Engineers Overcharged / Efficient / Long Range Beams?

[amcb10]

Hi all,

I am now at a crossroads with my Corvette. I have now engineered every bit of it apart from the weapons, 5 turret beams and 2 Large M/C. While I am happy with the M/C I would like some advice on the Beams.

I know that long-range applies the full damage at range etc. but would appreciate some guidance.

Should I ditch the beams for Pulses etc?

Thanks

 

[ForeverN00b]

In my admittedly limited experience with lasers, I recommend LR in the vast majority of cases. The damage dropoff for lasers begins at 500 meters. At approximately 1.3km and farther, the damage increase in overcharged lasers loses to the negated damage dropoff of long range.

Unless you fight at really close range for the majority of the engagement, LR wins hands down. It also has the benefit of you know, longer maximum range.

There might be an occasional use for efficient lasers (although I can't think of one right now).

This logic applies to all 3 types of lasers.

 

[Starman 1966]

Forget about overcharged with beams. Too much heat and capacitor draw. So either efficient or long range, but this depends on the chosen hardpoints. I use fixed with beams on the Corvette. Two class 4 always means efficient grade 5 with thermal vent, which is my current setup. When the current CG has finished, I'll try another loadout. Two class 1 and one class 3 with each long range grade 1 and thermal vent. Will do more damage beyond approx. 1.2 km compared to the two class 4 efficient at markedly less capacitor draw. And it'll leave the huge hardpoints free for e.g. some nice class 4 cannons with long range grade 5 and high yield shell. With those two puppies you'll need no corrosive multicannon any longer.

 

[Nero Tacitus]

I tried running beams on my Corvette for a bit. While fun, it wasn't sustainable. They're simply too inefficient, and so have far too little sustained dps to rely on as the backbone of your arsenal (and that was all efficient mods). If you're going to run lasers, I'd reccomend bursts. They do comparable burst damage to the beams, but their sustain is much higher. They also allow you to run more PIPs to Systems without having your ship overheat.

The decision of long range vs efficient is based on your standard engagement distance. I went from an FDL to a Corvette, and was amazed at how much control I gave up. FDL can run anything, frags if it wants, because it can catch anything. Corvette is maneuverable, but not fast. Against NPCs, my average engagement distance is about 1.5km; closer for big ships, longer for small ships that turn tail and run as soon as you target them.
At that range, I found efficient to be the best mod overall. Focused was better at tearing through hulls (and it doubled the falloff distance to 1km), but my distro struggled on shields with it. Long range simply doesn't add enough damage to warrant passing up efficient IMO. As I run 2 huge PAs (also efficient), by the time long range becomes the better mod (2km) my PAs are out of range and my gimballing is hitting 1 in 3 shots if it's lucky, so I'm boosting to the target.

That being said, I've never run turrets, and as a recall they use less distro. So take my advice with a grain of salt, this is from fixed/gimballed.

Also, this (not sure how accurate it is, but it seems pretty solid)

 

[JetsonRING]

Hi all,
I am now at a crossroads with my Corvette. I have now engineered every bit of it apart from the weapons, 5 turret beams and 2 Large M/C. While I am happy with the M/C I would like some advice on the Beams.
I know that long-range applies the full damage at range etc. but would appreciate some guidance.
Should I ditch the beams for Pulses etc?
Thanks

[up] I don't always run beam-weapons but when I do, it is almost always efficient-modified beam weapons. But really, personal preference. Most ships tend to be a bit underpowered unless the power plant is A-rated and overcharge-modified. Even though my ships tend to be A-rated and the power plants overcharge-modified I almost always choose efficient beams. This way with pips set to WEPS it takes a long, LONG, LONG time to drain all the power from the WEPS capacitor. o7

 

[Gamsir]

Bring a sh.tload of sulphur to the Dweller. Long range grade 1 your preferred laser until you get a good roll on a secondary effect with either distr.draw or thermal reduction.

This way you’ll get consistant damage out ‘til 3600ish meters with good power/heat effeciency. And the damage will be higher than any other mod above 1200 m as described above.

Lasers are the easiest weapons to engineer

 

[coca_fr]

If you want to take out shield very fast, efficient beam is great. But you'll have to make a lot of PIP management as your WEP will be drawn to zero very fast.
Overcharged won't be good as you'll only able to use your beam for a shorter period of time.

For Pulse/Burst i suggest rapid fire as it'll increase your damage a lot without affecting that much your WEP.

If you have a lot of energy weapons and you are going to face a lot of opponents (wings) rapid fire pulse laser will be better as you'll last longer and still can use other energy weapons.

 

[Ethan Drake]

Long Range *Pulses* rock for Corvette.
They allow you to fight with 4 pips in shields, and to spend most of the time firing on your target, which is wonderful even if in a Haz Res or unwilling guest in PVP Gank Bang.
Smaller/Faster/Most maneuverable ships can't dictate the fight that much anymore.
Most PVE ships don't have shields anymore by the time they come to you, it's awesome.

I *love* beams, but they're far from giving this effective advantage, they drain and heat too much (less Damage Per Energy, less effective time on target while waiting energy/heat dissipation). I remember they are like smelting small ships though (which don't have advantage anymore).
If you do a lot of PVP, they are cool for alpha damage too, depending on how you actually pilot. Also makes a lot NPC shields drop faster, which makes them react differently and may help other strategies of yours.
But you lose pulse advantages IMHO on large, huge and multiple ships / long fights, while not gaining except advantage or time to kill except on some PVP (alpha and hard to touch/target) and small PVE ships (which you already crush fast).

I guess if you try Long Range Pulse in various situations you won't go back (Combat Zone becomes fun again). If you replace the Multi Cannons in slots of Size 4, maybe put other kinetic damage weapon in other slots (with size 1 Pranav Antal Executors I seem to just eat Anacondas hull like paper).

Question of maths too I guess... Making your largest (size 4) weapons hit more often (energetic weapons do, and can fire all the time without losing endurance/overall dps, not only when ennemy shields are down) and not depending on amno unless you run for low endurance and destroying shield tanks.

For the turret beams... They are sooo fun, but really check if you're not out of power too often especially with Long Range.
Like Coca_fr said, Rapid Fire is great for turrets.

 

[Ranualf]

Hmm good topic.

I have owned the vette since it was launched, i used to run 2 adv plasma(in class 4 slot), 3 cannons, 2 beams- old skool build, now with engineers totally different.

I would say, depending upon if you are running solo bounty hunting or winged up, this can vastly change your load out, as one can run thermal, and the other kinetic.
My usual wingman has a MC build for his vette, while mine is a odd ball build.

2x class 4 Eff beams
2x class 2 cannons, Overcharge with high yield & know off course(brain freeze atm)
2x class 1 Eff beams, healing
1 class 3 Pacifier cannon, double shot with caustic.
All the usually mods charge enhanced power distributor, oc lvl 3 power plant, dirty drive 5, wide scan 1 sensors, grade 3 fast scan KWS(class A, 3k range).
Class 6 fighter bay, twin plasma condor, twin bean taipan- elite co pilot.

The beams are great, for beating stuff down, the class ones, i just use for assist targeting or to heal as needed, procs should change, but, meh i am lazy, as i prefer a close up fight, so they are handy.
Cannons are great for punching out modules.
Pacifier frag cannon- O M F G- the stats do not do this gun justice, it is a beast of a gun, i think the one i use has about 348 dps! It is great for shredding shields or just annihilating the target, i prefer to use it for larger ships as it is fixed(3k range, so much better than a standard frag). The class 4 beam have a trigger time of about 35 secs with both of the class 1 beams also running, so, yea the efficient beams work wonders.

Heat wise, in a prolonged battle, probably maxes out at maybe 65% heat, so no issues at all.
I also run a class 7 bioweave for BH(thermal), or a Prismatic for CZ(heavy duty too) as the bioweave recharge rate is insane, but the prismatic- i could go out for a evening and come back to watch it recharge...so i also have 2 scb- specialised.

But whatever you run, make sure if "feels right", nothing like spending hours rolling weapons, just to discover- man they suck :/

Fly safe and pew pew on!

 

[racer1]

I had efficient beams on my Cobra and was underwhelmed.

I rarely use lasers these days as they just draw too much cap compared to frag/cannon/multi cannon with incendiary.

g1 long range mod is great on most weapons, but lasers and rails in particular. You lose the damage drop off so hit with full force to 3km or more and can roll loads of times to get a great thermal or cap draw secondary.

 

[amcb10]

I am currently using 5 G5 efficient beams and 2 MC and can perma run with 2 pips to weapons. I do have modded power etc. but it wipes the floor with everything in a HAZRES. PVP on the other hand would be totally different but its not my thing.

 

[khaos526]

I just use 2x Class 4 G5 Efficient Beams with no effects on them. I like to fight up close and with the corvette, you can easily hit thing pretty decently switching between using FA on and off if they get behind you. For me they're my shield killers, though long range can be useful, I like to have the little extra damage and power help so that I'm full up on power for the MC's when it's time to use them. I can also use the beams with the MC's as well for a good portion of the time when fighting which I also like and it manages my power dist very well...