I've messed around with Guardian Plasma Chargers for a long time, and unfortunately, it's really hard to find a usable niche for them. Every place they have something good, it seems like they have something bad to make up for it, to the point where they're hardly usable at all.
For example, with the new AGF engineering I was thinking about using them for Titan Pod Rescues, since they generate very little heat when fired at full charge! The problem? They take a colossal amount of power, which I can't manage with a low-emissions power plant. By contrast, I can use missiles or multicannons easily.
They seem like they might be a decent choice for Spire Farming, but because they have no splash damage I can't take out the Revenants.
They seem like they'd be alright for Orthrus hunting, but because they take so much distributor power you can't sustain them, so they end up doing less damage per second than missiles, despite their higher damage per shot.
They seem like they'd be decent for scout hunting, but because of their slightly lower projectile speed, they're again outcompeted by enhanced missiles, which do the same thing but with far less requirements in every way, or Multicannons, which can be gimballed and do the same thing without needing to aim.
They're just really hard to find a good use for. Anywhere you can use them, there's already a better option!
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Here's some ideas for ways to buff them.
1. Make them Gimballed.
This change alone would make a big difference. They could go in slots currently dedicated to scouts, like the top 2 large hardpoints on the Cutter, and also be more effective vs interceptors. No reduction in damage output would be necessary due to their massive power draw.
2. Give them a splash radius.
Similar effect, this would make it easier to hit hearts with them without needing a xeno scanner, and would let them kill ground enemies more effectively as well.
3. Reduce their distro draw.
The currently take 12.5MW to do 60 damage, before armor hardness. That's under 5 DPE. The problem here is, the most you can really carry is 2, but most decent ships have 3 large hardpoints. A Krait or Python can't really justify carrying 3, while an Anaconda or Corvette(which could theoretically power 3) can't aim fast enough to use them effectively.
4. Reduce their power draw.
They currently draw the most of any guardian weapon, which makes little sense, as they're also the worst guardian weapon. Reduce their power draw by ~90%, making them the low-impact choice for people without enough power for alternatives.
5. Do something funky
There are all sorts of other choices, too. Give them infinite ammo, maybe. Buff their uncharged firing mode. Make them disable enemy special attacks. The possibilities are limitless!
But right now, they're pretty bad, and they've been bad for a long time. It would be nice to see them useful for once.
For example, with the new AGF engineering I was thinking about using them for Titan Pod Rescues, since they generate very little heat when fired at full charge! The problem? They take a colossal amount of power, which I can't manage with a low-emissions power plant. By contrast, I can use missiles or multicannons easily.
They seem like they might be a decent choice for Spire Farming, but because they have no splash damage I can't take out the Revenants.
They seem like they'd be alright for Orthrus hunting, but because they take so much distributor power you can't sustain them, so they end up doing less damage per second than missiles, despite their higher damage per shot.
They seem like they'd be decent for scout hunting, but because of their slightly lower projectile speed, they're again outcompeted by enhanced missiles, which do the same thing but with far less requirements in every way, or Multicannons, which can be gimballed and do the same thing without needing to aim.
They're just really hard to find a good use for. Anywhere you can use them, there's already a better option!
---
Here's some ideas for ways to buff them.
1. Make them Gimballed.
This change alone would make a big difference. They could go in slots currently dedicated to scouts, like the top 2 large hardpoints on the Cutter, and also be more effective vs interceptors. No reduction in damage output would be necessary due to their massive power draw.
2. Give them a splash radius.
Similar effect, this would make it easier to hit hearts with them without needing a xeno scanner, and would let them kill ground enemies more effectively as well.
3. Reduce their distro draw.
The currently take 12.5MW to do 60 damage, before armor hardness. That's under 5 DPE. The problem here is, the most you can really carry is 2, but most decent ships have 3 large hardpoints. A Krait or Python can't really justify carrying 3, while an Anaconda or Corvette(which could theoretically power 3) can't aim fast enough to use them effectively.
4. Reduce their power draw.
They currently draw the most of any guardian weapon, which makes little sense, as they're also the worst guardian weapon. Reduce their power draw by ~90%, making them the low-impact choice for people without enough power for alternatives.
5. Do something funky
There are all sorts of other choices, too. Give them infinite ammo, maybe. Buff their uncharged firing mode. Make them disable enemy special attacks. The possibilities are limitless!
But right now, they're pretty bad, and they've been bad for a long time. It would be nice to see them useful for once.
