How to properly use a shield cell bank

[Burned_Follower]

I'm just checking to see if I understand how shield cell banks work.
When I go into battle in a belt, I usually, select a target, scan it, and when it registers as "wanted", I then deploy my hardpoints if I haven't already, and then transfer power to weapons, and then open fire.

But if my shields are getting low, or if my shields are knocked out, I'll transfer all my power to systems and do evasive manuvers so my shields can recharge quicker. This has saved my butt several times already...and this is without a shield cell bank.

But I just installed a shield cell bank onto my ship and learned real quick that I had to assign it to a firing group. I assigned it to the second group and have the trigger button on my HOTAS assigned to it.

So how/when am I supposed to use this shield cell bank? Do I wait until my shields are low or knocked out and then switch firing groups to use it? If no, then how does this thing work when I'm bounty hunting in one of the asteroid rings?

 

[Zannry]

So how/when am I supposed to use this shield cell bank? Do I wait until my shields are low or knocked out and then switch firing groups to use it? If no, then how does this thing work when I'm bounty hunting in one of the asteroid rings?

Use them when your shields are low but not broken. Once broken they impart no benefit. I generally have a fire group dedicated to a heat sink/SCBs. Quick switch when needed. Pop and switch back.

 

[Dragsham]

You can bind heatsink chaff scbs etc to buttons. This way you can instantly pop em wen needed rather than selecting the fire group which in a furball might cost you a rebuy.

 

[Cmdr. Numa]

You can bind heatsink chaff scbs etc to buttons. This way you can instantly pop em wen needed rather than selecting the fire group which in a furball might cost you a rebuy.

This exactly. And you are going to need to do that even more once you get into dualbanking with a heatsink in between.

 

[Burned_Follower]

cool, thanks!

 

[Burned_Follower]

I found where in control options where I can customize which button to deploy a heat sink, and even chaff, but am not finding where I can do the same for a shield cell bank. I'll find it but thought I'd ask here while I'm searching.

 

[Gully Foyle]

I have never used them, but I'm an outlier

 

[Burned_Follower]

I found where in control options where I can customize which button to deploy a heat sink, and even chaff, but am not finding where I can do the same for a shield cell bank. I'll find it but thought I'd ask here while I'm searching.

nevermind, found it. I thought it was gonna take forever to find it, lol. Thanks all for letting me know how I should use my shield cell bank! WOOT

Oh, and happy new years everyone!

 

[SMcA]

nevermind, found it. I thought it was gonna take forever to find it, lol. Thanks all for letting me know how I should use my shield cell bank! WOOT

Oh, and happy new years everyone!

There is one more thing. When using a SCB your ship temperature will rise. So I fire a SCB then immediately pop off a Heat Sink. I have bound them both to a rocker switch on my hotas. Up for SCB and then down for heat sink.
And lang may your lum reek.

 

[d8veh]

I'm just checking to see if I understand how shield cell banks work.
When I go into battle in a belt, I usually, select a target, scan it, and when it registers as "wanted", I then deploy my hardpoints if I haven't already, and then transfer power to weapons, and then open fire.

But if my shields are getting low, or if my shields are knocked out, I'll transfer all my power to systems and do evasive manuvers so my shields can recharge quicker. This has saved my butt several times already...and this is without a shield cell bank.

But I just installed a shield cell bank onto my ship and learned real quick that I had to assign it to a firing group. I assigned it to the second group and have the trigger button on my HOTAS assigned to it.

So how/when am I supposed to use this shield cell bank? Do I wait until my shields are low or knocked out and then switch firing groups to use it? If no, then how does this thing work when I'm bounty hunting in one of the asteroid rings?

That's a very good question. First of all SCBs are pretty well useless on small ships because your shields go down too fast, so you hardly get a chance to use an SCB, and by the time the thing has started working, your shields are gone, so it can't do anything. For small ships, fast charge biweave shields are what I'd use without SCBs. SCBs give the best effect on bigger ships that have very strong shields with an uncomfortable recharge rate. In this case, the shields go down very slowly, so you get plenty of time to get the SCBs doing their thing.

On a big ship shield tank ship,like an Anaconda, Corvette, Cutter with prismatic shields, I'd normally have at least two SCBs. You can assign the SCB to any key or button without being in a firegrop or on a fire button, so do that, then also assign it to a fire button in a fire group. When you get down to one ring of shields or at whatever point you feel requires it, press the independently assigned button to activate an SCB, wait until your temperature goes up to about 80, deploy a heatsink, then wait until your temperature reaches zero (or close), then fire the second SCB with the fire button that you assigned to it. That way, you get double recharge for only one heatsink, which means that you can have an extra shield booster. Obviously, it only works like that if you have at least 2 SCBs