PvP [PVP Tactics] Ramming FDL's :O (and mambas)

[CMDR Plexus Ironrot]

So I spent a fun evening in Founders fighting Prism and Nomads in some wing fights and 3v1s (they went as you would expect) However I noticed that they where Ramming me and it was actually quite effective! It could take a large Chunk or Deplete my ships shield pool in a single ram even with 4pips! (BiWeave Gunship 400ish MJ fun thing to fly). Now I was always told you should NOT ram in the FDLS or shield tanks like a courier. So whats changed? I mean a ram with a PA volley was great for my FAS but I noticed that I am seeing more FDL's do it (and mambas) I See that they are indeed prismatics so what changed why are wings now ramming? I remember when a ram was Deadly to a FDL and strategicly unfortunate ram could change the tide of a fight! But now they ram away with impunity taking what seems like very little shield damage compared to what they are inflicting on me?

Also I am curious to how much damage is actually done via this technique and whats a good way to utilize it? I suspect with all the Shield buffs (i mean because they did not have enough right?) that they are just stacking MJ's so much..Also What damage type is a ram? Is it absolute??? Is it kinetic? Explosive? Thermal -.-...What is it? Also does your speed matter? I thought the gunship being heavyer that I would hurt to ram me (apparently thats not how mass works now) Also why does ramming not affect the ramming ships hull or does it and they managed to sqweez some HRPS in there with those Skill Banks..oh sorry i mean Shield Cell Banks

Either way it was a fun night of PVP at founders thanks all for playing! o7



TLDR: I exploded like a lot...like....A LOT......and I am curious about ramming now.

EDIT: OH WOW THERE IS PREFIXES NOW

EDIT 2: Fixed Alot to A lot because it offends :O

 

[Oopsie Daisy]

A lot...

I usually use hull tanks and ramming is a great way to drop shields. People who rely on shields tend to not have much in the way of armor so it is pretty easy to tear open their hulls.

And for the over-the-top shields addicts, its reverb torps and then ramming as they have tinfoil for hulls.

 

[DerBruzzler]

Ramming does more damage than any weapon in game, thats for sure. I didnt find exact numbers yet. It does depend on the speeddifference of the opponents.
Rams are a good tactic if you have big prismatic shields , or a really massive hulltank/hybrid. If you ram a prismatic FDL you nearly always lose, if there are 4 pips in sys.
Its very important to have 4 pips in sys , when you get rammed (with shield).
In any ship with low shield/hull hp , try to evade the ram by boosting and using your thrusters before the opponent hits you.

 

[CMDR Plexus Ironrot]

A lot...

I usually use hull tanks and ramming is a great way to drop shields. People who rely on shields tend to not have much in the way of armor so it is pretty easy to tear open their hulls.

And for the over-the-top shields addicts, its reverb torps and then ramming as they have tinfoil for hulls.

the Alot is a thing from my area of the south kinda like y'all. Its been a curse because I type it out even tho I know I should not. It bothers people with grammar OCD

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

You might find Cmdr Starmony's threads valuable.

PvP - "Melee" FDL PVP: should the leading indicator be a toggle option when using hitscan?

In this video example, I'm able to ram my opponents at will by using the target leading reticule as a guide. This only appears on your HUD when using projectiles, not lasers or rails. I think this should be an option to turn on when using those hitscan weapons since the indicator is a valuable...

forums.frontier.co.uk

PvP - Breaking wings with a melee FDL

This is part 2 of my two part "melee" FDL plasma ramming guide. The first video a couple months ago introduced the build and tactics vs. single opponents; this conclusion features 1v2, 1v3, and 1v4/2v4 fights where I'm outnumbered by experienced PVPers from Nomads, R$M, 13th Legion, and more.

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[The Replicated Man]

So I spent a fun evening in Founders fighting Prism and Nomads in some wing fights and 3v1s (they went as you would expect) However I noticed that they where Ramming me and it was actually quite effective! It could take a large Chunk or Deplete my ships shield pool in a single ram even with 4pips! (BiWeave Gunship 400ish MJ fun thing to fly). Now I was always told you should NOT ram in the FDLS or shield tanks like a courier. So whats changed? I mean a ram with a PA volley was great for my FAS but I noticed that I am seeing more FDL's do it (and mambas) I See that they are indeed prismatics so what changed why are wings now ramming? I remember when a ram was Deadly to a FDL and strategicly unfortunate ram could change the tide of a fight! But now they ram away with impunity taking what seems like very little shield damage compared to what they are inflicting on me?

Also I am curious to how much damage is actually done via this technique and whats a good way to utilize it? I suspect with all the Shield buffs (i mean because they did not have enough right?) that they are just stacking MJ's so much..Also What damage type is a ram? Is it absolute??? Is it kinetic? Explosive? Thermal -.-...What is it? Also does your speed matter? I thought the gunship being heavyer that I would hurt to ram me (apparently thats not how mass works now) Also why does ramming not affect the ramming ships hull or does it and they managed to sqweez some HRPS in there with those Skill Banks..oh sorry i mean Shield Cell Banks

Either way it was a fun night of PVP at founders thanks all for playing! o7



TLDR: I exploded like a lot...like....A LOT......and I am curious about ramming now.

EDIT: OH WOW THERE IS PREFIXES NOW

EDIT 2: Fixed Alot to A lot because it offends :O

Since 3.1 dropped I personally have noticed that ramming is more effective now. I fly a Gunship as well and know what that ship is capable of in a fight, until I am rammed to death by a FDL or a Shield Tank Python. Due to the Gunships slow nature, it's rather hard to avoid Rams especially against people who wait till you boost, flick on Flight assist and then boost into you with 4 pips into shields.

Fights like that are never satisfactory.

 

[CMDR Plexus Ironrot]

You might find Cmdr Starmony's threads valuable.

PvP - "Melee" FDL PVP: should the leading indicator be a toggle option when using hitscan?

In this video example, I'm able to ram my opponents at will by using the target leading reticule as a guide. This only appears on your HUD when using projectiles, not lasers or rails. I think this should be an option to turn on when using those hitscan weapons since the indicator is a valuable...

forums.frontier.co.uk

PvP - Breaking wings with a melee FDL

This is part 2 of my two part "melee" FDL plasma ramming guide. The first video a couple months ago introduced the build and tactics vs. single opponents; this conclusion features 1v2, 1v3, and 1v4/2v4 fights where I'm outnumbered by experienced PVPers from Nomads, R$M, 13th Legion, and more.

forums.frontier.co.uk

bruh

 

[Starmony]

Also I am curious to how much damage is actually done via this technique and whats a good way to utilize it? I suspect with all the Shield buffs (i mean because they did not have enough right?) that they are just stacking MJ's so much..Also What damage type is a ram? Is it absolute??? Is it kinetic? Explosive? Thermal -.-...What is it? Also does your speed matter? I thought the gunship being heavyer that I would hurt to ram me (apparently thats not how mass works now) Also why does ramming not affect the ramming ships hull or does it and they managed to sqweez some HRPS in there with those Skill Banks..oh sorry i mean Shield Cell Banks

Ramming is absolute damage. Combine that with PAs (which are also 60% absolute) and you're going to have a ton of burst damage potential to play with that ignores engineered resistances. A heavy fit FDL foregoes shield banks entirely, preferring the upfront shield MJs (buffed by more shield boosters since you don't have to carry heat sinks) combined with heavy reactive armor plus HRPs in the 4 and 2 slots. You can push 3,000+ MJs shield with 2,700 armor while carrying an interdictor (2,900 armor otherwise). And while 540 m/s boost speed is slow compared to meta FDLs, it's still fast enough to make a lot of rams more punishing.

Interesting to hear FDL ramming might be more popular now. I've suspected for a while there might be some shenanigans going on with ramming damage since the last major patch.

p.s. fixed some broken video links in the old discussions that Bob linked; I haven't been on the forums for a while and didn't realize there'd been an overhaul.

Starmony