flying the FAS well in pve, are you sure you wouldn't be better off with a python? You get a 1000mj biweave on it and a lot more guns, you just have to run, fast, when the shield goes down, and of course it's not as maneuverable. But when I want to CLEAR a CZ I take the python. When I want to practice my fixed weapons and flying skills, go hunting in the FAS.

For me, the FAS is a lone Tiger prowling the galaxy, the Python is my battletank.

 

[Necronaught]

Fixed weapons is easiest with mouse and keyboard. You have to fine tune the mouse and once done to your taste it really is quite intuitive. I use M+KB on my laptop at work and it works great. HOTAS at home though. I like to fly the ship and it just doesn't convey in the same with M+KB. I wasted money on a Speedlink Quinox and discovered that M+KB was just better than a controller for me.

Nothing beast a HOTAS for the feel of the ship (that cutter weighs a lot) and immersion

 

[XanderVekk]

Unwritten rule of the FAS bottom hardpoints... go fixed or go home

Three efficient PA’s on the bottom are devastating if you’re a good enough pilot.

Sadly, it turned out that I wasn’t!

 

[N3rd Murd3r3r]

If you want FAS easy PVE mode, I recommend:

- 2x Medium Efficient Beam G5 (Therm Vent)
- 2x Large Overcharged Multi's G5 (Auto Loader)

All gimballed.

I was messing around trying to create a no-brain REZ farmer and this was the most consistently easy and successful.

I tried Frag, Plasma, Rail, other variants of Multi and lasers but this is the most consistent set up (for me).

The issue with the all Multicannon set up is they have different rates of fire so at least one is always reloading. The Autoloader effect gets rid of this and it feels like it's doing more damage than with the usual arbitrary corrosive multi.

The cone of effectiveness on the two large hard points is smaller but still easy enough to find with something that moves as easily as the FAS (and you can do the rotate sideways thing with the FAS to line them up anyway).

Stick two heavy duty shield boosters and one resist augmented and you have a good enough shield even with biweaves.

It's not really in keeping with how you SHOULD use the FAS, but it's my ship and I'll do as I please

 

[Aashenfox]

Unwritten rule of the FAS bottom hardpoints... go fixed or go home

Yeh, FAS was made for rails in those slots, imo, great for that long range micro gimballing cos the convergence is almost on top of each other already. Seems a waste to run anything else.

Three efficient PA’s on the bottom are devastating if you’re a good enough pilot.

Sadly, it turned out that I wasn’t!

FAS only has 2 mediums, you mean python? That would definitely be fun, lol.

 

[Aashenfox]

If you want FAS easy PVE mode, I recommend:

- 2x Medium Efficient Beam G5 (Therm Vent)
- 2x Large Overcharged Multi's G5 (Auto Loader)

All gimballed.

I was messing around trying to create a no-brain REZ farmer and this was the most consistently easy and successful.

I tried Frag, Plasma, Rail, other variants of Multi and lasers but this is the most consistent set up (for me).

The issue with the all Multicannon set up is they have different rates of fire so at least one is always reloading. The Autoloader effect gets rid of this and it feels like it's doing more damage than with the usual arbitrary corrosive multi.

The cone of effectiveness on the two large hard points is smaller but still easy enough to find with something that moves as easily as the FAS (and you can do the rotate sideways thing with the FAS to line them up anyway).

Stick two heavy duty shield boosters and one resist augmented and you have a good enough shield even with biweaves.

It's not really in keeping with how you SHOULD use the FAS, but it's my ship and I'll do as I please

I consider it optimal to run a corrosive on one of them (soon on both, if FD rumours of allowing additional returns on running two in the future were true). Autoloader on the other if you like, sure, but the corrosive debuff is very strong ad easy to keep up.

 

[CMDR Corlas]

Yeh, FAS was made for rails in those slots, imo, great for that long range micro gimballing cos the convergence is almost on top of each other already. Seems a waste to run anything else.

I recently swapped over all my medium Fed ships to using Railguns on the bottom mediums. It was a tough call to move from Plasmas, but I do like it a lot.

FAS only has 2 mediums, you mean python? That would definitely be fun, lol.

Two medium PA's and a large.

 

[Aashenfox]

Two medium PA's and a large.

I keep meaning to try that, but how does the python hold up to the heat? You think it could handle focused in that config or would NEED efficient? I'm in LOVE with focused PAs, they're easy to hit with and they do RIDONCULOUS damage to large ships, plus insane range! Just the heat though... :/

 

[Mohrgan]

I fly an FAS almost exclusively. I also use gimballed weapons. This allows me to maintain fire on my target, while avoiding incoming fire.

I have found the best layout is: 1x Lrg Pulse, and 2x Med Pulse on the lower hard points, and either a Lrg Frag, or Cannon (I prefer a cannon) on the top mount. Splitting the fire groups top and bottom turned out to be more practical than by size. The three lasers, in PvE, allow you to stay on station longer having no ammo restrictions, and are more than enough to take down small and some medium ships. The cannon is there to add punch when fighting larger ships, they are great for module sniping.

I would mention my Engineering, but it's minimal at best, and I'm sure not optimum.

 

[CMDR Corlas]

I keep meaning to try that, but how does the python hold up to the heat? You think it could handle focused in that config or would NEED efficient? I'm in LOVE with focused PAs, they're easy to hit with and they do RIDONCULOUS damage to large ships, plus insane range! Just the heat though... :/

It's been so long since I used anything but efficient PA's, I honestly have no idea anymore. I do think three large PA's on the Python is let down a bit by the relatively wide spread on the large hardpoints though.

If you want to go PA-heavy, the FGS can handle them very well and has a tighter grouping; the Anaconda has a fairly tight grouping and gives you a lot of options in terms of sizes; and there's nothing quite as epic as firing two huges on a Corvette.

 

[khaos526]

Thanks for all the great responses and it's really helped me out learning the style of the FAS.

Pip Management: Yes I use this actually with my FDL quite a bit depending on boosting or firing, so I do use this often

FA Assist: I'm not great at it, but do use it occasionally when needed with the FDL on larger ships, just find it kind of hard with a mouse (I used to use a joystick on the C-64 using this method with Space Rogue and it was great), mouse not as great.

Python: I already have 2 Pythons in Colonia already (both non combat), I really want some variation there and hence why I was thinking of trying something new or just transfering my vulture.

PA: I have been researching these for quite a long while and just haven't gotten myself to try it out, because I always find reasons that it wouldn't be good. Think the load time is what maybe the reason why (can't remember).

So looking at some of the suggestions, I do want to get away from the Beam/MC which is what I have on my FDL after trying various other loadouts. It's great and works (one MC corrosive, one Incendiary, and the other 2 with nothing yet and a large efficient Beam), but I really need to try something else out and different.

I like these two ideas a lot and will probably go and engineer these two set ups and try them both out and see what I like the best:

2x Large Efficient Beams
2x Medium Rails with maybe Short Range or High Cap?

or

1x Large Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)
1x Large Cannon (Overcharged or Short Range)
2x Med Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)

 

[StiTch]

I like these two ideas a lot and will probably go and engineer these two set ups and try them both out and see what I like the best:

2x Large Efficient Beams
2x Medium Rails with maybe Short Range or High Cap?

or

1x Large Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)
1x Large Cannon (Overcharged or Short Range)
2x Med Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)

I'd personally run with the latter for PvE. Also for PvE, use efficient on them lazors, as it's your only other sensible mainstream choice outside of long ranged - which I would heavily advise you use for the large cannon - unless you wanna stick long ranged on a lazor too, and have some actual long range weaponry.

Nothing will ask for the alpha damage a beam/rail setup pushes for, and if you see an SCB fire you don't have to scramble like a fat kid stuck in muck to stop it.

Give yourself a more relaxed weapon loadout and yes, use bi-weaves.

 

[Mohrgan]

Thanks for all the great responses and it's really helped me out learning the style of the FAS.

Pip Management: Yes I use this actually with my FDL quite a bit depending on boosting or firing, so I do use this often

FA Assist: I'm not great at it, but do use it occasionally when needed with the FDL on larger ships, just find it kind of hard with a mouse (I used to use a joystick on the C-64 using this method with Space Rogue and it was great), mouse not as great.

Python: I already have 2 Pythons in Colonia already (both non combat), I really want some variation there and hence why I was thinking of trying something new or just transfering my vulture.

PA: I have been researching these for quite a long while and just haven't gotten myself to try it out, because I always find reasons that it wouldn't be good. Think the load time is what maybe the reason why (can't remember).

So looking at some of the suggestions, I do want to get away from the Beam/MC which is what I have on my FDL after trying various other loadouts. It's great and works (one MC corrosive, one Incendiary, and the other 2 with nothing yet and a large efficient Beam), but I really need to try something else out and different.

I like these two ideas a lot and will probably go and engineer these two set ups and try them both out and see what I like the best:

2x Large Efficient Beams
2x Medium Rails with maybe Short Range or High Cap?

or

1x Large Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)
1x Large Cannon (Overcharged or Short Range)
2x Med Pulse (Overcharged or Efficient)

If you are going to go with gimballed weapons, OC introduces jitter to the tracking, this is a non-starter. Use Efficient on the lasers, and Long Range on the canon. I put Phasing on the Lrg. Pulse, and one of the Med, while putting Scramble on the second Med Pulse. I use Long Range with Auto-load on the cannon.

 

[Aashenfox]

If you are going to go with gimballed weapons, OC introduces jitter to the tracking, this is a non-starter. Use Efficient on the lasers, and Long Range on the canon. I put Phasing on the Lrg. Pulse, and one of the Med, while putting Scramble on the second Med Pulse. I use Long Range with Auto-load on the cannon.

This for the engineering. /nod

BTW, I love high yield on the cannons, too. Wrecks modules like butter.

 

[XanderVekk]

I keep meaning to try that, but how does the python hold up to the heat? You think it could handle focused in that config or would NEED efficient? I'm in LOVE with focused PAs, they're easy to hit with and they do RIDONCULOUS damage to large ships, plus insane range! Just the heat though... :/

I went with the zm4rco build on the FAS (except I used shields and boosters). The grouping is tight enough on the PA’s to be effective, and the damage is devastating.

https://youtu.be/aM4QmqwHAHg

It worked well, until it didn’t. An elite python spanked me because I couldn’t land every PA hit. I couldn’t keep enough pips to engines and shields to drag the fight out, while charging up enough for PA shots.

That’s why large MC or cannon builds are so mean, one pip to weapons on a g5 charge enhanced distributor lets you keep shields at three or four with enough for engines without needing to pip jockey constantly.

Since then I’ve gotten better at pip management, always switching weapons and thrusters on an FGS depending on what I need at the moment. FAS was my first ‘real’ combat ship.

 

[Aashenfox]

I went with the zm4rco build on the FAS (except I used shields and boosters). The grouping is tight enough on the PA’s to be effective, and the damage is devastating.

https://youtu.be/aM4QmqwHAHg

It worked well, until it didn’t. An elite python spanked me because I couldn’t land every PA hit. I couldn’t keep enough pips to engines and shields to drag the fight out, while charging up enough for PA shots.

That’s why large MC or cannon builds are so mean, one pip to weapons on a g5 charge enhanced distributor lets you keep shields at three or four with enough for engines without needing to pip jockey constantly.

Since then I’ve gotten better at pip management, always switching weapons and thrusters on an FGS depending on what I need at the moment. FAS was my first ‘real’ combat ship.

Go shieldless, run 0-3-3, another option.