NPC's powerplants are immune in Elite Dangerous

[Morbad]

NPCs are typically setup with large power surpluses so all they tend to lose with a destroyed PP is shields. Some also lose some weapons, but crippling an NPC with PP damage is rare.

A power plant at 0% integrity still produces power. I think 40%, and it drops down to 20% when it momentarily fails, but I haven’t looked it up recently.

50% output for one at zero integrity. A malfunction prior to zero integrity is 40% output for five seconds and there used to be a critical malfunction resulting in 20% output for five seconds after hitting zero integrity, but I have no idea if that one is still in the game or if the critical malfunction just means you explode now.

I generally assume the 20% level is still there--making sure my CMDR's hybrid vessels can regenerate shields at 20% output, for example (as thrusters almost never fit)--and set power priorities so that the ship can still maneuver at 40% output.

 

[sinkarma]

I once killed an NPC anaconda with 1 shot
...
Okay that is a lie I had to break their shields first and then my two huge cannons scored a lucky hit and 'e was on 91% HP and power plant at 0% and detonated.

By comparison...
Fired 12 deep pen torpedoes and numerous medium cannon rounds in another anaconda power plant... first 2 torps killed 'is power plant and 'is shield stopped regening (presumeably the npc shut off its shield and shield boosters to save the power for guns) but 'e did not explode... only when 'is hp hit 0...

I guess you win some rng rolls and lose some rng rolls...

 

[SlickPBW]

NPCs are typically setup with large power surpluses so all they tend to lose with a destroyed PP is shields. Some also lose some weapons, but crippling an NPC with PP damage is rare.



50% output for one at zero integrity. A malfunction prior to zero integrity is 40% output for five seconds and there used to be a critical malfunction resulting in 20% output for five seconds after hitting zero integrity, but I have no idea if that one is still in the game or if the critical malfunction just means you explode now.

I generally assume the 20% level is still there--making sure my CMDR's hybrid vessels can regenerate shields at 20% output, for example (as thrusters almost never fit)--and set power priorities so that the ship can still maneuver at 40% output.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

Fragment cannons are also wonderful for detonating Power plants, both to remove the integrity and to constitute dozens of little hits, each of which can cause the explosion! Since starting with it around 3306, the Mamba remains my favourite way to deliver that:

• When controlled with landing gear and unleashed in bursts, its uniquely powerful boost gives it the ability to stab a target quite beyond other, more avoidable starships.
• The forward wings give it a stable contact for remaining at collision range without slipping sideways.
• The fully upward-deploying hardpoints can direct gimbal Fragment cannons all to strike the same module at that range.

Thus far I find the Python 2 and the Corsair nicely-armed but less able to achieve the grapple position; the Python 2 seems best assuming Fragment cannons for hull and enjoying an occasional Power plant, while the Corsair can do a good stab then keep a bit of distance for Concord cannons and Multi-cannons, as is more usual for attacking a module.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

You know what works great together with those? Penetrator Munitions Advanced Dumbfires. You need a fairly maneuverable and fast ship with good hardpoint convergence.

Dumbfires have 100% breach chance, and with Penetrator Munitions they can hit power plants for 20 absolutely guaranteed damage as long as you make your shot. Put a SRB PA in the center large of a Chieftain. Put one to three Advanced Dumbfires in the small hardpoints around it. From typical Chieftain attack range (i.e. out to around 1 km) the projectile speed difference doesn't matter. Just target the power plant and fire.

Thanks to the guaranteed damage it's a great way to hedge your breach chance bet. In the worst case scenario you're doing 20 (or 40 or 60) breach damage to the plant which adds up over time.

In the best case scenario when the SR PA breaches, you're doing a bare minimum of 144 breach damage. If you have corrosive active, that gets an additional 25% on top for a total of at least 180 breach damage, and most un-armored power plants vanish with one shot.

It's very satisfying and also very ammo efficient to strip the shields from an anaconda and destroy it with one shot to the plant. The highest remaining hull I've ever seen was 96%, and I have a nice collection of kills at 90% and above.

One thing about corrosion though. This one does come up a lot, probably because I think this could be clearer.

My understanding of how it works is that it reduces the hull hardness value of ships by 20 points, so for example an Anaconda drops from 75 to 55. If you're using PAs it's irrelevant because with a piercing value of 100, they aren't affected because they hit with full damage either way because the value is higher than the hull hardness. However, anything with a piercing below 75 gets a damage buff because the difference between the piercing value on the weapon and the hull hardness of the target is reduced or overcome. The 25% damage bonus was basically the amount you potentially gain by the increased effectiveness of the piercing of the weapons on the weaker hull hardness.

Although I stand to be corrected on that.

 

[Kamiyoda]

Although I stand to be corrected on that.

Every source I have ever seen has them listed as different things and different weapons have different penetration values so it wouldnt be a consistent 25% accross the board anyway.

 

[Aleks Zuno]

My understanding of how it works is that it reduces the hull hardness value of ships by 20 points

Almost, yes—actually it causes incoming strikes to have 20 more Piercing. The effect of that distinction will vary depending on weapon and target, in some cases being identical, but it can be seen quite clearly with Cytoscramblers against an Anaconda with Corrosive!

If that were 20 lower Hardness, the effective Hardness would be 45 and the Piercing would still be 1, for almost no damage. Instead, the effective Piercing is 21 versus 65 Hardness, for a respectable one-third damage or so.

This is entirely separate to:

25%

That should also still apply, alongside the Piercing-over-Hardness factor!

 

[Shurimal]

Put a SRB PA in the center large of a Chieftain. Put one to three Advanced Dumbfires in the small hardpoints around it. From typical Chieftain attack range (i.e. out to around 1 km) the projectile speed difference doesn't matter. Just target the power plant and fire.

I sported that setup (2 large PA-s and 3 penetrator missile racks) on my Chief for a long time. Quite fun, but NPC-s often having 2 point defence turrets made things harder at higher distances. One weird benefit of missile racks is that they can fire on empty WEP cap so I often found myself switching to dumbfires when my WEP cap was running low but I needed to keep pips to either SYS or ENG.

 

[Three Stars]

Every source I have ever seen has them listed as different things and different weapons have different penetration values so it wouldnt be a consistent 25% accross the board anyway.

Yep, the AP +20 boost and the +25% damage boost are separate bonuses.

In this case the AP boost is mostly irrelevant. PAs already have 100 AP.

The damage bonus applies to module breach damage, which is why you want it in place. It can be the difference between one-shotting a target’s power plant and having to keep firing.